Chapter 798: Four Great Families
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There was also the strong and the weak among the land-owning cla.s.s. In terms of foundation, the land-owning cla.s.s in the North was definitely not as good as the Yu Clan. Even the land-owning cla.s.s had to be polite to the n.o.ble ladies of the imperial family.
This was also why Little Yao’er dared to become enemies with the n.o.bles.
Yu Youyao had also considered it. “The Xie family’s connections and channels are my backing. The silk of the retail investors has to go through the Xie family’s channels. The Xie family has a silk manor under their name and thousands of looms. They can dye silk weaves and seals into exquisite silk, and they can also turn the silk into tenacious threads that can be used for armor. The interests of the Xie family and I are mutually beneficial. We’re integrated and unbreakable.”
If they wanted to deal with the land-owning cla.s.s, they could not lack status, connections, and channels.
The Xie Residence played a huge role in this. Even Yin Huaixi had to follow behind.
Sooner or later, the Great Zhou Dynasty would be in chaos. The matter of manufacturing armor had to be handed over to someone they trusted.
The technology to weave armor threads was in the hands of the Imperial Court. She had seen similar threads on the Xie Residence’s merchant ship that could be used at sea. It was obvious that the technology the Xie Residence had mastered was even better, but they were hiding their strength.
Old Master Xie understood immediately and nodded. “The first batch of silk will be produced in April or May. I’ll first send 300 looms from Henan and Zhejiang, as well as a group of people who are proficient in weaving. I’ll set up a silk manor in Liancheng. Later, based on the production of silk in the North, the looms can increase one after another.”
It took about three months for the silkworm to grow. As soon as the tree germinated, it could breed eggs. Every spring, the silkworms would be plucked in April or May.
Some things had to be prepared now.
Yu Youyao calmed down. Now that the silk manor had been set up, the n.o.bles of the North couldn’t do anything to them. Compared to the local n.o.bles who bullied the commoners, the commoners trusted her and the Xie family more.
Old Master Xie continued, “By the way, the Xie Residence is in the three northeastern provinces. There are still seven silkworm farms. When the time comes, it’ll be easier for you to transfer them to your name.”
Yu Youyao was a little surprised. “Were they bought previously?”
Old Master Xie nodded. “Before I decided to come to the North, I sent someone to buy a.s.sets there. However, most of the silkworm industry in Liao Province is in the hands of the n.o.bles. I found a lot of tricky connections and channels to get these seven manors and bought them at a high price. It was really not easy.”
The silkworm industry in the three northeastern provinces was more developed. If the Xie family wanted to take root here, they would definitely have to buy related industries.
Yu Youyao understood that if she wanted to buy some more important resources in the North, Yin Huaixi’s connections as King Yue Fei were actually not very useful.
The n.o.bles controlled the silkworm industry, but not all the silkworm farms were under their own names. The n.o.bles did not have such an appet.i.te. They were definitely under the names of the circle of interest formed by their relatives and friends.
Due to the drought in Liao Province, the production of silk decreased year by year. There were always some people who couldn’t resist the temptation of a high price and sold their silk manors at a high price.
The land-owning cla.s.s was not too worried. The silk industry in the entire North was under their control. As long as it was not related to King Yue Fei, no matter who bought the manor, the silk produced would still be sold to them at a low price in the end.
Old Master Xie smiled and said, “There are many forests in the mountainous area north of Liancheng. Most of the silkworm farms are concentrated in the Zhuanghe area, and the scale of silkworm farming has reached more than a million acres.”
“If King Yue Fei wants to settle down the refugees, he has to explore new silkworm forests. Fuzhen and New Gold Town are not bad choices. Tai Mo Shan in Fuzhen is tall and dangerous. The forest is dense, and the vines are overgrown. It’s a natural silkworm farm. As there are often wild beasts in the mountains, there’s no silkworm farm developed. There are also many silkworm forests in Lianzhen. It’s just that most of the local land is suitable for farming, so it’s mainly used for agriculture. There’s no silkworm industry.”
The area of Liancheng was quite wide. Fuzhen and Lianzhen alone were already the size of a small county, which one enough to accommodate more than a hundred thousand refugees.
The refugees could raise silkworms or explore some land themselves. The Great Zhou Dynasty had a clear rule that the commoners could explore and plant their own land without paying taxes.
The reclaimed land had to be taken care of for three to five years before crops could be farmed. However, sweet potatoes were very cheap and were also growing in the wasteland.
Yu Youyao admired her grandfather too much. He had only been in Liancheng for a few days, but he had already figured out the terrain of the city.
“Get King Yue Fei to send troops over. They’ll go up the mountain to chase away the wild beasts and build some fortifications. They’ll set up a silkworm farm. There are also many soldiers who have retired from the army due to injuries and illnesses. Find some to raise silkworms. While preventing the refugees from causing trouble, they can also deal with the wild beasts in the mountains and solve their livelihood problems. It’s killing three birds with one stone.”
A large number of refugees were gathered together. They had to be familiarized with different local accents, customs, and human relationships. Over time, there would definitely be many conflicts. Soldiers who had retired from the army would just not be able to go to the battlefield. Their battle-hardened skills were enough to intimidate and even suppress the commoners. With them keeping an eye on them, the refugees could settle down in an unfamiliar place faster.
Old Master Xie felt that it was very appropriate. With a thought, he said, “We have to find someone who’s proficient in soil, conservation, and wood to maintain the forest. We have to plant trees and forests regularly to avoid destroying the natural silkworm farm.”
Yu Youyao had investigated a lot about raising silkworms, but she had never raised silkworms before. It was all a one-sided matter. “It takes ten years to grow into tree, thirty years to grow a forest, and a hundred years to grow a large forest. It’s not advisable to fish when you’re exhausted.”
Large-scale raising of silkworms would definitely cause a certain amount of damage to the environment of the forest, causing the number of trees to decrease. Maintenance was indispensable, and they could not be careless with afforestation. They even had to explore and plant trees.
When Yu Youyao returned to the courtyard, Xia Tao came over to report, “Young Miss, Official Liu from the county office is here. He’s waiting outside.”
Yu Youyao nodded. “Invite Official Liu in!”
Xia Tao quickly agreed and went out to get someone.
Not long after, he brought Official Liu in. Official Liu was a tall and thin middle-aged man in his forties. After being invited into the living room, he did not look up. He knelt down respectfully and bowed to Princess Shaoyi. After receiving the princess’s permission, he stood up humbly and explained the reason for his visit.
“I’ve disturbed the princess’s peace. Please be angry. When the four families in Liancheng found out that the princess was kind, they wanted to host a vegetarian meal at the Pure Spirit Temple outside the city. However, they were worried that they would offend the princess, so they specially invited my lord over. Out of consideration, my lord couldn’t refuse, so he agreed to this matter.”
Some people from the aristocratic families became officials, while others did business. They were divided into branches, but they did not differentiate between clans. The aristocratic families were also citizens. According to the law of respect and etiquette, the citizens were not allowed to see officials without permission.
Therefore, if the four families wanted to see Princess Shaoyi, they had to go through Lord Li. Only with Princess Shaoyi’s approval could the four families greet her.
Of course, if there was a scholar with meritorious status in the family, he could come over with Lord Li to greet and see the princess.
Official Liu respectfully handed over a greeting card.
Just as Xia Tao was about to step forward, Yin Shi took the greeting card first. After flipping through it, he handed it to Yu Youyao. “Princess, please take a look.”