Chapter 27 Chapter 27 The Li family’s status is not as good as the Chen family’s…
The threshold of the Li family's entrance was not as high as that of the Chen family's. The vermilion door was opened early, and the servants were not surprised to see him coming.
The servant lowered his head and led him to the living room. Hezhou slowed down and looked around. He could vaguely hear the sound of water. There must be an underground river in the yard.
The corridor is shaded and transparent, and the breeze blowing in is warm. The Li family residence is quite large, but it can be vaguely seen that many places are not maintained.
He sat in the living room and listened to the fragrance of the tea that had just been brought to him by the servants. Although Hezhou didn't know much about tea, he could smell that it was good stuff, at least he had never seen it in the Chen family.
"Your Excellency has arrived! I'm sorry for not welcoming you!"
A powerful voice came from afar, and a middle-aged man walked in from the side door. His features were very similar to Li Ningshu's.
Hezhou stood up and said, "No, no, I've been thinking about it for a long time, I'm just a little slow in the handover. I hope you can forgive me, Master Li."
"Ah~ Your Excellency is too polite. How can I be worthy of the title of Lord Li!" Li Xu waved his hands repeatedly, walked around to his side, bowed and said, "Your Excellency can just call me Xu Wen."
Hezhou laughed dryly. He was not used to calling someone who was a generation older than him by his name, a habit he had developed before.
"Please sit down." Li Xu smiled and pulled him to sit on the chair behind him. "Your Excellency, what a coincidence! My family just sent some fine tea from the capital."
Hezhou took a sip, his eyes shining, "What a good tea! Who is in Kyoto, sir? How did you find this good tea?"
"Hey, I can't compare with adults! I'm just doing business."
Li Xu turned his head away and spoke slowly, but every word was filled with pride: "I'm here to manage the Ninth Prince's property. Since I'm not very smart, I'm here to manage the ancestral home."
"Boss Wenxu is so modest!"
"No, no! After all, I'm just a businessman. I can't compare with the adults, Old Qi!" Li Xu bent over and shouted towards the yard.
An old man in a gray robe walked in, holding a square plate covered with a red cloth in his dry hands.
Hezhou looked at Li Xu with a puzzled look, stretched out his hand to lift the red cloth, and saw nine silver ingots lying side by side. If they were heavy enough, they would probably be three times the amount approved by the higher-ups.
No wonder officials love to crack down on businessmen.
"Brother Li, what's this?" He covered the plate with a red cloth and pushed it away.
Li Xu narrowed his eyes, his face full of worry: "Sir, the child is still young and ignorant. He drank some horse urine and said nonsense. It's really offensive. I think the penalty on the notice is not enough!"
"Since you have become famous at a young age, I don't think you have much spare money."
He called Lao Qi to his front, lifted up his red skirt, and the white silver flashed in his eyes.
Li Xu's tone changed, and he said earnestly: "This is my donation to the county construction! Although Qilan County is small, there are many places to spend money! As a member of the county, I should contribute my share!"
There was nothing impeccable about his words, and he seemed to be selflessly devoting himself to the county.
Hezhou is not a fool, so he would not believe such simple words.
He just smiled and said, "Boss, you seem to have misunderstood me. I'm not here for Mr. Li's business."
"Hey!" Li Xu took the silver and pushed it in front of him, pointed his finger and said meaningfully: "But I came here for my son's matter."
A pair of shrewd and capable eyes told it all, and Fang He made a low sound on the table.
If it was just for spreading rumors, Li Xu would never lose face.
He was thinking of a way for Li Ningshu to stay and at the same time become an official through compromise.
In the eyes of merchants, everything is clearly priced, including Hezhou who came with ulterior motives.
"If Mr. Li knew about this, he would probably be even less willing to stay." Hezhou turned the teacup in his hand.
Li Xu paused, covered himself with a red cloth, and stared at him for a moment, not wanting to talk back. "Then why did you come here?"
Old Qi took the silver and stood aside, minimizing his presence.
"I want to open up a piece of wasteland and buy some chive seeds from you." He drank the tea under his body and said in a flat voice: "I wonder if Mr. Li is willing to sell it?"
"It doesn't matter who you open a business for." Li Xu bowed slightly.
"Seeds grown by adults have low survival rates and are slow to harvest, so it's better to use leek seedlings instead. They're just more expensive, but I can rent them out for repeat business." He rolled his eyes and tapped on the wooden plate with his nails.
"Or is your Excellency considering it?"
Hezhou smiled and shook his head. "Boss Li has considered it so carefully, so of course I believe it. But... you just mentioned repeat customers? Why do I feel like more people go to the Chen family to buy seeds? Is there some secret?"
Li Xu waved his hand: "There's no such thing as a trick. For the same price, they just think it's more convenient to rent the Chen family's land. Your Excellency, are you also renting this land from the Chen family?"
"Wasteland, wasteland."
He came forward cheerfully and said, "Same price? Then why doesn't Mr. Li give you a discount? It seems like this is the only business the Li family has in this county."
Hezhou was like a young kid who knew nothing and there was confusion in his dark eyes.
