Chapter 107 Brainwashing

It is understandable that everyone does not want to be involved in the disputes of rebellion.

But these old ministers are all good officials, at least good officials who can do practical things for the people, so they have a common goal.

This matter still needs to be discussed.

The main reason is that Jun Qiulan can now offer too many chips.

High-yield food is just the basics.

Jun Qiulan looked at everyone and smiled again, "Don't worry, everyone. Just listen to us slowly. I know you are all good officials, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here today."

As he was speaking, another person walked in from outside the door.

"Sorry I'm late."

It was Kong Sheng, who Jun Qiulan had said before was very suitable to be a propaganda officer.

"My name is Kong Sheng, and I'm here to meet you comrades." He started to act decisively as soon as he arrived.

Comrade, what's the name?

Several old ministers were confused.

"Who is this?"

Duan Wen explained: "This is our publicity officer."

But what kind of position is a propaganda officer? An official? What kind of official?

They haven't heard of it either.

Kong Sheng didn't waste any more words. "Comrades, please listen to me and let me explain in detail..."

Now that they were here and couldn't leave, what else could they do? They could only sit there anxiously watching Kong Sheng brainwash them.

Huh? Brainwashing?

It seemed that Kong Sheng's ideas and concepts were indeed very novel, almost completely overshadowing their old ideas.

Anyone with a brain would think that what Kong Sheng said is correct.

According to Kong Sheng, in the future everyone will have enough food to eat, everyone will be able to wear new clothes, build new houses, afford to go to school, and afford to see a doctor.

There are no more beggars and vagrants in this world. Even the elderly and widows will be cared for accordingly. No one will sell their children anymore, and there will be no distinction between scholars, farmers, merchants, and the common people.

In this way, the great peace of the world mentioned in the books of sages was achieved.

But is there really such a beautiful world?

They expressed doubts.

The most important point is, if there is no emperor, how will the country function?

Who calls the shots? Who has the final say on major decisions?

Some of them couldn't imagine it.

Wait, according to Kong Sheng, they are actually now gathering the whole country's strength to support the emperor's family.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong.

The emperor would have dozens of dishes or even hundreds of dishes for a meal, and he would feel full after eating just one bite of one dish. But among the common people, most of them would have a family of ten or so people, and they would just eat the meal with a dish of pickles.

In fact, nowadays, national affairs are basically discussed and handled by the cabinet. After reaching a conclusion, they will hand it over to the emperor, who will nod or shake his head.

So do they really need someone like this to nod for them?

They began to reflect on this issue.

Just like this drought, they wrote to the court many times but received no response. Was there something wrong with the cabinet or with the emperor?

They couldn't give an exact answer.

But if the victims are abandoned, then there is something wrong with the people above them, whether they are officials or emperors.

Furthermore, the head tax they were required to pay at the beginning of the year was because the emperor had a son.

This prince was born weak, but was hailed as the new leader. Although he was still in his infancy, he lived a life as precious as the emperor.

Although these prefects did not have many connections, they had been officials for many years after all. Some of their former classmates who had taken the imperial examinations in the same year were promising. They just wanted to find out some news from the capital, so they still had some connections.

When they got such an answer, they were of course indignant, but they also felt that it seemed normal.

Because throughout history, similar things have always been handled in similar ways.

Officials herd the people on behalf of the emperor. The word "herd" represents many things. The people are cattle and horses, the emperor is a real dragon, and the princes are dragon sons. It seems natural that dragon sons should eat cattle and horses?

but! ! !

Now someone has told them clearly that this is wrong.

The world should belong to the people, not the emperor.

The land, resources, and money of the world should all flow in the hands of the people, rather than all being used to support the emperor, who would then give a few small amounts to the people when he was in a good mood.

It has always been like this.

If there is a wise emperor who does not impose excessive taxes or forced labor, and if there is a good year with good weather and good harvests, the people will shout that they are living a life of heaven.

Even this year it is just enough to make ends meet.

If the year was bad and the emperor was unlucky, the people would suffer even more.

Take this year for example.

Now after hearing what Kong Sheng said, are the previous rules really correct?

Who made the rules? The emperor and the ministers at the center of power, who assisted him.

Why not eat meat porridge?

The common people's clothes are new for three years, old for three years, and then mended for another three years.

The real dragons and dragon sons in the palace wore the finest brocade, but basically they could no longer be worn after being washed once or twice.

What to do with those 'old clothes'?

These were clothes worn by real dragons, their sons, and their concubines. Naturally, they could not be circulated among the common people, because the common people were not worthy of them. In most cases, they were directly burned.

In comparison, what Kong Sheng said today seems to be the prosperous and flourishing world they are pursuing?

Those officials should serve the people.

In the past, they were the people’s parents, but now they are the people’s servants.

