After lunch, Cui Yi accompanied Zhiying to the outside of the city.

Yanzhou is vast and sparsely populated, the winter is long and the summer is short, the grain that can be harvested every year is very limited, the large area of land is barren, the grass grows as tall as one person, the carriage can not enter, can only walk in the field.

"Can I grow crops in this place?" Cui Yi looked at the hard ground with deep suspicion that even a hoe couldn't cut it.

Zhiying squatted down and picked up a piece of mud and rubbed it in his hand, and said with a smile: "If you can grow grass, you can grow crops, but the harvest will be worse, so let's find a way." It's too cold in Yanzhou, it's March, it's still snowing, rice can't be planted, plant wheat first, and then plant rice after a month or two when the weather is warm. ”

After inspecting a few soil qualities, the carriage drove back to the palace, and Zhiying called someone to call Bailizan, Cao Qian and others, even Langyue.

Xie Yong also came.

As soon as Cui Yi saw Xie Yong, he remembered his sister who wanted to die, turned his head and asked Zhiying in a low voice: "What are you calling him here for, just eating the beetle that can't do things, and it's annoying when you see it." Zhiying poked his head back: "Everyone is busy, why let him eat white rice idle?" It's almost time to sit down, and everyone is here. ”

There were four seats in the hall, Wenwu sat on both sides, Bailizan was the last to arrive, still holding the little peach cake in his arms, seeing Xie Yong sitting on the upper seat, he didn't care, he picked up the hem of his clothes and sat down at the next seat, the little peach cake jumped off the ground lightly, and "meowed" towards Xie Yong, Xie Yong reached out and wanted to touch it, but the little peach cake ran away.

Xie Yong's hand was stretched out in the middle of the center so that he was not embarrassed, and Cao Qian said mockingly on the other side: "Except for Mr., Xiao Taoshu only has one wife, and no one next to him can touch it, and it will scratch people when he touches it." ”

Little Peach Crisp paced to Zhiying's feet, scurryed up, Zhiying touched its back, Little Peach Crisp meekly lay down, and her fluffy tail swept around on Zhiying's hand.

Zhiying said with a smile: "Everyone is here, then I will start to say, today I brought everyone here, in order to discuss with you how to solve the biggest problem at the moment, I have some ideas, not necessarily very suitable, if you have any comments or better suggestions, you can put them forward, and you are the same." ”

Flattered, Lang Yue hurriedly owed: "Yes." ”

"Everyone knows that Yanzhou is located in the north, remote and desolate, and every year it depends on the imperial court to help, and the people can barely survive, but now that the prince has been relegated to Yanzhou to be the state pastor, the emperor will never care about our life or death, so if we want to eat, dress warmly, and live well, we have to rely on ourselves."

As soon as Zhiying's words fell, Cao Qian couldn't wait to say: "If the court doesn't allocate grain, let's grow it ourselves!" Yanzhou is not even willing to come to this place, the soldiers have no strength to use, just go to farm, in the capital at that time are not all their own food to eat? Do it yourself, have enough food and clothing, don't rely on people, don't ask for people, and won't starve to death. ”

"That's right," Zhiying nodded at him, and said, "But Yanzhou is not as fertile as the land in the capital, and if the crops are planted, maybe the weeds will not grow as fast as they are, and it will not be enough to just farm the land." Yanzhou is mountainous, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, there are birds and beasts in the forest, and some people are also divided to hunt, the price of meat in the city has somehow suddenly increased several times today, or hunting, the big guys can only eat vegetarian. ”

said that it was "somehow", but in fact, it was said to Xie Yong, do you think that if you don't give Yanzhou soldiers meat to eat, the prince will have to accompany the smiling face to hold the Xie family's daughter at home? I'm sorry, if there is no matter of the Ye family forcing him away, he will still say a favor for Xie Yuchan, how can someone marry you Cui Yi, and the husband and wife will be a hundred days in one night, but the Xie family will kill them all first, then she will not leave any affection, Xie Yuchan, the hat of the mad princess, she is decided.

