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

Chapter 836 Broadening Horizons

"I heard that there was a neighbor named Old Wang in Tongjifang who traded for a meal with tea and rice in our village. As a result, his three-year-old daughter was so hungry that she choked to death on a piece of undercooked food?"

Ten-day break

Li Yi came to Chanhe Manor to rest and take the opportunity to check on the processing of famine relief grain on the manor.

Pei Zhuangtou said with a wry smile, "It is true. Nobody expected such a thing to happen. Old Wang often came to our village to exchange grain, just so we could get an extra ounce or two of millet per pound compared to the government."

That day, when they saw our workshop's "Four Treasures Rice Tea," they heard that one pound of millet could be exchanged for two pounds of rice tea, so they wanted to exchange it, saying they had too many mouths to feed at home.

"Don't worry, Ah Lang. After hearing about this, we went to offer our condolences and gave them six bushels of millet, two bolts of cloth, and a small coffin. We also helped with the funeral arrangements."

Old Wang was an honest and upright man. He never thought of extorting us. He even said he wanted to apply to go to Lingnan to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land. He said he had discussed it with his wife and children and was willing to sign a ten-year contract.

Old Wang said he didn't want his wife and children to suffer the same tragedy as his youngest daughter due to hunger.

Pei Zhuangtou sighed, "Actually, Old Wang and his wife had more than three children; his wife gave birth to seven in total. Two of them died because they lacked breast milk at birth."

The other two are quite large.

A few years ago, the world was in chaos, and Luoyang was besieged. A bushel of rice cost eight or nine thousand coins. My eldest son was almost twenty years old. He caught a rat, but it was snatched away by other starving people. In the chaos, he was pushed and hit the back of his head on a stone, and that was the end of him.

The eldest daughter is already fourteen, nearing marriageable age, but the city is besieged by famine.

Old Wang sold his daughter for a bushel of millet.
The family survived on that single bushel of millet, but their daughter had been sold off by a slave trader.

Li Yi could only sigh after hearing this.
Such a thing.
Over the years, so many things have happened, even things that have become commonplace.

People hear it so often that they become numb to it.

After all, there are many, many more tragic stories, such as exchanging children to eat, which sounds like a horror story.

When Luoyang was besieged,

It was like a living hell, where you were tortured and waiting to die.

Now, with a great famine looming...

Old Wang's youngest daughter has died, and he no longer wants to stay; there's nothing left for him to cherish.

He was a worker in the neighboring West Market, doing manual labor like carrying bags and pushing carts. He had no special skills and no capital.

By selling one's physical strength,
In peaceful times, we could barely make ends meet.

But when the famine struck, people from the lowest social strata like them were the first to fall victim.

Now I'd rather take a gamble in Lingnan.

“Old Wang is quite pitiful. Give the order to take good care of his family on the way to Lingnan.”

The imperial court is now recruiting people to settle in Lingnan to cultivate land, which is also a way to seek food in the south and avoid famine in advance.

Some people were moved and responded to the call.

Some people are hesitant and are still observing.

Some people were unwilling to leave, even though they knew famine was beginning, they stubbornly refused to leave their homeland, or rather, they dared not leave this familiar place.

The Li family is also recruiting people, and they're going to even more distant places.

The imperial court recruited people to cultivate land, which was done locally and through connections between different prefectures.

Whether the Li family recruited from Guanzhong or Sanhe, they primarily sent them to Lingnan. There, more land was available for cultivation; the land was vast and sparsely populated, making it ideal for large-scale agricultural estates, sugarcane and cotton cultivation, and sugar and textile production.

Especially in the Lingnan region, there is the advantage of river and sea transportation.

In particular, by taking advantage of the Maritime Silk Road trade, the Li family's sugar production and textiles could also be put on the export trade route.

Lingnan

That was a barbaric place that most people from the Central Plains would shake their heads at the mere mention of it.
A place of exile for criminals.

But when faced with survival,

There was no other choice.

The Li family has a good reputation over the years, so many people would rather join the Li family's recruitment program and go to the more distant Lingnan region than go to the Li family.

"My lord, I am somewhat worried."

Many of the people who are willing to accept our recruitment to settle in Lingnan are good citizens and have offered to sign long-term contracts, believing that the benefits of long-term contracts are better.

They also felt that there hadn't been many peaceful days in the Central Plains in recent years, and they thought they could have a few days of good food in Lingnan.

But they were all law-abiding citizens, tax-paying households.
Would the imperial court allow them to stay in Lingnan year after year? Wouldn't that make them fugitives?

"Furthermore, if they are recruited and employed by us to cultivate and reclaim wasteland, won't some people say we're breaking the law...?"

Li Yi waved his hand.
"Don't worry, these things have been discussed in the court, and His Majesty has given his approval."

Right now, disaster relief and saving lives are the top priorities; everything else is secondary.

The problems you mentioned are both problems and not problems.

Once the famine has passed, the imperial court can grant land to those who wish to settle there. Those who do not wish to settle can return to their hometowns.

Of course, it's fine if anyone is willing to continue being employed there...

No need for further explanation; just put Old Pei at ease.

"How is the disaster relief grain production going in the workshops?"

"We can grind and process hundreds of stones a day, which is already full capacity."

"It's still a bit slow. The mills on other estates will also be producing these disaster relief grains soon."

"The locust egg powder might not be enough, but the alfalfa powder is fine."

"I will arrange all of this for you. All you need to do is to speed up the production at the mill."

Old Pei suggested that after the ground flour is prepared, is it unnecessary to go through the final step of pressing it into cakes?

