A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 715 Mr.
From Fengjiabao down the plateau,

From the slope, you can already see the Great and Small Wuji Fortresses below.

Li Yi felt like he was returning home in glory.

Although it's only thirty or forty miles from Chang'an, I've been coming back less and less these past few years.

Luojiabao has changed dramatically.

Just as Luo San said, things are getting better in the village now. From Fengjiabao to Guojiazhuang, and then to Luojiabao, Gaojiabao, and Nianwan, these villages that were originally scattered on the south bank of the Haohe River have now been connected into one.

The old main road leading to Nanshan
It has now become a bustling commercial street, and there is already a lively market here. It is not a market held on the 3rd, 6th, or 9th of the month, nor on the 2nd, 5th, or 8th of the month, but a rare daily market.

Luojiabao Bridge is now a tall and sturdy stone bridge, with a covered walkway built on top.

Countless shops and workshops
People from all directions came to the market.
Many people even come here specifically to visit.

This is not only the hometown of Situ Liyi, but also the hometown of Wuji Academy.

The headmaster of the academy was still Mr. Dong; the old scholar, though his hair was now completely white, remained remarkably spry.
He had wrinkled skin and white hair, but his face was ruddy.

"With your strong support, the academy is getting better and better," said Dong Xiucai as he welcomed Li Yi and his family at Xiaowuji Fort.

Xiao Wuji Fort was built by imperial decree. It is not very large. The earliest Wuji Primary School was moved here, and Li Yi's tofu skin workshop also produces there.

However, Wuji Primary School has now been upgraded to Wuji Academy, which not only has a Confucian Academy to teach the Five Classics, but also a Academy of Law, Calligraphy, Mathematics and Specialized Colleges.

In the past two years, affiliated medical schools, forging, textile, and animal husbandry technical schools have been added one after another.

Behind Xiaowuji Fort, many new campuses have been added, bringing the total number of teachers and students to over a thousand. The primary school section is mostly free, and consists of local students and family members of Li Yi's business owners.

Children aged six or seven can enroll in school for free, including room and board. However, there are entrance exams for each grade, and those who fail are eliminated and lose their eligibility to continue their studies.

Of course, there are also self-funded students, but they must pass an entrance exam and be selected based on merit, with all expenses paid by themselves.

Primary school lasts for three years, and then it's no longer free.

Those with excellent grades will be selected by various businesses within the Li family. Those who are willing will sign contracts and become sponsored students, studying medicine or other fields. Tuition and living expenses will be paid by the sponsoring business, estate, etc. After graduation, they will return to work for the sponsoring party.

Dong Xiucai valued the classics most, followed by calligraphy, law, and mathematics; the rest were considered technical skills in his eyes.

He hoped that Wuji Academy could cultivate some outstanding students of classical studies who could participate in the imperial examinations and pass the tests to become Jinshi or Mingjing.
Students majoring in calligraphy, mathematics, and law could also participate in the imperial examinations and pass these three subjects.

After all,
It's because of these subjects that passing the exams can lead to becoming an official.

Even Dong Xiucai's thoughts were the same as most scholars: he believed that all other professions were inferior except for studying to become an official, and that one should learn both literary and martial arts to serve the emperor.

To be an official is to be a scholar.

The rest are farmers, artisans, and merchants, which are all considered low-class.

Wuji Academy has been doing very well in recent years. One reason is that Li Yi is a living brand, and he is still the honorary principal and the honorary president of the school council.

Furthermore, since he established Wuji Elementary School, he had set up a school council, acquired school property, purchased land and farmland, and had a granary. He also lent out grain and silk and collected interest.
He donated a considerable amount of land, and many other gentry also contributed. The school association had substantial assets, which were not only sufficient to cover the school's expenses, but also allowed them to continue buying land, investing in properties, lending money, and renting out the proceeds.

Those vocational schools that Dong Xiucai looked down on actually made a lot of money every year. The students they recruited were all on a commissioned training program, and they all paid for their services.

A Wuji Academy,
The total number of students now exceeds one thousand.
The sheer number of students eating, drinking, and using the facilities alone generates significant consumer spending.

Those who can study the classics, books, laws, and mathematics at this academy must at least be from landlord families. No landlord can afford to support a student unless they have an annual rent of more than 500 shi (a unit of dry measure).

The students sponsored by the Li family generally don't study this; they study medical, animal husbandry, and other technical fields.

Luo San, who also served as the executive director of the school council, knew the academy's financial situation better than Dong Xiucai. According to him, the academy didn't actually need the school council's assets; tuition fees alone were enough to keep it running, and there was even a surplus.

They learned to collect rent and interest, and have been accumulating growth.

"Currently, there are many students who want to enroll in the four subjects, including classics, and even quite a few scholars from Guandong who want to study here,"

Luo San was uneducated, but he thought that since so many people wanted to study, they could expand enrollment, since they were all paying tuition anyway.

Dong Xiucai did not oppose expanding enrollment, but on one condition: that all students must take an entrance exam each year.

Only qualified candidates should be admitted; we cannot accept anyone just because they pay money, as that would damage the reputation of Wuji Academy.

He hoped to recruit some outstanding scholars so that the academy could recommend them for the imperial examinations and increase their chances of passing.

"I think it's a good idea," Li Yi nodded with a smile.

He initially started Wuji Elementary School to enhance his reputation, but the academy's current success is unexpected.

The academy is now very successful, which has given him considerable fame and attracted many scholars who have been studying in Chang'an to teach there.

