The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 434: Encountering Gold Coins Again
The old farmer smiled as he spoke.

Li Shimin asked: "Is it because the court wants to buy your grain?"

The morning sun shone on the old farmer, and he whispered, "Who would be willing to sell the grain they have worked so hard to grow for half a year at a low price to others?"

These words hit him like a hammer on the heart. Li Shimin took a deep breath, beckoned a eunuch, and said, "What did the court say about the price of grain collected by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture?"

The eunuch hurriedly said, "Go and ask now."

Li Shimin continued talking to the old farmer. Half an hour later, the eunuch came quickly again, leaned over to His Majesty and whispered a few words.

Hearing this, Li Shimin said to the old farmer, "I have asked someone to ask the court, and they said it will not be less than four cents of a dou of rice. If there is a higher price, you can sell it to others."

The old farmer smiled and said, "A dou of rice costs four cents. Great, great..."

Li Shimin raised his head and looked at the sky. He had no idea how rich his son was. He wanted the government to have the final say on all the money and grain in the world. Thinking about it carefully, the current price of grain in Chang'an was about eight cents for a dou of rice.

The court gave people a lowest price. With this price, no powerful or wealthy family dared to buy grain below this price. People would be more supportive of the court because it was their last resort.

What a huge deal! He suddenly smiled again, wondering how far this kid has come.

The old farmer left and went to the next village accompanied by several children.

Li Shimin sat there, looking at the open fields. The crops in the fields were almost ripe. Thinking of the old farmer's smile, tears welled up in the eyes of the emperor who had been in power for twenty years.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong had arrived. They stood not far away, looking at His Majesty's back, not knowing whether they should walk over at this time.

Land annexation has always been a stubborn problem throughout the dynasties. Li Shimin recalled the Donggong Strategy that he had seen many years ago. It is always people who produce food. Food will not appear out of thin air on the land. The wealth of this world is created by people's hands.

Li Shimin slowly raised his head and saw the morning light illuminating the sky, presenting a clean blue color, and suddenly he smiled again.

Cheng Yaojin finally stepped forward and asked, "Why is your majesty laughing?"

Li Shimin quietly wiped away his tears, stood up and said in a relaxed tone: "Cheng Qian is still the same as before, he has not changed in all these years."

Cheng Yaojin added: "That's true. He's already thirty years old, but he looks only about twenty-four or twenty-five. I often see him, and sometimes he still looks as childish as he was back then."

Li Shimin laughed out loud and said, "He has killed countless people under his orders, and you are still so childish?"

Cheng Yaojin said solemnly: "My eyes are always sharp and I have never made a mistake."

Yuchi Gong said: "Now I know that Jie is still in the morning court. I haven't been to the court for a long time."

"I'm in a good mood today, I won't go home until I'm drunk."

Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin both looked embarrassed.

Seeing this, Li Shimin said unhappily: "What? You don't even dare to drink with me?"

Cheng Yaojin bowed and said, "Not really, I'm just afraid that if the censor finds out, he will impeach me."

"Hahaha." Li Shimin laughed loudly and said, "Cheng Yaojin, are you afraid of impeachment?"

Speaking of the censor, Cheng Yaojin's old face actually looked a little more obedient, and he said, "Your Majesty, the censors nowadays are not the same as they were in the past. My Cheng family hasn't eaten beef for a long time."

Li Shimin and Yuchi Gong burst into laughter again.

The village on the north side of Longshouyuan is a special place. The villagers here seem to have moved in overnight.

Moreover, this village is called Anning Village. It is not under the jurisdiction of any county, and even the villagers here are clumsy at farming.

People in nearby villages were very curious about this place, and even the newly appointed county magistrate wanted to inquire about it several times. However, after the documents were sent to the court, they fell into oblivion and there was no reply at all.

Although the villages are three or five miles apart, they can still get along well with each other. The people in Anning Village are very kind, so I'm used to it.

Summer harvest is approaching, and grain merchants and grain dealers in Guanzhong have also announced their prices. This year's summer harvest costs six cents for a dou of rice, and seven or nine cents for a dou of good quality grain.

It was July of the fourth year of the Qianqing reign, and the market price of grain in Chang'an City had risen to ten coins per dou of rice.

Imperial Palace, inside the New Palace.

Chu Suiliang and Yu Zhining were reporting this year's grain situation to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the highest price of grain this year will not exceed ten coins per dou of rice. Even grains with a higher price are all sent from Jiangnan, Shuzhong, or Nanzhao to change the taste."

