Chapter 335 Zhao Yingluo handles the case in Xingzhou
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhao Yingluo led an army of 100,000 people marching on the main road of Xingzhou.
The autumn sunshine shines on the fields, and the golden corn fields and white cotton fields interweave into a picture of a good harvest.
Zhao Yingluo opened the curtain of the carriage and took a deep breath of the harvest-scented air. The joy in her heart was indescribable.
When the army passed by a cornfield, Zhao Yingluo saw some farmers working in the fields, harvesting the fruits of a year's hard work.
Curious, she ordered the army to stop and got out of the car and walked into the field.
The farmers couldn't help but be a little surprised when they saw a beautiful woman in luxurious clothes walking towards them.
They put down their farm tools and stood there uneasily, not knowing what to do.
Zhao Yingluo smiled and asked them kindly: "How is the harvest this year?"
When the farmers heard this gentle woman asking such gentle questions, the tension in their hearts eased a little.
The farmers replied sincerely: "Although the rent is indeed high, before Her Highness the Princess's high-quality seeds, our annual harvest was very limited. At that time, the grain that fell into our hands per acre of land was less than three stones." , often they have finished eating before the New Year’s Day. As a result, many farmers are starving and their lives are extremely difficult.”
She understood that although the lives of these farmers had improved, they were still in a weak position and unable to compete with the landlords. She decided to do something for them.
Zhao Yingluo was slightly startled when she heard the title "Her Royal Highness", and then realized that they did not recognize her. She did not reveal her identity, but continued to ask: "Then how much is your annual rent?"
The farmers looked at each other, and an honest farmer replied: "Eight stones per mu per year."
"Eight stones?" Zhao Yingluo frowned, anger welling up in her heart.
The farmers looked at each other, and the last older farmer sighed: "We are tenants. If the boss raises the rent, we can only accept it. After all, the land is not ours. We can have land to plant and harvest. Much better than before.”
A bold farmer representative replied: "Thanks to Her Highness the Princess's high-quality seeds, this year's harvest is pretty good, and we are expected to have enough food and clothing."
Speaking of this, the farmers had a bitter smile on their faces, as if they were recalling those difficult days.
After hearing this, Zhao Yingluo felt mixed emotions in her heart. She was pleased with the improvement of farmers' lives, but also felt unfair for their situation. She asked: "Then do you think this kind of tenancy is reasonable?"
She knew that the tenancy rent around Kaifeng City was four stones per mu, but the landlord here actually wanted eight stones per mu! These farmers have worked hard for a year, and even though their income has increased due to high-yielding crops, most of the income has been taken away by the landowners. This is simply too much!
Zhao Yingluo suppressed the anger in her heart and tried to sound calm: "This kind of rent is indeed too high. Don't you think this is unfair?"
But then, their expressions brightened again, and one of the farmers continued: "But now, thanks to the seeds provided by Her Highness the Princess, our harvest has been greatly improved. Now we can leave five or six stones per acre of land." Food, this is enough for us.”
Zhao Yingluo couldn't help but sigh in her heart when she looked at these honest farmers.
So, she turned around and said to Wen Boyuan, the commander of the Imperial City Division who was escorting her: "Wen Boyuan, please pass on the order and the army will camp on the spot and set off the day after tomorrow."
Wen Boyuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness the Princess."
Then, Zhao Yingluo frowned slightly and asked the farmers: "Whose land are you renting?" This question obviously touched the heartstrings of the farmers. They looked at each other and hesitated, but in the end they answered truthfully. "This little lady, we are renting land from Neiqiu County Magistrate Ma Wucai." A bold farmer answered cautiously.
After hearing this, Zhao Yingluo snorted coldly, with obvious dissatisfaction in her tone: "As a local official, Ma Wucai should set an example and care for the people, but he actually charges such a high rent from farmers!"
