Chapter 154: Wealth at Last

Ten oxen—what does that really mean? It’s equivalent to the plowing oxen of three nearby villages combined, and amounts to over seven hundred strings of silver coins. Even someone as wealthy as Yang Bofang only had about forty plowing oxen at home.

“Yitao, what exactly did you do in Chang’an to deserve such a generous reward from the court?” Old Liu struggled to calm his racing thoughts as he looked at Liu Yitao.

“Well, Father, are you familiar with the Liu family plowworks?” Liu Yitao didn’t answer directly but instead asked Old Liu a question. Seeing Old Liu nod, he went on decisively: “That’s ours.”

“Eh? Ours? But isn’t that opened by the court?” Old Liu found it hard to believe. After all, in the past month, the Liu family plowworks had truly spread throughout the Tang Dynasty. Nearly every county or prefecture had three to ten such ‘Liu family plowworks.’ Almost every commoner believed it was a gift from the court. Even Old Liu, who was among the first to use the Liu family plows, thought so.

Liu Yitao chuckled lightly and said, “Father, I sold them to the court. In exchange, we received fifty plowing oxen and 300 hectares of perpetual farmland. Also some money and bolts of silk. I expect that in a few days, the county magistrate Li will deliver these items one by one.”

“Land too? Three hundred hectares?” Old Liu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Three hundred hectares? Perpetual farmland? This news was even harder for him to believe than the fifty oxen.

“One Liu family plowworks can be exchanged for all that?” Were those officials mad? This was obviously a losing deal. How much is a plowworks worth? And how much are fifty oxen and three hundred hectares of land worth?

Old Liu couldn’t make sense of it. But one thing he knew for sure: if the court were willing to make such a losing deal, their cows would have learned to climb trees by now.

Seeing Old Liu’s confusion, Liu Yitao didn’t explain further but gently revealed the profit margin inside the Liu family plow: “Father, producing one Liu family plow costs 250 strings of coins, but the court sells them at a market price of 450 strings. Think about that, and you’ll understand why we received so much.”

“Mr. Liu! Mr. Liu, are you home? County Magistrate Li is here!” Someone called at the door. It sounded like Li Zhide had arrived.

“Father, please watch over Xiao Hui. I’ll go out to greet him.” Liu Yitao stood, placed Liu Xiaohui into Old Liu’s arms, adjusted his clothes, and stepped outside.

Old Liu, meanwhile, carried Xiao Hui into the inner room, as usual. He didn’t want to deal with officials.

Liu Yitao stepped outside to find Li Zhide and three constables standing at the door, and this time they had come in a horse-drawn carriage.

“County Magistrate Li has arrived. I apologize for not greeting you sooner. Please forgive me!” Liu Yitao hurried to the door, bowed to Li Zhide, then opened the gate and invited them in.

“Heh heh, Mr. Liu, you are too polite. I just learned from my nephew Xiaolan that you have returned home from the capital. So I came to pay my respects and to deliver part of the items that belong to you.” Li Zhide bowed politely and spoke with great courtesy.

Others might not fully understand what Liu Yitao had done in Chang’an, but Li Zhide certainly did. Rescuing the Crown Prince, healing the Empress, presenting the Liu family plows—each was a monumental achievement. Not to mention Liu Yitao’s reputation as a master calligrapher.

With such a dazzling halo around him, how could Li Zhide dare to flaunt his official status in front of Liu Yitao? After all, though Liu Yitao held no official post, Li Zhide knew he was backed by powerful figures: Empress Zhangsun, the Crown Prince, even the Emperor himself—people one must never offend.

“Please come in, County Magistrate Li.” Liu Yitao warmly ushered Li Zhide inside, while the constables remained respectfully in the courtyard guarding the carriage.

“Please have a seat.” Liu Yitao led Li Zhide to the main seat, poured him a cup of tea, then sat close by, saying, “I feel truly sorry that you had to come in person for my matters. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh,” Li Zhide smiled and waved his hand, “Mr. Liu, you flatter me. It is an honor to visit you personally. Besides, I am acting under imperial orders, so ‘hard work’ is out of the question.”

Li Zhide took a light sip of tea, looked up at Liu Yitao, and said, “I brought only some money and silk this time. Please wait a moment.” Then he called loudly outside, “Li Wu! Bring the items from the carriage inside!”

