Chapter 206 Going Crazy
Qin Yao asked him, "What do you think is the most important component of a stable and strong country?"
This is not difficult, Liu Ji can answer it easily, "vast and fertile land, and hardworking people."
Qin Yao nodded and asked again: "What reasons would shake the vastness of the land and the diligence of the people?"
This is also easy to answer, it is right in front of you.
Liu Ji pointed to the farms on both sides of the official road. These fields all belonged to the big landlords in the county. These people were either rich or noble, and they had used their power early on to seize the best farmland.
If ordinary people wanted to support themselves, they could only rent their land and become tenant farmers.
If all the land became like this, coupled with insect infestations like today, or wars like last year, and these big bosses who occupy the land and power not only do not reduce the rent but increase it, then it will become very difficult for the people to survive.
Once people are forced into a desperate situation, they will rebel.
Liu Ji said solemnly: "It is the frequent natural disasters and wars that have caused the people to be displaced and the good farmland to be abandoned. It is the corruption of the old dynasty that allowed the local tyrants to annex the farmland and raise soldiers privately, which has shaken the foundation of the country."
Qin Yao looked at him with surprise. It seemed that he was not a complete waste.
She asked the first question again, "So, after finally unifying a country after decades of chaos, what should we do next?"
She did not let him answer, but continued: "The people should be allowed to recuperate, corvée and taxes should be reduced, wars should be avoided, and this devastated land should be given time to recover."
"We are not afraid of those barbarians in the north, but we have more important things to do than teaching them a lesson."
If Sheng State was afraid, it would not have sent troops last year, but would have taken the initiative to offer conditions such as marriage at the very beginning to show weakness.
Instead of bringing up the issue of marriage and truce in a conciliatory manner after winning a battle.
"If the war in the north doesn't stop, the only ones who will suffer are us, the lower-class people."
Qin Yao looked at Liu Ji and pointed at him. "If the princess hadn't taken the initiative to marry and stop the war, you would still be working as a grain transporter at the border. The taxes this year will be increased, and the consequences of the insect infestation will be dozens of times more serious than what we see now."
"The caravan will be unable to conduct foreign trade, and the economy will be severely affected. I'm afraid I won't be able to sell my new book boxes."
"The chain reaction caused by a war is beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and these chain reactions, when distributed to each person, are enough to destroy a small family that was originally relatively peaceful."
As they were about to reach the city gate, Qin Yao took the reins from Liu Ji and said calmly, "I am just an ordinary citizen. I only see that the decision to marry into the alliance has brought me a peaceful life."
"Not everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others like the princess."
Anyway, she just couldn't do it.
Looking at Liu Ji, Liu Ji swallowed hard with guilt, he couldn't do it either.
A sense of guilt spread from his heart, and Liu Ji whispered: "I really deserve to die!"
Qin Yao handed the soldiers guarding the city two cents as entry fee, feeling painful.
She only wanted to take a walk around the outskirts of the city to see the insect pest situation in the county, but she forgot that it was easy to leave the city, but she had to pay an entry fee to enter the city.
If she had known earlier, she would have left the city alone. Now she has to pay Liu Ji's share, which is not worth it!
The couple separated at the back door of the restaurant. Before leaving, Liu Ji received fifty cents for living expenses and smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.
Qin Yao returned to the inn, had dinner and then helped out in the lobby. Since she was not staying in a guest room, Manager Fan did not charge her for the night.
Qin Yao wanted to give him money, but he got angry and could only do what he could to make up for the accommodation fee.
As for Liu Ji, he spent eight cents as soon as he got the money and ate a luxurious meal of meat wontons.
After eating until his stomach was full, he rubbed his belly and went back to the academy.
During the time he was away, the students who were taking the re-examination in the academy had already been chatting enthusiastically, fearing that others did not know that the questions in the re-examination were the same as those in the initial examination, and they were chatting excitedly.
Liu Ji, who had just returned, was so frightened that he stayed away from them.
But when he reached the dormitory door, he was afraid that these idiots would implicate him, so he turned around and ran back with a cold face, scolding all the students like a madman and drove them all away.
Since returning from the border, Liu Ji is no longer afraid of even Mr. Fan.
He would start cursing at everyone he saw, and even Mr. Fan had to avoid him, not to mention other ordinary students in the academy who had no power.
After Liu Ji's scolding, the academy soon became quiet and no one mentioned the re-examination of the exam papers anymore.
He snorted and then turned back to the dormitory.
When he opened the door of the dormitory, the familiar smell of smelly feet appeared. Liu Ji could no longer bear it. He pinched his nose, picked up the pairs of shoes and socks that had been taken off with charcoal tongs, and threw them all out!
Several roommates were shocked and shouted angrily: "Liu Ji, why did you throw our shoes and socks!"
Liu Ji picked up the washbasin and washcloth and walked straight past them, ignoring them.
It was not the first time that he reminded them to pay attention to personal hygiene, but they just didn't listen. They piled their smelly socks in the corner and didn't wash them once a month.
How dare he ask him why?
Several roommates watched Liu Ji ignore them and go out to fetch water to wash his face and feet, and their faces turned red with anger.
Just as he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to fight, Liu Ji turned around and pointed in the direction of the restaurant in the city,
"Let me tell you, my wife is now living in the restaurant owned by Manager Fan. Do you dare to touch me?"
The roommates all took a big step back, because everyone knew that Liu Ji's wife could smash them into meat patties with one punch!
"Liu Ji, you, you" the roommates kept calling you that for a long time but couldn't say anything harsh.
But they felt aggrieved. Why did Liu Ji go crazy and throw shoes and socks at them for no reason?
Is it just because it stinks that he gets angry?
Why wasn't he so angry before?
Liu Ji wiped his face, poured out the water in the washbasin and washed his feet. Seeing his roommate's cowardly look, his guilt towards Princess Huiyang finally dissipated a little.
Pointing at the few people, he sternly educated them, "The princess is a great person, sacrificing her own interests for the greater good. What do you, who have no vision and no pattern, know!"
After that, he added viciously: "If I hear you say that the princess' marriage is a humiliation to the people of Shengguo again, I will ask my wife to beat you to death!"
The roommates looked at each other, thinking that Liu Ji was having a seizure again.
Liu Ji hung up the washcloth and looked at his roommates with disdain. "From now on, if anyone doesn't wash their face or feet, don't even think about going into the room to sleep. I'll beat them up if I see them!"
Afraid they wouldn't believe me, I imitated my father's morning exercises, took a horse stance, raised my fists and clapped my hands twice, "I practiced this with my wife before."
His three roommates were so scared that they quickly picked up their shoes and socks and went to wash up.
That night, the faint smell of foot odor in the air finally disappeared. After being in the academy for such a long time, Liu Ji breathed in the fresh air and finally had a good sleep.