Xiao Luolan came to his senses and helped him up: "Luo Langjun, get up quickly, get up quickly." The surprise came so unexpectedly.
She looked at Zhou Lang and found that Zhou Lang was smiling.
Luo Jinhu got up quickly and did not dare to let the Empress support her. He had aged a lot in Lingnan in the past few years, but Huangtian paid off and finally found him.
"But found it?" Xiao Luolan wanted to confirm again, and she couldn't contain her joy.
"The common people have lived up to their trust and finally found the rice seeds needed by the Holy Emperor and the Empress." Luo Jinhu said with cupped hands: "Now the rice seeds are being escorted back to Beijing by Lord Huang, the Lingnan Economic Envoy. The ordinary people go first so that the Holy Emperor and the Empress can know .”
"Heaven has sent a good seed, and I congratulate you on your behalf, congratulations to your empress, and congratulations to all the people in the world. May the blessings of the Great Zhou Dynasty be long and prosperous forever." Lian Shiqing immediately congratulated. Immediately, people knelt on the ground in the hall and expressed their congratulations. Hundreds of people are in harmony, and the news spreads far.
"May the blessings of the Great Zhou Dynasty last forever and may the world be prosperous forever."
"Long-lasting blessings and eternal prosperity."
distance.
A carriage loaded with fine seeds is heading towards Chang'an.
A glorious and prosperous age that no one could have imagined, just like the huge wheel of history roaring towards the Great Zhou Dynasty!
The prosperous age of Tianwu officially kicked off.
Chapter 351 (revision)
In the spring of the third year of Qianwu, the grass grew and orioles flew in the Jiangnan and Zhejiang areas. Children did not know what it was like to feel sad. They took advantage of the fine weather and flew kites together. The young and old people working in the fields looked at the weather from time to time. It was the busy farming season. Villagers old and young go out to work together. There are many villages like this in Jianghuai.
Old man Liu is an old man from Liujia Village. He has noble virtues and has reached the age of hearing. Therefore, he holds the position of Li Zheng. He has a dove stick given by the court. When he comes to the county government, he can be an official without bowing. Not only that, Every year, the imperial court would send some cloth, clothing and food to these elderly people. Every time it was sent by the county magistrate and the county magistrate, making the villagers envious.
Old man Liu's body is not as strong as before, and the farm work can only be done by his children and grandchildren. He sits under the big tree and supervises. His children are very filial and obedient. The old man sits on the ridge of the field, and the wrinkles on his face make him smile. It looked like a deep ravine, and the sunlight shone on his old face. He looked at the rice seeds planted in the field with a smile, as if he was looking at his most beloved child, which was completely opposite to his attitude of fighting to death last year. .
God has opened his eyes both last year and this year. Last year there was a hearty heavy snowfall. This year the spring started with good weather. It is a good time for farming. It is now late February and March is about to enter. It is suitable for sowing. What they are now planting is Champa rice, which has been vigorously promoted since last year.
Old man Liu had never heard of this rice seed before. When the officials promoted it in the spring of last year, the old man did not dare to plant it at all, and even asked his sons at home not to plant it. Seeing that he did not plant it, the people in the village also hesitated. , after thinking about it, I still follow the Liu family who are good at farming, just like before. Old Man Liu was an upright man, and he was a very old man in the village. The county magistrate and the county magistrate saw that he was so resolute, so they could only come to him every day to reason with him. The imperial edict specifically said that no force should be used, and no human life should be caused. , most of the officials in the Jianghuai area came from scribes, and the Xiao family was the most popular among them. Most of the officials who came from the Xiao party were officials with good conduct, which wiped away the dirty atmosphere of the previous dynasty.
The local county magistrate had a hard time talking to the stubborn old man Liu.
