FID – Chapter 956

Chapter 956 – If You Want Us to Shell Out More, Show Some Results

After sitting back down, Liu Zhiqiu pitifully explained his plan for buying farmland estates. The main hall fell silent for a moment.

“Since you had this idea, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Grandma Liu asked.

“I didn’t think of it before. When I got back from the capital, I first used my own money to buy three estates,” Liu Zhiqiu grimaced, face full of pain. “Those estates are really expensive, costing tens of thousands of taels each. Grandma, I’m truly poor now.”

After speaking, he didn’t forget to glance pitifully at the elders, especially at the old lady who was the true treasurer of the family.

Grandpa Liu ignored his pathetic expression and turned to the other younger generations, his two sons, as well as Feng Qingbai, Liu Yusheng, and Liu Zhixia. “What do you all think?”

The family wasn’t like before. They couldn’t just do whatever they wanted.

Liu Zhiqiu wanted to buy estates; two or three would be manageable, but suddenly expanding on such a large scale worried the old man. It might affect Feng Qingbai and Liu Zhixia.

Especially Feng Qingbai; he was the King of Nanling. Every move related to him would be scrutinized. If anything was handled improperly, it could become ammunition for political enemies to attack him.

Dalin and Erlin understood this too. Though they were rural folk and unfamiliar with court politics, they were well aware that many people wanted to pull Feng Qingbai down.

Feng Qingbai held too much power at court.

“Buying estates to help tenant farmers is a good deed,” Liu Dalin said. “If it succeeds, the poorest families across Nanling would benefit. But the involvement will be huge, won’t it? There are countless landowners in Nanling. Which prefecture or county doesn’t have several big clans? They collect sixty or seventy percent of the harvest. But if you collect only thirty, those big families will definitely cause trouble.”

Liu Erlin frowned. “If those big families unite to make trouble, it could cause a real mess.”

They themselves were farmers and had endured hardships in the past. They might not understand the intricacies of court politics, but they knew exactly how big landlords behaved.

Landlords and wealthy families buy land to profit from the rents. Zhiqiu, this little rascal, is only collecting thirty percent of the rent, giving the tenants a break. He was clearly going against them.

Would those landlords sit still when their profits were threatened? 

Even with the Liu family’s backing, there was no guarantee they could protect him. The exploitative relationship between landlords and tenants had been built up over decades, even centuries—a long-established social norm!

Now Zhiqiu wanted to change that system, which was tantamount to challenging the entire world! It was like trying to move a mountain with a single lever! 

The boy’s ambition was sky-high.

Looking up at the brat still sitting there with those eager eyes, Liu Erlin’s heart pounded. Strangely, though, a sense of pride welled up inside him.

This boy, who used to be a complete mess and often drove him half mad, actually had such grand ambitions.

He truly was worthy of being his son!

He grinned, genuinely pleased.

Seeing the man’s expression, Du Juan knew exactly what he was thinking and smiled faintly.  She was happy too.

For the first time, this brat made her feel proud. Her only son, though seemingly useless and always lazy, had a righteous heart.

Unlike some families, where wealth and power made people arrogant and spoiled, growing crooked with the times.

She reached out and patted her son’s head. She felt a deep sense of comfort. “From now on, I will hit you a little less.”

Liu Zhiqiu’s expression faltered slightly as he looked at his mother. “Mom, thank you.”

A little less is still less. It was much better than hearing her say she’ll hit him even more in the future.

The elders expressed their opinions, then turned their gaze to the younger generation who were still silent, waiting to hear their thoughts.

Liu Muqiu didn’t speak, but she moved a little closer to Liu Zhiqiu, showing through her actions that she supported him, no matter what he decided to do.

The first to speak was Liu Yusheng. “Second Brother having this kind of ambition and plan is a good thing. I support it. Challenging entrenched norms will certainly bring many difficulties, but at least we can be clear in our conscience. Over the years, the distilleries have earned a lot of money. Boldly speaking, our whole family wouldn’t be able to spend it all in several lifetimes. If it can be used for something more meaningful, why not? Take from the people, use it for the people, help more people get enough to eat, and make Nanling better; that’s the same original intention that Qian Wanjin and I have for spreading our distilleries across Nanling.”

She hadn’t expected her second brother to have such thoughts, and that he had already started acting on them—truly a man of action.

Moreover, the tenant farmers were exactly the group that her distilleries, no matter how many she opened, could not reach.

In other words, he was filling a gap in her own plans.

In truth, she didn’t possess lofty ideals or selfless love for humanity. She considered the people and the state only for Feng Qingbai.

Nanling was the Feng family’s realm; it was their kingdom.

And Feng Qingbai was the King of Nanling. He had always worked toward the prosperity and stability of the empire.

What he wished for, she wished for as well.

A dry, warm hand gently clasped hers, as if two hearts were drawing close, minds and intentions aligned.

“Jizhou and Yuzhou are the largest provinces and home to the most impoverished tenant farmers in Nanling. We’ll start with these two.”

Liu Zhiqiu shivered with excitement. “Feng Qingbai, are you supporting me?”

The man turned his head to look at him, a faint smile curling his lips. “I’ll give the governors of the two provinces a heads-up.”

“Big Brother?” Hearing the man’s promise, Liu Zhiqiu immediately turned to Liu Zhixia, eyes blinking eagerly, as if to say, Look, Feng Qingbai supports me. Aren’t you my big brother? Give me some backing too!

“I’ll find time after the New Year to go with you and take a look,” Liu Zhixia replied.

“Oh wow! You are definitely my real brother and brother-in-law!” Liu Zhiqiu dropped the pretense of half-heartedness. He scurried over to the cradle and said to the three little beans, “Little ones, see this? This is called brotherly respect. You three must carry on our family’s excellent traditions, understand?”

Then he bounced over to Grandma and Grandpa Liu, fawning and flattering, “Grandpa, Grandma, thanks to your guidance, our family knows how to support and respect each other! You two, along with Uncle and Aunt, and my parents, are the most lovable elders ever!”

Grandma Liu couldn’t help but laugh. “You haven’t even done anything yet and you’re already flattering everyone. You really can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Grandma, what about the silver? Huh?”

The main hall erupted in laughter at Liu Zhiqiu’s sycophantic antics.

“If you’re doing good deeds, Grandma will naturally support you. All the private savings I’ve kept over the years are yours to use, but that’s all there is,” she said, stroking her little grandson’s head with a smile. “If you want more from Grandma, you’ll have to show us results, understand?”

Liu Zhiqiu’s eyes welled up, but he blinked the tears away and buried his head in her lap, hugging her tightly. “Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll never let you or our family lose face.”