Chapter 377: Human Heart Lesson
Jiang Qingzhi has his own yard on the farm. The yard is not big, and the original owner probably had no interest in building any other property here, so it looks like a traditional yard in a rural area in later generations.
Jiang Qingzhi and his wife lived in the backyard, and when Prince Yu grew up, he could only hang out with Xu Wei in the front yard.
At night, Prince Yu tossed and turned on his wooden bed, unable to sleep.
On the other bed, Xu Wei's snoring was deafening.
There was an indescribable smell in the room, like the smell of wood and damp, very strange.
Why did my uncle teach me these?
Madam Wang, do you still remember me?
All kinds of distracting thoughts were swirling in Prince Yu's mind, and he didn't know when he fell into a deep sleep.
"... Two more houses collapsed..."
"Uncle, the snow is getting heavier."
"Well! We are fine here, but I don't know how many families in the capital have suffered."
Prince Yu woke up slowly and heard someone talking outside.
He turned over. In the dim environment, everything was a little blurry, as if he was in a dream.
Xu Wei had already gotten up, and the quilts were piled together in a mess, making it look like a beggar's den.
Prince Yu gritted his teeth, suddenly threw back the quilt, and immediately shivered with cold.
He put on his clothes with stiff hands and feet, and for the first time he felt that the prince was really good... at least there was someone to help him put on his clothes.
When I pushed the door open, all I could see was white. Apart from a few lines of footprints not far away, there was no other color.
Prince Yu rubbed his hands. Sun Bu Tong appeared not far away and shouted, "It's time for breakfast."
Breakfast is pancakes and a bowl of soup.
The pancake is leavened pancake and the soup is mutton soup.
Prince Yu did not eat well yesterday, so he wolfed down two large pancakes.
Jiang Qingzhi was always talking to Han Shan, even during meals.
After dinner, Jiang Qingzhi called Prince Yu over and said, "This snow probably won't stop for a while. I'm afraid the people inside and outside the capital will have a hard time."
Jiang Qingzhi patted Prince Yu on the shoulder and asked, "Is there any solution?"
"Disaster relief!" Prince Yu's face turned red from the cold.
"How to provide disaster relief, where does the money and food come from, how to ensure that it reaches the people affected by the disaster instead of going into the pockets of certain people... How to rebuild after the disaster... This is my lesson for you."
"Master!" Han Shan came, "Someone from the capital is coming."
"Uncle!" The person who came turned out to be King Jing.
"Why are you here?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"There was a heavy snowfall in the city, and many houses collapsed. The court was discussing how to provide disaster relief, so I asked my father to go out of the city and look for my cousin to see if there was any way to help the people."
Jiang Qingzhi saw that he was covered with snowflakes, "Have you eaten?"
How could my cousin be the same as my father, asking this question as soon as they met... King Jing complained in his heart, "I ate some biscuits on the way."
"Come all!"
Jiang Qingzhi led them to a hillside outside the village. Looking around, the earth was covered with white.
It's so damn clean... Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the surroundings and said, "Look, how many people are desperately waiting for government rescue. But the government's rescue is just like the Five Cities Army, which always only appears after the fact. Third brother, tell me."
Prince Yu said: "First, how to raise money and grain. If we take it from the court, it would be better to let them do it. Second, how to raise manpower to distribute money and grain..."
Not bad!
But it's still a little bit off.
Jiang Qingzhi and Xu Wei looked at each other.
King Jing said, "First, go investigate where the people are suffering from the disaster."
"That's enough. Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Remember one thing, people first."
Prince Yu was thoughtful, "People-oriented, that is... you have to sit in the right place."
The two princes returned to Beijing.
"Why doesn't the uncle give some money to support them?" Xu Wei asked.
"We need to let them know that it's difficult to act." Jiang Qingzhi turned around and said, "Tell them to prepare money and food. Give them 30,000 strings of cash, and food... leave a year's supply, and take out all the rest. Be ready to follow my orders."
"Yes."
The entire Bo Mansion started moving like a war machine.
"Move everything out." Fu Cheng sat in the warehouse, hunched over, his eyes sharp, "Anyone who dares to take even a penny will be killed!"
