At this time, silk is a hard currency, and in many cases it acts as a currency. Li Linfu, Yang Zhao and others praised Li Longji for his wealth, and exchanged the world's taxes into silk and silk, piled them up in the treasury, and asked Li Longji to come and see it.

In comparison, copper coins are used less places.

Cotton is more expensive than silk and is very popular in the market, so the profit of this cotton planting even exceeds that of mulberry trees. I think the market is willing to accept it by using cotton as a cargo office.

What surprised Ye Chang was that there was no trend of growing cotton in the middle. It was only a few years ago that he started to try planting in Princess Yuzhen’s manor north of the Yellow River. Later, he went to Liaodong to try planting. This year, he was preparing for promotion. Wang Changling did not go back to Chang'an with him this time, because he was urging to plant cotton.

Unexpectedly, even the suburbs of Luoyang have people growing cotton.

How long has it been, two years, this is just the third year.

It is inevitable to think about it carefully. The diligence and wisdom of the Han people are probably no match for the entire earth. After the popularity of cotton cloth, craftsmen immediately figured out how to weave cotton flowers into cotton cloth. For Han people who had long mastered the technology of silk reeling, spun cotton yarn is not much more difficult than spinning, and cotton cloth is much higher than silk price, making it profitable to plant cotton.

Ordinary farmers and landlords have no feelings about this, but the powerful families in the two capitals are not the case. They are very sensitive to the market. After Princess Yuzhen's two farms earned more than three times more profits than growing grain because of growing cotton, they were just waiting and watching in the first year, and they had already started preparing in the second year. Now it is the third year, and everyone has started growing cotton.

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

"There is no reason why the husband said it well. Although kapok can make profits, it cannot be eaten. We are young and old, and we cannot chew cotton to feed on it." The tenant farmer shouted bitterly: "My husband, although we are not well-versed in poetry and books, we also know that since ancient times, food is the most important thing for people. We eat and chew all out of the fields and pay taxes from the court. All of these require food... After growing cotton, where can we still have a way out?"

Ye Chang didn't answer, but the person wearing silk shouted: "Didn't you tell you a long time ago that you have collected cotton, and my master is willing to spend money to collect cotton. If you have money, you can go to the market to buy rice and flour, which can be enough for food at home and can be used for taxes."

"What if I can't buy it?"

"And if all the people in the world grow cotton, where can they buy food?"

The tenants couldn't help but say again, the silk-wearing person was calm: "If you can't buy food, it must be something you did that is angry and resentful."

Ye Chang heard this a little familiar. He shook his head and said sneered: "You said your Song family wants to buy those cotton... and nothing else, do you have a guaranteed price? If the cotton is cheap and the wheat is expensive, are you willing to subsidize the tenants?"

When this question reached a critical point, the main idea of ​​the Song family was almost revealed by Ye Changquan. On the surface, 30% of the rent interest of the Song family was indeed not expensive in this era, but the tenant farmers became cotton farmers. When the cotton was listed, they had to replace the cotton in their hands with food for the family to eat and pay taxes from the court. At this time, the Song family could set the price of grain high and lower the price of cotton. As soon as they entered and exited, they aggravated the exploitation of tenant farmers.

In the end, the actual benefits they collected from the tenant farmers may exceed 60% or even 70%. Although the tenant farmers planted more valuable cotton, their actual income decreased.

Hearing Ye Chang telling all the things that happened, the tenants suddenly became noisy: "We just didn't know the habits of cotton and were worried about food, so we didn't want to grow kapok, but we never thought that there were so many things in it. This gentleman is indeed very knowledgeable. If it weren't for you, how could I know this?"

“That’s right, it’s very knowledgeable”

These tenant farmers and the landlord's butler took turns saying that Ye Chang was knowledgeable, and some people in Ye Chang's companion could not help but be happy. The landlord's butler believed that their Song family was also a powerful man in Luoyang. He heard Ye Chang easily exposed the activities they discussed with the owner of the family. He was furious and ignored Ye Chang's identity and sneered: "This man, this matter of renting is a matter of your love. If they dislike the low income of farming for my owner, they can't rent it."

"But where can we have food to eat without stake?"

"Since I have rented my land, I have to obey my wishes. If I don't want to, my family will not force me. Let's get along and break up. You walk on your single-plank bridge and I pass through my Yangguan Road."

Seeing that they started arguing again, the farmers began to worry, don’t see that they dared to fight with the thugs led by the housekeeper just now, but everyone knew in their hearts that Ruozhen turned his face and retreated from the tenant, where would the whole family eat and chew?

