Chapter 72
“You’ve caught up with the times. Have you ever tried it?” Su Li asked with a smile.
“I’ve had it before…” the young voice of the little girl chimed in.
“Sister, brother-in-law, you go ahead and eat first!” The little princess trotted over and knelt to the side, sitting straight like a well-behaved elementary school student.
Changle pulled Su Li to sit down again…
“Now that the little princess is here, shall we all go to the Forest Garden?” Princess Changle asked softly.
Su Li nodded. The little princess was adorable and well-behaved, so Su Li didn’t mind taking along such a little companion. The little princess did come after eating with a full stomach.
But with technology and hard work combined with the top chefs of this era, how could a three-year-old girl resist a dozen dishes?
Sitting aside, the scent of food kept wafting over her. The little princess kept sniffing with her nose.
“It smells so good…”
“It smells even better than the food in the palace!”
“I really want to eat it!”
The little princess lowered her head to look at its round belly, remembering it had said it wasn’t hungry, feeling somewhat disappointed.
She would have to sneak a few bites of that enticing smell if alone with her sister. But another man was present, and the little princess wasn’t very familiar with Su Li. Her interactions with Su Li had been limited to the few candies Su Li had given her.
With an outsider present, the little princess didn’t want to change her mind. Moreover, she was already full, and even if she wanted to eat more, her stomach had no room.
I shouldn’t have had lunch earlier… the little princess thought dejectedly.
What kind of concerns and sorrows could a child have? It was all about eating, drinking, and having fun.
Su Li noticed the little princess’s seemingly composed demeanor on the side, but her nose twitched. While her expression seemed proper, she occasionally revealed a hint of longing, her eyes fixed on the dozen dishes on the table.
Su Li couldn’t help but chuckle at the little princess’s behavior and poked Princess Changle playfully. Princess Changle laughed at the scene, aware that the aroma swayed her little sister.
“Well… how about having a bit more?” Princess Changle smiled as she picked up a piece of spicy chicken.
“Sister… I really can’t eat anymore…” The little princess looked up, a crestfallen expression on her face, patting her small belly.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do then…” Princess Changle’s smile deepened.
Su Li watched the disappointed expression on the little princess’s face and laughed wholeheartedly. Given her reaction, she might lament missing this delicious meal for quite a while.
“Alright… you can have dinner here and then return to the palace.” Princess Changle reassured with a smile.
“Here…have this for now…” Su Li produced a lollipop seemingly out of thin air. Helping the little princess unwrap it, Su Li handed it over.
The little princess vividly remembered the White Rabbit milk candy Su Li had given her before. The aroma was strong and unforgettable. Seeing Su Li pull out an unfamiliar candy, the little princess immediately smiled sweetly.
“Thanks, brother-in-law!” Instead of taking the candy immediately, the little princess stood up like a miniature adult, bowed to Su Li, and eagerly popped the candy into her mouth once she received it.
The sweet candy delighted her taste buds, erasing the disappointment from the little princess’s face and replacing it with a contented expression. Though they hadn’t met often, the little princess was cheerful.
Su Li quietly sifted through her memories. Historical records indicated that Princess Jinyang had been clever and charming since childhood, receiving great favor from the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, due to illness, the little princess passed away prematurely before even reaching the age of twelve.
I should leave some information about medicine for later… Su Li thought.
This little mature and joyful person hadn’t even had a chance to grow up and experience the world’s wonders. She left this world in her youthful prime, which was a pity.
However, historical records didn’t clearly state the cause of the little princess’s death. Su Li speculated that it was likely due to a respiratory illness. After all, Empress Zhangsun had a genetic predisposition for asthma.
Asthma was a condition with no effective treatment in this era. Its severity determined whether it would be fatal or not. Perhaps during a particularly severe attack, the little princess had suffocated and left this world.
However, given Su Li’s experience treating Princess Changle’s asthma, he knew it would cost at most thirty to fifty thousand points. By purchasing more life potions and similar items, he might be able to save the little princess from an early demise.
Su Li and Princess Changle enjoyed their meal together while the little princess sat contentedly nearby, savoring her candy. Once satisfied, Su Li and Princess Changle embarked on a little outing.
Su Li, Princess Changle, the little princess, the princess’s female attendants, and others formed a group of more than twenty people who set out in carriages for their outing.
The Forest Garden was located outside Changan City, not too far away. They reached it after about half an hour. Forest Garden encompassed mountains, rivers, pavilions, and vast meadows.
This Forest Garden was one of the largest imperial gardens in the region. It even included hot springs, and Emperor Taizong would come here yearly to escape the summer heat.
“South Forest Garden…” Su Li murmured.
Through Princess Changle’s explanation, Su Li learned that the imperial gardens around Changan occupied nearly a third of the city’s area. If the imperial farms were included, cultivated lands under royal ownership added up to almost two-thirds of the city’s land.
“Indeed… in feudal society, the emperor is the largest landowner!” Su Li sighed.
Unlike in novels, where emperors often claim that the treasury was empty and that they were serving the country, emperors possessed substantial private property.
This had been the case in various dynasties. The royal family typically owned the best farmland near the capital. However, this wasn’t relevant to Su Li’s situation.
And objectively speaking, two-thirds sounds big, but in fact, it did not squeeze the people’s living space. One reason was that Changan, the Imperial Capital, boasted more prosperous commerce than other regions. Commerce and handicraft industries flourished here, and the citizen class was much larger than in other areas, allowing them to sustain themselves without relying on farmland.
Secondly, the population of Changan was not that high, unlike in modern times, where a single city could have several million inhabitants. The number of registered farming households in Changan was just a few hundred thousand.
Thirdly… although the imperial estates had vast cultivated land, it was not feasible for the Royal family to personally farm it all. Therefore, the farmland in the imperial estates ultimately relied on the peasants to cultivate, and the peasants were sustained by it.
Fourthly, the forest areas within the Forest Garden mostly consist of mountains, rivers, and forest farms, which could not be used as arable land. The expansive flat ground used for racecourses was meant to raise horses without excessive waste.
Lastly, the farmland in the imperial estates, which belonged to the royal family, was exempt from taxes. It was considered the private property of the royal family, and the peasants who cultivated it were tenant peasants.
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