Chang'an City
Today is the day for envoys from all over the world to come to pay tribute. It has been nearly a month since the envoys came. In the past, this month was the most troublesome time for the officials in Chang'an City. It was a very happy thing to have the congratulations from all over the world, but the entourage of the envoys from all over the world were not easy to deal with. I am afraid that they would make Chang'an City a mess in this month.
However, in order to demonstrate the great power style of the Tang Dynasty, even if some foreigners made mistakes, the major government offices in Chang'an City turned a blind eye and tried to let them get away with it, so the people of Chang'an City suffered terribly.
However, in the past month, there have not been many security incidents on the streets. Instead, people from all countries who come to Chang'an City are very honest. Even those who were notoriously troublesome in the past now stay in the guild halls honestly. When they go out to buy things, they are very careful, for fear of disputes with the people of the Tang Dynasty.
"This group of people from the Western Regions, I remember a few years ago when they came to pay tribute to the emperor, they bought things without paying. In the end, they took the case to the Chang'an County Court, and they were right. This year, they are much more honest. They just pay the price they say, and they don't even bargain."
An old man happily runs his own pancake stall. There are too many people in Chang'an City recently, and he has to sell five or six hundred pancakes every day. This is much more than before. In the past, selling three hundred pancakes was already quite good. These foreigners have big appetites, and they don't cook, which in disguise has prospered the economy of Chang'an City.
"Isn't this all the work of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? First, His Royal Highness conquered Tuyuhun. Then, although Tubo didn't claim to be our vassal state, they also sent troops to fight during the Eastern Expedition against Goguryeo. Now that Goguryeo has been destroyed, those foreigners aren't fools. If something were to happen in Chang'an and His Royal Highness were to catch them, their king would probably chop off his head."
The guy in the clothing store next door had just taken down some clothes but hadn't made any purchases yet, so he was chatting with the vendors on the street. They were doing good business these days, with many foreigners coming here to buy silk. Although the shopkeeper had raised the price by 30%, it still couldn't stop these people's desire to buy.
"You're young, but you've hit the nail on the head. I heard that Goguryeo has divided up all the land in the country. Your Highness has taken the land north of the Yangtze River for himself, and it seems the land south of the Yangtze River has also been divided..."
The old man thought of another thing. He had four sons, but the whole family had only ten acres of thin land. It was not a problem to feed the whole family. But when the eldest son wanted to marry a wife, the other party wanted a betrothal gift of five acres of land. If he gave it away, the food and drink of the whole family would become a problem.
Moreover, there were only ten acres of land. If five acres of land were to be given to the eldest son as a betrothal gift, what would happen to the remaining three sons? The third and fourth sons were still young and were attending the free school provided by the imperial court. They would have to wait until they were old enough to get married. The second son was already seventeen and would soon have to find a wife. He was only one year younger than his brother.
"Old Liu, your news is outdated. I just passed by the Chang'an County Government Office. Chang'an City has been allocated over 10,000 places, and half of them have already signed up. If you're interested, hurry up and have your son sign up, or you'll miss out. Goguryeo doesn't have much land, and there are plenty of us who want to go there."
Wang the blacksmith signed up his youngest son for the job. Seeing that his youngest son could not make a living in Chang'an City, the iron shop had to be handed over to his eldest son. So the youngest son planned to take his family there to have a look. There were a hundred acres of land there. If it was managed well, it would be enough for the youngest son to settle down there.
According to the court's policy, if you give birth to a child there, you can immediately get another ten acres of land. If you take the child with you, you can get twenty acres of land. When the child turns eighteen and divides the family, you will be given the full eighty acres of land. This is not a small amount.
"Shuanzi, support me a little."
Old man Liu couldn't sit still when he heard this. Although today's business was good, he had to let his youngest son sign up quickly. In case there were no vacancies, even if you go to the local area to make a living, it would not be given to your brother. The court has already made it clear that only this batch will be allocated. If you go there again in the future, you will at most be given some tax-free treatment.
When Old Man Liu returned home, his wife was wiping her tears. When he asked, he learned that his second son had registered without their knowledge and had passed the imperial physical examination. The imperial court did not accept anyone, but only those who were strong and healthy. After all, after they went there, they would be in a half-military and half-civilian state. If anything happened, they would have to help the Tang army, so as long as they were in good health.
"What's the point of all the crying? If all four of our sons stay home, how do you think we're going to live? The eldest daughter-in-law wants five acres of land, and the business is about to close, and next year they're going to ask for another five acres from the youngest daughter-in-law. Are the third and fourth sons going to starve?"
Although Old Man Liu was reluctant to let his second son go, he had no choice but to let him go over there to try his luck as he really couldn't survive at home.
"His father, that's Goguryeo. Haven't you heard what the people in the court say? The people over there are very fierce. When the emperor went on the eastern expedition, many people died there. Our son is just an honest farmer. What if he encounters those fierce people, how will he deal with them?"
Thinking of the rumors in the room outside, the old woman's heart began to beat fast. Each of her four sons was her dearest child. Now she was letting her second son go and make a living, and she was really scared.
The old man was a little panicked when he heard this. He used to make a living. What if he couldn't make a living and even lost his life? This would not be a good thing for the Qian family. They must not see their young ones die before their old ones.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm going with my second brother. When we two brothers usually fight outside, three or five people are no match for us. But now, my eldest brother can't even beat me when we wrestle."
While the old couple was talking, their four sons walked in from outside. Judging from their physiques, the second and third sons were indeed very strong, while the eldest son looked a little thin...