Li Chengqian looked at the reports from the counties in Guanzhong and asked, "Has the Ministry of Civil Affairs prepared to collect grain?"

Chu Suiliang bowed and said, "Officials from all counties have come to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This spring, a notice was issued to inform all prefectures in the Central Plains."

The so-called government's guarantee of grain prices is also to curb land annexation and ensure farmers' income from farming, even if the government pays a higher price.

Yu Zhining added: "Your Majesty, I have calculated with the Ministry of Personnel, and the court can still afford it for another ten years. I will keep all the individual accounts separately, leaving enough money for future needs in the next few years."

The two ministers stood in the hall with their heads bowed and said what they needed to say.

Yu Zhining now has special reserves of silver and money, which he only uses when needed.

The price of grain is the bottom line for farmers, and the government uses it to provide a safety net for all farmers. The harvested grain is used for storage and digestion, and it can also be used to stabilize the price of grain.

In fact, the grain consumption in Guanzhong and Luoyang was very fast. It was not enough for these two places to be self-sufficient in grain. The grain that the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture wanted to collect was mostly stored in Hebei, Liaodong, Shuzhong, and Jiangnan.

Li Chengqian said slowly: "Food is the last resort. Let the Censorate investigate more closely."

"Here."

Chu Suiliang followed Yu Zhining and retreated.

After leaving the new palace, Chu Suiliang wondered, "Does the court really have so much money?"

Although others did not know how much silver was in the emperor's purse, Yu Zhining knew it clearly, and the silver cakes transported from the Japanese territory were enough.

He said, "That's enough."

"really?"

Yu Zhining laughed again and said, "In fact, the so-called minimum price for grain collection in the court is actually to curb the annexation of land and to ensure that farmers have a guarantee for farming. When Hebei killed so many people, so many hidden households returned their household registration, and they got the land again."

"After great chaos, great order is needed. If the court does not take action, the land will still be annexed, right?"

Chu Suiliang clicked his tongue and said, "This price is too high."

Yu Zhining said: "Minister Chu neglected one thing."

"what's up?"

"Not everyone will give food to the court. Maybe people in remote areas will sell food to the court, or people in areas with more fields than people. At present, food is still not enough. The Ministry of Civil Affairs knows this better."

Chu Suiliang nodded.

Yu Zhining continued, "Give farmers a choice, and they won't be swayed by grain merchants. In fact, the cost to the court is not that great. Besides, Luoyang and Chang'an are in great need of grain."

The court is changing too fast now and there are too many things to do.

Yu Zhining whispered, "Because of these things, I and the seventy-eight clerks of the Ministry of Personnel have been reading the files for half a year. You and I are not the only ones who feel exhausted. Those who couldn't hold on have already resigned."

Today's summer night, thunder rumbled in the night sky, lightning streaked across the sky, and heavy rain poured down, irrigating the earth that had been scorching hot all day. The air was filled with moisture, and people's emotions became much calmer. In Jingzhao Prefecture, a flash of lightning appeared, illuminating Yan Qinli's expression. He held a gold coin in his hand and carefully looked at the pattern on it.

"People in the Central Plains use copper coins, but they use gold coins. It's interesting." Yan Qinli checked again and again.

Xu Jingzong said: "Back then, Persia and the Arabs used gold coins to exchange goods."

These gold coins were seized from the Persians and Arabs, and some were also seized from their post stations in Chang'an.

Don’t blame the Tang officials for robbing them of their money like robbers.

Who made these people fight in Chang'an?

Yan Qinli asked, "These gold coins have different qualities. Isn't it true that gold with better quality is more valuable?"

Liu Rengui, who had just returned from work outside, opened the door and walked in. It was common for officials in the court to be busy until late at night.

After hearing what Yan Qinli said, Liu Rengui said, "What Yan Shaoyin said is not right. If the gold is too fine, it might be mixed with something."

Xu Jingzong put all the gold coins into a bag. The bag was very heavy and filled with gold coins, which was bigger than his face. "Why not send it to Beiyuan and try?"

Beiyuan is a very mysterious place. It is said that Beiyuan can provide solutions to many problems that cannot be resolved in various counties or parts of Guanzhong.

The next morning, Princess Linyang was sitting at the gate of Beiyuan reading a letter from her brother.

The female guard came to report, "Your Highness, the governor of Jingzhao Prefecture is here."

Linchuan said: "What are you doing here?"

"She said she wanted to ask Her Royal Highness the Princess for help." As she spoke, the female guard took out a gold coin.

"Jingzhao Prefecture is really generous."