But even though those officials were talking nonsense, Old Man Liu was as hard-hearted as iron. He made all the Mingfu County magistrates and officials tugged at their beards and muttered that they were already one step behind Youzhou. The Holy Lord was born in the North. , and the officials and people in the north were obedient to the Holy One. After receiving the Holy One's order, they immediately cooperated. The prefectures and counties in Shu also asked for a lot of good seeds, but it was they in the south of the Yangtze River who were dragging their feet. He thought, if this continues, the political performance will not look good. He also mentioned that the village next door was obedient and planted the Champa rice issued by the Holy Spirit as a hint, but Old Man Liu was unmoved.
People who dig in the soil cannot withstand any changes, especially those officials who say whether they are true or not. Who knows, although the government also issued written notices on how to plant, and also asked the government officials who are good at farming to come down often to inspect. , in case the planting method is wrong, but for Old Man Liu who wants stability, if you don’t plant, if you don’t plant, you just don’t plant.
It’s not like there weren’t any seeds in the past, they were all good, so why should we replace them? What if the rice seeds are not good? Nowadays, the world is at peace, and the Holy One has light corvees and low taxes. Their family works diligently in farming, and no one will starve to death. It is much more reliable than planting new rice seeds. As for the officials, they say it is drought-resistant and grows quickly. , much longer, in the eyes of the old man, it is simply a lie, and he will not be fooled.
The angry county magistrate at that time took an official newspaper and pointed to it and said that the saints and queens in the palace had personally reclaimed wasteland for planting. They had finished planting the year before and implemented it after experiments.
Old Man Liu naturally admired the Holy Spirit very much, but he couldn't gamble with the harvest of a year. Anyway, they broke up on bad terms. Later, when he heard that the rice in Champa was ripe, Old Man Liu couldn't sit still. He doubtfully thought of the county magistrate. The rice seed that the adults mentioned can mature several months earlier. Ordinary rice seeds usually mature in April or May, but this Champa rice only takes three months?
Old man Liu took his whole family and people from the village to look at the fields in the neighboring village. Sure enough, it was ripe, two to three months earlier than their original rice seeds. However, the rice in Zhancheng grew strangely because Champa rice is much smaller than previous rice, and there are no awns on the outside of the rice husk. Can this produce a high yield?
Old Man Liu was dubious. Soon, the facts in front of him made him realize that he was completely wrong. The yield of the new Champa rice was much greater than that of the ones they planted, and it matured earlier. Calculated in this way, it could reach Two or even three crops a year!
Old Liu regretted his mistake and went to the county magistrate and the county magistrate regardless of his old age. The two of them were waiting for him to come. Soon, Liujiacun also accepted the Champa rice.
In the spring of the next year, the third year of Qianwu, the county magistrate once again inspected the spring plowing situation in the area under his jurisdiction. He looked at Liujia Village where the work was in full swing and pinched his beard with satisfaction.
Last year, about 50% of the rice in Jianghuai occupied the city. This year, it jumped to 70-80%. This is a huge improvement. Not only did people have more grain in their homes, but the official warehouses also became richer.
Every time the county magistrate saw the full granaries, he felt relieved. He came from a poor life and was also a disciple of the Xiao family. Far away in Luoyang, Luoyang ordered Xiao Gong to pay attention to the harvests of their disciples from time to time. situation, and people’s livelihood.
"Grandpa Rizheng, the county magistrate is here to see you again." A child grabbed a paper kite and ran towards Grandpa Rizheng in the village.
"Hey, hey, Uncle Liu doesn't need to get up, just sit down." The county magistrate, who was in his prime, walked quickly and asked Old Liu to sit down.
"Haha, hello, County Magistrate." Old Man Liu stood up anyway. Remembering the time when the County Magistrate begged him to plant Champa rice, Old Liu couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Yes, yes, your Champa rice is well grown. It will mature within a hundred days this year. I believe it will be another good harvest year." The county magistrate said with a smile.
"I was an ignorant young man before. Please don't get along with me, the magistrate." Old Man Liu admitted his mistake.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you understand the painstaking efforts of the Holy One and the Queen." The county magistrate held his hands far away in the direction of Chang'an: "In the official newspaper I showed you, the Holy King and the Queen were dressed in coarse clothes and linen, and went to the fields to plant in person. When the Champa rice matures, it is all done by the Holy Emperor and the Queen themselves, and this cannot be faked."
