NCCnovel Chapter 689 Observations (The End)
Chapter 689 Observations (The End)
Next, Li Mingyuan and his two companions crossed the path through the farmland and took a quick look at Xiahe Village.
Because most of the villagers in Xiahe Village were working in Chenjia Village, Xiahe Village was quite deserted at this time. However, the many unfinished houses under construction in the village still made Li Mingyuan very happy.
The fact that they can build houses shows that the villagers of Xiahe Village are also wealthy, and the prosperity of the people is what Li Mingyuan is most happy to see.
After visiting Xiahe Village, Li Mingyuan did not choose to return directly to Chenjia Village. Instead, he went to the edge of the farmland, sat down on the ground, and looked at the busy villagers in the fields. He asked softly, "What do you think of Chenjia Village?"
Although Li Mingyuan's gaze was fixed on the villagers in the farmland, Li Qiao knew that he was asking about himself.
“Great, I really like this place.”
Li Qiao recalled the scenes he experienced in Chenjia Village, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
He liked the place very much because of the wealth of Chenjia Village and the warmth and friendliness of the villagers.
"Yes! I really like this place too."
Li Mingyuan said lightly that the living conditions of the people in Chenjia Village were probably the ideal living conditions that ordinary people should have.
Everyone is well-fed and clothed, the elderly are cared for, and the young are provided for. People live in peace and contentment, enjoying happiness and fulfillment, just like living in a paradise.
It can be said that the existence of Chenjia Village fulfilled all of Li Mingyuan's fantasies of a paradise on earth.
"Let's go."
After an unknown amount of time, Li Mingyuan got up, casually patted the mud off his clothes, and said, "Let's go see the master of Chenjia Village."
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About half an hour later, Li Mingyuan appeared in front of Chen Dao's house. Looking at the ordinary house in front of him, Li Mingyuan looked slightly surprised.
In his imagination, Chen Dao, as the head of Chenjia Village and the one who controlled the most wealth in Chenjia Village, should live in a big mansion.
But he never expected that Chen Dao's house would be so simple, even worse than many villagers' houses...
"This young friend Chen is quite a remarkable person."
Li Mingyuan chuckled softly.
Meanwhile, in Chen Dao's courtyard, Chen Dao, upon hearing unfamiliar footsteps, realized something and stood up from his recliner: "Cheng-ge'er, come with me to greet our distinguished guest."
A moment later, Chen Dao, who had reached the doorway, saw the three people waiting outside.
Looking at the old man standing opposite him, Chen Dao showed a respectful expression and asked, "Are you Prime Minister Li?"
The moment Chen Dao saw the old man, he knew who he was.
This was not only because of Zheng Qiuyan, who was accompanying him, but also because of the old man's indescribable temperament.
"I have long been dismissed from my post as prime minister, how can I still call myself Prime Minister Li? You must be my young friend Chen Dao."
Li Mingyuan carefully examined the young man in front of him. The young man looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with handsome features. Judging from his appearance alone, probably no one would think that this young man could do such a shocking thing as killing the King of Qing.
"Exactly."
Chen Dao nodded, his face full of respect, and said, "Prime Minister Li's name is renowned far and wide! In my heart, and in the hearts of millions of people in the Nine Provinces, Prime Minister Li will live forever!"
This is not flattery from Chen Dao, but a heartfelt expression of admiration.
Even if a powerful family smears someone like Li Mingyuan, his contributions are indelible. Centuries later, those families that slandered him may have collapsed, but Li Mingyuan will live forever in the hearts of the people and be remembered for eternity.
"You've got a sweet tongue, kid."
Li Mingyuan laughed. No one dislikes flattery, and he was no exception. If someone else had flattered him like that, Li Mingyuan might have been somewhat dismissive.
But for some reason, Li Mingyuan was particularly happy to see Chen Dao flattering him.
“What the boy said is the truth.”
Chen Dao smiled and welcomed Li Mingyuan and his two companions into the front yard. He gestured to Chen Cheng to bring out some chairs for them to sit on, and said apologetically, "My home is simple, I hope Prime Minister Li will not mind."
"It doesn't matter."
Li Mingyuan waved his hand. He had never been a pleasure-seeker, so he naturally wouldn't mind the environment at Chen Dao's home.
Soon, Chen Cheng brought out tables and chairs for Li Mingyuan and the other two to sit down.
In addition, Chen Cheng took out tea leaves and teaware from inside the house and served tea to Li Mingyuan and the other two.
After taking a sip of the slightly bitter tea, Li Mingyuan looked at Chen Dao and slowly said, "I have traveled all over the world and seen countless people and things. Some places have fertile land where the grain produced in one season can be equivalent to a year's worth of grain in other places; some places are rich in mineral resources where the minerals buried under the land are inexhaustible; some places are rich in jade, and a piece of high-quality jade can be worth tens of thousands of bushels of grain."
What puzzles me is that, regardless of whether the land is fertile, the mineral resources are abundant, or the jade is plentiful, the people are extremely poor. On the contrary, the people of Chenjia Village are well-fed and clothed.
"Young friend, could you please enlighten this old man?"
Chen Dao did not answer the question directly, but instead asked in return: "In your opinion, to whom does the grain produced in those fertile lands belong? To whom do the minerals from those rich mineral deposits belong? And to whom do the high-quality jade stones belong?"
To whom does it belong?
Li Mingyuan fell into deep thought, and Li Qiao and Zheng Qiuyan also began to ponder.
Needless to say, in fertile areas, the vast majority of the land belonged to landlords and powerful families, and most of the grain produced belonged to them;
In places rich in mineral resources, the underground ores belong to the state and the imperial court;
In places where jade is abundant, the finest quality jade produced will never belong to the common people.
"Prime Minister Li should already have the answer in his heart."
Chen Dao said slowly and deliberately, "The land belongs to the powerful families, the mineral resources belong to the imperial court, and the jade belongs to the wealthy and powerful. So what do these abundant resources have to do with the common people? How can the common people escape poverty because of these resources?"
"I never expected you to have such insight at such a young age. I admire you greatly."
A look of approval flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes. In fact, he already knew the answer, but what he didn't expect was that Chen Dao would have such insight at such a young age.
"You flatter me, Prime Minister Li."
Chen Dao humbly shook his head. His insight was simply built upon the work of his predecessors. Anyone familiar with Chinese history knows that the world has always been structured like a pyramid, with a small group at the very top controlling the vast majority of resources and wealth, while ordinary people make up the majority of the population…
We can only occupy a small portion of resources; this is a truth that has never changed since ancient times, and it is also the most realistic reality of this world.