Chapter 260: All living beings fear the fruit, the Bodhisattva fears the cause

The Si River encircles the city in its embrace, coming and going, the days ripple on.

The prosperity of Feng and Pei remains to this day; the affairs of the Han have passed a thousand springs.

The ninth day of the tenth month, Peixian, Xuzhou Prefecture, early morning.

As the place where the founding Emperor of the Han rose to power, Peixian has always held the grand reputation of being "the land where the dragon flew a thousand years ago, the hometown of a generation of emperors." Combined with its geographical advantages—being a mandatory stop on the Grand Canal, leaning against Weishan Lake, and sitting at the border of two provinces—it is, without a doubt, the gatekeeping county of Nanzhili.

The county city has a circumference of five *li*, the city walls are two *zhang* high and one *zhang* eight *chi* wide, and the moat is two *zhang* deep and three *zhang* wide.

The Si River flows leisurely, encircling the North and East gates, passing before the South gate, and converging with the Si River to the southeast of the city. Before all three city gates are water and land wharves, and the Feiyun Bridge is erected at the confluence of the two waters, where boats come and carriages go, and merchants gather, making it extremely prosperous.

Today's weather is not particularly good; the wind is biting, mixed with raindrops that dampen the clothes and hats of pedestrians.

Yet even so, the outer city is still crowded with commoners from far and wide who have come to the market, flowing in and out, packed to capacity.

"Delicious hot unleavened pot cakes, they won't upset your stomach!"

"Daddy, I want to eat, I want to eat."

"Proclamation from the County Magistrate! His Majesty the Emperor is on a southern inspection tour passing through Xuzhou; soldiers and civilians, please conduct your market business peacefully and do not stir up trouble!"

"Deep-fried hot stir-fried cicadas! Golden-yellow cicadas!"

Zhu Yijun, letting the drizzle fall upon him, stood quietly on the city wall, gazing from afar at the market scene, feeling quite moved in his heart.

He did not know how many years it had been since he had seen such a scene.

In his impression, there were conventional rules for market days in the surrounding villages: one village would hold its market on days ending in 1, 4, and 7; another on days ending in 3, 6, and 9; or perhaps holding a grand county market on days ending in 5—it seems this custom existed as early as the Ming Dynasty.

Whenever the day arrived, it would inevitably be a sea of people, with gongs and drums clamoring.

The clamor today seems to have happened to coincide with Peixian's grand market day.

Just as Zhu Yijun was watching intently, a voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.

"Dharma Master Jinlun, Commander Luo has already completed the defense deployment for Peixian; please, Master, enter the city."

Hearing the movement, Zhu Yijun turned his head to see Hanlin Academy Compiler Sun Jigao standing behind him, looking quite disgruntled.

He naturally knew why the top scholar Sun was in such a state, but he feigned ignorance.

The Emperor raised his hand to beckon Jiang Keqian, Li Rusong, and the others not far away, and took the lead in walking down the city wall.

Sun Jigao hurriedly bypassed the group of Embroidered Uniform Guards and followed behind the Emperor.

Sun the top scholar had not walked many steps before he could no longer restrain himself; he leaned close to the Emperor and said plaintively, "Dharma Master Jinlun, can we really not change the form of address?"

Wouldn't Young Master Zhu or Young Gentleman Zhu be quite good? Why change it to this?

Even calling him Young General or Little Lord would be better!

Zhu Yijun held the edge of the city wall and descended the steps; hearing this, he did not look back, but chuckled silently with his back to Sun Jigao.

Today, he was dressed in monk's robes, wearing brocade boots, a jade belt around his waist, and a bamboo hat to shield him from the rain—altogether a mismatched appearance.

Yet it was precisely because of this attire that Zhu Yijun experienced the joy of Emperor Wuzong.

He righteously rejected Sun Jigao's remonstrance and said with an air of seniority, "I am doing this to cherish the memory of my ancestors."