"Yes! Yes! The Holy One is wise, and the Queen is wise." Old Man Liu was moved and kowtowed excitedly in the direction of Chang'an.
The county magistrate helped him up: "Liu Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of Liujia Village. You are usually in charge of all affairs in Liujia Village, and the villagers also listen to you, so you must trust the Holy Emperor and the Queen."
Old man Liu seemed to have something to hide: "Your Majesty cares about all people, which is our blessing. The reason why I didn't listen to the court's call last year was because..." He sighed heavily and said: "You also know that during the previous dynasty, there were floods and droughts. Yes, the common people can no longer live, their children are being sold and sold everywhere, and many of them are sold in my village, Liujia, to work as slaves and maidservants."
Speaking of this, Old Man Liu burst into tears.
The magistrate vaguely understood something.
"The Saint and the Queen are really good. They issued the law that allows people with low status to redeem their lives. In the past two years, every family in our village has had some surplus food, so we thought of saving some and selling it to redeem all the children. .”
"What if the Champa rice is not good and the harvest is ruined for half a year, and it will be too late for the children to redeem it, so, therefore, don't dare to block it."
"Do you remember the buyer?" the magistrate asked, twisting his beard.
"Remember, remember, remember everything." Old Man Liu held the county magistrate's hand tightly and smiled again: "Now that everyone has saved almost all the money, I am going to beg them to bring the children back. A family reunion.”
"Then tell me the buyers, and I will talk to them." The county magistrate said: "However, if those buyers can buy your dolls in the year of great disaster, no matter how they live, their lives will be saved. Based on this, you cannot rely on the new law and lose the ransom money."
"Of course! We won't do that kind of thing. Thank you, the county magistrate, for stepping in. Thank you very much." Old man Liu thanked him repeatedly: "Today at noon, you will stay at my house for dinner. If you don't say anything else, the farmer is so stupid. Enough wine management.”
The county magistrate laughed loudly and came to Li Zheng's house. He walked straight into the yard and tidied up neatly. There was a big tree in the house. The shade of the tree was thick at the moment and the breeze was swaying.
The Li Zheng family killed a chicken to entertain the distinguished guests. Not long after, Li Zheng brought a small bowl of fried rice cake from the small kitchen. The fried yellowish rice cake was sprinkled with a thick layer of sugar. It was considered the most solemn dish in the village. How to entertain.
The county magistrate ate a small piece and said, "It seems that Liu Lizheng is doing well, so I feel relieved."
"All this is the work of the Saint, the Queen, and the Princess." Liu Lizheng pointed at the sugar and lamented: "Otherwise, it would be the turn of ordinary people like us to eat this sugar, and we wouldn't even be able to afford it."
"I heard that those foreigners from overseas want to buy white sugar, which is much more expensive than us. The farther you go, the more expensive it becomes. We, the people of Zhou Dynasty, buy these white sugar for forty-five cents per catty, so if there is any in the village now, If you want to eat something, you can tighten your waistband and taste it. Before, I couldn’t even think about it.”
"Now sugar, like salt, is priced by the government." The county magistrate said: "But the price of sugar is indeed set by Her Highness the Princess for you, so you should always thank Her Highness the Princess."
"The fiefdom of Her Royal Highness the Princess is in Guangling. You, please go to Guangling when you have time. It is a lively and prosperous place. There are an endless stream of foreign businessmen. At first glance, they are all full of miscellaneous hair." The county magistrate was rude and coughed. He shouted: "Those merchants are from overseas countries who came to our Dazhou to do business. The sugar they buy is expensive, so our Dazhou naturally makes money. There are also our tea, porcelain, and silk, and small countries outside are flocking to them."
"Just in Guangling, there are scenes of thousands of nations coming to court, and it is even more extraordinary when it comes to Chang'an." At the end of the sentence, the county magistrate was full of pride in his words, and he was in a state of ecstasy even before he drank.
