Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 75 Old Man
Yan Yi's reputation in Yuncheng was extremely high, to the point where he could attract crowds of people just by raising his hand.

When he was in Wucheng, he had already won the recognition of the people and the support of the refugees through a series of actions. After entering Yuncheng, he quickly promulgated a new tax decree, and most of the adjustments in the new tax decree were aimed at reducing the burden on the people.

On the day the new tax order was promulgated, the people in the city were all grateful and supported it devoutly.

Admittedly, whether the new tax order is suitable for implementation and whether it can be implemented smoothly are still unknown, but the people do not know these details. They only know that the new tax order has brought them real benefits, just like dry seedlings looking forward to sweet rain.

In addition to issuing new tax decrees, Yan Yi also lent money and grain to refugees at extremely low interest rates, rented vacant houses to refugees at extremely low prices, distributed half of the land to landless people and refugees, and sent clothes to refugees who were half-naked. All these actions pushed his reputation among the common people to the peak.

In fact, what Yan Yi did did not bring him any burden at all.

Lending money and grain to refugees was better than leaving it in the government treasury to rot, and better than letting Yuncheng be ravaged by the Qian family. A year later, he could even earn interest. He had captured a vast haul in the Yuncheng battle, and the little money and grain he had lent out was a drop in the bucket for him.

Renting vacant buildings to refugees at low prices would rapidly increase Yuncheng's population while also stabilizing public security. The potential benefits far outweighed the meager rent. To put it bluntly, even if the rent fell on the ground, he wouldn't bother to pick it up. Such was the arrogance of the wealthy.

There are many wastelands in Yuncheng. It takes a lot of time, energy and labor to turn them into fertile fields. The 5,000 soldiers under his command cannot even handle their daily training, so how can they have the energy to engage in military farming? The most cost-effective thing to do is to distribute the wastelands to refugees before the spring plowing season is over, let them cultivate the wastelands, and collect rent to enrich the treasury.

As for clothes, they were even cheaper. He was worried about what to do with the cloth left over from the Yuncheng public treasury after rewarding the soldiers.

In short, it cost almost nothing, just some thought and putting myself in the shoes of the people to consider a few things and do a few things, and in return I won the people's sincere support.

Ultimately, it is the result of the values ​​and ways of thinking of the previous life.

The values ​​of equality, respect for human rights, and people-centeredness, which are universal in later generations, are simply unimaginable in this era. When Yan Yi, who is deeply influenced by these values, takes the position of a ruler, his behavior is naturally easy to win the favor of the people.

However, the environment and values ​​of this era are also constantly influencing and changing Yan Yi. It is really difficult to predict what form these two completely different values ​​and ways of thinking will eventually merge into.

"Everyone, please stand up. I am leading the officials to inspect the village today to observe the implementation of the order and its effectiveness. If the order is disrupted, it will be bad. Everyone, please disperse and go about your own business. Don't miss out on your work."

Yan Yi stood at the street corner, looked at the people kneeling on the street, and made a gesture of support.

In the minds of the people, his words were an order. Upon hearing his words, they stood up and dispersed one after another, and order was soon restored to the streets.

Cao Qiu, who was watching from the side, felt his heart pounding. The influence of the young prince in the hearts of these common people and refugees could be described as his reputation growing day by day.

No wonder there is a steady stream of refugees pouring in from the surrounding villages every day.

Yan Yi led the officials eastward, carefully observing the conditions of the houses along the way. If they came across a particularly dilapidated house or an empty house, they would go up and inquire about the situation.

After walking halfway down the street, an old man in his fifties appeared in my sight. He was sitting in front of a wooden door with peeling paint. There was a piece of linen on the ground with a bunch of green onions and more than ten cucumbers on the cloth, which he was selling.

Cucumbers, also known as zucchini, were introduced into the Han Empire about 300 years ago during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. They arrived from Persia via the Silk Road and were called northern melons, while pumpkins came from India via Southeast Asia.

Many fruits of this era tasted less bland than those of his past life, but the flavor of cucumbers was very similar to that of his past life. Therefore, Yan Yi often ate cucumbers. Seeing the old man selling them, he was intrigued and asked, "Father, how much are these cucumbers?" The old man saw that he was wearing brocade clothes and silk shoes, with a sash visible around his waist. He quickly stood up and replied nervously, "My lord, a pound of cucumbers is fifteen cents."

Cucumbers were already common in the empire at that time, and their prices were much cheaper than fruits like lychees and grapes. Yan Yi nodded slightly and said, "I'll buy them all."

The old man's face showed a hint of joy. He quickly picked up a scale on the ground, put the cucumber on the scale, squinted his eyes and looked at the scale for a while: "My dear gentleman, the total is 11 catties and 2 ounces. Please pay me according to 11 catties."

Yin Li took two steps forward, took out a purse from his clothes and handed it to the old man.

The old man took the purse, weighed it in his hand, opened the purse and took a look. His expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly handed the purse back to Yin Li, saying repeatedly, "No, no, that's too much."

Yan Yi smiled and said, "No problem, I'll take it."

The old man's expression became more and more anxious, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "He is a greedy scum, without virtue. I dare not accept more."

Yan Yi sighed slightly and said to Yin Li, "Since it is the elder's wish, I will pay according to the price."

Yin Li counted out one hundred and sixty-five copper coins and handed them back to the old man with a hint of respect.

The old man counted them one by one, his face full of wrinkles, revealing a simple smile.

Yan Yi waited until he finished counting, then asked gently, "Father, have you set up a stall here? Has anyone come to you to collect the city tax?"

The old man shook his head: "No, only when you go to the county or city to sell will you pay the city tax."

The county market is the place where all kinds of goods are sold in Yuncheng. Similar to the markets of later generations, there are fixed shops as well as scattered stalls. The Household Department has a dedicated person to manage it. Unlike the Pavilion Market which is held every five or ten days, the county market allows for trading and sale every day, but taxes need to be paid, which is not the case in other places.

Cao Qiu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Fortunately, the officials were relatively well-behaved and did not cause him any trouble.

He could see that Yan Yi had a good impression of the old man. If this man answered with a single word, he would probably be punished today.

Yan Yi then asked, "How old are you, father?"

Perhaps because of his gentle demeanor, the old man's reserved demeanor eased considerably. He smiled, revealing a mouthful of broken teeth: "I'm fifty-one this year."

Yan Yi nodded slightly: "Has anyone come to collect the tax from me?"

Cao Qiu's heart suddenly began to worry again.

(End of this chapter)