The copper coins were put into sacks and carried to the yard one by one.
The grain was packed in sacks and loaded onto carts...
Everyone is contributing.
Fu Bi came out of the storehouse with a bag of copper coins in one hand, which surprised the guards.
"Butler's strength..."
……
Emperor Jiajing summoned all his ministers to discuss the matter.
"…Disaster relief is correct, but it's almost the end of the year and the Ministry of Revenue doesn't have any surplus grain!" The Ministry of Revenue complained.
"Can't you move it a little?" someone questioned.
"It's the end of the year, are you going to give rewards to each family?" The Ministry of Revenue was angry.
Just like the year-end bonuses in later generations, according to the rules, Emperor Jiajing would reward his ministers and dignitaries at the end of the year.
Emperor Jiajing looked at his ministers calmly, wanting to see who would say that.
The ministers were silent.
Ha ha!
Emperor Jiajing smiled silently.
"Yan Song should discuss with various ministries and give me a result as soon as possible...all go!" Emperor Jiajing waved his hand.
At this time, someone said: "Your Majesty, how about..."
The rest of the words were still not said.
The ministers dispersed.
There was a lot of discussion along the way.
"The Ministry of Revenue should at least squeeze out some money and grain!"
"The Ministry of Revenue is also difficult."
Yan Song watched these people chattering silently and thought of the group of sparrows he saw in the morning.
"Yuan Fu, why did your Majesty do nothing?"
Cui Yuan caught up and asked.
Yan Song shook his head. He didn't know what the Taoist was thinking, but as the Prime Minister, he had to take action. "Call the Ministry of Revenue to discuss it together."
Then there was a lot of bickering.
"What about Mohism?" someone asked, "What is Jiang Qingzhi's Mohism doing?"
"Jiang Qingzhi is enjoying himself in his farm outside the city!" someone mocked.
Zhao Wenhua was talking to Cui Yuan outside the duty room. When he heard those people talking about Jiang Qingzhi, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "If Jiang Qingzhi stayed in the capital, many people would keep an eye on him. This guy is really lucky..."
The Ministry of Revenue slammed the table, and Yan Song also slammed the table, and finally some money and grain were dug out from the Ministry of Revenue.
"It's just a drop in the bucket!" After the people from the Ministry of Revenue left, Yan Song smiled bitterly with two big bags under his eyes.
"There is almost no surplus this year, and the Ministry of Revenue is already doing well." Yan Shifan couldn't help but complain for the Ministry of Revenue. "This family is so difficult!" Yan Song sighed.
"Prince." A clerk came in and reported, "The two princes went to the Ministry of Revenue and had a dispute with the Ministry of Revenue."
……
"Is the household registration in the Gyeonggi region confidential? Why can't we see it?"
Prince Yu wanted to inquire about the number of registered households in the Gyeonggi area at the Ministry of Revenue, but was refused.
"Your Highness, without the order of His Majesty, I..." The official looked apologetic but refused firmly.
"gone."
King Jing said impatiently outside.
……
The season of heavy snow is torture for the common people, but a pleasure for the scholars and officials.
Princess Yong'an was attending a poetry reading at the home of a nobleman, with the theme of the reading being "Appreciating the Snow".
A group of men and women were enthusiastically reciting poems and composing lyrics, drinking wine, and the hot pot was filled with various delicacies, even vegetables that were rarely seen at this time...
Everyone was enjoying it all comfortably.
"Everyone." Someone went out for a while and came back and said, "The two princes are out collecting money and food, saying that they are going to provide disaster relief."
The crowd was in an uproar.
"Disaster relief? Isn't that a matter for the court?"
Princess Yong'an said: "Everyone, seeing this heavy snow disaster, if your families can provide porridge and medicine, it would be a blessing, right..."
Someone nodded and praised: "What the princess said is very true."
Gradually, many families began to provide porridge and medicine.
But this is just a drop in the bucket.
At this time, Jiang Qingzhi's memorial was sent to Beijing, angering many people.
"Jiang Qingzhi said that there are many people in the literati circle who complain without any reason. It is good to write poems and lyrics in the snow in the cold winter, but can their constant talk of worrying about the country and the people be transformed into some money and food? The court should set an example first..."
