In the flower hall of the inner house, Sinong Qing Dou Dan and He Chou sat opposite each other. Carefully and solemnly, they placed a small square box in front of He Chou and opened another scroll.
It was a picture with four pictures drawn on it.
Dou Dan pointed at the picture and said: "Mr. He, this is the white folding piece that your Majesty asked you to take from your mother's nest. Your Majesty said that it is said that this thing can be used for weaving, but it is not accurate. Mr. He is well-informed.
Your Majesty asked me to come to Mr. He’s house to ask for advice, Mr. He will help me.”
He Chou was not in a hurry to speak. He looked at the illustrated book with some curiosity and asked the servant to open the window lattice to make the room brighter. Then he casually said: "Is this what Li Chongguang got back from **?"
Dou Dan nodded and said, "It's exactly this thing... He Gong was the general manager of Guizhou back then. He should have seen it when he was pacifying the emperor, right?"
He Chou smiled, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out a lot. Back then, he designed the Battle of Mo Chong to destroy the slang and handsome officials, which was his proudest work in his life.
Dou Dan's words just scratched his itch. It was a pity that the emperor didn't come in person, otherwise he shouldn't have said this. He had to compliment him on his ingenious plan, so that he wouldn't be so impressed.
until.
Dou Guangda can't do it. After being an official for so many years, he doesn't even deserve to be complimented by others. He deserves to go to Sinong Temple to farm.
"It happened so many years ago, who still remembers so much? Bai Diazi... It seems that I have heard people talk about it, but I didn't pay much attention to it, but it can be used as fabric? If so, Sang Ma
Adding something new to the list is a great blessing."
Seeing that the old man became happy, Dou Dan smiled and agreed: "What Mr. He said is right. This is a matter of great benefit to the country and the people. Li Shaoqing sent someone to bring back some seeds. I also brought them to Mr. He. Do you think
Don’t you want to try planting it?”
At this time, He Chou was already lying on the table. His eyes were blurry and he couldn't see clearly. Hearing this, he just shook his head and said, "You want me to try planting these flowers in Chang'an. I'm afraid it won't work."
ah.
One side of water and soil supports one side of the people. The weather is hot and humid, and the water and soil are abundant. It is very dry here in Chang'an. If the wind is cold and the dew is heavy, even if you survive 80% of the time, you will not be able to produce seeds..."
Dou Dan came here after doing his homework. When he heard what he said, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. This thing is not a specialty of Japan. It should be introduced from the Western Regions. Maybe there is no harm in growing one in Chang'an?"
He Chou straightened up slowly. Li Xinzhi sent someone to bring back the seeds of Bai Diazi, and asked a painter to draw several pictures, depicting everything from seeds to seedlings to adult plants, flowers and fruits, and doing things.
Very careful and thorough.
But He Chou took a look at it and felt that these pictures were of little use, so as Dou Dan said, he still had to plant them.
It was precisely because of this that Dou Guangda found Chang An Duo, the gardener tending flowers and plants at his door, but it was He Chou who could be called the most famous among them.
After all, only the He Chou family in Chang'an can open some experimental fields in the mansion now, and they have also recruited some skilled craftsmen who are accustomed to planting flowers and plants, and they are not even as good as the craftsmen and supervisors.
Not to mention Sinong Temple, which has just reopened its office.
He Chou rubbed his eyes and said slowly: "Didn't the Supreme Lord say anything more?"
Dou Dan stroked his beard and thought to himself, "You are so well-informed. How can I hide anything His Majesty has said from you?"
He pretended to be embarrassed and said with a smile: "Mr. He, you don't want to be called the Supreme now. The imperial edict to change the honorific title will definitely be nothing if it spreads to your old place. I can't do it.
Your Majesty sent word last year that he was looking for a kind of shrub. When it blooms and bears fruit, it will be a white cotton material. Soon it will gradually turn to deep red, and after it withers, it will produce green seeds.
That is to say, Li Shaoqing lives in Beijing all the time, and then he knows that Bai Diezi fits the bill... Otherwise, who would know about this thing?
When the things were sent back, Your Majesty had no idea of what they were going to do. He just asked me to come and find He Gong and try planting them to see. I think... Your Majesty has only heard people talk about them and has never seen them...
..”
He Chou frowned, weighed the priority of this matter, and asked a Sinong Qing to come to his house to ask for advice in person, explaining that at least in the eyes of the emperor, this matter was very important.
It's just that the process sounds a bit sloppy, and it doesn't sound like it's a matter of great importance. What's beneficial to the country and the people, and what's good is great, that's what they said themselves.
For example, after you have worked hard to grow it and show it to the emperor, all he needs to do is say, "This is not what I want"... Do you think it's bad or not?
Of course, serving the king should not be afraid of these things. With the emperor's order, they have to do their best, but there is nothing to say.
He Chou is old and his thinking is not quick. He can only be said to be fairly organized. As he thought about it, he said, "When a new dynasty is established, there will naturally be a new atmosphere, but I am so old.
, it’s not easy to change your words..."
"This thing comes from the Western Regions and was passed down to Japan... There are quite a lot of good things in the Western Regions... The climates on both sides are very different. If you say so, it shouldn't be difficult to grow."
