Mr. Wang was shocked and said, "How dare King Zhao casually kill a fifth-rank prefect of the state?"
"It's not like the previous dynasty. There are 336 states in our dynasty, and there are more than 300 prefects alone. King Zhao has a flamboyant temperament. In his eyes, just a prefect of a state is nothing. Not to mention that since ancient times, Succession battles are often accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice. As a small fifth-grade local official with no reliable backer in the court, it is difficult to say that I dare to step forward and deliver a threshing machine to His Highness the Crown Prince at this time, which may be the winner. We will not become the target of King Zhao’s anger.”
Taishou Wang's tone was bitter, and after speaking he sighed, and continued: "After all, I speak softly. As long as I don't take a clear stand, whether King Zhao takes the throne or the crown prince succeeds in the end, it won't have much impact on me. In my estimation, This succession battle won't last long, so just be patient and wait and see.
As for the threshing machine, don’t make any noise for the time being. Tomorrow I will send a message to the magistrate of Mingxia County to arrange for the resettlement of the group of disaster victims you mentioned. Brother, please send someone to tell the farmer to be tight-lipped to avoid giving him trouble. Get into unnecessary trouble with your family. In addition, I told him that after the threshing machine is built and tested and it works, I will reward him. I will not take the credit for his work. I have such a capable person under my rule, so I will naturally take credit for it. "
The topic suddenly shifted from the high-ranking succession struggle to a poor boy who was fleeing famine. Mr. Wang almost lost his mind. After a while, he hesitated and said: "You, a prefect, sent someone to arrange for them to settle down. Will you?" Isn't it a little abnormal? What you just said was sinister, and I'm worried that some people will be suspicious."
"It doesn't matter!" Wang Taishou waved his hand with a relaxed look, "Isn't it that Big Brother was entrusted by the savior to take care of them? This is a ready-made reason. Although the final placement of these victims depends on the decision of the court, I will arrange it It’s not a problem to have a dozen or so households. Let’s not talk about him, what are your next plans? Do you plan to settle in Yuezhou, or return to Huzhou after a while?”
"Of course I will go back to Huzhou. Our ancestors are all in Fuping County. If it hadn't been for the plague, I wouldn't have dragged my family away." Mr. Wang said matter-of-factly.
Prefect Wang nodded, "Then let me stay in Yuezhou for a longer time. I am away from home all year round, and it is rare for our family to reunite. I can also take this opportunity to take my parents around and appreciate the scenery of Yuezhou."
"Of course, dad also said that when I come to join you this time, I must ask about the reputation of your ruling party among the people. If it is not good, he will inevitably teach you a lesson."
Wang Taishou laughed loudly, "Thank you, father, for worrying. The eldest brother can ask his father to find out more. The younger brother thinks he is a good official."
There is no reliable backer in the court. In the past ten years, he has been able to take charge of the fifth rank of government. He does not just rely on flattering superiors and subordinates. He thinks that he is still upright and has some ability.
Of course, he is also lucky to have a boss who appreciates him.
…
The next day, two fast horses set off from Zhoucheng and arrived at the county government office in Mingxia County in less than half a day. The matter of Li Ping'an and others settling in Zhutao Village was resolved that day.
Li Ping'an also received Master Wang's instructions, but he didn't take it too seriously. He never thought that he could make a threshing machine. Besides, it doesn't matter who becomes the emperor to the people. It's not what they need to care about, what they care about is how to have enough food and clothing.
After sending away Butler Wang, their newly settled family quickly began to build a house and reclaim wasteland.
It's hot summer, and the house will be rebuilt after the autumn harvest, so the bamboo house doesn't need to be built too well. It's enough to have a roof and four walls to protect it from wind and rain. The villagers of Zhutao Village came to help when they had time. With more people and strength, within a few days, more than a dozen green bamboo houses were built on the wasteland at the end of the village that was originally overgrown with weeds.
Before moving into the bamboo house, the eager men started to open up wasteland non-stop. The first thing they picked was the wasteland that was originally farmland but was now abandoned. Compared with newly reclaimed wasteland, these fields that have been abandoned for more than ten years are more fertile, have easy access to water, and are relatively easy to cultivate.
In order to allow them to plant rice faster, Li Jianghe also lent them the village's cattle. According to Li Jianghe's explanation, the cow was lent to them by the government, and every village had one.
Yuezhou has actually experienced war, and its population has dropped sharply. In recent years, in order to encourage the population to have children and sow more fields, the local officials of Yuezhou have been extremely attentive. This also made the people of Yuezhou have a high sense of identification with the Dajing Dynasty and a strong sense of belonging.
Li Ping'an has no interest in farming. He really can't bear the hardships of farming. It's not because he is spoiled or anything. In fact, even Li Erlin, a man in his prime who has faced the loess for half his life and turned his back to the sky, has a little bit of trouble every time he works hard and harvests. I can't bear it, come on, he is busy with something that he feels is more important than the small favor he can do to open up wasteland.
"Can these weeds really make something delicious?" Zhang Xiaoshan, who had been pushed into adulthood, looked at the weeds in his basket with doubt.
Li Pingan squinted, "You don't believe me?"
Then he turned to look at Cao Ya, who was pulling weeds with six little ones on the other side, "Cao Ya, do you believe me?"
"I believe it!" Cao Ya answered categorically without thinking, "Brother Ping'an said that if you can make delicious food and sell it for money, then you can definitely do it."
Li Ping'an immediately looked down upon Zhang Xiaoshan, "Listen, Zhang Xiaoshan, you are my cousin who has been playing with me since childhood. Even Caoya believes in me, but you don't believe me!"
"Yes, yes, I believe it, I believe you, come on." Zhang Xiaoshan gave up and changed the subject, "But you should tell me what kind of grass this is and what delicious food it can make, right?"
Cao Ya chuckled a few times. It was like this in the village before. Brother Xiaoshan and Brother Ping An always quarreled, but Brother Xiao Shan could not quarrel with Brother Ping An. Brother Xiaoshan also deserves it. Brother Ping An said that he could sell things for money, but he actually questioned Brother Ping An when he failed to get money in exchange.
But she also had the same curiosity as Zhang Xiaoshan about what kind of delicious food Brother Ping An would use these grasses to make.
"Then I will give you some knowledge. The grass you picked is called jelly grass, and the jelly made from it is called jelly. In such hot weather, it is best to eat jelly, which can relieve the heat and quench your thirst." Li Ping'an said with a stern expression. , he discovered a lot of jelly grass growing here on the second day he came to Zhutao Village. After asking someone about it, he found out that people still regarded these grasses as weeds. He thought this might be a business opportunity.
In his previous life, he used to pick jelly grass and make homemade jelly from a young age. He made green and black jelly, and his family did not have good conditions when he was a child. It was purely handmade, and it is not a problem to reproduce it in this era.
The only thing you need to worry about is the acceptance of fresh food by the people here, but that is also a problem that needs to be faced after making it. Let’s do it first.
