Chapter 221 The King of a Lost Country 21
Revisiting the Old Place This idea was proposed by Yao Rong.
Since things with Qi Mingxu and the others were gradually getting on track, Nan Liujing also shifted his attention away from them and devoted himself to solving these two problems.
He originally thought that after going through so many things, he would no longer be at a loss in the face of these two problems.
In fact, he locked himself in the room for several days to think, and did write some articles.
Every sentence in the article is what he has seen and heard in the past year or so. But for some reason, the final effect of the article was very poor. It was so bad that
before Yao Rong and Qu Jianbai saw it, Nan Liujing silently crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the paper basket.
Liang Guangyu happened to come to the villa to look for him, so Nan Liujing decided to go out to relax, and then he was called here by Yao Rong——
[You had doubts in Qingshui Village at first, and now you have encountered a bottleneck, so why not go back to Qingshui Village to have a look.] It had
just rained, and the entrance of Qingshui Village was muddy.
The villagers who usually liked to stay under the persimmon trees to enjoy the cool and chat were nowhere to be seen. Only the lush persimmon trees still stood there.
Nan Liujing got off the carriage, carefully avoiding the water holes, but still accidentally stepped on one.
Since his shoes were already dirty and wet, Nan Liujing completely let go and strode across the water: "A year has passed, I wonder how the persimmon field is doing."
Yao Rong said: "Go and take a look and you will know."
Nan Liujing nodded. He still remembered the approximate location of the persimmon field and could walk there by himself without anyone to lead the way.
Qingshui Village was almost exactly the same as in his memory.
The same muddy roads.
The same dilapidated mud-brick houses.
The only strange thing was that Nan Liujing didn't see any villagers along the way.
"It's a bit strange." Nan Liujing frowned slightly, "Could it be that once the rain stopped, the villagers went to work in the fields?"
"Your Highness, something seems a little wrong over there." The guard following Nan Liujing moved his eyes and pointed forward.
Nan Liujing turned his ears and heard a noisy clamor, as if all the movements of the whole village were gathered there.
***
Daye has not had good weather for a long time.
Floods in the south, droughts in the north, wars on the border, and all kinds of exorbitant taxes, land annexation and corrupt officials have become a huge burden on the people.
Qingshui Village is only a few dozen miles away from Kyoto, with mountains to the east and water to the west. The geographical location is very advantageous. Even in the most serious natural disasters, the people here can barely survive.
But since General Yao was defeated fifteen years ago, the imperial court began to increase taxes and enforce conscription in order to rebuild border defenses. The number of young people in Qingshui Village has been decreasing, but the taxes to be paid each year have been increasing.
Until last year, under the leadership of the village chief, Qingshui Village reclaimed several acres of mountain land to plant persimmon seedlings. Seeing the persimmon trees growing better and better, the villagers smiled a little.
That was the joy of having hope in life again.
This year, some persimmon trees with longer years have bloomed one after another, and the crops in the fields have reached the time to be harvested. The elderly and women get up early every day, and the children no longer sleep in, running to the fields diligently to bring water and food to the adults.
After working for more than half a month, the villagers finally harvested all the crops before the autumn rainy season.
Although the harvest was not high, the villagers still went to the market in groups of three or four to buy meat, intending to add a snack for their greedy children at home.
But who would have thought that the joyful atmosphere had not yet dissipated from the village after the meat was bought back -
the cruel officials who smelled the meat also followed into the village and urged them to pay taxes as soon as possible.
The court had been collecting taxes under various pretexts, and even the village chief who had the most dealings with the government did not fully understand all the taxes. But they heard the final result -
they had to pay 70% of the grain they had just harvested, and could only keep 30% for themselves.
The 30% includes not only their family's food for a year, but also their seed for next year.
Upon hearing this, the villagers were furious, saying: "It just increased from 60% to 65% last year, why is it increasing again this year?"
"That's right, last year our village didn't have enough food, and in the end many people had to rely on digging wild vegetables to survive, so they didn't starve to death."
"This year's harvest is worse than last year, how can we survive!"
The county official looked at the village chief with raised eyes: "I will only give you five days." He
also shouted impatiently to the people around him: "Don't complain to me, I am doing my job according to the instructions of the county magistrate. The county magistrate is also doing his job according to the instructions from above."
“If you think the taxes are too heavy, you should go talk to the officials in the court, kneel before them and beg them to be kind and reduce your taxes. If you don’t have the ability to change the minds of those bigwigs, just shut up immediately.”
