If the beggar has hands and feet but is lazy and likes to eat and do nothing, the court will check his household registration to see if he has committed any crime.
If you haven't committed any crime, just throw it directly into the army.
If there are criminals who have fled after committing a crime, they will be punished according to the severity of their crime.
Those guilty of serious crimes were sentenced to imprisonment, exile, or even death. Those guilty of minor crimes were sent to the army for reform.
Beggars with broken limbs who were unable to work were placed in these welfare institutions. Those who could do a little work were given some work, and those who were unable to work were supported by the court.
Therefore, beggars on the streets are almost extinct.
In addition, local labor service and taxes were reduced, and the survival pressure on the lower-class people and the poor was drastically reduced. The entire social situation became more active and no longer as lifeless as before.
Zhao Jun's carriage was quite recognizable. Under the protection of hundreds of guards, it passed through Ma Xing Street and entered Fanlou.
Since two powerful prime ministers came to have dinner, Fanlou naturally prepared the best private room.
Under the personal reception of the owner of Fanlou, Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan entered the private room. The private room was like a big attic, with not only a living room and inner room, but also a balcony, from which one could directly see the scenery of Bianliang from the third floor.
Looking out from the balcony at the countless scholars coming and going on the streets below, Old Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Another Spring Examination is almost here! It really makes me nostalgic."
"Do you miss the time when you were a scholar?"
"No, I miss the time when I called the roll outside Donghua Gate."
"As expected, people only miss their most glorious moments, not the times of suffering."
Zhao Jun rolled his eyes and sat down at the round table.
The dishes were served almost as soon as he went upstairs, because when he left the palace, someone would immediately come to Fanlou to report the news.
Distinguished guests certainly cannot wait for their food to be served, so the dishes are often served as soon as they sit down.
There are stir-fried pork with chili peppers, spicy chicken, stir-fried beef, stir-fried meat with tofu, etc.
Especially his favorite dishes, stir-fried pork with chili peppers and stir-fried pork with tofu. Chef Fanlou studied these dishes to death every day and managed to copy the taste of his hometown.
After the dishes were served, everyone left. There were three layers of guards in the private room, but only Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan were left in the room.
Old Fan also came over from the balcony and sat down. Zhao Jun looked at the Hunan dishes on the table, picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile: "The peppers in our later generations have been cultivated and improved in various ways, and there are many varieties. The ones we bring back now are a little worse, mostly ordinary green and red peppers, but they are still okay."
Green peppers were originally native to the Americas and were brought to Mexico and North America by Indians long ago. Later, they changed from red to green, and their spiciness also became much less intense. Fortunately, there was also red pepper in it, otherwise Zhao Jun would have been a little disappointed.
When Fan Zhongyan saw Zhao Jun stuffing the green pepper into his mouth and eating it directly, he could unconsciously feel a hot touch on his body. A drop of sweat fell on his forehead, and he raised his chopsticks hesitantly.
"Eat, why not?"
Zhao Jun chewed his food and pointed at the dishes with his chopsticks. "This spicy chicken is delicious. Would you like a couple of bites?"
"Okay."
Lao Fan was ready to die and picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
He almost died of the spiciness.
Apparently, the idea that eating a local specialty and finding it delicious only exists in stories.
The reality is that people who can't eat spicy food will feel so sour and want to cry if they take a bite.
Anyway, Lao Fan was moved to tears. He swallowed the spicy chicken with tears in his eyes, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Let's talk about business first."
"What are your plans next?"
"What are you planning?"
Zhao Jun put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said, "It's time to make a long-term plan."
Fan Zhongyan asked curiously, "Please tell me in detail."
"Let's make a five-year plan."
Zhao Jun scooped himself a bowl of soup and said, "Steam engines need rubber. If everything goes well next year, when the rubber comes back, we'll start planting it extensively in Guangzhou, Hainan, and other places. Furthermore, the cinchona tree is very important. With cinchona frost, the miasma that has plagued Lingnan for thousands of years will be easily eliminated."
In ancient times, Lingnan was not suitable for living, so it became a place for exile of criminals. The reason for this was the rampant malaria, which was called miasma in ancient times.
Although China's native Artemisia annua can produce artemisinin to treat malaria, the problem is that extracting artemisinin is not as simple as simply crushing the Artemisia annua and taking the juice. It requires rigorous chemical experiments and a complex extraction process.
First of all, Zhao Jun is not a chemistry major and does not have that ability.
Secondly, even if he had that ability, the Song Dynasty did not have the conditions for a laboratory.
In contrast, quinine cream is much simpler. It is made by drying the bark of the cinchona tree and crushing it into powder, which requires almost no technical skills.
Therefore, with the advent of quinine, there will no longer be any obstacles for the Han people to travel to Lingnan regions such as Guangdong and Fujian, and even to Taiwan, which is now plagued by malaria, and it will be no problem for them to travel throughout Southeast Asia.
"Do you want to develop Lingnan?"
Fan Zhongyan asked.
"Not only that, this plan is quite large and grand, and I can't explain it to you in a short time."
Zhao Jun took a sip of soup, then put down his bowl and said, "Let's start with something simple. Once rubber enters our country, the sealing problem of steam engines will be completely solved, and steam engines can be mass-produced. What do you think we should do with it?"
"Train! Ship!"
Fan Zhongyan was cheered up. He had seen western movies, which often featured trains and ships. Not only did he yearn for those things, but everyone in the entire political system also yearned for them.
"Wrong."
Zhao Jun shook his head and said, "Just because we can achieve mass production doesn't mean we can do it right away. We brought back tens of thousands of kilograms of seeds for corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, but to promote them nationwide, the Ministry of Agriculture would have to plant them on a large scale outside the city. It would take two seasons to produce millions of kilograms of seeds before they could be distributed. Can rubber trees do that?"
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