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Chapter Seventeen

Even though he was already a Tian Khan, even if he was about to become God's son, only humans knew how to be afraid of these positions he had invented. In the eyes of fleas, Li Mingxun's flesh and blood were not necessarily sweeter than a groom's. When he saw the steaming water vapor in the bathhouse, Li Mingxun felt itchy all over.

The room in the bathhouse was very large, with dozens of large wooden barrels inside. Now it was empty. Apart from the two attendants checking everywhere, there was only a thin and hunched man left. He was naked, with a piece of cloth around his waist, and a towel on his arm, and carefully looked at Li Mingxun.

Lee Mingxun took off his clothes, climbed into the steaming big wooden barrel, stretched his body, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

The bath scrubber shook his head, glanced at the military uniform on the clothes rack, and said, "Mr. Jun must be the general in the New Dynasty army."

Li Mingxun smiled and said, "Then you rub it well for Mr. Jiang, press and press my neck. It will be a good job and you will be rewarded."

"It's an adult."

The bath scrubber responded and came to the bucket. He first picked up the loofah pulp to clean up the dirt on Li Mingxun's body and scrubbed it. A teenager in his teens came in and filled another big bucket. The bath scrubber asked Li Mingxun to enter another bucket and scrubbed it again. This cycle took several times before cleaning it up. Then he lay on the bench and massaged Li Mingxun's tight and sore muscles. Li Mingxun felt very comfortable.

"Master, do you want to shave your hair and repair your hair?" asked the master.

Li Mingxun nodded and sat in front of the windy door. The attendant had already brought the iced watermelon. He was holding a knife behind the bathing master. He watched him shaving Li Mingxun's sideburns. The master knew what the attendant meant and did not dare to be careless. Finally, he brought a bronze mirror to make Li Mingxun satisfied. He took out another set of knives and squatted in front of Li Mingxun and repaired his toenails.

Li Mingxun held a bronze mirror and stroked his smooth chin. He suddenly asked, "Master has been in Shaanxi for a long time, how could I have made a new dynasty hairstyle and makeup?"

The master said, "Two days ago, the new dynasty military master arrived and visited the small bathhouse. He asked the small to clean up according to their requirements. After learning a few times, he understood the rules."

When Li Mingxun thought about it, the Army also valued military appearance. I think the officers who entered the city in advance had already enjoyed such services. When he thought that the master had a lot of contact with the Army, he asked, "What do you think about my soldiers?"

The master smiled and said, "The soldiers in the new dynasty look different from those in the past. If you don't say anything else, your body will be strong. Although you speak and do things fiercely and dare not get close to them, you have never had a small silver staple in bathing and pedicures, and you are all arrogant. The small ones have never seen such a strong army."

Li Mingxun leaned comfortably on the door panel and asked with a smile: "There are some clarifications in the city these days. Do you have heard of the published list of house searches? What do you think?"

"You want to tell the young one, and the young one is honest. Although the local gentry and master have been liquidated, it is not perfect. Some of the evil people have not confiscated their homes, but have become upstarts. Some of the good-known broadcasters have been confiscated their homes. It is really unfair." The master whispered.

"Oh, let me tell you, who is the most unfair?" Li Mingxun was intrigued. He did not doubt this. The basis for liquidating and raiding the house was very simple. Whether he had served as an official and imperial examination for the Qing Dynasty did not care about his reputation.

The master slowly cultivated and said, "Mr. Xu's family is quite unfair. It's just that his son has been a county magistrate in Jiangxi for more than a year and died in office. Even if his family was confiscated, Mr. Xu is a good person on weekdays. He also gave porridge in the year of famine. He has been through many poverty. There are many people in the city and outside the city who are unfair. Although Mr. Xu's family does collect taxes for the Manchus, during the Chongzhen year, the Xu family also produced several military officers and fought against bandits, two of whom were still under the command of Lu Dushi and died at the hands of the Tartars."

The attendant serving the side smiled coldly: "The ancestors died at the hands of the Tartars, but the descendants served the enemy. Such a family is not a bad thing to be scouted."

After hearing this, the bath scrubber did not dare to argue, but finally shut up. Li Mingxun smiled and said, "Is merit or demerit? The master said that Mr. Xu was searched, but he was not exterminated after all. You just said that the people inside and outside the city were unfair to him. Let me ask you, did Mr. Xu usually open a porridge shed and donate silver, have he reduced the tenant rent of farmers, allowed him to survive the famine, or delayed his debts, so that he would not sell his children or daughters?"