The chief of Qingshui Village was the old man who had talked to Nan Liujing that year.
The village chief's lips were bitter. He opened his mouth to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he sighed deeply: "We understand."
His back, which was already very bent, could not bear the heavy burden and bent deeper, as if it would never be able to straighten up again: "Don't worry, sir, we all understand the reason."
"Okay. He is a reasonable person." The official nodded with satisfaction, and said, "There is another thing I want to tell you."
The village chief's heart skipped a beat: "I wonder what it is?"
The official said: "It is said that the Dirong in the north suffered a disaster this year, and many livestock died. They don't have enough food this year, and they are likely to send troops to plunder the border in winter. The court plans to recruit more soldiers."
"Recruit soldiers!?" The village chief stared at the official in disbelief.
A stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the villagers who were barely able to control their emotions suddenly exploded.
"What? You want to recruit more soldiers?"
"You said the imperial court lost the war, so you recruited my eldest son, my second son and my third son. They have been gone for several years. During these years, I have not received any money or letters from them. I don't even know whether they are dead or alive..." "
All the young men in our village have gone to the battlefield. Who else do you want to recruit? My old bones in my fifties or sixties, or my grandson who is only eleven or twelve years old?"
The woman looked at her fifteen or sixteen-year-old son beside her, without saying a word, but silently used her frail body to shield her son.
"Sir..." The village chief looked around, tears streaming down his face, "We really can't recruit any more soldiers. There are no more young men in our village."
The official smiled coldly and pushed the village chief away: "I just praised you for being sensible, but now you are being ignorant."
"Think about it, if the court doesn't recruit soldiers, how can there be enough people to defend the border? If we don't defend the border and let the Di Rong invade, won't you be the ones who will suffer?"
The ground was slippery, and the village chief stumbled after being pushed.
The eldest grandson standing behind the village chief hurriedly went to help him, so that he didn't fall to the ground.
Seeing this, all the villagers glared at the official.
The young man protected by the woman had a childish face, but his voice was full of stubbornness: "If the Di Rong attack us, we will die. But the court is forcing us like this now, do we still have a way to survive!"
The official's face changed drastically, pointed his long whip at the young man, and said coldly: "Didn't you say that there are no young men in your village? I see there is a young and energetic one here! It's you. If you are not on the conscription list of your village, I will recruit ten more people from your village!"
The woman knelt down in panic and kowtowed to the official to plead: "Sir, please have mercy on this child. His father used to fight with General Yao, and later died outside. This child has never seen his father. He is the only child in our family."
"Mom..." The boy's eyes were red, and he bent down to pull the woman.
The woman reached out to hit the boy: "You kid, why don't you hurry up and beg for mercy from the adults! Kneel down!"
The boy pursed his lips, but his back straightened even more: "Even if we kowtow to him and beg for mercy, he will not let us go. Corrupt officials like them will not stop until they suck our marrow and break our bones."
"Good! Very good!"
The official stepped forward and swung the whip in his hand.
There was a sound of breaking through the air, but it was not swung towards the boy, but towards the woman.
Just as the long whip was about to fall on the woman's head, the official was kicked to the ground first, with a mouth full of mud.
His face was twisted in pain, and he felt angry because he had lost face. He got up from the ground and roared: "Who! Who dares to hit me! You dare to beat the court officials, this is open rebellion! You all wait for me, I will report this to the county magistrate after I go back!"
Before he could stand up, he was pushed to the ground again. It was not
until then that the official saw the man who subdued him clearly - he was tall and strong, with his right hand holding a knife at his side, dressed like a guard.
The crowd that had originally formed a circle separated into a path, and Nan Liujing, wearing a dark black brocade dress, stepped out of the crowd: "What a great prestige, a petty official with no rank and no rank dared to put the hat of rebellion on the heads of ordinary people. It seems that the entire county government of Yong'an County is rotten."
The official's anger solidified on his face. People like him know best who can be offended and who cannot be offended.
"This..."
Nan Liujing was too lazy to waste words with this kind of bully, and waved at the guards.
The guards immediately blocked the official's mouth and dragged the official out, not letting the official stay here to bother Nan Liujing.
Nan Liujing looked at the woman lying limp on the ground and reminded the boy: "Help your mother up quickly."
Nan Liujing looked at the village chief again and asked gently: "Village chief, do you still remember me? I came to your village last year."
The village chief nodded repeatedly: "I remember, of course I remember. Your demeanor is so impressive that I can't forget it even if I want to."