The word "servant" sounds like it feels uncomfortable.

But the people's servants suddenly became noble.

Several old ministers were so excited by what Kong Sheng said that if they were ten or twenty years younger, they would definitely do it without hesitation.

But they are older and can no longer be as impulsive as they were when they were young.

Their concerns and their weaknesses now involve too much.

Even if they do nothing now, even if they are forgotten by their superiors and become a prefect for their entire lives with no possibility of promotion or wealth, they can still live a stable life and be the highest-ranking official in a state.

But rebellion... that means putting your head on the line, and it can also implicate nine generations of your family.

Who knows if it will succeed?

Even if General Huo has an army of over 100,000, the total number of troops of the imperial court is still around 400,000 to 500,000.

Even if they were to take out half of their forces to fight them, their chances of winning wouldn't be very high.

If they failed, leaders like Jun Qiulan would be beheaded, after all, it was they who started the revolution.

But what about them? What about their families, their relatives?

Taking a step back, Jun Qiulan and his group's revolution was successful.

Did they have the merit of following the emperor? Yet they also said that the world they wanted would no longer have an emperor.

What a contradiction.

But I am also moved.

Jun Qiulan wore a humble smile from beginning to end, occasionally serving as a supporting role for Kong Sheng.

I have to say, choosing Kong Sheng as the propaganda officer to brainwash people was the right choice.

These old ministers all read the books of sages and entered the officialdom through the imperial examinations, but Kong Sheng was not bad at all.

He used to say that he was not good at studying. After listening to Jun Qiulan today, he realized that what he said was not good was only for ordinary people.

When brainwashing the prefects, he was simply knowledgeable about history and current affairs, citing classics and extensive sources, and then talked about their current advantages, as well as their prospects and plans for the future.

Jun Qiulan could see that several prefects were actually moved.

There are just too many uncertainties.

"Seniors." Seeing that the time was almost up, Jun Qiulan stopped talking nonsense.

He said, "I don't ask for anything else. We need to develop the economy and agriculture in the future. The states you govern are close to us, so we are also brother states. Naturally, we will not forget you."

What I mean is that no matter whether you follow us or not, I will bring you along with my development and let the people on your side live a good life too.

You can take a look at the situation first.

He looked everyone in the eye and spoke each word with clarity: "I don't ask for anything, but I hope the changes that have occurred in Border Town will remain confidential for the time being."

Several prefects were silent.

The air also became a little quiet.

After a long while, Tao Yin finally spoke: "I wonder what exactly does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mean when he says he will lead us to develop together?"

"Master Tao, you can just call me Comrade Jun. I'm not a prince anymore." Jun Qiulan finished speaking before answering Tao Yin's question, "If you want to get rich, you must first build roads. I wonder if Comrade Tao has noticed the roads in the border town?"

Several prefects must have noticed it.

Flat and clean.

They even spent a long time studying how the road was built and what materials were used.

But nothing was found.

If you want to get rich, build roads first...

They chewed on the words slowly.

Tao Yin thought for a moment and asked, "Tai, no, when Comrade Jun talks about building a road, he doesn't mean the same road he built in the border town, right?"

Jun Qiulan smiled and said, "Master Tao is indeed a discerning person. I want to build the official roads connecting the various prefectures."

How much manpower and resources will this take?

Several prefects disagreed.

And that smooth floor must have cost a lot of money.

Even if all the labor service is carried out, it will still take time and energy.

They naturally know the benefits of building this road, but compared to other things, it is not cost-effective.

Jun Qiulan smiled and said, "What if you don't pay? We have to hire people to make cement, and we have to pay them. As for corvée labor, it won't exist in the future. We will just pay the workers."

Nowadays, funds are limited and the wages will definitely not be too high, but in the past, when corvee labor was levied, almost no money was paid.

Serving corvee means you're half dead.

But where does the money come from to hire workers?

Duan Wen took over the conversation, "Since the beginning of the year, Comrade Jun has given me several money-making recipes. Over the past six months, I've reaped a lot of rewards."

Papermaking, glass.

These are the two big ones.

They make their own cement and sell it to the public at a very cheap price, which helps them achieve a balance in domestic financial revenue and expenditure, and they have enough money to do things that are closely related to the people and their livelihood.

Can improve people's quality of life.

If they want to build more roads or even do cement business in the future, they still have to recruit people. They have to recruit people from the border towns. Since they want to make the neighboring states rich, they have to recruit some people from the neighboring states as well.

Several old prefects listened attentively.

But they also understand that there is no free lunch in the world.

Besides, it is impossible for the border town to pay all the money.

It's difficult to ask them to pay.

They don't have Jun Qiulan's money-making formula to support them.

The provincial capitals near them were as poor as the former border towns.

