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

Chapter 772 Guanyin's Chicken Soup
Li Yi arrived in front of the Ganlu Hall.
Two portraits were posted on the palace gate, painted on the peach wood panels.

He stopped and looked at the two statues.

I heard this was painted by the three Yan siblings, and it is indeed lifelike. The second brother, Qin, has a yellow face, phoenix eyes, and a long beard and eyebrows, while Jingde has a purple face, bulging eyes, and a thick beard and eyebrows.

The two men wore fish-scale armor with gleaming round guards, helmets covering the armor, black boots with belts, robes over them, and carried bows and satchels.
Qin Qiong wields his mace with both hands, while Yuchi Gong holds a whip.

Even their respective mounts were painted as if they were real. Qin Shubao rode his drinking leopard, Hulei, while Yuchi Gong rode his black steed, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, with only its four white hooves.

Painted with brightly colored mineral pigments.

Li Yi couldn't help but admire the Yan family, who truly lived up to their reputation as a family of painters and calligraphers. Not only were they highly skilled in engineering design and construction, a tradition passed down through generations, but their figure painting was also exceptional.

The Yan family was also a noble family from Guanzhong, and their mother was a princess of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

The second brother of these three siblings, Yan Liben, seems to have been a prime minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

These two peach wood door god paintings would be extremely valuable if they could be collected.

However, this is a national treasure that can guard the palace gates for the emperor and allow him to sleep peacefully; it cannot be bought even with money.

"King Wei, His Majesty summons you."

The eunuch interrupted Li Yi's thoughts.

"Ah."

Li Yi took off his Six Harmonies boots outside the hall and stepped into the Ganlu Hall.

The emperor was looking at the map of Guanzhong hanging on the screen. "Wuyi, another river has dried up."

"Yes, I have heard that the Hao River has dried up, the riverbed is exposed, and the canals are dry," Li Yi replied.

Li Shimin turned around, his brows furrowed in worry.

Eight rivers once surrounded Chang'an, but now several of them have dried up and stopped flowing.

"How long has it been since it rained?" the emperor sighed.

"In the capital region, it seems like not a single drop of rain has fallen since August."

The fertile Guanzhong Plain has gone 100 days without rain, and the wheat in the fields is suffering from a severe drought.
Although the people are desperately fighting the drought, the drought is getting worse and worse, rivers are drying up, wells are drying up, and things are getting more and more difficult.

It's already November.

Tomorrow is the winter solstice.

"Yes."

During the Tang Dynasty, the winter solstice was an important day, considered as significant as the Lunar New Year.

Before Emperor Wu of Han, the winter solstice was even called the beginning of the year, also known as New Year's Day. It wasn't until the Taichu Calendar was promulgated, which designated the first day of the first lunar month as the year, that the winter solstice and New Year's Day were distinguished.

winter solstice,
The Tang emperor would lead his officials to offer sacrifices to Heaven at the southern suburbs, hold a court assembly with his ministers and envoys from various countries, grant holidays to the government, and also grant a general amnesty.

This is an important holiday on a scale almost comparable to New Year's Day.

During the Tang Dynasty, there were twenty-two annual sacrifices, with the winter solstice sacrifice to Heaven being the first of these twenty-two.

After Li Yuan became emperor, he established a system in which every winter solstice, the Supreme God of Heaven was worshipped at the Altar of Heaven, with Emperor Jing as his counterpart.

The Circular Mound Altar, also known as the Temple of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty, is located two miles east of the Mingde Gate in the capital city.

There will also be a grand court assembly and a royal banquet on the winter solstice.

"Wu Yi, I am about to offer sacrifices to Heaven tomorrow, and I do not know how to face the Supreme God of Heaven."

The current situation is not only characterized by a warm winter and drought in Guanzhong, but also throughout the Tang Dynasty. This is an extremely rare combination of a warm winter and drought.

The situation is more severe in Guanzhong.