The woman was just helped up, and she knelt down to Nan Liujing again.
Nan Liujing was quick to help her: "I know what you want to say, no need to kneel."
The village chief also persuaded her a few times, and the woman left with her son.
The village chief asked other villagers to leave, and the crowded yard became empty again.
"Would you like to come in for some tea?" the village chief asked Nan Liujing.
Nan Liujing said: "Excuse me, a glass of warm water will be fine."
After sitting down and drinking two sips of water, Nan Liujing asked about some things in the village, and the village chief told him one by one.
After Nan Liujing understood what he wanted to know, he decided to go to the persimmon field to take a look.
"I'll take you to see it." The village chief said hurriedly.
Nan Liujing pointed at the child peeking at the door and smiled: "Let your grandson take me. He was the one who led me last year."
The little boy who led Nan Liujing to Qingshui Village last year was the village chief's grandson. The
little boy said embarrassedly: "Sir, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. My mother asked me to bring you some dates."
He held a bowl in his hand, which contained several large green dates.
Nan Liujing only took one: "You and your sister can eat the rest. I remember you have a sister, right?"
The little boy nodded happily and led Nan Liujing out.
As soon as the two walked out of the door, they saw the dark-skinned boy standing there silently like a sculpture.
When he saw Nan Liujing, a wave of emotion appeared in the boy's eyes. He subconsciously wanted to take a step closer to Nan Liujing, but he took his foot back the moment he raised it and stood there awkwardly.
Nan Liujing said, "The official has been taken away, and he will not come to harm your village again."
Upon hearing this, the young man knelt down and kowtowed three times to Nan Liujing: "My noble sir, please have mercy and let me seek a job by your side. Any job will be fine, I will do my best."
Nan Liujing did not expect him to kneel down to him, and when he reacted, the young man had finished kowtowed three times: "Didn't you just say that you were unwilling to kowtow to the official and beg for mercy?"
The young man said stubbornly: "It's useless to plead for mercy to jackals, tigers and leopards."
Nan Liujing liked this answer, and reached out to help him up: "What's your name."
"To answer your noble sir, my name is Yang Zhen."
Nan Liujing directly ordered the guards to arrange for Yang Zhen.
He was short of people, so it was easy to assign a task to Yang Zhen. As for whether Yang Zhen could seize the opportunity and how far he could go in the future, it all depended on Yang Zhen himself.
***
On the sloping hillside, persimmon trees were stacked up in layers.
The rain washed away the dust on the branches and leaves, revealing a clearness like a sunny day after rain.
Looking around, the mountains are green.
Nan Liujing asked the little boy to wait at the foot of the mountain. He walked into the woods alone and pushed aside the branches blocking the way in front of him: "Teacher, did you guess that these things would happen in Qingshui Village a long time ago?"
[Yes.]
According to the original historical line, Daye only has five years left.
Yao Rong's arrival changed some things, but failed to change the overall historical trend - the court still increased taxes and conscripted soldiers as in the original historical line. If nothing is done, starting next year, ordinary people from all over the country will be forced to rise up because they have no other choice, and eventually form a wave of uprisings that sweep across the country.
[Liujing, after listening to what happened in Qingshui Village, do you feel sympathy for the villagers?]
"Yes."
[Are you going to help them. "
Of course."
Yao Rong asked the most crucial question: [How do you plan to help them?]
Nan Liujing pursed his lips, and after a long while, he whispered: "I will send someone to investigate the official and punish him."
"I can also use my identity to help Qingshui Village reduce taxes and exempt conscription."
He lowered his eyes.
Eyelashes as dense as crow feathers gently covered his eyelids, and an inexplicable loss rose from him.
"——However, if that official is punished, there will be other officials."
"——The total amount of taxes to be collected and the total number of soldiers to be conscripted by the court will not be reduced. I helped Qingshui Village avoid taxation and conscription, but the pressure on Qingshui Village will not disappear, but will only be transferred to other villages."
"I can save one Qingshui Village. I can only save one Qingshui Village."
If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. There are too many injustices in the world, and he can't take care of them at all.
But why do you feel unwilling?
When Nan Liujing was completely trapped in this emotion, Yao Rong's words echoed in his ears.
As gentle and persuasive as ever.
[Liujing, what are you thinking about? ]
"I don't know how to express it."
"Teacher, I just think that many things shouldn't be like this."
But it shouldn't be like this, then how should it be...
Yao Rong heard his unfinished meaning, and suddenly changed the subject and said: [Look up and look at the tree in front of you.]
