palace garden
Emperor Chongping still couldn't hide his joy. He entered a side hall and sat down. There was emotion on his cold and hard face. He put the sweet potato on the wooden table and said: "Zitong, with this thing here, the Han people will never see it again." When people are suffering from famine, when they have food, their minds will naturally calm down."
Empress Song's beautiful eyebrows had already curved into crescents, and she said with a sweet smile: "Your Majesty, I also think that these sweet potatoes are really a gift from God. I wonder if there has ever been such a high-yielding crop in the past dynasties?"
King Wei stared at Emperor Chongping, his eyes moved slightly, and then he sighed quietly in his heart.
I finally understood why my father valued Uncle Yongning so much, but there was still some uncontrollable jealousy in my heart.
However, talking about Xianning, Ziyu is his brother-in-law, and is undoubtedly closer to him than the two kings of Qi and Chu.
Princess Wei Yan Yiliu's face was as quiet as a lake, her eyes sparkling. She could almost imagine that Uncle Yong Ning would become more and more difficult to control in the future. In the emperor's heart, he was even more favored than his father.
Emperor Chongping added: "Once sweet potatoes are widely cultivated in the provinces of the Han Dynasty, as long as future generations are not cruel and cruel like the Jie and Zhou kings, our Han Dynasty will no longer have refugee chaos, and the country will be as stable as a rock from now on!"
But in fact, Emperor Chongping was still too young. Hong Yang had a twist in the late Qing Dynasty, and there were sweet potatoes at that time... Some things cannot be solved with a full meal.
However, in the eyes of Emperor Chongping, although it is not a military merit, it is more valuable than military merit, because on the surface, this thing can continue the country.
Empress Song smiled and said: "Your Majesty is joking, I have never behaved like Jie and Zhou to harm the people. From the time of Taizu to Your Majesty, I have always been a capable king who worked hard to govern and a benevolent king who treated the people generously."
The King of Chu had a gloomy temperament, and the King of Qi was violent. However, Ran'er had a pure and kind temperament and could become a kind and forgiving king in the future.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said with a smile: "Ziyu's search for and promotion of sweet potatoes is more valuable than military merit. This is a real contribution to the country and will benefit the future."
No matter how high-yield sweet potatoes are, if it is not recommended to him, he will not know about it, let alone promote its cultivation.
It's just that although this kind of merit has made great contributions to the country, it is difficult to ennoble it. Otherwise, he will really be a fanshouhou or a fansudonggong.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongping couldn't help but smile, but his heart felt a little light.
This made Empress Song's heart flutter slightly, and there was a hint of curiosity on her face, which was as crystal clear as snow, and she asked, "Why is Your Majesty laughing?"
Concubine Duanrong also cast a pair of cold, suspicious eyes at Emperor Chongping, tasting the three words "Sweet Potato Uncle" and thinking about its meaning. Suddenly her cold eyes flashed, and she clearly understood the meaning with her beautiful mind.
"When I convened a court meeting with the ministers in the morning, some civil servants said that Ziyu was promoting the planting of sweet potatoes in Henan and other places. He ignored the actual situation of Henan and interfered in the crops. He was also scorned as a sweet potato uncle by the officials there." Chong Chong said. Emperor Ping explained: "Now it seems that Uncle Fanshu's mistake may be a good story."
"Uncle Sweet Potato? Why is it called such a person?" Queen Song opened her mouth slightly, her beautiful eyes flashed, and she didn't know why.
Princess Yan Yiliu of Wei originally pursed her pink lips gently to take time to listen. After hearing the words, she put down the teacup in her hand and looked at Emperor Chongping with her shining eyes.
Sweet potato uncle? When she returned home from Guining, she seemed to have heard her grandmother mention this title. This was a mockery given by Henan officials to Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, for his obedience to Yongning Boyan.
King Wei thought for a while and said, "Father, is this because the local officials think it is hard to promote sweet potatoes, so they are mocking it."
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he turned to look at King Wei, nodded and said: "What King Wei said is right. Ziyu had made drastic changes in Henan before and offended many officials. Those officials took the opportunity to slander and slander him."