Dou Dan said: "That's the truth. Li Shaoqing also sent back a letter. People in China usually plant this kind of thing in their courtyards. They don't need to prune and water it carefully. They plant it in March and April, and then plant it in August and September."
Flowers and seeds.
If you plant more, the courtyard will be as white as plums and wax, which is said to be very elegant..."
As soon as He Chou heard this, he knew that Li Xinzhi's words did not need to be considered carefully. Ornamental flowers scattered in the courtyard grew and died on their own, and had nothing to do with famous flowers and grasses. These were the flowers and grasses that ordinary people liked to grow the most.
As Dou Dan spoke, he took out Li Xizhi's letter from his sleeve and presented it to him. He also said, "He also said that it is not entirely credible to say that Bai Diezi came from the Western Regions. Some people say that it was first introduced from Zhenla and Funan."
It was introduced from other places, but there is no evidence to test it.”
All these bits and pieces, how could Dou Guangda be such a mother-in-law and nagging at such a young age? The people of the Dou family are really inferior to each other.
He Chou complained in his heart, picked up Li Xizhi's letter, read it, and said, "Why didn't Li Chongguang come back? Why did he have to deal with people? It would be much easier if he could ask in person."
Dou Dan was also deeply resentful about this. He was a minister of farming, so many things were waiting for him. Now he still had to run back and forth for flowers and plants. If Li Xinzhi came back, why would he need to work hard?
This is a true portrayal of the emperor's words and his subordinates breaking their legs. This kind of invisible thing is particularly concrete.
Li Po himself wasn't sure, so his ministers couldn't handle it as a big deal, but you couldn't shirk the emperor's instructions again and again. It was really sad to think about it.
"Li Shaoqing was left behind by Governor Li in Jiangling. He has been an official in ** for many years, and it seems that he will return to ** as an official."
He Chou smiled and said: "He is better than the others. The timing is good. It is better than wasting time in the court. He cannot be the Taichang Shaoqing."
Dou Dan smiled apologetically, thinking that Li Chongguang was indeed very lucky... Li Yuan and the others still haven't found their whereabouts yet.
At this time, He Chou continued to ask while reading Li Xizhi's letter: "Do you know Li Chongguang's brother Li Maoshi?"
Dou Dan said: "I seem to have heard that he came to Chang'an with his brother, and now he seems to be working in the Ministry of Industry?"
The Li Xizhi brothers came from a branch of the Li family in Longxi and were barely related to the Dou family, so Dou Dan paid attention to them.
He Chou said leisurely: "Li Maoshi once served in the imperial palace in the previous dynasty. He was quite smart. He visited me several times after coming to Chang'an. He has experience in farming and flower and plant skills. I would like to ask for a favor from Guangda and let him
Come take charge of this matter, whether it succeeds or not, how about letting him have his name in Sinong Temple?"
Dou Dan's heart skipped a beat, but he nodded with a smile without any hesitation: "This is nothing. You have always helped me a lot since the government re-established Sinong Temple. This little thing is not a favor. I will go back."
After that, he will report it to the officials and ask him to come and take office."
He Chou smiled with satisfaction and said in his heart that he is a teachable boy. Neither of them mentioned their official positions, but if He Chou could speak once, his official position would definitely not be small. Everyone knows this tacit understanding in the officialdom and there is no need to declare it verbally.
He Chou must have set his sights on the still vacant position of Si Nong Shaoqing, but the matter cannot be handled directly. Li Xiyu must have merit to be promoted to an important position. It just so happens that there is a task of planting flowers and plants here...
.
You see, this is the twists and turns in the officialdom. People with less narrow-mindedness must not deal with them, otherwise you will not be able to understand the matter, and you will die without knowing how.
You must know that He Chou's disciples have many former officials, and most of them are serving in Shaofu, Taichang Temple, Sinong Temple, Ministry of Works, General Supervisor, etc. If Dou Dan didn't handle things well, he, the Minister of Sinong, would probably be nothing more than
Trouble.
After passing on a favor, He Chou said: "I think this should be done this way. When planting flowers, plants and trees, we must first look at the water and soil, secondly we must look at the climate, light, etc., and thirdly we must look at the origin of the vegetation.
The Western Region is too far away from China, so it is a bit difficult to plant. Some flowers and plants can survive without much maintenance, but since it is the Supreme... His Majesty has given orders, you must be careful.
Let's do this. First, let the government send more seeds. How can this be enough? From now on, let them get some seeds and send them to Chang'an every other month without any delay.
Secondly, send people to the Western Regions... By chance, someone from the Western Turks is coming over. Let them take a look at these things and see if anyone is growing them in the Western Regions and what they are used for. Ask them to get some from the Western Regions.
come over.
If possible, combine both sides and try planting them in Lingzhou or Liangzhou to see what can be grown. In fact, it is best to grow them in places like Chang'an, Jinyang, Hebei, Shandong, and Jiangnan.
Try planting them all.
What's more, Taichang Temple and Shaofu must prepare it early. Once the material is alive, they can collect it and let them weave and dye it to see if it can be used as fabric in the world.
Do you think this is the case?"
What's wrong with that? Dou Dan smiled and praised: "It's Mr. He who has thought carefully and is not afraid of your jokes. I know very little about planting flowers and plants. It seems that Mr. He must take charge of this matter."