"Back then, the Martial Temple called himself the Great Protector of the Nation, Guardian of the Bao'an Temple, upholder of the Secret Teachings, Master of the Western Altar, Great Celebration Dharma King, and Leader of the Zhan Bandan."

"As the saying goes, the inheritance is orderly; what problem is there with me calling myself the Golden Wheel Dharma King now?"

If one were to really argue, he, Zhu Yijun, was the contemporary sage who held the highest inheritance of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.

Sun Jigao, a dignified top scholar, faced with such rhetoric from the Emperor, was left stammering for a long time, unable to speak.

Zhu Yijun did not give Sun Jigao a chance to press the issue further and took the opportunity to bring up official business: "How are the official taxes in the counties of Xuzhou? What is the actual collection?"

After the Emperor appeared at the temporary imperial residence, he specifically brought along the previous vanguard official Sun Jigao, clearly for a purpose.

Speaking of official business, Sun Jigao no longer had the energy to dwell on the Emperor's title.

He quickly entered his role: "Reporting to the Golden Wheel Dharma King, the tax supplies in the various counties of Xuzhou, whether in amount or type, are relatively fixed."

"From the time of the Founding Emperor to Emperor Xiaozong, the annual tax rice collected was 26,177 *shi*, 4 *dou*, 6 *sheng*, 3 *he*, 2 *shao*; within this, there were 5,571 *qing* and 73 *mu* of wasteland, and 31,944 *qing* and 94 *mu* of actual grain-producing land, which should have been collected as 40,631 *liang*, 6 *qian*, 4 *fen* in silver."

"Following up to the second year of Jingtai, exemptions were granted, and there were subsequent increases and decreases; the actual land was 30,498 *qing*, 30 *mu*, 9 *fen*, totaling 39,406 *liang*, 1 *fen*, 6 *li* in silver."

The shrinkage of Xuzhou's land tax was, to a large extent, not due to corrupt policies, but simply one of the impacts of the Yellow River flooding.

In short, for the entire prefecture of Xuzhou, the land tax had always been around 40,000 *liang*, not a very large figure.

"By the beginning of Hongzhi, an additional tax of 151 *liang*, 6 *qian*, 9 *fen* was added, making up for some of the shortfall."

"During Jiajing, because the population of Xuzhou grew over the years, and it was uneven, the Ministry of Revenue had added levies, but within two years, Xuzhou suffered from Yellow River flooding, and the added portion was exempted by Emperor Shizong."

Zhu Yijun heard that Emperor Shizong had voluntarily exempted taxes and couldn't help but look at Sun Jigao with curiosity.

He pressed his palms together and chanted, "Amitabha. When the heart arises, all kinds of phenomena arise; when the heart is extinguished, all kinds of phenomena are extinguished."

Sun Jigao's face darkened.

It was one thing for the Emperor to pretend to be a monk, but he was actually reciting Buddhist verses to mock his ancestor—who couldn't hear that the Emperor was implying that Emperor Shizong's tax exemption was "heart arising," and his subsequent frantic grabbing of wealth was "heart extinguished"?

Zhu Yijun's hands were empty, and he secretly decided to buy a string of prayer beads later on the street; his mouth remained in the light and breezy manner of a high monk as he continued to ask: "What about the canal tax?"

The several prefectures through which the Grand Canal passed all had to pay canal taxes.

Not only that, but canal transport taxes also had to bear a portion of the fire loss.

For example, in the three provinces of Zhejiang, Huguang, and Jiangxi, as well as the prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang in Zhili, a total of 2.5 million *shi* of canal grain was transported to the capital annually, with at least 20% to 30% lost along the way; this missing portion had to be apportioned to the "grain-household" of the prefectures along the canal—adding boat-loss rice and exchanging grain for boats.

These tax amounts were also a major head.

Sun Jigao, as the vanguard official, had consulted the prefecture gazetteers and visited the local people; this was his duty, and before the Emperor's micro-visit, he had done his homework.