Pang Shilang's previous criticism was said to be aimed at promoting the cultivation of sweet potatoes, but in fact he had hidden murderous intentions. He accused Jia Heng of being in harmony with Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing. The central ministers who held military power and the local feudal officials were enough to be thought-provoking.
Especially for an emperor like Emperor Chongping, who was lenient on the outside and jealous on the inside, how could he not be suspicious?
But in the end, it was resolved by Emperor Chongping saying, "I also listen to Ziyu."
When King Wei received a compliment from Emperor Chongping, he felt inexplicably excited. He said with a smile: "Father, Jia Ziyu has spoken with certainty before, so he is very sure about the yield of this sweet potato."
Yan Yiliu sighed secretly when he saw the joy on his husband's young face.
Emperor Chongping once again lamented: "This time it is only in Henan, and the cultivation of sweet potatoes can be promoted in the drought-stricken north. Even on land such as riverbanks and gullies, there is still a large yield of sweet potatoes. It is really a godsend."
No wonder Emperor Chongping was inexplicably excited, because the yield of existing crops has been exceeded, even dozens of times the existing yield.
"Zi Tong, how do you think you should reward Zi Yu?" Emperor Chongping said, "This is a great achievement."
As soon as these words came out, the hearts of everyone in the palace, who were originally confused, were moved.
Empress Song smiled and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to no longer be promoted to the title of Ziyu?"
I thought to myself, now that I am a first-class uncle, will I be promoted to a marquis?
Emperor Chongping waved his hand and said: "It is easy to be promoted, but it is an ancestral law to be awarded a title based on military merit. I guess Ziyu also wants to be awarded a title based on military merit. Although the sweet potato is a great contribution to the country... it is always hard to convince people."
Concubine Duanrong suddenly said softly: "Your Majesty promised Xianning to him. He was your Majesty's son-in-law. People often say that a son-in-law is half a son-in-law. He should share your Majesty's worries."
It was only then that this beauty truly recognized Jia Heng as her son-in-law.
Emperor Chongping smiled and said: "One thing comes back to another, and you still need to be rewarded. But what Concubine Rong said is right. I will take Xianning and Chanyue... in short, let's remember the credit for this time."
Not only was his daughter promised to him, but also a niece was promised to him. There was no need to be too clear-cut between the families. By the time they married Ziyu, sweet potatoes must have been promoted to the entire northern provinces of the Han Dynasty. Then At that time, people must regard Ziyu, Xianning and Chanyue as a good story.
As for the etiquette system in the court, other methods are needed.
When King Wei heard this, his heart skipped a beat and his heart moved slightly.
Cousin Chanyue, she also wants to marry Ziyu? No wonder……
Under Yan Yiliu's slender eyebrows, there was also inexplicable shock in her clear eyes. She had heard from the prince about Xianning, but Chanyue?
Xianning and Chanyue?
Could it be Li Chanyue, the princess of Qinghe County? Except for the little princess, no one seems to call her Chanyue anymore.
No, doesn’t Uncle Yong Ning have his first wife?
The young woman who had just passed away had all kinds of speculations in her mind.
After lunch, King Wei and Yan Yiliu left the palace and boarded the carriage. The couple sat on the carriage. The late autumn wind in the afternoon was still a bit cool, but the sun was shining brightly, shining through the curtains. On the couple.
Seeing the frown on King Wei's face, Yan Yiliu held King Wei's plain hand. His handsome eyebrows were full of concern, and he said softly: "Your Majesty, why didn't the Queen mention going to Jinling just now?"
Wei Wang Chen Ran paused for a moment and said, "My mother didn't tell my father about going south, so I couldn't take the initiative to ask about it."
My father has been suspicious since he was a child. If he takes the initiative to speak, he may be thinking about him.
Fortunately, Xianning is in the south, and Ziyu will never be able to help outsiders in the future.
Yan Yiliu pondered for a moment and said, "How does the prince feel about the outcome of the war in the south of the Yangtze River?"
