Yu Mingyue watched the brothers devour their food, too busy to speak, so she didn't disturb them.
These two were just growing boys, in their prime for eating. Each had finished two bowls of noodles and still wanted more. When Yu Mingyue asked the owner to make two more bowls for them, they waved their hands in refusal.
"We've had enough, thank you, young master." The elder brother's attitude had improved considerably since earlier.
"Then tell me, why was your father arrested by the authorities, and what happened to your seedlings being destroyed?"
The brothers exchanged a glance, and then the elder brother spoke, "We are from Peach Blossom Village, fifty li away. For the past few years, the weather has been good, and our harvests were decent. My mother had even said that once we saved enough money, she would send my brother and me to school. But starting this spring, the authorities forbade us from planting grain. Each household was given mulberry saplings and told to plant mulberries."
At first, everyone thought planting mulberries and raising silkworms was also good. As long as it could be sold for money, it was fine. But after one season, after deducting the cost of the saplings, each household was left with very little money, not even enough to eat. So, they decided not to plant mulberries. In August, they planted rice seedlings in the fields again, but the authorities did not permit it and destroyed all the seedlings. My father and several uncles couldn't stand it and clashed with the officials, and they were arrested. It's been seven or eight days, and my mother has also fallen ill."
Yu Mingyue listened and became even more indignant, "Grain is the foundation of a nation. How could anyone be so bold as to destroy fertile land?"
"We don't understand what you mean, young master, but since we started planting mulberries, we haven't had enough to eat. It's not just our Peach Blossom Village; the neighboring villages are the same. When we came, the village chief told us that if we didn't obey, they would buy all the land, and then we wouldn't even have the chance to plant mulberries."
"Who dares to be so audacious as to seize land? What will the people eat?"
The brothers looked at each other. After a while, they whispered, "Young master, have you heard of the Cui family?"
"The Cui family?" Yu Mingyue frowned. Could this matter be related to the Cui family?
"You must be from out of town, young master. The Cui family is the most famous aristocratic clan within a hundred li of here. Any land the Cui family desires, they can acquire. Last year, the Cui family bought over a thousand mu of land in Qingyuan County, a hundred li away, also for planting mulberries."
The Qinghe Cui clan's ancestral home was not originally here, and this place was not called Qinghe at first.
Due to the wars in the Central Plains, the Cui family had migrated here a hundred years ago. The Qinghe Cui clan had deeply rooted themselves in the hearts of the people. Even after migrating here, the common people still habitually referred to them as the Qinghe Cui clan.
Gradually, this place was also named Qinghe, and no one remembered its original name.
"The Qinghe Cui family?"
"Exactly. The Cui family here is like the emperor. Not only the common people but even the local officials treat them with great respect. Any official who wishes to serve their term peacefully must first pay their respects to the Cui family upon arrival. That dog official is a protégé of the Cui family." The young man then spoke at length about the Cui family's affairs in Qinghe.
After the brothers finished speaking, they saw Yu Mingyue fall silent, her expression grim. They quickly explained, "Everything I've said is true. If young master doesn't believe us, you can quietly inquire at the shops. These shops are all Cui family businesses..."
"I don't disbelieve you, but this matter involves too much. I need to investigate further. How about this, I'll first send someone to escort you two brothers home, and also have a physician accompany them to see your mother. I will give you a reply in three days." Yu Mingyue's mind was a bit chaotic at the moment; she needed some time to process.
The Qinghe she saw was prosperous everywhere, with bustling shops and thriving businesses. The wealth of the Cui family also astonished her.
In the books she had read, Qinghe under the governance of the Cui family was always depicted as a paradise.
She could hardly imagine that within Qinghe, there were still people like the brothers who were starving and poorly clothed.
She wanted to see for herself what the truth was behind this prosperous era.