Chapter 0008: The Issue of Land

He looked at him with hopeful eyes and asked, "Your Highness, it is said that the city of Chang'an is very prosperous. Do the common people really have access to steamed buns?"

Lu Fei laughed heartily; today, King Qi was indeed different from usual, exhibiting a greater sense of closeness with his soldiers

The green radish and the purple aster blushed; they had only served Consort Zhen before and had never seen a man's body. Their hearts were intertwined with emotions of shyness, fear, and curiosity.

It is one thing to experience this for a day occasionally, but now it has been three consecutive days, and he is truly reaching his limit.

For five years in the fief, this individual has been indifferent to worldly affairs, having never considered how to develop his own territory, and has solely indulged in pleasure, resulting in many institutions within the fief remaining unestablished

He is a generous person. In the past, if it were not for Xiao Ming's constant difficulties, he would not have looked down on Xiao Ming in such a manner. Now, he is unaware of why Xiao Ming's character has changed significantly, but this is good news for him, as it may allow him to continue following Xiao Ming for a while longer

Your Highness, the soldiers have been waiting for this day

In ancient times, there was a peculiar phenomenon in every dynasty: the common people were always more prosperous than the land. Whenever large-scale land consolidation occurred, it essentially signaled the impending end of that dynasty

"Do you want to wash together?" Xiao Ming smiled wickedly

These ten individuals are responsible for all sanitation, meals, and miscellaneous tasks of the royal residence

Your Highness, it is not that the common people do not understand the method of boiling salt, but rather that since ancient times, this salt has always been state-run. Selling private salt is a capital offense, and Your Highness has not paid attention to the official salt in this territory, therefore...

The side hall next to the sleeping chamber is where Xiao Ming specifically bathes. Following the green vine, a large wooden tub of hot water has already been prepared, and Zi Wan is standing by the wooden tub waiting for Xiao Ming

In recent days, he has been contemplating, and the foremost issue is to resolve the matter of land

Drawing water from the well and boiling it requires quite a bit of effort from the servants. In total, there are only about ten people in his royal residence, including Qian Dafu.

Your Highness, the hot water is ready. Today, after capturing the barbarian, you must be tired. It would be best for you to bathe and change your clothes early, and then rest.

At this moment, the royal residence is shrouded in darkness, with only two or three rooms illuminated by candlelight. The scarcity of materials in the sealed land has also prevented the royal residence from being extravagant enough to light up every corner with candles.

Sitting in the hot water barrel, he glanced at Ziwang a little longer; this Ziwang was indeed much bolder than the green radish. It seems that there was such a point mentioned in the letter from Concubine Zhen.

Your Highness, this servant shall assist you in undressing. Ziwan and Lvlv stepped forward

Xiao Ming was merely teasing them to find some amusement in his boring life

They still need to patrol at night; in the city of Dayu, there is a curfew at night, and the same applies to Qingzhou City.

The green vine lowered its head, not daring to speak. The purple aster said in a crisp voice: "Your Highness, do not be anxious. The Empress has instructed that when you marry in the future, both the green vine and I will eventually belong to you."

Moreover, his royal residence covers a considerable area, measuring no less than two hundred meters in both north-south and east-west directions. In the city of Qingzhou, the Qi royal residence is the only luxurious building.

After three days of a life worse than that of a loser, Xiao Ming finally finds some psychological comfort; at least this prince still has maidservants to attend to him, which would make countless single men envious to the point of rolling on the ground.

Currently, his fiefdom is similarly affected, with large tracts of high-quality land monopolized by local aristocrats, leaving many commoners without land to cultivate. The first issue he must address is this problem

After a pause, he asked Ziwang: "Ziwang, I ask you, if I want to make my fief prosperous, what is the most important thing to do right now?"

Your Highness is wise. Qian Dafu felt a surge of joy in his heart, as the King of Qi had finally come to his senses.

It is not certain that they can all eat well, but their lives are certainly more comfortable than ours, " Xiao Ming said after pondering for a moment

However, they are well aware that since Concubine Zhen bestowed them upon Prince Qi, they have already become his people and can only suppress their feelings of shyness.

Xiao Ming straightened his body and stretched out his arms. He did not bathe every day; in this wicked ancient era, bathing was quite a luxurious affair.

At the same time, the second issue he needs to address is the inheritance of knowledge; he is guarding a technology repository without utilizing it, which is simply a waste of resources

With a long sigh, Xiao Ming said, "Since this is the case, when Chief Pang returns, let him establish the Salt Transport Office and set up official salt in the areas of Dengzhou and Laizhou"

Zi Wan was quite surprised that King Qi would ask her this question, and instinctively replied: "I am but a woman, how could I possibly understand such matters"

He looked at the pothos, realizing that there was no way out; if this continued, he estimated he would go mad, so he could only amuse the two maids.

In the side hall of the royal residence, where the servants lived, smoke was rising from the kitchen, and servants were coming in and out carrying firewood

Squinting his eyes, Xiao Ming enjoyed the close service of the green radish and purple aster; for the first time since his journey through time, he felt it was worth it

Li Kaiyuan was gnawing on a piece of bone, the unique aroma of the horse meat made it difficult for him to swallow the meat directly, so he chewed it slowly in his mouth

Just as he turned past the front hall, Luoluo suddenly appeared before him. The night was pitch black; if it were not for her green attire, he truly would not have been able to distinguish her.

Xiao Ming felt a rush of embarrassment, realizing that all of this was the result of his past misdeeds.

"I was just joking, don't take it seriously," Xiao Ming said while taking a shower. He was not being impulsive and understood what the main focus was at that moment.

Twilight gradually enveloped Qingzhou City, and before the sun set, Lu Fei and Li Kaiyuan returned to their respective quarters with their soldiers

Xiao Ming suddenly realized, he said, how could this horse meat be boiled in plain water? It turned out to be because there was no salt in the royal residence. He remarked, "Isn't it common knowledge that the sea is to the east of the fief? How could one not know how to make salt from seawater?"

Xiao Ming nodded. The power of the noble families was growing, the threat from the northern tribes loomed, and the intrigues among the princes left him seemingly little time for development

Qian Dafu reminisced about life in Chang'an, saying, "It is merely a place of wealthy merchants and more noble offspring, and while it can be considered prosperous, at least as long as one has silver, one can buy whatever one desires. Unlike Qingzhou, where even with money one cannot purchase salt; it was only after Ziwan made a trip to the fief of the King of Wei that some was procured and brought back."

The Great Yu Kingdom resembles an aging elder, exuding a decaying aura

In Xiao Ming's view, the common people in any part of the Great Yu Kingdom are not particularly affluent. The current equal land distribution system in the Great Yu Kingdom has long since collapsed, with severe land consolidation. Many commoners have been displaced, and banditry is rampant across the land

Startled for a moment, Ziwang feared that the King of Qi had once again fallen into his usual temper and said: "The land."

It has been three days since I arrived in this unfamiliar world, and every night is the time that Xiao Ming dislikes the most; nights without entertainment activities are truly too boring.

"This prince commands you to answer." Xiao Ming frowned; at this moment, adhering to the belief that a woman's lack of talent equates to virtue, Zi Wan's response was not unexpected to him