Chapter 255 The reason it was a place of exile
“Village chief, we don’t know how to farm, but we still have to pay the grain tax. They say we’re hiring villagers.”
But in reality, we were the ones begging the villagers for help, so it's only right that the village takes the lion's share.
"Don't worry, village chief, we'll find other work and we'll never delay paying your wages!"
Xu Yinan explained with a smile.
Looking at the two men, Lin Jiadong realized they certainly didn't seem like the type to do farm work.
He sighed and shook his head: "To be honest, it's not that we don't want to cultivate this farmland."
Linjia Village became a place of exile not only because of the abundance of wild animals in the mountains, but also because the farmland would be flooded by torrential rains every summer and autumn.
Look at that farmland now, it's covered in weeds as tall as they grow. They grow even taller every year when the floodwaters recede, and they're incredibly lush in the spring.
In summer, when the water rises, the area is full of silt; sometimes, stepping into it will suck you in.
Most of the arable land has already been cultivated by our villagers. Look at that rice paddy; it was started a few years ago by a former exiled agricultural official.
To put it bluntly, it's basically impossible to grow anything on these farmlands.
Otherwise, why would it be called a place of exile?
Xu Yinan and Yun Zhao were stunned by Lin Jiadong's words.
They had never been involved in farming before and knew nothing about it.
The original intention was to let the villagers know that hiring them would suffice.
In retrospect, they really knew far too little about this subject.
Yun Zhao was stunned, thinking about his past life.
She only gained some understanding of Lingnan after she married into Huainan.
Huainan has better conditions than Lingnan, and is much wealthier.
She vaguely remembered that later, someone promoted paddy fields in Lingnan and developed water conservancy, which greatly improved the agricultural environment in Lingnan.
However, all of these required a lot of money, and progress quickly stalled.
When she first married into Huainan, the then prefect of Guanzhou even went to Huainan to borrow silver and grain.
It seems that the funds were allocated specifically for water conservancy projects.
However, the Prince of Huainan's mansion had been corrupt for many years, and by the time Mu Yangxian succeeded to the throne, the mansion was in dire straits.
Later, she heard that Tingyu Pavilion had assisted the prefect, but whether it was successfully completed was unknown.
Because at that time, she, the Princess Consort of Huainan, was officially dead.
Lin Jiadong felt a pang of pity seeing his uncle and nephew suddenly become dejected.
"I see you have a good relationship with the new prefect. Why don't you talk to him and ask him to use money instead?"
It's not that no one has done this before.
These people were supposed to be exiled, but they still maintained many connections in officialdom, and occasionally they were allowed leniency.
Those who truly suffered in exile were only those of low rank, those implicated in others' misdeeds, or those who had offended others.
"The village chief probably doesn't know Lord He. He's an upright official, and he's already been very considerate by arranging things for us in Linjia Village."
Xu Yinan gave a wry smile.
Lam Ka-tung choked on his words.
Exile sites are usually in poor conditions, and the villagers of Linjia Village are simple and honest, making it a relatively good choice compared to other places.
"Grandpa Village Chief, are there any paddy fields in Lingnan?"
Yun Zhao tilted his little head and asked.
"Paddy fields? You mean the rice paddies in the Jiangnan region, right?"
I've heard of it before, but there's no money for it here in Lingnan!
Lam Ka-tung's children are educated, and he himself has some knowledge and experience.
Unfortunately, the imperial court would never allocate funds to such a place.
Xu Yinan felt increasingly distressed as he listened. Remembering the hunting incident in the mountains, he hurriedly asked, "Village chief, are there any hunters in the village?"
"Hunters? Hahahaha, whoever isn't afraid of death can go up the mountain!"
Lin Jiadong laughed loudly, which made Xu Yinan's heart sink.
"What's the meaning?"
"At this time of year, the mountain is shrouded in miasma, and it's both humid and hot."
There are still many insects that, before they even caught their prey, have already lay down.
Let's wait until autumn or winter; that's usually when people go up the mountain. But there are too many wild animals in the forests around here.
Few dare to go up the mountain; it's too dangerous. It's better to go to town.
Lin Jiadong looked at the uncle and nephew, thinking of His Highness Prince Jin, whom his son often mentioned.
After thinking about it, I decided to try to persuade the other party.
"Your aristocratic archery skills probably won't work in the mountains. The wild beasts there are far more ferocious than those in your hunting grounds."
Yun Zhao sat beside him and blinked.
Brave?
That doesn't exist; there are tigers and black bears there.
Who can be more courageous than them?
Lin Jiadong probably thought of this too, and looked at the little fox at Yun Zhao's feet.
"You can't possibly take her into the mountains, can you?"
Xu Yifei quickly shook his head: "That's impossible!"
After hearing this, Lam Ka-tung nodded.
"That's right!"
Xu Yinan remained silent for a long time, and just when Lin Jiadong thought he was being hurt, he suddenly spoke.
"Village chief, if we contribute money to solve the flood problem, can the village support us?"
"You, you're not kidding, are you? This isn't something that can be accomplished overnight!"
Lin Jiadong looked at him in disbelief.
"Village chief, to be honest, Lord He is a good official who gets things done."
If we directly tell him to replace the grain tax with silver, he definitely won't agree.
But if we wish to improve the situation in Linjia Village, Lord He will certainly support us and will then waive this request.
If Xu Yinan said he did it for the villagers, Lin Jiadong would never believe him.
But when he explained it from the perspective of Lord Ho as an official, Lam Ka-tung believed him.
"If you have a solution, the village will naturally support you."
No one wanted Linjia Village to prosper more than him.
"Okay, I'll definitely find a way after hearing the village chief's words!"
Xu Yinan agreed, said a few more words to the village chief, and then left the village chief's house.
On the way back, Xu Yifei looked at his younger brother with some worry.
"What does Big Brother want to say?"
"Second brother, it's not that I'm saying this, but isn't what you're doing a bit too risky?"
We've offended quite a few people, and we don't know when His Majesty will make a move against us.
"What will happen to the villagers of Linjia Village if we're gone? Have you thought about that?"
Xu Yifei wasn't very smart, but he wasn't really stupid either.
They're paying to dig paddy fields; yes, that's right, it can solve the problems in Linjia Village.
But what if everyone came back to rebuild Linjia Village, and then they were killed by some enemy?
What are the villagers going to do now that they've left such a huge mess?
Xu Yinan paused, then asked, "Brother, tell me, where is our money coming from?"
"The gambling dens in the Southwest and the Li family?"
"So, I'm dead, but those two gambling houses are still around."
They are all loyal people; if we really die...
This share will remain with Linjia Village; it's a good deed after all.
Yun Zhao leaned on Xu Yifei's shoulder, tilting her head to look at her second uncle.
"Second Uncle, besides thinking about solving our mission, you also want to help these villagers, right?"
"These past few days, I've chatted with them, and I've found that the villagers of Linjia Village are truly kind."
The man I spoke to today said his family member sprained their ankle and had to stop working in town.
I was thinking, what if something happened to someone in the family while they weren't home?
How heartbreaking would it be if it led to the tragic loss of a family member? If the environment of Linjia Village could be improved, and Linjia Village could become a better place...
Then they wouldn't have to leave to make a living; what could compare?
A family living together happily, right?
Xu Yinan turned to look at the two of them. In the dim light, a genuine smile appeared on his handsome face.
Yun Zhao suddenly remembered that she had asked Young Master Jun a question before.
Why was Tingyu Pavilion built in Lingnan in the first place? After all, it was a place of exile.
That day, the look in his eyes beneath the mask was chillingly deep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
