"Sir, you must have some good idea! Is it true that the fields of Shanggu are more fertile than those of Jiyang? What do the upper grain fields produce, and what is the yield? Liu Xiu actually asked very "professionally".

"I said I don't know, do you believe it?" Geng Xiaofan smiled, the crops at this time are nothing more than millet and wheat rice, and most of the crops planted in the upper grain are sorghum or millet, as for the yield, he really doesn't know. Of course, the fertility of the land and the weather conditions also have a great impact on the yield.

"Ahh Liu Xiu was puzzled and stared at Geng Xiaofan in surprise, as if judging whether he was "lying".

"You don't have to look at me like that. Let me ask you, the land in Jiyang is not barren, and there have been no natural disasters in the past two years, why can't the people have enough to eat? Geng Xiaofan is ready to teach Liu Xiu a lesson.

"It is the law that the people are not allowed to cultivate. My father cultivated five acres of land outside the city, and the yield was twice that of ordinary people! Liu Xiu replied.

"Oh!" Geng Xiaofan didn't expect that Jiyang Ling would also engage in "experimental fields".

"Five acres is not small, is it your father and son who cultivate it, or do you have another helper?"

"My father has official duties, so he can't plough by himself, but he often goes to the fields to check."

"Hehe, that's it. Who dares not to care? I guess there must be a lot of helpers used, and they must be very careful in watering and fertilizing. When the effort is done, the output will naturally be high. ”

"That's just as well."

"That's not the root of the problem. In the year of famine, the people are hungry, will the people not be hungry in the year of abundance? Geng Xiaofan further prompted.

"In the good years, the landlords all took the grain to make wine!" Liu Xiu thought with a frown.

"Why do they prefer to make wine with grain than to the hungry people?"

"The people are poor and have no money to buy food."

"It is the people who cultivate, why do they have to hand over to the landlord after the harvest?"

"Because, because the land belongs to the landlord. This, it's really not fair. Liu Xiu was a little enlightened.

"It is true that the land belongs to the landlord, but if there are no people to cultivate it, where will the grain come from?" Geng Xiaofan continued to "induce".

"It's the landlord who charges too much rent!"

"Yes! The court is sympathetic to the people, and ten taxes are one. But when it came to the people, it became a tax of fifteen. What can the people do? If you don't plow, you will starve. Ploughing, can only barely make a living. Once they encounter natural and man-made disasters, what do you say they should do? ”

"I can only starve to death!"

"Huh! Young Master Xiu, you haven't been hungry! When a man is very hungry, he can do anything. Geng Xiaofan smiled. Except for the time with Fei'er in Pingle Mountain, he has never been hungry. But he will never forget that experience.

"So, there will be so many homeless people and so many bandits now!" Liu Xiu understood.

"That's why the fields cultivated by the people aren't very productive. No matter how well the land is planted, who can be motivated if they can't get more harvests? ”

"So how can we reduce the rent? How much is the ground rent in the Upper Valley? ”

"It's also a tax of fifteen, and the entire Han Dynasty is almost like this, and there are fourteen taxes in the rich places around Chang'an."

"Then why are the people of the upper valley able to eat?" Liu Xiu was puzzled.

"Ground rent is basically a convention. It's not easy for you to change. and the people suffered. If it is low, the landlord does not follow. Since this is the case throughout the country, there must be a reason for him. Since you can't change the rent, you can change the land. A few years ago, the imperial court issued an order to limit the land, and the people of Shanggu more or less divided some land, so life was much better. ”

"Field Restriction Order! Oh, yes! The imperial court has a good way! But why didn't Jiyang have it? "Liu Xiu is really smart, and he immediately understood the meaning.

"The idea of the imperial court's land restriction order is good, but it is not reasonable, it is doomed to failure, it is nothing more than a matter of time or time."

"And why?"

"As I said earlier, the landlord is not happy! Moreover, most of these landlords were powerful and powerful, and the imperial court could not ignore them, so they had to turn a blind eye. After a long time, the field restriction order became a dead letter. Geng Xiaofan smiled.

"A piece of paper?" Liu Xiu had never heard of this idiom.

Geng Xiaofan also found that he had missed his mouth, thought for a while, and began to talk nonsense, "Have you ever written on paper?" ”

Liu Xiu shook his head.

Geng Xiaofan remembered that Cai Lun had not been born at this time, but even if he was born and improved the papermaking technology, the paper made at this time was not very suitable for writing.

A few years ago, when he was in Weiyang Palace, Shaofu also made some "relatively high-quality" paper, but the "cost" was too high, and even Weiyang Palace could not be satisfied, and it was impossible for the people to see it.

"Chang'an Shaofu has made a batch of good quality paper, which is very good for writing, but unfortunately there are too few of them, and it is difficult for outsiders to see them. Isn't it useless to write it but not many people can see it? That's what a dead letter means. Geng Xiaofan was "deceived" two sentences again.

"Sir, I've seen the paper you mentioned. I haven't written on it, but I have a book made of paper that looks a lot like yours. ”

Liu Xiu calmly listened to Geng Xiaofan's "blind compilation" and picked up the book he copied again.

"You have a book made of paper! Still very similar to me? Geng Xiaofan was a little incredible.

"The year before last, an immortal man visited and taught his father and brother some breathing methods. He gave me a book at parting, but unfortunately I couldn't read it. ”

"Immortals? What kind of immortals? ”

"I don't remember, I heard my father call him, Zhuang Shenxian."

"Zhuang Shenxian? Could it be Zhuang Junping? Geng Xiaofan glanced at Liu Fei'er. Over the years, this old man has traveled all over the world, and the dragon has seen the beginning but not the end.

"The old immortal, surnamed Zhuang, is probably him. I don't know if he's doing well or not. Liu Fei'er guessed.

"But how can he have books?" Geng Xiaofan was still a little puzzled, and asked Liu Xiu again, "What kind of book is that?" Does the old fairy have anything else to say? ”

"The size of the appearance is about the same as this, the content has pictures and words, the old fairy said, it doesn't matter if you don't understand it, you will naturally understand it when you grow up. And with special care, it should not be easily revealed. ”

"Hehe, interesting! I'd love to see it. Geng Xiaofan smiled, and he didn't know what Zhuang Junping was doing.

"It's simple, I'll go back tomorrow and get it for my husband."

"That's not necessary. We have to hurry tomorrow, if the old fairy you are talking about is really Zhuang Junping, then I am an old friend with him. Although Geng Xiaofan wanted to see Zhuang Junping's book made of paper, he didn't want so many people to delay for another day.

"Oh!" Liu Xiu's expression was a little gloomy, and he seemed to be a little reluctant to Geng Xiaofan to leave.

"Master Xiu, it's getting late, I'll settle you down and rest first, and send you home tomorrow morning, so as not to worry your family." Geng Xiaofan instructed his subordinates to take Liu Xiu to sleep.