Chapter 511: Astonishing yield per mu, great grace from heaven
Chapter 511: Astonishing yield per mu, great grace from heaven
The experimental field of the Institute of Agricultural Administration is located behind a palace at the northernmost end of the imperial palace.
After at least two strict body searches and inspections, Lu Yunyi finally arrived here.
At first glance, this is just an ordinary empty space.
The ground was not paved with bluestone slabs. Instead, it was covered with neatly cultivated farmland, each one arranged in a very regular pattern.
At this moment, several bicycles were piled in the corner, and the one leading the pile was His Majesty's shiny bicycle.
However, Lu Yunyi searched for a long time in the field but could not find His Majesty.
Finally, under the guidance of the chief eunuch, he found His Majesty under a melon shed.
His Majesty was wearing a sweat shirt and a bamboo hat, his hands and feet were skinny, and his complexion was dark.
They are no different from ordinary farmers who work hard in the fields.
"coming?"
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw him coming, he got out from under the melon vine with some difficulty.
In his hands were two prickly cucumbers, with two bright little yellow flowers on the top.
Zhu Yuanzhang took a cucumber and rinsed it in a water tank nearby.
The rough palm wiped it lightly, and the spikes on it disappeared, and then it was handed to Lu Yunyi:
"Try it. This is the last crop of summer cucumbers. I planted them myself."
Lu Yunyi took the cucumber and took a bite without any hesitation.
In an instant, a fresh breath spread between the teeth, and the juice flowed freely on the tip of the tongue. The sweet taste was just right, as if even the summer heat was relieved a little.
"Your Majesty, this tastes good."
"Hahahaha, I'm really good at farming."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw someone praising his good farming skills, he immediately became happy.
While chattering about his farming experience, he took Lu Yunyi to sit in the shade in the field.
While chewing a cucumber, he pointed to the fields to the east and west and said:
“Look, both the east and west sides are planted with sweet potatoes.
The land on the west side receives no sunlight all day, while the land on the east side receives plenty of sunlight all day.
The old guys at the Agricultural Administration recently discovered that
Sweet potatoes ripen quickly in hot weather.
If everything goes well, we should be able to harvest in October. Then we can see how much this thing can yield per mu."
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Lu Yunyi:
"If the output is less, I will chop off your head."
"what?"
Lu Yunyi was stunned for a moment and stopped chewing the cucumber.
"Hahahahaha, look how scared you are. Don't worry, the yield per mu of this thing will not be small."
Zhu Yuanzhang showed an indescribable relief on his face.
He looked at the fields in front of him with more affection than looking at his own children.
"Your Majesty, do the gentlemen from the Agricultural Administration have any guesses? What is the approximate yield per mu?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's face flashed with an unnatural look. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and said:
"You finally found something good. Don't be scared when you tell me about it, and don't spread it around."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured."
"If you take good care of these two plots of land, the yield per mu will be more than ten shi."
"I'm done!"
Lu Yunyi's eyes suddenly widened and he was secretly amazed.
This is the first time to plant sweet potatoes. The variety has not been improved, the land has not been fully adapted, and even the use of fertilizers is still in the exploratory stage.
The Agricultural Administration Bureau is indeed capable of achieving a yield of more than ten stones per mu.
Lu Yunyi once saw a yield of 10,000 jin per mu, which was equivalent to more than 80 dan of sweet potatoes piled up into a small hill.
If a family of three uses it as their staple food, they can eat three pounds a day, and one crop can last them nearly ten years.
Now, if the sweet potato can produce 10 dan per mu,
Even though there was a shortage of vegetables and meat at the time, it was enough for a family to eat for a year.
Moreover, the sweet potato has a short maturity period, which is just over 100 days, and the remaining 200 days can be used to grow cash crops.
By then, the entire South Zhili will take the lead in promoting trial planting.
