$260, Perverted Factory Worker 11

"Why did you bring me here?"

Zong Zheng Qingqi was young after all. After he calmed down his anger at Yan Chu for taking him out of the palace without permission, he was attracted by the bustling scenes on both sides of the street.

Especially the stalls making clay figurines and kites, with a dazzling array of items on them, Zong Zheng Qingqi's eyes were nowhere to be found.

There were also some vendors selling candied haws along the street, carrying targets full of candied haws, with wooden skewers wrapped in bright red sugar coating and plump fruits. Although he had never tasted the taste, he couldn't help but drooling just by looking at the tempting appearance, and wanted to buy a string to try.

All of this has always lived only in Zong Zheng Qingqi's ears.

Unlike other royal brothers who have left the palace to set up their own residences, and a royal brother from a foreign family who borrowed the light of Concubine Jiang and was given a virtual title without real power. Zong Zheng Qingqi's other relatives live far away in the northwest. He has never left the palace since he was a child. He can only listen to the stories of his brother and the eunuchs who have been outside the palace.

Because he wants to save face and is tight-lipped, Zong Zheng Qingqi always shows a disdainful expression when listening to his brother telling stories outside the palace. But in fact, in his heart, he has long been curious about the world on the other side of the imperial city.

This time, Yan Chu took him out of the palace without any preparation. Seeing the scene he had imagined in his dream, Zong Zheng Qingqi turned his head and looked at Yan Chu's face again, and he was much more pleasing to the eye.

But why didn't the carriage stop at the most prosperous and noisy market in the capital?

Zong Zheng Qingqi watched the scenery outside the car window become more and more monotonous, and the houses on both sides became more and more old. The carriage left the city gate under Zong Zheng Qingqi's doubts and drove towards an unknown place. The heart that was originally happy about leaving the palace gradually sank, and the initial worry floated to his heart.

Especially at this moment when he stepped on the muddy country road, looking at the endless fields around him, there were only a few old farmers leading yellow cattle to root and loosen the soil for the land that had just been harvested, and a group of children playing happily on the ridges of the fields.

Zongzheng Qingqi looked at Yan Chu vigilantly, why did he bring him to this place.

"Old man, how is the harvest this year?"

Yan Chu ignored Zongzheng Qingqi's questioning, but got off the carriage and walked straight to the old farmer who was working in the nearest field.

"The harvest is good. In recent years, our area has been blessed with good weather and good harvests every year. In addition, the new emperor ascended the throne and reduced taxes by 30%. This year we can also have a prosperous year."

Yan Chu and Zongzheng Qingqi's clothes today were worn and rough in Zongzheng Qingqi's eyes, but in the eyes of the old farmer, the clean and decent brocade was better than the expensive cloth they rarely saw in the cloth shop in the city. At first glance, they were the master and son of a wealthy family.

Therefore, facing Yan Chu's question, the old farmer smiled and answered.

Zong Zheng Qingqi's originally unpredictable face cleared up after hearing the old farmer's words. He stepped forward with interest: "Old man, what do you think of the new emperor now?"

As he said that, he glanced at Yan Chu. This old man seemed to be sensible and must not be used to the current situation where eunuchs are in power in the court.

He wanted to see how Xiao Chu would feel when he was scolded by an old farmer.

"I can't say it, I can't say it."

The old farmer waved his hands repeatedly, looking at Zong Zheng Qingqi's expression as if he was looking at something strange.

That's the emperor, the emperor who is high above. He doesn't want to talk about the current emperor. Is he a fool?

This young master looks innocent and smart, why does he ask such a stupid question?

"Sir, don't be angry at me for talking too much. Your son needs to be taught a lesson. The Jinyiwei of the East Factory are so powerful now. There was a lazy man next door in our village before. He got drunk and scolded the little emperor. The next day, he was taken away by the Jinyiwei." The old man had a trace of fear on his face, and his attitude towards Yan Chu was much more sincere.

"The young master is so smart. If he says something wrong, he will suffer."

It is said that if you enter the East Factory, you will lose your skin if you don't die. In the minds of ordinary people, it is a taboo and a place more terrible than prison.

"What did that lazy man scold the little emperor for?"

Zong Zheng Qingqi was so angry that he was a pufferfish. He had just ascended the throne for a short time and someone scolded him before he took charge of the government. Obviously, Xiao Chu handled all the government affairs. Why did he scold him? Thinking about it, he felt a little wronged. Zong Zheng Qingqi glared at Xiao Chu and blamed him.

"Why don't you listen to advice, young master?"

The old farmer was angry. The lazy man scolded the young emperor and was arrested by the Jinyiwei. The young master in front of him asked him to repeat the lazy man's words. Didn't he want him to be arrested together?

The old farmer felt that this young master was a troublesome person. He picked up the hoe and planned to go to the other side to plow the land, so that the young master would not say something he shouldn't say and implicate him.

"Don't go."

Zongzheng Qingqi searched his whole body and couldn't find anything valuable. Suddenly, he remembered that the jade ring on his hand was not taken off when he changed his clothes just now. Without thinking, he pulled off the jade ring on his finger and handed it to the old farmer: "Can you talk now?"

The old farmer's behavior reminded him of the palace maids and eunuchs who dominated the palace. Some low-ranking concubines who were not favored wanted to have a better life in the palace, so they had to constantly use money to bribe the work department and the imperial chef. The slaves of the house, only in this way can they eat hot meals and wear beautiful clothes in season.

