However, Aunt Zhao looked troubled.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking, still a little embarrassed: "Manager Xu, I know you mean well, but we've already troubled you so much, we really can't accept any more of your kindness. Let's think of another way."
They have already caused Xu Yuehuai too much trouble.
"Hey, I'm not doing your hard work for free. Since I'm helping you sell, I'll naturally take a cut. But don't worry, I definitely won't be that kind of unscrupulous businessman." Xu Yuehuai quickly reassured them, so they wouldn't feel too burdened.
These words put the women at ease, but they still thanked them repeatedly before slowly leaving.
However, although Xu Yuehuai had this suggestion, she was not sure if it could actually be implemented. At present, they were refugees and naturally did not have any money to buy silk thread. Even raising silkworms would take time.
Furthermore, she will definitely need connections for the subsequent sales, and she must rely on Qi Guze's help.
She returned to Tianxiang Tower with a thousand thoughts in her mind, planning when to go and discuss this matter with Qi Guze, but she never expected that he would come to her door.
Qi Guze's eyes lit up when he saw the Shu brocade in her hand. He laughed and said, "Where did you get such a nice thing? It would definitely look good if it were made into clothes."
"However, this thing is not easy to obtain."
Although he was unfamiliar with the market, he knew that this Shu brocade came from the Jiangnan region. In times of peace and prosperity, only two bolts could be obtained in a year. In the present year, there wasn't a single bolt in the palace, yet he never expected to see it in her hands.
"This is a rare find, of course it's beautiful." Xu Yuehuai said mysteriously, "Guess who gave me this?"
"Third Sister? Zhou Wan?" Qi Guze couldn't guess.
Xu Yuehuai shook her head and told him the answer: "This was given to me by Aunt Zhao. Those women can weave Shu brocade, and even fabrics like snow satin. I think Chang'an City is in short supply right now. If they can really weave it, it wouldn't hurt for us to help sell it."
"Does this solve their work problem?" Qi Guze looked excited.
While the scholars in the court are still arguing about the plight of the displaced people, Xu Yuehuai has already solved this major problem.
Xu Yuehuai shook her head: "But this only solves the problem of women. How many women are there among those refugees? The rest are the real problem."
They couldn't come up with any good ideas for the time being.
“If we want to solve this problem, we must start with their area of expertise, but their area of expertise…” Qi Guze was still analyzing when he saw Pei Xuan rushing in.
Pei Xuan was always composed and self-controlled, and he would never lose his composure like this, but right now his face was filled with ostentatious excitement.
Xu Yuehuai and Qi Guze exchanged a glance, both filled with confusion.
“I’ve thought of a way to satisfy everyone—” he said. “Since they can’t work in Chang’an, let’s find people who do what they do best. Since they come from the countryside, their best skill is farming.”
They had the same idea just now, they just hadn't thought of this yet.
"The autumn harvest is just around the corner. Even if we call them back now, they won't have any land to cultivate. Won't they still have no food to eat then?" Qi Guze asked.
Winter is approaching, and even if they plant crops, they may not survive, which would only delay their lives.
Xu Yuehua pondered this carefully in her heart, and said slowly, "That's not necessarily true..."
“Not necessarily…” Pei Xuan interrupted her again, “I have studied carefully the rice that used to be able to harvest twice a year. Maybe we can make use of it. Who knows, it might work.”
Xu Yuehuai was on the verge of tears. He had said everything he wanted to say. Although he knew that he was thinking of the people, the feeling of not being able to say what he wanted to say was really hard to bear.
Seeing that Qi Guze remained silent for a long time, Pei Xuan assumed that his method was ineffective and immediately lost the confidence he had when he entered: "How is it?"
“I don’t think we need to plant rice. We could plant cotton for a season. We need to give them something to do and make them feel that there is hope for the future.” Xu Yuehuai finally expressed his opinion. “However, I’m afraid that this tax will be the last straw that breaks their back.”
The two grown men hadn't thought about so many details; now that they heard her say it, they both fell silent.
Xu Yuehuai knew that this matter would probably take a long time to discuss, so she simply went out and brewed a pot of tea while they were not talking.
Just then, she overheard two scholars arguing about land, including the well-field system and the equal-field system.
This gave her an idea immediately.
When she brought the tea upstairs, the two men still had somber expressions.
"The matter of taxes can be discussed with His Majesty; a one-year reduction is not impossible," Qi Guze suddenly spoke up. "However, this would inevitably lead to riots in other places."
"Perhaps we can replace the reduction with labor instead," Xu Yuehuai said, pouring them tea.
“In the past, there was the well-field system. Each square mile was divided into nine hundred mu, with the middle part being public land and the other eight households each owning one hundred mu. They jointly tended the public land, and only after finishing their public duties could they attend to their private affairs. If we can also get them to use the well-field system within the next year or two, we can use labor to replace taxes and also make them self-sufficient.”
This is the best solution she can think of right now.
Qi Guze and Pei Xuan nodded; this was indeed a good idea.
With the epidemic receding and the refugees being resettled, Chang'an City returned to normalcy.
On the occasion of the Qixi Festival, the Emperor specially ordered a grand celebration, and the entire city of Chang'an was enveloped in laughter and joy. Even Tianxiang Tower welcomed a long-awaited scene of being packed to capacity.
Even with the help of the orphans they had previously taken in, Tianxianglou was still extremely busy, so they simply pulled Aqi and the others over to help as well.
Several small figures were busy carrying plates and bowls.
Whether it was fate or not, Qi Guze originally thought he would come to see when Xu Yuehuai would have some free time and wanted to ask her to take a walk in the market and experience the liveliness of Chang'an City. However, he never expected to bump into A Qi.
The impact caused the white jade pendant in Ah Qi's arms to fall out.
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