A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 204 The emperor is here again

The winter solstice has passed and the weather is getting cooler.

Grain from the Central Plains, Shannan, Jianghuai and other places also entered Beijing one after another, and the price of food in Chang'an dropped a lot.

And the long-awaited Lumi has finally begun to be distributed, and Chang'an Baisi's various yamen are divided into three shifts: upper, middle, lower, and third.

When Huaiyu was on errand in Baiqi, he had already filled out and handed in the form for receiving salary. On this day, he finally issued a wooden sign for receiving salary, and he could go to the Taicang Office under Sinong Temple to collect the salary.

The next day, when he was not on duty, Huaiyu got up early and asked someone to prepare the carriage.

Taicang is located about six miles north of Xuanwu Gate, within the Royal Forbidden Garden. This is a large granary, and the Zhongwei Bridge is to the north.

The water and land transportation here is convenient, and it is not far from Chang'an City.

However, it is more than a dozen miles from Yongxingfang to Taicang, the forbidden garden. When I went out, I found many officials driving carts and horses to Taicang to get Lumi.

Originally, Lumi was distributed in spring and autumn, but this autumn Lumi has been delayed for a long time. Many officials in Chang'an City who rely on official salary to support their families are greatly affected, and even have to borrow debts as collateral, especially those who have a large number of exodus in Chang'an. Officials and small officials are even more miserable.

The Wu family drove two carriages to Lalumi.

When we arrived at Taicang in the north of the palace, we lined up to receive the salary.

It was necessary to check the talisman and check the card, and after checking it was correct, it began to weigh and take the rice. Huaiyu came to collect the salary for the first time, and everything felt very fresh. There were people and horses and horses everywhere, and everyone looked very happy.

The granary here is very large, and a lot of grain is transshipped from Luoyang. However, it is said that transporting grain from outside the pass to Chang'an is extremely expensive. There is a mainstay here, which cannot be transported by boat, but can only be transported by land. It takes three hundred miles of mountain roads. The famous Hangu Pass is here.

As for transporting grain from Hedong, Shannan, Bashu, Longyou and other places into Chang'an, the cost is even higher.

There is a saying that grain is transported by bucket of money, although it is a bit exaggerated, but the cost of water transport is indeed extremely high. In a good year, grain from the Jianghuai River costs a bucket, but when it is transported into Chang'an, the freight is higher than the price of the grain in the place of origin.

Although Chang'an is in the danger of four fortresses, it also has a rich [-]-mile plain in Guanzhong. However, as an imperial capital, food cannot be self-sufficient. There is a gap of one million shi every year. Non-stop loading and unloading, water and land transshipment, time-consuming and costly, and the loss is even greater.

But Chang'an's demand is there, and it will not work if it is unlucky.

In the event of war or famine, Chang'an would be severely short of food, and the emperor would have to take his officials to the eastern capital to get food, not to mention that the people could only go to the Kanto to escape the famine.

After queuing for a long time, Wu Huaiyu finally arrived.

"Zheng Qipin, eighty stones of Lumi, folded millet, and one stone of millet is broken into six buckets of rice."

Although Wu Huaiyu is now the Marquis of Shouyang County of the third rank, and the commander of the fifth rank, the Datang only distributes Lumi according to the official rank, not according to the job.Wu Huaiyu's product was still the seventh grade when it was registered and filled in the form, so it can only be issued by [-] shi.

But he can't get eighty stones, the salary in autumn is not the whole year, Wu Huaiyu only became an official in June, and this grade changes a lot, one month is calculated according to the ninth grade, and one month is calculated according to the eighth grade , one month is calculated according to the seventh grade.

According to a calculation, Wu Huaiyu can only receive Lumi for three months, which is more than thirteen stones.

Converted into corn, it is more than 21 shi.

The emperor was considerate of the officials and knew that this year was not easy for everyone, so although the food supply was still very tight, he still distributed the full amount to the officials.

Even millet is distributed, and there is no such thing as corn, wheat, rice and beans.

Sign and draw.

The two carriages had just finished loading, and they drove the carriages back.

Liu Erganzi lamented that Huaiyu is such a big Marquis, and his salary is not much. After working for three months, he can get 21 shi and a little more millet. Watering the land, ten acres, can harvest so much millet."