The farmers did not know Zhao Yingluo's status as a princess. Seeing that this luxurious woman was trying to cause trouble for Ma Wucai, they all advised her to think again. An old farmer said worriedly: "Girl, that Ma Wucai is used to being domineering and domineering because of the support of people in the court. If you go to trouble him, I'm afraid you won't get any good results."
Zhao Yingluo smiled softly when she heard this, and a firm light flashed in her eyes.
She turned around and walked towards the carriage. As she walked, she said to Wen Boyuan: "Choose some strong soldiers to follow and let them change into civilian clothes. We will go meet that Ma Wucai right now. As a county magistrate, he is exploiting the people like this. This is simply a disgrace to the imperial court! Let’s go to Neiqiu County today to find bad luck for him!”
Wen Boyuan nodded and responded: "Yes, Your Highness Princess, such behavior is indeed disgraceful. We will set off to Neiqiu County now."
After a group of fifty people quietly entered the city, Zhao Yingluo did not rush straight to the county government office, but decided to find out the truth in the market shops first. She disguised herself as a wealthy businessman, separated from the accompanying plainclothes soldiers, and went deep into the market.
The street market is bustling with people of all kinds coming and going. Zhao Yingluo walked into a seemingly old silk and satin shop and pretended to choose fabrics, but in fact she secretly observed and waited for an opportunity to talk to the shop owner.
The shop owner is a middle-aged man who looks smart and capable, but there is a trace of sadness between his eyebrows. After Zhao Yingluo noticed it, she took the initiative to ask: "Boss, you look worried, is there anything that is bothering you?"
The shopkeeper sighed and looked around. Seeing that there were no other customers in the shop, he complained in a low voice: "The guest doesn't know something. It's difficult for us to do this small business. Every year, we have to pay a lot of filial piety to the county magistrate, Mr. Ma. If we don't If we give it, he will secretly arrange for thugs to come to the store and destroy it, making it impossible for us to do business with peace of mind. "
After hearing this, Zhao Yingluo felt indignant and continued to ask: "In that case, why don't you sue?"
The shop owner gave a bitter smile and said, "Sue a complaint? How dare you! Xingzhou Zhizhou is Mr. Ma's brother-in-law, and officials protect each other. How can we, the common people, defeat them?"
Zhao Yingluo kept this secret in her mind and visited several shops one after another. The results she obtained were similar. The merchants complained about Ma Wucai's greed and shameless behavior, but they were helpless.
After inquiring into the truth, Zhao Yingluo met with the soldiers and informed them of the situation one by one. She said coldly: "This Ma Wucai is really audacious. He not only bullies the people, but also colludes with the gangsters. He is simply lawless! We must find a way to punish him!"
Wen Boyuan nodded in agreement: "What Her Royal Highness the Princess said is absolutely true. This Ma Wu Cai relies on the support of the Xingzhou Zhizhou to do evil. We must think of a perfect strategy to catch him all."
Zhao Yingluo thought for a moment, and a cunning light flashed in her eyes: "I have a plan, we can..." She whispered her plan to Wen Boyuan and the soldiers.
As night fell, Zhao Yingluo and her group began to act according to the plan.
They first secretly arrested several ruffians who were in collusion with Ma Wucai, and forced them to reveal evidence of Ma Wucai's crimes and corruption.
Then, they secretly contacted some conscientious gentry and people in the city to discuss how to bring down this corrupt official.
After everything was ready, Zhao Yingluo decided to meet Ma Wucai in person.
She took Wen Boyuan and several soldiers to the gate of the county government office and ordered people to beat drums and complain.
After Ma Wucai heard the drum sound, he had to go to court to ask the question. When he saw Zhao Yingluo and his party standing in the hall, he was shocked. He pretended to be calm and asked: "Who is here? What's your grievance?"
Zhao Yingluo said coldly: "The common people have grievances to complain! The county magistrate is greedy, oppresses the people, colludes with the gangsters, and collects huge tributes! Please make the decision for the common people!"
