Lake Bipa can be regarded as a geomantic treasure.
Beautiful scenery, located in the northeast corner of the imperial city.
At this time of year, the sweet potato field on the soft sandy soil between Lake Biwa and Qianhu has been covered with purple-red branches and leaves that gradually turn from green to yellow.
The people around Shenlie Mountain who were hired by the supervisor of Shanglin Garden were already waiting by the sweet potato field carrying rakes and woven bamboo baskets.
The rake has a four-tooth shape. The rake rod is inserted at the top of the two middle teeth, and the two outer teeth wrap around the middle two teeth.
Typical agricultural tools in the Jiangnan area.
Zhu Yuanzhang took Yuan Sutai, the supervisor of Shanglinyuan, and the monarch and his ministers talked and laughed all the way to the sweet potato field.
Seeing the emperor's arrival, the farmers waiting here were already kneeling on the ground in fear, shouting auspicious words of long live your majesty.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved with a smile: "Get up, everyone. We are here to work with you today. You have taken good care of this sweet potato. Today is the day of harvest. We have been digging in the crop fields for the past twenty years.
,Today is just to see how the harvest is."
As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang took a nail rake from the hands of the people next to him.
Zhu Yuanzhang put the rake in his hand and bumped it twice to try out the feel. Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "It has been how many years since I have done farm work. It feels uncanny when I start using it."
Several old farmers gathered around, with smiles on their faces: "Your Majesty is the emperor who governs the world, how can he do this kind of work for us."
Yuan Sutai was sincerely happy on the sidelines. It was a great blessing for him and the supervisor of Shanglin Garden that the emperor could pay attention to farming and mulberry.
Now the emperor not only pays attention to mulberry farming, but also pays special attention to the cultivation of sweet potatoes. This is the second time he has come here in person. He is appointed as the supervisor of Linyuan, even if he stays in the mud all day long, he will not know how to do it.
No more complaints.
Yuan Sutai also took out a rake: "Your Majesty, yesterday I led someone to dig up a pit of sweet potatoes. They are growing very well. They are even more gratifying than the few sweet potatoes my grandson brought here a few months ago."
Zhu Yuanzhang kicked the sweet potato ridge under his feet, and the sand outside flew away, revealing the dark fertile soil inside.
A smile appeared on the emperor's face: "You have done a good job, but as an official, you must do it yourself. With your dedicated care of sweet potatoes, the yield will definitely be good. Shanglinyuan has contributed a lot this time."
When Zhu Yuanzhang said these words, Zhai Shan and others had already rushed over.
As soon as they heard that the emperor had not yet dug out the sweet potatoes, he was about to monitor the merits of Shanglinyuan, and everyone couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion in their hearts.
Zhai Shan looked around, but immediately stepped forward with a smile on his face: "Yuan Jianzheng has been in charge of Shanglinyuan Jian for many years. I often heard that Jian Zheng always comes home covered in dust. My wife is doing this for this reason.
, but they always complain, saying that Supervisor Yuan is also a third-rank official in the Ming Dynasty, and he is not as good as when he was studying and farming in his hometown."
The Minister of Civil Affairs opened his mouth, and the surrounding officials echoed in unison.
These words seemed to be a way to defend Yuan Sutai, a bit of ridicule. But they were actually praising Yuan Sutai and doing the job of being carried in a sedan chair.
Sure enough.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he glared at Zhai Shan, and then looked at Yuan Sutai, whose hands were covered with calluses and his cheeks were dark and wrinkled, with a smile: "You are an honest person who works for the Ming Dynasty. We will never forget you."
I will let the palace decide and give your wife a royal decree. This will be considered as our gratitude to her for her consideration. Please don’t scold our minister again.”
Zhai Shan and others immediately smiled kindly and considerately.
Yuan Sutai seemed a little unprepared, with a blush on his dark old face. He lowered his head and handed his hands over: "I have done a small job, but I am a humble housewife and a Taoist family. I have no talent and no virtue. I don't know that the country is in the imperial court. I will be so busy preaching when I get home today."
"Dun."
After finishing speaking, Yuan Sutai raised his head unnaturally and looked at Zhai Shan.
Zhai Shan smiled and stood up: "Your Majesty, Yuan Jianzheng's achievements are all remembered by the officials. Today, Your Majesty and his ministers will be digging for food in the sweet potato field. If you don't take action, I'm afraid it will be delayed for a long time."
”
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at these ministers and smiled: "Let's work.