Chen Ran smiled and said: "You don't know that Jia Ziyu has already won a big victory against the Jurchens before. Although it sounds like the troops are a bit insufficient this time, the Jurchens and the Korean navy came all the way, so Jia Ziyu may not be able to win. In short, I still have confidence in Ziyu's general strategy."
Yan Yiliu leaned his head on Chen Ran's shoulder and whispered: "My father is a little worried and wants to go south to help the governor, but judging from my father's appearance, he probably won't send his father south. "
Chen Ran said: "My father-in-law has just returned from checking the border in the northwest. He has a good rest in Beijing. I can just leave the affairs in the south to Ziyu."
At this moment, in another glazed carriage, the palace eunuch and guards escorted Shen and Song Yan onto the carriage.
Song Yan was wearing a pink dress. She was a petite and graceful girl in her prime, with a palm-sized face as white as snow, and her voice was naturally soft and soft: "Mother, what do you call me over there in Henan?" What did Uncle Zhufanshu say?"
What I just heard from Emperor Chongping, Empress Song and others was interesting, but the girl didn't know what it meant, so she asked.
"You girl, why are you asking this?" Shen said angrily.
Song Yan took Ms. Shen's arm and said coquettishly: "Mom, let me talk to you."
Shen had no choice but to explain, and in the girl's crystal clear eyes, she said softly: "They are those Henan officials. Isn't the fourth uncle in Henan Kaifeng Mansion? He should have also promoted the sweet potato. Didn't he say that in the last letter? .”
Song Yan said softly: "Those sweet potatoes taste very sweet. No wonder Uncle Huang is so happy."
Shen said with a smile: "The deliciousness of this food is second to none. The key is that one acre yields more. As long as the people grow one acre, they will not go hungry."
As he spoke, he held his daughter in his arms and said, "Yan'er, originally I went to the palace today to ask your aunt to find a good in-law for you. I didn't want to encounter this problem, so it's hard to talk about it."
The supreme leader just kept mentioning the sweet potatoes. Everyone was talking about it during the dinner, so it was hard for her to take the initiative to mention it.
"Mother." Upon hearing the mention of her marriage, Song Yan's face resembled that of Empress Song, with her jade cheeks dyed pink. She leaned her head against Mrs. Shen's arms and said softly: "I'm still young. I still want to serve you for two more years."
Mrs. Shen sighed softly and said softly: "I am not in a hurry, I can slowly find a good son-in-law for you."
Yan'er had reached the age of marriage, and her husband intended to marry the king of Liang, but she still had some doubts about the queen's intention, but she didn't know why.
Under Song Yan's eyebrows, her bright and moist eyes blinked, and she asked softly: "Uncle seems to have great faith in Brother Zhongheng?"
"You will call me cousin-in-law from now on." Mrs. Shen nodded her daughter's forehead and said with a smile.
"Yes." Song Yan said softly, thoughts appearing in her bright eyes.
Shen said softly: "Your elder brother Heng is the pillar of the country. He has made many contributions. Your uncle naturally trusts him more."
Even more trustworthy than her relatives from the Song family...
On the other side, when the cabinet ministers and officials from the six ministries in Beijing received the news of the sweet potato harvest, they were equally horrified.
If it hadn't been said by Dai Quan, the Prime Minister of the Daming Palace, it would have been almost unbelievable. As time passed, the entire Shenjing City gradually fell into surprise.
A yield of dozens of stones per acre is truly a gift from God to this powerful man.
Yangzhai
In the flower hall in the backyard, Yang Guochang took off his official hat and wore court clothes, sitting on the Taishi chair in front of the cabinet with a gloomy face. He was sitting slumped on the Taishi chair, his whole body lifeless.
Sweet potatoes yielding dozens of kilograms per acre...
With such high-yielding crops, the big man no longer has to worry about drought in the north, but why did Jia Heng'er discover this?
In fact, any knowledgeable person can see the impact of sweet potatoes, which can produce dozens of kilo per mu, on the country of Han Dynasty.
Seeing the decline on his father's face, Yang Sihong hesitated and said, "Father, I heard that the angel in the palace gave Man Pang a cart of sweet potatoes."
