"It's no small matter for a young man to act so flamboyantly. I'll have to give him a good talk someday."
Cheng Yaojin was so happy to see so many people envying him, but in front of so many people, he still had a stern face. Although Li Xiang had just established his status as the crown prince, he was still a father-in-law and he could teach him a lesson.
The people around all looked disgusted. Today I told you to show off because you are the father-in-law of the Crown Prince.
"Oh, by the way, I heard something. Didn't you gain a lot from the southwest battlefield? Why did you use it all to buy land? When did you become interested in farming? Didn't you say that living off rent was the stupidest thing?"
Qin Qiong thought of another thing. The two of them had returned from the southwest battlefield with great gains, but Cheng Yaojin had used all his money to buy land. The land prices around Chang'an City were already not cheap, all because of the trouble caused by Li Xiang and his son. If he bought land now, the price would be even higher. Although the grain produced each year was worth a lot of money, the rate of return was too low.
"The secret cannot be revealed. I'm going to be frank with you. If you follow my lead, how much will the rent for the land in Chang'an City be? I'll give you an extra 20%. As for what I do, don't worry about it. It's also a benefit I'm giving you."
Cheng Yaojin, before the swelling on his head had healed, immediately began to plot against his old brothers. Li Xiang told him to double the salary, but Cheng Yaojin was not so generous and planned to make a profit from the difference.
When each household first entered Chang'an, they also bought a lot of farmland in the surrounding area. It didn't matter who they rented it to for farming. Cheng Yaojin could even give them an extra 20% rent. Some people began to have ideas in their minds. Although 20% doesn't sound like a lot, it is the most stable income every year, not to mention that they have a huge land base.
"Can you grow a money tree on your land?"
Although Li Xiaogong was a prince, he usually mingled with them. He had enough land in his hands. If he gave it all to Cheng Yaojin, he could get an extra thousand strings of cash every year.
When they heard this, everyone stopped talking and leaned over to listen, which shows that this income is still attractive to them.
"Don't worry about what I grow. I can give you a 20% increase in rent every year. But there's one thing I have to say: you can't just dismiss all the tenants on your land. Every last one of them must stay. I'll pay them the same amount of grain they harvested last year, but they have to work for me."
Cheng Yaojin suddenly thought of the most important thing. Li Xiang did not have so many farmers. After buying the land, the original farmers still had to work here. If there were no farmers, the land price would not be sold.
"You old bastard, what are you up to? Can you please tell us the truth?"
Yuchi Jingde was about to take action, and Qin Qiong quickly stopped him. Cheng Yaojin was still recuperating at home, and it was not like usual. Normally, you can take action at will, but today you absolutely cannot.
"Just forget about it. Am I, Old Cheng, a dishonest person? It's just a small amount of rent every year. Am I really going to rip you off? I'm helping you make money out of kindness. Although the annual income isn't much compared to your expenses, it's at least a way to make money. If you don't want to make money, forget it."
Cheng Yaojin had no way to explain this. In fact, he didn't know what Li Xiang was doing. If he could reveal a little bit, he would definitely know. Could he tell these people that he also subcontracted it out, and then made much more money than them, and he made it by using their land? These people would definitely destroy him.
"I heard that your father-in-law Cui's land was also given to you?"
Yuchi Jingde has been staying in Chang'an, so he is more aware of the news in Chang'an. Cheng Yaojin's father-in-law is also from the Cui family, but he is not the manager of the Cui family. He can only be regarded as a wealthy man from a side branch. However, his family also has a lot of land. It is said that all of it was given to Cheng Yaojin last month.
"My father-in-law trusts me, unlike you guys. Of course, I'm not afraid of you asking around. I gave him a 30% higher price than my father-in-law, so I can only give you a 20% higher price."
Cheng Yaojin looked down on these old brothers. Why are they so slow to do things? They usually turn their backs to each other on the battlefield, but now it's just a piece of land. Don't you even trust this?
While Cheng Yaojin was fooling his old brothers, Li Xiang had already arrived at the farm outside the city. According to reports from people here, the first batch of grain was ripe and the experimental fields had also been cultivated.
When Li Xiang arrived, the wheat had already been harvested. Many people put on large cylindrical stones and began to press the wheat, which was also the oldest method of that era.
“Is this the yield from this acre?”
Li Xiang saw a small pile of grain next to it. This was harvested from a single acre of land. Li Xiang wanted to see what the yield was. The system had previously shown that it was two thousand kilograms. Now Li Xiang had to take a closer look at how much it was.
"To answer Your Highness, it is two thousand one hundred kilograms."
Hearing Niu Si's whisper, Li Xiang understood what was going on. Except for this single acre of land, all the others were mixed together, and the people below were frequently transferred. Li Xiang didn't want them to figure out the yield per acre.
In today's era, a yield of 300 kilograms per mu is normal. If there are natural disasters or man-made disasters, even 200 kilograms per mu is possible. The highest yield record is only about 350 kilograms per mu. Li Xiang can reach 2,100 kilograms, which is almost seven times more than that of this era.
The experimental fields cover a total of 4,000 acres, and now they are all mature. It is time to harvest them.
"How's the granary construction going?"
Li Xiang wanted to attack the Five Surnames and Seven Families. Food was a very important aspect. If all of it was sold, it would make them alert in advance. Therefore, before a large amount of food came out, Li Xiang had to build his own granary to store it.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Everything has been completed as planned."
Niu Wu is specifically responsible for this matter. At present, all granaries across the country have been completed and are waiting for the grain to mature in half a month.