Each person is given a sweet potato ridge, and if you can’t finish it, don’t leave today.”
As soon as the emperor spoke, the officials who came today echoed his words.
Don't worry about whether you can actually hold a rake in your hand. After plowing the sweet potato ridges that are no less than a hundred meters long, your hands will not be useless. At this time, everyone is looking for the people nearby to rake and sharpen their knives.
Huo Huo looks like a sweet potato.
The bachelor of Wenhua Palace, Yu Xin, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Wang Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, walked side by side, looking at the emperor who was already happily directing Zhai Shan and others to allocate the sweet potato fields.
Wang Jun spoke in a low voice: "Brother Dunben, you are the official of the Ministry of Household Affairs and are in charge of the land tax. How much do you think the sweet potato harvest can be today?"
Yu Xin took the nail rake handed over by a commoner in front of him, measured the weight in his hand, and said in a low voice: "Didn't you see Yuan Sutai's appearance today? He said that he just dug up a sweet potato pit yesterday.
, it must be good, maybe it’s the same as what Taisun said at the beginning..."
Sweet potatoes are probably really a high-yielding crop.
Yu Xin felt a little entangled and hesitant in his heart. High yield meant that if it could be spread throughout the Ming Dynasty, the people would naturally have more to eat in the future.
But...
In the final analysis, this world is made up of individuals.
Yu Xin felt worried and irritable for no reason.
Wang Jun opened his mouth, not sure, and said: "Really, can we produce twenty dan per mu? Under this condition, the common people only need to consume one or two acres of land to have enough food for a year...
”
After thinking about it, Wang Jun immediately shook his head.
If this is really the case, he should submit a memorial and build several projects like the Grand Canal dug by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty during the Ming Dynasty.
After finishing, Wang Jun silently looked at Yu Xin, who had already begun to walk into the sweet potato field.
Even if you don't have twenty dan per mu, as long as you can have seven or eight dan, in two years you can go to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for more money and food to do things.
Those people like Zhang Ergong used extraordinary merits to gain official positions. The Ministry of Industry has lost all face in the past two years.
As the minister of the Ministry of Industry, it is my duty to restore this situation for the Ministry of Industry.
What's more, I am a person who has read the books of sages all my life.
When Zhu Yunxi accompanied the prince's father to the sweet potato field, he saw that the old man had already led a group of ministers and ministers from the Ming Dynasty, holding a rake in hand and starting to work in the sweet potato field.
With just one glance, you can tell how many of these people are industrious and how many of them come from poor backgrounds and had to work in the fields to feed their families in their early years.
The old man's movements were a little stiff, but he adapted to the farm work at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood on one side of the ridge, holding the rake in front and back with both hands, and raised it into the air. He could not go up any higher, which was a useless effort, and then fell naturally by gravity. The four-tooth rake was deeply moved from the other side of the ridge. The bottom of one side was dug in, and then he pushed the rake forward with both hands, and the sweet potato ridges where the vine leaves had been cut off by Sun Gou'er bulged up.
Shake it upwards vigorously, and the sand and soil will loosen.
Zhu Yunxi turned to his father and said, "Father, my son went over to help grandpa. You have difficulty with your legs and feet, so please rest here for a while."
Zhu Biao put his hands in his sleeves and looked at the spectacular scene of monarchs, ministers and hundreds of officials farming in front of him. With a smile on his face, he nodded and walked aside.
After Zhu Yunxi made arrangements for his father, he rolled up his sleeves and arrived in front of him.
Before the old man could bend down to dig out the sweet potatoes mixed in the sand, Zhu Yunxi squatted down with his legs spread out, grabbed the exposed sweet potato vines with both hands, and lifted them up.
He raised his hands, then dropped heavily a few inches.
Then Zhu Yunxi held his hands and kept shaking, and a long string of sweet potatoes appeared in front of Zhu Yunxi.
"Oh! That's a lot!"
Zhu Yuanzhang held a nail rake with one hand, raised an arm to wipe the sweat from his face, and smiled with a rosy face.
Zhu Yunxi weighed it twice and raised his head: "It's not less than ten kilograms."
After saying this, Zhu Yunxi stretched out his hand to break off the sweet potatoes one by one from their main roots and threw them into the basket beside them.
After throwing a pit of sweet potatoes into the pit, Zhu Yunxi stretched out his palm and spread his five fingers hard, but felt that there was considerable resistance from the stick. When he opened his hand, he saw that the patches on the palm of his hand had turned from white to black, with... Dirty lumps of soil.
