Zhao Hao and his grandson left Beijing for the south in early May. They would not move forward when it rained or was too hot, and they had to stop to visit scenic spots... As a result, the journey of 1,500 miles took them a full month, and they finally arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan in early June.

Zhao Hao has been in a very heavy mood since entering Henan.

In the past, he traveled north and south along the Grand Canal. Although he could see the poor people's livelihood and the gap between the rich and the poor, that was after all the banks of the canal, with a relatively developed economy. As long as the people were willing to work hard, they could always have food to eat unless they encountered a major disaster.

This time when he went deep inland, he finally confirmed with his own eyes that the living hell described by the refugees was not an exaggeration at all.

Under the azure blue sky, the vast majority of farmers in the prefectures and counties we passed through were extremely poor. Even in the county town, the houses were still old, the streets were narrow and dirty, and the air was filled with a stale smell that made people unable to breathe.

On sunny days, the streets were dusty, and when it rained, the ground was muddy and the wheels of cars were stuck. Beggars were everywhere along the streets, or rather, the people were no different from the beggars, with ragged clothes, haggard faces, hunger and poverty.

They chased after Zhao Hao's convoy, asking for food. If it weren't for the Jinyiwei and fully armed guards, they would have been robbed.

Along the official road outside the city, there are large tracts of abandoned land, covered with tall wormwood, like a wilderness. The villages that were once scattered all over the city have now collapsed into ruins. Only half of the villages are still inhabited, but they are also in a state of depression and dilapidated, barely surviving.

Against this gray and lifeless background, the fat-headed princes and royal family members stand out particularly.

The mansions of the princes and dukes were built like clouds, magnificent and splendid. They were invited to Kaifeng and received hospitality from King Zhou. They saw with their own eyes the scene of beautiful maids in the palace, bells and drums, and food, which was even more grand than that of the emperor, and the extravagance was no less than that of the salt merchants in Yangzhou.

Even those generals who assisted the country and lieutenants who served the country lived in mansions in the city and had fertile estates outside the city. They all wore silk and satin and had rich and luxurious things on their heads. They were completely different creatures from the poor people.

Henan currently has five princes, eighty county kings, generals, lieutenants, county lords, and imperial guests, totaling more than 6,890 descendants of the royal family. The cost of supporting these parasites alone exceeds Henan's annual fiscal revenue.

In addition, these vassal states were lawless and greedy, and they wantonly annexed the people's land and property. More than half of the property in Kaifeng City belonged to the Zhou Wang family; all the good farmland in Nanyang Prefecture was annexed by the Tang Wang family; most of the land in Luoyang, Zhangde, Huaiqing, Yuzhou and other places also belonged to the vassal states.

The land and slaves of the princes and royal families were not subject to taxes or labor service. Therefore, all the burdens of the government were transferred to the poor peasants who had no connections. Naturally, the common people had no choice but to go bankrupt and flee, and there was no possibility of living and working in peace.

This is still Henan Province, a province with fertile fields. If we continue to go deeper into Shanxi and Shaanxi, which are also full of vassal kings but are constantly plagued by border troubles and years of drought, the situation will probably be even worse.

A feeling of powerlessness always enveloped Zhao Hao, and he finally realized that he was not omnipotent.

There were always things he couldn't do, such as saving the people of Henan from suffering. The five princes and eighty dukes of Henan were all thorns in his side, and even those generals and lieutenants, if they surrounded him by a dozen or twenty, could make him lose a layer of skin.

Apart from abolishing the vassal system and sending all these parasites to labor camps, Zhao Hao could not think of any other way to save Henan.

And this is far from the worst moment for Henan. Fat Wanli will also send his younger brother and son to Henan. In a few decades, the number of royal family members in Henan will explode from 6,000 to 50,000 or 60,000!

Thinking of this, Zhao Hao began to understand a little bit, the "Ming Pill" that the old man often talked about. It would be strange if such a Ming Dynasty didn't end...

Since he is powerless, he cannot stop Gao Huzi from coming out to save the nation.

~~

With this awareness, he finally brought his old man to Xinzheng.

Shao Daxia and his son-in-law Shen Yingkui, who arrived earlier, greeted the late-coming grandparents and grandchildren outside the county town.

"Haha, old man and young master, you have worked hard along the way." Shao Fang was in high spirits, without any trace of the annoyance of waiting for days on his face.

In fact, he hoped that Zhao Hao and the others would slow down so that he could have more time to improve his comradeship with Gao Huzi... Gao Gong saw that he kept his promise, worked hard for his comeback, and achieved great results. Naturally, he looked up to this man of the world, treated him as a distinguished guest, and regarded him as a confidant. He talked with him during the day and slept with him at night, and they were already brothers.

"Hmm..." Zhao Liben looked constipated, and went back to lie down in the car after showing his head. He had prepared himself mentally all the way, but it still didn't work.

It is easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature. It is really painful for an old man who has been domineering all his life to bow to his mortal enemy.

"Grandpa, haven't you figured it out yet?" Shao asked Zhao Hao in a low voice.

"Everyone is here, how can you not figure it out?" Young Master Zhao said softly, "But it's inevitable that you will feel unhappy."