At this moment, he almost blurted out: "Replying to Your Majes... Dharma Master, since the sixth year of Yongle, the imperial court issued an edict of grace, setting the annual canal grain tax at 12,337 *liang*, 1 *qian*, 3 *fen*, promising 'never to increase taxes'."

Hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but interrupt: "Never to increase taxes? A monk does not tell lies."

Sun Jigao curled his lip; he wasn't a monk.

However, the imperial court really hadn't failed the Emperor's distrust.

He thought for a moment and explained to the Emperor: "On the surface, there have indeed been no further canal tax levies, but local prefectural *yamens* are often unrestrained in their income and expenditure, and have added many other names."

"Since Emperor Xiaozong, river channels, sluice gates, and riverbanks have all privately taxed, harming the people for profit; although edicts have been issued repeatedly to investigate and reform, it cannot be eradicated."

The sources of local finance have many names.

According to the original design, proper items like summer taxes, autumn grain, corvée labor, and canal taxes should have been able to cover Xuzhou's income and expenditure.

But local *yamens* are just like that; they like to collect taxes decades in advance.

It has even reached the point where the central government "repeatedly issues edicts to investigate and reform, but it cannot be eradicated."

Zhu Yijun sighed, "Sin, sin. Xuzhou is a place of outstanding people, and in the matter of inventing names for taxes, they must have great wisdom."

Sun Jigao nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "The names are indeed novel."

"For example, when commoners trade land or houses, the *yamen* provides the contract paper and writing fees, collecting about 35 *liang* in commercial tax."

"Every few years thereafter, they say the tax bureau has reformed, or the address has changed, and the prefectural *yamen* uses this to order the re-stamping of official seals as proof, repeatedly collecting related taxes."

"Again, for example, in the early years of Zhengtong, the Ministry of Revenue received an edict to abolish Xuzhou's tax bureaus with annual collections of less than 3,000 *guan*; Xuzhou stopped paying to the top, but continued to collect from the bottom."

"Again, during the Zhengde years, Xuzhou, in the name of receiving an imperial decree to select and train militia, self-imposed an additional commercial tax of 101 *liang*, 9 *qian*, 4 *fen*, 5 *li*, incorporating it into the regular tax to assist with annual expenses; but the amount collected by the county magistrate was actually far more than this, said to be thousands of *liang*, and that year it even caused a civil riot."

"There are also some unclear and muddled accounts, such as solicitation, apportioned donations, transit taxes, docking taxes, commercial goods taxes along the canal, business taxes for shops..."

Sun Jigao did not catch his breath and reported a huge list of dishes.

Zhu Yijun listened quietly.

After Sun Jigao finished speaking, he shook his head: "Let's not talk about these things that everyone knows from the 'Collected Statutes' and 'Prefecture Gazetteers'; tell me what you, the vanguard official, have seen and heard."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew, almost lifting Zhu Yijun's bamboo hat; Zhu Yijun hurriedly tightened the loosened tie.

The Emperor's manner of getting to the bottom of things really made Sun Jigao break out in a cold sweat; it was fortunate that he, the vanguard official, had truly done the work.

He followed the Emperor down the city tower, and after standing still, he slowly opened his mouth: "According to what the commoners along the way said, incidents of patrol guards, archers, and interceptors blocking the canal to extort money are common, ranging from three or five *wen* to six or seven *liang*, plucking the goose as it flies."

"There are also those of the 'head-lifting' type who intercept merchants at the borders, sometimes dozens of *li* away, demanding from travelers; if they get a thick bribe, they privately let them pass; if they don't get a bribe, they are captured and taken to the official, where they are subjected to heavy torture."

"However, perhaps because Your Majesty is passing through, I did not see such scenes myself."

It would be strange if he could see them.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand indifferently: "The world is not a pure land."

"As early as the 41st year of Jiajing, someone impeached Xuzhou for secretly stealing the power to collect taxes on large goods and customs duties; to avoid central inspection, they even appointed agents with signed permits to collect at bridgeheads and roadsides."