Zhu Zihe from the same village laughed at him, "Why are the eyelids so shallow? Is this as simple as 21 Shisu? This is official salary,"

"Although it's true that there aren't many, isn't that because Erlang has just entered an official position before, and his rank is not high? Our Erlang's promotion speed will be able to become a Zijin minister in three to five years!"

Mazi Zhao Da from the same village was driving the car, sighing deeply, "Yes, usually Erlang waits on those vegetables every day, who knows that they are still auspicious. A few corns, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are actually auspicious, so that Erlang can even be promoted to the third rank. The sixth grade is on."

"I want to know that those inconspicuous crops are such treasures. I usually can't be an ancestor offering."

Huaiyu's fellow villagers still find it unbelievable until now, "Are those things really so amazing?"

"No, can your majesty give me this product of the third rank of Lian Jin?"

Er Ganzi sighed, "Not only did you advance to the third rank of this product, His Majesty even rewarded you with three hundred shimi, why don't you say that, that's worth five hundred shimi!"

"And a pair of silver vases!"

"There are two more slaves!"

The four of them were extremely envious. They were all children of the Imperial Army of Longqiaobao. They succeeded their father in the Imperial Army, but they were not as lucky as the brothers Wu Huaiyi. They were just ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Army.

As Er Ganzi said just now, Lumi for three months is only about twenty stone millets, but how many twenty stone millets can Wu Huaiyu's farm slaves get in exchange for Qianjuan and other rewards.

Huaiyu still had [-] mu of land for rent, and there were at least [-] mu of millet that year.

"Erlang is really a role model for my generation. Not to mention the official Qingyun, this wife can marry the daughter of the Duke of the country. It only costs three hundred pieces of silk as a gift, and you don't need to give the family money. On the contrary, how much is the eldest lady of the Fan family married?" Ah, Tian Di only married thirty hectares, and three younger sisters..."

Several people are envious.

"Erlang, support us sometime."

Chen Xing followed Huaiyu to Longyou, and now he is a member of the eighth-rank army. Chen Sheng followed Huaiyu for less than a month, and Huaiyu got him into Baiqi, and now he is the deputy of the ninth-rank team.

"Work hard, there is always a chance." Huaiyu smiled.

All the way home, I found that an official from the Taicang Administration had come, and he had also driven several carts of grain. After asking, I found out that this was an order from above to rent land for Huai Yuba.

Although Wu Huaiyu held many positions before and after and did not hold them for a long time, the emperor specially ordered Wu Huaiyu to be given the current fifth-rank position and paid him this year's land rent from Taicang.

Direct distribution for one year, 120 mu, two buckets per mu, a total of [-] shi millet, plus the [-] shi rice rewarded earlier, were also sent over.

The Taicang Office is very respectful to this emperor's celebrity, especially Wu Huaiyu's uncle is the Shaoqing of Sinong Temple, the superior yamen of their Taicang Office.

Not only did the millet and rice come right away, but they were all new rice, not to mention that the portion was not missing at all, and [-]% more was added on purpose. These were regarded as fire consumption, but in fact they were a little tribute to Wu Huaiyu.

Mrs. Liu told her son that the grain delivered was [-]% more than what was on the list, and this Mrs. Liu insisted on getting all the grain delivered to be weighed.

"Take all the extra ones back, and they'll bring them to you after hard work, and we'll have to pay for the fare."

The officials in Taicang did not dare to accept it, but Huaiyu still insisted on letting them bring back the excess grain, and gave them a sum of money, "I have written down your wishes, but as much as you want, you can't accept too much,"

There were more than 100 shi millet and 300 shi rice in the house, and the rice was still glutinous rice.

Lao Wu and Huai Yi also immediately lined up to collect Lumi and pay the land rent, and there was still a sum of food and benefits for the public farm.

"There is no shortage of food now."

"I plan to go back to Sanyuan, go back and tidy up the house, and also visit the folks by the way."

This year, the crops of the Wu family were destroyed, and the rented fields could not be collected. Lao Wu proposed to bring some grain back to help the villagers.

"I agree with this." Wu Huaiyu nodded. "But I don't recommend sending food to everyone."

