Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

The old man's death was worthwhile; he not only went down in history but also brought blessings to his descendants!

Now, Li Renxiao only trusts Li Renli and consults him on everything.

Li Renli silently said, "The imperial examination."

Li Renxiao was very clever. He suddenly realized something and quickly knelt down, saying, "The Xia dynasty is gone and should not be remembered."

"This humble citizen wishes to be a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, and a scholar of the Ming Dynasty loyal to the Holy Emperor!"

Zhao Yang smiled and nodded: "Excellent."

Li Renxiao, the last ruler of Western Xia, essentially severed ties with his own country.

He will surely pass the imperial examinations smoothly, become an official, and then become a disciple of the emperor. There's no need to worry about him falling ill unexpectedly one day.

Chapter 3863 The King Who Lost His Country

Being a disciple of the emperor is both a blessing and a constraint for him.

It would be best to pass the exam based on one's own talent. If even passing the provincial exam is difficult, one can study at the Imperial Academy.

Then, as an outstanding graduate of the Imperial Academy, he would be granted the title of Jinshi without any problems.

Zhao Yang then looked at a child who looked a few years old: "Is this your younger brother, Li Renyou?"

Li Renli quickly replied, "He is indeed my younger brother."

Zhao Yang said, "His birth mother is no longer here, so you should take him in and raise him."

Li Renli quickly pulled his younger brother down to kneel: "Thank you for the Emperor's mercy, thank you for the Crown Prince's magnanimity!"

The birth mother of Li Renyou, the King of Yue of Western Xia, was given to Li Shifu as a concubine.

Historically, it was Li Renyou who executed Ren Dejing.

His son later became the emperor of Western Xia, and his granddaughter was even married to Genghis Khan in a political alliance...

Zhao Yang took out a blank imperial edict with a seal and wrote down the arrangements for Li Renxiao on the spot: he would be registered in Kaifeng, granted a house and fertile land, and the court would help arrange servants and tenants.

The servants and tenants signed contracts in accordance with the "Great Ming Code". If Li Renxiao violated the employment contract, everything would be handled according to the law.

In addition, Li Renxiao was granted the status of a student in Kaifeng Prefecture, and he could study for the imperial examinations at the Kaifeng Prefecture School in the future.

Having settled things with Li Renxiao, Zhao Yang then said to Li Renli, "Your residence has been arranged. You will be a sixth-rank Hanlin official, and from now on you will be researching historical materials at the Hanlin Academy's Literature and History Department."

When this arrangement was announced, the other members of the imperial clan cast envious glances—a daughter marrying the emperor of the Ming Dynasty as a concubine.

As expected, there are extra benefits; they can live a life of luxury for the rest of their lives!

"Your subject, Li Renli, thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

Li Renli was also overjoyed.

He wasn't particularly corrupt while serving as an official in Western Xia, and he even enjoyed the customs and culture of the Central Plains. He can now spend his later years peacefully in Luoyang.

He was given a prestigious and respectable position in the Hanlin Academy, which was perfect for Li Renli.

It's even more comfortable than when the Western Xia Dynasty was still in existence!

Zhao Yang then said to the other members of the imperial clan, "You should all make your own arrangements. Enjoy yourselves in Luoyang for a few days, and then disperse and move to your respective provinces."

“Some people are going to Hubei, some to Hunan, and some to Hebei, all places where there is no shortage of land. We will give you some fertile land so that you can cultivate it and make a living from now on.”

"No taxes will be levied for the next five years. You will also be given some money and grain, enough to ensure you have enough to eat and wear for the next five years. Learn to farm as soon as possible, lest you starve to death in five years."

The members of the royal family were stunned.

Damn it, we still have to farm our own land, otherwise we'll go hungry.

Moreover, saying that they are going to places where there is no shortage of land is actually just about reclaiming wasteland in sparsely populated prefectures and counties!

The members of the royal family all wore mournful faces, filled with fear of their future agricultural life.

