Wang Zi'an finally understood. The two uncles felt that they had used the skills they passed down to get their official positions, and felt sorry for themselves——
He was both amused and moved in his heart.
"What's wrong with this? Isn't this better?"
Wang Zi'an laughed and patted the two uncles on the shoulders with relief.
"Is it possible that we know such a craft and still hide it away from everyone else? What the hell, old Uncle Wen, get more bent-shaft plows and more useful farm tools, so that the old and young men in Dazhang Village next door can have more
Plow a few acres of land and raise a few more children, but you still feel uncomfortable?"
Old Uncle Wen shook his head in embarrassment.
"How can that be possible? Am I, Old Wen, that kind of person?"
Wang Zi'an turned around again and deliberately teased.
"Uncle Hong, do you have any objections?"
Lao Hong also shook his head repeatedly.
"What are you talking about? We are all close to Zhuangzi. My relatives told me, what kind of person am I, Lao Hong?"
Wang Zi'an laughed.
"That's all right. If you become this official, you can easily promote these technologies and let more young and old men have a good meal. What's wrong with that? You are not that kind of people. Could it be that I, Prince An, am
Ah - okay, stop standing outside, come home with me, have a drink before leaving..."
Wang Zi'an said, and was about to take the two people home.
Unexpectedly, the two people stepped back together, with troubled looks on their faces.
"Zian, I really can't do it. I'm really busy over there at Shuyamen. There's still a lot of work to do. I can't get away—"
Wang Zi'an couldn't help but glance at them curiously.
"Aren't you from the Ministry of Industry? You're still in charge. What are you busy with every day? This season is not the peak period for using farm tools -"
"Ahem, Lao Hong makes farm tools. He leads people to build the frame of the plow. I, I don't make farm tools——"
Old Uncle Wen rubbed his big hands, smiled, came over, and spoke to Wang Zi'an mysteriously.
"I'm telling you, please don't tell anyone. The superiors won't let you know, I, I'm making a weapon now - does Mo Dao know?"
Having said this, Lao Wen chuckled.
"I'm in charge of quenching - those other people are not good at craftsmanship and can't control the heat -"
Huh--
You've also expanded!
Looking at the old boy, who obviously wanted to show off but was trying his best to hold back, the prince couldn't help but feel happy.
"That's, that's old Uncle Wen's craftsmanship. He's famous among our people from all over the country -"
When Wang Zi'an said this, although Old Uncle Wen kept being humble, the corners of his mouth were so raised that he couldn't hold them back.
"Well, that's it, Zian, your old Uncle Hong and I will leave first -"
With that said, he pulled his little donkey and wanted to leave.
Uncle Hong also patted Li Shimin on the shoulder.
"Lao Li, see you later. You go back and practice your Go game. When we get together next time, I will give you some pointers -"
Li Shimin:......
Can that thing of yours be called Go?
He nodded repeatedly, dumbfounded.
"Don't do it next time, just this time -"
"No, no, it really won't work this time. Brother Lao Li, if you don't join the officialdom, you don't know the hardships of being an official. You don't have freedom in an official position. Alas - brother, I am also a person of class now.
I am a court official, unlike you. Without an official, you are light-weighted. You live a happy and comfortable life, and you can go and play wherever you want..."
As he said that, he pulled the little donkey, shook his head seriously, and turned to leave.
Li Shimin didn't know how to complain.
I, the majestic Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, am actually looked down upon by you, a petty head of the Ministry of Industry.
"Don't leave. We haven't met each other for a long time. Let's have a good chat today - it's okay. Don't worry. I know your Minister of Industry, I just want to say hello to you later. It's all a trivial matter -"
Li Shimin smiled and took his reins.
He had a good impression of Wang Zi'an's old neighbor, and he really wanted to talk to him about something today.
When Uncle Hong heard this, he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Brother Li, it's true that a person's nature is easy to change but hard to change. After so many days, you still haven't changed your bragging habit - it's just a trivial thing for you, just say hello. Do you think you are
It’s me, the emperor…”
Li Shimin:......
Seeing Old Uncle Wen beating Old Li so hard that he couldn't laugh or cry, Prince An couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
However, still follow the path.
"Uncle Wen, I'm really not bragging. My father-in-law is not what I used to be. Now I am registered in front of His Majesty. Don't worry. If it doesn't work, I will personally accompany you there -"
Speaking of this, the two people couldn't help but look at each other, but they couldn't leave anymore.
well--
It's hard to refuse such kindness, just go back and accept the punishment!