Li Yi invited some renowned Confucian scholars, as well as some retired mid-to-low-level officials, to teach his students, offering them generous treatment.
These scholars, Confucianists, and officials were, in fact, also people with connections and resources.

What he didn't expect was that...
This academy now has so many students and is making a lot of money.

Schools always seem to make money; education is never cheap.

The affiliated technical school he insisted on establishing has, in recent years, trained a large number of skilled workers and managers for the Li family's various industries.

This is much faster than the traditional apprenticeship model.

“Countless people in the surrounding villages are grateful to you for allowing their children to study,” Dong Xiucai exclaimed. Li Yi had consistently insisted on providing free education for the children of the surrounding villages, which had indeed earned him great popularity. “Actually, it doesn’t cost much money.”

After all, only children from the surrounding villages and towns are eligible for this, and primary school only lasts for three years, but there are entrance exams every year, and those who fail are not eligible to continue studying.

The meal and lodging were provided, along with a set of clothes and shoes for the year, and some school supplies, so it wasn't much.

But Li Yi's actions
He was praised by everyone in the surrounding villages and even in Chang'an City.

after all,

When ordinary people struggle to even afford food and clothing, how can they afford to send their children to school?

Even studying for only one year is extremely rare.

Even if they only study for a year, they will recognize quite a few characters and learn some basic writing and arithmetic. This will make it much easier for them to find a job as an apprentice in a shop in the future.
This is much better than spending your whole life in the fields.

"Now, in our Yusu Township, doors are left unlocked at night, lost items are not picked up on the road, and the people are honest and simple. This is all thanks to your teachings."

Li Yi said, "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame. When everyone's lives are good, the social customs will naturally improve."

When people are starving and on the verge of death, who cares about etiquette or even the law? Stealing and robbing are no longer a concern.

While it might be an exaggeration to say that people in Yusu Township now have good social customs and that doors are left unlocked at night and lost items are not picked up, their living standards have indeed improved considerably.

At least most people are already striving to achieve basic needs like food and clothing.

Li Yi indeed set a good example. He lent grain and money to the villagers at relatively low interest rates. In years when interest rates were generally doubled, he even offered to repay three times the amount borrowed. Even loans from the imperial court were subject to double interest rates.

Li Yi lends money to the villagers at much lower rates, and he rarely resorts to violent debt collection tactics, nor does he force people to hand over their land, wives, or daughters as collateral.

He rents his land to the villagers without asking for any deposit, without charging any extra fees on top of the rent, and without frequently ordering his tenants to work for him for free.

With less exploitation, tenant farmers and villagers will have a much better life.

Moreover, the Li family also owns many workshops in the village, providing numerous opportunities to earn money. Villagers can work there during their off-season and earn a living.

Li Yi lowered the lending interest rate, so other landlords and wealthy households naturally couldn't be so greedy anymore.

Even nearby places like Mati Temple have lowered their interest rates on their kitchen kitchens.

Li Yi, under the guise of associations and road associations, set up pawnshops and money houses, making it convenient for ordinary people to borrow money at low interest rates. People with spare money could even deposit it to earn some interest.

Unbeknownst to many, Miyuki Village has changed a lot.

Old Dong believed this was the result of his education.

It is said that Li Yi not only helped countless children in the village to read and learn etiquette, but also insisted on running literacy classes at night so that villagers could learn to read and understand culture.

During festivals, the Li family would also visit widows and orphans, bringing them grain and oil.

The Li family also adopted most of the abandoned infants and orphans in the village.

“Teacher, we have studied the classics, and the teachings are: when poor, cultivate your own virtue; when successful, benefit all under heaven. Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. I have only done what I should have done.”

Old Dong nodded.

But then he suddenly began to seriously criticize Li Yi, "You're right, but you didn't do it. I've seen the tremendous changes in Yushu Township over the past few years with my own eyes, and I'm very gratified."

All of this is thanks to you.

but,

You are no longer just Li Yi from Luojiabao in Yusu Township.
You are still the Prince of Dai of the Tang Dynasty, the Minister of Works and the Grand Councilor, and the Prime Minister. You cannot be confined to or satisfied with just this small corner of Yusu Township.
You should have the world in your heart.

We must make the Tang Dynasty even better.

The prime minister assists the monarch in governing the country.

Li Yi was both amused and exasperated by Old Man Dong's serious expression. "Teacher, I have already resigned from my position as Attendant-in-Ordinary, otherwise I wouldn't have time to come back to my hometown now."

Old Dong was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes widened. His finger trembled as he pointed at him, "Why?"

"With great power comes great responsibility. When you achieve success, you should help others. Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. What did you just say?"

"It is commendable that you were able to lead the people of Yushu Township to a life of plenty in just a few years. But now that you have gained the emperor's favor and are in a high position in the court as prime minister, you should be even more dedicated and have the responsibility to assist the monarch so that all the people in the world can live a better life."

"Teacher, calm down, don't get angry and hurt yourself."

When doing things, you can't just bury yourself in hard work; you also have to look up and see the bigger picture.

We must not be impatient, for haste makes waste.

The affairs of the imperial court are far more complex than those of this small village of Yushu.

"Slow down, that's better."

Old Dong said, “Although I am just a teacher, judging from your actions in Yusu Township, you are young but very capable. If you apply what you have learned in Yusu Township to the court and to the world, it will surely be of great use.”

“When the world falls, the people suffer; when it prospers, the people suffer. The people suffer so much.” Old Dong held Li Yi’s hand. “Actually, the people are very easy to satisfy. Look at the people of Yusu Township. They are very content now.”

(End of this chapter)