The farmstead in front was not far from Ji Ju's Golden Grain Farmstead. The fences around the farmstead were not tall, only about the height of a person. It was close to the average height of a person in the Royal City. If one did not want to look, they could not see it. If they wanted to, they just had to stand on their tiptoes or step on a small rock. Even if they did not stand on their tiptoes, they could still see through the gaps between the fences because the gaps between the fences were not small. All in all, the fences around the farmstead were perfunctory, but they served their purpose.
Even though this farmstead was adjacent to the Golden Grain Farmstead, no one usually paid attention to it. One reason was that the farmstead was too small. The people here were rich in land and the land was vast. With such a small plot of land, it was obvious that the owner was not a big shot. People who passed by did not want to waste their energy on it. Secondly, and most importantly, the crops in this farmstead were of poor quality. Almost everyone who looked inside would shake their heads and not pay attention to it anymore.
Over time, no one remembered who owned this farmstead. They would not even give it a second glance as they passed by. With such a small plot of land, one could see the end of it at a glance. The crops in the field were all stunted and could not be sold for a high price. It was fine to leave it for the owner to eat. At least he would not starve to death, but it would be difficult to sell it.
Ji Ju also did not remember who owned this land. He only knew that it belonged to the Yi family. However, this farmstead was too small. In his memory, it seemed to have changed owners several times. He remembered that there were two wells in this farm. One had dried up, and the other was barely maintaining the farm. The weather in the past few years had been rather dry, and the crops in the farm had not been growing well. The frequent changes in owners were also due to the wells. He just did not know which unlucky person from the Yi family had taken over.
"The Yi family. Tsk." Ji Ju shook his head.
Shao Xuan could feel the unspoken words from what Ji Ju had said in the past.
In Ji Ju's opinion, the Yi family was not suited for this. They could do divination on the street but not in the fields. They did not have the talent. Moreover, the Yi family was full of lunatics. Some of them were not strong. On cold days, they could stare at the dark sky for an entire night. Then, they would be half-dead and bedridden for a few days. How could their bodies withstand the cold wind? He was courting death! The Yi family was the most suicidal of the six aristocrats!
There were also some who sat with blank eyes. Then, as if they had thought of something, they would suddenly laugh out loud or suddenly grieve. It was frightening. Ji Ju recalled the usual behavior of the Yi family members he knew and could only shake his head helplessly. He could not understand.
However, the fact that the Yi family was able to become one of the aristocrats of the Six Tribes meant that they had their own capabilities. The Yi family didn't develop their muscles or bones, but their brains. Some people could observe the heavens and earth, some could predict good or bad luck, and some had other talents. If the Yi family really wanted to scheme, they could dig a hole without a shovel and kill without a knife. This was also why many people were in awe of the Yi family.
However, Ji Ju was not afraid of the Yi family. Other than the few people in the Yi family who were truly capable, the rest of them could scare off those who did not know the truth. But if they were to put on airs in front of him? He directly ordered people to take care of him with sticks.
"Why, are you curious about the Yi family?" asked Ji Ju. Many remote tribes came to the Royal City and were always curious about the Yi family.
"A little. I think they're quite mysterious," said Shao Xuan.
"What's there to be mysterious about? They're just putting on an act." Ji Ju did not think much of it.
However, Shao Xuan was not curious because he heard that the field belonged to the Yi family. He was just curious because he saw the scene in the field.
It was the peak harvest season for most of the fields. The field not far away was the same. Although it was pathetically small compared to the surrounding fields, the overall harvest was still okay.
The slaves in the field carried their bags to an open space in the field. There was a short wooden table there, and a man in dark clothes was sitting in front of the table. Although he was not dressed conspicuously, there was a sense of elegance about him. He was different from the busy slaves. The other party was young and did not look like a steward. At this time, he was sitting at the table, holding a pen and writing something on a cloth.
The slaves carried their bags and reported to him, then left for the warehouse.
He was probably counting.
This was nothing. Shao Xuan was curious about the movements of his other hand. He saw that on his other hand, four fingers were slightly bent and the tip of his thumb was moving back and forth between the knuckles of the other four fingers.
"Come, let's go take a look. You can't even farm like this! "
Ji Ju walked over. He had also seen the crops planted in the field. By his standards, it was simply too horrible to look at. He had only gone over to say a few words, but he felt uneasy.
The person sitting in his field was counting the harvest and sighing. When he heard the report, he quickly put down his pen and walked over to greet him.
"I am from the Yi family, Yi Si. Why are you here?" Yi Si bowed respectfully and looked at Ji Ju in surprise.
"Why, can't I come?"
"No, no, no, you're welcome!" Yi Si asked someone to bring a chair over for Ji Ju.
"No need, I'll leave after a while." Ji Ju waved his hand. When he saw the crops in the field, his anger flared again. "What kind of land is this?! I can't stand it! "
Yi Si thought, 'What kind of land is this if you can stand it!' But he still listened humbly.
The moment Ji Ju opened his mouth, he went on and on about which plots of land were too densely planted, which plots of land were too sparsely planted, which plots of land were severely lacking in water, and that soil, was that even soil? It was as hard as a rock!