"I have no intention of celebrating the winter solstice. The reception of foreign envoys and the palace banquet scheduled for tomorrow are cancelled."

"Your Majesty, I still suggest that we move the capital to Luoyang as soon as possible. This will leave more grain in Guanzhong and better prepare for next year's famine."

"Has it really come to the point where we have to rely on Luoyang for food? Am I to become an emperor who chases after grain?"

What about your government-purchased grain plan?

Li Yi shook his head. "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation and the predictions of the Imperial Observatory, the drought this winter and next spring will be very severe, the wheat harvest next summer will be severely reduced or even fail completely, and there is also a high probability of summer and autumn locusts next year."
Even if the imperial court purchases grain now, Guanzhong will still struggle to be self-sufficient next year.

It was even more difficult to supply the capital's court, officials, and the imperial guards and soldiers.

"It would be better to lead these 100,000 people directly to Luoyang for food. This would save us the trouble of transporting supplies and also leave more grain in Guanzhong, so that more starving people could be saved in times of disaster."

Li Yi remembered
A few years ago, during the famine, a bushel of rice was worth a bolt of silk, and even a bushel of millet could be sold to a young, unmarried woman. Many refugees were taken home simply for a bite to eat.

Not to mention the nobles and powerful families, and even brothels that bought and sold people at extremely low prices.

Having just experienced the chaos of the Sui Dynasty,

People had only enjoyed a few days of peace, but most families had little savings.

The imperial government also did not have much savings. If there was a small-scale disaster or famine, it could allocate relief funds, but if there was a large-scale disaster or famine, it could not provide relief.

Li Shimin gritted his teeth,
"Last time, when the Three-Tier Sect was banned and the Endless Treasury was confiscated, a lot of grain was seized. If, as Fu Yi said, Buddhism is completely eradicated, how much grain can be obtained?"

How much gold, silver, and silk can be seized, how much copper can be melted down to cast coins, and how much capital can be raised to purchase grain?
Will we be able to survive this natural disaster?

Li Yi never expected that the emperor would take such a risk as to suppress Buddhism in order to avert this calamity.

"His Majesty,
Disaster struck, and the people starved.
At this time, stability is even more crucial. If Buddhism is suppressed, some people will inevitably resort to desperate measures, inciting and misleading the public.

"If the starving people are then incited, they are capable of anything."

"I can think of a way to get most of the food out of the temple, whether by borrowing or buying it."

Li Shimin lowered his head.
"Do you think that if I were to stay overnight in the southern suburbs for seven days, eating only one meal of vegetables each day, and pray to the heavens for rain, I would not be able to obtain any sweet rain?"

"Your Majesty may order monks and Taoists to set up an altar and pray for rain," Li Yi said.

Li Shimin understood what his trusted confidant meant.
Rainfall is something that cannot be changed by human effort; praying for rain is often just a means of calming people's hearts.

The drought is severe, and the winter is unusually warm.

The emperor's personal prayer for rain may seem to appease people temporarily, but if the rain fails to come, it will damage the emperor's prestige.

On the contrary, having monks and Taoist priests pray for rain not only demonstrates the emperor's attitude but also avoids the trouble of failing to bring rain.

Li Yi clearly believed that it wouldn't rain for the time being.

"Your Majesty, let's move the capital to Luoyang."

Li Yi made the request again.

There is widespread anxiety and food prices are soaring, but a famine is not expected in the immediate future. The real famine will occur in February or March of next year during the lean season.
If the summer harvest fails, the famine will worsen.

If summer and autumn locusts strike again, it will be even more troublesome. Starving people will scatter, unable to cultivate the land, and the next season will be another harvestless season, creating a vicious cycle where the number of displaced people snowballs.
The refugees will be more terrifying than swarms of locusts, and they will destroy everything.

After Li Yi left
Li Shimin was suffering alone.

Empress Zhangsun held her daughter Lizhi in her arms and held the hand of Prince Yue Li Tai with one hand, while Crown Prince Chengqian followed his mother carrying a food box.

