With the cooperation of the Xuanmen people, the Lu family's land has been successfully taken over by Qin Yu.
As members of the Fan family, Xuanyang and the others successfully contacted several Dongzhou trading companies collecting coarse salt in Jingzhou.
Xiao Jin and others have built a coarse salt processing workshop in the barren mountains of Western Xinjiang.
Xiao Shui also recruited some craftsmen. In order to avoid exposure, these craftsmen will join Xiaoyulou in the future.
Anyway, the construction of the Xuanmen underground palace also requires manpower, and these people can be used for a long time.
It is very easy to purify mineral salt and brine, and only need to add plant ash to filter out toxic components, so the workshop can produce about 40,000 kilograms of coarse salt every day.
Although it was less than Qin Yu expected.
But it is enough, and the main focus is on concealed safety production.
Twenty carts of salt a day would not even make waves in the current official salt trading market.
Nowadays, the salt market in the Wei Dynasty is very chaotic, and the imperial court turns a blind eye and does not strictly control the circulation within the country.
It's just that the inflow to Pingzhou and Dongzhou is relatively strict.
The price of salt collected by merchants in Dongzhou has risen to 330 Wen.
Qin Yu's first batch of 40,000 kilograms of salt has been safely sold by Xuan Yue, and 12,000 taels of silver have been entered into Xuanmen's accounts.
This speed of making money is simply faster than robbing money.
Qin Yu finally understood something now.
When rules are established, huge benefits are created for those who violate them.
Obviously, Qin Yu is the beneficiary.
With one day's profit, he made back the money he spent on the Lu family's land.
A few people from Xuanmen are keeping an eye on the production and sale of coarse salt.
Qin Yu doesn't have to worry.
With more than 10,000 taels of silver being deposited into the account a day, Xiaoyulou’s initial investment is definitely enough.
Qin Yu would never let them go in the infamous Yueying Tower.
However, after arriving at Jinling City, he had not been assassinated yet.
But Qin Yu guessed it was the calm before the storm.
Next time once it starts moving, the movement will definitely not be quiet.
...
Jinling City.
Royal Palace, East Palace.
Next to Yinghua Palace.
In July, the weather is very hot.
Shen Binglan was leaning on the corridor with her eyes closed to relax.
Qin Yu was sitting on the ground drinking tea, with three eunuchs holding umbrellas to shade him from the sun, and two maids fanning himself. It was very comfortable.
Xiao Nan, with his face facing the loess and his back to the sky, sweating profusely, drove two old oxen to plow the cultivated land converted from a small garden with a long straight plow.
Those who didn’t know better thought Qin Yu was the prince.
Emperor Wei gave Xiao Nan a death order. The land must be plowed within seven days, and he had to do it himself, otherwise he would be hung up and beaten.
Deng Bao, the serving eunuch, was holding a pot of herbal tea in his left hand and a cattail leaf fan in his right hand, chasing after Xiao Nan to fan him, "Master, please take a break. If you continue to do this on such a hot day, you will die."
Xiao Nan used his already soaked sleeves to wipe the sweat off his head and cursed: "Get out! The common people have been cultivating the land for thousands of years. They can cultivate it, but I can't? They are human beings, not me?"
"Yo~"
Deng Bao was startled by Xiao Nan's words, and slapped the cattail leaf fan straight on his face, "You deserve to die, I'm stupid, but you've plowed the land for a stick of incense, it's time to take a rest, right? You're the prince, you're exhausted.
What to do with my body?"
"Your Majesty is talking about seven days, so you don't have to rush for this period of time, right?"
Qin Yu also waved to Xiao Nan before him, "Your Highness, come and have a rest. The land you plow is uglier than the land gnawed by dogs, hahaha..."
Qin Yu really didn't mean to laugh at Xiao Nan.
This was the first time he had seen this plowed area with such grace and elegance.
Xiao Nan doesn't know how to use his strength, and Chun Chun is just a novice.
But yes, Xiao Nan is a dignified prince of Wei, so it is very good to have this awareness.
Xiao Nan threw down the long straight plow, walked towards the field with his big muddy feet, clutching his clothes, and panting, "Brother-in-law, this is really not a job for human beings. The common people are facing the burning sun every day."
, you can’t even eat enough? This is not how people live!”
Xiao Nan said, sat down next to Qin Yu, took the teapot handed over by Deng Bao and started drinking.
Qin Yu nodded, "Isn't that true? What kind of life do you think the people live every day?"
Xiao Nan looked at him, with a serious face, and said seriously: "Father wants me to gain some insights while plowing the land, so I will ask questions tonight."
"What feelings can I feel from this... this farming land? Besides being tired, what other feelings can there be? Brother-in-law, you have to think of a way for me!"
"Enlightenment?"
Qin Yu frowned slightly and gnawed on the watermelon, "Then let me tell you about the lives of the common people. Do you know how hard it is for the common people to farm today? That's it, the tenant farmers can only keep 20%.
grain."
"ah?"
Xiao Nan looked shocked and said in surprise: "This...is this too nonsense? Why can they keep 20% of the food? Can it be eaten?"
Although Xiao Nan is the prince, he doesn't know much about folk affairs.
This was also the reason why Emperor Wei was willing to let him walk around with Qin Yu.
Qin Yu gnawed on the big watermelon from the imperial tribute and explained: "There are two tenants, three officials and five owners. This is the rule. That is to say, the harvest of one acre of land must be paid 30% of the tax, and the remaining half must be given to the landlord's family."
"So let me tell you, whether it is the Wei Dynasty or other agricultural-based countries, the fundamental contradiction is not just the corruption of officials."
"It is the landlords and gentry who really suck the blood of the people. The contradiction between the landlord class and the people is the main contradiction faced by the Wei Dynasty."
"What the people hate is not corrupt officials, but corrupt officials who do nothing but collude with the landlords. They join forces to suck out the bones and marrow of the people."
"So many states and counties have been affected by disasters this year. You can go and see for yourself. People's land has long been taken over by landlords. More and more people have become tenant farmers. The consequences are very serious. Once there is another major disaster, the court will be powerless.
No matter how heavy the rescue, exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes are, the peasant uprising will begin immediately."
"So, in the final analysis, the peasant uprising is about the powerful landowners annexing the land, leaving the people with no clothes on their bodies and no food to eat. If it were you, how could you not resist?"
"I must have gone against it!"
The more Xiao Nan heard, the more shocked he became, and he looked at Qin Yu blankly, "I only leave 20% of the food I grow, how can this damn girl survive!? Brother-in-law, you know so much, then...
..What should we do? We have to take care of it!"
Even Shen Binglan on the side opened her eyes and looked at Qin Yu.
She did not expect that Qin Yu would have such profound insights into the matter of land annexation.
"What? Hehe..."
Qin Yu couldn't help but sneer, "What's the matter? We brothers have traveled to more than a thousand counties in Wei Dynasty? We brothers are exhausted, so why not run here?"
Xiao Nan was stunned and then said: "Send someone, we have so many officials, are you afraid that we can't manage the local officials?"