The two of them stopped insisting, hitched the donkey to the hitching post outside the mansion gate, and followed Wang Zian home.
When passing by the concierge, he did not forget to warn Wang Meng and others.
“Little brothers, remember to help me feed the donkey——”
Wang Meng could hardly react.
However, despite the low-grade official uniform he was wearing, he was chatting and laughing with his Lord Marquis outside just now, and it seemed like he had a good background at first glance.
How dare you neglect.
"Ah, ah - good, good -"
When Old Uncle Hong followed Wang Zi'an all the way in, he and several old brothers looked back at the two little black donkeys tied at the door. They were clucking and had weird looks on their faces.
I have been guarding the gate here since the time of King Zhao. This is the first time in so many years that someone has come to visit me on a donkey. The key is that the man on the donkey speaks more forcefully than those on the horse in the past.
"Okay, stop looking and start serving me quickly——"
Wang Meng pointed to the little black donkey outside.
"If this donkey gets upset later and starts barking outside, you can't afford the punishment-"
Old Uncle Wen and Old Uncle Hong really came over after dinner.
This was the first time for the two brothers to come to Wang Zi'an since they moved. First, they followed Wang Zi'an around the house, and the two of them looked at each other and clicked their tongues.
"Zian, your yard is so big and impressive—"
"Of course, this was the residence of King Zhao at the time. Even among the princes, it was the most magnificent—"
Li Shimin glanced at Wang Zi'an, and pretended to be indifferent to the two old brothers beside him who were amazed from time to time.
Sure enough, Lao Hong and Lao Wen were amazed again.
"No wonder it's so grand. It used to be a royal palace -"
As he spoke, Old Uncle Hong looked around, then turned back and looked at Li Shimin.
"As for Lao Li, this courtyard in Zian is really impressive, but these servants are really hard to live with. Look, such a big courtyard is either empty or growing things that cannot be eaten or drunk.
If we plant greenhouses and grow crops, how many people can we feed?"
As he said this, Old Uncle Hong shook his head with regret and looked back at Wang Zi'an who was accompanying him.
"Where's Zian? When I'm free, uncle, I'll come over and help you plant it - I don't think you have the ability, but I'm better at this than you -"
Li Shimin suddenly couldn't laugh when he looked at this old Uncle Hong who was simple-minded, shallow-informed, and even a bit vulgar. His green official robe could not change his old peasant look.
He turned around and patted Old Uncle Hong on the shoulder seriously.
"Brother, what you said is so good! Even the scholars in the court can't express your profound truth. I - I haven't heard such simple and reasonable words for a long time -"
Uncle Hong couldn't help laughing when he heard what Li Shimin said.
"Old Li, we two brothers still have a tacit understanding. What's this called? I remembered it. Heroes think alike. That's what storytellers say—"
After finishing speaking, Old Uncle Hong shook his head with some sigh.
"However, that's what we're saying. If Zian really digs up all these flowers and plants and plants them in greenhouses and crops, wouldn't he be laughed at? After all, he is a Marquis now. With flat-headed people like us,
Common people are different - rich people have their own way of living, and we common people have our own common people's way of living..."
This time, Li Shimin was really in awe.
Even though Lao Hong’s words may be crude, they make perfect sense!
He patted Old Uncle Hong on the shoulder with a serious look on his face.
"Brother Hong, what's wrong with the rich? Rich people also have to eat. If they have the ability, they count their money and drink the northwest wind to survive -"
These words resonated with Lao Hong and Lao Wen, who laughed and nodded.
Wang Zi'an stood aside, watching the interaction between Li Shimin and Old Uncle Hong, with a complicated look in his eyes.
Li Shimin, the emperor, may have had many shortcomings. He may have even cared about the people and cared about people's livelihood just to wash away the stigma of killing his brother and marrying his wife.
Facts and not the heart.
Even if he is really putting on a show, when he reaches that position, who can tell the difference between good and bad?
If he can care about the life and death of the people, can do a few real things for the people in a down-to-earth manner, and can let the people live a peaceful life for a few days, then he is a well-deserved good emperor!
This kind of emperor, this kind of Tang Dynasty, is the Tang Dynasty that I want to see, and the emperor that I want to see.
"Yes, I think this is reasonable, we will plant it later."
Having said this, he did not forget to give Li Shimin a warning.
"However, those flowers of yours must be given away, food must be eaten, and crops must be planted, but people do not live on millet alone. After eating and drinking enough, hiding more or less requires some spiritual enjoyment - don't think of taking advantage of it.