"They have 'extra-budgetary personnel'; Sun the top scholar, looking at it, would at most see a few thugs bullying the market."

Sun Jigao bowed to accept the instruction.

When Pei City was first built, it had four city gates: the East gate named Yongqing, the South gate named Huiyuan, the West gate named Hengxiu, and the North gate named Gongji, each with a city gate tower.

In the 25th year of Jiajing, the city walls were expanded and repaired with stone and brick, and the city gate names were also changed: the East gate to Changchun Gate, the West gate to Shuiqing Gate, the South gate to Laixun Gate, and the North gate to Gongchen Gate.

The group stood under Laixun Gate, with Luo Sigong clearing the way in front and Jiang Keqian leading two soldiers behind.

The fierce appearance of the group actually cleared an empty space in front of the bustling city gate.

The Emperor looked around, and Sun Jigao did not stop talking.

"In addition, as far as I can see, the daily expenses of the various *yamens* in Xuzhou are always apportioned to merchants and the canal within the territory."

"It is called 'harmonious purchase,' but it is actually forced purchase at low prices, or collecting high shop rents; if a shop is unwilling to accommodate, they are labeled with the crime of smuggling, with light cases leading to the confiscation of property and heavy cases to exile."

Zhu Yijun paced with his hands behind his back at the foot of the city wall, looking at the proclamations posted on the wall while summarizing: "So in the end, it is still mostly the interception of commercial taxes."

The business environment in local prefectures and counties is really poor!

Sun Jigao nodded: "From the beginning of Chenghua to the present, Xuzhou's commercial tax payment has always been a fixed amount of 13,118 *liang*, 5 *qian*, 3 *fen*, 5 *li*, and has never been increased."

"But according to the Xuzhou accounts that we roughly flipped through, the various commercial taxes invented by the local government are probably over 180,000 *liang*!"

"It is said that after the former prefect Zhang Zhan took office, he once exempted the extra commercial taxes and transit taxes, but less than half a year later, he was forced to restore the previous amount."

Zhu Yijun heard this and laughed in anger.

Land, canal, commerce, tea, salt, tribute—the central government's various quotas added up to less than 100,000 *liang*, but Xuzhou local government was better; a single commercial tax was nearly double all the regular taxes, not to mention other annual levies, fixed levies, and miscellaneous levies—making it seem as if the central government hadn't given the local government any regular tax retention.

Accumulated evils are rampant!

"The former prefect? After this incident, Zhang Zhan should have left office, right?"

Figures known in history are not common, and Zhu Yijun was also in the dark about personnel at the prefectural level; even the Ministry of Personnel only had a few more pages of files.

Many personnel appointments and removals were still based on the opinions of the local team.

Zhang Zhan, this person, had extremely polarized evaluations in official circles.

Either they said this fellow was an incompetent pure official who only knew how to seek fame and nurture reputation, stirring up trouble for his colleagues wherever he went and causing the people to complain.

Either they say the person is upright and honest with outstanding talent, and because they are single-mindedly trying to clarify the state of affairs, they are resented by their colleagues.

Just like this matter of exempting extra commercial taxes and transit taxes, it could be said that he disregarded local realities to curry favor with wealthy merchants, or it could be said that he mourned the hardships of the people's livelihood and swept away accumulated evils.

It was very difficult for the central government, far away in the capital, to distinguish clearly.

However, the southern inspection tour itself was a supplement to this information gap, and visiting the virtuous and talented was also one of the main purposes along the way.

Sun Jigao nodded: "At that time, the then-touring censor Li Shidi impeached Zhang Zhan for improper conduct, perverse administration, and shaking the hearts of the people."

"Zhang Zhan could not defend himself, so the Ministry of Personnel forced him to stay idle."

"However, later, he was recommended by the River Channel Superintendent Pan Jixun, who obtained for Zhang Zhan the position of River Management Physician."