Ye Chang smiled and said, "It's okay. As far as I know, the Liaodong Marine General Administration is recruiting people to farm land. Anyone who is willing to go to Liaodong can only pay a little money. The male can get a piece of Yongye land in Liaodong, no less than twenty acres of women, and no less than fifteen acres of women. There is a Liaodong Marine General Administration Recruitment Office in Bianzhou. If it really doesn't work, go to Liaodong to divide the land."

After saying this, his companion around him couldn't help but slap his legs.

It's really wonderful

If the tenants in the Central Plains really retired their tenants because of the cotton planting and their livelihoods are not settled, they can go to Liaodong, which is short of people.

The person in charge sneered, did not refute anything, but waved his hand and said, "Mr. Lang, you are a foreigner. Don't meddle in other people's business here, go quickly, go quickly."

Ye Chang didn't want to intervene too much. Seeing that the tenants didn't say anything, he left with his companion. Before he could walk away, he heard the noise behind him again. Obviously, the method he gave did not resolve the conflict between the two sides.

Ye Chang's smile on his face became restrained.

Seeing that he looked a little depressed, Cen Shen asked curiously: "It is not uncommon for the landlord to compete with the tenant family. Why is Shiyilang depressed or not?"

"Brother Cen, you are wearing cotton cloth. How do you think cotton cloth is compared to silk?"

"Although there is no silk that is smooth and light, it is better to keep warm and firm, and it will be very popular in the world in the future."

"That's true, and compared with mulberry and hemp, kapok is easier to grow in large quantities. Therefore, when kapok is in the future, silk hemp will inevitably be suppressed. 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 will occur. By then, I, the initiator, will be criticized for being a culprit."

"Cotton eats people? How is this possible?" Cen Shen said in surprise.

Without cotton to eat people, there will be sheep to eat people. Ye Chang murmured in his heart, and then put aside this matter. The future infamy is far less than the immediate benefits. I don’t know how many things he does will summon him to be a traitor; if he is close to Li Linfu, someone will scold him for being a traitor; if he promotes cement, someone will scold him for creating environmental pollution; if he develops Liaodong and makes great efforts to make steel, someone will scold him for destroying the ecology and wasting resources; even if he doesn’t move anything, someone will scold him for being mediocre and incompetent.

He could throw it away, but Cen Shen picked it up instead. He thought about what Ye Chang said. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it had deep meaning. He naturally knew that the so-called "cotton eats people" was just Ye Chang's metaphor, but judging from the current situation, although cotton can't eat people, it is almost a foregone conclusion to squeeze out people's food. If this is the case, what should people do?

Could it be that all the tenants who were unwilling to grow cotton were immigrated 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 went to Liaodong and used Ye Chang's financial management philosophy to manage the economy, they would definitely have to plant cotton. Will there be another conflict?

After thinking about it, Cen Shen felt that there was no solution. Therefore, from Luoyang to Chang'an, his mind was covered with cotton and food. He originally wanted to ask Ye Chang if there was a solution to this problem, but he also saw that Ye Chang seemed to be worried all the way, so he didn't ask.

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

Wu Qi Shao was isolated early and attached to his brother Di Wu Hua. Although he is an adult and has served as an official position, his residence is still simple. When Cen Shen arrived at his house, he found that the door of the house was closed. He knocked outside for a long time before someone asked in a trembling voice: "Who is knocking on the door?"

There was a little fear in his voice. Cen Shen thought of the current situation of Diwu Qi as Ye Chang said, and immediately said with a loud voice: "A certain surname is Cen, who came from the eastern capital Luoyang, brought a letter from the Luoyang Wei Liu Gong's concubine Yan Zhi. If you want to pay a visit to Diwu Gong's reading Qi, please open the door to see him."

The door was quiet for a moment, and then half opened, but it was not wide open. A servant stretched out his head and looked around. Seeing that Cen Shen was indeed like a Fengchen Bubu traveling far away, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't blame me, there are few guests recently, so it's a bit late. Please come in, please come in, the owner of the family is waiting in the guest hall."

After Cen Shen entered the door, he found that although the courtyard was simple, it was well organized. The place where every instrument and object was placed seemed to be simple and convenient. As soon as the servant entered the door, he hurriedly closed the door and tied it up, and then came to lead the way: "Please come here by your husband."

