Li Longji and the others didn't look surprised at all. They were used to it.
A few years ago, when they met Li Yi, Li Family Zhuangzi said that he was collecting rent, which was a lot cheaper than others. It seemed like he was disrupting the 'market.'
In the end, collecting rent was just a name. From the beginning until now, he hadn't collected it.
The people who worked all became Li Family Zhuangzi's farmers, the kind that they couldn't leave for the rest of their lives. They even had descendants.
Now that they heard Li Yi say that he didn't collect rent from the people he robbed, it was very normal.
The people who worked for Li Yi wouldn't suffer losses, and Li Yi also had benefits.
"Where are the benefits?" Wu Jieyu knew, but she still wanted to ask for details.
"The benefits are in the priority to buy and the discount on the rent handed over to the imperial court." Li Yi gave the answer.
Everyone looked at each other. Very well, they didn't understand.
Li Yi explained, "The imperial court wants to collect rent, and the people have to pay this rent.
If the people want to sell the crops, they have to sell it to me first at the same price.
I take over the rent collected by the imperial court and don't give it to Old Bi. I convert it to money.
The grain is in my hands, and I process it deeply. I don't rob other people's grain market. Also, I have the final say on what kind of crops are planted … "
He told everyone how to operate without desperately chasing after profits.
He would find other wastelands to enclose, and the land would belong to Li Family Zhuangzi.
The farmers would improve the soil while farming, and after a few years, the wastelands would become good fields.
The farmers' income would increase, and the pressure to survive would decrease.
The people in other places saw Li Family Zhuangzi's operation and found that they could get more good fields, so they followed suit.
In the process, Li Family Zhuangzi earned very little money.
The farmers earned more, and their lives were better. They would spend more, and it would increase the tax revenue of the Tang dynasty.
From a personal point of view, Li Yi's gains didn't make up for his losses. If he had the energy, wouldn't he benefit more from doing other things?
From the Tang dynasty's point of view, the Tang dynasty benefited more.
Li Yi felt that with the power he enjoyed now, there should be corresponding obligations.
He didn't like the Prime Minister, so with a single word, the Prime Minister had to step down.
The Tang dynasty's imperial court's revenue had increased because so many people were living a better life.
The Prime Minister was valuable, but his value was less than the contributions of the Li Family Zhuangzi. Whether he could continue working or be fired depended entirely on Li Yi's considerations.
"Okay!" Wu Jieyu looked at her son, Bao 'er. Bao' er was asleep again.
She wanted Li Yi to teach Bao 'er so that when he grew up, he would at least have the means to settle down.
It was impossible for Li Yi to teach his son how to usurp the throne.
The Crown Prince had already been decided, but Li Yi would teach him other aspects of knowledge.
This included conflicts between people, such as bullying aristocratic families and large clans. From the beginning, there was no direct confrontation.
By the time others wanted to fight head-on, it was already too late.
The appearance of the Winged Knights borrowed Yao Chong's power.
He even borrowed Li Longji's momentum to deal with Princess Taiping, implicating a large number of people.
The timing was too good. The old power had not disappeared, but the new power had already been formed.
"Will we enter the county early tomorrow morning?" Li Longji listened to the lively sounds of the people outside eating and drinking with a smile on his face.
"We'll be eating hotpot tonight. The Winged Knights helped cut the meat. The chefs have already eaten and rested," Li Yi replied.
"What does the chefs' rest have to do with entering the county tomorrow?" The little boy was a little sleepy, but he was still holding on. He wanted to eat more.
During the day, he was tired from running, so he played with the other children.
Li Yi poured a little vinegar into the little boy's plate. "If we enter the county tomorrow morning, we have to provide breakfast for the people. The chefs have to wake up in the middle of the night to make breakfast, so they rest early."
"Ah!" The little boy thought carefully and nodded. He felt that he had learned something.
He waited for Taohong to help him dip a piece of meat into the seasoning and eat it. The sour taste of the vinegar made him suddenly energetic.
"Eat half a bowl of rice before you go to sleep. Don't drink too much soup." Li Yi looked at the little boy and instructed.
"Okay!" The little boy agreed. After Taohong scooped the rice, he ate it with a spoon.
His ability to take care of himself now was better than some children from ordinary families.
He was similar to the children from poor families. The children from poor families, as young as four years old, knew how to cook for the adults when the adults were sick.
It was not just for show, like frying in the pot or recording a video.
Because it included a complete process of making a fire, stuffing the stove, washing the pot, washing the rice, and so on.
Everything was for the sake of survival. The flourishing age had nothing to do with it.
The little boy did not need to learn for the sake of survival. He was taught to learn.
In the Li Family Zhuangzi, the adults cooked, made a separate stove, and taught the little boy step by step.
The little boy learned it as a game and felt that it was very fun.
As a result, he learned it. One day, when he needed to face difficulties alone, he knew what to do.
Moreover, this kind of learning was equivalent to training the brain and cerebellum. It was helpful for intellectual development.
… …
The people outside were eating in full swing. They ate as much meat as they liked and drank the hot soup in the hotpot when it was cold.
With the surrounding tent to block the wind, they did not feel uncomfortable at all after drinking two mouthfuls of hot white wine.
They could eat too much. The food they brought was not enough for them to eat so much.
One person could eat five to six kilograms of meat and then eat the staple food. Otherwise, they would be hungry.
Just like the people in the 60s and 70s in Li Yi's time, seventeen or eighteen-year-old women worked in coal pits and ate seven or eight big steamed buns in a meal.
There was little oil and water, and the work was tiring, so they could only increase their appetite.
18 yuan per person, plus seasonings and other things, a total of 25 yuan of paper barbecue and pot buffet.
If people went to eat now, there was basically no possibility of continuing to open. They would all eat and close.
It also depended on the situation. At that time, Li Yi had a box lunch that cost ten yuan and opened it next to the construction site.
The workers would never add more dishes after they were done. They would only eat the steamed buns and rice and then drink the soup.
The workers were afraid. They were afraid that if they ate too much, they would finish the shop. Where would they go to eat then? If they made it themselves, it would waste time and the taste would not be good enough.
The people nowadays did not think about how much money Li Yi would have to spend. They ate as much as they wanted.
They knew that Li Yi was rich and did not care about such things.
"Old Zhang's family really escaped a disaster. If it were me, I would let their entire family be dealt with."
"So you are not Li Dongzhu. There are more than a thousand people, and there are pregnant women and children who are breastfeeding."
"At least let his family pay more. Li Dongzhu still cooperated with his family. He is too weak and not satisfying."
"When you hit your wife, I heard the noise. Beat her to death, coward."
"Who are you calling a coward? Say it again! "
"Let's not talk about it. Go, let's stay away. Let's talk."
"I don't want to. You want to find a place where there is no one to hit me. I know."
"Trash, trash who only knows how to hit his wife."
"I am not talking to you. If you dare to hit me, I will shout for Li Dongzhu."
"Bah!"
The people argued as they talked. Those who were capable did not need to be hit. Their wives were docile and considerate.
Some even coaxed their wives at home and washed their wives' feet. When they said something outside, no one dared to disobey.
Those who were not capable were bullied outside and went home to hit their wives.
What else could they do? Some people had to rely on bullying their families to gain a sense of existence.
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