Sun Jigao paused and pointed to the Si River flowing along the city: "Today is the rest day for the Si River River Management *Yamen*, and Zhang Zhan should be at his home in Peixian."

In the 6th year of Jiajing, the Yellow River burst in Xuzhou, rushed into Peixian's Jiming Terrace, and flowed east through the canal into Zhaoyang Lake, causing silt deposition and severely obstructing the canal path.

The River Channel Superintendent then memorialized Emperor Shizong to temporarily set up an *yamen* in Peixian to assist in river management.

In the 37th year of Jiajing, the Yellow River burst northeast of Cao Xian, headed to the Duanjiakou section of Shan County, and split into six branches into the canal at Peixian, converging at Xuhong; the old path from Xinjie in Cao Xian to Xiaofuqiao in Xuzhou, over 250 *li*, was completely silted up.

In the 44th year of Jiajing, the Yellow River burst at Zhaojiaquan in Xiao County, and the flood overflowed to the north; the canal for over 200 *li* above and below Peixian was all silted up, and the area for 200 *li* above Xuzhou all became a flood-stricken area.

At this time, the Yellow River's southern river channel was extremely chaotic, and this temporary river management *yamen* in Peixian also became a permanent *yamen*.

Zhu Yijun clicked his tongue: "If a superior wants to learn, they can always accommodate a Sun Wukong."

As long as the superior wants to do things, they won't bury a capable official—with Pan Jixun vouching for him, Zhu Yijun was somewhat inclined toward Zhang Zhan.

River management is quite good.

The local financial problems in Xuzhou have been "repeatedly investigated and reformed by edict, but cannot be eradicated" for several dynasties; it is not something a prefect can solve.

Even if the Emperor himself comes, it is difficult to have any good methods.

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun had a rough understanding of Xuzhou.

"Plant such causes, reap such fruits." He chanted Amitabha again, "Let's enter the city and see first."

This manner clearly showed that he had made a temporary decision to include visiting Zhang Zhan in the itinerary.

The Emperor ended the topic, turned around, and walked toward the city, and the others hurriedly followed.

Entering the city along Laixun Gate, there happened to be a commercial street that connected the North and South gates together with the Si River, named Shunhe Street, with shops standing in great numbers and customers filling the doors; the local people commonly called it the Little Street.

Because of the grand market today, there were mostly small vendors on both sides of Shunhe Street, well, that is, mobile vendors.

One could frequently see half-grown children squatting on the side, helping their elders shout and sell.

However, local customs are not just about watching the excitement.

The refined scholar, Sun Jigao, who had the best image, took the lead, pulling the commoners along the way and chatting.

"Old uncle, let me ask you something."

"Ask who!?"

"Ask something!"

"Palace examination? I haven't read books!"

Sun the top scholar was dutiful, but the group was burly and fierce, and they were really not welcomed.

"Auntie, let me ask you something."

"I understand, I understand, living and working in peace and contentment, we are all living and working in peace and contentment..."

Sun Jigao was furious, but he also knew the reason why the commoners were afraid, so he had to look at the Emperor helplessly.

Zhu Yijun naturally understood this look and followed the trend: "Sun the top scholar, please feel free."

Sun Jigao received the nod, shook off the crowd, and dived into the crowd alone.

Zhu Yijun, without the civil officials by his side, felt even more at ease.

He smelled the fragrance of cakes and came to the center of the street.

Zhu Yijun looked at the peddler on the side of the street, picked a stall that was shouting to sell fresh meat, and leaned over.

"Several benefactors, how is this meat sold?"

Zhu Yijun is now living the life of a hundred-changing Martin, and he can't forget his persona at any time; the word "benefactor" is even more familiar.

The stall owner is a tall middle-aged man—the butcher trade, in the village, is somewhat of a brave figure with a face and status.

He is also followed by his family, with his wife in charge of accounting, and a son and daughter helping to carry meat, shout, and help out.

