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

Chapter 834 The Crown Prince's Agreement

Grain prices in Luoyang are rising every day.

Before the first month of the lunar calendar was even over, the price of rice had already risen to two hundred coins, and a sense of panic was spreading.

Grain shops in the three cities of Luoyang only sell grain for the first hour of each day after they open.

Every day, long lines formed in front of the grain shops as people rushed to buy grain.

After the morning court session,
The emperor bestowed upon the officials the "Four Treasures Tea and Rice," which resembled tea cakes but contained no tea.

Instead, it is made from corn flour, wheat flour, alfalfa flour, and locust egg flour, and can be eaten by boiling or soaking.

Under the outer corridor of the Golden Palace,
Freshly cooked Four Treasures Rice on a stove.

Simply add boiling water and cook for a while, and it will become a pot of porridge.

The emperor led the way in eating.
"When I'm free, I'll eat thin porridge; when I'm busy, I'll eat dry food. From now on, I'll eat this for one of my two meals a day. In times of famine, we must be frugal and not waste food."

As officials, we should all set an example. Saving even a single grain of rice can save the life of a starving person.

Officials who could attend regular court sessions were all central government officials of the fifth rank or above, or officials serving in the two provinces; they all had promising futures.
This "Four Treasures Rice" was made without oil, salt, or seasoning; it was coarse and even had a fishy smell. Many people couldn't stomach it, but the emperor ate it heartily, so everyone else could only force themselves to swallow it.

Li Yi has eaten this stuff several times already, and he's gotten somewhat used to it.

They ate very calmly.

As one of the Three Dukes and the Prime Minister, and also the one who invented this Four Treasures Tea and Rice, he naturally had to actively respond to the Emperor's call.
He immediately put down his bowl and said that from now on he would eat two meals a day, one dry and one porridge, and the porridge meal would be a four-treasure tea rice.

The Grand Secretary Yuwen Shiji stepped forward and offered to suspend his own salary and use it for disaster relief.

As soon as these words came out,
Many officials were already cursing under their breath.

You, Yuwen Shiji, are a prime minister, a nobleman from several dynasties, with a large and prosperous family. You are a third-rank prime minister, with an annual salary of four hundred shi of rice.

It's naturally not worth mentioning to you.
But for many officials, the romicosque is still their main source of income.

A fifth-rank official's annual salary was only 200 shi (a unit of grain), while a fifth-rank official's salary was only 160 shi.

If it weren't for the rent from official lands and the government office funds and rent subsidies, the capital would be unaffordable. Besides, these are all fifth-rank officials.
Who doesn't have a large family to support, and who doesn't have servants to do their bidding?
With grain prices so high now, they have their own stipends, so they don't need to buy expensive grain from outside, and they can even sell some of the surplus.

You, Yuwen Shiji, are aloof and arrogant.
If you stop the stipend, even just temporarily suspend it, how can a large family go without food and drink? Are you suggesting they scramble for expensive grain and queue up? Where is that dignity?
Li Yi stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Lord Yuwen suggested is inappropriate. Officials also need to eat, and they also have families to support."
Not all officials owned many fields and estates.
If the stipends for rice are suspended, some officials will have no rice to cook. Even the emperor doesn't starve his soldiers; how can officials do good for the court and the people when they're hungry?

"Of course, Lord Yuwen's loyalty deserves to be commended."

The stipends must still be paid, and we must do everything we can to ensure that they are paid on time and in sufficient quantities.

If Lord Yuwen has a surplus of grain at home, he may voluntarily sell grain to the Imperial Treasury after paying his share to the public granary and selling all the grain purchased through public channels.

Yuwen Shiji felt some regret.

But now that Li Yi had pinned him against the wall, he had no choice but to back down, saying, "Your subject is willing to sell five thousand shi of grain to the court."
No, I'll borrow five thousand shi of grain.

Li Shimin stroked his meticulously trimmed beard. "Hmm, Duke of Ying is commendably loyal. I bestow upon you a pair of silver bottles and a box of four kinds of tea and rice."

"Of the five thousand shi of grain, the court will return six thousand shi to you after the summer harvest next year, and if it is returned after the autumn harvest next year, an additional five hundred shi will be added."

Yuwen Shiji could only smile bitterly and agree.

It pays two percent interest per year.

However, with grain prices so high now, if we lend out 5,000 shi of grain, we will earn at least 5,000 shi of interest in just six months.

Who told me to speak so quickly? Seeing Wen Yanbo dismissed from his post as prime minister, I thought I should remove the "inspector" title from my own title as prime minister as soon as possible.

Li Yi brought home a box of Four Treasures Tea.

The thought of having to reduce my food intake and diet in the future is giving me a headache.

He's the kind of person who likes to enjoy life.
He couldn't be like his uncle Zhang Daoyuan, a third-rank official who ate simple meals every day and used all his money to do good deeds and help others.

Oh well, let's just treat this as a weight-loss meal.

I think I've gained a little weight recently.

Men in the Tang Dynasty loved beards and robust physiques, believing that men with big beards were the most handsome and had a more masculine presence.

However, Li Yi didn't like to grow a long beard; he kept a short beard, trimmed it frequently, and didn't like to be too muscular.

He exercises regularly, has low body fat, and a well-proportioned figure, which he is quite satisfied with. However, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Luo Shixin all say that he is too thin, and even the emperor says that he should develop a potbelly.

Li Yicai was in his twenties.

I don't want to develop a potbelly too early.

Arrive home,

He first summoned Luo Sanniang.

"Starting this month, all the laborers and slaves on our estates and workshops will be subject to a rationing system."

