On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhao Yingluo led an army of 100,000 on the avenue of Xingzhou.

The autumn sun shines on the fields, and the golden corn fields and the white cotton fields are intertwined into a picture of a good harvest.

Zhao Yingluo lifted the curtain of the carriage and took a deep breath of the air with the smell of harvest, and the joy in her heart was indescribable.

As the army passed by a field of budding rice, Zhao Yingluo saw some farmers working in the fields, reaping the fruits of a year's hard work.

Intrigued, she ordered the army to stop, and she got out of the car and went into the field.

The peasants were a little stunned when they saw a beautifully dressed woman walking towards them.

The shopkeeper is a middle-aged man, who looks shrewd and capable, but there is a hint of sadness between his eyebrows. After Zhao Yingluo noticed it, she took the initiative to ask: "Boss, seeing that you are worried, is there anything bothering?" ”

Subsequently, Zhao Yingluo frowned slightly and asked the farmers: "Whose land are you renting?" The question clearly touched the heartstrings of the farmers, who looked at each other and hesitated, but finally answered truthfully.

"This little lady, we are renting the land of Ling Ma Wucai in Neiqiu County." A bold farmer replied cautiously.

Wen Boyuan was stunned for a moment, nodded and responded: "Yes, Your Royal Highness Princess." ”

The tension in the hearts of the peasants eased a little when they heard this noble woman's gentle questioning.

After Zhao Yingluo heard this, she snorted coldly, with obvious dissatisfaction in her tone: "Ma Wucai, as a local parent official, should have set an example and love the people, but he actually charged such a high tenant rent from farmers!" ”

Zhao Yingluo smiled and asked them cordially: "How is this year's harvest?" ”

The shopkeeper sighed, looked around, and saw that there were no other customers in the store, so he whispered: "The guest officer doesn't know, it's difficult for us to do this small business." Every year, we have to give a lot of filial piety to the county magistrate, and if we don't give it, he will secretly arrange for the ruffians to come to the store to smash it, so that we can't do business with peace of mind. ”

The farmers replied sincerely, "Although the tenant rent is indeed high, our annual harvest is very limited until we do not have the high-quality seeds of Her Royal Highness the Princess. At that time, the grain that fell into our own hands per acre of land was less than three stones, and we often ran out before New Year's Day. As a result, many farmers are starving and living in extreme hardship. ”

Zhao Yingluo was slightly stunned when she heard the title of "Her Royal Highness the Princess", and then understood that they did not recognize her. She did not reveal her identity, but continued to ask: "Then how much is your annual rent?" ”

Zhao Yingluo was indignant after hearing this, and continued to ask: "In that case, why don't you sue you?" ”

So, she turned to Wen Boyuan, the commander of the Imperial City Division who was escorting her, and said, "Wen Boyuan, pass the order, the army will camp on the spot, and set off the day after tomorrow." ”

The farmers looked at each other, and the last of the older farmers sighed: "We are tenants, and we can only accept the landlord's increase in rent." After all, the land is not ours, and we can have land to plant and harvest, which is much better than in the past. ”

After exploring the truth and truth, Zhao Yingluo met with the soldiers and told them what they had learned one by one. She said coldly: "This Ma Wucai is really bold, not only oppressing the people, but also colluding with the ruffians, it is simply lawless!" We have to find a way to cure him! ”

The market is bustling with people of all colors. Zhao Yingluo walked into a seemingly old silk and satin shop, pretending to choose fabrics, but in fact secretly observed and waited for an opportunity to talk to the shopkeeper.

The farmers didn't know Zhao Yingluo's identity as a princess, and when they saw that this noble woman wanted to trouble Ma Wucai, they persuaded her to think twice. An old farmer said worriedly: "Girl, that Ma Wucai is used to being overbearing with the support of someone in the court, if you go to trouble him, I'm afraid there will be no good fruit to eat." ”

Zhao Yingluo looked at these honest farmers and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

She knew that the tenant rents around Kaifeng City were four stones per mu, and the landlords here actually asked for eight stones per mu! These farmers have worked hard for a year, and even if they have increased their income because of the high-yield crops, most of the income has been taken away by the landlords, which is simply too much!

