The world of rebirth

Wenzhen seems to be very talkative today, and on the way to the agreed place, he even has the heart to complain to Ning Yunjin.

"When I first ascended the throne, there were very few available people. I lived high above the temple, and there was no way to understand the situation of the people. Everyone in the world knows that the two best places to inquire about news are restaurants and brothels. .”

I just heard him say, "It's a pity that the cost of these two places is too high, and the well-known places are controlled by other forces. After thinking about it, I started to install people in the Yoyingtang."

Ning Yunjin couldn't help but rolled his eyes in his heart, this guy seemed to be in his early eight years old when he became the throne, so he is so evil at such a young age!Is it really scheming to boast! ?

"The emperor is wise and powerful." Ning Yunjin opened his eyes wide, with a look of sudden awakening, "Yuyingtang must be set up in every prefecture and county. If some people are placed in it, it will not be conspicuous at all!"

"You are really smart, you are worthy of being a heaven worshiper." Wen Zhen patted his head appreciatively.

Ning Yunjin lowered his head and pretended to be shy, but his eyes were full of gloom. He is really in a complicated mood now, and he doesn't really want to make a fool of himself with Wen Zhen.

Fortunately, the farther away from the city gate, the more refugees gathered. When Wen Zhen saw those ragged and hungry victims huddled together in various simple sheds, he became more and more silent.

"How serious is the flood?"

Ning Yunjin explained, "Most of the people gathered now are tenant farmers or people who have long lost their land and rely on part-time labor. Most of them originally only had a dilapidated house, and now many places are flooded. There is no other way of life."

Wen Zhen was silent, he knew that Ning Yunjin's words were reserved.

The situation in the Jiangnan area has always been the focus of the court's attention. The land annexation here is very serious. There are more and more farmers who have lost or have little land. They can only barely make ends meet by becoming tenant farmers for big landlords. The fields are almost barren.

Even though I presided over offering sacrifices to heaven and praying for rain later, so that farmers could replant some short-term crops, those tenants were not even able to pay rent and taxes. The tenant farmers managed to survive this year, but it made things worse and encountered another flood. The crops were flooded again, and the difficulty of their livelihood can already be imagined. I am afraid that there is no other way to survive except selling their sons and daughters.

Just as he guessed, when they arrived at a large ping with many sheds, they saw a bustling scene in front of a shed.

Wen Zhen asked Ning Yunjin to help him to look, and saw many children and a few young women kneeling inside. The children were male and female, with tears on their faces, while the women looked numb.They all had grass labels on their heads, and there were a few well-dressed people who looked like housekeepers or human teethers asking for prices.

"Little girl will sell rice for twenty-eight."

"Twelve hundred dollars can be exchanged for a boy, who is already able to work. Is there anyone who buys it back and becomes a servant?"

"A swift woman can be traded for a thousand dollars."

Even though the children or the people behind the women were shouting loudly, there were still many people watching and few people asking. Occasionally, a few good-looking girls and boys were spotted, and the mother and son or father and son hugged their heads for a while in hysteria. Crying and howling, and then pressing his fingerprints on the contract of sale, he became a slave of someone else's family.

Even if life as a tenant farmer is hard, it is better than being a slave, at least you are still a free man.As a slave, my descendants can only be slaves from generation to generation. It is okay to meet a good master, but to meet a harsh master and even endanger their lives. If it is not really impossible to survive, no one is willing to make such a decision.

After exiting the shed, Wen Zhen's face was so gloomy that he could drip water.Before entering the customs, the Fengtian clan has been in slavery, but in recent years, most of the people who are really used as slaves are prisoners of war and criminals. Although there are still some who voluntarily worship under the strong as slaves, those people can no longer called a slave.

Nowadays, the people under the rule can't survive, they can only sell their sons and daughters, or even sell their wives, in order to make a living. This is a shame for a perfect policy like Wen Zhen.

"How much is the price of rice now?" Wen Zhen asked coldly.

"Two days ago, I heard that Doumi in the city had risen to one or two or three renminbi." Ning Yunjin replied, "The price of food is rising rapidly now, and the price is one a day." He said angrily, "I originally wanted to get you some Chickens make up one's body, but two big chickens cost a thousand dollars, and a young chicken that crows for the first time costs five or six hundred dollars."

This astonishing price shocked Wenzhen, but seeing Ning Yunjin's shyness because he couldn't take better care of himself, he felt warm in his heart.

No matter how smart he is, he is still just a child. If he is penniless, he is trying his best to keep the two of them from starving. Who can bear to be harsh! ?

"You are a good boy." Wen Zhen patted him on the shoulder.

After that, Wenzhen remained silent on the road, and when he arrived at the contact point, he just quietly observed the behavior of the victims around him.

Ning Yunjin happened to be in a very complicated mood. He hadn't recovered from the gap in Erwa's disappearance, so he had to deal with Wen Zhen with all his might, and then he suddenly found out about the Yoyingtang, which really upset him a little.