Eat two meals a day, one liquid and one dry, and try to save food as much as possible.

Of course, we are not trying to exploit them. We need to make it clear to them that their original food and clothing allowances are not reduced, but they are currently experiencing famine, so they need to be frugal.

But we recorded the saved grain in their accounts, which could be converted into money or silk cloth for them, or they could keep it for future use. We could even calculate interest for them.”

Luo San Niang was somewhat puzzled.
"Ah Lang, everyone knows that this year's summer harvest will be poor or even a complete failure, and there will be a famine. Grain prices are soaring, and even with long queues, it's still difficult to buy grain."

Many people are already starving, and the fact that our family can still provide them with food and drink is already a great kindness.

Saving some food is only right; there's no need to do that.

Li Yi said very seriously, "The most important reason why our family business has been able to prosper in such a short period of time is that we put people first."
We treat them well, and they repay our kindness by working hard for us.

Just do as I say. "Also,
In the past two years, our family sold most of our land in the Central Plains and bought a lot of land in the Jiangnan and Lingnan regions to grow sugarcane and cotton.

The imperial court has now introduced policies to encourage settlement and reclamation in the south.

I think we can buy more land in the south, or rent some land to cultivate. There is famine in the Central Plains right now, and many people will go hungry.

We are also recruiting more people from the Guanzhong and Sanhe regions to settle and cultivate land in the south.

Whether you're a single person or bringing your whole family, as long as you're willing to sign a contract and work for at least a year, we can hire you, and the benefits will be better.

"My lord, I've suggested sending men to the south to cultivate the land, but I believe that only able-bodied young men should be recruited."

The contract should be for at least three to five years; otherwise, the expenses along the way will be considerable, and leaving after only one year is not worthwhile, especially if you're taking your whole family with you.

"Don't be too shrewd with your calculations, and don't just focus on the superficial aspects."

The South has no shortage of land to cultivate, but it lacks people the most. My family grows cotton and sugarcane there, produces sugar, and processes cotton textiles, all of which are very profitable industries.

The more people there are, the more you earn.

Moreover, it also helps disaster victims, which is also an act of kindness and accumulating merit.

"Alright." Third Sister thought about how her family had to set aside a lot of money and grain every year to help the widowed and orphaned, and to help the elderly and weak, so she didn't say anything more.

"Alang."

"Ah."

Speaking of the yellow cat, Luo San Niang said, "That cat is really good at catching mice. It caught a lot of mice as soon as it arrived. After catching the mice, it would specially bring them back and put them there to show off its achievements."

"Also, Enze and Dabing gave those five kittens a bath and had the vet give them deworming powder."
They look very pretty now.

They both liked the Crown Prince and Shuniang very much.
"It's all been divided up. One for Shuniang, one for Wanniang, and then one each for Taipinglang, Ping'anlang, and the Crown Prince."

Li Yi went to change his clothes.
Then he went to the front hall to see the little ones.

Sure enough, as soon as I entered, I saw Prince Chengqian and Little Chili, each holding a kitten.

The kitten looked even smaller, prettier, and cuter after its bath.

"Aye."

Little Chili ran over carrying the little yellow cat, "Daddy, look how cute my cat is!"

Little Hakimi was indeed incredibly cute and adorable as a child.

When the mother cat first brought it home, it was a bit dirty and looked like a little mouse, but now it's all fluffy and incredibly cute.

Crown Prince Chengqian also held the light yellow-spotted one with great affection.

Some of the children even named their kittens.

The younger children in the family didn't get one and could only stand by with envious looks.

“If you like kittens, you can keep them, but you have to take good care of them. You can’t like them for a couple of days and then just abandon them.”

"We love it so much, we would never abandon it. We will definitely take good care of it," said Little Chili, holding the kitten.

"Okay, I'll have the vet give the kittens a thorough check-up later. They need to be dewormed, both inside and out."

Li Yi looked at the Crown Prince.

Chengqian met his gaze and hugged the kitten tightly. "Your Highness, I will take good care of it too."

"Yes, that's fine. But the first month of the lunar calendar is almost over now. When does Your Highness plan to return?"

Upon hearing this, Chengqian's face turned somewhat unpleasant.

My time here, though short, was very happy and enjoyable, especially meeting my friends Li Shu and Li Cong.
Although he had companions in the palace, all of whom were sons of princes and nobles from the imperial family, those children, regardless of age, were all quite boring.

She wouldn't treat him as a friend like Li Shu did.

He liked this place, and he liked his friends like Li Shu.

"Your Highness, I don't want to go back to the palace," Chengqian said, mustering his courage.

Li Yi smiled and said, "But after the New Year, Your Highness still has to go to school. You can't just play every day and fall behind in your studies."

Even Ping An Lang, Tai Ping Lang, and Xiao La Jiao have to attend classes.

Chengqian immediately said, "Your Highness, I can go to school with Shuniang and Taipinglang."

Li Yi feigned reluctance, saying, "This is against the rules; you should be studying at the Hongwen Academy."

"Your Majesty, I promise I will stay and study hard."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, I promise!" Chengqian clenched his right fist and patted his small chest.

Li Yi smiled and said, "Then I will plead with His Majesty tomorrow. Your Highness, please study here with Taiping Lang and the others. If you can study diligently, I will ask His Majesty to let you stay."

If Your Highness cannot do that, then you will have no choice but to study at the Hongwen Academy.

"It's a deal?"

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!" The young prince nodded earnestly.

Li Yi extended his hand, "Then let's make a high five."

"it is good."

Two hands, one big and one small, clapping together.

(End of this chapter)