I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 374 Changing Rice to Tea
Tang Zhao looked at the naturally formed, lifelike rockery depicting students paying homage to their master in the lake and shook his head slightly.

Despite its seemingly rigorous academic atmosphere, Hongshan Academy is not much different from modern aristocratic schools.

Tang Zhao was led to his seat by the students of the academy, where he ate snacks while looking around.

Well, I don’t know any of them.

At the appointed time (7-9 AM), the solemn bell tolled, and the grand discussion began.

As the dean, Master Yang Er stood up and said, "It is an honor for Hongshan Academy to have you all here today for this grand gathering of scholars. I, Yang, will offer you tea in lieu of wine to express my gratitude." After saying this, he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

The others also raised their teacups in return.

"Hey, is this the most famous roasted tea lately?"

Upon hearing this, the others echoed his sentiments.

"That's right, it's tea from Qiancha Baihui."

"Indeed, it tastes excellent and has a long-lasting aftertaste."

"This must be top-quality pre-rain Longjing tea, right? They only sell one pound a day. My servants have been queuing for half a month and still couldn't get any. Today we finally got to drink it!"

"As expected of Hongshan Academy, they can actually buy such hard-to-find tea!"

Amidst the praise, a strange voice rang out.

"Hmph! Attention-seeking, heretical, and a scourge to the country and its people!"

Everyone looked on in surprise and saw an old scholar with a white beard slamming down his teacup, splashing tea all over the table.

"What makes you say that, Mr. Ming'an?"

"The tea culture of Chongqing has a long history. Our ancestors went to great lengths to study tea art and write tea classics, all in order to pass on the tea culture!"

"But some people, for the sake of money, are willing to change the tea ceremony passed down from their ancestors, and even call it breaking the old and establishing the new. They are truly ignorant!"

A moment of silence fell over the room.

Who doesn't know that the tea-frying technique that is now popular in Jiangnan was developed by Princess Zhaoshan? What's the difference between Mr. Ming'an's words and pointing his finger at Princess Zhaoshan and calling her rebellious?
Everyone was both nervous and excited, curious about how Princess Zhaoshan would respond.

Tang Zhao did not respond, remaining leisurely seated, eating snacks and drinking tea, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Mr. Ming'an, however, was not about to let the matter rest. "Your Highness, do you agree or disagree?"

Everyone gasped.

Tang Zhao smiled faintly, "Times are changing, technology is innovating, new things are emerging every day, and old things are being eliminated. This is the law of nature."

"Everyone is different. Some people like to embrace new things, while others cherish ancient traditions. This is a matter of personal preference, and has nothing to do with right or wrong."

“Just like tea,” Tang Zhao picked up his teacup and took a sip. “Some people like to drink pre-rain Longjing tea, some like to drink Liuan Guapian tea, some think it’s more fragrant after being roasted, and some think the original flavor is more natural. Why should Mr. Ming’an impose his own likes and dislikes on others?”

Mr. Ming'an was taken aback, then flew into a rage, accusing him of imposing his will on others.

"Your Highness has such a sharp tongue! Even though people have different likes and dislikes, right and wrong are always eternal!"

"Does Your Highness know how much suffering has been brought to the people of Jiangnan because of your invention of this fried tea?" "I do not know. Please enlighten me, Mr. Ming'an."

"Qiancha Baihui sells tea at prices as low as 70% of previous years' prices. In order to compete with Qiancha Baihui for market share, tea merchants have no choice but to sell their tea at low prices!"

"Merchants are profit-driven; how could they suffer losses? In order to maintain the profits of previous years, they have tried their best to compress the price of tea purchases, causing great distress to tea farmers!"

Tang Zhao felt that he was being completely unreasonable.

To be fair, Mr. Yang said, "Mr. Ming'an, this is the merchant's mistake. What does it have to do with Princess Zhaoshan?"

Mr. Ming'an confidently asserted, "If Princess Zhaoshan hadn't disrupted tea prices in Jiangnan, why would tea merchants have acted this way?"

Tang Zhao patiently explained, "Qiancha Baihui has already limited the purchase of tea, selling only fifty catties of tea per day. This amount of tea is not enough to affect the tea market and tea prices."

Mr. Ming'an scoffed, "But the trend of tea merchants driving down tea prices has already taken hold. What's the use of trying to salvage the situation now?"

A million grass mud horses galloped through Tang Zhao's mind.

Damn it, is there no reasoning at all?
Just as Master Yang was about to speak up to smooth things over, Tang Zhao didn't give him the chance, "I cannot agree with what Mr. Ming'an said!"

Tang Zhao waved his hand, and Chunfeng stepped forward and placed the account book on the table in front of Mr. Ming'an.

"I have always acted with integrity and uprightness. If I am wrong, I will admit it. If I am not wrong, I will not let others pin the blame on me!"

"These are the ledgers of Qiancha Baihui. Please take a look, Mr. Ming'an."

Mr. Ming'an glanced away, seemingly unwilling to be tainted by the stench of money on the ledger.

“If Mr. Ming’an doesn’t want to see it, then I will tell you.”

Tang Zhao looked at Mr. Ming'an and said, "Mr. Ming'an said that I have disrupted the price of tea in Jiangnan. I admit that, but I do not think I have done anything wrong, because the price of tea in Jiangnan is simply outrageous!"

"Qiancha Baihui buys low-grade tea from tea farmers at a price of fifty coins per catty, and hires workers to process the tea at a price of one hundred coins per day. A worker can process twenty catties of dried tea per day. The price of one catty of low-grade tea ranges from seventy to one hundred coins. In other words, the profit of one catty of low-grade tea is fifteen to forty-five coins."

“After deducting necessary expenses such as manpower and shop rent, the profit for a pound of low-grade tea is reduced to five to twenty coins!”

Tang Zhao's gaze slowly swept over everyone present. "Tea merchants sell a pound of low-grade tea for two hundred coins! But they buy low-grade tea from tea farmers for thirty coins a pound. After deducting the manpower and resources for transportation, processing, etc., the profit from a pound of low-grade tea is at least one hundred coins. Not to mention medium-grade and high-grade tea, the profit is simply astonishing!"

"Gentlemen, please tell me, I have been ordered to manage the affairs of Jiangnan. How can I stand by and watch the tea farmers work hard all year only to have their efforts benefit the merchants?"

Upon hearing Tang Zhao's words, many scholars from Jiangnan blushed slightly. Their families were more or less involved in the tea business, and now that Tang Zhao had exposed their shame, they felt guilty, but even more so, they were furious.

Tea farmers are considered lowly people, destined to toil in the fields like oxen until they die. It's their own fault for being born into a bad family; what does it have to do with them?
But they dared not say those words aloud.

Tang Zhao returned the question, "Mr. Ming'an, is it true or not?"

Mr. Ming'an was so angry that he was trembling all over, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Master Yang continued, "Your Highness, your concern for the people is truly commendable, but..."

Tang Zhao turned to look at Master Yang, who said, "But does Your Highness know that because Qiancha Baihui bought tea at a high price of fifty coins per catty, the big landowners in Jiangnan, upon learning this, have all asked their tenants and farmers to switch from rice to tea."

Master Yang shook his head and sighed, "The rice seedlings that had already been planted were ruthlessly pulled up. The cries of the farmers and tenants were deafening. The scene was truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see."