The two were silent, and after waiting for about half an hour, a carriage came galloping.The carriage stopped ten steps away from the shed where the two were. The driver jumped off and looked around profusely with sweat.

Wen Zhen's temperament is too outstanding, and the fair and lovely Ning Yunjin doesn't look like those disaster-stricken children at all. Although the two of them are wearing ordinary old clothes, they are clean all over, unlike those disaster victims in ragged clothes , allowing people to recognize the difference between the two at a glance.

The man walked over almost as soon as he saw the two of them, with an unconcealable excitement in his expression.Ning Yunjin even saw tears flickering in his eyes, and he didn't know whether it was the expression of his true feelings or his outstanding acting skills.

"The emperor..."

Wen Zhen reached out to stop him from saluting, "Old Yu, let's get in the car and go to Hangzhou."

The person known as Lao Yu nodded repeatedly. He found that Wen Zhen seemed to be unable to move, and immediately wanted to step forward to help him.

Wen Zhen didn't pay attention to his hospitality, and the weight was still on Ning Yunjin, so Lao Yu had no choice but to quickly open an oil-paper umbrella for the two of them to shield them from the continuous drizzle.

Lao Yu also knew that it was not the time to speak in this place where there were many victims, and who knew what would happen if the emperor's identity was exposed.When the two got into the carriage, he drove the carriage at a fast speed.

After so many days of rain, even the repaired official roads are muddy. Even a healthy person like Ning Yunjin was shaken to the point of discomfort, let alone Wen Zhen, who was covered in injuries.

He took a sneak peek, and found that Wenzhen was frowning and enduring the pain. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the curtain and shouted to Lao Yu, "Slow down, slow down, you're hurt!"

The child was alive and kicking, of course it wasn't the injured one, Lao Yu was so frightened that his hands trembled, and the speed slowed down when he pulled the reins.

In fact, even if the carriage slowed down, it was not much stronger, and the places that should bump were still the same, but at least the people in the carriage could breathe a sigh of relief.

After walking for a while and getting away from Jiaxing City, Wen Zhen moved to the front of the carriage and asked, "Old Yu, what's the situation now?"

After all, it was raining lightly, and there were only a few people walking around on the official road. At this time, there was no need to be so scruples about speaking. While driving, Lao Yu said, "Your Majesty, the past few days have been chaotic. The news of your disappearance has made Mr. Zhou anxious." Bad, he and the crown prince ordered the arrest of the assassin, and asked to take the portraits of you and the second young master Ning to search for it. But Mr. Ning said that the identity of the assassin is unknown now, and the news of your disappearance cannot be spread, and finally he persuaded the servant My lord, I only secretly send people to look for you in private."

"That idiot Zhou Sheng! Is he pretending to be straws in his mind? The prince is ignorant, so he doesn't know the seriousness!" Wen Zhen has already hated the governor of Zhejiang. The tragic situation made him angry when he thought of it, and under the rage, he coughed violently and coughed up a ball of black blood.

Ning Yunjin was taken aback, and quickly patted his back for him, then found a clean handkerchief in the carriage and handed it over.

Seeing the undisguised concern on his face, Wen Zhen couldn't help feeling warm in his heart, gave him a look that he was okay, and asked, "How is the situation in the city now? What are the prices?"

In fact, Lao Yu had indescribable contempt for Zhou Sheng. Apart from making money and flattering him, this man had no ability at all. If he wasn't the son-in-law appointed by the first emperor for the eldest princess, how could he be the governor of Zhejiang.If it wasn't for the fact that the emperor had just sorted out the powerful officials of the former Qing Dynasty, and it was inconvenient to move the clan, he would have withdrawn that person long ago.

But as a courtier, he can't talk nonsense about these words, so he can only tell what he has learned.

Lao Yu was talking about the latest prices today, and he knew more details than Ning Yunjin. When he heard that the price of oil and pork had risen to [-] cent per catty, Wen Zhen said in surprise, "Didn't the oil price in the past two years be only a hundred cents per catty? How could it have risen so much in such a short period of time?"

"It's not all caused by famine!" Lao Yu sighed, "After the drought last year, there were locust plagues in some places, and there was not enough food for people, let alone raising livestock. Now there are oil, salt and rice in the city. There is no market for prices, prices are soaring, and if prices are not stabilized, I am afraid that ordinary people will not be able to survive!"

Wen Zhen's face was ashen, and he slammed the wall of the car, "What is Zhou Sheng doing?"

"He's focused on catching the assassins now, so he doesn't have the mood to care about it." Lao Yu said dissatisfiedly, "Obviously, the masters who serve him agree to let Master Ning be responsible, he just needs to cooperate."

After getting angry, Wen Zhen gradually regained his composure, "Send us to Hangzhou as soon as possible, and then contact Ning Jingxian."

"But your injury..." Old Yu was a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it." Wenzhen said lightly, "Let's gallop."

Old Yu didn't dare to disobey his order, so he waved his horsewhip and drove the carriage towards Hangzhou, while the two people in the carriage closed their eyes and fell asleep.