At this time, silk was a hard currency, and in many cases, it served as a currency. Li Linfu, Yang Zhao and others boasted to Li Longji that they were exchanging the world's taxes for silk and silk, piling them up in the treasury, and then inviting Li Longji to come and see.

In contrast, copper coins are used in fewer places.

Cotton cloth, which is more expensive than silk, is very popular in the market, so the income of this kind of cotton even exceeds that of planting mulberry trees. Using cotton as a place to buy goods, I am willing to accept it if I want to come to the market.

What surprised Ye Chang was that there was no wind of planting cotton in Zhongyuan, but a few years ago, he started to try planting in the manor of Princess Yuzhen in the north of the Yellow River, and later went to Liaodong to try planting, and this year is preparing to promote, Wang Changling did not return to Chang'an with him this time, the reason is to urge cotton planting.

Unexpectedly, now there are even people growing cotton in the suburbs of Luoyang.

It's only been a long time, two years, and it's only the third year.

If you think about it, it is inevitable that the diligence and wisdom of the Han people will be unsurpassed in the whole earth. After cotton cloth became popular, there were craftsmen who pondered how to weave cotton flowers into cotton cloth. For the Han people, who had long mastered the art of silk reeling, spinning cotton yarn was not much more difficult than silk reeling, and the price of cotton cloth was much higher than that of silk, making it profitable to grow cotton.

Ordinary peasants and landlords did not feel this, but the powerful families in the two capitals were not, and they were very sensitive to market reactions. After the two Zhuangzi of the eldest princess of Yuzhen obtained more than three times more income than growing grain because of planting cotton, they were just waiting and watching in the first year, and they began to prepare in the second year, and now it is the third year, and everyone has begun to grow cotton.

It's just that the powerful landlords can grow cotton for profit, but the ordinary tenant farmers cannot.

"Lang Jun said that there is no reason, although kapok can be profitable, but it can not be eaten or clothed, I wait for a family, young and old, can not chew cotton for food" The tenant farmer cried bitterly: "Lang Jun, although we do not know poetry and books, but we also know that since ancient times, the people have taken food as the sky, and we have to chew it, all from the field, and we have to pay taxes from the court, which all need food...... After planting cotton, where can I still live? ”

Ye Chang didn't answer, but the one wearing silk over there shouted: "Didn't I tell you a long time ago, you collected cotton, my lord is willing to spend money to collect cotton, and with money, you can go to the market to buy rice and noodles, enough for the family to eat, and can be used for taxes."

"What if you can't buy it?"

"And if all the people in the world grow cotton, where will they go to buy grain?"

The tenants couldn't help but babble again, but the one in silk was not in a hurry: "If you can't buy food, it must be that you have done something angry and resentful."

Ye Chang heard these words a little familiarly, he shook his head, and said abruptly: "You said that your Song family wants to buy those cotton... If nothing else, do you have a guaranteed price? If cotton is cheap and wheat is expensive, are you willing to subsidize the tenants? ”

This question came to the key point, and the Song family's main idea was almost revealed by Ye Changquan. On the surface, the three-percent rent of the head of the Song family is indeed not expensive in this era, but the tenant farmers have become cotton farmers, and when the cotton is on the market, they have to exchange the cotton in their hands for grain for the family to eat and pay the taxes of the imperial court.

At the end of the day, the actual profit they received from the tenant farmers was probably more than 60 or even 70 percent, and although the tenant farmers grew more valuable cotton, their real income was reduced.

Hearing Ye Chang tell all the things in the meantime, the tenant farmers suddenly made an uproar: "We didn't want to plant kapok because we didn't know the habits of this cotton and were worried about food, but I never thought that there were so many things in it." This Lang Jun is really well-informed, if it weren't for you, where would I know this?"

"Exactly, exactly, well-informed"

These tenant farmers and the landlord's housekeeper took turns saying that Ye Chang was well-informed, and some people in Ye Chang's companions couldn't help but be happy. The landlord's housekeeper believed that their Song family was also a strong man in Luoyang, and when he heard that Ye Chang had easily exposed the tricks they had negotiated with the master of the house, he was furious, and he no longer ignored Ye Chang's identity, and sneered: "This Lang Jun, this tenant matter, pay attention to your love and my willingness, if they dislike the tenant farming income for my master, the income is not high, you can not be tenants."

"But if we don't have food, where will we eat?"

"Since you have tenanted my farmland, you have to obey my family's wishes, if you don't want to, my family is not reluctant, let's get together and disperse, you take your single-plank bridge, I will cross my Yangguan Road"

Seeing that they were arguing again, the farmers began to be worried, and they dared to fight with the thugs brought by the housekeeper, but everyone knew in their hearts that if they really turned their faces and quit the tenants, where would the family eat and chew?