Kong Sheng waved his hand and said, "Comrades, don't panic. Let me explain it to you slowly."

Jun Qiulan looked at the time again and exchanged glances with his father.

He couldn't delay any longer and had to go back to practice dancing and working on his abdominal muscles.

Jun Yu understood: "Since Bai still needs to discuss some matters with Mr. Su, go ahead and do it. I will discuss the rest with a few comrades."

Seeing that Jun Qiulan was about to leave, Tao Yin could no longer sit still.

"I wonder if this food is good?"

This is the main purpose of their coming.

The relief grain from the imperial court disappeared, they didn’t have enough sweet potatoes, and the harvest in the fields was poor.

As usual, taxes still have to be paid after the autumn harvest.

If the food problem is not solved, I don’t know how many people will starve to death or freeze to death this winter.

If the people were starving and freezing to death, what development would we talk about? What rebellion would we talk about?

Jun Qiulan smiled and said, "Don't worry, seniors. My father has already figured out a solution."

It is impossible for them to give away the sweet potatoes they have now.

They were all grown by the people with hard work, and after each household divided them, there was nothing left.

Moreover, they used grain to exchange for land with the villagers before they persuaded them to grow sweet potatoes.

After the sweet potatoes were harvested, they were returned in equal quantities, and the returned part was taken to the military camp.

As for the 300,000 kilograms of cornmeal, it is not certain how much grain they can exchange for. Even if they can, they have to be prepared for conflict with the court at any time. If the people can no longer use the grain, they will have to use it as reserve grain.

With just a few words, the grain was given to other prefectures. If the people in the border towns knew about this, they would probably make a fuss.

If it doesn't work here, then we have to think of other ways.

Crooked tricks.

As long as it works.

Special times require special treatment.

Jun Qiulan could not waste any more time, so he handed over the remaining details to his father. He did not even go home to travel through time, but went directly to Su Changxun's house.

He gave Su Changxun a look, and Su Changxun understood.

The idea of ​​traveling to another time and space is curious, but also somewhat terrifying.

The fewer people who know about this, the better.

Even if you have some guesses, don't expose them and just maintain a balance.

Anyway, they could never figure it out, just like someone as smart as Su Changxun had never guessed the correct answer before.

Su Changxun recently got a mobile phone and is very curious about it.

This thing is not suitable to be taken out for the time being, mainly because the price should not be too cheap, and they cannot research it in a short period of time.

And even if Jun Qiulan took it, they only had one function for reading books and watching videos, which was unnecessary.

So whenever Su Changxun had something to discuss with them recently, he would go next door. Usually, he would hide in the study to read e-books and watch videos.

Learned a lot of knowledge.

Whenever this happened, he would even send the servants away.

When Jun Qiulan came today, there happened to be someone at home.

Yan Su.

Other people can be arranged other places to live. Yan Su is Su Changxun's nephew. He came to the border town to take care of his uncle. How could he move out?

"Yan Su, please accompany me to the next room and discuss the issue you just mentioned with them." Su Changxun said, "Since Bai wants to come to my place to read a few books, I won't disturb him."

Yan Su held his forehead with his hand. His cousin's excuse was so lame that he didn't even bother to expose it.

Jun Qiulan was also somewhat helpless.

"Thank you Mr. Su and Brother Yan for your understanding." He bowed.

Su Changxun smiled and said, "Go and do your thing."

The two went to the next door side by side, and Liu Tong was still guarding the door.

Jun Qiulan felt a little embarrassed. "Brother Liu, you can go and rest. Just don't let anyone into the study. I don't have anything important to do here."

Liu Tong smiled and said, "It's okay. The master arranged for me to guard the door so that I can take a break. We grew up together as brothers, but I'm the only one who can cook. It just so happens that I'm in charge of guarding the door today, so I don't have to cook for them."

Jun Qiulan couldn't help laughing.

Liu Tong asked again: "If there is any dish that you would like to eat, just tell me and I will make it and send it to your door."

Jun Qiulan quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need to disturb me, Brother Liu, just focus on your own business."

Liu Tong nodded and closed the door for Jun Qiulan.

Jun Qiulan also breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that I have to find a way to get a house in the city.

There are many things that need to be dealt with later, and he needs to be present at all times, so going into the city every day takes up a lot of time.

The key to the problem lies with Yan Jing. It should be his turn soon.

It is indeed more convenient to have a house in the city. If my parents are too busy with affairs in the city, or if it rains or snows, they can stay in the city for a night.

Furthermore.

There has been no news from cousin Song Ting, and no one has come over.

It had been so long, he guessed that he had most likely brought his grandfather and his family with him.

When the time comes, we still have to arrange accommodation for my grandfather and his family.

We can't really all live together.

In the past, Song Ting and his friends were a group of rough men doing business, and it was not a big problem for them to squeeze into a big kang.

