A family with three widows, after severing ties with relatives, she became wealthy and married into

"By now, the children should know, right?" At this moment, a hundred miles away from the capital, Empress Li leaned against Ling Jun's side.

When they left the capital this time, they only brought two highly skilled guards with them.

Now, these two guards have become coachmen, driving an ordinary horse-drawn carriage.

"Of course I know. I instructed Eunuch Wan to announce my abdication edict during the morning court session." Ling Jun put his arm around Empress Li's waist.

"Since you've already come out, don't think about it anymore."

"Let's have a good time for ten months, and then come back to take care of the baby after Tian Tian gives birth."

Empress Li nodded, "Yes, that's what I think too."

"This time we're heading straight to Baishi County to try some authentic food from several of Tian Tian's shops."

“The shopkeepers there all know me, they definitely won’t accept our money.”

“Alright, let’s go to Baishi County then.” Ling Jun nodded. “And then we can check out the other prefectural cities…”

"Leave the affairs of the court and the harem to Ayao and Tiantian; we don't need to worry about them."

"Jun-ge, look!" Empress Li pulled Ling-jun to look outside...

Vast stretches of rice paddies!!

Have you ever seen so many rice paddies?

Ling Jun was shocked. "No."

Endless rice paddies!

"I've seen it!" Empress Li gestured. "In another month, these rice paddies will be a golden yellow... even more beautiful!!"

*

Ultimately, all matters of state boil down to money!

A full treasury ensures peace throughout the land; an empty treasury leads to chaos.

Throughout history, the fundamental principles of governing a country have always been nothing more than money and grain.

Whether it was raising soldiers, providing disaster relief, repairing rivers, governing officials, promoting the imperial examination system, building palaces, or rewarding meritorious officials, everything required money.

An army of a million men will collapse if it goes a day without food, and will scatter if it goes a year without pay.

If the national treasury is empty due to floods, droughts, or locust plagues, then starvation will be widespread and popular uprisings will break out everywhere.

If officials' salaries are insufficient, corruption will run rampant; if salaries are generous, honest officials can be supported.

Without funds, projects such as river repair, dike construction, and canal excavation will be abandoned, leading to rampant floods.

Where does the money come from?

Land tax accounted for 70%, with the remainder coming from salt and iron trade, commercial taxes, corvée labor, confiscation of property, and donations.

Tian Tian contributed high-yield rice seeds, which will enable the people's fields to produce high yields, and the land taxes they will receive in the future will not be less.

On the other hand, the soldiers on the border also planted high-yield rice varieties.

They can basically grow their own land and support themselves, which saves them the biggest expense.

In this way, the national treasury is full, and there is no need to spend money on military provisions.

Then the treasury of Daqi will only become more and more abundant.

That would give you enough money to do other things.

*

Beijing's rice fields have yielded a bumper harvest!

Ling Yao and Tian Tian lived in the palace, but they were aware of the people's expectations over the past month.

Vast rice paddies turned from green to golden yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As the autumn sun rises, it illuminates the vast rice paddies, making them shimmer like gilded gold.

The heavy ears of rice drooped their heads, densely packed between the furrows, bending the stalks low.

When the wind blows, the rice paddies rustle and whisper.

Ling Yao and Tian Tian walked hand in hand along the edge of the rice paddy.

In the fields, the people are busily harvesting rice.

Meanwhile, the fields were filled with people who came to experience the harvest.

"Dad, the rice is bowing." The children imitated the shape of the rice stalks.

Tian Tian bent down and plucked an ear of rice. She pinched open the husk with her fingertips, revealing the glistening, pearl-like grains of rice inside.

"Look."

She handed the rice to Ling Yao.

Ling Yao rubbed his hands together. "This year's rainfall was good, and the grains are plump."

Tian Tian held a handful of rice grains in her palm and brought them to her nose.

The unique sweetness of the new rice mixed with the earthy smell is even more refreshing than the ambergris from the palace.

The people in the fields couldn't help but sing.

Hundreds of shirtless men are harvesting rice with sickles. Where the sickles pass, the rice stalks fall neatly, and the bundles of rice stand in rows in the field like soldiers in golden armor!

The women and children followed behind, scavenging the remaining grain...

The children repeatedly plunged into the haystack, peeking out their heads covered in straw clippings.

On the way back, Tian Tian held a few ears of rice in her hand and leaned against Ling Yao, half asleep.

Suddenly, someone outside the carriage asked in surprise, "Isn't that His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess?"

"It seems so."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and thank you, Your Highness the Crown Princess."

The people bowed and saluted as the carriage disappeared into the distance...

*

From then on, officials from all over Daqi successively sent over ears of ripe rice.

Bundles of rice were delivered directly to Ling Yao's hands.

"Ganzhou Prefecture, Yunzhou Prefecture, Jiangzhou Prefecture, Cangzhou Prefecture..."