"Yes, life is getting better and better." Old Man Liu smiled with his mouth wide open.
"I'm here to see you today. There's a new thing from above. It's called Bai Diezi. It was found in Zhuya County. That place is so far away that you don't even know about it." The county magistrate said: "This Baidianzi was presented to the Empress by the current Minister of Civil Affairs, Shu Lian. It was originally used for viewing exotic flowers. Later, the Empress discovered that the Baidianzi can keep warm."
"Warmer than wool and dog skin!" The county magistrate vowed: "It won't be cold even in winter!"
Old man Liu's eyes widened and he asked in disbelief: "Can flowers keep you warm?"
"It's absolutely true!" The county magistrate affirmed: "The Queen has already renamed it cotton."
"Cotton is most suitable for planting in April and May. It matures around September. I happen to have a batch of cotton seeds in my hand. If you always want to plant it, I can share some with your village." The county magistrate said: "When the weather is cold, you can rely on that Cotton is good whether you use it to make clothes for yourself or sell it to others for money."
"Now, it depends on whether you want it or not?"
Old man Liu thought about last year's Champa rice crop, and then thought of the Holy Emperor and the Queen. Finally, he risked his life and said, "I want that cotton. Don't worry, county magistrate. I have always been good at taking care of the crops. I will definitely make the cotton bloom greatly." of!"
He had put all his trust in the Holy Sage and the Queen. As for why a flower kept warm, Old Man Liu couldn't figure it out even if he thought about it, but he believed in the Holy Sage and the Queen.
"Okay!" The county magistrate took a sip of the farmhouse wine. Finally, he burped and left Li Zheng's house.
On the ridge of the field, the county magistrate looked at the sky and then at the ground.
"The spring breeze surrounds China, ushering in thousands of greenery"
"The human world is full of grain, and even the gods are not worthy of it."
After saying this limerick, the county magistrate shook his head and left.
Chapter 352
At the end of winter in the seventh year of Tianwu, heavy snow fell.
Luoyang is covered in silver, but the streets are full of people, especially Hu Renfang. The docks are already full of boats. Even though the Chinese New Year is approaching, the number of boats has not decreased. Yu Dalang had to apply to the Luoyang Order to send more manpower. Maintain order.
The Luoyang Guards arrived very quickly and were very eye-catching among the Hu merchants. They were wearing armor and carrying swords, and they were selfless and unyielding in punishing those who violated the maritime laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, let alone those wealthy Hu merchants, even some small countries The nobles were a little frightened when they saw them, so it was more of a deterrent.
At the end of the new year, Yu Dalang didn't want to cause any trouble because of those merchants competing for goods.
It was dawn, and Yu Dalang looked at the large ships from foreign countries on the pier, which were carrying their large goods.
Whether it is delicate white glaze or colorful porcelain, it is only owned by prominent nobles overseas. They are used to decorate their own facades or as heirlooms. There are also precious teas called one gold and one liang, which are glowing like clouds. Glorious brocade silk, high-priced white sugar that is whiter than snow and sweeter than honey, cotton that is as light as nothing but as warm as spring, as well as Dazhou books that are sought after by countless small countries, and various fans produced by Dazhou, The Four Treasures of the Study, or even the rouge and gouache used by my daughter at home, as long as they are produced in Dazhou, or if anything bears the name of Dazhou, their value will skyrocket outside, and many people will flock to them.
Every year, countless people risk huge risks to cross the ocean, loaded with gold, jewelry, spices and medicinal materials, slaves and exotic plants from their country, and pour in in large numbers with some kind of fanatical pilgrimage mood. After traveling thousands of miles to the land of Zhou Dynasty, I didn’t want to leave.
More than once, Yu Dalang saw those people from small overseas countries with weird accents holding enlightenment books of the Zhou Dynasty. They asked and answered each other's questions and learned the Mandarin of the Zhou Dynasty as if they had obtained a treasure. If any foreigner had a fluent Dazhou dialect, Zhou Guanguan said that this foreigner would get the best treatment no matter which fleet he was on.