Leave it to me—"
Li Shimin:......
Turn the table over, this piece of shit!
He replied angrily.
"Don't forget it, I'll give it to you tomorrow!"
Seeing this guy's angry expression, Wang Zi'an couldn't help but feel happy in his heart.
We don’t have to use this flower, we just play with it——
After walking around for a while, we stopped at the glass greenhouse in the back garden.
At this time, it was probably around two o'clock in the future.
The sunshine was just right, and with the floor heating, the whole greenhouse was as warm as spring. Wang Zi'an had someone serve a large cup of brown sugar water to each person. Then, the four of them held a cup of brown sugar water, set up the lounge chairs, and lay there to bask in the sun.
.
"Lao Hong, Lao Wen, you two live in the countryside. Have you heard about the rural cooperative? What do you think?"
Uncle Hong took a sip of brown sugar water happily and waved his hand casually.
"That's it, right? Our village is okay. Because of Zian, everyone is more united. In fact, for our village, it doesn't matter whether there is a cooperative or not. Without it, everyone helps each other - but
I heard that other villages don’t seem to be doing well, and many people have their own little plans——”
At this point, Old Uncle Hong let out a laugh.
"But don't complain, it's all normal. People live their lives without making some plans of their own. Relatives and neighbors have to help, and you have to live your own life, right? You let those who are young and strong, have livestock and
A farm implement worker can do some work for a day or two, but it won't work for a long time. If you have the time, wouldn't it be okay for you to open up some fields on your own? Can't you help out with some work?"
When Li Shimin heard this, he couldn't help but nodded silently.
Lao Hong's words were not crude but he spoke much better than those guys in the court who always stood on the moral high ground and accused the people of being vulgar and selfish.
"Do you think the imperial court made a mistake in running this cooperative?"
Li Shimin couldn't help but sit up straight. Uncle Hong lay back and stretched out comfortably.
"Who knows about this stuff - but I think it's unreliable anyway. Who would do such useless things? None of us are fools. It's useless to talk about those empty-headed truths every day -
No matter how clever you say it, we still have to eat and wear clothes..."
Li Shimin was holding the brown sugar water and remained silent there.
After hearing about the concept of rural cooperatives in Wang Zi'an, the imperial court actually began to try to implement it in the three counties of Chang'an, Wannian and Lantian. However, as the work progressed, more and more problems surfaced.
In fact, in many places, things have begun to go against the grain.
"Zian, what do you think-"
Li Shimin couldn't help but look at Wang Zi'an.
Rural cooperatives were still a concept proposed by this brat, but I didn’t expect that so many problems would arise when they were implemented.
"I think?"
Wang Zi'an knew that Li Shimin had been worried about this matter recently. When he followed him back to Wangwa last time, he had been asking about it sideways. So, he smiled and waved his hand casually.
"Actually, these are all trivial matters - you are in business, you should know better than me..."
Li Shimin:......
Damn it, if I understood, would I still ask you?
"Everything in the world is bustling for profit; everything in the world is bustling for profit, but you are still a businessman. Don't you understand this? Don't worry about government orders, benevolence, justice and morality, there will never be tangible benefits.
——This is not simple, just let the common people see the benefits——"
Wang Zi'an glanced at him and gave him a look of disdain that said, "Are you stupid?"
Li Shimin ignored this guy's offense and couldn't help but sit up straight and lean forward slightly.
"For example, what benefits can you give me?"
Wang Zi'an spread his hands speechlessly.
"Who knows this? You have to ask the emperor and prime minister -"
Wang Zi'an said, lying down again and speaking calmly.
"Anyway, our emperor is a poor man. It's impossible for him to get money. It's probably also difficult to get other things -"
Li Shimin:......
Damn it, I was despised by this bitch again.
It’s so heartbreaking——
"I think it doesn't matter if you don't have money. After all, it's the imperial court. You can find supplements for the people elsewhere - for example -"
As Wang Zi'an spoke, he paused subconsciously and shook the water glass, but then he realized that shaking it was useless because there was no hot water bottle here.
So, he coughed dryly and put the water glass back quietly.
"For example, some policies can be taken care of for those who are young and strong - it is best to make them more specific, how many things they have, how much work they do, how many taxes they can be exempted from, how many corvee they can be exempted from, and even how much subsidies they can get and what they can get.
Commendation——"
When he said this, his tone was joking.
"Or simply send out a banner - ahem, send out a plaque or something. Nowadays, people pay attention to this. It is a favor without any expense, so why not do it..."