"We shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Pressing it into cakes has many advantages, such as easy storage, easy transportation, and less prone to mold and spoilage. It's much more convenient than flour."

noon.

After touring the various parts of the manor, Li Yi ate his meal at the manor.

The manor has now entered a period of thrift. The laborers and slaves are all subject to a rationing system. Although food is provided, the amount varies depending on the job and the intensity of the labor.

Everyone's food rations have been reduced.

However, Li Yi provided monetary compensation, which was barely acceptable to everyone.

Food rations have decreased.
However, at this point in time, having a stable job and being able to barely eat your fill every day is already considered quite good.

Moreover, the reduced rations were compensated with money and silk.

Li Yi ate the same four-treasure rice and wild vegetables as everyone else.
"The difficulties are only temporary, and I believe things will get better day by day."

The Sui Dynasty was tyrannical, and the world was in chaos. People suffered greatly and lived in misery, but everyone managed to survive.

Now that the Tang Dynasty has unified the world, the Holy Emperor is on the throne, and the Zhenguan New Deal is all for the benefit of the country and the people.

The disaster we are facing now is only temporary.

Just grit your teeth and it will pass.

We are now like passengers on a ship sailing at sea, suddenly encountering a storm. Despite the raging winds, torrential rain, and towering waves, I firmly believe we can brave the storm and safely reach port.

“I am very grateful that you are still able to stand with the family through thick and thin at this time.”

I hereby announce that everyone will receive an extra month's pay as a bonus this year!

As soon as this word comes out,
The long-term and short-term laborers at the Li Family Manor cheered.

The master, Prime Minister Li, is truly generous; he directly increased the allowance by a month's worth of provisions.

Crown Prince Chengqian and Li Cong, among others, had been following Li Yi all day, and Li Yi hadn't introduced their identities to anyone.

Let them follow along, listen more, observe more, and speak less.

Especially for Chengqian,

They went to the suburban manors, even immersing themselves among the long-term and short-term laborers and slaves, to listen to their opinions and demands.

Observe Li Yi's conversation with them.
It touched him deeply.

The young prince is only six years old, and there are many things he only vaguely understands. He has never had such exposure to or understanding before.

Since this time,

Chengqian only then realized that
It turns out that besides the grandeur of palaces and the extravagance of royalty, there is nothing else in this world...
There is also the poverty of the lower classes.

He had also tried the four kinds of food and tea that were used for disaster relief, but he found them hard to swallow.

Li Yi served them a modified version of the Four Treasures Rice, replacing it with coarse grain buns and wild vegetable porridge. He thought it was too simple and added some shrimp and lean meat.

At noon, Chengqian and the others ate lunch with Li Yi at the manor, along with the hired workers. They all ate the same tea and rice.

Chengqian ate with great pain.
Li Shu and the others also didn't enjoy the meal.

"This is real disaster relief food. There won't be any shrimp, lean meat, or even sesame oil, vinegar, or salt in it," Li Yi said to Chengqian after finishing his meal and putting down his bowl.

He didn't say anything more.
The child is still young.

It's just a matter of taking him to see things properly; it'll broaden his horizons.

Li Yi felt that
The main reason why many rulers became incompetent was that they were detached from the real world and the people from a young age.

Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.

Born in the deep palace, raised by women,
They are high and mighty, oblivious to the suffering of the common people.
How could such an emperor possibly become a wise and virtuous ruler?

Spending time with Chengqian during this period,
Li Yi had been observing the child the whole time.

He is very good-looking.

They were also very polite.

This child is still like a blank sheet of paper.

As the eldest son of the emperor and empress, he was both the eldest and the legitimate heir, and should have become an excellent crown prince.
Historically, Li Shimin died at the age of 52 and reigned for 23 years.

At that time, Chengqian was only thirty-one years old, in the prime of his life.

Unfortunately, this crown prince eventually went astray, became crippled, and ultimately even became a deposed crown prince after a failed rebellion.
He was exiled to Qianzhou and died in a foreign land the following year.

Li Yi thought Li Yuan was a good founding emperor. He was very capable of quickly eliminating the various warlords and ending the turmoil at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

Li Shimin, on the other hand, can be described as great and wise.

But after him,
Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) can only be described as a ruler who maintained the status quo, but his insistence on marrying his father's concubine, Consort Wu, could be said to have caused endless trouble in the future.

Wu Zetian assumed the throne and became empress.
It can be said that it almost completely depleted the vitality of the Tang Dynasty.
Even though it flourished during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the seeds of future problems had already been sown.

Li Yi shook his head, feeling that he was overthinking things and thinking too far ahead.

but,
Now that Li Shimin has entrusted the young Crown Prince Chengqian to him, he feels that this may be the will of Heaven.

Perhaps I can guide him properly.

He still believes in the saying, "Human nature is inherently good."

Personality is largely influenced by one's environment.

Since Li Shimin's method of raising Chengqian failed in history,

Perhaps we could try his method.

It can't be worse than in history, can it?

"You little ones, are you full? If you are, put your bowls back, and I'll take you out for a walk."

Want to know how a watermill works?

"Would you like to see how windmills help with production?"

Little Chili Li Shu led the shouts, "Yes!"

Chengqian, eager to try and full of anticipation, left the palace and the nagging of the renowned Confucian scholars Lu Deming and Kong Yingde.
He found life in the Li family incredibly interesting; every day was so new and exciting, and the Li family members were so fun and interesting. Even Situ Li Yi never put on airs like an elder and lectured him.

(End of this chapter)