Li Zhensheng nodded, quickly calculated in his mind, and said, "My lord, the Wang family has a lot of land. Two hundred mu is too cheap for them. I think we can ask for five hundred mu."
"Moreover, I know that the Wang family has a large estate in Yunhe Town, fifty miles southwest of Xindu. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with five hundred acres of fertile land in the middle. This estate brings the most output to the Wang family and is the estate that the Wang family values the most. I have been there twice when I was helping the Wang family before, so I am very familiar with it. If you want to grow corn and potatoes, that estate is the most suitable."
"The Wang family has such a good place?" The Marquis was also pleasantly surprised. He turned to look at Ye Shan and said, "Send a message to the Wang family that the deeds to the manor and land in Yunhe Town have been delivered. Once they arrive, Wang Laosan will be released from prison."
"Yes, Lord Marquis." Ye Shan turned and left.
Li Zhensheng then suggested, "My lord, for the sake of secrecy, we definitely can't use the Wang family members on that estate anymore. And five hundred acres of fertile land would require at least twenty tenant households and a hundred or so people to cultivate. Neither you, my lord, nor our village can spare that many people for the time being. So, should we ask for help?"
The Marquis looked up, met his gaze, and smiled. "You mean... Liu Zhiheng?"
Li Zhensheng laughed, "Yes, Lord Marquis, Liu Zhiheng may seem greedy and greedy, but he is very sensible and intelligent. Moreover, the Liu family is a prominent local clan, so even if the Wang family is resentful, they wouldn't dare to offend them easily. After we get the estate, it can be registered under my name. The Wang family will only think that you, Lord Marquis, are seeking this estate to avenge me."
"I'll spread the word that I've sold the estate to the Liu family and redeemed the shops and Sihaiju that I sold earlier. That way, the Liu family can send people to farm and manage the estate without arousing suspicion. I'll also go south to see if there are any suitable goods, and when I come back, I'll reopen the shops and restaurants to bring some income to the family."
The Marquis nodded in agreement, admiring the man's wisdom even more.
In this way, what appears to be a simple exchange actually benefits everyone and also conceals the true intentions of outsiders.
The only question is, what benefits will the Liu family receive for their efforts and assistance in mediating this dispute?
Although the old patriarch of the Liu family appeared to be a royalist, he never returned to the court, nor did he explicitly stand by the emperor's side to help fight against the empress dowager.
He needed to think things through carefully. If he handled this situation well, someone would help plant the corn and potatoes, which would also help the emperor completely subdue the Liu family...
After the first snowfall, the weather turned completely cold.
The children in every household were dragged by their mothers by the ears and forced to put on their padded jackets and trousers.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, the children picked up their schoolbags and ran happily to the new school.
Uncle Zhao and the village chief were strolling around the village with their hands behind their backs when they were almost knocked over by a mischievous boy running wildly.
Uncle Zhao caught the naughty boy, patted him lightly on the back, and said with a laugh, "What's the rush? The school is so close, how could I leave you behind!"
The naughty boy looked miserable and begged for mercy, "Grandpa Zhao, please let me go to school quickly, or the teacher will punish my hands if I'm late."
After saying that, he hopped away like a rabbit.
Uncle Zhao and the village chief both smiled, "With the school now open, the boys have a place to gather, and the village is much quieter."
"Yes, but it's good this way. Children should learn to write and do math, and learn rules. They'll have a bright future."
“The day before yesterday, I ran into the village head of the Big Locust Tree outside the village and asked him about this matter. I heard from him that he also wanted to send his child to study here, but I vaguely brushed it off.”
“I see,” the village chief pondered. “I’ll get everyone together tonight and see what Zhensheng and Lao Er have to say.”
“Yes, we’re getting old. We can still protect the village, but in the long run, we’re not as thoughtful or reliable as the second brother and his family. It would be good to ask them more questions,” Uncle Zhao nodded and said.
The two had reached a good agreement, but the three surrounding villages couldn't wait any longer.
The new school building is beautiful; all the mischievous friends who used to play together are now sitting inside reading and writing.
The boys from those three villages were envious and went home to throw tantrums and cry, demanding to go to school too.
The family loves their child dearly, and besides, studying is a good thing; they can't stop their child from striving for improvement.
As a result, many people went to their respective village chiefs' homes, begging them to intercede on their behalf.
The village heads also wanted to take this opportunity to get to know and be closer to the people of Suijintan, as it would only bring benefits in the future.
They chose a day to visit the new village together. The three of them didn't bring anything valuable, only a bundle of tobacco leaves, an old hen, a basket of eggs, and a jar of good wine.
They happened to catch Uncle Zhao and the village chief on the road, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went to the village chief's house for drinks and chats.
Among men of all ages, once the wine bowls are raised, there's nothing that can't be said.
The village head of Dahuaishu Village grabbed Uncle Zhao's hand, almost bursting into tears, and immediately began to appeal to his emotions, "Old brother, we know that because of what happened to Master Li, those two young men in our village made a big mistake, but they've been dead for over ten years, and even the biggest grudges are in the past. If the Li family is still angry, I'll go over and kowtow to them, as long as Master Li calms down."
"But we absolutely cannot let this ruin the education of those boys in our village. We're all ordinary people, and we just hope our children learn some skills so they can have an easier time supporting their families in the future. Don't you think so?"
The other two were not to be outdone.
"Yes, old brothers, you don't know, all year round we just dig for food in the ground to survive. Seeing your village so prosperous, we are so envious that we drool in our dreams."
"Now we don't hope for anything else, we just hope that our neighbors can also take care of the children in our village and give them a chance to learn a skill?"
The village chief and Uncle Zhao were bombarded with complaints, flattery, and pleas from the three old men, and finally couldn't resist and agreed without really understanding what was going on.
As the sun began to set, the three village heads happily went home. The village chief and Uncle Zhao also sobered up and realized they had been a bit rash.
The school was built with the Marquis's share of the profits, and the teacher was the eldest son of the Li family, all for the sake of giving the village children a better future.
It doesn't seem right for them to just agree to take in a child from another village like this.
So the two old men quickly went to the Li family's house.
The Li family was busy cooking when the Marquis, holding Jiayin's little hand, strolled in the courtyard. When the village chief and Uncle Zhao came over, he invited them to stay for dinner.
The village chief and Uncle Zhao had something on their minds, so they didn't eat much. After the table was cleared, the two of them blushed and started talking about the school.
"Drinking causes trouble, so we can't drink anymore."
"Yes, I was forced to drink a few bowls of wine, and my mind went blank, so I just agreed without thinking."
Both old men felt guilty and hung their heads like children who had made a mistake.
The Marquis and the Li family quickly tried to persuade them, fearing that they would fall ill again due to the heat.
Soon, the children were sent to play in the side room, and Li Zhensheng said, "Uncle Village Chief, Uncle Zhao, even if you hadn't come today, my second brother and I would have wanted to discuss this matter with you."
"The school will definitely accept children from the other three villages, but we'll have to test them first; we can't just accept as many as they come. Also, when we plant winter melons and cantaloupes in the spring, we'll include those three villages as well."
The two old men were initially relieved, but when they heard that the cold melon and fragrant melon would have to be divided up, they became anxious.
"This won't do. The winter melon and the cantaloupe are the treasure trove of our village. How can we just give them away to others like that?"
Li Zhensheng quickly waved his hand, signaling them to calm down, and then whispered a few words at the end.
The two old men were stunned for a long time, their mouths agape.
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