Ling Yao counted carefully, "Cangzhou Prefecture, Yanzhou Prefecture..."

"Duanzhou Prefecture..."

All these prefectures sent golden ears of rice.

The memorial sent along with the rice stalks recorded the local yield per mu (unit of land area).

"1,520 jin, 1,630 jin, 1,550 jin, 1,600 jin..."

"One thousand five hundred and eighty, one thousand six hundred and two..."

"One thousand four hundred and eighty..."

The minimum yield is 1,480 jin per mu.

Ling Yao had the memorials delivered to the officials for review.

"Wow."

"Oh my God!"

"There really are that many."

"It's five times the previous amount."

“In the past, the yield per mu in Duanzhou was less than 300.”

"Why aren't Shazhou Prefecture and Xizhou Prefecture mentioned?"

“Shazhou Prefecture and Xizhou Prefecture are quite far apart.”

"Besides rice, Shazhou Prefecture also grows sweet potatoes."

"Does Xizhou grow peanuts?"

"They haven't sent their memorials yet; could something have gone wrong?"

"There won't be any problems, it just hasn't arrived yet."

“Other prefectures have all had bumper harvests. Based on this yield per mu, the land tax we collect at the end of the year will be several times higher than in previous years.”

"The national treasury is full this year."

"Thanks to Her Highness the Crown Princess."

"correct."

"Your Highness the Crown Princess is truly the Crown Princess of our Great Qi."

"That's right, now our Great Qi is pregnant with a little prince."

Prince An muttered, "How did you know it was the young prince?"

The other officials didn't notice, saying, "It's fine if it's a little princess. Anyway, the Crown Princess is still young, she can have a few more children."

As Ling Yao listened to everyone's discussion, he silently pondered...

If the first child is a boy, he will absolutely not let Tian Tian have another one.

If the first child is a girl...

Or we could just let a girl inherit the throne.

Then I'll find my daughter a husband who will live with us...

Well, let's do it.

He needs to find time to discuss it with Tian Tian.

"Your Highness," the Minister of Revenue stepped forward, "in previous years, our land tax was 30%, but now..."

"If the yield per mu is so high, will the land tax still be 30%?"

Ling Yao waved his hand, "Land tax... 20% then."

Previously, land taxes were increased because the national treasury was short of silver.

Now that the national treasury is full, there is no need to exploit the people.

*

In the afternoon, Tian Tian accompanied Ling Yao to handle state affairs.

She saw the reports of the bountiful harvest.

"Food is a double-edged sword—insufficiency leads to chaos, while excess leads to danger," Tian Tian said.

"There is too much grain harvest, so we need to increase consumption."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yao followed her train of thought and said, "I will first arrange for the construction of larger granaries in various places to ensure grain storage."

"The surplus grain will be consumed."

Tian Tian suggested, "I could add some workshops that process rice into rice wine, vinegar, sauces, and other products."

"Where are you?"

Ling Yao said, "I can trade grain for horses with the Southern Desert."

The couple looked at each other and smiled, then began to do things according to their own ideas.

*

Tian Tian is now the Crown Princess, and she directly obtained a map of the outskirts of Beijing.

She discovered that the land reclamation rate in the suburbs of Beijing was very high.

Besides the land owned by ordinary people, there were also many estates owned by officials.

These estates cover a large area, almost all of them exceeding a thousand acres.

The reclamation rate of the estate is also very high; of the thousand-mu estate, there are six or seven hundred mu of land.

Rice was also planted in these fields, and the harvest was plentiful.

Planting two crops a year would give these officials plenty of grain in their hands.

In the past, they could sell their grain to ordinary people.

But now... the people have their own grain, and they want to sell it, so the grain is stuck in their hands.

Over time, this will lead to the problem she mentioned.

Insufficiency leads to chaos, while excess leads to danger.

Therefore, we need to find a way to consume it.

The first idea that Tian Tian came up with was to brew wine.

Modern Maotai-flavor liquor requires a complex brewing process, taking three to four kilograms of grain to produce just one kilogram of liquor.

The rate at which food is consumed will be very fast.

"Your Highness, this whole area is wasteland." The Empress had kept Yang, the old woman, in the palace.

Tian Tian brought the person with her.

“Then I’m going to build a big winery in this area.”

Where do I go to get the land title deed?

Granny Yang laughed and said, "Your Highness, the entire Daqi belongs to the royal family. If Your Highness wants to run a winery, there's no need for a land deed."

Tian Tian shook her head, "Let's still get one."

She can rest assured.

"Then... shall I go to the Shengtian Prefecture government office to handle this?"

"Go and get one."

Just as Granny Yang was about to leave, Tian Tian stood up and said, "I'll go out of the palace with you."

“My strength is limited on my own, so I have to ask my eldest sister and third sister for help,” she explained.

After leaving the palace, Granny Yang escorted Tian Tian to the Princess's residence before heading to the Shengtian Prefecture government office.