With the help of the business bank,
Lu Yunyi seemed to have seen the prosperous scene of businesses all over Nanzhili
There was a look of longing in his eyes. Zhu Yuanzhang took in the expression on his face and suddenly laughed:
“You may be young, but you are very shrewd.
I will not let you down. Once the sweet potatoes are grown, I will first try planting them in the villages around Yingtian City.
The imperial court paid money to buy the land of these villages for one year and let the people of the Agricultural Administration Bureau to cultivate the land.
How the business will develop by then will depend on your ability."
Lu Yunyi quickly put away his expression and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty, after the business is built and has been put into trial operation for a period of time,
The court can then send trusted officials to take over.
If we really want to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes, we will need your help."
"You managed to get away with such a big business."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and spoke calmly,
"Who do you think is suitable to run the business?"
"Your Majesty, I cannot say more about this matter."
"indeed."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, lifted his clothes, and said cheerfully,
"Well, I'll choose someone for you. Listen to see if he's suitable."
"I am all ears."
"Governor of Qingzhou, Liu Sili."
father in law?
Lu Yunyi stood there in a daze, looking at the Hongwu Emperor in front of him in a daze.
After a long while, he came back to his senses and stammered:
"Your Majesty, although it is said that one should not avoid relatives when selecting talents,
However, if my father-in-law were to go to Beijing to serve as an official, it would inevitably arouse criticism.
Moreover, my father-in-law is a fifth-rank official.
If I were to go to Beijing to manage a business, I'm afraid it would be hard to convince the public."
"If your official position is not high enough, you can be promoted. Lan Yu impeached Zeng Jingyuan, the Minister of Honglu Temple, and Zhan Hui is already investigating.
When the position becomes vacant, your father-in-law can fill it.
At that time, you can sell some items from the Southeast Asian countries and the Southwest countries in the business.
Then it will be a natural progression for me to run the business.”
Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly and in a gentle voice.
The general? Zhan Hui?
Lu Yunyi felt a sense of emotion for no reason. It was good to have someone to back you up.
However, Lu Yunyi was still puzzled by this arrangement.
There are so many officials in the world, and a trading company is a popular position, so why did it become my father-in-law's turn?
"I have thought about this for a long time. The position of the shopkeeper is not easy to sit in.
You must not be greedy for money, you must not be afraid of the powerful, and you must know how to sympathize with the people.
We even need to deal with foreigners, and there are not many people who are useful and trustworthy.
After much thought, there are only a few people left, and Liu Sili happens to be the most suitable one."
Lu Yunyi thought carefully and felt that his father-in-law was indeed a good candidate.
He came from a noble family in Liaodong, was extremely wealthy, and was not afraid of the powerful. He lived in a small border town and had been dealing with grassland tribes for many years, so he was very experienced.
More importantly, he is his relative!
In this way, the imperial court did not seem to be heartless, and perhaps there was also a consideration of dividing the credit.
But he suddenly felt annoyed.
If I had known this would happen, I should have written a letter early to ask my wife to come to the capital.
While he was thinking, Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted:
“The memorial you submitted earlier was good. You should not be the manager of Yingtian Commercial Bank for too long, otherwise corruption will surely arise.
Liu Sili went to Beijing at the end of the year and served as the shopkeeper for four years.
What do you think if the court changes to someone else later?"
"Your Majesty, Liu Sili is my father-in-law. I should recuse myself. Everything will be decided by the court."
“Okay, that’s settled.
Let's talk about your dam. I heard from the prince that it will cost more than 10 million taels of silver?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Lu Yunyi with a smile, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Even the eunuch behind him heard this number.
They all pursed their lips and lowered their heads.
Lu Yunyi hesitated for a long time before hesitating and speaking slowly:
“Your Majesty, this is the money needed to solve the problem once and for all.
If the imperial court is willing to start construction, it can be built in batches and sections.
There is no need to take out such a huge amount of money all at once."
"Will we save money by building it in batches and sections? It will still cost more than 10 million taels."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, propped himself up with his arms, clapped his hands, picked up the hoe beside him, and weighed it in front of him.