Zhao Yang angrily rebuked, "You are all members of the royal family of a fallen state, enjoying yourselves in comfort and luxury, squandering countless amounts of the people's hard-earned money."

"The princes of the former Song Dynasty all had to farm to make a living. Are you really more noble than the former Song Dynasty royal family?"

"We dare not..." The members of the imperial family were so frightened that they immediately knelt down, fearing that they would suffer for offending the Crown Prince of Ming.

Zhao Yang then said, "You have come from afar, and the Emperor is kind enough to bestow upon you some wine and food."

"Rice wine has become quite expensive these past two years, so enjoy it while you can."

After saying this, Zhao Yang got up and left, and everyone hurriedly saw him off.

Due to years of disasters and reduced production, Zhao Yuan issued a ban on alcohol consumption last year.

Chapter 3864 Brewing

Reduce the production quotas for rice wine and barley wine. Violation of this quota will be punished in the same way as privately producing or selling salt (it is not a crime to brew wine for personal consumption, or to give it to relatives and friends in the countryside or to entertain guests).

The main problem is that they cannot be sold in other locations, or transported to the city or suburbs for sale.

In addition, there are other types of baijiu such as corn liquor, sorghum liquor, and sweet potato liquor.

Increase quotas and issue more licenses to fill the market gap for rice wine and barley wine.

Such a policy was extremely effective, saving a great deal of rice and wheat.

However, this also led to three phenomena:

First, the prices of rice wine and barley wine have skyrocketed, making them unaffordable for ordinary families. Even well-off families can only afford to enjoy them during major holidays.

Secondly, workshops producing baijiu (Chinese liquor) sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and baijiu became widely accepted by the lower and middle classes of society.

Third, many farmers privately brew rice wine, and city dwellers often go to farmers' homes to pay for drinks when they travel together, leading to the inexplicable phenomenon of "farmhouse entertainment".

Rural landlords, in particular, were not guilty as long as they didn't sell the rice wine; they often brewed their own rice wine to invite distinguished guests from the city.

Officials also preferred to travel and enjoy the scenery, and have a few drinks at the homes of local gentry.

Watching the Ming crown prince depart, the group of Western Xia nobles were utterly dejected.

Li Renxiao and Li Renli wanted to help, but there was nothing they could do.

Because those guys were scattered and thrown into sparsely populated prefectures and counties, it's uncertain whether they'll ever meet again.

One member of the royal family said resentfully, "We shouldn't have surrendered in the first place."

"Not only were their family property and land confiscated, but they were also denied an official position and were forced to reclaim wasteland in remote areas!"

“We are royalty, are we really supposed to till the land like farmers?”

"This is the Ming emperor deliberately humiliating us..."

"Be careful!"

Li Renli rushed over and covered the guy's mouth.

Another member of the royal family sneered: "You are certainly of noble birth, yet you tell us to be careful what we say."

"Your daughter will marry the emperor and become a concubine, and you'll also get a Hanlin official position. You can stay in Luoyang and enjoy a life of leisure from now on."

"But we have to go and clear wasteland. None of us have ever touched a hoe before. How can we grow any crops?"

"I'm afraid that in five years, once the government cuts off the money and food supplies, we will all starve to death!"

Li Renli was a man who cared a lot about his reputation, and immediately retorted angrily, "I won't be an official then, I'll go to remote prefectures and counties to reclaim wasteland."

"If even the princes of the Song Kingdom can farm to make a living, why can't we?"

"To farm and study at the same time, how wonderful! This is what it means to pass down the family tradition of farming and reading!"

After these words were spoken, no one spoke again.

Although he was still resentful, he knew that this was the emperor's arrangement and had nothing to do with Li Renli.

Li Renxiao smoothed things over, saying, "We're all relatives. The Emperor has bestowed wine and food upon us. Let's sit down and have a farewell banquet."

"Now that the banquet is over, who knows when we'll be able to gather again? Why cause further arguments and hurt feelings?"

In the late afternoon, officials brought food and wine, and the group sat down at several tables to eat and drink.