Having just seen Da DaRen's pale face, he was still frightened now. Da DaRen seemed to be frightened.
When Yang Guochang heard this, his old body trembled slightly, he opened his closed eyes, stood up from the Grand Master's chair, and suddenly sighed: "Your Majesty wants to depose you as a father."
As soon as these words came out, Yang Sihong's expression suddenly changed and he said in shock: "Father!"
What's going on? It's just sweet potatoes. Why is it like this?
Yang Guochang's eyes were fierce and he said: "There is nothing to be afraid of. Since Jia Heng's son became an official, he has become more and more favored by the Holy Father, so that he obeys his words and obeys everything. Now, in Lianghuai, he uses cruel methods to extort merchants' property, so that The treasury is full, and the salt law has been rectified. Now that we have these sweet potatoes, I am afraid it will become even more popular."
After all, after struggling around in the court for a long time, I have realized that Emperor Chongping's dislike is just unwilling.
When Yang Sihong heard this, his eyes showed an unwillingness, and he whispered: "What should I do, father?"
Yang Guochang said: "The young man left home and the boss returned. It has been almost thirty years since my father left Linyi. It will be a matter of time before he becomes an official and returns home. But before that, my father must stop Jia Heng's son from causing harm to the country and chaos. To repay the Holy Spirit for his kindness."
Jia Heng's son is as treacherous as he is loyal, and he is like a reckless person who must be guarded against.
When Yang Sihong heard this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that his father had thought of resigning.
Han Huang and Yan Hong sat opposite each other across a chessboard in the courtyard room in the backyard of Hanzhai. The tea cup beside them was filled with heat, but it was silent for a moment.
Yan Hong looked at the elegant middle-aged man opposite and said, "Brother, those sweet potatoes..."
Han Huang's face showed shock, and he said softly: "Sweet potatoes, the yield of more than 50 dan per mu is really unbelievable."
Yan Hong paused slightly and said, "After this incident, I am afraid that the Holy One will rely more heavily on Jia Ziyu, and will entrust Jia Ziyu with great power not only in military affairs but also in political affairs."
Han Huang nodded, and suddenly said with a faint look on his face: "The Qi Party cannot stay in power for long."
However, the power of the Jia Party is looming in the court.
Yan Hong's expression changed slightly and he said in shock: "Brother, what do you mean by this?"
Han Huang's eyes flashed faintly and he whispered: "The new salt system of the Lianghuai River has been a great success. Uncle Yongning has shown his ability to manage money. Now the sweet potato fruit is as promised, with an yield of dozens of dan per mu. The holy family is even more privileged, and the household department Those in charge are nothing more than money and food. Above these two words, Mr. Yang Ge has lost everything and will not be far away from his position."
Yang Guochang is already a withered bone in the grave, there is nothing to worry about! He then needs to think about the Zhejiang Party’s next plan.
After Yang Guochang passed away, he was echoed by Zhao Bojian in the cabinet, and his voice in the government affairs was greatly increased. But with the temperament of the emperor, is he really happy to see this?
Yan Hong was inexplicably shocked when he heard Han Huang's words. His eyes lit up and he said, "What my brother said makes sense. As soon as the sweet potato came out, the Qi Party's Henan chief minister Peng Ye had previously allowed the county to promote the name of sweet potato. It was self-defeating. Coupled with the popularity of the Lianghuai Salt Law, the fall of the Yang Party is close at hand."
Emperor Chongping relied heavily on the Qi Party because the Qi Party was good at managing money. Well, it was actually a plot against the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. However, the Qi Party repeatedly criticized Jia Heng, which was obviously inconsistent with the country's established strategy. The change of cabinet was a certainty.
Han Huang said in a deep voice: "Let's not worry about the Ministry of Household Affairs. Let's talk about Jia Ziyu first. This person... can be regarded as a close relative. Judging from his governance in Henan, he is not the same as us."
Now it is impossible for him to choose to cooperate with Qi Dang again in order to suppress Jia Ziyu.
The top priority is to kick out Qi Dang and replace him with the chief minister.
As for bringing order out of chaos and reorganizing the government, that will happen later.