Ye Chang smiled and said: "It's okay, as far as I know, the Liaodong Marching Governor's Mansion is recruiting people to Tuntian, and those who are willing to go to Liaodong only pay a little money, and the man can get a piece of Yongye field of no less than 20 acres in Liaodong, and no less than 15 acres for women." There is a recruitment office for the Liaodong marching governor in Bianzhou, if it really doesn't work, go to Liaodong to divide the fields."

When he said this, his companion couldn't help but pat his leg.

It's wonderful

If the tenants in the Central Plains really quit because of cotton planting and have no livelihood, they can go to Liaodong, which is short of manpower

The person in charge sneered, didn't refute anything, just waved his hand and said: "Lang Jun, you are a foreigner, don't meddle here, go quickly, go quickly"

Ye Chang didn't want to get too involved in the affairs here, and seeing that those tenants didn't say anything more, he left with his companions. Before he went far, he heard another noise behind him, obviously, the method he gave did not solve the contradiction between the two sides.

The smile on Ye Chang's face converged.

Cen saw that he looked a little depressed, and asked curiously: "It is not uncommon for landlords and tenants to fight, why is Eleven Lang depressed?" ”

"Brother Cen, you are wearing cotton, what do you think of the comparison between cotton and silk?"

"Although no silk is smooth and light, it is better to keep warm and firm, and it will be popular in the world one day."

"It is exactly like this, and compared with mulberry hemp, kapok is easier to plant in large quantities, so when kapok is popular in the future, it will inevitably suppress silk and hemp. However, if kapok wants to occupy fertile land, it will inevitably make the livelihood of these tenants more and more difficult, and even cotton cannibalism. At that time, I don't know how much infamy I, the initiator, will suffer. ”

"Cotton eats people? How is this possible," Cen Shen exclaimed.

If there is no cotton to eat people, there will also be sheep to eat people. Ye Chang muttered secretly in his heart, and then put the matter aside, the future infamy is far less than the immediate benefits, and he doesn't know how many things he has done will bring him infamy: if he is close to Li Linfu, some people will scold him for being willing to be a traitor and a lackey; Promote cement, some people will scold him for creating environmental pollution; The development of Liaodong and the great steelmaking will be scolded by some people for destroying the ecology and wasting resources; Even if he doesn't move anything, some people will accuse him of being mediocre and incompetent.

He threw it away, but Cen Shen picked it up, pondering what Ye Chang said, and the more he pondered, the more he felt that there was a deep meaning in it. He naturally knew that the so-called "cotton eats people" is just Ye Chang's metaphor, but judging from the current situation, although cotton will not eat people, it is almost a foregone conclusion that it will squeeze people's food, if this is the case, what should people do?

Is it true that all the tenants who are unwilling to grow cotton are emigrated to Liaodong? Not to mention whether Liaodong has the ability to organize the transfer of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, these people will definitely make them grow cotton when they come to Liaodong, with Ye Chang's idea of financial management and economy, will there be another conflict when the time comes?

Thinking about it, Cen Shen only felt incomprehensible. Therefore, from Luoyang to Chang'an, all the way he had cotton and grain flying around in his mind. He originally wanted to ask Ye Chang if there was a way to solve this problem, but seeing that Ye Chang seemed to have hidden worries along the way, he didn't ask.

After arriving in Zhuangzi outside Chang'an, Ye Chang met with Jia Mao'er and others, who had arrived here first, and then began to assign affairs. Cen Shen was not idle, Ye Chang handed Liu Yan's letter to him and asked him to visit the Fifth Qi

The fifth Qi is young and lonely, attached to his brother Fifth Hua, although he is now an adult and has held an official position, but his residence is still simple. When Cen Shen arrived at his house, he found that the door of the house was closed, and he knocked on the door for a long time before someone asked in a trembling voice, "Who knocked on the door?" ”

There was some fear in his voice, Cen Shen thought of the current situation of the Fifth Qi that Ye Chang said, and said broadly at the moment: "A certain surname Cen, from the eastern capital of Luoyang, with a letter from Luoyang Lieutenant Liu Gongyan, wants to meet the Fifth Duke to read Qi, please open the door to salute." ”

The door was quiet for a while, and then it was half opened, but it was not wide open, a servant looked out of his head, looked left and right, and saw that Cen Shen was really the appearance of Feng Chen Bu Bu traveling from afar, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Lang Jun is not strange, there are few guests recently, so it is a little late, please come in, please come in, the master of the house is waiting in the guest hall." ”

After Cen Shen entered the door, he found that although the courtyard was simple, it was well organized, and the placement of each instrument and object seemed to be simple and convenient. As soon as he entered, the servant hurriedly closed the door and bolted it again, and then came to lead the way: "Please come here Lang Jun." ”

The small courtyard is not big, and I arrived in front of the guest hall in a few steps, and saw a man with a handsome face, standing in front of the door, looking only more than thirty years old. Cen Shen stepped forward and said, "But the fifth prince is in front?" ”

That person was the Fifth Qi, and as soon as he saw Cen Shen, he knew that his initial conjecture was wrong, this person was not the messenger who sent the letter to Liu Yantuo, but he was also a scholar and the like. Listening to the other party's words again, he couldn't help but "pout", and then changed color and said: "Cen Gong is not in Liaodong, why is he here?" ”

"A certain cheap name has also been in the ears of the fifth public?" Cen Shen was surprised.