"Your Majesty, I have prepared some ginseng soup."

Li Shimin, with a broad smile, took the food box from his eldest son.

The ginseng chicken soup is still warm. "Let's all have some together."

Looking at his wife and three children born of his principal wife, Li Shimin smiled.

The Queen said she had only prepared one bowl.

Li Shimin then laughed and said that it was fine for the whole family to drink from one bowl together. He held the bowl, and the five family members drank from it, taking turns sip by sip.

Is Your Majesty still worried about the weather?

"Yes, there has been no rain in Guanzhong for a hundred days. The drought is getting worse and worse in various places, and it hasn't gotten cold for a while. The wheat is going to be lost. Sigh."

Just now, Wu Yi came again to persuade me to lead all the officials to Luoyang for a meal.

"I have only recently ascended the throne, and have only been in the Taiji Palace for a short time. Now I must rely on Luoyang for sustenance; wouldn't that make me known as the 'Emperor Who Chases Food'?"

Seeing how haggard her husband had become lately, Changsun felt very sorry for him.

“Minister Li has always had a long-term vision. Since he has repeatedly advised His Majesty to move to Luoyang for a meal, why not discuss this matter with the officials of the court?”

Li Shimin said, "Since Wang Shichong surrendered, although the palace in Luoyang has been preserved, it has been under lockdown and has not been maintained much in recent years."

Moving there so suddenly will likely cause many changes.

"And with so many officials and their families, plus tens of thousands of soldiers, all going there at once, it's not easy to accommodate them all."

Changsun said gently, "Actually, Your Majesty is overthinking it. Special times call for special measures. This is not about moving the capital to Luoyang."
It was just a special circumstance that led to a temporary relocation to Luoyang; to put it bluntly, it was to seek refuge in Luoyang.

Even though Luoyang Palace hasn't been repaired for years, Luoyang city is still quite large; they can accommodate us temporarily, even if it means some hardship.

Li Shimin looked at his wife and said, "I'm also worried that I might have wronged you."

"What grievances do we have?"

"His Majesty's conditions were even more rudimentary during his campaigns in the east and west. Now that we've followed His Majesty to Luoyang, do you expect us to suffer from hunger and cold?"

The ginseng chicken soup stewed by the Queen was incredibly delicious.

"Guanyinbi, do you think I really made a terrible mistake, which is why Heaven sent down disaster victims as a warning?"

"If I am truly wrong, I hope that Heaven will punish only me, and not bring disaster upon all the people of the world!"

Six-year-old Chengqian looked at his father and said loudly, "Father is a good emperor. Why would Heaven punish Father?"

Li Shimin reached out and stroked his son's face, looking at his innocent face, and asked, "Do you think your father is a good emperor?"

“Yes, Enyi often says that Father is a good emperor.”

"Kindness and gratitude?"

"It's Li Enyi, whom Aye adopted from Li Situ's Puji Orphanage in Yushu Township."

"Oh, I remember now, that somewhat dark-skinned and thin child, did he also say I was a good emperor?"

“Yes, Enyi used to be so pitiful and miserable. But after he met Li Situ and entered the Puji Temple, he finally started to live a good life. He said that the best people in the world are his father and Li Situ.”

The young crown prince's words made Li Shimin feel much better.

"Your Majesty, you have done more than enough in such a short time since you ascended the throne. Why blame yourself? I believe that this calamity is only temporary. As long as the monarch and his ministers work together and the people unite as one, we can overcome this difficult time!"

After finishing his shift, Li Yi did not go home immediately, but went to Xinchangfang in the south of the city and climbed the cherry blossom garden on Leyouyuan.

Under the evening glow,
Huo Yu is teaching Xiao Yu'er to dance with a sword.

She commissioned a craftsman to make a very small and exquisite wooden sword for Xiaoyuer.
The mother and daughter made gestures one by one.
Li Yi clapped and cheered, startling the mother and son.

