GBP Chapter 1200 Who? Us? You're saying we're thieves?
Chapter 1200 Who? Us? You're saying we're thieves?
With the sound of clattering hooves, Erhu witnessed Emperor Zhu's incredible ability to change his expression once again.
Just now: When did we start hitting and scolding them all the time?
Behind him: Those two bastards!
"I'm an emperor, for goodness' sake, aren't I?"
"Look at these two beasts! Look at them! Aren't they treating us like donkeys?!"
"They even specified what the investigation report should cover!"
"And they sent us this thing right after we left the city!"
Emperor Zhu waved the letter in his hand, grumbling and expressing his dissatisfaction: "What? I am an emperor who has personally farmed the land, herded cattle, and even begged for food like a monk. I have walked more roads than they have crossed bridges, and eaten more rice than they have eaten salt. Do I need those two scoundrels to give me pointers?"
Erhu and the Imperial Guard who came to deliver the message both kept their heads down, afraid that they might accidentally offend Emperor Zhu.
It took Emperor Zhu quite a while to calm down. He snorted and said to the Imperial Guard who had come to deliver the message, "Alright, go back now. Go back and tell those two bastards that we know."
After the Imperial Guards left, Emperor Zhu snorted coldly again, glancing sideways at Erhu and saying, "Were you trying to laugh at us just now?"
Erhu suppressed the urge to laugh, his mind instantly recalling all the sad things he had experienced since childhood, before he forced a bitter expression and said, "I didn't laugh. Besides, although I'm a bit slow, I know that Your Majesty cares for Your Highness and the Prince Consort."
Emperor Zhu snorted and instructed Erhu, "Let's go, change our route, and find a village to ask around."
Erhu bowed in agreement, then mounted his horse and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, there is something I don't quite understand."
Emperor Zhu looked at Erhu, who scratched the back of his head and asked, "I just don't understand. Your Majesty has already exempted you from mental arithmetic and abolished corvée labor. The people have already received real benefits. Why does the Prince Consort still urge Your Majesty to write this investigation report?"
Emperor Zhu chuckled and said, "Can't figure it out, can you?"
"That's why he dares to mess with us and Mr. Shanchang, while you can only follow us and be messed with by him."
"Do you remember what we just told you, that the more agriculture is valued, the more agricultural taxes are levied, and the more commerce is suppressed, the less commercial taxes are levied?"
Erhu nodded blankly, and Emperor Zhu continued, "Some things are not as we say, nor are they as Mr. Shanchang and Mr. Qingtian say."
"Sometimes, some people are so audacious that they dare to treat us, the emperor, like fools."
"Take this matter of levying agricultural tax but not commercial tax as an example."
"Don't they know this is wrong?"
"Aren't they afraid we'll see through their scheme?"
"They know, and they also know that we might see through their scheme."
"But they are not afraid."
“They’re gambling, gambling that we can’t see through their schemes, gambling that we’ll do whatever we want for the sake of our reputation, even if we see through their schemes. As long as they’re still pretending to be thinking about the future of the Ming Dynasty, we can’t do anything to them.”
"The letters written by those two bastards are the same."
Emperor Zhu waved the letter in his hand again and said, "When oppression of others is disguised under the guise of patriarchal rule, and when exorbitant taxes and levies become other names besides taxes, can the common people still benefit?"
"They want us to go and see for ourselves."
"What a coincidence, they don't trust those officials and local gentry, and we don't trust those officials and local gentry either."
"We're also afraid that those taxes and corvée labors that we exempted with the best interests of the people will be pocketed by some scoundrels under some other messy pretext."
Erhu nodded as if he understood, and Emperor Zhu pointed with his whip to the small village that had just begun to appear in the distance, and ordered Erhu, "Let's go and take a look."
……
According to the interpretation of "Hongwu Zhengyun", a settlement formed spontaneously by the people is called a village, a village by the roadside is called a zhuang, a place near a river is called a gou, a bend in a river is called a wan, a place with a fixed market is called a ji, and a place that gradually evolves from a street market into a village or town is called a dian.
Xiaoliuzhuang is a typical example of a village that was spontaneously formed by local residents and is located by the roadside.
The entire Xiaoliuzhuang village has about forty or fifty households. It is neither near a mine nor a river, and there are no workshops to be seen. It can only be described as a regular little village.
Emperor Zhu led Erhu and others straight to the community school in Xiaoliuzhuang.
"There should be a community school for every forty or fifty households."
"By looking at the children in the village school, you can basically understand the general situation of the village."
"After we finish studying the community school, let's go and chat with the elderly people in the village."
As Emperor Zhu walked forward, he secretly made plans in his mind.
When they arrived at the Xiaoliuzhuang community school, Emperor Zhu first hid outside the wall and listened for a while.
"At birth, human nature is inherently good."
"Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless~"
Emperor Zhu nodded unconsciously.
The Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic are how we learned to read.
"Wang Xiaoer, if you wipe your snot on the table again, I'll send your mother to the school and beat you up in front of all your classmates!"
Hey, which naughty kid got scolded again?
Speaking of which, I think I heard you cursing like this when we were in Ningyang County.
So all unruly kids in the world are the same?
Well, only our Biao'er is better. He's never had any of these weird habits since he was little, and he would never do something like wiping his nose randomly.
Before Emperor Zhu could rejoice for long, a limping soldier in red-lacquered waist armor, carrying a long sword, walked over and scolded Emperor Zhu and Erhu, "Where did these scoundrels come from, daring to spy on the school?"
Erhu's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped in front of Emperor Zhu. Emperor Zhu, however, was stunned for a moment, then pointed at his own nose and asked, "Who? Us? You're saying we're thieves?"
The soldier gripped his long sword tightly, coldly eyeing Zhu Huangdi and Erhu, and said in a deep voice, "Look at your shifty eyes, you don't look like anything good! Don't give me any more nonsense! If you have something to say, let's talk it out at the yamen!"
Emperor Zhu pulled a waist token from his pocket, threw it in front of the soldier, and said with a dark face, "We're not thieves!"
The soldier glanced at Emperor Zhu suspiciously, then with a quick hop on his toes, he kicked the waist token into his hand.
"Lan, the Assistant Commander of the Grand General's Office?"
"Are you under Commander Lan's command?"
The soldiers didn't let their guard down; instead, they kept their eyes on Emperor Zhu and asked, "Why aren't you staying in the capital? What are you doing here?"