Hong Ji's eyes inexplicably turned red, but he soon regained his composure.
Not far away, Zhang Mingtu was still feeling somewhat uneasy, but he was much better than at the beginning. At least there was no trace of it in the way he treated others, and even Ruihai did not notice it.
The boat that Hong Ji was on had been sailing parallel to him for nearly half an hour and still showed no intention of changing direction.
Zhang Mingtu didn't think that the other party had discovered anything. Jiujiang County was an important transportation route and the transportation hub of the entire Jiangnan West Road.
Large quantities of goods had to pass through here, then be transferred northward and sent to the north, or directly go to the east road of Jiangnan through another channel.
To go to other small branch rivers, you also have to pass through this place.
Traveling with Blood Blade Hongji is absolutely normal.
"Is there any more information about Higurashi?"
Ruihai asked the question softly, seemingly chatting with Zhang Mingtu, but in fact the question he asked was very crucial.
Chilled cicada is the same as cicada, but Rui Hai was not asking about the cicada, but was referring to the poisonous insect in his wife's stomach.
Since investigating the related poisonous insects was an extremely secret matter, and influenced by the Witchcraft Rebellion of that year, talking about poisonous insects on a daily basis was also a taboo thing, so Ruihai discussed with Zhang Mingtu and chose a code name.
Gu worms are more like insects, so Ruihai took the name of an insect to refer to Gu worms.
“There’s not a lot of progress.”
Zhang Mingtu shook his head, then nodded.
"We've only found some information, and more information is still uncertain. However, what we can confirm for now is that Chilling Cicada will be safe for the foreseeable future, at least until he breaks free."
Ruihai nodded to show his understanding.
Looking sideways at the ships constantly passing by on both sides of the river, each ship had a very deep draft. The people on the ship, whether they were just doing business or in charge, were all busy, but they all had smiles on their faces.
Their complexions and clothes were all in good condition. Even the sailors on the ship wore clothes that didn't have many patches on them. Moreover, the colors of the clothes looked quite new, not very old.
This shows that their overall income is good and they can support their families.
Zhang Mingtu also noticed where Ruihai's gaze lingered, and immediately knew what Ruihai was thinking. However, he was not so optimistic. He shook his head and said, "Jiangnan's prosperity has been well-known throughout the world for many years. Jiujiang County is the core of Jiangnan, and its prosperity is even more exaggerated.
"Even with the booming shipping industry, the people who work as shippers and stewards still have a hard time every day. If these people have low incomes and live in poverty, then there will be a big problem in the world."
Rui Hai nodded in agreement.
"But it's nice to see people living quite well."
Ruihai said this sincerely. He had seen the local civilians in Xingguo County and Jianyi County. They all had a hard life and he even saw people dying of hunger and cold.
Most of them were quite thin and had pale faces.
Jiangnan was a land of wealth and fame, but its taxes were also terrifyingly heavy.
The situation was better in the early years. After all, the Jiangnan area was only rich in the early years, and there were not many people in the court.
In the eyes of many people, he is just a nouveau riche who can take money at will and do whatever he wants.
The county magistrate who ruined a family and the prefect who wiped out an entire clan, these are not just words.
However, as the people moved south and the north was subdued, countless wealthy families moved to the south as a whole.
They combined with the local wealthy families, so the wealthy families in the south were also truly promoted from ordinary rich people to poor families, and even to wealthy families.
It is legal to take money from ordinary people, no matter how rich and powerful one is in the local area, but it is not so easy to take money from masters.
The wealthy families in Jiangnan had considerable power, but not enough to change the tax system. The taxes were still heavy, but they could not collect the money from the wealthy families, but they could touch the money of the people.
The gentry's money was returned in full, and the people's money was divided into 30% and 70%.
This is a true portrayal of the Jiangnan region.
People in Jiujiang live better than those in Jianqiu and Xingguo counties, but that doesn't mean this place is better. It's because there is too much oil and water here, and a little more stuff leaks in from above.
But only a little bit.
The future brothers of the Tibetan people have experienced this several times and are quite clear about all the intricacies involved.
The reason why Ruihai had trouble with the local wealthy families in Jiujiang County after his arrival was because Ruihai took the money from the wealthy families and returned the money to the people.
The order is wrong, and many people want Rui Hai to sober up.
"Ah, fair!"
Zhou Mingdu sighed inexplicably, thinking that the taxes he received were not too heavy for the local wealthy families, but just a drop in the bucket.
Given the wealth and status of the Jiangnan wealthy family, it is easy for them to afford it, but asking them to spit out the meat that is already in their mouths is like cutting it with a knife, which is too painful.
And that is also a bottom line in a sense, they simply do not allow anyone to offend.
"There are problems everywhere, holes everywhere."
"The more prosperous and wealthy places are nothing more than enlarged sword towns."
"The people in the family have always wanted to leave. Team leader Zhang Jiye even gave up his position as the Jinyiwei's successor and sent his son Zhang Tuyuan away. But they never imagined that the world would still be the same as Jianyi. There is no difference."
"It's just a jump from a small mountain village to a bigger one."
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