Seeing a guest approach, the stall owner's first reaction was quite vigilant.

Although the guest was dressed as a monk, with a kind face, he was followed by seven or eight burly men, really not looking like a character to be trifled with—who knows if it's Lu Tixia reborn?

The stall owner looked up and down continuously, stammering for a long time without daring to open his mouth.

Zhu Yijun saw this and smiled kindly: "Several benefactors, don't be afraid. This poor monk is the Great Protector of the Nation, Guardian of the Bao'an Temple, upholder of the Secret Teachings, Master of the Western Altar, Golden Wheel Dharma King, and I am going to the Western Heaven to seek the true scriptures."

"These few are guards sent by the official family, not bad people."

Li Rusong, the close guard who had just been transferred to the Emperor's side, did not yet know the Emperor's temperament, and hearing this, he almost couldn't hold his breath and sprayed it out.

The stall owner's son, who had not experienced the world, immediately poked his head out from behind his father: "Oh! I've read Journey to the West; are you like Tang Seng, with fierce-looking monsters around you, but actually good people!"

Before he finished speaking, his little head was pressed back behind.

The middle-aged male stall owner held down his son and apologized to Zhu Yijun: "Does the Holy Monk also buy meat?"

Apparently, he didn't believe a word of it.

Zhu Yijun ignored the stall owner and looked at the little boy who had just spoken with surprise.

It wasn't surprising that he had read Journey to the West, but that this little boy actually spoke the official language—it was neither the "Hongwu Zhengyun" biased toward the south, nor the "Zhongyuan Yayun" biased toward the north, but the "Common Official Language" promoted by Xiong Dunpu in recent years.

"Wine and meat pass through the intestines, the Buddha remains in the heart, it doesn't matter." Zhu Yijun casually brushed off the stall owner and asked curiously, "Did the little benefactor speak the 'Common Official Language'?"

The stall owner's wife seemed to be a Buddhist, and hearing a profound Buddhist verse, her eyes immediately lit up, and she believed it without doubt.

Seeing the Holy Monk ask, she immediately snatched the words: "Alas, it wasn't until a few years ago that a high official from the county came, shouting something about 'four seas with the same sound, ten thousand hearts as one,' and taught it in the official schools and private schools."

She didn't say how he taught it, apparently not knowing much either.

Zhu Yijun knew in his heart that the high official was probably Xiong Dunpu.

It seems that this fellow asking for money and power all day long was not an excuse, but he was really doing things.

Speaking of which, in recent years, for the sake of the popularization of education in the Great Ming Dynasty, multi-pronged approaches, from newspapers to dictionaries to official language, have somewhat seen results.

The stall owner saw that he couldn't get rid of the trouble in front of him, and there was a posture of chatting, so he hurriedly interrupted: "What meat does the Holy Monk want?"

Apparently, he wanted to finish the order quickly and drive the people away.

Zhu Yijun pressed his palms together, showing compassion: "Sitting is Zen, walking is Zen. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; how can I not taste the local specialties? Benefactor, do you have fresh meat dogs here? Can you spare a few for this poor monk?"

When the Emperor goes out, eating is a very troublesome thing.

The purchase of such meat can only be done by buying live animals, raising them for two days, and if they are still full of life, they are qualified to be put in the pot.

But after the stall owner heard this, his face changed, and he hurriedly corrected: "Holy Monk, you must call it fragrant meat, fragrant meat! There happen to be two left in the pen, and I can sell them to the Holy Monk cheaply."

Zhu Yijun was stunned: "Benefactor, this is..."

The stall owner saw that the group's appearance and accent were indeed from out of town, hesitated for a moment, and lowered his voice to explain the reason: "Our county magistrate is superstitious about lewd sacrifices and evil cults, and insists that dog meat is taboo."

"We can't openly disobey on the surface, so we changed the name to sell it."

Zhu Yijun heard this and immediately gasped!

It has reached this point!?

