The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

Li Fu sat in the study and asked Xiao Tao to find Lao Zhou.

Lao Zhou hurried to the study.

"My dear, you are looking for me."

"Well, is Ma Shisan in the farm now?" Li Fu asked.

"Yes, he has been in charge of the workshop. Now he is in charge of the three workshops in the farm. He is busy every day." Lao Zhou agreed.

"Okay, then send someone to invite him here. I want to see him." Li Fu said: "The wine produced in our farm should be sent to Chang'an City. Also, let people continue to collect grain. After the granary was empty last year, it has not been replenished."

There are four granaries in the farm, and two are still empty. While collecting, they are waiting for the workshop to exchange wine for grain. At least these four granaries must be filled first.

"Also, send people to all the surrounding villages to deliver the message that the mansion has bought a batch of live poultry. If you want to raise them, come to the mansion to get them. If you don't have money, you can owe them first and keep an account. Then, one year later, the mansion will send people to the village to collect the money."

Raising so many poultry on both sides of the mansion is bearable in the short term, but if he keeps raising them for a long time, it will not make much sense.

We still need to spread these poultry to other places.

It would be best to mobilize the people of Jingyang County to raise poultry.

I hope the palace can send a message today. Li Shimin will ask Li Yuan for his opinion. After Li Yuan agrees, the recipe for the egg transformation cannot be given out at will. There is still a need for methods. For example, the egg transformation workshop on Li Fu's farm should first train a group of people to make them familiar with the various links of egg transformation. After they are familiar with it, they will go to other places to help local villagers build workshops and provide technical support.

It would be best to make the egg-changing workshop an industry of the village, and when they make money, they can share the profits.

If a wealthy family takes a fancy to this business, it would be even better.

With a workshop, chicken and duck eggs as raw materials will definitely become more scarce. At that time, for the people in the village, raising poultry will obviously make money, and their enthusiasm will be higher.

Lao Zhou knew the situation in the village, and Li Fu did not intend to hide it from him, but even if he knew it, he could not tell the outside world, and the news could not be spread, otherwise it would definitely cause panic among people.

How could farmers not be afraid of locust plagues? The black locusts came and went, and there was nothing left in the land.

That thing is just competing with people for food.

"For now, we have to get through the difficulties of this spring and summer first." Li Fu said.

"My dear, regarding the locust plague... Although it has been kept secret, only a few people in our family and His Majesty in the palace know about it, but I still think it would be good to remind the farmers so that they can be prepared." Old Zhou thought and said, "If the locust plague really comes, the price of grain in the grain store will definitely rise when the grain harvest is poor or even total. At that time, if you ask everyone to buy grain with money, you can only buy seven dou of grain instead of one stone."

"But I am worried that once the news gets out, we will not know what will happen next." Li Fu said, "It is a serious matter."

The people will not starve to death in this locust plague. The court will issue relief grain, and the farm has also stored a large amount of grain, which can be used to distribute to the affected farmers.

If it is only the area around Chang'an, the court can control it.

There is food to eat.

But public opinion is murderous.

"Old Zhou, do you know why His Majesty came to the farm?" Li Fu asked.

Old Zhou thought for a moment, and then responded: "First, to confirm the locust plague, second, to take the little princes away, and third, to ask Mr. Xiao to return to Chang'an and resume his post."

Li Fu nodded.

"I guessed the purpose, but not the idea. Old Zhou, you came from Jinyang. When the family was not yet prosperous, you served in the mansion." Li Fu said: "So there are some things that I might as well tell you directly. We are all family members, and you know what's going on."

"Although two years have passed since the events of the ninth year of Wude, they are still not settled. Many people are still secretly watching our majesty. At this time, if there is news that there will be drought and locust plagues this spring, what do you think will happen?"

"After all, locust plagues are a punishment from God." Li Fu said faintly.

Cold sweat broke out on Old Zhou's back.

A punishment from God...

Old Zhou knelt on the ground in a hurry.

"My lord, it's your subordinate.I thought it was too simple. "Old Zhou hurriedly admitted his mistake.

Old Zhou was panicked. When he was in the mansion in Jinyang, he was not such a careless person. Why didn't he think of this aspect?

Could it be that he lived too comfortably in the manor in Jingyang County and forgot the intrigues in the past?

Li Fu smiled and waved his hand.

"You get up first." Li Fu said: "It's not your fault. You are just the housekeeper of this mansion. "

Lao Zhou is not an official, so it is normal for him not to think about these things. Since coming to this manor, Li Fu has always asked Lao Zhou and Zhang Huan to deal with these trivial matters in the manor.

Over time, the affairs of the manor have become their main job.

Lao Zhou's first priority is to think about the affairs in the big house here, and then the farmers in the manor.

People around him have long seen how much he values ​​the manor here, so they dare not not do their best.

Now, they subconsciously still think about the people in the manor first.

Thinking about letting them save some food in advance and store it at home, so that they will not have a hard time.

The idea is good, but it is not deep enough.

Li Fu does not blame Lao Zhou for such a view. After all, if he can see so far and even show it, he will not dare to use him as his housekeeper.

"Your idea is good. It is also a way to let the people in the manor prepare food at home in advance. "Li Fu said: "It is inevitable that the grain market will increase prices. Merchants pursue profits, but the price increase cannot be too outrageous. The court will take care of it."

"For those in our village who have extra money, let Zhang Huan remind them to prepare. It's okay to tell the public that according to the calculations of the officials of the Imperial Observatory in the palace, there will be insufficient rain this spring, which may affect the grain in the fields. It is better to prepare more grain at home. With grain at home, there is no need to panic."