Old Wu Gang was about to get angry.

"Aye, listen to me. This is how I think about it. After we go back, we will invite everyone to have a feast, and then we will continue to repair the unfinished cave dwellings that my family gave me earlier. Aye will also repair the five holes before. one time,
We invite folks from Longqiao to work together and provide two meals a day. "

Huaiyu's proposal is actually a bit of labor-relief. In the past, when the village built houses and repaired kilns, the villagers helped each other, and usually they only cared about a meal. Potluck.

For example, if you are building a cave, when it is completed, you will have a few tables of banquets, a few simple dishes, and everyone will have a happy and lively meal.

"We have two meals a day, please help repair the cave, and pay the wages."

Although there was no precedent for wages in the past, but now the situation is special, and Huaiyu can also say that the project of repairing the kiln and building the house is a big one, and everyone has worked hard.

"Wages will be converted into food, men, women and children, old and young, can come to help, and the wages will be paid according to the amount of labor, and then they will be converted into food for everyone.

This is more acceptable to everyone than direct food, and they don't owe us favors. "

"That's a pretty good idea, you know,"

Last time, many villagers came to the Wu family to borrow food, and even two families directly sold their land to Huaiyu. Orphans, young and old, all came to the Wu family to work as servants.

"It won't take long for the two cave dwellings to be repaired."

"Then we can build another yard at Longqiao, so that we can go back and live."

"Erlang, Your Majesty... Your Majesty is here."

The masters were looking at the piles of food and talking, Wu Cheng ran in a little panicked,

The emperor is here again,
This is the third time the emperor has come to Huaiyu's house in the past few days.

The last time it was Wu Huaiyu who offered auspicious corn, Li Shimin immediately took Fang Du Changsun and other confidants to Huaiyu's house after seeing the corn to see some treasures of corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

He also asked Huaiyu to cook a meal with these and tasted them carefully.

The second time I came here was because the emperor heard that Wu Huaiyu’s house actually had a greenhouse, where corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other treasures were being planted, and he specially went to see the immature auspicious What does it look like.

Why are you here again today.

Li Shimin only brought his eldest grandson Wuji, Zhou Shaofan, Xu Luoren, and An Yuanshou today. As soon as he entered the Wu family, he went straight to the greenhouse in the backyard, where he had a good look at the corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and other treasures. , and then sat down in the gazebo in the vegetable field, and let Huaiyu serve tea.

"I also called the officials of Sinong Temple to come here later, the Forbidden Garden also has a greenhouse, let them teach you how to grow auspicious omens,"

Wu Huaiyu felt that there was no need to be so urgent. He now has a lot of seeds in his hands, and he will plant more in the spring of next year.

But since Li Shimin discovered these treasures, after careful verification with his confidants and ministers, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several days after confirming that if these things were true to what Huaiyu said, they could indeed be treasures for saving the people.

The yield of corn is not much higher than that of millet, wheat, and rice, and it doesn’t even have any advantage in the fertile plains, but the magic of this thing is that it can be grown in the north and the south, in mountains, hills and other places, and even in some lightly saline-alkaline sandy land. More drought tolerant.

Although potatoes and sweet potatoes are not as suitable as corn as staple food, they can be used as vegetable grains, and their yields are very high. The yield per mu is several times that of wheat and rice. Staple grains such as rice and wheat are good, but they can be used as vegetables and grains, and can also be processed with starch.
And Huaiyu also said that these can also be used to raise pigs and cattle.

For Li Shimin, these are treasures that can help feed more people.

While waiting for the officials from Sinong Temple to arrive, Li Shimin asked Wu Huaiyu to make some more auspicious food.

"The minister will make mashed potatoes, deep-fried French fries, hot and sour potato shreds, fried small potatoes with cumin, roasted sweet potatoes, cornmeal pancakes, corn bread, and fried sweet potato sticks for His Majesty?"

Hearing the name of this dish, Li Shimin felt that it should be very good, "Okay, make some more, I'm going to pack it up and take it home for the queen and the prince to eat, the wolf tooth potato chips you made last time, the queen was very appreciative after eating it, I will remember to get another point later."

(End of this chapter)