"This...is not, but I heard that in the famine, Mr. Xu also bought some maids and servants so that they would not starve to death." The bath scrubber said honestly.

Li Mingxun smiled and thought that buying a population in the famine year was a good thing, but it was not because people were worthless. Mr. Xu was a kind person, but only because of this, everything still needs to be carried out under the rules of the gentry system. The local tenancy ratio was agreed or agreed upon by the gentry. As for delaying or exempting debt, it would affect the interests of gentry loans. Therefore, Mr. Xu was a kind person, but he could not change the essence of his exploiter.

"I always feel that if someone like Mr. Xu has settled it, I am afraid that many people will have resentment towards the new dynasty. Over the years, whenever the people resent the court, there will be a big chaos." The bath scrubber sighed and said. He was not worried about the current situation, but was afraid that there would be a big chaos and his life would be gone.

Li Mingxun smiled and said, "No, let alone Mr. Xu's kindness is just a sign of it. Even if he is a person with a kindness in his ninth generation, in a few days, no one will really make a rebellion for him in a new dynasty?"

"Why is this?"

Li Mingxun said: "Because in less than ten days, the Xin Dynasty would sublet Mr. Xu's fertile land outside the city to tenants and exempt him from ditches. Including the tax and rent, the burden was only half that of Mr. Xu. At that time, those who had received Mr. Xu's kindness back then would only give him incense sticks at most. Could anyone be willing to bear the old high tax rate and rented grain for the sake of some benefits back then? There is only so much money and grain, either give it to Mr. Xu or hold it in his own hands. What do you think the people would choose?"

"Dad, my dear mother, there is no silver spindle..." The bath scrubber wiped the sweat from his face and muttered.

"That's it. People are determined. Now there is a good life to live. Who is willing to stand up for others at this time?" Li Mingxun stood up with a smile, left the bathhouse, and went all the way to the county government.

In the county government, the county magistrate wearing shackles sat in the hall and looked at the military police who were supervising the side. After obtaining permission, he shouted "Go to the hall". After a short while, a man in his 50s in his green robe was brought in. It was a famous local gentry, Ma Youcai. The military police asked, "Ma Youcai, you confessed to your daughter-in-law that your family has more than 3,000 acres of fertile land. How can you settle it? It's less than 1,000 acres."

Ma Youcai did not answer, but asked: "The sinner wants to know, what is Li Zizhi's situation at this moment?"

The second lieutenant of the military police was a little puzzled. He had just arrived in Mizhi and was not familiar with local people. So he looked at the county magistrate. The county magistrate nodded and bowed, and said, "Sir, then Li Zizhi was the one who took you to confiscate the horse in the past two days. The horse-faced man from the Xu family, have you praised him for being a progressive gentry?"

The second lieutenant of the military police nodded slightly and remembered that the so-called progressive gentry were local scholars who came to serve as soon as the army came to the door. Most of them had no fame and no one had ever been in the Qing Dynasty. Although they were farming and studying, their academic names were not prominent. Most of them were common people, landlords, rich peasants, or former Ming gentry whose family had fallen into decline. After thinking about it, Li Zizhi seemed to be the latter.

"Mr. Li is still checking the shops and industries obtained from the liquidation in the city. Since our army entered the city, he has worked hard to serve and is very loyal and diligent." The second lieutenant of the military police said loudly.

Ma Youcai looked at the lieutenant and frowned and asked, "Didn't this guy say a good thing to my Ma family?"

The lieutenant smiled: "The sins of your Ma family can be eliminated by just one word of his. You'd better confess honestly."

Ma Youcai seemed to understand something, suddenly burst into laughter and cursed: "Li Zizhi knew that this bastard was actually playing tricks on me. Whether it was, I would have to take a cushion even if I died."

"Don't you want to know where most of the fertile land of my Ma family went? Let me tell you today that last month, I sold it to Li Zizhi for a price of three taels of silver per acre!" Ma Youcai said coldly with a tragic expression.

The county magistrate was immediately furious: "Rareless! How dare you fool Shangguan here!"

Then, the county magistrate clasped his fists and said to the second lieutenant of the military police: "Sir Li Zi knew that although his ancestors had been the censor of the former Ming Dynasty, his family had already fallen into the past few generations. How could he take out six or seven thousand taels to buy the Ma family's fertile land? Besides... Besides, although Mizhi is not as rich as in previous years, the Ma family's fields are all good areas with water. Such fertile land is difficult to buy even if it is seven or eight taels of silver. Ma Youcai must have thought that the superior was not familiar with the local situation, and he heard that Mr. Li assisted Shangguan, so he came to make a falsification."