This is a criticism of the court's slow and small actions.
——The people are crying out for food!
"Then what did Jiang Qingzhi do?" Princess Yong'an sneered.
Han Yu said to Yang Qing in Fengyuan Building: "Be careful that Jiang Qingzhi may use this to win people's hearts."
Yang Qing said: "They have already prepared a lot of money and grain. If Jiang Qingzhi takes action, we will give two stones for every stone of grain he gives. We must suppress the momentum of the Mohist School."
Han Yu sighed, "This is a fight over the Dao, we cannot give in an inch."
Chen Zhan came and said, "The two princes didn't get much money or food. Besides, the mansion of Lord Changwei is quite lively. I wonder what they are doing."
"Jiang Qingzhi accused the government of incompetence, which is an attack on our Confucianism." Han Yu said: "Let's see how he moves."
Chen Zhan asked: "Should we move first? It would be nice to give some money and food!"
Yang Qing shook his head, "If Jiang Qingzhi doesn't move, we won't move either."
Han Yu said calmly: "It's not so easy to take the money and food from those people."
Chen Zhan immediately prepared to go out. After coming out from the backyard, he heard several followers talking.
"Those families have stored a lot of food, why don't they donate it? If they keep storing it like this, it will all go moldy."
"They would rather let the food rot and be thrown away than give even a grain of it to charity."
Chen Zhan paused for a moment, then continued walking out.
……
"Your Excellency will not return to the capital?" Xu Wei asked, "If you return to the capital now, the people will naturally remember the good things of the Mohist school when they receive money and food."
Jiang Qingzhi stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the vast white world and shaking his head, "I'm not that noble... It's impossible to say that I haven't had such thoughts.
But when I use the excuse of Mohism for everything, it won't be long before I become like those Confucianists, acting only for the sake of profit. Old Xu, I'm afraid I will degenerate to that level... Besides, this is also a lesson I'm teaching those two guys."
"what class?"
"Human Heart Lesson!"
……
"That's it?"
After half a day, the donation point set up by the two princes outside the West Garden received more than 100 stones of grain and more than 3,000 yuan.
This was because Huang Zhuo and others could not stand it anymore and took action.
Prince Yu remembered what his uncle said before he set out: Even if you want to do good things, you must have a smart mind and a proper method, otherwise...
He said desperately: "Are we useless?"
King Jing threw the copper coins in his hand into the basket and said weakly for the first time, "Yes."
In the palace, Sun Bu Tong was reporting.
"Long Wilbur said that everything at home is ready and we are just waiting for the order from His Majesty."
Dao Ye nodded, "Then let's get started!"
Sun Bu Tong bowed and left.
Half an hour later, the gate of Bo's mansion opened.
One after another large trucks drove out under the watchful eyes of the neighbors.
“It’s all food.”
“This is a copper coin!”
Truckloads of supplies came out of Xin'an Lane.
Yan Song and others who were arguing with officials about how to provide disaster relief were somewhat surprised when they received the news.
"It is said that it is at least thirty thousand strings of cash, plus a thousand dan of grain."
"Is Jiang Qingzhi going to die?"
Everyone was stunned.
At this time, someone asked quietly: "How is he going to distribute it?"
"Yes!"
"With the limited manpower in his house, it's not enough."
"Everyone, listen to me." An official said, "Since the Ministry of Revenue doesn't have much money and grain, what about the local areas? The local gentry have hoarded a lot of money and grain, right?"
Everyone looked at him like a fool.
"Prime Minister."
An officer comes in.
"The Jingwei has moved."
"What?" Yan Song stood up in dismay, "Where is this riot?"
"It is said that it is a disaster relief ordered by the emperor." The official said: "His Majesty ordered Chang Wei Bo and the two princes to coordinate and provide disaster relief to the capital!"
You have been waiting here for so long, and the reason is that you don't want your own interests to be damaged. What gentleman, what morality... you are all a bunch of hypocrites!
But His Majesty and Long Wilbur, who remained silent, took action silently.
Snapped!
These words were like a slap in the face, causing the ministers' cheeks to swell up.
The official glanced at his ministers and felt that a paint shop was opening in front of him.
(End of this chapter)
