Chapter 108 Transformation
Your Majesty has diligently governed the country, resulting in relatively clear political order and prompt disaster relief, making this a truly prosperous era. City dwellers can expect three meals a day: plain porridge with side dishes for breakfast and dinner, white rice for lunch, and meat every now and then.
Ordinary farmers and tenant farmers usually had two meals a day, eating whole-grain bread or porridge, with pickled vegetables or vegetables grown in their own gardens. During the busy farming season, they would have white rice for every meal, plus snacks and meat. They would also have some pickled meat during festivals.
Even in the suburbs of Beijing, a person only spent one or two taels of silver a year, including expenses such as social interactions.
The dynasty stipulated that male adults must separate from their families upon reaching adulthood, with each household consisting of five people. However, they were not required to live separately, as not everyone could afford to build a house. The average annual grain consumption per person was between two and three shi.
A strong adult could only cultivate three mu of land at most. A family of five with fifteen mu of good land, if they didn't have oxen to help them, would have to hire people to do the farming.
If we deduct 50% of the rent and 10% of the tax from 15 mu of good farmland, there will be 12 dan left. One dan is equal to 8 qian of silver, and the income is 9 taels and 6 qian of silver. After deducting the expenses of 1 tael of silver per person and the head tax, we can save 3 or 4 taels of silver.
It was certainly not a well-off family, but at least they could eat white rice, meat and wear cotton clothes.
The price of a cow was ten taels of silver, and a family had to save up money for two or three years to buy it.
Rong Yue just couldn't stand these officials who didn't know the difference between grains. They were already so rich, with rosy faces and big bellies, but they still dared to collect 50% to 60% of the land rent, and also imposed all kinds of miscellaneous chores, and found various ways to take money from the people.
You know, he only collected 10% of the land tax!
Go ahead and experience for yourself how hard the farmers work. If he doesn't peel off their skin, he wouldn't be called Rong Yue.
His Ziyun is the best. He made a million silver dollars with a 30% profit from instant noodles in five years and donated it directly to the soldiers on the front line as military pay.
The Su family's accumulated wealth over generations was only two million taels of silver, but he donated it anyway.
Why can't there be more good officials like him who are not interested in fame and fortune and are dedicated to serving the people?
Rong Yue thought, no wonder he was partial to Ziyun.
Before Su Zhenzhen got married, Su Qiyang gave Su Zhenzhen one-third of the recipe. This was something his precious daughter had come up with herself, and he was not that kind of black-hearted father.
Su Zhenzhen was so moved that she burst into tears and immediately rushed over to hug her and kiss her father. She originally thought that her father loved her very much because he was willing to divide the family property between her and her second brother Su Yuping.
Unexpectedly, her father also gave her the profit from the instant noodle recipe. Su Zhenzhen thought that this recipe had nothing to do with her anymore.
Who said this is ancient times?
Even in modern times, many families leave their property to their sons and only give their daughters some dowry.
He said nice things and spoiled his daughter like a treasure since she was young. She had six or seven brothers and cousins who spoiled her, but in the end she still had no share in the family property, let alone the right of inheritance.
Su Qiyang was flattered. When had his precious daughter ever taken the initiative to hug him? The last time was when Zhenzhen was seven years old. Girls tend to avoid their fathers when they grow up. Sigh.
Su Zhenzhen raised her little head from Su Qiyang's arms, her eyes full of tears, "Dad, this recipe is so profitable, let's give 10% to His Majesty, I'll take 10%, and my elder and second brothers will take half." A 30% dividend would mean 200,000 taels of silver a year, and in five years, she would earn half of the Su family's century-old fortune.
Having too much money is not good either, it will burn your hands.
Su Qiyang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Zhenzhen, are you willing to give it up?" Two-thirds of the silver was directly taken away.
Su Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Dad, there is no end to money. It's not like I don't have money. Aren't family members more important than money?" She couldn't spend that much.
Su Qiyang immediately said: "If your elder brother and second brother bully you in the future, daddy will break their legs." Where can you find such a caring sister?
But he still couldn't tell them directly, including his two daughters-in-law, he had to test them.
"The feet are steaming with the hot earth, and the back is burning with the scorching sun." A minister's clothes were soaked, and his lips were chapped and white. He finally understood what the emperor meant.
Su Qiyang said suddenly: "Hey, Brother Song, you have to pay me 60% rent for the rice you harvested today, and you also have to pay me 10% tax." He acted like the most unscrupulous landlord.
It would take an adult laborer about three hours to harvest one acre of rice with a sickle, and he would harvest one and a half acres of rice in one hour. However, most officials lived in luxury, and on average, they only harvested one acre of rice in one and a half hours.
The minister's face turned pale. "Prime Minister Su! What did you say?" He broke down. Seventy percent! He had worked so hard to harvest two dou of rice, yet he only got six liters! "You bastard!"
One shi is equal to ten dou, one dou is equal to ten liters, and one liter is equal to ten he.
Someone nearby laughed and said, "Sir Song, isn't the rent for your land 60%?" He now realized that he was a Zhou Paopi.
Lord Song was embarrassed.
Seeing that these ministers were doing the same as them, the Jinyiwei suddenly found a bit of joy in the midst of hardship and continued to work.
When lunchtime finally arrived, they ended up eating the same thing as the tenant farmers.
The ministers lost their composure and sat directly on the chairs in their carriages, under the shade of the trees, looking at the whole-grain steamed buns, a white flour steamed bun, a few slices of shiny fat meat, and a bowl of wild vegetable soup in their hands.
She looked at His Majesty, Prime Minister Su, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan and his wife, who were eating with gusto not far away, with tears in her eyes.
Can you guys be normal?
How did you manage to swallow something so disgusting?
They didn't dare to spit it out, otherwise, His Majesty could eat what they couldn't. Isn't that courting death?
They are not as noble as Your Majesty!
Sometimes Rong Jinchen was short of logistical supplies on the battlefield and couldn't even eat whole grain steamed buns, but he was not picky.
Su Zhenzhen had just eaten some snacks until she was about 70% full before the ministers arrived. Now she was drinking the wild vegetable soup made by the imperial chef, which was quite appetizing.
She gave all the steamed corn bread and the big piece of fat meat to Rong Jinchen, and ate half of a soft and white steamed bun herself. "Chenchen, I can't eat anymore." She blinked at him.
Rong Jinchen took it without any disgust, pursed his lips and smiled at her, "Qingqing, if you can't eat it, don't force yourself, or you'll get a sore throat." He was still a little worried.
She rolled her eyes at him gracefully and said, "I'm not made of porcelain, so why should I be so fragile?" It's not like she hasn't eaten wild vegetables before, and these wild vegetables have been blanched in water and fried with lard, so they are quite fragrant.
Rong Yue was silently chewing on a multi-grain steamed bun at this moment. He looked at Su Qiyang who was chewing on the multi-grain steamed bun while drinking wild vegetable soup, and said, "Ziyun, I suddenly feel that I have not done enough." The tenant farmers of the best land in the suburbs of Beijing, who paid 40% of the land rent, still could not have white rice and white flour for every meal. What is the situation in the remote border areas?
He just became more determined to reform the law.
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