The persimmon tree in front of him was taller than the other persimmon trees around, with branches and leaves spread out, making a rustling sound in the breeze.
Nan Liujing looked up and stared at the persimmon tree for a long time, still not knowing what Yao Rong wanted him to see.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and just wanted to ask Yao Rong, his sight suddenly fixed -
a small light yellow flower, with four petals spread out, wrapped in a square tender green calyx, and the whole showed a drooping shape. Like a drooping yellow trumpet.
The calyx is much larger than the petals. At first glance, the flower seems to be hidden among the leaves and is very inconspicuous.
But Nan Liujing is very familiar with this flower.
This is a persimmon flower.
***
From May to July every year, persimmon trees that have reached a certain age will bloom. Each flower can only bloom for about ten days, and then it will wither and form small green persimmons.
The persimmon trees planted in this forest are between two and four years old, so it is normal for them to bloom.
But now it is August, and if nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last persimmon flower in the mountains and fields.
[Do you remember the persimmon tree we planted in Changxin Palace?]
Nan Liujing nodded: "I asked Master Liang about the condition of the persimmon tree today. Master Liang said it is growing very well."
[I always felt that you have a strong affinity with persimmons. ]
This fate can be said to be very deep.
[Later, slowly, I found that you and persimmon flowers are very similar.]
Nan Liujing raised his eyebrows slightly.
His already grown eyebrows and eyes revealed some youthful charm, sharp and eye-catching.
"Why not peony and orchid?"
It's not that he doesn't like persimmon flowers, but since ancient times, literati and scholars have often compared themselves to plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. Nothing is more wealthy and elegant than peony.
In contrast, persimmon flowers are the most common flowers in the wilds of the north, but they have no presence in literary works.
Yao Rong smiled and said: [Peony is a flower of wealth, and orchid is a flower of gentlemen. Compared with them, persimmon flowers are indeed too ordinary, not beautiful, and not expensive.]
[But your future is destined to be magnificent. Now that you have reached the top, you don't have to take yourself too seriously. ]
[What people standing at the top need is not to dominate others, but to bow their heads humbly like persimmon flowers. ]
[Because all the people in the world, the mountains and rivers, and the country are right under your feet. ]
Nan Liujing lowered his head consciously.
Under his feet was poor, dry and cracked soil, and the strong and sturdy roots of trees deeply rooted in the soil.
But perhaps because of the influence of Yao Rong's words, Nan Liujing seemed to see the people of Daye through these.
——He saw those people of Daye who were poor and miserable, but still tried their best to survive.
Yao Rong smiled and said: [Persimmon flowers should be the flowers you are most looking forward to seeing, right? ]
Nan Liujing was stunned, and the memories buried deep in the years emerged.
Almost every persimmon flower can produce a persimmon.
In the past, when he was bored in the summer, he would stand under the tree and look up to count whether there were new persimmon flowers emerging and blooming today.
This mood of anticipation for harvest, together with the summer cicadas' chirping and the summer heat, became his impression of summer.
"Yes. It is the flower I look forward to seeing the most."
[The flower language of persimmon flowers is "everything goes well". It represents the best wishes in the world and symbolizes that the harvest season is coming, so it is also a flower that many people look forward to seeing.]
[Don't you want to be such a person?]
Yao Rong's words always carry a strange persuasiveness.
Master Liang always said that he knew how to move people, but Nan Liujing knew that was because Master Liang had never heard his teacher speak.
"Of course I want to be such a person."
[I remember that you always liked the sentence "The world's talents are within my grasp" said by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Do you remember another sentence he said? ]
"The king is the boat; the people are the water; the water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it. Is this what the teacher wants to ask?"
[Li Shimin thinks that the people are the water. What about you? What do you think the people of Daye are? ]
"I..."
Nan Liujing opened his lips slightly, but before he could finish his words, his eyes were unconsciously moist.
No matter which dynasty the people were in -
when the dynasty was prosperous, their lives did not become much better.
But when the dynasty shows signs of decline, they are always the first class to be impacted and the first to bear the bitter fruit.
Therefore, when the dynasty prospers, the people suffer, and when it perishes, the people suffer.
History records the kings, princes, generals and ministers, sings praises for the merits of high-ranking officials and nobles, and composes poems and lyrics, but never spares words for the common people.
They will never become the protagonists of the times, but can only become the background of the times.
They are the "frozen dead bones on the road" in poems and the "years of famine, people cannibalism" in history books.
They are tens of millions of people, and they are only a few words.
