Chapter 40: The Debate between Rural and Commercial, Taiyuan (1)

"Brother Laifu, why did you stop in front?" Seeing that the abortion in front of you slowly stopped, Gu Yunniang said to Huang Laifu.

Huang Laifu glanced at Jiang Dazhong. Jiang Dazhong understood that he rode his horse forward, and soon he came back and said, "Young master, there is a patrol department in front of him."

Huang Laifu nodded and slowly stopped with everyone. After the inspectors checked, he had already met this kind of inspection department several times after coming out of Kelanzhou City. In the Ming Dynasty, the inspection department was in the local direction and the Lijia system and the Li elderly system. The inspection department was established in various prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty. Their main functions were to investigate passers-by, inspect people who had no way out, arrest spies, intercept fugitive soldiers and prisoners, crack down on smuggling, and maintain normal business and travel exchanges.

The Lijia system and the Lixia system are quite effective in grassroots control, but they are unable to control the migrant population outside. The Inspection Department system is just effective in solving this problem, especially in some remote and sparsely populated places, the role of the Inspection Department is more important. Moreover, the Inspection Department is flexible in place and withdrawal, and the archers of the Inspection Department do not need national financial support. It has always been an important supplementary force for various garrisons.

Seeing that the abortion in front was moving slowly, Huang Laifu and others stopped under a big locust tree in front to wait. Huang Laifu was smearing the sweat from the heat of the summer while looking at the surrounding road conditions. There were also some people around, and everyone was picking, and most of them were so tired that they couldn't speak. When the heat of the summer, it seemed that a sour plum stall under the big locust tree had a particularly good business.

There are many sour plum stalls all the way, basically there is a stall under each big locust tree. Huang Laifu and others have drunk many stalls, so they are so excited that they can't afford to drink a bowl. Gu Yunniang is the same, just sitting on the horse's back a little anxiously.

Anyway, it won’t take long for those inspectors to wait. At this time, everyone was at an intersection. Because it was too fast to go in, the cars and horses on the road were quite dense. Huang Laifu was waiting while listening to others chatting.

Among the people waiting, there were some ragged refugees carrying their simple luggage and dragging their children. Huang Laifu has seen many of these people along the way, so he doesn't care.

However, there were a few young men dressed in silk clothes beside them, and everyone had horses. Judging from their status and wealth, these people were talking in a high spirit. Some of their words attracted Huang Laifu's attention. According to their tone, these people were all from Gujiao County. Because several of them made a lot of money in opening rice shops and silk shops in Taiyuan City in the same year, they also planned to start a business and prepare to go to Taiyuan to do a big deal and make a career in the mall.

This was nothing, and it couldn't attract Huang Laifu's attention. What made Huang Laifu notice was that these people had a lot of land in their homes, but they even sold most of their own fields for some silver and prepared to devote themselves to business, which made people feel a little weird.

You should know that in ancient China, most people regarded the land as their own lives. They would not easily sell their land unless they had to. These people seemed to be unlucky, but they sold the land just because they wanted to devote themselves to business. This was a strange thing.

Huang Laifu listened carefully and heard that these people were scholars and everyone had the fame of scholars. However, no one passed the exam. Just because everyone felt that farming at home was meaningless and that it was profitable to start a business, they abandoned the land and went into the arms of business.

These people expressed their thoughts about the future in words, but after hearing a few words, Huang Laifu only had one thought in his heart: impetuousness is impetuousness! The impetuousness of money brought by the business society. Just like those young people in later generations, these people kept saying that they would make money, such as who opened a store in the same year, and who made a lot of money. After they arrived in Taiyuan, their dream of getting rich was right in front of them, and so on.

Huang Laifu felt a sense of social upside down for a while. Unexpectedly, scholars were rushing to do business at this time. Some refugees abandoned farmers and left their hometowns because of natural disasters, so there was no way. If these scholars had fertile land but were unwilling to manage it, it would be very strange.

In fact, Huang Laifu didn't know that due to the development of business in Wanli, the concepts of the Ming people had changed a lot. Since they were engaged in business, they made money faster than digging food from the soil, so some scholars with poor families abandoned Confucianism and went to business. Especially during the Tianqi and Chongzhen periods, most of the civil servants were merchants or representatives of merchants.

