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

Chapter 730 Village Drinking

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is coming to my house for a banquet?"

Luo Er blushed and began to stammer.

Li Shouyi, the young steward of the Prince of Dai's residence, nodded. "Second Uncle, not only His Majesty is coming to drink, but all the prime ministers from the Council of State Affairs will also be coming."

"Well, I wasn't prepared. I just killed a pig and slaughtered a sheep. I wasn't prepared at all." Luo Er was at a loss. He knew the emperor was in Wuji Fortress.
But who would have thought that the emperor would come to his farmhouse for a banquet?

"Second Uncle, don't be nervous. Ah Lang said there's no need for special preparations," Li Shouyi reassured him with a smile.

"Hey, Shouyi, you take care of things for me. I can't even remember which leg to step with first when I walk," Luo Er said nervously and helplessly to the young man.

Li Shouyi was a servant that Li Yi bought six years ago. At that time, he was just a teenager. Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now he is a capable steward.

“Okay,” Li Shouyi agreed with a smile and immediately began making arrangements.

The dishes are farm-style, mainly made with pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese raised on their own farm. The wine is produced in Yusu Town, including persimmon liquor and glutinous rice wine.

Luo Er really went all out to entertain his daughter and son-in-law today.

He had specially invited all the prominent figures in town to a banquet, but he never expected that the emperor would bring a group of prime ministers to the banquet.

The emperor was brought back on horseback by five-year-old Chili Pepper.
Changsun Wuji and others stepped forward to greet him. Li Shimin dismounted first and then reached out to help Li Shu down, but the little girl nimbly stepped on the stirrups and jumped off the horse herself.

Li Shimin grew to like the girl more and more the more he looked at her. It was a pity that Li Yi was also a member of the imperial family, and the girl was also a county princess of the imperial family. Otherwise, he would have really wanted to arrange for the girl to marry the crown prince Chengqian.

“Fuji, when you arranged your marriage with Wuyi, your aunt betrothed to Wuyi’s eldest son. You misjudged him. Your eldest son should have married Wuyi’s eldest daughter.”

Changsun Wuji chuckled, but in his heart he didn't think much of it. This girl was too naughty. Besides, did he know that although she was granted the title of Princess of Daning County, she was actually Li Yi's adopted daughter?

His eldest son is the legitimate heir, and his current betrothal is to the emperor and empress's eldest daughter, Lizhi. This marriage strengthens family ties and is far better than marrying a wild girl.

"The eldest daughter of the Li family is truly remarkable; at such a young age, she dares to ride a big horse."

Li Shimin teased Li Shu with a smile, "I have many fine horses in my palace. If you recognize me as your godfather, you can choose two as gifts later."

"Are there Ferghana horses in the palace? My father said that the Kingdom of Kang in the Western Regions presented Ferghana horses to the emperor. He said that the horses sweat blood when they run, and they are the most magnificent horses." Li Shu raised her head and said.

"Yes, Kangguo has presented over a thousand fine horses as tribute, including Ferghana horses. Just shout 'Yes!' and you can choose any one you like."

Li Shu glanced at Li Shimin, but immediately refused, "No way."

"Ah, why not?"

"I only have one father."

Changsun Wuji laughed from the side, "No, you have two fathers. One is your biological father, who I heard is from the same hometown, and the other father is Li Yi, who is your adoptive father."

Suddenly, Little Chili rushed over and kicked Changsun Wuji, yelling, "You big fatso, you're no good!"

Changsun Wuji grabbed her, "Oh dear, you're quite the wild one."

Before he finished speaking,
Unable to break free, Li Shu lowered her head and bit his hand hard. Changsun Wuji let go in pain, and Li Shu took the opportunity to run away.

After running more than ten steps, he stood with his hands on his hips and started cursing at Changsun Wuji.

When Changsun Wuji saw the row of bloody teeth marks on the tiger's mouth, he thought, "This girl is really ruthless."

"Auxiliary Machine, don't take it to heart by arguing with that girl," Li Shimin said to his brother-in-law, whose face had darkened.

Just then, Li Yi returned.
“Lord Changsun, I apologize to you on behalf of my daughter. I was negligent in disciplining her and shouldn’t have scolded her. But Lord Changsun, you shouldn’t have said those things to the child.”

Changsun Wuji, feeling awkward, could only chuckle and say, "Your girl is really something."

This little incident happened, but it was nothing serious.

However, when Li Shimin tried to persuade Li Shu to recognize him as her godfather, Li Shu refused, saying that she only had one godfather, Li Yi, and that he would only ever be her godfather.

Even if Li Shimin said he was only doing Ganye, Ganye wouldn't work.

The little girl refused the emperor and ran away, seemingly crying. Li Yi smiled and chased after her, finding her under the large soapberry tree.

"Dropping golden tears?" Li Yi laughed.

The girl turned her head away.

"Meow!"

As soon as she returned to the countryside, she ran wild. The elk Zhao Cai, who was often nowhere to be seen, jumped down from the tree and squatted down beside Li Shu, silently guarding her.

Li Yi sat down on her other side.

Two people, one big and one small, sat side by side with a big cat.

"I only recognize my father, I don't want any other fathers."

"Yes, you will always be Aye's precious daughter."

The little girl's tears flowed like a burst dam, and she sobbed pitifully. Li Yi pulled her into his arms.

She buried her head in her father's broad chest, crying and talking at the same time.

original,

At just over five years old, she was already quite sensible. Back in the countryside of Yushu, she overheard the village women gossiping behind her back and learned that she wasn't Li Yi's biological child, but rather adopted.
He even heard that his biological parents abandoned him, leaving him at the gate of Wuji Fortress on a cold winter morning.