The small courtyard was not big, and in a few steps, he arrived at the front of the living room. He saw a handsome man standing in front of the door, looking like he was only over thirty years old. Cen Shen stepped forward and bowed, "But the fifth man is in front?"

The man was Di Wuqi. As soon as he saw Cen Shen, he knew that his initial guess was wrong. This man was not the messenger who sent the letter to Liu Yantui, but he was also a scholar and a literati. After hearing the other party’s name, he couldn’t help but say “ah” and then changed his color and said, “Why is Mr. Cen not in Liaodong, why is he here?”

"I've also become the fifth master?" Cen Shen was surprised.

"Ye Chang manages Liaodong and relies on Cen Gong as his right-hand man. The poems written by Cen Gong in the old book, the wind blows the ground and the grass breaks, and snow falls in August in Liaodong. Suddenly, it is like a spring breeze coming, and thousands of pear blossoms bloom. I have heard of it for a long time."

Wu Qi said this, but he was very surprised.

His current situation is very bad. Because of Wei Jian's implication, he was suspended from his official position and was staying at home for a long time. He didn't know where he would be demoted. But at the beginning of this year, some of Wei Jian's old assistant officials were drinking, and when they were drunk, they spoke unfairly for Wei Jian. After being reported, several people were detained and imprisoned. In Diwuqi, people from the Censorate also called him to ask. At this time, Ye Chang's confidants came to find him. Could it be that he was just bringing a letter to Liu Yan?

Cen Shen was also very happy. He was self-conceited, but before he went to Liaodong, the poems he wrote were not widely circulated. Now in Liaodong, after experiencing the battle formation, his poetry style became even more intense, and his poems on the frontier were unrestrained and generous. Even the poet's emperor Wang Changling praised him endlessly.

Now his new poem can be recited by Diwuqi, who is far away in Chang'an, which proves that his trip to Liaodong is really correct.

"A clumsy work is just a dirty master. When I came from Liaodong this time, I passed by Luoyang, I received a letter from Liu Gongyan, the Luoyang Wei, and handed it to my best."

Wu Qi received the letter and asked Cen Shen to take the seat. He called someone to tea again, and then opened the letter to watch. After reading it for a few words, his eyebrows stood up, threw the letter onto the table, and sneered: "Mr. Liu is unwilling to surrender to commit crimes, but he asked me to be the traitor for this traitor."

Cen Shen's heart moved and his brows frowned: "Who is the traitor who the official said is not meant to?"

"Of course it's Ye Chang." Di Wuqi looked at Cen Shen: "Poetry is the voice of the heart. I think Cen Gong's poems also mean to serve the country generously. How can I just betray the traitor and be a traitor? The Duke is far away in Liaodong and does not know the inside story. The destiny of the traitor may not be long. You can still be at peace at this time, otherwise the jade and stone will be burned and it will be too late to regret it."

Cen Shen came here to invite Di Wuqi to help him at 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, Ye Chang would come here in person. However, he never thought that before Cen Shen could persuade him to leave Ye Chang, Di Wuqi had already persuaded him to leave Ye Chang.

Cen Shen was furious and stood up and said, "Ye Sima heard that Liu Gong recommended the fifth Mr. Wu. Wen Dao was very knowledgeable and broad-minded. He read that 'I have finally obtained the talented and intelligent people in the world. I came here from Liaodong. The horse did not untied his saddle, so he went to the public house again. This was Ye Sima's love for talent. The emperor did not think of it, but instead said that the people followed the crowd and even said that loyalty was a treacherous and rebuked it was evil. Isn't he who heard that there was a look without a bead?"

When he arrived in Liaodong, he saw Ye Chang acting and his admiration and friendship for Ye Chang had reached its peak. Ye Chang was extremely kind to them and became famous for them. Therefore, Diwu Qi attacked Ye Chang as a treacherous person, and he fought back without giving in.

These words made Di Wuqi stunned. After a while, Di Wuqi smiled and said, "Your Highness said that Ye Chang was loyal and righteous. You don't know what Wei Gongjian was guilty of being a crime. You were falsely accused by Ye Chang and died in prison. What was Wang Zhongsi's crime? You were slandered by Ye Chang and exiled. Li Xiangsi, Gongzhong was in charge of the country. Why did he commit suicide by relying on medicine? Li Yong from Beihai was very talented and famous, so why did he be imprisoned in prison?"

This series of names and their defeat and demise were closely related to Ye Chang. Di Wuqi listed these people and then looked at Cen Shen with a smile, waiting for his rebuttal.
Chapter completed!