"Ye Chang runs Liaodong, relying on Cen Gong as his right-hand man, Cen Gong's old poems, the wind swept the grass and folded, and Liaodong snowed in August. Suddenly, like a night of spring breeze, thousands of trees and pear blossoms bloom, a certain smell for a long time"

Fifth Qi said this, but he was very surprised in his heart.

He is in a very bad situation now, because of Wei Jian's involvement, he was suspended from his official position, and he was at home for a long time, and he didn't know where he would be demoted. However, at the beginning of this year, when some of Wei Jian's former bureaucrats and petty officials were drinking, some of them complained about Wei Jian, and after being denounced, quite a few people were detained and imprisoned. At this time, Ye Chang's cronies came to look for him, was it really just to bring a letter for Liu Yan?

Cen Shen was also very happy, he was conceited of his poetic talent, but before he went to Liaodong, the poems he wrote were not widely recited. Now in Liaodong, after experiencing the battle, his poetic style is even more awe-inspiring, and the poems of Biansai are unrestrained and generous, and the poet Wang Changling, the son of heaven, is also full of praise for him.

And now his new poems, which can be chanted in the Fifth Qi in Chang'an, prove that his trip to Liaodong is really correct.

"It's a clumsy work, it's just a dirty ear. This time, when he came from Liaodong and passed through Luoyang, he got a letter from Liu Gongyan, the lieutenant of Luoyang, and handed it over. ”

Fifth Qi received the letter, invited Cen Shen to sit down, and called someone to serve tea, and then opened the letter to watch. He only read a few words, his eyebrows rose, he threw the letter on a few, and sneered: "Liu Gong himself doesn't want to bend down to commit adultery, but let me be the minions of this traitor."

Cen Shen's heart moved, and his brows furrowed: "The traitor that the public is talking about, I don't know who he is referring to?" ”

"Naturally, it's Ye Chang." Fifth Qi looked at Cen Shen: "Poetry is the voice of the heart, a certain view of Cen Gong's poems, also has the meaning of generous service to the country, why bend down to adultery and act for the tiger?" Gongyuan is in Liaodong, I don't know the inside story, the traitor's life is afraid that the traitor will not be abandoned at this time, and he can still be at ease, otherwise the jade will be burned, and it will be too late to regret it."

Cen Shen came here to invite Fifth Qi to help on Ye Chang's order, originally Ye Chang thought that with Liu Yan's letter and Cen Shen's persuasion, this matter would not be too difficult, even if it didn't work, it would be a big deal that Ye Chang would come again in person. But he never thought that before Cen Shen could open his mouth to persuade him, the fifth Qi over there would preemptively persuade him to leave Ye Chang

Cen Shen was furious, got up and said: "Ye Sima listened to Liu Gong's recommendation of Mr. Fifth, Mr. Wen Dao has extraordinary knowledge and broad wisdom, and happily said, 'The world's talented people, I will eventually get it, a certain person came here from Liaodong, and the horse did not untie the saddle, so he went to the public house again, which is Ye Sima's love for talents. The public does not think of it, but hearsays that everyone is the same, and even accuses loyalty as treacherous and evil, and does not hear that there are those who have no eyes and no pearls."

When he went to Liaodong, he saw Ye Chang acting, and his admiration and friendship for Ye Chang had reached its peak. And Ye Chang also treated them very well, and they became famous all over the world, so the fifth Qi attacked Ye Chang is treacherous, and he fought back without backing.

These words made Fifth Qi stunned, and after a while, Fifth Qi smiled and said: "The public said that Ye Chang was loyal and upright, I don't know what crime Wei Gongjian had, he was falsely accused by Ye Chang and imprisoned to death, what is the crime of Wang Zhonghei, he was slandered by Ye Chang and degraded, Li Xiangshizhi, the public is loyal to the country, why did he commit suicide by medicine, Li Yong in Beihai, he is famous, why is he in prison?" ”

This series of names, their defeat and denigration, are all closely related to Ye Chang, Fifth Qi listed these people, and then looked at Cen Shen with a smile, waiting for his rebuttal.

In his mind, these names are crimes, and Cen Shen has no defense