Yan Hong said in a low voice: "Brother is right. Before Jia Ziyu became an official, apart from being a worthless Jia clan member, he mainly followed the path of Jinyang's eldest princess's palace. Later, he achieved military exploits and gained prominence."
As time goes by, interested people have already uncovered the history of Jia Heng's fortune. The fallen martial arts status of the Jia clan's descendants only ensures their loyal and reliable origins, but such martial arts disciples can be caught in Shenjing. Bundle.
In the final analysis, she is still the eldest princess of Jinyang. If it were not for the eldest princess of Jinyang, Jia Heng would not come to the emperor.
Han Huang nodded and said: "So Jia Ziyu reciprocated the favor and gave the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the eldest princess's house."
Yan Hong chuckled and suddenly said: "Brother, I heard that there is a saying in Beijing?"
"What's that?" Han Huang frowned and looked at Yan Hong with confusion.
Yan Hong lowered his voice and said, "It is now rumored in the market that the eldest princess of Jinyang wants to betroth her daughter Princess Qinghe to Jia Ziyu, so she has taken care of her many times."
Spread by a thoughtful person (Jinyang), this statement has been privately circulated among the high-ranking noble circles in Shenjing City.
Because Jia Heng often went to the palace of the eldest princess of Jinyang in the capital, when his merits were not obvious at first, he did not attract the attention of others. However, after the chaos in Henan was put down, the eldest princess of Jinyang came up with this method to confuse the public.
When Han Huang heard this, he frowned and said in a deep voice: "Absurd! Uncle Yongning already has a wife, how can he violate the etiquette and law and make the world laugh?"
"Then where did the rumors about Princess Xianning come from?" Yan Hong asked.
Even though Empress Song had tried her best to block the news, there were still concubines in the palace who were dissatisfied with the Song sisters and spread the news about Princess Xianning.
Han Huang pondered and said: "No matter what the Holy One thinks, this method violates etiquette and cannot stop the world from talking about it."
When that time comes, he will also go to court to oppose it. Looking at the history of Qing Dynasty, only the last years of the dynasty saw such chaos. Is Chen Han at the end of his country? The princess married a married man, where did she abandon the royal dignity? How to set an example for the people of the world?
As he said that, he looked at Yan Hong and said, "It's hard to talk about the palace curtains now. Let's wait until that day."
Yan Hong nodded when he heard this. He couldn't say anything else and asked seriously, "How are you doing with Prime Minister Yang?"
"Now we just have to wait." Han Huang said in a low voice with a cold look in his eyes.
"Wait?" Yan Hong said in surprise.
Han Huang said: "If Yongning Bo wins a big victory in the south of the Yangtze River, Daoyang can hit it with one hit!"
When Yan Hong heard this, his heart was shaken and he stared at Han Huang.
Han Huang said in a low voice: "At that time, Jia Ziyu was unparalleled in power and returned to Beijing to prepare for the prisoners. At that time, it would not be appropriate for the cabinet to have a constraining chief minister."
Not to mention the undercurrents in Beijing due to the sweet potato incident, thousands of miles away in Jiangnan Province——
Jia Heng stayed at Tongzhou Weigang for two days, and the next day he led a fleet of thousands of navy ships back to Jinling City.
Because the Hongyi artillery arrived, Jia Heng planned to greet it in person and set it up with the navy in Tongzhou to defend the port.
The Tiqi of Jinyi Mansion delivered the Red Yi Cannon to the Jiangnan Camp garrison who stayed behind, and all the generals looked curiously at the accompanying Portuguese and the Red Yi Cannon.
"Jie Shuai is here."
At this moment, a sergeant reported.
Qu Guang and the generals of Henan Dusi all came forward to greet the young man in python suit riding on the maroon horse.
Jia Heng said: "Generals, please get up first. These muskets are important military weapons used to arm the navy and defeat the enemy."
As he said that, he said to Chen Xiao on the side: "You and Liu Jixian will take the people to carry these firecrackers onto the ship."
Chen Xiao responded, and then led a group of Jinyi palace guards to move towards the boat.
(End of chapter)