Linchuan was not interested in gold at first, as his brother was the richest man in the world. But when he saw the pattern on the gold, he frowned and asked, "Gold sent from Persia?"

The female guard nodded, "Yes."

Linchuan became interested again. He put the letter paper on the table, thought for a moment, then got up and walked out of the Beiyuan Gate.

Coincidentally, Xiaowu and Xiaohui also came.

Lin Chuan held up the gold coin and asked, "Since when did Jingzhao Prefecture need to pay gold when asking people to do things for you?"

Xu Jingzong smiled awkwardly and explained, "This is not for Beiyuan. Jingzhao Prefecture wants to check the quality of the gold. They are worried that it may be adulterated."

Linchuan suddenly smiled and said, "Xiaowu, Xiaohui, bring our balance scale and a bowl of water."

The two girls walked into the yard, and when they came out again, they placed the balance scale and a bowl of water on a table.

First, he tied a thin string to the gold coin, and Linchuan said, "I will only do it once, watch carefully."

Xu Jingzong nodded respectfully.

Linchuan's movements were skillful and quick. He first confirmed the weight of the gold, and then the weight of the water. There were densely marked scales on the exquisite scale.

Finally, Linchuan calculated for a moment and said, "Ninety-eight percent, very good gold. You can also use this method to measure the purity of gold. It's called gold hanging water."

"Thank you, Your Highness Princess."

After Xu Jingzong left, Linchuan was still holding the gold coins in his hand, looking thoughtful.

The female guard whispered, "Your Highness, do you have any instructions?"

"Are there a lot of gold coins in the West?" As if asking himself, Linchuan thought for a long time and wrote two letters, one to his elder brother, and one to his younger brother who was still in the Western Regions.

Eight years have passed since the last time news of Persians came from the Western Regions. Just eight years ago, several gold coins and a silver pot were sent from the Western Regions.

Now seeing the gold coins again, the court also got a glimpse of the richness west of the Pamir Mountains, where there was not only five-color salt, but also a lot of gold.

After reading Linchuan's letter, Li Chengqian looked at the bag of gold placed in front of him. Xu Jingzong was standing in front of him with his head bowed.

“Is this all pure gold?”

"Your Majesty, there are good and bad things, and there is still 70%."

In fact, the palace had sufficient silver reserves, and Liaodong would continue to deliver them.

War requires costs. Wang Xuance took over the granary of India at a very low cost, and Jin Chunqiu obtained the silver mines of the Japanese, without the Tang Dynasty spending any money at all.

Li Chengqian said: "When the rest period is over, you will take the officials of the Ministry of Rites to make a suggestion and send envoys to the Pamir Mountains to inquire about the various countries."

"Here."

In some years, the summer harvest in Guanzhong was in August, and the Persian and Arab envoys swept the streets in Chang'an until September.

In mid-August, when the summer harvest in Guanzhong was over, the court also ended its holiday.

At today's morning court, the emperor still did not summon the envoys from Persia and the Arabs.

Guo Luotuo, the Minister of Agriculture, stepped out of the court and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Agriculture needs to go to Nanzhao to inquire about rice seeds and record crops."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Rites, stepped out of the court and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple are willing to send someone to go with the Sinong Temple."

Upon hearing this, Guo Luotuo bowed again and returned to the court.

Xu Jingzong said again: "Your Majesty, Persia is asking to restore its country. I think we should go to the countries west of the Pamir Mountains to inquire about the reason."

The reasons and motives were clear. This Xu Jingzong was a very smart man. Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Go with the Imperial Censorate."

"Here."

At this time, Shangguan Yi, the Imperial Censorate's censor, stepped out of the court and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I accuse Duke Lu of drinking and having fun with the Emperor Retired all day long. The Cheng family's cattle died inexplicably. When the Imperial Censorate investigated, the Cheng family tried to cover up the truth. I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish his words, Cheng Yaojin stood up, pointed at the man and said, "You fart!"

Shangguan Yi said with a dark face: "I didn't fart!"

"Hey! Why does the Censorate keep making things difficult for me?"

"What? Did your Cheng family's cow just happen to fall and die?"

In the class, some people were trying to hold back their laughter, while others just laughed out loud.

Cheng Yaojin rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll let you know what it feels like to fall to death."

It seemed that fighting was about to break out again in the court, and the civil and military officials began arguing again.

Li Chengqian held his forehead in pain. The court meeting could not continue, so he simply withdrew from the meeting.

Then, as expected, a group of military generals led by Cheng Yaojin and more than 30 censors from the Censorate started fighting in the Taiji Hall.

(End of this chapter)