With the arrival of early winter, the southern region was still warm. Occasionally, it would drizzle, which made people put on extra clothes. In the north, it began to snow lightly.
The county magistrate of Jian 'an County, Zhang Xiaobei, had already led the Children's Regiment to prepare all the tools. They were waiting for the snow that was bigger than goose feathers to build the white Great Wall. There were also snowmen standing guard behind the battlements.
The tinkling of bells spread along the Vermilion Bird Avenue. Coupled with the pace of the horses, it was very rhythmic. It didn't stop until it reached the gate of the Imperial Palace. The soldiers guarding in front of the Imperial Palace saw the flag raised on the carriage. They hesitated for a moment, but still gritted their teeth and approached to check.
The carriage was full of food, which was rented from Jian 'an County. There was also a large box containing local specialties such as ginseng, deer antler, bear gall, and so on.
The newly selected guards who had been here for less than a year also approached the carriage. When they saw the nondescript things in the carriage, they obviously didn't look good. They felt provoked.
Just as they were about to reprimand them, they were stopped by the leader beside them.
"This is …?" The leader could understand what the nine little people painted on the flag represented, but he couldn't judge whether someone was faking it, so he asked implicitly.
The coachman didn't make it difficult for them. He took out a pile of documents from his arms. There were the seals of the nine people from various departments in Jian 'an County, the official documents of the Bohai Jiedushi, his own identity document, and the inspection record of the senior officer guarding the gate before entering the city.
The anti-forgery mark on it was clear. There was also a sealed letter for people to send to the Imperial Palace for inspection.
"Stay here. Don't ask, don't move, and don't leave." The leader ordered a few of his subordinates, picked up the letter with the seal, and hurried inside.
Not long after, the Imperial Palace opened a corner door. The loyal little eunuch Luo Bin came out to welcome them. He ordered people to arrange the coachman to rest elsewhere. After checking the carriage again and making sure there were no hidden compartments, he sat in the driver's seat and waved the whip to drive the carriage into the Imperial Palace.
"Brother Qin, how can the carriage …?" The guard who wanted to reprimand the coachman just now saw the carriage being driven into the Imperial Palace. He pointed at the leader beside him and asked.
"How can we go in? Xiao Bei sent the rent and tribute to His Majesty, so he naturally has to go in. Don't you think so? "The leader said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, oh, no. Who's Xiao Bei?" The newcomer obviously didn't know.
"The county magistrate of Jian 'an County."
"Then it can be sent to the palace?"
"If you want to know the details, I'll tell you in detail at Old Zhang's braised food shop on the next street after your shift."
"Okay, okay, it's my treat."
It was the autumn harvest, and the amount of grain harvested from various places had been reported to the capital. Li Longji looked at the data and felt that the gloomy sky was so clear. He could even see the beauty of nature in the leaves that were blown away by the wind.
Gao Lishi rushed over with Luo Bin and the carriage. He knew that only the local specialties in the carriage were really sent from Jian 'an County, and it was the Shui Yun Gang's help. The rest of the grain was distributed from Jili Province under the name of Jian' an. No one would be stupid enough to send a carriage of grain from Jian 'an.
When Gao Lishi found the Emperor, Li Longji was fiddling with the train. He connected pieces of wood to the rails and fully wound the front of the train. There were ten carriages behind it. When he loosened his hands, the train started to move on the tracks. When the string was out of strength, he wound it again. He didn't have enough fun.
The sound of the bell covered the sound of the train. Li Longji looked up with confusion in his eyes.
"Lishi is here? This carriage …? "
"Your Majesty, this is the rent sent by the county magistrate of Jian 'an County and other officials. There's also a tribute."
"The rent can be sent to my Xingqing Palace?"
"Your Majesty, it's Jian 'an County Magistrate Zhang Xiao Bei."
"Ah? Oh, right, I remember. Haha, it's Xiao Bei and the others. They also have a good harvest? Quick, let me take a look. It's really not easy. "
Li Longji's unhappiness disappeared. He left the train and walked to the side of the carriage. He carefully looked at the things that were sent over. He praised without tasting them, "Good, it smells good. The ginseng is also beautiful. It's even wearing clothes. This year's harvest is not bad."
Gao Lishi couldn't see that this carriage of rice was better than the batch specially provided by Sanshui County. However, since the Emperor said it was good, it was naturally good. He replied, "Your Majesty is right. The rice was actually sent from Jili Province. There are only about a hundred people in Jian 'an. Xiao Bao wrote a letter saying that when the cucumbers in the greenhouse are done marinating, he would send someone to send them to Your Majesty to try. This year's harvest is almost twice as good as the previous ones. Xiao Bao mobilized a lot of them and sold them to Xinluo."
Li Longji took the letter and continued to praise, "Good, the gift from Jili Province is also good. It's not easy to have such thoughts. He's much better than the other officials. His handwriting is better, and his writing is smooth and concise. The drop of ink that accidentally dripped looks like a plum blossom. Good."
Gao Lishi didn't want to continue this topic. He understood that even if Xiao Bei and the others sent a handful of soil, the Emperor would be able to smell the fragrance from it.
As if he also felt that his praise was a little too much, Li Longji closed the lid of the tribute again and turned his head to ask, "Xiao Bao has made a move on Xinluo?"
"He has already made a move. In the future, the heavily polluted industries will be placed in Xinluo. Now, he is suppressing the local agriculture. I reckon that the people of Xinluo won't be able to react in time."
"Cheap rice hurts the farmers. So what if they react? Once this opening is opened, it won't be easy to block it. The price of rice in the Great Tang can't fall any further. Tomorrow morning, we will discuss with the officials and think of a solution. "
Li Longji said as he looked to the east, as if he wanted to see Xinluo.
The people of Xinluo were indeed as Gao Lishi had said. They were still happily receiving the 20% tariff. Ships of grain were unloaded in Sa Shui and transported to Xinluo in carts. Bolts of cloth were sent as if they didn't need money.
After paying 20% of the tariff, one could buy a bucket of polished rice for only five copper coins. The people of Xinluo who didn't work in agriculture all bought it and stored it. Their faces revealed a happy expression as if they were celebrating the new year.
While many people were happy, the farmers were dumbfounded. In the past, a bucket of rice cost more than 20 copper coins. After they sold it, their days weren't so good. Now, the rice that was shipped from other places was only sold for five copper coins. Looking at the grain that they wanted to sell but were reluctant to sell, worry filled their faces.
The weavers were also shocked. They worked hard to weave cloth for a month, wanting to sell it for a good price. However, they found that the fine cloth that was shipped from the Great Tang only cost 80 copper coins. At this price, if they sold it, they wouldn't be able to eat until they vomited blood.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
