Fu Xiaoguan was very surprised. He held the booklet without opening it and asked, "If that girl... that noble person came directly to you, how would you respond?"
Official Fu smiled calmly, "So, your father has to hide out for a while. Others may like this kind of thing, but I, your father, don't have the heart for it."
He stretched his body, a slight solemnity between his brows. "The world's granary is in Jiangnan. The land in Jiangnan is fertile and the climate is excellent. Since the Yu Dynasty, Jiangnan has implemented rice and wheat rotation. Rice is harvested twice a year. Although the yield per unit area is not as high as the single harvest in Jiangbei, the total yield is 60-70% higher."
"This time, your Excellency has come to Linjiang, intending to recruit Linjiang grain merchants into the Imperial Merchants… This matter is probably related to the war in the north."
Fu Xiaoguan had just arrived, and this body had no previous memories of this information. He asked, "Is there a war in the north?"
"Before the rise, the northern barbarians originally lived on horseback, roaming across the thousand-mile grasslands. After the third year of Taihe in the Yu Dynasty, they settled down—north of Yanshan Pass. Several decades ago, according to traveling merchants, a city had already formed there. The barbarians called it Shangdu, the capital of the barbaric nation."
"North of Yanshan Pass, there were several places where Han people gathered. Originally, they were used for trade with the barbarians. However, as the barbarians settled, these trading areas were completely destroyed. The barbarians were barbaric and barbaric, not cultivating the land, but only plundering. In the 13th year of Taihe, the barbarians marched south, broke through Yanshan Pass, and burned, killed, and looted their way to Xinzhou, the great city in the northern part of Dayu. They were defeated by the 300,000-man army led by the General Zhenxi, who was waiting there."
"After General Peng Tu, the Great Northern Guardian, defeated the barbarians, he marched north and pursued them across the thousand-mile grasslands for three years. It was not until their leader, Tuoba Bu, surrendered, honored Dayu as his father, and promised never to invade our borders that General Peng withdrew his troops and returned south. From then on, the barbarians became obedient, and the two dynasties lived in peace for decades."
"And now... there are rumors that the barbarians are ready to make another move. There are also rumors that they have stopped paying tribute for two years. I'm afraid war is coming again."
Official Fu stroked his short beard and said with a smile, "This is none of our business. The barbarians are like chickens and clay dogs. Wherever our Dayu heavenly soldiers come, they will crush them like dry wood and rotten wood. But war is extremely costly. Although our dynasty has had occasional disputes with the Wu Dynasty to the south, the Yi Kingdom to the east, and the Fan Kingdom to the west over the years, there have been no major wars. The national treasury should be full. Your Excellency's trip is just to prevent trouble before it happens. If it succeeds, it will of course be your ability. If it fails, who would bother with a woman who has just come of age?"
What you said makes sense.
Fu Xiaoguan had no knowledge of this world, so he ignored it and lowered his head to open the booklet in his hand.
These are the fields counted by the landlords and the tenants who are now responsible for cultivating these fields.
The dense numbers and names made Fu Xiaoguan's scalp numb, but he still continued reading. After all... these lands and the people who owned them would all belong to him in the future!
The convoy had already left Linjiang City and was walking on a dirt road that was neither wide nor flat. Fu Xiaoguan looked up and out the window, and saw farmers busy planting rice in the nearby rice fields, while in the slightly higher fields a little further away, the wheat ears had turned yellow. When the wind blew, the wheat waves rolled gently, stretching freely and comfortably, which was a beautiful picture.
…
Whenever the convoy passed a small village, it would stop. Fu Daguan and Fu Xiaoguan would go to the village to sit and talk with the clan leader about this year's harvest, and also deliver some festival items, such as rice dumplings, a piece of pork, a basket of candy, etc.
Fu Xiaoguan followed all the way with a smile on his face, without interrupting, and listened quietly. He only stood up when his father introduced himself to the clan leader and greeted him respectfully.
This surprised many people, including Yi Yu and many guards who were accompanying them. Although these clan leaders had heard about the young master's style of doing things before, when they saw it now, they felt that what they heard was not true.
The old boss is a very good boss, and the young boss at least looks good too. For these clan leaders, this is very good.
After all, these villages, big or small, all depend on the Fu family for survival. It seems that the days will not change much in the future.
As the caravan continued on its journey, the sun was already at its zenith and it stopped in a valley.
A guard was cooking by the stream, so Fu Xiaoguan went to the stream and washed his face.
The wind blew through the valley, bringing coolness and dispelling the slight heat.
A servant brought two chairs from the carriage, and the father and son sat side by side, facing the water.
"Why don't you eat in the village?"
"After all, there's a difference in status. Besides, the food... isn't very tasty."
Images of those villages flashed through Fu Xiaoguan's mind.
There was a ragged child hiding in a corner of the thatched hut and secretly watching them from afar, and there was a hunchbacked old man sitting under the earthen wall catching lice and basking in the sun.
Except for the barking of dogs when I first entered the village, the rest of the time was very quiet - there were no people in the village except the elderly and children, and those who could work were in the fields.
This is their livelihood, and nothing is more important than the busy farming season. As for the Dragon Boat Festival... there is no Dragon Boat Festival if people don't have enough food to eat.