"Grandpa, why don't your grandson dig sweet potatoes?"
Zhu Yuanzhang spat into the palm of his hand and grunted: "We are not old enough to lift the rake. Let's dig for a while, and you can just peel the sweet potatoes."
After saying that, without giving Zhu Yunxi a chance to continue persuading him, he moved his feet and started wielding the rake again.
Zhu Yunxi was a little helpless and did not stand up. He stretched out his hand and dragged the basket to follow the old man's footsteps, taking the opportunity to look around.
At this time, all the officials in the sweet potato field let out bursts of exclamations from time to time.
Originally, everyone knew that these sweet potatoes were probably high-yielding. Last time I saw the mature sweet potatoes with my own eyes in Shanglinyuan Supervisor, no one would think that growing these sweet potatoes was a loss-making business.
But today, when they personally wielded a rake and dug out sweet potatoes one after another from the ground, they were surprised and shocked.
The heavy feeling of the sweet potato that I personally held in my hand cannot be faked.
Ren Hengtai shook his head dangerously, just to avoid the rake knocked down by Ru Yu, and then glared resentfully at the Minister of the Ministry of War who was still sweating profusely: "You are a killer, you have never killed anyone in battle.
So I want to kill me and eat meat!"
Ru Yu ignored Old Man Ren, shouted, and after becoming proficient at it, he just took out the whole bunch of sweet potatoes buried in the ground.
"Stop talking nonsense and pick it up quickly."
"Let's dig more, and the soldiers on the front line will no longer have to worry about food and grass!"
Ren Hengtai groaned and moved his buttocks, and threw the sweet potatoes dug out by Ru Yu into the basket regardless of how many.
Then he looked at Zhai Shan, who was leading people to dig sweet potatoes not far away.
Ren Hengtai moved his mouth: "Have you seen what happened today clearly? Our new official is not a good person."
Ru Yun dug the sweet potatoes and rolled her eyes at Ren Hengtai: "Do you think he only knows how to write books?"
There was a clang.
Ru Yu dug out the sweet potatoes in front of her, then threw the rake in her hand towards Ren Hengtai: "You dig it."
Ren Hengtai clapped his hands and stood up, twisted his waist twice, and whispered: "It's true that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Works got together, which we didn't expect."
Ru Yun pushed Ren Hengtai, who was chattering incessantly, and lowered his waist. He lifted up the basket and dropped it with a clang in front of him: "Aren't you an old guy with us too?"
Ren Hengtai curled his lips and said, "I am an official in the Ministry of Rites, and you are an official in the Military and Military Department who deal with the Governor's Mansion all day long. These sweet potatoes, even if the yield is one hundred shi per mu, it is none of our business." Ru Yu frowned: "Are you still digging? If not, just leave it alone."
After scolding, Ru Yu lowered her head to collect the sweet potatoes that Ren Hengtai had thrown into the basket without handling them, while muttering in a low voice: "If you have the ability, control the younger generations of your family and don't inquire about the affairs of the court."
Don’t worry about where you’re going to plant your sweet potatoes next year.”
Ren Hengtai was stunned for a moment, stopped teasing, silently grabbed the rake, lifted it up, and straightened his waist.
"Hey, you, you..."
"My waist..."
……
"I will take one month's salary and bet that the yield per mu will be higher than ten shi!"
"?Why don't you go to Tai Hospital to have a look?"
"This idea was hatched in Taichang Temple, and even our procuratorate heard about it."
"Who doesn't know that it can be higher than ten stones? Now we need to confirm how many stones there are!"
"You, you, you... you are... rude! If you can produce more than fifteen dan per mu, I will hold a banquet at home until the Double Ninth Festival!"
"Then you're welcome. I'll ask someone to move the bedding and put it in your house later."
"Let's put it together!"
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"..."
"I think you bastards want to have sex."
……
There were really too many officials digging sweet potatoes. In the middle of the afternoon, the entire sweet potato field next to Pipa Lake in Shanglinyuan Supervisor had already been turned over.
Putting down the rake, the officials gathered together, and the conversation gradually ran in an indescribable direction.
And in front of everyone, on the flat ground next to the sweet potato field, baskets of sweet potatoes were brought here from the field and gathered together.
"Weigh!"
"All the sweet potatoes are weighed! No one is allowed to fall off!"
Yuan Sutai, who was already covered in sweat and dirt, waved his big hands and directed the officials and people of Shanglin Yuan Prison to weigh all the sweet potatoes. Several clerks were nearby, recording data for the scales they were responsible for.