This actually dispelled many of Li Xu's doubts. He had been wary of Hezhou since he came in. After all, Hezhou was not fair-skinned, with sharp features, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He did not look like a scholar at all.
"Sir, the price of seeds is not high to begin with, and we are only taking 10% of it now."
"Now that many people have gone to the Chen family, won't they earn even less?" Hezhou leaned back in his chair, an inexplicable smile on his face.
It's no use being straightforward with someone like Li Xu. He poured himself another cup of tea and said with his eyes downcast, "I do have an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
Li Xu sat up straighter. "Who wouldn't want to hear about ways to make money? And with the government."
"He's not an official, but a teacher in my house. He knows some farming techniques and wants to discuss it with you."
The freshly poured tea was steaming, and a light tea fragrance wafted in the air. Hezhou picked up the tea and looked at the expression of the person in front of him, feeling unsure.
The Chen and Li families are currently at odds, and this is something I only heard from Li Ning's book and the snack street. Besides, this isn't necessarily a sure-win deal.
The surroundings became vaguely quiet. Outside the window, sparrows landed on the branches, chirping in response to the sound of Li Xu's fingers tapping on the table.
"If you want to plow the fields, sir, you've found the wrong person. I don't have any land." Li Xu lowered his head and smoothed his cuffs. The shiny satin with intricate cloud patterns was enough to show that even if he didn't buy seeds, he didn't seem to need the money that much.
Hezhou glanced at them and chuckled softly, "It's just a little trick. I saw that the fields are full of old two-legged plows, and my teacher can draw a diagram of a four-legged plow. All Boss Li needs to do is pay for the carpenter and get five of them to rent instead of buying. It will not only be more convenient for those who buy, but also save a lot of time. Why not?"
"Really?" Li Xu took the silver and said, "Sir, why don't you accept it? Just think of it as me buying the blueprints of your disciple."
Hezhou pushed it over, his brow furrowed in displeasure. "Boss Li, you should take it back. There's no need to overthink it. It's just that the grain production in Qilan County seems a little too low."
Li Xu paused and looked at him straight: "Sir, are you thinking of..."
He paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Sir! You're a good official, but your experience is too low. Okay! I can afford ten four-legged plows, not to mention five! Sir, please take a closer look and see if it's because those people don't work that we can't produce grain."
Hezhou opened his mouth but didn't say anything, but frowned. He didn't think that any change in the tools could increase the yield. However, it was still better to increase the activity of seeds slightly, which was just to alleviate the urgent need.
At least the four-legged plow cart is much more convenient. Hezhou and Li Xu briefly discussed the price of leeks and left. Before leaving, he secretly reminded him that Shepherd's Purse was not poor before, and those who could take root here were not small people.
Hezhou thanked him with a smile. When he went back, it was not yet noon. The street vendors were shouting hard and the dishes they displayed looked quite good. He bought some and carried them back with a straw rope.
Lotus and Chunjuan were busy cleaning the yard. The dishes in the kitchen had already been washed and piled high. He sat on the stool by the fire, feeling a little uncomfortable in his heart.
The complicated characters and the high-hanging authority almost made him breathless. This moment was even more uncomfortable than seeing the corpses in the ruined temple before.
"What are you thinking about?"
A cool breeze carrying the smell of ink blew over. Hezhou came to his senses and felt a numbness on his thigh. For a moment, he couldn't stand steadily and bent over, supporting himself against the wall with one hand.
"You're getting out of school so early today? I'm a little hungry and want to eat something."
"Just after coming in, I heard Chunjuan say that you've been sitting here for quite some time." Xie Xunzhi walked in sideways and placed the small folding fan in his hand: "The Seed King didn't agree with what you said? That shouldn't be the case. I think this plan is a sure win."
Hezhou lowered his head and rubbed the fan bones with his fingers. "No, he agreed very readily, but he seemed to have something else in mind."
He stepped forward and took Xie Xunzhi's arm. "Xunzhi... Li Xu works for the prince, but that guy surnamed Chen is still suppressing him. Do you think we can..."
"Yes!" Xie Xunzhi put his finger to his lips, a faint glint in his eyes: "After all, the worst-case scenario is running away, right? It's okay. Isn't the Ninth Prince the boss of the Li family?"
"Well, have you heard of it?"
Xie Xunzhi skillfully lit a fire and heated the pot: "It's not hard to guess. The Ninth Prince failed in his coup a few years ago and was banished to Chanshui. He only has the title of Prince in vain, and his subordinates don't dare to cause much trouble."
He leaned on the stove and turned around: "I have to find out who is above the Chen family."
"I went to the Chen family, but I didn't find any clues. They just live an extravagant life." Hezhou sighed, lying on Xie Xunzhi's back and whispered, "Xunzhi, where do you want to start the investigation?"
"No hurry." Xie Xunzhi pushed him away with one hand: "Roll up your sleeves for me. You should clear the wasteland first in the next few days."
"Got it!" Hezhou smiled and held Xie Xunzhi's wrist with one hand, and rolled up his sleeve with the other hand. The pulse at his wrist was beating little by little.
This small movement was extremely reassuring. He moved his fingers slightly and slid them lightly across his wrist.
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