Xie Yong listened to her words and didn't say anything, but Yang Qiong said: "A few days ago, there were brothers in the military camp who were discussing secretly going up the mountain to hunt, but I stopped them. ”

Cui Yi said in a deep voice: "In the past, almost all of Yanzhou's annual tributes were bear bile, mink and other things, and it was difficult for ordinary hunters to harvest alone, but General Xu took his family up the mountain to hunt, and he could often catch big guys. ”

"Old General Xu?"

"The former Yanzhou Mu Xu Chong returned to his hometown at the beginning of the year."

Zhiying nodded, she came late, and she didn't see this veteran who was nearly sixty years old, but after listening to Cui Yi's meaning, it seemed that she had talked to Xu Chong about things other than official business, so she said: "The prince had a good time talking to him?" They also talked about hunting. ”

Cui Yi said expressionlessly: "My father likes the kind of despicable villain who speaks flattery and does things in a roundabout way, General Xu is upright and does not like his father, so he was sent to Yanzhou to garrison, and this king and he can be regarded as sympathetic." ”

"General Xu...... Forget it, it didn't work out anyway," mentioning Xu Chong, Bailizan seemed to have something to say, but he didn't plan to say it, but changed the topic, "The winter in Yanzhou will last until the end of March, and the grain planted this spring will not mature until at least September, but the grain in the warehouse is no longer enough to eat until then, and there is still a lot of silver ......"

In other words, you have to buy food, but where do you buy it? Yanzhou is close to Ganzhou and Xuanzhou, Ganzhou has been looted by war all the year round, and the situation is not much better than Yanzhou, and there is no money to buy food, and Xuanzhou is the chassis of the Xie family, Xie efficiency makes Yanzhou's meat price several times, and it can also make Xuanzhou's rice merchants refuse to do business with the Yanzhou army.

Zhiying smiled with deep meaning: "You must buy grain, but before you buy it, you have to send someone to investigate the grain prices in various places, who wants to go?" ”

Xie Yong said unhurriedly: "Why bother so much, Yanzhou is short of grain and grass, the prince only needs to repair a letter to his father, and he will be able to solve this urgent need in a few days, Xuanzhou is rich in fish and rice, and a bucket of rice is only sold for eighteen yuan, even if it is the three states in the south of the Yangtze River, there is no lower price than this." ”

As soon as his words fell, Bailizan smiled: "Gongzi Xie is the eldest young master of a wealthy family, and he has been away from Xuanzhou for more than a year, and he even knows the price of rice in his hometown, which is really admirable." ”

Xie Yong glanced at him and said, "Just take precautions." ”

Bailizan also smiled and said nothing, as for whether to take precautions or come prepared, everyone tacitly agreed.

Lang Yue, who had been silent, suddenly asked: "Is it far from Yanzhou to Dongchang?" ”

Dongchang is a vassal state in the east of Great Chu, the territory is similar to a whole Yanzhou, although it is in the north, but it is surrounded by the sea on three sides, there is no winter in summer, it is a happy land. Cui Yi obviously knew the terrain of this generation very well, and replied: "Not far, over the Amadol Mountain, is the Dongchang Kingdom." ”

Lang Yue said: "When I was with Concubine Duan, I heard that Dongchang Country is also the land of fish and rice, why don't we go to them to buy food?" ”

"Langyue and I want to go together," Zhiying said with a smile, "The prince is now a thorn in the emperor's side, although Lord Xie is the prince's father-in-law, but he is also a minister at the feet of the Son of Heaven, openly helping the prince is only afraid that it will be easy to attract the criticism of the court, or don't be too embarrassed Lord Xie's good, Dongchang is a vassal country of Dachu, and the two countries have always had business and trade exchanges, let's go to buy rice, pay money with one hand and deliver it with the other, and the merchants of Dongchang will not let go of the door-to-door business and do not do it." ”

As he spoke, he gave Langyue an approving look.