Yi Si listened silently with his head lowered.
When Ji Ju finished, Yi Si smiled helplessly. "There are indeed many shortcomings." But he didn't plant this land. His father was the one looking after it. He was only here to help count.
This piece of land was not good, not only because of the well, but also because of the soil quality. They didn't know what had been planted in the past, but it had changed the soil quality. They couldn't restore it and the crops they planted were poor for two years. Even with the Ji family's guidance, they were not cut out for this. The harvest could barely sustain them.
Poor!
Ji Ju was angry at this person's lack of improvement. But since he wasn't from the Ji family, he didn't want to say more. Fortunately, he wasn't from the Ji family. If he was, he would probably die from anger.
Ji Ju snorted and stopped talking. He motioned for Yi Si to continue with his work while he walked towards the well nearby to check on the situation.
Shao Xuan followed him to take a look. The situation was not good.
"The water level has dropped again." Ji Ju was troubled. From the looks of it, it would get drier year after year. Even drought-resistant crops needed water.
"It'll get better," Shao Xuan comforted.
"No, you don't understand." Ji Ju looked worried. "I have a feeling that something big is going to happen. There are always signs of changes in the world. Also … "
Ji Ju didn't finish his sentence. He knew someone from the Yi family. That person was also the crazy person who stayed outside in the cold to stare at the night sky. He remembered that old friend once said in his sickbed, "The world that is united for a long time must be divided, and divided for a long time must be united."
Unfortunately, when he asked that person after the incident, that person didn't say anything. He only smiled meaningfully. His smile was very annoying.
Because of this, the Ji family was on high alert. If there were any signs of rebellion, they would forcefully suppress it. They had worked so hard to build up the current situation. How could they allow others to destroy it? They were especially wary of the other five aristocratic families and the newly rising tribes. They were also the main targets of observation.
At this moment, a flirtatious voice came from the entrance of the field.
"Little Si ~ ~"
Shao Xuan looked over to see a young woman in a delicately sewn silk gown. Her body was voluptuous but not bloated. She twisted her waist and combed her hair into a casual but flirtatious bun. She looked up with a smile and walked in quickly. Her steps were not big but her steps were quick. Her skirt fluttered like a blooming flower.
She raised a delicate hand to cover her mouth and walked towards Yi Si. Her eyes were like water and she smiled. She was about to say something when she saw Ji Ju not far away. Her expression froze. She didn't expect to see Ji Ju here. She quickly stopped smiling and stood up straight. She bowed slightly to Ji Ju and threw a roll of cloth to Yi Si. Then she asked a slave to bring a chair with a back.
The slaves in the field were no strangers to this person so they weren't surprised by her words and actions.
Shao Xuan saw the patterns on her clothes and remembered what Black Bear told him about the aristocratic families of the six tribes. He guessed that this woman was from the Mu family of the six tribes.
Ji Ju was unhappy with the Mu family woman's actions but didn't say anything. To him, as long as it wasn't someone from the Ji family, he didn't care. If he had the time, he might as well look at the Thousand Grain Gold.
The roll of cloth the Mu family woman threw to Yi Si was actually a record of her harvest from the field this time. She had come to ask Yi Si to help her verify it again. She didn't have the patience to verify it herself. If she really wanted to verify it, she might not be able to do it in a day or two. She didn't even know if her calculations were correct so she came to find Yi Si.
Yi Si didn't say much. He put down his work and opened the roll of cloth the woman threw to him.
There were more than twenty pieces of cloth, each about half a metre long and two palms wide. They were all filled with small, densely packed words.
Yi Si flipped the cloth with one hand while four fingers on his other hand moved quickly. His thumb was like a shadow as it moved between the other four fingers.
Shao Xuan noticed that when Yi Si looked at the roll of cloth, he only glanced at the words on each piece before moving on. It took him less than half a minute to finish one piece of cloth. After looking through all twenty pieces of cloth filled with words, he wrote down the final result on an unwritten piece of cloth. In total, it took him only fifteen minutes.
When he was done, Yi Si's eyes were filled with envy. He handed the results and the roll of cloth to the woman. "Congratulations, it's another big harvest."
The woman giggled until fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. She was in a good mood because of this harvest. However, when she saw the final result, her expression changed instantly. Like a ribbon suddenly turning into a steel knife, her eyes were filled with a cold, murderous intent.
"Those lowly slaves, they actually underreported by so much!"
Each page didn't underreport by much. If one's arithmetic wasn't good enough, they might have made a mistake. However, when the pages were combined and the final result looked at, there was a lot more. The woman didn't tell Yi Si the results reported by the servants. However, since Yi Si calculated the results, it must be true. That was why the woman was angry.
In the past, she couldn't be bothered to make a fuss about it and turned a blind eye to it. But now, the servants were simply too greedy! If she didn't give them a beating, they would be even bolder next time.
"I'll send someone to deliver the reward tomorrow!"
After saying that, the woman took Yi Si's results and left quickly. She was filled with a murderous aura. She reckoned that blood would be spilled at the farmstead later.
Shao Xuan finally realized that this woman from the Yi family was helping others calculate the accounts. However, how did this person's brain work? It was like a humanoid computer.
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