"When I sold the land to Li Zizhi, he promised that the new dynasty would settle the land in the future and could clear the Ma family. Otherwise, how could the land be sold at such a low price?" Ma Youcai said.

The county magistrate was furious: "Then you are talking nonsense. You just said that it was sold last month. How did you know that it would be liquidated at that time? Besides, Li Zizhi is just a country landlord. What can he do to clear you up?"

Ma Youcai smiled coldly and said, "He has the surname Li, don't forget that the King of Jin is also the surname Li!"

The county magistrate was about to scold again, but the second lieutenant of the military police realized something was wrong. He looked at the many people watching in front of the hall and coughed lightly: "Let's come here first today, and we will try again tomorrow."

At night, Cao Yu reported the matter to Li Mingxun. Li Mingxun frowned and asked, "My brother is still in the capital. It's this time again. How could he cause trouble in Shaanxi?"

Cao Yu explained in detail that after leaving the house, the second lieutenant secretly interrogated Ma Youcai and Li Zizhi, who knew that more than a month ago, the original troops of King Jin followed the inner Great Wall to enter Shanxi after restoring the capital. Among the Shufan, Mr. Qian was a veteran who was with Zhang Xianzhong back then. He was lucky enough to survive until now. He was just a general. He had no intention of making progress and had the idea of ​​liquidation. Mr. Qian and Li Zizhi were distant relatives, so he paid him to buy Mizhi's fertile land for him to take over after he retired. Mizhi had some fertile land. After a while, he had the idea to attack Ma Youcai.

Ma Youcai himself served in the Qing Dynasty and must have been liquidated. At this moment, besides confrontation, he could only pack up the gold, silver and soft materials to live an incognito life, but the land and houses could not be taken away. Li Zizhi came to him and bought the land at a low price. Ma Youcai thought that the fertile land could at least be exchanged for some cash, so he agreed. After the two of them traded, they would have to be liquidated and collected as land of state-owned guilty officials, and they would become the legal property of the "progressive gentry" family, and would be transferred to the Qianzheng, who was retiring and returning home in the future.

The few people had a good idea. When the army arrived, Li Zizhi used the Qianmai relationship to plead for the Ma family. It would be fine if he could not, so he cleaned up the details and sent him to escape. This way, he didn't know the ghosts and gods, but he never thought that Li Mingxun suddenly led his troops south, and the situation changed, and the several people's abacus was lost.

"For the crime of assisting the criminal traitor to conceal his property, arrest Li Zizhi and search the house!" Li Mingxun was furious and immediately issued an order.

"What about the King of Jin?" Cao Yu asked in a low voice.

Li Mingxun calmed down a little and said, "I think there are many such things. I think not only northern Shaanxi, but also in the southeast. Not to mention the officers and soldiers in the army, domestic merchants and capitalists also do the same. They enter the occupied areas early, buy fertile land and beautiful houses at low prices, and dig up the corners of the restoration!"

"I think there are some, too." Cao Yu did not dare to answer and whispered.

Li Mingxun punched the table: "Strictly handle it! Send someone to Shanxi, arrest the bullshit Qian, and hand it over to the military court. The matter is sent to the three armies and the traitor liquidation committee to investigate this kind of situation. I think those who make money from the national crisis and dig up the liberation corners will mostly use agents like Li Zizhi. Then this situation will not be recognized. All the affiliation relationships such as the land and houses shall be based on last year. If you personally commit crimes in the occupied areas, you will be dealt with in the name of capitalizing on the enemy and treason. During the liquidation, you should also pay attention to whether the so-called "progressive gentry" and others who are no longer liquidated have any sudden increase in property. I think some people cannot escape liquidation and give their property to relatives and friends who can escape liquidation. Anyone who accepts such illegal property will be regarded as accomplices!"

"Your Majesty, should you also communicate with the King of Jin?" Cao Yu asked.

Li Mingxun said: "Catch the person first and notify Cao Yu. Now the United States owes hundreds of millions of loans and public debts from banks and citizens. After the restoration, tax reduction and tax exemption will be required to restore production and stabilize the country. The war and fiscal expenditure in the next few years can be completely counted on the Liberation Committee. Who dares to touch this cake? It is the enemy of the whole country and the enemy of me, Li Mingxun. If they ask, you will tell me your attitude directly!"
Chapter completed!
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