The last city, Moon City, is located in the southwest. It is small and has no large area of land suitable for cultivation, but Moon City is famous for its skilled women. Whether it is weaving, tailoring, or embroidery, they are all top-notch. Ning Yao thinks this place is very suitable for raising silkworms.
Ning Yao summarized the unique characteristics of each city and then offered her suggestions and feasible solutions, presenting them in both text and illustration. She believed that as long as Shen Ce's implementation was strong, the development of the Chu Kingdom would inevitably be rapid.
Of course, this rapid progress only applies to a portion of the population. Because of the appearance of Ning Que Lin Yu and the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm, many people will likely choose a more difficult path.
Ning Yao sent out the secret letter and then happily celebrated the New Year with her family.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the workers officially resumed work, and at the same time, the Ning family also announced that they would plant cotton on a large scale in Licheng.
Methods included buying land, cooperating with the Ning family, and so on.
Of course, this would also inevitably lead to a decrease in the price of cotton.
However, the Ning family said they were not afraid. They were worried that supplying cotton to the entire Chu Kingdom would not be possible in a short time, and if they were to sell it to other countries as well, it would take even longer.
Therefore, everyone can plant with peace of mind. The government will regulate the market price of cotton, so whether you buy it back or sell it yourself, you won't suffer any losses.
Upon hearing this news, the people's first reaction was happiness, but their second reaction was to start thinking about whether there were any drawbacks.
Meanwhile, Ning Yao was speaking with Prefect Zhou at the Prefect's residence.
Lord Zhou had received instructions from the capital, so he didn't object much when Ning Yao announced the unified market price for cotton without prior notification from above.
First, they have connections; second, they are highly capable.
He not only revitalized the entire city of Licheng with the Pinglan Building, but also elevated Licheng to a new level with cotton, which only benefited his own political achievements.
Lord Zhou asked, "Miss, you must have a plan in mind. Just tell me, and I will certainly do as you say."
Ning Yao felt a little uneasy, as Lord Zhou had always been very polite to her.
He had been away from home for several months, yet he had taken excellent care of the Ning family and their shops. It was likely that someone was directing him from behind.
Recalling Shen Ci'an's reply to her, Ning Yao couldn't help but shake her head.
"Lord Zhou, it's like this. You've seen the value of cotton. Although our Ning family has had the first taste of meat, it's not something that comes easily. Now that the drought in Chu has just ended and the people can finally catch their breath, they still need to make a living. So I plan to get everyone involved in cotton cultivation in different ways."
"The government sets a unified price. Whether the cotton is sold to the Ning family or to others, the price is the same. This is open and transparent, and it also prevents people with ulterior motives from interfering."
"Based on the market before the new year and my understanding of the situation in Licheng, I suggest setting the cotton buyback price at 50 wen per mu, with a yield of 300 to 400 jin per mu. Therefore, each mu can generate an income of 15 to 20 taels of silver. After deducting the cost of seeds, labor, and cotton losses, the net income per mu will be 6 to 8 taels of silver."
"Two seasons a year, which means between twelve and eighteen taels of silver."
"As far as I know, every family has a few acres of poor land. Even if they only set aside one or two acres to grow cotton, the income is enough for the whole family to live on."
"Moreover, there is quite a lot of wasteland in Licheng. If they are more diligent and willing to cultivate some wasteland, their income will be far more than this."
After Ning Yao finished explaining, even Lord Zhou himself was moved.
I can hardly be considered incorruptible. Only a fool would choose to be incorruptible. If you can't even support your family, what kind of official are you?
But I am not a corrupt official. If I had loosened my grip even a little, I would not have stayed in this remote Licheng. I would have gone to a place closer to the capital long ago.
Overall, they can only afford to support their family and dress a little better.
So if you can plant a hundred acres of cotton, you can earn several hundred taels of silver a year, which is very worthwhile.
"The Third Miss explained it in great detail, and I'm quite tempted to try it. Don't worry, I'll give the order to spread the word to the people immediately. However, the Third Miss will still need to take care of how to plant it, where to buy the seeds, and how to sell them in the future!"
Ning Yao replied, "Of course!"
Just then, the steward rushed in to report that the people outside were talking about it and had surrounded the prefect's mansion, wanting to find out about the cotton planting.
Ning Yao and Lord Zhou immediately realized that the question raised by the people was exactly what they had just been discussing.
The two exchanged a knowing smile, their understanding unspoken.
After Ning Yao left, Lord Zhou sent people to appease the people and also notified the county magistrates and village chiefs of various counties and villages to come to the city to discuss the matter.
The cotton planting in Licheng then began in an orderly manner.
The agricultural servant who was previously in charge of the Ning family's cotton planting was also ordered by Ning Yao to go to the city to set up agricultural schools and teach everyone how to grow cotton.
Ning Yao had also prepared the cotton seeds, and they were all taken to the government office, with the steward Ning Lang overseeing the entire process.
Seeds cost twenty coins per mu (unit of land area). You can buy as much as you have land. If you don't have the money, you can pay on credit and make up the difference after the harvest.
Some people bought only two or three acres of land, and used the rest of the land to grow grain. Others gambled their entire family's money, planting cotton on all their land.
Both the Ning family and the government expressed their respect for this.
With the Lunar New Year over and the beginning of early spring, the people of Licheng are busy preparing for the future.
By the time all the household affairs were settled, it was already after the Lantern Festival.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the group set off for the Ning family's true ancestral home.
The entire Ning family, along with Zhilan and Dongyue, helped take care of Ning Zhoumo.
The group left the Ning family residence and headed towards Thousand Illusion Mountain.
Ning Wenyi didn't remember the way, but Ning Zhiheng did. However, he couldn't break the barrier with his abilities, so Ning Shaoyuan naturally led the way.
The carriage traveled slowly for a day before finally stopping between Licheng and Yunxiangcheng.
Ning Que Linyu remained silent throughout, so Ning Shaoyuan had no choice but to lead everyone to where the Ning family was located.
He told everyone to follow closely, while he walked in front.
Ning Shaoyuan walked at a leisurely pace, covering a distance of about a hundred meters, during which the scene before him changed countless times.
Of course, only Ning Que Linyu, Ning Yao, and Ning Yi noticed this change; everyone else thought they were traveling through a dense forest.
Fifteen minutes later, the scene before everyone's eyes changed again, and everyone suddenly understood.
"Everyone, we've arrived." Ning Shaoyuan said, then strode inside.
Someone in the main hall immediately sensed: "The patriarch has returned!"
Ning Wenyi was overjoyed to return to this place that was both strange and familiar. He held onto Madam Ning and talked and cried.
Madam Ning and the other members of the Ning family also felt a mix of emotions. In a sense, this was their home!
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