He thought that the old farmer was like this too. Because he had not received any benefits, he was unwilling to say those words to him.

"You little boy."

The old farmer sighed, not understanding why he wanted to break the casserole and ask about such a fatal matter.

"If you don't want to talk about the question I just asked you, then I'll ask you another question. As long as you answer it, this jade ring will be yours."

Zongzheng Qingqi glanced at Yan Chu and saw that the other party had no intention of stopping his behavior. He puffed up his chest and said to the old farmer with a hint of arrogance.

"This old man, our young master is naturally very curious. If he asks, please explain it carefully."

The guard who had been standing behind them took a step forward after receiving the signal from Yan Chu's eyes, and exchanged the jade ring in Zongzheng Qingqi's hand for an ingot of broken silver, which he estimated to be worth four or five coins. For farmers who depend on the weather for their livelihood, this is already a considerable amount.

"Of course, young master, you can just ask, but it's not easy for me to answer questions that are too difficult for me."

In the eyes of the old farmer, silver coins were much more valuable than the jade ring he had never seen before. Under the temptation of money, he hesitated for a moment, thinking about his newly born grandson at home, and plucked up the courage to agree.

"Old man, judging from your tone just now, are you afraid of Jin Yiwei?"

Zongzheng Qingqi also knew that the old farmer would not answer his previous question, so he simply put that question aside and planned to investigate the matter carefully when he returned to the palace. For him now, Xiao Chu's Face is more important.

"Afraid, who is not afraid of the Jin Yiwei?" Each of them looked fierce, just like the Lord of Hell. The old farmer trembled and said without thinking.

"If one day Jin Yiwei no longer exists, will you be happier?"

The Jin Yiwei are Xiao Chu's minions. Now the courtiers are afraid of Xiao Chu. A large part of the reason is that they are afraid of the Jin Yiwei behind him. If the Jin Yiwei disappears, Xiao Chu's strength will be reduced by half.

Zongzheng Qingqi seemed to have noticed that Xiao Chu looked down on him now and had no defense against him. He even indulged him intentionally or unintentionally without any intention of suppressing his growth.

He didn't know whether this was because the other party was confident or for some other reason, but it was also a good thing for him.

It was also because he had seen through this that he was no longer so reserved in front of Xiao Chu, but he was still a little wary occasionally.

"Why did the Jin Yiwei disappear?" The old farmer was stunned after hearing Zong Zheng Qingqi's words, and asked doubtfully, with a trace of sadness on his face.

Seeing the old farmer's expression, Zongzheng Qingqi's smile paused. He thought what he saw would be the old farmer's happy and relieved expression.

He turned to look at Xiao Chu, who had been silent for a long time. The other party seemed not surprised by the old farmer's reaction.

There wasn't even a trace of emotion in the other party's eyes, as if the questions he just asked were, in his eyes, just a child's ignorant play and would not have any impact on him.

"Aren't you afraid of the Jinyiwei?" Zongzheng Qingqi squeezed the jade ring in his hand and looked at the old farmer with his power as an emperor.

Just because of his young age and lack of momentum, in the eyes of others, he is a spoiled, somewhat arrogant young master.

Because I didn't get the answer I wanted, I lost my temper.

"It's true that I am afraid of Jin Yiwei, but since the arrival of Jin Yiwei, our life has been much better than before, so why should I be happy that Jin Yiwei disappears?"

The old farmer looked at Zong Zheng Qingqi and said: "In the past, in addition to paying taxes on the income from our fields, there were also various taxes set up by officials with clever names. When the county master gave birth to a baby, he had to pay taxes, and the prefect's family paid a small fee. Concubine, we also have to pay taxes. We are still at the foot of the imperial city. Those people are so bold, not to mention other places. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. Life must be more difficult than us. But since the appearance of Jinyiwei, corrupt officials have been punished. If they are caught, taxes will be normalized, and our people can still have a surplus every year if they have enough to eat and drink. We are grateful to them before it is too late."

In the past, there was no Dongchang and no Jin Yiwei. The old emperor was ignorant and incompetent. He left his officials unchecked. Corrupt officials were rampant in the court. The people were in dire straits. Even if there were no natural disasters, life would be difficult.

No matter who is the emperor or who is in power, the common people only know that since the establishment of Dongchang, they have lived a good life. It does not matter that Xiao Chu, the governor of Dongchang, and his Jinyiwei are notorious, they will get benefits. really good.

"When the Jin Yiwei arrests people, they also arrest those who deserve to be arrested, such as that lazy man who told him to say things he shouldn't say. An old farmer like me is an honest man, living his own small life, regardless of the rights and wrongs of others, and being open-minded. , why would you want Jin Yiwei to disappear?"

The old farmer's words left Zongzheng Qingqi speechless. He looked at the old farmer who looked happy after receiving the silver ingot, and then at Xiao Chu.

A conspiracy, it must be a conspiracy. Xiao Chu brought him here just to make him listen to these words, so as to lower his vigilance against him.

As a wise and powerful emperor, he is not so easy to fool.

"If you have anything else to ask, hurry up and let's go back to the city."

Zongzheng Qingqi glared at Xiao Chu. He had to go back to the city and ask more people. He didn't believe that Xiao Chu was so capable that he could buy off everyone in the world.

The author has something to say: I failed again, but the update time is a little earlier than the previous two days. I believe that I will succeed in a few days if I make gradual progress and make a little progress every day.