Xie Yong chuckled lightly and said unhappily: "Since Madam already has a plan, why let us come up with any ideas." ”

Zhiying pretended not to see his chagrin, but still smiled and said, "Brainstorming, isn't it?" If Lord Xie can raise some food and help the prince get through the difficulties, it will be good, if not, the prince will not be reluctant, there must be a way back, right? In this way, Mr. Lao will go to Dongchang and bring the silver, and he can buy as much as he can. ”

Bailizan smiled bitterly with a begging for mercy: "It's not enough to see excerpts every day, and I have to do the errands?" "I didn't say or do it, and it was a relief to not be able to watch the endless folds in the room.

Seeing that he acquiesced, Zhiying turned his head and said to Xie Yong: "Lord Xie, please trouble Gongzi Xie to repair a book, and say that the prince will not take the things of the princess's mother's family for nothing, please write a note to Lord Xie, and the grain raised will be returned at one percent interest in the coming year." ”

Xie Yong was stunned, did he want to borrow rice instead of buying rice?

If you buy it, it is Cui Yi passive, Xie Yuchan is not doing well, Xuanzhou's rice can be sold for one or two silver and a bucket, but if it is credit, it will become Xie Xiao passive, as the father-in-law of the prince, the son-in-law came to borrow rice, are you embarrassed not to borrow, borrow less?

Buy rice with silver, the price is in the hands of people, the person who buys it can only admit that he has suffered a loss, he can exchange rice for rice, but it is a real barter, you lend me a stone of rice, I will pay you back a bucket in the coming year, and I can't hide a little bit of greasy.

"Mr. and Gongzi Xie are both advisors who are highly valued by the prince, and now the food problems of more than 10,000 soldiers in Yanzhou are all entrusted to you, please do your best, with the three inches of the two's incorruptible tongue, as much as possible to raise more food for the prince."

At this point, the trap of holding the profit is complete, Xie Yong and Bailizan are both guests of the palace, but it has always been Bailizan who has been reused for meritorious service, without him Xie Yong has nothing to do, now Wuwangfu and Yanzhou Army are going hungry, and the heavy responsibility of raising grain and grass is handed over to the two of them at the same time, if Xie Yong wants to win Bailizan once, he will fight for a breath in front of Cui Yi, and this matter of borrowing grain must be done.

And it must be more than Bailizan to buy back.

On the one hand, he took the silver to buy, but on the other hand, he borrowed it with empty white teeth, which was obviously unfair, Xie Yong was so angry that his teeth itched, but he had no choice but to swallow his anger and agree.

After solving the major matter of eating, Zhiying's mood suddenly brightened, and he arranged the rest of the things: "The matter of clearing the wasteland and farming will be handed over to General Cao to arrange, and the eight thousand soldiers who came from the capital are all experienced, so let them do it in the same way as before, and the grain is planted in the treasury of the palace, and I will give you the key later, and General Cao will take someone to transport it away." ”

"General Yang is responsible for taking people up the mountain to hunt, giving you 3,000 people, only hunting adult beasts, not cubs, a month's time, no matter how much you hit, you will come back to regain your life, and then there are other things to be left to you to do."

"Langyue took a few new maids from the house to the city, found the owner of the silk workshop to buy some silkworms back, and raised silkworms in the backyard of the house after the beginning of spring.

Everyone was assigned a task, and Cui Yi sat in the chair, feeling unhappy that he had been ignored, so he asked, "What does this king do too?" ”

Zhiying turned around and smiled: "Naturally, I can't run away from the prince, Mr. went to Dongchang, and every day the snowflakes are like folds, and the prince Lao has personally seen it." ”

Cui Yi was dumbfounded, and turned his head to hit the pillar in the middle of the night.