"Ordinary people work hard all year, and after paying for food and drink, they can only earn a few coins.
Ten million taels is really too much. Even if I want to repair it, no one in the court will agree.
If this matter spread to the public, it would be unimaginable.
It might lead to unrest and ruin the good situation.”
Lu Yunyi's face was solemn, he cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty is wise." "Can you till the land?"
"I won't."
“Then go back, call your officials from the Ministry of Industry, and think carefully about other solutions.
You court officials should also understand the court.
Every penny of the silver in the treasury has a use, so there is no such thing as so much spare money."
After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and walked towards the two pieces of land in the middle with a hoe.
At this time, the afterglow of the setting sun just happened to shine on the well-cultivated land, as if it was covered with a layer of golden sand.
His Majesty walked into the field and started working without saying a word.
Skillful movements and fast speed
In less than half an hour, the carriage stopped at No. 2, San Tiao Lane, Xi'anmen, and Lu Yunyi got off the horse.
The guards at the door saw that the master came back so early today.
I couldn't help but be a little surprised and hurried forward.
After Lu Yunyi handed the horse to the guard, he walked into the Lu Mansion and instructed Feng Yunfang who was following him:
"Send more brothers into the city to guard the mansion.
Increase the number of people accompanying you, and be careful not to fall into any evil schemes."
Feng Yunfang was startled and his expression turned serious:
"My Lord, has something happened?"
"It's nothing serious, but someone might be trying to harm us, so it's always a good idea to be cautious."
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away." Feng Yunfang left in a hurry.
Lu Yunyi soon saw Mu Chuting and Xiaohong who were busy in the back hall.
The two of them were carefully choosing from a dozen or so casual clothes.
There were a dozen or so attendants serving around, with trays in their hands also piled with clothes.
"What are you doing?" Lu Yunyi asked.
Mu Chuting turned around, her eyes full of surprise:
"Husband, why are you back so early?"
"There is not much business in the government office today, so I came back early."
Lu Yunyi walked up to her and looked at the clothes around her.
I casually reached out and touched it. It was soft and cool to the touch. It was obviously high-quality clothing.
"Master, you have too few clothes for daily use. These are the clothes from Baoqingzhai.
They are made of the finest silk and are extremely cool to wear in summer.
Take a look, is there anything you like?"
"How much is one?"
At this time, a middle-aged woman in light gray clothes stepped forward and answered with a smile:
"Reporting to Lord Lu, Madam has selected only the finest Jiangnan silk.
So the price is a bit higher, a set of casual clothes costs nearly 100 taels of silver."
"So expensive?"
Lu Yunyi almost cursed at her, saying that she was robbing him.
Mu Chuting rolled her eyes at Lu Yunyi and explained:
"This is a token of our appreciation from Baoqingzhai. We don't charge any money for it."
She turned to look at the middle-aged woman.
"Okay, leave the clothes here and you guys go back first."
The middle-aged woman seemed a little surprised and hesitant.
Just as she was about to speak, Mu Chuting winked at Xiaohong.
Xiaohong immediately stepped forward, stretched out her hand to block the woman, and said with a smile:
"Manager Liu, please come in."
The woman looked a little embarrassed and unnatural, but still cupped her hands:
"Lord Lu, Madam Mu, I will take my leave now."
After she left, Lu Yunyi asked curiously:
"What does she want to do?"
Mu Chuting curled her lips, sat down at the round table in the room, poured two cups of tea, and explained,
“Baoqingzhai is a famous silk shop in Yingtian City, and the clothes it sells are extremely expensive.
This time I came here to try some connections.
I hope to secure a front position in the newly opened business."
Lu Yunyi was a little surprised and also sat down at the round table:
"The news spread so quickly, who is the owner of Baoqingzhai?"
Mu Chuting showed a trace of helplessness on her face and sighed softly:
"They are the family of Concubine Guo Hui. They probably got the news from the palace, so they came to visit us."