“They’ve had a hard time.”
Mr. Fu turned and looked at Mr. Fu, a little confused.
"Tenants take 20% of the land's production, the government takes 30% in taxes, and my Fu family only gets 50%... How can we say we're suffering? Compared to other landlords, the Fu family has already given an extra 50% to the tenants. They cultivate the land diligently and work hard, so at least they have enough food and clothing."
Fu Xiaoguan did not argue with Fu Daguan about this issue. After all, he was an outsider and did not know how much grain the 20% was.
"I'm just speaking from my own feelings, just saying it casually."
"It's okay to have sympathy, but don't overdo it. Son, we are landlords after all. We bought our land with real money. It's no different from running a business. If you invest, you should get something in return. We are not kind people, but if there is a disaster, we will still do some good deeds. But this year is good, and if they can harvest an extra three or five dou, then we can also harvest an extra three or five dou."
Fu Xiaoguan nodded.
He stood up and stretched his muscles, but suddenly stopped and looked at the hillside a little further away.
There were sparse trees on the hillside, and then two figures were seen running, and the sound of metal clashing was heard.
The distance was quite far, so the sound was quite soft.
Some guards also noticed the fight and stood guard beside the landlords with knives in hand.
Fu Xiaoguan opened his mouth in surprise, and was stunned for a few moments when he saw the two figures flying back and forth and the swords gleaming in the sunlight.
"What is that?"
Zhang Tielu, the leader of the guards, was a little nervous. He stared at the fight and replied, "Those are the bandits. Don't worry, young master. We are many and will definitely protect you and your master."
The two men on the mountainside paid no attention to the group in the valley. The one in front seemed to have been struck by a sword and ran away with his sword in hand. The one behind must have been a woman, as she was wearing green. Fu Xiaoguan saw her with her sword in hand and gave chase, disappearing into the mountains in a flash.
Zhang Tielu felt relieved and said to Fu Xiaoguan, "The strong man is gone. This is the grudge between the martial arts world."
Fu Xiaoguan was thinking about martial arts, Qinggong, the kind that could really fly!
Even though he was extremely skilled in his previous life, the art of lightness skills only existed in legends.
Now it seems that this world exists.
interesting.
This was an unexpected episode on the journey. Official Fu knew very little about the Green Forest. In his own words... unless the world changes, there will be no intersection between us and them, and it is best if there is no intersection at all.
But Fu Xiaoguan was very interested in this matter. He simply wanted to learn some Qinggong (lightness skills) - that flying feeling.
After dinner, we set off and continued our journey as usual.
They read the pamphlets while walking, and when they arrived at the village, they greeted the clan leader and villagers and gave them some gifts to show the landlord's concern for the tenant.
By the evening, the convoy arrived at Xiacun, the largest market town on this trip.
"This whole town belongs to us!"
Officer Fu looked ahead and said proudly.
The group did not stay in the market town, but went to the south, where there was a villa with its back to the mountain and in front of the water.
"This was built by your mother. She said the scenery here is very beautiful. In fact, the real reason is that the lower village has our largest granary and our other property, the winery."
From a distance, Fu Xiaoguan only thought that the courtyard was very spacious. After crossing the river and getting closer, he realized that the courtyard was actually quite majestic.
It is surrounded by a high dark red wall with watchtowers and arrow towers on it, and people patrolling back and forth.
"Your mother named this villa Xishan Villa. The granary and winery are both inside, and there are 300 guards stationed there—all retired soldiers. The leader, Bai Yulian, once served in the Eastern Frontier Army, reaching the rank of Cavalry Captain, and retired in the fifth year of the Xuanli reign."
"Female?"
Officer Fu shook his head. "Men."
"It's said... this Bai Yulian is a martial arts expert, and his disciples were from the Sword Mountain—Southern Sword Mountain and Northern Sword Forest. I think that's what they say. I asked about it before, but Bai Yulian never answered. This person has a somewhat strange temper, but his loyalty is unquestionable."
Fu Xiaoguan became interested in the man named Bai Yulian. Firstly, it was his name, and secondly, he knew martial arts.
The group entered the gate of the West Mountain Villa, where they were greeted by the local steward who took Mr. Fu and Mr. Fu to the inner courtyard.
The area between the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard was quite spacious, and guards were patrolling in groups of ten in an orderly manner. It was obvious that they had not relaxed their guard just because the owner of the house was not here.
The inner courtyard is a different world, with pavilions, towers, bridges and corridors, gurgling streams and the fragrance of flowers.
This is the residence of the head of the Xishan Villa.
Fu Xiaoguan did not see Bai Yulian.
Butler Zhang Ce said that he should be in the winery.
It was already midnight when we settled down and had dinner.
Fu Xiaoguan stood on the second floor, leaning against the fence, facing the cool night breeze and looking at this huge villa, wondering if it was in his previous life...how much would it be worth?
A silent smile.
Looking up, the crescent moon hangs in the sky, adorned with countless stars.
Looking down, a lantern lit up between the eaves.
A man sat on the eaves, holding a pot of wine in his hand, and looking at the moon in the sky.
Like a...lone wolf.
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