Even the eunuch on the side felt it was unreasonable, and Wei Chao looked at the stall owner with astonishment: "Dogs are one of the six domestic animals of Confucianism; your county magistrate has somewhat collapsed in ritual and music!"

The livestock of chickens, pigs, dogs, and pigs are recognized poultry and meat by Confucius and Mencius; this is deceiving the master and destroying the ancestors.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but ask: "May I ask the name of the county magistrate?"

This was something everyone knew, and there was nothing to hide; the stall owner lowered his voice and bowed toward the direction of the county *yamen*: "Our county magistrate's surname is Xiao, and his name is Jiucheng."

Zhu Yijun said "Oh."

Xiao Jiucheng, well, that's no wonder.

This fellow was promoted to the position of Huzhou judge in history, and he was taboo about dressing, especially feeling that white clothes were unlucky, so he ordered a ban on wearing white clothes.

This matter was also satirized by his subordinate Xie Zhaozhe in a poem: "Why do white robes offend the majesty? Scaring the judge's face like frost," which was also a big joke at the time.

For such an official who lost his Confucian faith, Zhu Yijun only felt angry and funny: "Well, then two fragrant meats, sorry to trouble you, benefactor."

The stall owner nodded repeatedly: "Holy Monk, please follow me."

Zhu Yijun nodded to Wei Chao, signaling him to follow.

After the stall owner left, he left the female stall owner to watch the stall.

Zhu Yijun took the opportunity of paying the bill to ask a few more questions, such as who was the most brutal and evil locally, whether there was a backer, whether business was easy to do, and whether the land measurement had any impact on the meat stall.

It is the people who believe in Buddhism who are the easiest to deceive, and the female stall owner can be said to know everything—if it were the male stall owner, he would probably have picked up a knife and driven people away immediately.

"Where is the most difficult? Besides the Yellow River flooding, what else could it be?"

Bullies and corrupt officials, the commoners just endure it, but when talking about the Yellow River that makes people leave their homes, it is truly a tearful story.

"... In the third year of Longqing, Peixian burst, we sealed the well, abandoned the ancestral house, and hid outside for more than half a year, until the embankment was repaired before we dared to come back to tidy up."

"As a result, the next year, it rained heavily for a whole autumn, the Yellow, Huai, and Si rivers all rose sharply; in April of the fifth year of Longqing, the Yellow River burst eleven embankments in one go!"

"In our area, I don't know what kind of tofu-dregs embankment it was; it burst in the first year of Wanli, and burst again in the third year of Wanli; we haven't had a few days of peace!"

"It wasn't until after the fifth year of Wanli that it got a little better."

Zhu Yijun became more silent as he listened.

Since ancient times, the Yellow River has been the top priority for governing the country and prospering the nation.

Countless times of floods and bursts, river channel migrations, have been accompanied by the killing of commoners, the invasion of land, the flooding of cities, and the changing of geography; the people on both sides have suffered so much, it is truly a huge disaster and a deep sin.

The pain of the era, falling on an individual, is truly painful.

The family of four at the meat stall in front of him obviously had some wealth, and they were able to return to their hometown after several displacements, but outside of this, I don't know how many floating corpses and starving people were buried on both sides of the Yellow River, without a trace.

Zhu Yijun, this fake monk, showed true compassion on his face and comforted: "The imperial court governs the river, often taking years and months, and the results are a bit slow."

He wanted to say that good days are ahead, but he was afraid that it would seem ironic, so he could only express it euphemistically.

The female stall owner sneered after hearing this: "If you do less tofu-dregs embankments, maybe the results will be faster."

This was the second time she said this, and Zhu Yijun was a little concerned.

He thought for a moment and asked with a rebuttal: "The Yellow River is surging, isn't it common to have bursts? Female benefactor, don't commit the sin of anger."

The female stall owner was questioned by the high monk and was indeed anxious.

She hurriedly explained: "Master, I'm not talking nonsense."