Zhao Yingluo forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart, and tried her best to make her voice sound calm: "This kind of tenant rent is indeed too high. Don't you think that's unfair? ”

As night fell, Zhao Yingluo and his entourage began to act according to the plan.

After Zhao Yingluo heard this, she had mixed feelings in her heart. She is both pleased with the improvement in the lives of the farmers and at the same time unjust at the same time. She asked, "Do you think such a tenant is reasonable?" ”

Speaking of this, a bitter smile appeared on the faces of the farmers, as if they were recalling those difficult days.

Zhao Yingluo secretly remembered in her heart, and visited several shops one after another, and the situation was similar. The merchants complained about Ma Wucai's greed and shameless behavior, but they were helpless.

The shopkeeper smiled bitterly: "Sue? How dare you! The governor of Xingzhou is the brother-in-law of Master Ma, and the officials protect each other, where can our small people fight them? ”

"Eight stones?" Zhao Yingluo frowned, and a wave of anger surged in her heart.

The farmers looked at each other, and an honest farmer replied, "Eight stones per mu per year." ”

When Zhao Yingluo heard this, she smiled lightly, and a trace of determination flashed in her eyes.

But then, their expressions brightened again, and one of the farmers continued: "But now, thanks to the seeds provided by Her Royal Highness the Princess, our harvest has increased considerably. Now we can leave five or six stone of grain per acre, which is enough for us to eat and wear. ”

Zhao Yingluo thought for a moment, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes: "I have a plan, we can ......" She whispered her plan to Wen Boyuan and the soldiers.

After everything was ready, Zhao Yingluo decided to go and meet this Ma Wucai in person.

She understands that although the lives of these farmers have improved, they are still in a vulnerable position to compete with the landlords. She decided she wanted to do something for them.

She turned around and walked towards the carriage, and said to Wen Boyuan as she went: "Pick some soldiers with strong combat strength to follow, let them change into civilian clothes, and we will go to meet that Ma Wucai." As a county commander, but so exploiting the people, this is simply a shame for the imperial court! Today, we will go to Neiqiu County and find him unlucky! ”

They put down their farming tools and stood uneasy, not knowing what to do.

Wen Boyuan nodded and replied: "Yes, Your Royal Highness Princess, this kind of behavior is indeed despicable, so we will set off for Neiqiu County." ”

Wen Boyuan nodded and agreed: "What Her Royal Highness the Princess said is extremely true. This Ma Wucai relied on the backer of Xingzhou Zhizhou to do evil, and we had to think of a foolproof strategy to catch him all. ”

A bold farmer's representative replied, "Thanks to the high-quality seeds of Her Royal Highness the Princess, this year's harvest is not bad, and we are expected to have a good year." ”

After a group of fifty people quietly entered the city, Zhao Yingluo did not rush straight to the county office, but decided to investigate the truth in the market shops first. Disguised as a wealthy merchant, she dispersed with her companions of plainclothes soldiers and went deep into the market.

They first secretly arrested a few ruffians who colluded with Ma Wucai, and forced them to interrogate Ma Wucai's various crimes and evidence of corruption.

Then, they secretly contacted some conscientious gentry and common people in the city to discuss how to bring down this corrupt official.

She took Wen Boyuan and several soldiers to the gate of the county government and ordered people to beat drums and voice grievances.

After Ma Wucai heard the sound of the drums, he had to go up to the court to ask about the case. When he saw Zhao Yingluo and his party standing in the hall, he was shocked. He pretended to be calm and asked, "Who is in the hall?" What are the grievances? ”

Zhao Yingluo said coldly: "Xiaomin has grievances to sue!" The county order adults are greedy, oppress the people, collude with local ruffians, and collect huge amounts of filial piety! Please make decisions for the little people! ”