Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 438 King Jian is not simple
"My fellow elders, you are the people of the Ming Dynasty. The court and the country failed to protect you, which led to you being captured by the Mongols and suffering humiliation. I apologize to you here."
On April 10, the 14-year-old Prince Jian Zhu You (Muxue), on behalf of the emperor, welcomed back the first batch of looted Han people returning to the interior in Datong.
Since Zhu Changluo's death, Zhu Youdong returned to Beijing to establish the country. He has never fallen behind in the education of his younger brothers. In Fangshan School, Zhu Youdong (Muxue) and his brothers had to live and eat with the children of disaster victims whose parents died at a young age. In addition to learning various subjects, they also had to undergo simple military training. Their only privilege was that they were secretly protected by the personnel of the East Factory and the Jinyiwei, and they could go back to the palace for a big meal on weekends. Apart from that, they did not receive any preferential treatment compared to ordinary civilian children.
On the contrary, as the eldest brother, Zhu Youdong constantly instilled a concept in these children since they were young: the royal family of the Ming Dynasty was supported by hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty, so the members of the royal family had the responsibility to protect the people of the Ming Dynasty. The stories of Zigong redeeming people and Zilu receiving cattle were repeatedly told by him many times.
In this way, starting from Zhu Huijuan and Zhu Youxiao, Zhu Changluo's children in this era did not have the arrogance of the royal descendants. In addition to learning a wealth of knowledge in Fangshan School, these children, as royal children, were more likely to look at problems from a higher level and cultivate a graceful demeanor.
To be honest, these 3,000 Han slaves were abandoned by the Mongolian tribe because of their old age. They were old, lacked food and clothing, and could not withstand long journeys without being fed with porridge for a period of time. Therefore, when Zhu You (Mu Xue) saw this group of people, their faces were more or less rosy. However, everyone's extremely thin faces, hunched bodies, and deformed limbs caused by years of labor still made the 14-year-old boy's eyes warm.
No matter how much Zhu Youdong asked the children of Ciqing Palace to live and eat with the common people, they were also royal nobles. In addition, the financial revenue of the Ming Dynasty has been getting better and better in recent years, and the current cabinet has generally cooperated with the current emperor. Therefore, there has been no large-scale famine in the Ming Dynasty for a long time. His Royal Highness Prince Jian has never seen such a long-term malnourished person in his short fourteen years of life. This time, he came to the border area on behalf of his royal brother, which really opened his eyes.
But the more his eyes were broadened, the angrier the young man became.
After temporarily settling these people who returned from the north, they came to the Datong prefectural government office and sat down. Facing a group of officials, Zhu You (Mu Xue) directly said: "My dear officials, how should we settle these more than 3,000 people who returned from the north? Do you have any ideas?"
"Uh..." After the officials below looked at each other, Liu Jingzhang, the prefect of Datong, stood up and said, "Your Highness, Datong is a prefecture and a town. Although I am a civil official, the whole Datong is actually a large military town."
"Hmm?" Zhu You turned his head slightly and looked at the prefect in the same way as Zhu Youdong: "Why, Mr. Liu means that you can't do this in Datong Prefecture? Or, you don't want to do it?"
"I am terrified." Seeing the look in the eyes of the young man on the main seat, Liu Jingzhang felt a little panicked. But he finally stood up and answered, "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to do it, it's that I can't do it. These people who returned from the north, although most of them were border residents from Datong, Xuanfu and other places in the early years. But they have been abducted for so many years, not to mention that they have no relatives at home, even land and houses are difficult to have. Therefore, if such people want to re-register, they can only register with the various Lijia and register in the form of odd-numbered trusteeship. But the problem lies here. First, odd-numbered trusteeship often means that there is no labor force in the family. Although it can be exempted from taxes, the entire village will be... In order to provide for one or two more people, we have to allocate ten mu of land to them. I am afraid that ordinary people will not be willing to do so. Secondly, Datong Prefecture is actually a large military town. Most of the land is military settlements, and I am not allowed to manage military settlements. The scope of the civilian land in Datong Prefecture is very small, and the output is also very limited. If this is forcibly distributed, I am afraid that the local people will not be willing. Thirdly, if they are to be divided into military households, these people are old, and I don’t know if Datong Town is willing to accept it? Besides, Li Shuai, the general of Datong, is still on the expedition. "
"Haha." After a slight sneer, Zhu You (Mu Xue) said: "Then, what do you think Liu Taishou should do about this matter?"
