Chapter 297 You Look Like a Bear
Sheng Dahe waved his hand dismissively: "Hey, you little lady, you're too petty. A man with a beard looks heroic."
He turned to Lou Yue and asked, "Little girl, don't you think so?"
Lou Yue hid behind Qing Ling: "No, you look like a bear to me."
Sheng Dahe curled his lip and snorted: "You women don't understand. There's a saying that goes, 'A young man with no beard is unreliable.' As a boat captain, I'm away from home most of the time. If I were all talk and no action, people would look down on me at first glance."
"Also, now that this boat has gone down the river, do you know how many river bandits there are?"
If he were like those pale-faced young men in the capital, he would have been hacked to pieces countless times.
Yao Qingling said, "What you said makes sense. However, you used to be a wanted bandit, and in less than a year, you've already started to dream of being a hero? I think Lou Yue is right, you have the spirit of a coward."
"You—" Sheng Dahe glared, clenching his fist as if he wanted to hit someone. He took a deep breath and exhaled, "Forget it, I won't stoop to your level."
He stroked his beard: "Are you really going to cut it?"
He couldn't bear to part with it.
But he also understood Yao Qingling's reminder. The bandits' disturbance had only been overshadowed by the major case at the palace, but that time had not been long, and the old matter might be brought up again at any time.
In particular, things are becoming increasingly turbulent outside.
Yao Qingling nodded and said, "If you like beards, you can find other ways to change your appearance." Her gaze swept over the man's face, and she drew a line on his face with her finger. "If you burn this half of your face, you won't be recognized at all."
Sheng Dahe glanced at her with a disgruntled expression, thinking she might come up with some good ideas.
This woman definitely wants revenge for the time he caused her to have a premature birth.
Sheng Dahe pulled a dagger from his waist and started scraping the surface of the river.
He cleaned it off in no time, leaving it smooth to the touch, which disgusted him.
He tucked the dagger back into his waistband and sat down. "Madam Yao, don't blame me for not reminding you. I've traveled along the river for the past six months to many places, and those places..." He shook his head. "They have layers of deductions, heavy taxes, and landlords, gentry, and those powerful and wealthy men who keep seizing land."
"It's only the beginning of the year, and if another natural or man-made disaster occurs, who knows what might happen..." Sheng Dahe looked around and picked up a flagpole next to him.
Yao Qingling's heart skipped a beat.
This means... to rise up in rebellion.
Has the situation gotten this serious?
Imperial Censor Cao advised her to open as many rice shops as possible. His true intention was to stabilize people's livelihoods, provide employment for farmers who had lost their land, and ensure that those who couldn't afford rice had enough to eat. For Yao Qingling, though she was a faint ray of light, as long as the people liked and supported her, their goodwill towards her would be her backing.
However, Yao Qingling was not a large landowner and did not own that much land. To sell rice, she had to buy rice from farmers.
The land, however, was in the hands of landlords and powerful families. Given her cost price for purchasing rice, it was difficult for her to control the price.
"...It's difficult for you to open a rice shop in a town along the river. You know those merchants who love to do business with wealthy people; they make a lot of money quickly. As long as they have money, they can buy land, grow crops, and sell them at high prices to make even more money."
Sheng Dahe spoke eloquently, advising Yao Qingling not to do that foolish thing. She should be like Jin Mantang, focusing on doing business with influential people. Once she had made enough money, she could buy land.
"Isn't your farm not good for growing crops? Listen to me, brother, save the money to buy fertile land..."
Yao Qingling interrupted him: "What if the Yellow River were to breach its banks again, or there were to be a severe drought, or to be torrential rains, causing a complete crop failure and creating even more refugees like you?"
The wealthy landowners with rice in hand took the opportunity to hoard the grain and refused to sell it. The common people and countless small merchants had no choice but to buy rice at high prices. This group of common people and small merchants were forced to sell their fields, shops, and even their children. The rich got richer and the poor could only become vagrants, dying on the roadside like stray dogs.
Then, when things get out of control, it will eventually lead to a popular uprising!
Yao Qingling didn't want to see that happen: "Sheng Dahe, you were once a victim yourself."
Sheng Dahe opened his mouth and said stiffly, "Then there's nothing I can do. In short, it's difficult for me to help you transport rice and grain."
Yao Qingling rubbed her temples. It seemed she still had to find a way to enter the palace, meet the Empress, and obtain the official rice shop license.
However, Yao Qingling still wanted to earn other money from Shengdahe.
The other migrants who followed Sheng Dahe had accumulated some savings over the past six months of working on his boats. They wanted household registration, but didn't want to be controlled by Sheng Dahe through it, so they secretly approached Qingling, hoping to buy household registration from her and bypass Sheng Dahe.
Qingling said, "Are you betraying him?"
She refused.
Sheng Dahe is reckless. If he finds out, these people will not get away with it, and it will not benefit Yao Qingling either.
Although she and Sheng Dahe couldn't agree on some things, they still maintained a close working relationship.
Moreover, she had suffered at the hands of traitors and hated them even more.
"No, we don't want to betray Boss Sheng." The group scratched their heads, looking troubled.
Having been around for so many years, they know that being alone will only make them easy targets. Following Boss Sheng at least ensures they have food to eat, and if there's a fight, they'll fight together.
"Yes, we want to get married. But, aren't the girls afraid?"
Having a registered household signifies that the man is reliable and not a thief. The marriage certificate can also be obtained from the government.
Yao Qingling understood. These men had found girlfriends, but waiting for Boss Sheng to arrange their household registration would take too long, and they were afraid that their girls would marry someone else.
Whether it was Boss Sheng's side or the bandits taken in by Yao Qingling, they all received their household registrations in order of seniority. Those at the bottom could only wait and endure, living as shadowy figures who could not see the light of day.
But shouldn't there be an exception to such a special case?
"Understood, I'll talk to Boss Sheng about it."
Yao Qingling had originally planned to leave, but for the sake of the stability of their small group, she went back and spoke with Sheng Dahe.
Sheng Dahe was already annoyed when he heard Yao Qingling causing trouble again. He said angrily, "Yao Qingling, are you ever going to stop? You can't even get married yourself, and you're interfering with other people's weddings. I think you're just bored."
Lou Yue exploded: "Boss Sheng, what are you saying! My young lady is a first-rank imperial consort, and her son is the Marquis of Zhongyong. Does she need to marry him?!"
"If she wants to, the men who want to marry her will line up from this dock all the way to the gate of the Marquis's mansion!"
Sheng Dahe chuckled: "Yes, she's a first-rank imperial consort. She looks down on ordinary men, and wealthy families look down on her. Those guys you're talking about lining up to marry her, well, those porters outside, they'd probably be happy to be her cheap husbands."
"Is that so?" A cold voice suddenly interrupted.
Lin Shiyuan slowly appeared before the people.
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