“Yes, County Magistrate!” Li Wu responded, ordering his men to carry the money and silk from the carriage into the hall, stacking them on a side table until the pile was over a man’s height.

Li Zhide stood, walked lightly to the table, and pointed to the items. “Mr. Liu, please look. Here is eight hundred strings of coins, fifty pounds of gold, and a thousand bolts of silk—all bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor. Please accept them. As for the fifty plowing oxen and the 300 hectares of perpetual farmland, those are still being arranged. They should arrive in a few days.”

From this gift, Li Zhide’s words revealed Emperor Taizong’s deep favor toward Liu Yitao. The coins and silk were generous, but the 300 hectares of perpetual farmland alone were equivalent to the fief of a prince. Such lavish reward showed Liu Yitao’s high standing in the Emperor’s heart.

“Thank you, County Magistrate. Thanks to you and the constables.” Liu Yitao rose and clasped his hands in gratitude. Looking at the towering piles of money and silk, he felt an immense sense of fulfillment.

With money and land—plenty of both—the Liu family would finally escape poverty and reach a comfortable life.

“Heh heh, Mr. Liu, you flatter me.” Li Zhide warmly pulled Liu Yitao down to sit again, saying, “Since you and my nephew Xiaolan are sworn brothers, we are no longer strangers. You don’t have to keep calling me ‘County Magistrate Li’—it sounds too formal and awkward. How about you call me Uncle Li from now on?”

Li Zhide’s smile blossomed like a flower as he eagerly cultivated their relationship.

“With your kindness,” Liu Yitao replied without hesitation, standing and bowing, “Your nephew Liu Yitao pays respects to Uncle Li!”

Very straightforward. Though Li Zhide was somewhat sycophantic, it was always wise to keep on his good side in Sanyuan.

“Very good, very good, my virtuous nephew!” Li Zhide laughed heartily, stroked his beard, and took a copper token from his pocket, handing it to Liu Yitao. “Keep this well. If you ever need me, just show this token and come directly to the government office without prior notice.”

“Thank you, Uncle Li!” Liu Yitao straightened, took the copper token with both hands, and placed it carefully inside his robe.

Although this copper token wasn’t as prestigious as the Yinguanyue pass from the Gongsun mansion, in Sanyuan County it would likely be even more effective.

“Well then, my affairs here are done. I have other official duties and cannot stay long. Farewell, virtuous nephew Yitao.” Li Zhide stood and bowed to Liu Yitao.

“Official duties come first. Your nephew sees Uncle Li off!” Liu Yitao also rose and bowed as he escorted Li Zhide and his men outside.

Supporting Li Zhide as he climbed into the carriage, Liu Yitao clasped his hands and said, “Uncle Li, take care!”

“Mm, nephew, come visit me often when you have free time.” Li Zhide lifted the carriage curtain and waved. “Alright, nephew, stay well. I’m taking my leave.”

With that, Li Zhide gestured to Li Wu, and the carriage began to move.

Watching them depart, Liu Yitao smiled softly, then turned and closed the gate behind him, returning indoors.

Inside, Old Liu, Liu Hesi, Liu Ertiao, and Liu Xiaohui had all come out from the inner room. They gathered around the table, staring dumbfounded at the items before them.

On the floor lay several opened cloth bags, filled with gleaming Kaiyuan Tongbao coins.

“Brother, is all this really ours now?” Liu Ertiao was the first to speak as Liu Yitao entered, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief—like a long-time lottery player suddenly discovering he’d won a major prize, afraid it was just a dream.

Liu Yitao nodded with a light smile, stepped forward, picked up the bags, and placed them on a nearby chair. He said to Old Liu and the others, “This is the haul from my trip to Chang’an. It’s all ours now—no one can take it away. Haha, let’s move it to the inner room; leaving it on the table looks untidy.”

“Yes, yes, move it inside. Mm, put all the silk in the cabinet, and shove the silver coins under the bed. I’ll ask Yuan Fang to make a few more cabinets later.” Old Liu finally recovered from his shock and nodded in agreement, beginning to consider how to arrange everything.

They were running out of cabinets.

Once unthinkable, the Liu family now faced the luxury problem of having insufficient cabinets to store their wealth.

Hearing Old Liu mention Yuan Fang, Liu Yitao recalled their cooperation on the Liu family plowworks and said, “I’ll visit old Yuan Fang later. I have some matters to discuss with him anyway.”