"Your Highness, Datong's farmland is barren and its people are poor. It really cannot afford to accommodate so many people. In my opinion, why not let these people who return from the north go to Taiyuan Prefecture or Luzhou Prefecture (Changzhi)? The farmland there is much better than that in Datong. This way, it will also be a good treatment for these people who return from the north."
Alas, when I was young, I always envied my grandfather for being an emperor, who could make decisions with his word. Later, my eldest brother became an emperor. At first, I found it hard to understand why he was so busy all day long. As an emperor, his words are law. If there is something, he just speaks, and the people below don’t work hard? It was not until I studied in Fangshan that I realized that things are not that simple. Although I have studied in Fangshan for several years and understood many truths, it is only today that I know how difficult it is to get something done! How hard it is for my eldest brother to be on the throne!
You, the prefect, really think I am just a 14-year-old boy who knows nothing? Don't you know that my elder brother's process of rebuilding the Yellow Book was repeatedly studied by every student in Fangshan School, and was repeatedly explained by relevant lecturers and even members of the working team at that time? This abnormal trusteeship means tax exemption! How many people want to apply for it on weekdays but can't!
To put it bluntly, this guy is hesitating here because he is lazy! Less is more, and when something happens, he instinctively pushes it away - if it is done well, there is no benefit, but if it is done badly, it is easy to get into trouble. So, it is better to try not to get involved.
Of course, Zhu You (Mu Xue) thought so in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud. As a prince, Zhu You (Mu Xue) had no real power. This time he came to Datong just as a representative of the royal family to comfort the returnees from the north. Of course, he could lose his temper and demand that local officials must execute. Or he could go back and complain to his brother, the emperor. However, of these two paths, the former is likely to be violated by local officials, turning a good thing into a bad thing, and finally putting the shit pot on his head. The latter will make Zhu Youdong disappointed in him - if you can't handle such a trivial matter, what's the point of keeping you?
Fortunately, he had seen a lot of this in Fangshan and the Forbidden City over the years, so Zhu You (Mu Xue) naturally knew what to do at this time.
He just smiled and said, "Since Governor Liu finds it difficult, then let's do this. I will go to each village and talk to the local people one by one to see who is willing to accept these poor people who have returned from the north. It's just more than 3,000 people. The worst that can happen is that I can take a year off from school and settle each family down. How do you think?"
…
"Hahaha~" Ten days later, Zhu Youdong, who received the news in Beijing, was very pleased. He returned to his harem in a very good mood.
"Empress, beloved, have you heard about Yu (Mu Xue)'s treatment in Datong? Our Prince Jian is not simple at all."
" Your Majesty, we have all heard about it. We all sat with the Queen Mother for a long time this morning. The Queen Mother was also very proud of her son."
"Yes, as a prince, he did not hesitate to go down to the grassroots level of our Ming Dynasty and arrange the settlement of the people returning from the north one by one. Now the prefect of Datong has no choice but to submit his resignation. How can he continue to stay in the position? Hahahaha, my brothers are so outstanding, I am very happy!"
"Your Highness, I would like to congratulate you."
"Haha, let's celebrate together. Yes, this is what I think. My two beloved concubines, please prepare for some time and then leave the capital. As our army continues to advance northward, more and more people will return from the north. My two beloved concubines, especially the queen, are the mothers of the country. So, why don't you all go to the border to welcome the people returning from the north!"
"Your Majesty? Can I really leave the palace?"
"Of course! Didn't I say when I married you that this palace would not become a cage that restricts your life? Concubine You, you are from Datong, so you can go to Xuanda. The Queen is nearby, so you can go to Ji and Liao. I am a man, and sometimes I am careless when doing things. If you go there, you can do things more carefully."
Speaking of which, although Liu Yun and You Yi were both mothers at this time, they were actually just little girls under the age of 20. After staying in this deep palace for a long time, it was inevitable that they would feel bored. So when Zhu Youdong said this, they immediately cheered and jumped for joy.
"In that case, we, the concubines, would like to thank the emperor for his trust. We two sisters will accept this mission."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, my beloved concubines. In addition to comforting the people, you should also take a look at the living conditions of women at the grassroots level in our Ming Dynasty. Come back and give me a report and opinions. In addition, through this tour, we should also express our attitude to the people of the world. In the past, the people of our Ming Dynasty were abducted, and I had no right to interfere. But from today on, I will be supported by the people, so I must protect the people of the world!"
