Chapter 34 Rewards

  "Thirty mu of permanent farmland?!" Yang Bofang was shocked. How could Wang Zhihong give him so much land? What was he thinking?!

  "What's wrong, Uncle Yang?" Liu Yitiao felt that something was off about Yang Bo Fang and asked.

  "Oh, nothing much, just feeling a bit overwhelmed." Yang Bofang took a sip of tea and said: "As for hiring people, I can help you with that. I have some skilled farming slaves and tenant farmers who can lend you a hand for a few days. However, this is not a long-term solution. You'd best go and take in some vagrants or low-born farmers without land. These people rely on being slaves or servants, or working as hired laborers to survive. You can hire them, provide them with housing, and let them gradually become your tenant farmers. Generation after generation will work for you, cultivating your land. Only then can it be a long-term arrangement."

  Yang Bofang's words suddenly enlightened Liu Yitiao, and this is probably the secret recipe for Tang Dynasty landlords to hire farm households.

  Liu Yitiao rushed to Yang Bofang and saluted him, saying: "After listening to Uncle Yang's words, my heart suddenly became clear. However, where should people without a household registration or a humble background go to find it? Please teach me, Uncle Yang."

  "You should go find Wang County Magistrate, he has some records, I can also give you some, about twenty households. The rest you have to find yourself." Yang Bo Fang said. "Also, you can offer more favorable conditions to attract other tenants. However, this is very difficult. If you offer too much, you may not even be able to pay the imperial court's taxes in the end, you can decide for yourself."

  "Thank you so much, Uncle Yang." He stood up and bowed respectfully to Yang Bo Fang, saying: "I've been bothering you for some time now, I'll take my leave first. After the New Year's holiday, I'll come back to pay my respects again."

  "Uh-huh," Yang Bofang nodded and said, "You still have things to do, so I won't keep you. You can go now. Remember, next time you come, we must drink a few cups together!"

  "It's a must to accompany you for a while, I'll take my leave now." Liu Yitian bowed to Yang Bofang and turned to leave.

  He rushed to the county government office as soon as he went out. The farming households must settle down before the year, otherwise they will definitely delay the spring planting next year. He cannot afford the income of 30 mu of land.

  Wang Zhihong seemed to have expected Liu Yitiao's arrival, and as soon as Liu arrived at the county government office, he was led in. Still in the living room, Wang Zhihong was wearing the same blue robe. The only difference was that today Wang Zhihong had a radiant complexion, as if he had encountered some great joy. When he saw Liu Yitiao enter, he personally welcomed him and smiled as he invited Liu into the house. This made Liu Yitiao somewhat bewildered. This didn't seem like the usual Wang Zhihong - had he gone crazy?

  Wang Zhihong pulled Liu Yitiao to the chair and sat down, warmly greeting: "Liu Xiaoge please sit down, I was just about to send someone to find you, coincidentally you arrived. Did you also hear the news?"

  "What? What news? That can make Lord Wang so delighted?" Liu Yitiao was puzzled.

  "You don't know? No matter, I'll tell you now." Wang Zhihong said excitedly: "The other day, the Ministry of War issued an edict, ordering local officials to collect and report effective treatments for cattle and horse colic. I submitted the prescription you provided, and as a result, it helped the imperial veterinarian doctor cure 3,000 war horses in the Imperial Guard. The Emperor was overjoyed when he heard about it and ordered rewards. The reward will arrive today at noon. Liu Xiaoge, don't you think this is something to celebrate?"

  "Oh? Is there such a thing? Does King Wang know what the Emperor will bestow upon him?" Liu Yitiao asked. What he lacked most now was money, and he wished that Li Shimin would reward him with a cart of gold.

  Wang Zhihong said, "I don't know about this, but it's definitely going to be very generous. However, Liu Xiaoge," Wang Zhihong said with some embarrassment: "When I submitted the prescription to the superior, I didn't mention your name, so this time's reward might not include you. Just now, I wanted someone to find you and discuss this matter with you. When the officials from Chang'an arrive, I want to report the details of the prescription to the imperial court again. What do you think, Liu Xiaoge?"

  "Didn't you say anything?" Liu Yitiao sneered in his heart: "I'm afraid it's intentional?"

  "Lord Wang!" Liu Yitiao cupped his hands and said: "Since it wasn't mentioned, let's just forget about it. The prescription was obtained by Lord Wang in exchange for land, so it belongs to Lord Wang now. I don't dare take credit for it again. As for those rewards, I won't accept any of them, so let's not mention it again."

  "How can that be?!" Wang Zhihong firmly denied, saying: "Although the prescription was exchanged by Wang Mou, it still came from Liu Xiaoge's hand after all. It's better to report to the Emperor again."

  "No need, Lord Wang. Although this land is currently uninhabited and unproductive, it's still not right to do something that would betray your trust and affect your official career. You are my second brother's mentor, so we're like family. Please don't decline again, I assure you that I will never accept this reward!" Liu Yitiao said firmly.

  Just now, he has already figured out the gains and losses of this matter.

  This reward, Wang Zhihong got is indeed more practical than his. After all, Wang Zhihong has an official title and is a jinshi, so getting this reward will definitely help his career advancement. Moreover, he is now Liu Ertiao's teacher, the higher his official position, the more helpful it will be to Liu Ertiao's future. Besides, if he lets him take all the credit this time, he will also owe Liu Yitia a favor in his heart. In the future, if there is any trouble, it will be easier to ask for his help.

  If Liu Yitiao gets this reward, at most he will get a famous but empty title or some money. It doesn't have any substantial help for his future. This can also be considered as a kind of long-term investment.

  Wang Zhihong's eyes lit up when he heard Liu Yitiao's words. If he wasn't afraid that Liu Yitiao would spill the beans, he would have liked to take all the credit for himself.

  "Don't worry, Liu Xiaoge. You've made such a great contribution to San Yuan County that the county government won't treat you unfairly. In addition to the 10 head of cattle previously promised, we'll also add 120 taels of silver. As for opening up new farmland and future farming households, the county government will take care of it all! We won't mistreat those who have made contributions now, nor will we in the future." Wang Zhihong named his price, looking at Liu Yitiao to see if he would agree.

  Liu Yitiao nodded in understanding, seeing that his goal had been achieved. He then bowed deeply to Wang Zhihong and said: "Thank you very much, Lord Wang. You still have to welcome the imperial envoy later, so I won't disturb you any further. I'll take my leave now."

  "I'll see Brother Liu off!" Wang Zhihong, seeing that Liu Yitiao had agreed, was even more delighted in his heart. He warmly sent Liu Yitiao to the door and waved goodbye.

  At this time, officials who came to issue rewards from Chang'an had also arrived in Sanyuan County. However, the number of people they brought was a bit too many, with as many as 1,200 armored soldiers. As soon as these soldiers arrived at the city of Sanyuan County, they sealed off the entire county. The officials and soldiers guarding the city were driven back to their barracks, while the civilians wandering around the county were forced to return home. Shops closed their doors, markets emptied, and for a time, the entire Sanyuan County was deserted.

  Fortunately, the lockdown lasted less than an hour, and it was lifted after the rewards were given.

  Due to this matter, many people think that Wang Zhihong must have received some extraordinary reward, otherwise there wouldn't be such a big commotion. However, as for what the reward is, no one knows, and Wang Zhihong has never mentioned it to outsiders from start to finish.

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