However, they still frequently approach the Li family, using their connections to demand favors.

The prince's mansion disliked them, but they would still often give them something to eat.

After learning about these things, Li Shu was very sad and upset, and felt extremely wronged.

"Father, you are my only father, please don't abandon me."

“Silly child, you are your father’s daughter, how could your father abandon you?”

"Meow!" The big tabby cat also meowed, as if to say that it would not abandon Shuniang either.

Five-year-old Li Shu nestled in her father's arms, holding the raccoon cat Xiao Hua in one arm, feeling a sense of security.

The local gentry all attended the banquet at Luo Er's house.

They had thought they would have a chance to drink and exchange a few words with Prince Li Yijing, but they never expected the emperor to arrive, along with all the prime ministers.

Suddenly,

One by one, the rural landlords and wealthy merchants were all intimidated and even speechless.

"Wu Yi, all of you are from your hometown. Introduce your fellow villagers to me properly."

The emperor, on the other hand, was very proactive and friendly.

Li Yi then held Li Shu, who was sleeping on his shoulder, while introducing her to the emperor one by one.

The local gentry were both apprehensive and extremely excited.

Among these people, the richest was the Guo family on the plateau, who owned several thousand acres of land and a few workshops. The others, such as the Feng and Wang families, were even less wealthy.

Luo Er, Luo San, and Guo Er are already considered rising stars in the village.

These wealthy households in Yushu Township all share a common characteristic: they are not only landowners with vast tracts of land, but they also engage in commerce and industry, owning workshops or shops.

Either relatives or clansmen are running the business, or they have hired a manager to handle it.
On one hand, they owned land and had many tenant farmers and long-term laborers; on the other hand, they ran workshops and shops, with managers and employees, and frequently hired temporary workers. They also lent money and collected interest.

They live a very comfortable life, and things have been getting better and better in recent years.

These wealthy families in the countryside also had a common characteristic: their sons were all selected as soldiers, and many of them were even military officers.

Most of them were soldiers selected from the local militia in recent years, and most of them followed Li Yi on campaigns and were awarded official positions for their meritorious service.

Those with higher official positions, such as Li Cunxiao, were originally prisoners of war from the Chipai Qiang tribe in Longyou. They were given to Li Yi as slaves. Later, they made meritorious contributions and became members of the Imperial Guard. Through continuous accumulation of merits, they became the governor of Daibei.

Liu Heizi, who used to be a tenant farmer of the Guo family, is now a fifth-rank general.

The man hosting today, Luo Er, used to sell tofu. Now, his two sons are a General of Chariots and Cavalry and a Deputy General of the Flying Cavalry...

More than a decade ago, a monstrous dragon roamed Shibianyu, causing devastation along the banks of the thirty-mile-long Hao River. Countless people fled their homes to escape the famine, and the area has not recovered for many years.

Since Li Yi returned with his master six years ago...

The place has undergone earth-shattering changes.

Onsu River is not as good as Fanchuan River.
Fanchuan is home to two powerful families, the Wei and the Du.

The Wang, Qu, Wang, and Guo families of Yushuchuan were merely ordinary powerful clans.

The newly emerging powerful families in Yushu Township in recent years have all followed Li Yi.

Every local gentryman introduced to the emperor by Li Yi was similar to Luo Er; they couldn't even finish a sentence.

Li Shimin, however, did not care.

He greeted us with a smile and asked us a few friendly questions.

Waiting to meet them one by one,

"Everyone, please take a seat."

The emperor raised his wine cup.

"Yushu Township has been upgraded to Yushu Town, and the imperial court wants to try out some new policies here, from the grain tax of two sheng of millet per mu in the public granary to the household registration system and the introduction of commercial taxes. What are your opinions?"

"If you have any opinions, you can speak up directly."

The group of wealthy country folk stood up excitedly. Before coming, Luo San had discussed this matter with them at the guild hall.

Everyone had strong opinions.

But at this time,
Faced with the emperor's personal inquiry,

But they all blushed and patted their chests, saying, "We have no objection. Paying taxes is a matter of course."

"Two-tenths of a thousand coins are taxed upon arrival, three-tenths upon residence, and four-tenths upon loss of a thousand coins. Do you think this is reasonable?"

"It's reasonable, it's reasonable, it's not expensive at all, we can all accept it."

These rural tycoons had no intention of resisting imperial power, and why would they resist it, since the tax rate was indeed not high.

Li Shimin smiled and raised his cup.

"Cheers!"

The wealthy men raised their glasses one after another, downing them in one gulp regardless of whether they could drink or not.

After today,

They could also tell others that they had drunk with the emperor and with the prime ministers.

This is something they can brag about for a lifetime.

The emperor was also very satisfied with the attitude of the local gentry.

"Grant him a rank of nobility!"

Luo Er and other local gentry and tycoons were all granted a first-class title, which was a civilian title, or a meritorious official title.

He was granted a promotion to Military Cavalry Captain, equivalent to a seventh-rank official.

At this time, the bestowal of honorary titles was not yet completely indiscriminate, nor had it degenerated into something akin to servants or clerks. These officials still retained some privileges and power.
For example, meritorious officials could own permanent land, and commoners with merit could take concubines or hold official positions.

Luo Er straightened his back a bit.

Although his position as a military officer was only equivalent to a seventh-rank official, a world of difference from his cousin Luo San's seventh-rank deputy town official position, he had once been the lowest-ranking tenant farmer selling tofu, but now he held a military rank.

Raising his wine cup, Luo Er toasted the emperor, his son-in-law Li Yi, and the various prime ministers, downing several large cups in one go.
He, who had a low alcohol tolerance, quickly passed out drunk on the ground, but his face was full of smiles.

(End of this chapter)