Concubine Guo Hui? The image of a noble lady quickly emerged in Lu Yunyi's mind.
She was of great descent, the daughter of Guo Zixing and the adopted sister of Empress Ma.
She was also the biological mother of Zhu Chun, Prince of Shu, Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai, and Zhu Tan, Prince of Gu.
Lu Yunyi then thought of something else and said:
"The palace has always kept secrets, and it is unlikely that Concubine Ning would leak any information.
Could it be that Princess Yongjia learned some news from Guo Zhen?"
"Princess Yongjia?"
Mu Chuting remembered this princess. She had just married Guo Zhen some time ago. Guo Zhen was the imperial guard, so it was difficult to hide any news from him.
Mu Chuting nodded, "That's possible. Oh, never mind.
The company has its own regulations. With the reputation of Baoqingzhai, even if it cannot take the lead, it will not be far behind, so it is not worth spending so much effort on it.
It was a good deal for us, we got so many clothes for free."
Lu Yunyi became alert and quickly called the guards standing outside the main hall, pointing at the clothes.
The guards immediately understood what he meant, and several of them stepped forward to take all the clothes and sent them to a special place in the mansion for inspection.
Seeing this, Mu Chuting was a little surprised: "Husband, what's going on?"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to avoid contact with things outside recently.
Although there aren't many colorless and odorless poisons, some are easy to hide."
"Husband, has something happened?"
Mu Chuting was a little nervous, her slender fingers tightly gripping the teacup.
"It's not a big deal, but these things happening one after another may make some people feel uneasy."
Lu Yunyi moved closer and said in a low voice,
"I saw the sweet potato test field in the palace. Your Majesty told me that the yield per mu can reach ten dan!"
"what--"
Mu Chuting sat up straight suddenly, took a breath, her red lips slightly parted, her face full of disbelief.
"Ten stones?"
She remembered that when she was in Yunnan, she heard that the yield per mu was four shi.
"Husband, why are there so many?"
Her eyes were full of surprise at this moment. As a member of Xiping Marquis Mansion, she knew very well what this meant.
People all over the world may no longer have to worry about going hungry.
“The people at the Agricultural Administration Institute are really good; they have figured out a lot of planting methods.
Wait until the sweet potatoes are ripe in October and then we will see the actual situation.
This news cannot be concealed. Many people will definitely know about it, and it will make many people feel uneasy.
Some people may even go to extremes.”
There was a dangerous light flashing in Lu Yunyi's eyes.
Mu Chuting also couldn't help but become nervous:
"Yes. If this good thing is promoted by the imperial court, the people will be able to have enough food to eat.
There will be no more rebellion in the world."
"So it's always right to be extra careful during this period."
"My concubine understands."
After saying this, Mu Chuting looked at Lu Yunyi with admiration.
"My dear, if the sweet potato is really promoted successfully,
You are the savior of millions of people and will definitely go down in history."
Lu Yunyi laughed and touched her head:
"Hahahaha, then you'll be able to benefit from it too."
"Of course." Mu Chuting smiled happily and asked,
"My dear, when will my sister come to Yingtian?
When the time comes, my sister and I will serve my husband together, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
Such straightforward words made Lu Yunyi feel a little embarrassed, and he quickly changed the subject:
"Oh, there's something else I want to tell you.
Your Majesty is planning to let my father-in-law take charge of the company, and he may come to Beijing by the end of the year."
"Take charge of the company?" Mu Chuting's eyes flickered, her face showing joy.
"My husband, this is because His Majesty trusts you."
“But I always feel that this may not be a good thing.
By then, there will probably be a lot of rumors in the government and the country."
A hint of worry flashed across Lu Yunyi's eyes.
“Don’t worry, my husband. Your Majesty is suspicious by nature, and you are so capable. The worse your reputation is, the better.
Besides, isn’t there still His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
With his protection, you will be safe."
(End of this chapter)