Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Luo Yu stood on the mountainside of Chiqi Mountains, gazing into the distance. In the valley below, the commoners looked like tiny ants, scurrying back and forth as they labored in the fields.

The methods of posting notices and absorbing refugees had proven somewhat effective. Over the past few days, a steady stream of refugees had arrived, drawn by the city’s reputation, and settled into Cangqi City. The total population had now reached over two thousand.

Once these people entered the city, they were allowed to build their own homes in designated areas and participate in the city’s construction to earn wages. The city lord’s manor provided them with two meals a day. While they weren’t eating meat at every meal, at least they were guaranteed a full stomach every single day.

Shen Li held a few sheets of paper, murmuring into his ear:

“From the first two batches of wine sold, plus the deposit we swindled out of the Du family, we earned a total of two thousand three hundred taels of silver. But after commissioning Manager Jiang to purchase one thousand five hundred shi of grain and deducting the wages for the laborers and the cost of raw materials for brewing, we only have five hundred taels left.

“With over two thousand people, we consume forty shi of grain every day. One thousand five hundred shi will last us, at most, a month and a half…”

Luo Yu listened for a long time, his mouth curling into a bitter smile. In other words, after working hard for over a month, he still only had a few hundred taels of silver in his pocket. He was practically a pauper. He finally realized how difficult it was to be a city lord.

However, Shen Li’s performance left him very satisfied. Her bookkeeping, resource coordination, and distribution were all handled in an orderly fashion. In her spare time, she would even ask him and Xiao Shaoyou to teach her how to read and write. Although her handwriting was crooked, she was improving rapidly.

Shen Li said as she tucked away the letter, “As the population continues to grow, our expenses will only increase. We can only hope for the one thousand jars of wine at Tingyu Restaurant to sell so we can have the funds to cover the city’s costs. But those bandits at Luan Shi Ling…”

Xiao Shaoyou, standing to the side, spoke up, “Today, Dong Chuan took men out to deliver the wine, but they were driven back by Yu Hangong’s arrows again. This is the third time.”

Over the past few days, Luo Yu had sent men out of the city to test the waters for wine deliveries to Fengchuan City, but the bandits at Luan Shi Ling blocked the only path, making it impossible to pass. That Yu Hangong was strange, too; he would always use his arrows to intimidate them, but he would never injure a single person. Only when Liu Ban’er led the interception did many brothers become wounded, with some nearly dying.

In other words, despite the many orders Tingyu Restaurant had received at the wine market, Cangqi City hadn’t managed to send out a single jar of wine.

Xiao Shaoyou said coldly, “If it really comes to it, I will take men to wipe those bandits out. There are only three hundred of them; we can handle that.”

“This group of bandits are the local snakes. They are familiar with the terrain, and if they retreat into the mountains, we might not get the upper hand. Furthermore, what I’m worried about is that if we send everyone out, the Yao family might launch a fatal strike from behind.”

Luo Yu’s expression was cold. This was not a peaceful era, and everyone spoke with their fists. Since Tingyu Restaurant had snatched away more than half of Dingxiang Residence’s business, the Yao family would stop at nothing if pushed too far.

“Let me think about it some more. In any case, we still have half a month before the delivery deadline. There is no rush.”

Luo Yu crossed his arms.

“Besides the bandits, I am thinking about something else. It is not a sustainable plan to always rely on buying grain to bring into Cangqi. Two thousand people is one thing, but what about twenty thousand? Cangqi must at least be able to achieve some degree of self-sufficiency. Otherwise, what will we eat if our grain supply lines are cut in the future?”

“Actually, actually, I have always had a suggestion,” Shen Li mustered her courage and spoke up. “The soil on the Heiqi Mountains is black. This kind of black soil is fertile and suitable for cultivation. We could open up terraced fields between the mountain ridges and plant crops. Although it won’t be as convenient as farming on the plains, it is better than nothing, right? The Heiqi Mountains cover a vast area, so it will certainly be able to produce a good amount of grain.”

“A good idea.”

Xiao Shaoyou added, “Also, the villages around the Sanqi Mountains have plenty of farmland. Regardless of anything else, they are still under Cangqi’s jurisdiction. The Jun family only collected three months of land tax, and since that time is almost up, we can collect the taxes from each village ourselves.”

“Then that is what we shall do. We will prepare on two fronts: reclaiming terraced fields while collecting the taxes.”

Luo Yu chuckled lightly.

“I have been in the Sanqi Mountains for so long, busy with this and that, and I haven’t been to see those territories yet. Shaoyou, accompany me for a look around.”