Zhu Yunxi helped the old man, who was obviously overtired, to sit on the field ridge aside. He took the tea from Sun Gou'er and said, "Grandpa, please take a sip of water first. It will be a while before Yuan Jian is weighing himself. Grandson will go first."
Go and lead people to prepare delicious food. Let’s have a sweet potato feast today and be satisfied!”
Zhu Yuanzhang's hands and feet were sore, but every pore on his face exuded joy, and he looked good wherever he looked.
Zhu Yunxi waved his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, stood up and walked to the front, witnessing the weighing scene surrounded by hundreds of officials.
"One stone weighs three buckets!"
"Write it down quickly!"
"How many are here?"
"Ninety-six pounds, eight taels and five cents."
"Remember!"
In front of every large scale, there are countless officials.
Every time I weighed in, there were gasps of shock.
"How many can there be!"
Zhai Shan, the new Minister of Civil Affairs, clasped his hands tightly in the sleeves he had put down. Although his face still maintained the restraint and calmness of a heavenly official, his heart was already extremely anxious.
Zhai Shan glanced at Yuan Sutai from time to time, feeling that this guy only knew how to do things and not how to behave.
At this time, it’s time to get some more large scales and have people come over to weigh them.
When the aroma of sweet potatoes began to spread next to the sweet potato field, the weighing was still going on.
There are just too many.
There were so many officials present that they had already made predictions in their minds, but they were still adjusting and improving the predictions time and time again.
"Zhai Shangshu, let's eat some roasted sweet potatoes and a bowl of sweet potato porridge first. There are also tender fried sweet potato leaves here, you can also try them."
With a smile on his face, Zhu Yunxi personally brought several bowls of eucalyptus to Zhai Shan.
Zhai Shan did not dare to catch it immediately, but immediately gave the official next to him a look and asked him to take it.
Zhai Shan, on the other hand, waved his arms and sleeves, clasped his hands, and bowed to the end: "I thank Your Highness for the meal."
Zhu Yunxi smiled naturally and grabbed Zhai Shan's wrist to lift him up: "Zhai Shangshu is the new official. This is the first time that Gu and Shangshu have met in their respective identities. Shangshu has made great achievements in revising books. Now he is in charge of the official department.
As long as you don’t forget your original intention, you still need to rely on the minister before the court."
Zhai Shan hesitated in his heart and silently raised his head to look at the emperor who was sitting on the field ridge with the prince not far away, holding a roasted sweet potato in one hand and sweet potato porridge in the other. Seeing that he was eating deliciously, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
.
An implicit smile appeared on Zhai Shan's face: "Your Majesty trusts you, the prince entrusts you, and your highness values you. This is my blessing. I will serve the Ming Dynasty faithfully in this life, never forget my original intention, and live up to my kindness."
The smile on Zhu Yunxi's face became stronger.
He let go of his hand, but immediately patted the back of Zhai Shan's hand.
"Shang Shu Zhai, please enjoy your meal while it's hot. I won't detain you any longer."
After saying that, Zhu Yunxi stopped talking to Zhai Shan and turned around to leave silently.
Zhai Shan stood there, waving his hand to the official who wanted to bring the sweet potato meal sent by his grandson to stop first, while he frowned and watched silently.
Taisun’s back.
I don’t understand.
So many people, and so many people who were familiar with him, chose to deliver meals to him.
But he didn’t talk about Zhai Shan’s speculations.
At present, all the officials who have been busy for a long time next to the sweet potato field look like they are devouring their food.
Eating sweet potatoes dug out by one's own hands is really a different feeling for people like them who have already lived well.
It smells better.
"The scale is out!"
"The scale shows the yield per mu!"
"Thirty stones!"
"The yield per mu is thirty stones!"
"Pfft..."
"Puff puff puff puff..."
"Pfft... no... pfft... hiss..."
Suddenly there was a loud shout of surprise from the weighing place.
The sweet potato yield is 30 shi per mu!
In an instant, all the officials in the sweet potato field stood up.
Everyone's eyes widened, and children's eyes widened in shock.
Then, due to shock and nervousness, bursts of fart sounds were heard one after another.
This is probably because people at this time have not yet developed resistance to sweet potatoes, or because everyone ate too much after working hard for a long time.
For a time, the entire sweet potato field was covered by the fart sounds of thirty dan per mu and the officials of the Ming Dynasty.