But I have two uncles on my grandfather's side, and under them are cousins.

Jun Qiulan was still thinking about this problem while taking a taxi to the crew.

It was raining in Fengcheng, and it was raining so heavily that Jun Qiulan had no intention of observing it.

Should I buy a large house outright? Or should I split it into two or three houses?

My grandfather's family never split up. In the past, in the capital, the Song residence was not bad in standard. It housed dozens of maids, servants and retainers, and the house was quite spacious.

I should go back and discuss it with my parents tonight.

Jun Qiulan walked into the dance studio with questions in her mind. When she looked up, she saw Yan Jing.

Oops, I got caught slacking off.

Jun Qiulan was a little embarrassed.

"Didn't you go direct the play today?"

Yan Jing raised an eyebrow and said, "It's raining. Today's scene was scheduled to be outdoors, so it was canceled at the last minute. I arranged two unimportant scenes and gave them to Ding Chu."

He looked at Jun Qiulan and said, "I just wanted to come over to see how my important role training was going, but I ended up being lazy? Hmm?"

There was a light tone and a hint of teasing in his voice.

Jun Qiulan felt uncomfortable. "My teacher had something to do, so I went over to help."

That explains it.

Yan Jingzhi nodded, and he didn't really blame Jun Qiulan.

His sister-in-law reports to him about Jun Qiulan's practice level almost every day, so he has a rough idea of ​​it.

I don't know why, but I suddenly wanted to come and take a look today.

Even though he didn't see anyone, he guessed that Jun Qiulan must have something important to do. After all, Jun Qiulan has always been very punctual.

He asked, "Is Mr. Yangeng's issue resolved? Do you need any help?"

Jun Qiulan: "No need, it's just a small matter, it's all taken care of."

Yan Jing nodded, "Then you practice dancing. I'll take a look first. I have to go back to the crew later."

Ding Chu has the ability, but people have different aesthetic tastes, so he has to go back and take a look.

Today is a chance for me to take a break from my busy schedule.

Jun Qiulan didn't know why, but he started to feel uncomfortable again.

It was obvious that when he was learning to dance, Yan Jing often came to supervise him, and he was used to it by then, but now he suddenly felt awkward again.

Suddenly, Jun Qiulan realized that what was awkward was not Yan Jing coming to watch him practice dancing and abdominal muscles, but his personality.

Jun Qiulan turned on the music system in the dance studio, closed her eyes, and began to immerse herself in her practice, treating Yan Jing as a sculpture.

The more Yan Jing looked, the more satisfied he became.

She is indeed the actor he took a liking to at first sight.

It is actually a bit late to learn dancing in your twenties, but Jun Qiulan's performance is no worse than that of professional dancers.

When he first wrote the plot, he, Ding Chu and Tang Yan had discussed that if they wanted to make it perfect, they would probably have to find an actor with a professional dance background.

But he felt that professional dancers had all started learning since childhood, and although they were professional, they also had a bit of craftsmanship.

The character setting in the movie is that a young man of noble status fell into prostitution, so he must have learned to dance after he fell into trouble.

You have to amaze the audience with your skills, but it can't be all about craftsmanship.

What needs to be retained is that bit of beginner's astringency.

The song ends.

Jun Qiulan turned around and saw Yan Jing in a daze. She couldn't help but ask, "How is it? Have you met Director Yan's requirements?"

Yan Jing smiled. "Very good. Remember to keep this up. If it doesn't rain, your scenes will start in about a week. How familiar are you with the script?"

Jun Qiulan pondered for a moment and gave a relatively pertinent answer: "It should be okay."

He was a favored child of heaven, but fell from grace. He doesn't even need to act.

I've experienced it myself.

He was accused of rebellion, and overnight, his followers scattered like monkeys when the tree fell. He went from being the high and mighty Crown Prince to a prisoner in jail, bullied by the jailers.

Then came the conviction without trial and the exile of the entire family.

There is no need to say much about the various mental journeys involved.

Although the characters in the movie have different identities, I think their experiences and mental journeys should be similar.

To answer Yan Jing in this way, it mainly depends on whether you can meet Yan Jing's standards.

Yan Jing is very strict.

Yan Jing smiled and said, "If it still rains this afternoon, you should take a day off. Take a taxi and take Jun Bai to the courtyard. Grandpa and Taoist Qingheng are always complaining about you, saying that I'm exploiting you and leaving you no time to visit them."

Jun Qiulan suppressed a smile: "It's not exploitation."

But it’s true that there is no time.

Both old men mentioned it, and Yan Jing took the initiative to give him a vacation, so of course he had to go and take a look.

As for Jun Baisong, Jun Qiulan secretly sighed in his heart and still had to go back to pick him up.

But today I happened to be traveling through the city.

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