* * *

The Sanqi Mountains were vast, so vast that even riding a horse for two days wouldn’t allow one to circle the outer perimeter. The interior of the mountains was a dead end with no signs of human life, but at the foot of the outer mountains, there were many commoners living in clusters, having reclaimed patches of land to live their own small lives.

Luo Yu had assumed that since this place was far from the border, the villagers would live a life of paradise. However, once he truly saw the villagers, he realized he had thought too positively.

This was Xu Family Village, a small village not far from Cangqi City. It had a little over one hundred households, totaling about five hundred people.

In the fields, many commoners were at work. The spring plowing had ended, and the millet was beginning to sprout. They were clearing weeds and irrigating the fields. These farmers were all sallow and emaciated, their eyes filled with a kind of emptiness and numbness, giving the impression that they were nothing more than walking corpses.

In the fields, several people dressed like house servants were carrying whips, shouting and berating them.

“Damn it, you lowly peasants, don’t even think about slacking off in front of me! If you don’t finish the work today, there will be no food!”

Anyone who slowed down would inevitably receive a lash, their skin torn open.

“What is going on?” Luo Yu’s gaze tightened. This was nothing like a paradise.

Xiao Shaoyou explained coldly, “Cangqi has been abandoned for so long that these villages have become ownerless lands. Over time, a major landlord has emerged in every village. They collude to oppress the commoners, using trickery and force to seize the village’s entire farmland for themselves.

“In other words, these farmers have no land of their own at all. They are all working for the landlord, and after a hard day’s work, they can only earn a tiny bit of grain, barely surviving.”

“So that is how it is.” Luo Yu said coldly, “It seems that things like this are not uncommon in all of Longxi, right?”

“More than just Longxi; the entire country is like this.”

Xiao Shaoyou mocked, “The landlord gentry annex land, while the commoners struggle to get by. This leads to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. For these farmers, if they could have a few mu of their own land in this lifetime, it would be the greatest fortune imaginable.”

“If the commoners have no land, how can they survive?”

Luo Yu’s gaze remained fixed.

“They say that Shen Li and the others come from the Slave Court and are pitiful enough, but it seems the commoners of my Great Qian Dynasty are no better off.”

“But where would the commoners get land?” Xiao Shaoyou shook his head helplessly. “Are you expecting those landlords to spit out their land and distribute it to the other commoners?”

“City Lord Luo, I apologize for failing to welcome you properly.”

As the two were talking, an old man dressed in silk hurried across the field and bowed respectfully to Luo Yu.

“This humble one is Xu Nan of Xu Family Village. I pay my respects to City Lord Luo!”

The white-haired Xu Nan was the largest landlord in this area. Almost all the land in Xu Family Village belonged to him. One look at his silk robes was enough to see he was a wealthy man.

“This field belongs to you, right?” Luo Yu pointed to the edge of the field. “Why are you beating and cursing the farmers?”

“Ah, these lowly peasants are all lazy and gluttonous. If I don’t beat or curse them, how could they be willing to work?”

Xu Nan laughed.

“I have so much land in my hands. I can’t just let it go to waste.”

“Lowly peasants?”

Luo Yu turned his head to look at him, his gaze suddenly sharp and cold. “Why do you call the commoners of the same village ‘lowly peasants’?”

“These people are just the poorest of farmers. Their status is low, so naturally, they are lowly peasants.”

The cold gaze made the old man feel an involuntary sense of fear. He asked cautiously, “City Lord Luo, is something wrong?”

“You share the same surname and the same village. Why do they have no land, while you have hundreds of mu? Is it because you, Xu Nan, are blessed by fate, or is it because you have some clever way to make everyone willingly give all their land to you?”

“This…”

Xu Nan was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond, but he sensed a trace of hostility in Luo Yu’s tone.

Luo Yu glanced at him coldly and asked instead, “The Jun family collected three months of land tax from you in advance, and that three-month period is almost up. Is the land tax ready for Cangqi? I will also collect three months from you, starting now.”

“Th-this…” the old man stammered. “City Lord Luo, the harvest last year was poor, and there wasn’t much yield from the fields. I’m afraid it will be difficult to scrape together the land tax for the time being.”

“What? If the Jun family comes to collect, they can get it, but I can’t?”

Luo Yu sneered.

“Don’t say I’m being unreasonable. I will give you a one-month grace period at most. If you haven’t paid the land tax within one month, I will let you know exactly who is in charge of Cangqi!”

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