As they ate, some people burst into tears.

Reclaiming wasteland—what a terrifying word.

They didn't even know how to hold a hoe, and the thought of having to farm for the rest of their lives felt like being slowly tortured to death.

It would be even more straightforward to just chop it off with one stroke!

……

Several days later, Li Renxiao was taken to Kaifeng.

The residence bestowed upon him by the imperial court was located south of Longjin Bridge on the central axis of Kaifeng City.

Chapter 3865 Henchmen

That place was originally the residence of Deng Xunwu, a member of Cai Jing's faction, who served as a Privy Councilor during the reign of Emperor Huizong.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this residence was converted into shops on its two street-facing sides due to its prime location.

Some shops were awarded to meritorious officials, while others were auctioned off to merchants.

The remaining area was walled up and given to the founding nobles as private residences.

After the capital was moved, many meritorious officials' private residences were re-granted in Luoyang, while the residences in Kaifeng were taken back by the imperial court.

This shows that the Zhao family father and son were really stingy; they didn't even give the house in its entirety, but instead cut it out into two rows for shops.

The main reason is that the house is too big and the architectural details are seriously illegal!

Li Renxiao was quite fond of this house. Although its size had been reduced, it was excellent in every other aspect.

Going out of the main gate of the house, you'll see the Martial Temple across the street. The back gate opens directly onto the Cai River; this place even has a river view!

The area across the river used to be the Xijiaofangsi (Western Music Bureau), half of which was converted into shops and the other half into a printing factory.

Before the capital was moved, the printing plant belonged to the Ministry of Rites. After the capital was moved, it was auctioned off to a private bookseller. You could smell the ink even across the river.

The area across the street to the southeast of the house is even more interesting; it used to be the site of the Imperial College, which also served as the old campus of the Imperial Academy.

It now belongs to the Kaifeng campus of the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty. Some of the students from the outer dormitory study here and then go to Luoyang to study after they advance to the next level.

Next to the Imperial Academy, there is a whole street of bookstores.

To the south of the Imperial Academy was the expanded Kaifeng Medical College, which also included the Kaifeng Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau.

In traditional Chinese medicine, "cooked medicine" generally refers to medicinal materials that have undergone processing or preparation.

However, the term "prepared medicine" which originated in the Northern Song Dynasty specifically refers to traditional Chinese medicine preparations such as pills, ointments, powders, and tablets.

This thing was officially operated during the Song Dynasty, and with the addition of the word "benefit the people," it can probably be understood as an official, affordable Chinese medicine store.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, it had become a hybrid of official and commercial activity.

The pharmacies and drug shops must be officially operated by the Ming Dynasty, and their drug prices are strictly regulated so that ordinary people can afford them.

Established pharmacies are licensed private enterprises and are subject to constant official regulation, so their medicine prices are relatively high.

These privately owned pharmacies are often located in more remote neighborhoods or outside the city, serving as a supplement to official pharmacies.

Under Wen Huanzhang's guidance, the traditional pharmacies and drug research institutes scattered throughout the country have gradually been transformed into public hospitals.

Moreover, large pharmacies located in provincial capitals often have a medical school nearby.

Many outstanding medical school graduates are assigned to pharmacies and drug research institutes, where they work as public doctors with permanent positions but average salaries.

These public doctors were also commonly known as "official physicians" because those who reached a high rank held official positions and could wear official robes.

After staying for a few days, the servants in Li Renxiao's household were also put in place.

The government said they were hired from the market, but Li Renxiao always felt that one or two of those servants were there to spy on him.

Therefore, he treated his servants with utmost courtesy, fearing that he might offend one of their watchers.

There was a clever maid named Li Huo who could even recognize many everyday characters.

Li Renxiao believed that this person must be a spy, so he placed Li Huo by his side as an attendant to show the Ming emperor that he had no ulterior motives.

Accompanied by his wife, Lady Wang, and his attendant, Li Renxiao went out to visit Kaifeng for the first time.