The silence did not last long. When the news that Yushun Fishing Company had been taken down spread, everyone dropped their work and ran over.
The Sixth Prince saw the expressions on their faces. Some were happy to be released after years of repression, some were distorted with tears on their faces even though they wanted to laugh, some were crying loudly because their wishes had been fulfilled... all kinds of expressions, but he did not feel pity or compassion.
As more people came, the Chen Zhen brothers protected His Highness and stepped back.
But this retreat was just the beginning. It seemed as if the entire village was rushing here. There were more and more people, and the cries were getting louder and louder. Even the sky had hidden the sun, and dark clouds were gathering, with faint thunder sounds.
Even so, people are still gathering.
Wu Zheng came out of the Yushun gate which was half hanging and half leaning to one side. An Tai's men were supporting and following him one by one. There were men and women, old and young. What was the same was that all of them were pale and thin. Some of the women lowered their heads, wearing clothes that were obviously ill-fitting, and their faces were ashen.
They have no way to survive, the only difference is where they die, but it is enough to see their family again before they die.
"Ahem." Wu Zheng cleared his throat, hiding his high spirits well, and said loudly: "Anyone who has unsettled accounts in Yushun should bring receipts to settle the accounts. Those who deliver goods to Yushun on weekdays don't have to worry. I will give you a reply after discussing with Mr. Li from Shunchang. I will never cut off your livelihood. However, you should all know my rules. I will accept the goods, but the goods must be fresh. If I find that the goods are not right once, I will never accept them again. I am not Cao Dahai, and I can't tolerate these..."
"Let's go." These were just some words to win people's hearts. The Sixth Prince stopped listening. Sister Hua asked him to see the people's reactions, and seeing these was enough.
But what's the point of seeing all this? Did Sister Hua want him to benefit the people in the future? The Sixth Prince couldn't help but think, there are so many things in just one village. The world is so big, I don't know how many dirty things are hidden behind the peace of the world. Father will never know how many people are oppressed, because no one will tell him these trivial things in the eyes of those officials.
He wouldn't say anything either, it was useless. He knew that his father couldn't do everything himself. He sat in such a high position and couldn't take care of so many things that were so far away.
But he can!
He doesn't need to sit so high. If Sister Hua wants him to be a good official, he can ask his father for an official position when he is able to leave the palace and become an official there, away from that position, away from the cramped and oppressive palace. The Daqing Dynasty is so big, there is no place he can't go.
The Sixth Prince stopped and looked back, looking at the crowds of people gathering from all directions, thinking that he would remember this lesson from others, and when his wish comes true one day, he would never allow such a thing to happen in the place under his jurisdiction!
Hua Zhi didn't know yet that the seeds she had planted had begun to sprout. She made a new list, and after looking at the current goods in An Tai Fishing Shop, she found that her estimate was still a bit conservative. She added several more items on top of the original ones, and also supplemented some less common seafood. The prices were naturally different, but good things will always find someone who knows their value.
I think tomorrow's negotiations will go very smoothly, and we can return to Beijing once the contract is finalized.
Hua Zhi was a little dazed. It was probably a month in total that they hadn't seen each other. It was really hard to maintain a relationship in this age without WeChat and phone calls. Now half a month had passed, and Yan Xi should have replied.
The wind started to blow, making the doors and windows rattle. Soon the rain began to pour down, hitting the windows like falling beans. The street, which had been quiet for a long time, was then filled with loud shouts and angry yells, and just by listening to them one could feel the crowd getting excited.
Stopping Bao Xia from closing the window, Hua Zhi walked over and leaned against the window frame to look over there. When she lowered her head, she saw the guard escorting Xiao Liu quickly running into the inn.
"Prepare some dry towels."
After a while, there was a noise behind me.
"Sister Hua, I'm back."
Baoxia hurriedly handed over a dry towel. Huazhi turned around and still leaned against the window frame without leaving. The wind was slightly cool and it felt very comfortable blowing on her body.
"Is Wu Zheng in control of the situation?"
"Yes, I brought a lot of people out from Yushun Fishing Company. They all seem to have suffered a lot." The Sixth Prince wiped his head and face from time to time, a little puzzled. "Why doesn't the village chief do anything when Cao Dahai is so domineering? Even if the village chief can't control him, aren't there still the head of the village and the head of the township? They can also report to their superiors. At the very least, they can make Cao Dahai restrain himself a little, and the people of Shuiguang Village can suffer less, right?"
Hua Zhi smiled and waved at Xiao Liu, and they both looked towards the crowd in the distance where no one left even in the heavy rain.
The Daqing Dynasty was the same as the ancient times she knew. Although there were pavilions, townships, villages, and other organizations below the county level, in some places they did not mean anything.
"In Shuiguang Village, Wu and Li are the major surnames. Seven or eight out of ten people in the village may be from these two surnames. If the village chief is from these two surnames, it's fine. If he is from another surname, he is just a decoration. Although Daqing Dynasty is a centralized system, in such a remote place, the real people in charge are the clan leaders and the elders. Their words are more effective than the village chief's words, not to mention dealing with bullies and tyrants. They don't have military force and are not even paper tigers. As for what you said about reporting to the higher authorities..."
Hua Zhi smiled, "Who would dare? After all, there are very few people in this world who have no relatives or friends. Maybe his family would be in trouble the moment he reported it. We think Cao Dahai is just a stray dog who was driven out of the county town. In the eyes of the people in Shuiguang Village, he is a vicious bully who must not be provoked. So, it all comes down to perspective. They are scared of Cao Dahai."
The Sixth Prince listened to every word very carefully, digested all these words, and was silent for a moment before asking, "So the village chief is useless?"
"It's not that it's completely useless, it's just that it's not that useful. When the court issues a decree, doesn't it have to be passed down layer by layer?" Hua Zhi looked at the child who was thinking hard, patted his shoulder gently, and said, "You can think about whether there is a way to solve this problem, Xiaoliu. The people's demands are never high. As long as they can live a stable life, they are satisfied."
"yes."
Hearing that he deserved it so straightforwardly, Hua Zhi laughed again. A newborn ox is not afraid of a tiger. If the problem was so easy to solve, why would this system have been used in every dynasty? Unless everything is electronic like in later times, one can travel across the country with just one ID card.
Then a new problem arises. First we need electricity, then we need computers...
For a moment, Hua Zhi couldn't stop laughing.
ps: I looked up information and found that in ancient times, only border garrisons were called towns. There was no such administrative unit as town in other places. But I have read many novels that have towns! Novels misled me!