Chapter 2545 Tips
In theory, the imperial farms could not be conscripted for labor service, and the laborers were only required to serve in national public projects, such as building roads, bridges, digging ditches, building river embankments, or transporting food and fodder to the army.
But if everything in this world could be said "according to reason", then the world would not be in chaos, countries would not change, and those in power would not be replaced again and again.
Whether it is Bai Shan, Bai Erlang or Zhou Man, most of their understanding of the world comes from books.
The book did not say that the conscripts had to do spring plowing and autumn harvest for the imperial farm, so they were all surprised.
Especially since they had to bring their own dry food when working at the imperial farm, this was a bit too much. Those serving in the county government and the state government had to eat three meals a day, even if they were thin.
Mingda was also a little curious. "There is so much land in the imperial farm, why is there no one cultivating it?"
The steward said, "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, but he would not do something like Emperor Ai did, who directly abducted the people into slavery."
Mingda: ...Is there anything to be happy about when compared with Emperor Ai?
Bai Erlang felt that his answer was missing the point, so he simply asked, "If you don't have enough slaves, why don't you rent them out to people?"
"There are few tenants," the steward sighed. "The imperial farm recruits tenants every year, but few come to rent. There's nothing I can do."
Mingda couldn't help but look at Bai Erlang.
Bai Erlang looked at the steward for a long moment and then nodded, "Alright, I understand. You can leave first."
The steward didn't expect it to be so easy to let it go. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Sir, then should the road construction matter... be handed over to the county government as well?"
With just one word from the princess, could Magistrate Xun refuse?
Bai Erlang felt that people should keep their promises. They had agreed that each of them would take a section of the road. Now they were going to hand over this section of the road to Magistrate Xun. What would Magistrate Xun think of their princess's mansion in the future?
Bai Erlang waved his hand and said, "Go down first. I will discuss this matter with the princess."
The steward couldn't help but look at the princess.
Princess Mingda waved her hand and said, "Go down."
The steward then retreated with his head hung.
After Manbao and Baishan had seen their servants, a gong rang out from the back. The foreman in the middle heard it and took out a gong and banged it, shouting, "It's time to call it a day!"
The sound stretched out, and when the hundred people on the last section of the road heard it, they immediately dumped the soil in the boxes, picked up their tools, and ran over here.
The foreman had no time to talk to Zhou Manbaishan. He carried his hoe and said, "Village Master, we're going to eat..."
Before he could finish his words, they had already run away, raising a cloud of dust that almost fell into Manbao and the others' mouths.
Manbao and Baishan: ...
After the first day of flustered and chaotic events, Zhou Wulang had become very experienced. With three groups of people, he built three stoves. However, the distance between the three groups of people was not very far, and he wanted to manage everything in a unified way, so he only hired six maids to do the work. The vegetables had to be washed together and the meat had to be cut together, which would be faster, so the three stoves were all in one place.
But he had sharp eyes and immediately pointed at someone and said, "You're from that group. Don't line up randomly. If you catch me next time, I'll deduct a cake from you."
The other party immediately moved back obediently.
Zhou Wulang hummed in anger. There were always people who wanted to take advantage of him when he wasn't paying attention.
There were six maids, each occupying one stove. Those who lined up would get a pancake and a dish from the first maid, and a bowl of soup and a dish from the second maid.
Manbao and Baishan came back on their horses, covered in dust. They were relieved to see that they were still in order.
Seeing that they were all lining up obediently, Zhou Wulang walked up to Manbao and advised, "You two should go home. I'll watch over here."
"Fifth brother, when will you go back?"
Zhou Wulang said, "We'll go back after they've finished eating. Don't worry, I have experience and will definitely be able to get back before the city gates close."
Manbao nodded and returned to the city with Baishan.
Zhou Wulang also went to get some bread, a bowl of vegetables and a bowl of soup, then squatted on the ground and ate with them.
The three foremen surrounded him, still baffled. "Fifth Master, your family is so wealthy, why do you need to do such a hard job yourself?"
Zhou Wulang took a bite of the cake, glanced at him and said, "Who said my family is rich?"
The foreman smiled and said, "Look at what you said. Our five hundred households are all the fiefs of the village lord. Isn't that rich?"
Zhou Wulang said gloomily, "You won't pay taxes until after the autumn harvest this year. We haven't even eaten a single grain of your rice yet."
He gestured to the cake in his hand and said, "Now you get to eat ours."
Foremen: ...Rich people still care about this?
Zhou Wulang continued, "Besides, my family has nothing to do with wealth. Who hasn't come from a poor background?"
The three foremen looked incredulous.
Zhou Wulang took a sip of his soup and said, "Don't believe me? I've served in the military too. All six of my brothers have served in the military. I'm not bragging, but even if you were the best official in the world, the food you give to your conscripts wouldn't be as good or as sufficient as what I give you."
Everyone recognized this. Those present who had brothers at home would have to wait several years before it was their turn, but these foremen were well-versed in the job. Coming here not only made it easier for them, but they could also earn some copper coins as management fees. That's why they came every year to serve. No one knew the food and drink better than them. They all gave Zhou Wulang a thumbs-up and said, "Just based on the food we've had these past few days, we know what the village chief and Mr. Zhou Wu are like. If the village chief needs us in the future, just let him know."
Zhou Wulang smiled and said, "Why are you being polite? Your ancestors have been farming here for generations. No one knows this land better than you. It's not our place to interfere. My family has built a workshop here, so I hope you guys can take care of it."
"Don't worry about that. The village chief has built his workshop here. If any scoundrel dares to cause trouble, the villagers will be the first to object."
"Master Zhou Wu, I heard that the village chief is a miracle doctor. He cured that smallpox. That's why we became his fief, right?"
Zhou Wulang was very proud when talking about him. He could tell the story of his sister for three days and three nights and still not finish, so he held a bowl and started telling them the story.
There is a road not far from this section. It extends from the county town to the intersection of Huangzhuang and Gucheng. It branches out like a branch. The shorter branch is the section of road that County Magistrate Xun is responsible for.
Their servants were also eating. They smelled a faint fragrance in the air. One of them couldn't help but squat down and tighten his belt. While eating porridge, he said, "Do you smell it? It smells like wheat. They must be eating cakes or steamed buns again."
"Maybe there's some meat."
"Okay, stop dreaming. It's a lean time right now. The porridge given by the county government is so thick that it's pretty good."
"That's right. These past two years have been pretty good. During the disaster two years ago, even though it was just the autumn harvest, the porridge during my service was barely enough to hold my chopsticks. And they only gave me two meals. Just be content."
A boy nearby gulped down a bowl of porridge, touched his stomach, and took out a piece of dry bread that he brought from home to chew on.
The foreman who was standing nearby saw this and slapped him in the face, saying, "What's the point of eating the steamed buns at night? Save them for tomorrow morning and lunch. That's when you're going to work hard."
"I, I'm hungry..."
"Brother Lu, don't be angry, don't be angry. This kid is here for the first time and doesn't know the ins and outs. Boy, the foreman is doing this for your own good. This hard stuff should be eaten in the morning and at noon. It's almost time to go to bed, why did you eat it?"
"I can't sleep when I'm hungry."
"Just drink a couple more sips of water and you'll be full. Don't disobey me, kid. If you encounter heavy work during the day and you're too hungry to use your strength, just give yourself a sip quickly. Otherwise, if you fall, you probably won't be able to get up."
Someone on the side said, "Even if you get up, it's useless."
The young man was stunned.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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