"It's really hard for the old man." Shao Daxia sighed and whispered: "Mr. Gao has repeatedly asked, will the old man really come in person? It shows that his sacrifice is necessary."

"Is Mr. Gao going to do anything to my grandfather?" Zhao Hao, who had been escorting Zhao Liben all the way, finally remembered that it was his grandfather.

"Don't worry, sir. As the saying goes, 'It is a great pleasure to have friends coming from afar', 'A prime minister can hold a big boat', and 'If someone shows me respect, I should return him ten feet'." Shao Fang rode side by side with Zhao Hao, and first gave him a reassurance pill and said:

"Young Master has proven his strength. Although Lord Gao is magnanimous, he is definitely not someone who does not know the importance of things. This time he will definitely 'put aside his long-cherished wish and forget his grudges with a smile'."

After saying that, he said with a guilty conscience: "Of course, the old man still has to be patient and let the old husband cool down. Although it may be uncomfortable at first, it will be comfortable in the future."

"Of course, it's all for the Ming Dynasty." Zhao Hao nodded generously and said seriously: "But it must not be done in front of a third person. My grandfather is too proud."

"That's right, everyone lives by their reputation." Shao Fang agreed and said, "When the time comes, dismiss the people around you and let them talk alone."

"Well, that's good." Zhao Hao was relieved. As long as no one saw it, he could pretend nothing happened. This was a trick he learned from Lord Xu.

As they were talking, Gaojiazhuang, located southwest of the county town, came into view from afar.

Although the village is not big, it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with fields and paths connecting to each other. Outside the village, there are green willows and flowing streams, just like a paradise.

"This old Gao really knows how to enjoy himself." Zhao Liben snorted. When he got out of the carriage again, he was calm and composed. He didn't know what kind of comfort Ye had given him just now.

Having said that, he still felt ashamed to see that Gao Gong, the emperor's teacher and retired minister, actually lived in this rural area and didn't even have a garden.

Nowadays, officials in the Ming Dynasty live very simply when they are in the court, but they have many gardens and mansions at home, as well as fertile land and shops worth millions. Each one is richer than the other... Well, he is no exception.

It is indeed rare to find someone like Lao Gao who is consistent in his words and deeds.

However, Gao Gong only sent a steward to greet him at the entrance of the village, which made Zhao Liben very unhappy.

Isn’t this too inhumane?

As soon as you enter the village, you will see a brand new golden archway with four big characters "Good Teacher and Wise Minister" inscribed on it. These were written by Emperor Longqing.

It is natural for civil officials to get off their sedan chairs and military officers to get off their horses through the imperial archway.

Zhao Liben had no choice but to get off the car with everyone else and walk into the village. He saw a two-story dome-shaped building with flying eaves on the main street in the center of the village, with a blue plaque hanging on it, which read "Baomo Tower".

The housekeeper Gao Fu explained that this was because the Gao family had been favored and rewarded by the late emperor and the current emperor for three generations. They did not dare to use the imperial edicts, gold, silver, silk, jewelry, jade and other items that they had been given many times without permission, because they had accumulated too much and had no proper place to store them, and they were afraid that they would be damaged and disrespectful to the emperor. So Gao Ge Lao specially asked for permission to build this Baomo Tower to store the imperial gifts, to promote the teachings of the holy king, and for future generations to admire.

The current emperor approved its construction, donated silver, and personally named it "Jianzhong Hall".

"The emperor is extremely gracious to my third master. He sends imperial edicts almost every month, and gives out rewards every year and festivals. This Baomo building has just been built, but it is almost full. We will definitely have to expand it in the future."

Listening to Gao Fu's proud boasting, Zhao Liben couldn't help but feel sour. Indeed, his grandfather was not as good as Gao Gong, and his father was not as good as him. He still couldn't compare...

"I have to take a good look at it." Zhao Liben put his hands behind his back and carefully looked at Baomo Building with sunglasses on. "When I build my house in the future, I will try to complete it in one go without any more trouble."

Fortunately, my son and grandson are definitely better than him. There is absolutely no doubt about this, because he doesn't even have a son...

"Hahaha." Zhao Liben laughed three times and strode into the Gao family mansion with his head held high.

Seeing that the program arranged by the Third Master for Zhao Liben not only did not work, but instead made the other party full of fighting spirit, Gao Fu couldn't help but sweat for Gao Gong secretly. This old man is not a soft persimmon that can be easily squeezed...

~~

Zhao Hao followed his grandfather silently and entered the Gao family mansion. Looking at the courtyard that looked no different from that of an ordinary landlord's house, it was hard to associate it with the residence of a prime minister that had been in power for three generations.

At the entrance of the flower hall, he saw for the first time Gao Huzi, who was feared by the entire Ming officialdom.

Although Gao Gong was wearing a half-worn blue cloth Taoist robe and a Zhuge scarf on his head, he looked like a country teacher.

But he had a broad mouth and a big chin, and was very strong. With a beard as big as a steel needle and a pair of sharp eyes like an eagle, he looked very imposing when he stood there.

Two years of hiding did not dampen his spirit, but instead allowed him to recuperate and become even more unstoppable.

The precious sword is about to be unsheathed!

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