Xi Ming, a native of Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi once said: If a husband cannot make fame in the world, he will be a coquettish person, and he cannot build a foundation for his family! It is obvious that he regards the foundation for his family as a grand career through business, but he is disdainful of agricultural management. If Huang Laifu is here, he will definitely tell this guy that if agriculture is unstable and business is developed, the world will be in chaos. If agriculture is stable and business is underdeveloped, the people can still live a stable and stable life. Whoever is inferior or he is serious can be seen at a glance.

However, it is obvious that the words of these scholars at this time made the people around them feel very similar. After hearing their words, many people showed a look of agreement on their faces, and everyone spoke in discussions. For a moment, under the big locust tree, it seemed that a business discussion meeting was becoming, and everyone was talking freely - after arriving in Taiyuan, what kind of business can you make money and make a fortune.

As Huang Laifu listened, he couldn't help but sneer and said loudly: "This merchant has gone to business, and this scholar has also gone to business! It's just strange that no one is going to farm. Who will farm then? Will this grain fall from the sky?"

After hearing what Huang Laifu said, many people under the big locust tree turned to look at him. Gu Yunniang was bored, but when she saw this stance, she suddenly became energetic. Jiang Dazhong, Yang Xiaolu and others, who were originally dizzy, were also excited when the young master shouted. The two of them immediately prepared to protect the master's Dharma.

Everyone was having a lively discussion. When Huang Laifu interrupted their grand dreams, they would have to scold him, but when they saw Huang Laifu's tall and big looks, they were accompanied by some strong servants, and everyone had horses and weapons. They seemed to be extraordinary, so no one spoke for a while.

The scholars were stunned. When they saw Huang Laifu's mocking gaze and the strong servants beside him, they were a little scared. Of course, this also made them feel like showing weakness. One of them finally stood up and was about to refute.

The other person grabbed him and said coldly: "Brother Yang, why bother with a rough man? It's getting late, so it's time for us to hurry?"

Jiang Dazhong was furious and shouted: "What are you saying, a dirty pickled guy? Be careful that grandpa will beat you into meat paste!"

The people were so scared that they retreated one after another, and hurriedly led the horse away, not daring to look here. Everyone under the big locust tree next to them seemed to be difficult to mess with Huang Laifu, and they kept their mouths tighter.

Seeing that these people were so useless, Jiang Dazhong and Gu Yunniang both laughed loudly. Gu Yunniang said in a sweet voice: "These useless scholars were as energetic as before, but they were timid in blinking."

Huang Laifu also smiled slightly. He was preparing to debate with these people just now, but he didn't expect these people to be scared away, which was a pity.

At this time, only one person said, "This brother has invited me." Then a young man stood up on the seat of the Sour Plum Stall.

Huang Laifu saw that the young man was about twenty-two or three years old, with a flexible look, a whisker on his mouth, a scarf on his head, arhat shoes on his feet, and a cloth shirt, but he was holding a folding fan in his hand. He seemed to be a scholar. Because among the scholars at that time, they liked to carry a fan when they went out, and in regular occasions, if they did not bring a fan, they would be considered as lack of grace, although sometimes the climate had reached the season when they could not use a fan at all.

Huang Laifu also bowed: "Please."

The man first said something to a worn-out carriage beside him, then he flipped the window and poked out the figure of a young woman. The two of them said a few words, and the young man came over.

The young man bowed to Huang Laifu and said, "Is the young man Zhou Wendong, did you ask for your brother Taizun's name?"

Huang Laifu said: "Huang Laifu is in Xiawuzhai Fort!" When we met for the first time, Huang Laifu did not intend to tell Zhou Wendong about his identity.

Zhou Wendong's eyes flashed a little. The man in front of him was strong. Although he was young, he was brave and shrewd. Wuzhai Fort, he heard that it was a Qianhushou Military Fort... He said: "It turned out to be Brother Huang, I have been admired for a long time. I heard what Brother Huang said just now, and it seemed that this scholar should not be like a merchant. I don't know that Brother Taiwan is this?"

Huang Laifu refused to answer, but said, "I don't know what Brother Zhou thinks about this matter?"

Zhou Wendong pondered for a while and said, "Mr. Zhang once said that business is open to business, and agricultural power is the main thing. If business cannot communicate, it can benefit farmers, and then agriculture will be sick. If farmers do not work hard to make money, then business will be sick. Therefore, the trend of business and agriculture is always weighed. Therefore, it is understandable that late-children think that scholars are engaged in business." Mr. Zhang, whom he just said just now, was Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng said this in order to collect taxes.
Chapter completed!