But are they really unimportant?
The people support the country, and I have never heard of the country supporting the people. If they were really unimportant, the saying that the king is the boat and the people are the water would not have been passed down for thousands of years.
After a long time, Nan Liujing finally found his voice: "I know why the teacher asked me to come back to Qingshui Village."
"When I was buried in the study writing articles, I thought I had seen their suffering, I thought I had understood their pain."
"But now I know how naive and arrogant I was at that time."
His years in the cold palace were indeed long and lonely.
But he still had the opportunity to change his fate and the possibility to fight against his fate.
The millions of ordinary and most common people had no chance to speak.
Their pain was heartbreaking, but it was barely audible.
Only when they were forced to the point where they had no way out and a peasant uprising broke out, their voices would be taken seriously by the princes and ministers.
This is why peasant uprisings break out at the end of every dynasty.
When the imperial court doesn't care about their lives and is even forcing them to death, shouldn't they be allowed to save themselves?
The inner treasury is burned to ashes, and the streets are trampled with the bones of nobles. This is their response to arrogance.
[Don't blame yourself.]
Yao Rong said in a gentle voice: [Tell me the answer.]
"I think..."
Nan Liujing untied the Emperor's Sword from his waist, half squatted down, and his bony fingertips covered the moist soil, and then stroked from the soil to the powerful roots of the tree.
Finally, he went up along the roots of the tree, passed the roots of the tree, passed the branches, and stopped his eyes on the pale yellow flower.
"The emperor is a persimmon tree and a persimmon flower. The people are the soil that feeds the tree and the roots that are deeply rooted in the soil."
"They are the foundation of the era."
"They should also be the protagonists of the era."
Yao Rong confirmed again: [Do you really think the people are so important?]
"Yes." Nan Liujing was very sure, "A dynasty can lose its king, its ministers and generals, but it must have its people. It has never been the people who need the king, but the king who relies on the people."
[Back then, I told you that the trouble of having the skin of persimmons pecked by birds was not just your trouble, but also the trouble of thousands of families who planted persimmon trees.]
[By extension, the experience of Qingshui Village is actually a microcosm of thousands of families in Daye. ]
[You can only save one Qingshui Village now, but are you willing to save only one Qingshui Village? ]
Nan Liujing felt his violently beating heart.
He followed the truest thought in his heart: "Not willing."
"I have seen the suffering of the people in the world, and I can't deceive myself and say that I haven't seen it."
[Very good. ]
Yao Rong smiled lightly: [When you and I were just tied together, you once asked me a question. ]
[You said that you had no ambition to become emperor. I didn't answer your question at that time, but just told you not to think too much and do what I said first. ]
[So in the past three years, you have completed every task I issued very well. ]
[Today, I think you should be able to answer this question yourself. ]
[Eliminate my requirements and just start from your heart. Tell me, do you really want that position now?]
At this moment, many fragments flashed through Nan Liujing's mind.
He thought of the struggle between the Yao family, the Ji family, and Emperor Yongqing that the teacher talked about that afternoon. He remembered
Qu Jianbai's persistence for more than ten years.
He also remembered the two arrows shot by Qi Mingxu in the dark.
Finally, he thought of himself.
The system he was bound to was the system for cultivating wise rulers; his teacher wanted to cultivate him into a wise ruler; the sword he used was the Emperor's Sword; the course he learned was the policy of governing the country.
If he took a step forward, he might hold the mountains and rivers in his hands, or he might die.
But if he took a step back, he would surely be slain.
A gem abandoned in the wilderness is still a gem. A pearl covered with dust is still a pearl.
But only the gems and pearls inlaid in the emperor's crown can benefit all living beings.
In fact, until now, he still seems to have no great desire, no yearning for the supreme throne, and is even more unwilling to be trapped in the cold and inhumane palace.
But he is not fair.
He wants to stand on the highest stage in history and speak for the millions of people in the world.
He wanted to be like Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and engrave the four words "people are the foundation" on the long river of time, so that countless people in the future, including countless ordinary people today, would remember this truth deeply.
The emotions that had been pent up in his heart finally turned into clear words -
"Behead the tyrants and punish the powerful ministers."
"This is my sword."
"Punish the people and save the people from suffering."
"This is my way."
"If it were me..."
"If the person sitting in the Mingtang was me..."
Nan Liujing raised his hand, gently pressed on the hilt, and then tightened his fingers a little bit: "I will never let these things happen."
With a clang,
the emperor's sword that had been covered in dust for many years finally reappeared in the world.