Chapter 505: Fireworks in Childhood and Fire Dragon Burning the Warehouse
Inside Jixia Pass, the quartermaster Li Chaofeng had just finished distributing supplies. Since the Ming Dynasty's reform, resources have been allocated according to people and needs to ensure that no one is left out. A grading system for welfare benefits has also been established. Regardless of official rank, commoner or noble, everyone is only considered based on their division of responsibilities. They are inspected every ten days and then graded. The capable are promoted, the weak are demoted, the excellent are promoted, and the poor are demoted. It all depends on their personal behavior.

Even an old farmer who works the land diligently can accumulate work points, and the resources distributed based on these work points are enough to guarantee life needs, not to mention that during holidays, firewood, rice, oil and salt are delivered by special people without any omissions.

Often the grain handed over by farmers would change hands several times and then return to their hands, and the amount would be multiplied several times out of thin air. They had no idea where so much grain came from, and some scholars who were well versed in numerology did some calculations and came to the conclusion that the daily grain expenditure of the Ming Dynasty was several times the grain intake. This was calculated based on the lowest level of treatment and did not include the welfare benefits of the higher levels.

The news spread quickly throughout most of the Ming Dynasty, and the people were all amazed. As for the scholar, someone knocked on his door in the middle of the night, and took him away along with his luggage. It was said that he had been registered with the Ministry of Revenue, and was now responsible for the relevant calculations for the population census and the secondary assessment of the welfare benefits for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Instead, the gossip became famous along with the new Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. People said that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had a treasure bowl, and if one grain of rice was put into it, ten thousand grains would grow. Therefore, under the Ming Dynasty, there was an inexhaustible supply of grain.

Having enough food in the granaries will make people know etiquette, and being able to eat enough is a great thing for the common people. Therefore, although Zhang Wuji's reputation as a villain spread far and wide outside the Ming Dynasty and attracted many pedantic scholars to criticize him, he is a popular figure in the Ming Dynasty and is loved by the people.

In the previous dynasty, Li Chaofeng was a minor official in charge of the granary. However, he knew very well that there was not a single grain of rice in the granary. Even mice would leave in tears if they came, let alone people.

The relief grain in the granary that could not be moved easily had long been sold off by high-ranking officials in the city in exchange for a fortune of silver. Why do you think no one investigated? It's because that sum of silver was used to bribe everyone, from the high-ranking officials behind the scenes to the middlemen who found ways to sell the stolen goods. Even Li Chaofeng had a share of it. Everyone was kept silent and the officials were very powerful. Who dared to say no? Who dared to lift the lid?

Just wait for an autumn day with dry weather and strong wind, then start a big fire, burn the warehouse, settle the accounts, and then put the huge amount of silver away, and everyone's butt will be clean.

But Li Chaofeng knew clearly that the money he took was used to buy his life. Once a fire broke out, he would be the first to be burned. Even if he survived by chance, someone would make him shut up forever. When the court blamed him, there would always be a few scapegoats.

But he had no choice. Working as a clerk could earn him enough food and clothing, but Li Chaofeng did not want to be a peasant, as his family had been peasants for generations. His son was growing up, and he was smarter than his father. Li Chaofeng hoped that his son could become an official, a high-ranking one, so that he could get the lion's share of the money.

But being an official requires more than just being smart. You also need to pay for the examiner's tea and the runners' running fees, and take care of all the links. Otherwise, even if you write a earth-shaking article, it will be suppressed to obscurity.

Who would have thought that the flag on the city wall would change, the imperial court was gone, and a new one would come. Li Chaofeng was timid, and when those ferocious-looking messengers in flying fish costumes came, he confessed everything he had done, even the incident when he secretly watched Widow Wang taking a bath at the age of seven.

A fool has his own luck, because Li Chaofeng was very cooperative and made meritorious reports. Not only was he not beheaded, but his salary was increased by half a level and he was assigned the position of quartermaster. However, all his family fortune accumulated over the years was confiscated and exchanged for food and daily necessities. He also had to recite lengthy military regulations. According to the police, he was doing meritorious service while serving his sentence to see what would happen next.

Li Chaofeng didn't care about making amends for his crime and making up for his loss. He was thankful that he survived. Not only that, but his beloved son and old wife were also alive. It was good to be alive. With his welfare benefits, he had a considerable surplus every ten days and could be considered wealthy.

Although the materials distributed were not as eye-catching as the white silver, Li Chaofeng somehow felt that they were more beautiful than silver. They did not feel heavy in his hands, nor did they weigh him down. They were heavy, but he felt at ease in his heart. In two words, he felt comfortable.

"A day like this should be a peaceful day, right?" He thought silently in his heart. When meeting an official, he didn't need to kneel down and kowtow three times, but only need to bow. He didn't need to worry about someone confiscating his house at any time, and he didn't need to spend a lot of time to arrange things. He just needed to do his job well.

"Having enough food, warm clothes, and not being bullied, this is a peaceful life! Whoever wants to destroy my peace, I will fight him to the death. Speaking of which, my son should be studying in a private school now. Oh, that place is not called a private school, it's called a professional talent... professional talent quick training center. I don't know who came up with this crappy name, it's long and hard to pronounce."

As Li Chaofeng was thinking, he remembered his immediate superior, who was a high-ranking official who was the lord of a city, but he was unlucky. He was convicted of the most heinous crime and was beheaded in front of the people of the city by the new official.

That was also a very smart person, he thought. A well-known loyal and righteous man, upon hearing that Shengjing was moving the capital, he moved south and cried all night, saying that his country had been lost and he could not be proud of himself. Upon hearing that the previous dynasty was destroyed, he cried again all night, saying that the country had nurtured scholars for three hundred years and that today was the day he would die for his country.

At that time, the crowd was excited and countless scholars and common people jumped into the sea and jumped off cliffs. However, he jumped more than halfway into the river, then retreated, saying that the water was too cold, and left the matter unresolved.

Later, when the Mongols attacked, this upright scholar vowed to defend the city and live and die with the people. However, he went out for a walk and his whole appearance changed. Even his hair, which was so important to him, fell out a lot, and he became a Mongol barbarian. However, he just said that his head was itchy, which made people laugh at him.

Later, later, the Ming army drove away the Mongols and recovered the lost territory. The first person to be held accountable was this adult who was too itchy and had too little knowledge. Li Chaofeng was a peasant who did not understand the righteousness of the country and the family.

He only knew to live and live well. His father, who left his last meal for his son and ended up starving to death, did not leave any last words, but Li Chaofeng knew that the unspoken words were telling him to live well.

So he didn't want to die when he was fighting for food with others, he didn't want to die when he was chased by wolves on the mountain, he didn't want to die when he received the money to buy his life, and he didn't want to die when the previous dynasty was destroyed and the Mongols were rampant.

Now that I have lived a peaceful life for a few days, I want to die. I think that if someone does not allow me to live such a good life, then I will die, but I want to drag a few people with me before I die, otherwise I will not be able to close my eyes.

'Hey, isn't this the life that people should live? After living for decades, I am considered a human being! '

Just as he was thinking, Li Chaofeng felt that it was dawn. No, it was daytime now, how could there be any dawn? He leaned out to look outside and saw red dragons tumbling and red flames burning the sky, just like the fireworks he had seen during the New Year when he was a child, and also like the fire dragon burning the warehouse that he had been waiting for.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack, damn it, Da Jing is attacking, it's time for me to fight to the death!"

(End of this chapter)