There is also a group of people, such as nobles or princes from any small country who can speak the Zhou dialect fluently. Yu Dalang met one last year. This person was a young prince from overseas. He came to pay tribute to the Zhou Dynasty and never wanted to leave. , so he stayed in Tongwen College in Chang'an, which was specially built for them. He yearned for the Luoyang peonies recorded in the book, so he went to Tianting and was approved. He made an appointment with a dozen foreign students to go to Luoyang together, specifically Come and enjoy the peonies in Luoyang. I seem to have become an official this year.
When Yu Dalang talked with them, he found that their accents were more pure than his, and they were too pure. They spoke every word in a rigid manner, as if they were following a science propaganda book, which made their Dazhou Mandarin listening. Not as comfortable as local.
But Yu Dalang still entertained these people well. The person in charge of Luoyang's trade now can be regarded as... getting ahead. Thinking of this, Yu Dalang was a little dazed.
The junior official behind him did not dare to disturb Mr. Yu and stood silently behind him.
Yu Dalang came to his senses, and after completing his daily inspection, he took the people below him back. Along the way, he could see foreigners everywhere wearing Da Zhou's clothes, fluttering their sleeves, and some of them who were on good terms with him looked decent. They bowed to him and saluted, just like the literati of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yu Dalang also smiled and cupped their hands with them, listened to their New Year's greetings in advance, and chatted with each other.
As the New Year approaches, please seek a good omen.
Yu Dalang's smile widened when he met a foreign businessman named Jabbar. Jabbar met Gong Yangyan in Lingnan. Now Mr. Gongyang is the second most powerful person in Lingnan and is also a popular person in the princess. Jabbar had many ships in Guangyi Prefecture, Lingnan. Every year, he bought sugar from the Lingnan government for a huge amount of money, and then sold it overseas on large ships. When he got overseas, he resold it to the nobles and royal families for another huge sum. Astronomical figures, of course, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also made a lot of money, with gems on his fingers that were bright enough to blind people.
They exchanged greetings and waited until they walked out of Hu Renfang and the sun rose.
The hawkers on the street are constantly selling hot cakes, meat buns, and oil dumplings. The different races and cultural differences have also brought many changes to Luoyang, including changes in food, including those from Persia. The flower rice is very popular among Luoyang people. The rice is mixed with flower petals, almonds, candied dates, raisins, and spices. When it comes out of the pot, it is fragrant and has a unique flavor.
But Yu Dalang thought it was too sweet. He sat down in front of a mutton soup cake stall and ordered a bowl of mutton soup cake. The mutton soup in this restaurant was very authentic and liked by many people. Yu Dalang was already a regular customer.
The owner of the shop added more mutton slices to Master Yu's soup bowl as usual, and gave it to him. Then he quickly poured the prepared mutton soup cakes into the earthen pot, closed the lid, and handed it to him. To the waiting food-calling men, such food-calling men will deliver the earthen jars to the homes of people who want to eat his mutton soup cakes.
There are more and more food-calling men like this in Luoyang today. Luoyang is a big city with a large number of people. Some lazy people directly ask these food-calling men to deliver the cooked food to their homes. They pay an errand fee every time. The man is also willing to run away, but it is not easy to become a food-calling man. The family must be clean and knowledgeable. Most people do not do it casually, and they must accept the rules.
The shop owner wiped the sweat from his head and felt a little warm. He opened his warm cotton clothes and couldn't stop smiling. Their Lord Yu is a good official.
"Master Yu, please come again next time."
Yu Dalang smiled and left.
After Mr. Yu left, he collected the money neatly and thought about whether he should hire a worker to help in the store during the Luoyang Night Market.
After Yu Dalang returned to the government office to handle his official duties, he went home. He now holds an important position. He has a big house at home, which is enough for Xiao Yinzi and Xiao Jinzi to study.
