The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"A very simple idea."

Chen Huai'an said calmly.

It is indeed a very simple idea, but it is also a very heartbreaking one.

They had no other choice but to place their hopes on others and wait patiently.

I hope that things will gradually get better someday.

Chen Huai'an couldn't say anything about this; he couldn't discourage such thoughts, much less extinguish their hopes.

"When you said 'borrow,' did you mean borrow from landlords or gentry?" Li Chengqian asked, recalling some of Chen Huai'an's previous remarks.

"Your Highness, that is indeed the case," Zhang Wenyuan replied matter-of-factly. "Besides borrowing from them, we have no other choice. We can't just leave the land uncultivated, can we?"

"Besides landlords and gentry, there are also the nearby Mingguang Temple, several wealthy families, and some officials, all of whom are acceptable."

"Nine out and thirteen back?" Li Chengqian asked the question he most wanted to ask.

Zhang Wenyuan said bitterly, "How could that be?"

"Seven out and fifteen back is about right. If you are a day late, then it will be sixteen back. The longer it drags on, the more you have to pay back."

Li Chengqian opened his mouth wide, but couldn't say a word.

When Chen Huai'an told him about the nine exits and thirteen returns, he was already shocked, thinking how could there be such a despicable person?

Nine out and thirteen back, isn't that outrageous?

They can eat people without showing their bones, and then expect others to thank them.

Looking back now, perhaps the gentleman was afraid they wouldn't believe him, so he had already understated the truth.

Seven departures and fifteen returns... Isn't this even more profitable than their "beauty trap"?

"Sir..." Li Chengqian looked at Chen Huai'an expectantly, hoping that the other party could come up with an idea.

Chen Huai'an was also thinking about it. After pondering for a long time, he said, "If the imperial court lent you seeds, and you had to repay them in full at harvest time, without any interest, but you would be punished if you couldn't repay them, would you be willing to borrow them?"

"Of course we're willing," Zhang Wenyuan said with delight. "If the imperial court is willing to lend us seeds without interest, we're certainly willing to lend them."

"Even if it's nine out and thirteen back, we'd still be willing."

"It's better to earn some money for the court than to let those unscrupulous merchants take it. With grain in the court's hands, the Minister will be much more relaxed."

Chen Huai'an nodded: "I will discuss this with His Majesty and the ministers later to push this matter to be implemented. I hope you will no longer have to worry about seeds in the future."

"As for farm tools... I'll think of a way. This is not a simple matter. How about renting them out? I wonder if you would be willing? The price may not be low."

"As long as it's not too outrageous, we can accept it," Zhang Wenyuan said without hesitation.

Nothing is more important than the farming season.

Chen Huai'an nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

Renting farm tools is a special case. He can indeed rent them out at extremely low prices, and he believes that the people would not dare to damage the government's property. However, there is a problem here: if you set the price too low, will it affect the sale of ironware?

The answer is yes.

If the rental price is too low, it will naturally have a serious impact on the sale of ironware.

For the Tang Dynasty at present, ironware revenue is a financial pillar that absolutely cannot be affected, so if it is to be leased, it must be at a suitable price.

As long as the price is reasonable, there shouldn't be any problems.

Because in the eyes of ordinary people, their own things are the safest. Renting can be used for emergencies, but if they have enough money, they will definitely buy their own farm tools.

"..."

After an unknown amount of time, with the help of many villagers, a lively pig-slaughtering feast was finally held by the stream.

Aunt Xiao and the others set up the table and chairs, washed the bowls and chopsticks again and again, not daring to leave a speck of dust, and then came to Chen Huai'an with expectant faces: "Minister, come and try our Xiaoxi Village's pig-slaughtering feast!"

Chen Huai'an readily agreed: "Okay, thank you for your help."

As he spoke, he got up and went to the table, sat down, looked at the various kinds of fish and meat laid out in front of him, and then looked at the people standing around him. Most of them had happy and excited expressions in their eyes, and no one sat down.

Chen Huai'an beckoned Li Chengqian to sit next to him. Zhang Wenyuan, who knew more, hurriedly came over and said, "Your Excellency, let me taste it first and see if it suits your taste."

The surrounding people were taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances as if they understood something.

However, Chen Huai'an raised his hand to stop Zhang Wenyuan: "No need!"

As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of cured meat, and began to chew it.

I must say, this cured meat tastes quite good; it must be smoked, which is exactly what he likes.

Seeing this, the people nearby felt a surge of trust and inexplicably felt happy.

"Come on, everyone, sit down and eat. Wang Bai, come over here too." Chen Huai'an invited everyone to eat together, but at first the villagers of Xiaoxi Village were unwilling, saying that it was all cooked for them.

"How can I possibly finish all this food by myself?" Chen Huai'an smiled. "If you truly respect me, sit down and eat with me. This is the fruit of your hard work, and you should have the right to enjoy it first."

"Come on, have a seat!"

The crowd looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and could only turn to the village chief, Zhang Wenyuan.

Zhang Wenyuan nodded, signaling everyone to listen to Chen Huai'an.

The villagers then sat down, some on the ground, others on stones, and others on bowls and chopsticks.

Soon, a group of people gathered around the stream, eating and drinking.

At first, everyone was a little reserved, but as Chen Huai'an kept joking, they gradually realized that Chen Huai'an was really as rumored, without any airs at all, so they completely relaxed.

"It smells so good, so delicious!"

Old Zhang ate with his mouth full of oil, saying, "It wasn't for nothing that I raised it so painstakingly for so long; I can finally eat today."

"Haha, fourth brother, we're really benefiting from your help today," someone joked.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhang Laosi curled his lip. "You all benefit from the Minister's influence. If the Minister hadn't come, would you have been able to eat my family's pig? Dream on!"

"Hahaha, that's true, after all, this pig is your precious treasure!"

Hahahaha.

People around them kept making a fuss, but Zhang Laosi wasn't annoyed and cheerfully joined in the conversation.

The four Zhang siblings brought their elderly mother, a haggard woman with white hair on her forehead, who was indeed blind.

Zhang Yan was serving her a meal.

At that moment, Chen Huai'an suddenly felt relieved.

What a wonderful scene this is!

Li Chengqian ate the cured meat and found it very fragrant and appetizing. The grains prepared for them by the villagers were all the best fine grains, which were all collected little by little by everyone.

However, Li Chengqian rarely ate pork. He felt it had a gamey smell and was somewhat muttony, so he couldn't eat it.

Chen Huai'an remembered something and put down his chopsticks: "The Yellow River is about to be repaired. Some of you should have been recruited. This means there will be fewer young and middle-aged men in your village. In addition, there have been natural disasters in recent years, and the fields are not easy to cultivate."

"I have a suggestion for you: do some work that will at least ensure you can eat meat occasionally, what do you say?"

"..."