"In the fifth year of Wanli, Zhang Zhan, the Physician, came here to manage the water, squeezed out several corrupt officials, and rebuilt the river embankments in Li Jiagou and Longzi Beach."

"Before, the embankments burst every year, but in the three years after that, the Yellow River rose again, and every time it survived!"

Zhu Yijun heard the name Zhang Zhan again, but he was not surprised.

In the fifth year of Wanli, there was a big flood; the Yellow River burst in Dangshan, the Huai River burst in Gaojiayan, and the Si River burst in Peixian; almost half of the country suffered from floods, and it was at that time that Pan Jixun wanted both people and money to carry out several major projects.

It seems that Zhang Zhan had won a lot of popular support at that time.

As for whether it was tofu-dregs or not, I'm afraid I'll have to ask Physician Zhang in person later.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun asked for directions: "Looking at it this way, Physician Zhang is a good official who benefits ten thousand families; how can this poor monk not pay a visit."

"Does the female benefactor know where to find the residence of this River Management Lang Zhang Zhan?"

It was originally a normal question for directions.

Unexpectedly, the female stall owner sighed inexplicably after hearing this.

Just as Zhu Yijun was puzzled, the female stall owner said: "Holy Monk, you can't pay a visit; if you go to the door now, you can still chant scriptures for Physician Zhang to transcend him."

"Just walk along the Little Street to the end, go north, not far away is the East Gate, and there is a white affair hanging at the mansion of the good person Zhang; you can see it at a glance."

After speaking, she handed out the change she had found.

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

Zhang Zhan is dead?

Dead again?

Zhu Yijun could hardly hide his astonishment and turned to look at Jiang Keqian.

The latter shook his head slightly, indicating that when the Embroidered Uniform Guards stepped on the spot in advance, they didn't report anything strange, so it must have died reasonably and legally.

Zhu Yijun was full of doubts and looked at the female stall owner: "May I ask the female benefactor, when did Physician Zhang go? What was the reason?"

No wonder he was suspicious; after all, the current micro-visit was forced by the Tianjin incident.

The female stall owner didn't doubt it and answered every question: "Alas, it is said that a few days ago he rushed to Huai'an to see his superior, but as soon as he left the county, the carriage went out of control, hit the donkey cart in front, the scene was too chaotic, it is said that he was trampled to death, and today is just the seventh day."

Zhu Yijun was slightly relieved.

Fortunately, he didn't die before or after him.

Just as he wanted to continue asking, the female stall owner stretched her neck and was sneaky, looking around.

After the passersby walked far away, she leaned close to Zhu Yijun and winked: "This matter is very strange; everyone in our village says it was harmed by someone; the good person Zhang was still investigating the corruption of the river channel a few days ago, and as a result, he died unclearly."

"There were six or seven subordinates accompanying the whole carriage, but only Physician Zhang died."

"And the carriage driver, I don't know where he got the 6,000 *liang* pawn ticket, paid it off overnight, and ran away directly; in my opinion..."

The female stall owner was talking about the rumors in the county, and when she saw her man walking back, she hurriedly cut off the topic and got busy with the meat stall business.

Everyone behind the Emperor was thoughtful.

Jiang Keqian hesitated for a moment and asked the Emperor: "Shall I look around?"

Zhu Yijun nodded distractedly.

When Wei Chao and Sun Jigao returned to the team one after another, they only saw the Emperor standing in place, bowing his head and frowning, seemingly thinking about something.

"Your Majes... Dharma King..."

Sun Jigao was a civil official and could at least speak, so he stepped forward and called out softly.

Zhu Yijun came back to his senses.

Seeing that it was Sun Jigao, he couldn't help but press his palms together and recite a Buddhist verse sincerely: "All living beings fear the fruit, this poor monk fears the cause."

In Sun Jigao's blank gaze, Zhu Yijun patted Sun the top scholar's shoulder and muttered: "Local prefectures and counties, the business environment is not good; in the final analysis, the officialdom ecology is too poor." ===== CHAPTER 261 =====