*

"Sweetie's back!!"

Lu Tao didn't know when, but a gate was opened between the Duke's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion.

Tian Tian had just returned when Lu Tao received the news and rushed over.

Gu Yu followed behind, saying, "Slow down, slow down."

Lu Tao didn't care. "Sweetie's back, hurry up!!"

"I haven't seen Tian Tian for two months since the Emperor and Empress slipped out of the palace."

Tian Tian is three months pregnant, and her belly is slightly protruding.

"Sweetie." Lu Tao came up to Tian Tian and was about to hug her when she suddenly stopped.

"Sweetie..." Lu Tao pulled Tian Tian's arm, looking her up and down, "Why does Mom think... your belly is so big?"

"Isn't it only been three months?"

Tian Tian nodded, "It's three months."

Lu Tao reached out and touched it... "How can it be so big in just three months?"

In her memory, she didn't have such a big belly when she was pregnant with them.

"Is it big?" Tian Tian looked down at herself. "Could it be that I ate too much?"

Lu Tao asked, "What did the imperial physician say?"

"The imperial physicians always say... the pulse is stable, and the person is very healthy..."

Liu San Niang tilted her head and looked at it for a long time. "It does seem a bit big, but... as long as it's healthy, that's all that matters."

Lu Tao cautioned, "It can't be too big either, or it will be difficult to give birth."

Liu San Niang nodded repeatedly, "That's true, but now that we've settled in, we can still take some supplements. But in the next few months, we won't be able to."

Tian Tian touched her belly, frowned, and kept Lu Tao and Liu San Niang's words in mind.

"Why are you back today?" Lu Tao asked again.

"I need everyone's help with something," Tian Tian said with a chuckle.

Gu Yu came running up, panting, "Tao'er, be careful..."

"You're pregnant..."

Tian Tian's eyes widened. "What?"

Gu Yu pointed to Lu Tao's belly, "Tao'er is pregnant..."

Tian Tian looked at Lu Tao's belly, "Mom, are you really pregnant?"

Lu Tao awkwardly touched her stomach... "This is... kind of embarrassing."

"Mom!!" Tian Tian grabbed her hand, "What's so embarrassing about this?"

"How wonderful."

Tian Tian glanced at Gu Yu, who was staring at Lu Tao like the apple of his eye, and said, "Congratulations on having a son in your old age, Duke."

Gu Yu was also quite embarrassed, "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Princess..."

Liu San Niang clicked her tongue, "Look at you, why are you still so distant?"

"If you ask me, why don't you, Duke, adopt the children as your godsons and godsons? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Lu Tao's eyes lit up. "That's right!"

If Gu Yu adopts Tian Tian as his goddaughter, then it would be reasonable for Tian Tian to call Gu Yu her godfather, and for Gu Yu to call Tian Tian by her name.

Then you won't feel awkward.

She looked at Tian Tian, ​​then at Gu Yu.

Gu Yu was of course willing; his only worry was that Tian Tian might not be.

Tian Tian nodded happily, "I'm fine with it."

As long as Gu Yu treats Lu Tao well, she wouldn't mind calling him "Dad".

But we still need to consider Tian Xiang's thoughts.

"Godfather!!" Tian Tian immediately changed her address, "I have something to discuss with Mother, Aunt Liu, Eldest Sister, and Third Sister today."

"If you're worried about your mother, you can come along too."

Gu Yu nodded.

Lu Tao had just found out she was pregnant a couple of days ago, and he was quite worried about her.

Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou rushed over, "Sweetie."

"Is such that..."

“Now that there is a bumper harvest of grain in various places, I am worried that it will cause grain to be squeezed out, so I want to build a winery to consume the grain.”

Tian Xiang asked seriously, "How much grain can a brewery consume? Tian Tian, ​​are you planning to open one in the capital first to test it out, and then expand it to other places later?"

Tian Tian nodded in agreement; this was exactly what she had planned.

“But I’m in the palace, and this brewery… I’d like my eldest sister and third sister to keep an eye on it for me.”

"Of course, this brewery...we'll divide it into five parts."

“One portion for each of the three sisters, plus Mother and Aunt Liu.”

Gu Yu looked at Lu Tao with some surprise. Why were they talking about profit sharing when the whole family was together...?

Lu Tao patted the back of his hand lightly, "It's okay, our family always discusses things before doing business, you'll get used to it."

"Sweetie, Mommy has already... Mommy doesn't need it anymore."

Liu San Niang also refused, saying, "I don't want it either. I have enough money on me. You three sisters can divide it among yourselves."

Tian Tian sighed, "Mother, it's precisely because you married into the Duke's mansion that I have to give you a share."

She glanced at Gu Yu. "I trust my godfather's character, but I still need to give my mother some confidence."

"And Aunt Liu too, if you remarry in the future, you'll need to have confidence too."

"If you don't marry, then you will be the source of Youyou's confidence."