Chapter 0003: The landlord's family also has no surplus grain

Zhe... ..." Qian Dafu hesitated for a moment, but he knew that this prince was always temperamental and did not dare to disobey. He called a servant to prepare a carriage for Xiao Ming

Such a shabby carriage seems somewhat incongruous with the status of the King of Qi, but Xiao Ming is well aware that the current financial capacity of the royal residence is limited to this extent

Moreover, the local aristocracy runs rampant without restraint, and the barbarian tribes from the northern grasslands can invade at any time, posing a threat to him

Although Xiao Ming was mischievous in the past, he was also aware of the situation in his fief. If it were not for the occasional silver granted to him by Concubine Zhen each year, he might have truly been left to fend for himself.

The common people no longer primarily work the land for the wealthy families, which can weaken the power of these families and unite the hearts of the people

The differences among the upper, middle, and lower levels are significant, essentially equivalent to the distinctions between municipalities directly under the central government, prefecture-level cities, and county-level cities

Upon arriving at the East Market, Xiao Ming instructed the carriage to stop and walked into the market with his hands behind his back

One can tell how greedy Qian Dafu is just by watching him rub his hands together, as his Adam's apple rolls with anticipation

And now he has a real fief, and this fief is so dilapidated; how can he endure it

After wandering around for the entire morning, Xiao Ming had basically explored all of Qingzhou City. By noon, his stomach began to growl.

Xiao Ming went straight to the main gate of the Wang residence, where a somewhat old-fashioned carriage was already parked at the entrance. The carriage's compartment was quite small, resembling a box

The King of Qi has arrived, hurry up, hurry up

This is the reality of his fiefdom, where there is a severe shortage of living supplies. It is not that there is no money, but rather that even with money, one cannot purchase what is needed. Being able to have enough to eat is considered happiness

On the way back and forth, he often saw the common people digging wild vegetables in the fields to stave off hunger

As the cart passed through a village, the three young men who were basking in the sun were so startled that they quickly scurried back into the alley

During his school days, he enjoyed playing territory-building games, watching his domain transform from desolation to prosperity bit by bit; this was a form of spiritual enjoyment

Driving away the nomads from the grasslands is now a grandiose talk for him, but he still has to engage in tasks such as establishing fiefdoms, strengthening the city walls, training the troops, and accumulating wealth among the people; otherwise, the local gentry alone would be enough to make him suffer greatly

A hurried sound of footsteps approached, and Xiao Ming saw an elder with a round head and big ears, dressed in a blue round-collared long gown, jogging over and bowing in front of him to speak.

Moreover, this is the most prosperous city of Qingzhou in his fiefdom

Basically, it consists of items such as wheat, soybeans, millet, pottery, cloth, and bamboo baskets, which are worlds apart from the dazzling array of goods in Chang'an City

Holding his stomach after being hungry for half a day, Xiao Ming finally awaited his lunch. In his memory, such a meal was quite good.

From the perspective of a modern individual, the common people he observes are essentially similar to beggars

Xiao Ming lifted the curtain of the carriage, carefully examining his fiefdom

"Rare, rare." Xiao Ming feigned a very happy expression, holding a steamed bun while eating the stir-fried celery with tears in his eyes

In modern times, what he detested the most was stir-fried celery with vinegar, and now consuming it has become a luxury.

After wandering around the East Market for a while, Xiao Ming also took a stroll through the West Market. Essentially, they are quite similar. Overall, it can be said that this place is characterized by a decline in the livelihood of the people

Such meals are fine to have occasionally, but eating them every day is truly unbearable. In fact, despite Xiao Ming being a prince and quite arrogant, his standard of living is not even comparable to that of a modern-day nobody.

Your Highness, this old servant has specially prepared sweet and sour celery and steamed white buns for you

The three-day inspection allowed Xiao Ming to gain a basic understanding of the situation in his fief and to clarify the first issue he needed to address... That is the issue of agriculture

Otherwise, would one not be coming over to suffer oneself

His current fief consists of a total of six provinces, namely Qingzhou, where the Grand Governor's office is located, Laizhou on the eastern peninsula, Dengzhou, Yizhou to the south, Cangzhou to the north, and Yanzhou to the west

Moreover, even if it is not to eliminate the aristocracy or stabilize his fief, he must strive daily to ensure that he can eat eggs and occasionally grill some meat skewers for himself

Especially in Cangzhou to the north, it is visited by the nomads from the grasslands every year, and some of the nomadic cavalry even venture deep into the fief. Three years ago, the nomadic cavalry continued their plundering until they reached Dengzhou before they ceased their activities

Xiao Ming is currently hungry. Usually, he eats boiled amaranth and boiled spinach. He wants to eat stir-fried dishes, but unfortunately, there are only vegetables available, and he cannot buy any oil

Xiao Ming has great trust in Qian Dafu. Before he came to the fief, Qian Dafu was the most trusted guard of his mother, Concubine Zhen. Concubine Zhen sent him to Xiao Ming's side in order to have a servant whom she could trust to command with ease

"No need to be polite." Xiao Ming waved his hand, "Prepare the carriage, I want to take a stroll in Qingzhou City."

This person is Qian Dafu, the steward of the royal residence, and he manages essentially all matters, big and small, within the royal household

Qingzhou City spans twenty li to the north and south, and twenty li to the east and west, with a total of four city gates. The city is divided into thirty-six districts, and there are two markets on each side, namely the East Market and the West Market.

Only able to return to the royal residence for a meal

It goes without saying that the common people are in a dire situation, with countless individuals unable to secure enough food, while one can still leisurely enjoy a steamed bun, which is already quite a privilege

However, what he is concerned about now is not this, but the tattered and patched clothes they are wearing

The East Market and West Market are akin to modern vegetable markets. As he walked through, Xiao Ming found very few goods in the East Market.

Moreover, none of these six states are affluent. According to the classification of the Great Yuguo into Upper, Middle, and Lower States, only Qingzhou, where his royal residence is located, can be considered a Middle State, while the other areas are all classified as Lower States

Leaving the royal residence, the carriage slowly made its way along the streets of Qingzhou city.

Today, this stir-fried celery with vinegar is indeed a rarity; otherwise, Qian Dafu would also take credit and present it.

Your Highness has just recovered from a serious illness and should rest in bed.

Xiao Ming let out a bitter laugh; these were the common people who had been bullied by him in the past and were now fearful of him

Qian Dafu immediately followed cautiously, vigilantly surveying the surroundings

The serfs in the fief are impoverished and weak, unable to farm with peace of mind, which naturally leads to a failure in tax collection. Furthermore, he has to support the military and officials of six provinces, so the finances of this fief are beyond discussion

I originally thought that crossing over would be a pleasure, but I did not expect that even the landlord's family had no surplus grain

Arriving in Dayu overnight, Xiao Ming had no grand ambitions; he was simply displeased that his own territory was in such dire straits, feeling that it was even worse than the contemporary slums.

The territory of the six states appears vast, yet it is not extensive. The Fifth Prince, Xiao Quan, governs the Shu region, which encompasses sixteen states. In comparison, he is considered a poor farmer.

In the following three days, Xiao Ming was also busy, taking a trip around the counties near Qingzhou City, where there were basically just a few thatched cottages enclosed by earthen walls

This neighborhood resembles the structure of modern residential communities, enclosed by a wall, with several houses scattered within. However, each neighborhood is of the same size, akin to individual blocks of tofu placed within a square frame