"Yay!" Xiaoyuer saw Li Yi, threw down her sword and rushed towards him, leaping up in a flash. Li Yi quickly reached out and caught her.

"Yay, what brings you here?"

"Of course I'm here to see my precious little Yu'er."

Li Yi magically produced a candied hawthorn skewer, which Xiao Yu'er happily accepted, kissing him several times on the lips.

"Let's play."

Huo Yu looked at Li Yi with a face full of tenderness.

“This is for you,” Li Yi said, pulling out another beautiful flower.

"The thorny rose, the flower you like."

Huo Yu blushed, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"I just gave Xiaoyuer some candy, and she kissed me several times. Now that I'm giving you such a beautiful rose, shouldn't you kiss me a few times too?"

Huo Yu blushed and looked around. Seeing that Xiao Yu'er had been taken away by the wet nurses and nannies and that no one was around, she leaned in and quickly kissed him on the cheek before moving away.

"Hahaha!"

Huo Yu held the thorny rose in her hand, her face full of love.

The two strolled hand in hand, the setting sun casting long shadows on them.

"Next year, there might be a famine in Guanzhong, and even Guandong might experience food shortages. I plan to transport grain from Lingnan by both land and sea to the Central Plains. You've traded grain in Jiangnan before, so you have existing connections."
How about you make the trip?

Huo Yu bit her lip and shook her head, "I can arrange for someone to go, but I can't go myself."

"what happened?"

"I'm pregnant," Huo Yu said somewhat embarrassedly. Although she was only in her thirties, she was already a grandmother, and she was pregnant out of wedlock.

"That's great. You must take good care of yourself during pregnancy. I'll arrange for someone else to handle the grain transport."

Transporting grain from Lingnan, or even from Jiaozhi, was extremely costly; in normal years, it would have been a losing proposition.

But famine is inevitable next year; most parts of the Central Plains will experience food shortages. Grain prices in Chang'an have already doubled.

Next year, during the lean season, the price of rice will almost certainly rise to 100 coins per dou (a unit of dry measure). If most areas experience poor harvests or total crop failure by summer, the price will likely rise further, perhaps even reaching 200 coins per dou as before.
It's even possible that prices will rise further, after all, food is essential for life. You'll get hungry if you don't eat.

Even if grain prices increase tenfold, the high transportation costs won't result in a loss.

Whoever can get their hands on grain is basically making money off the ground.

Li Yi was certainly not the kind of person who only wanted to profit from the national crisis, but he could transport grain to help the people survive the famine and also make money, so why not?

Lingnan, especially Jiaozhi, the Pearl River Delta and the Red River Delta, is not short of food. Jiaozhi, in particular, can harvest three crops a year. Although Champa rice does not taste very good, it has a good yield.

Next year, there will be a famine. In the Central Plains, a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice can be worth one or two bolts of silk, or two or three hundred coins. But in Lingnan, a dou of rice might only be worth two or three coins.

Li Yi originally wanted Huo Yu to make the arrangements.

Now that both she and Li Rulian are pregnant, neither of them can preside over this matter; we should send someone else instead.

Fortunately, Li Yi had already made plans in Lingnan. He had previously collaborated with Zhang San, the Bearded Man, on maritime trade and shipbuilding there, and now these plans could come in handy.

Furthermore, Liu Lancheng was serving as the military governor of Guangzhou, and he had a fairly good relationship with Feng Ang, the Prince of Lingnan.
“Traveling all the way to Lingnan, especially to Jiaozhi to transport grain, the transportation cost may be ten times that of the grain itself. Are you really sure there will be a great famine next year?” Huo Yu nestled against Li Yi, watching the sunset.

This is not about transporting grain from the Jianghuai region to Hebei and Daibei.

Li Yi held her close, gazing at the stunning sunset. "If there really is no famine next year, even if we lose everything, I'll be willing. I truly wish for favorable weather and peace and prosperity next year."

(End of this chapter)