It's late May, it's already Xiaoman, and in the slightly scattered wheat fields in various states in the Central Plains, the wheat grains have gradually become plump and mature, and they are about to enter the summer harvest period. Different from this, there are patches of spring-planted millet, which are entering the stage of vigorous growth. This is the result of the emperor's repeated instructions to the court and prefectures and counties to manage agriculture.
It is an incentive policy, it is a burden reduction measure, it is also a punishment for bad officials, and it is to suppress banditry and maintain order. After so long, it finally gives a little hope to the people who have been suffering from the chaos and are still suffering.
On the outskirts of Zhongmu County, an old farmer wearing a bamboo hat walked out of his several acres of wheat field with his descendants, and then went to see the growth of millet in the field. I raised my eyes to look at the increasingly hot sun, feeling the dryness in the air, and then glanced at the dry soil around me. On the old face with crisscrossed ravines, a trace of concern could not help but appear in the hope: "It is difficult to grow awns." ah......"
This is obviously a farmer who is experienced in farming and has foreseen that there may be problems during summer planting. According to common sense, after Xiaoman, the rainfall increases, but maybe it was affected by the drought in Hebei. It rained only once before and after, and the rainfall was not much.
He sighed heavily, but looked at his dozens of acres of farmland and smiled cheerfully. He hunched over his body, called his sons and grandsons, got into the fields, and tended the millet fields. This season was when the crops needed careful care.
The price of food in Tokyo has finally dropped, perhaps because the summer harvest is approaching, or because easily obtained food from Jingnan and Shu is being imported one after another, and the government continues to announce this. More than 30,000 dendrobium grains from Jingnan were negotiated and put into the Tokyo market successively to stabilize grain prices. Of course, except for the three thousand hu of "tribute grain", the rest had to be purchased by the court at the expense of gold and silver.
As for the food from Hou Shu, it has a long way to go and is still being transported, but the quantity is large. After some urgent negotiations and wrangling, Meng Chang, the leader of Shu, agreed to exchange prisoners and spent 10,000 bushels of rice to redeem the defeated soldiers of the Shu army. In addition, another hundred thousand grains of dendrobium were approved. Meng Chang has been planting land in Liangchuan for more than ten years, and he has one hundred thousand grains of rice without blinking an eye.
Of course, the price was that the Han Dynasty and Hou Shu signed a contract. The two countries ceased war and repaired, resumed normal diplomatic exchanges, and officially recognized Qin Fengjie as the four states of Shu. For the sake of food, Liu Chengyou also pinched his nose, and Wang Jun, who was responsible for the negotiations, agreed. Right and left, the contract was signed to be torn up. Furthermore, Qin Feng and the Four States cannot get it back for the time being.
In the Bian Palace, a new Guanjia Palace was added, which was renamed from the old palace. From its name, we can know that it was a show-off to show that the emperor attached great importance to farming.
In front of the hall, there is only a vegetable field for the time being, with two rows of eggplants and beans sparsely planted. Liu Chengyou put on a pair of coarse cloth clothes, put a bamboo hat on his head, and took care of it slowly. These were all planted by him himself under the guidance of farm officials.
Beside him, Yang Bin and other ministers stood silently beside him, watching Liu Chengyou's show.
"Xiaoman is about to pass and the summer harvest is approaching. The imperial court wants to urge the subordinate Daozhou counties to prepare for harvesting grain and rice. It has been hard work for more than half a year to plant in autumn and harvest in summer. There cannot be any problems with this joint!" Liu Chengyou squatted down! The body, holding a small hoe, was digging weeds and giving instructions to the ministers beside him.
"Yes. Your Majesty, please rest assured!" Yang Yan calmly watched Liu Chengyou's movements and responded in a deep voice.
rest assured? If he was really at ease, he wouldn't make such gestures, and would never leave his farm work for a few words when discussing politics on weekdays. During this period of time, Liu Chengyou has really been focusing on farming.
"The care and management of summer planting and spring plowing grain must not be relaxed. Officials in various states and counties must be clearly informed and prepared for proper arrangements!" Liu Chengyou warned again as he stood up.
After pondering for a while, Liu Chengyou's eyebrows showed a little sadness again, and he said: "The rainfall has been light recently and the weather is unusual. I heard that it is not conducive to summer planting. All states in the Central Plains should also be prepared for drought!"
"Yes!" Li Tao lowered his hands and bowed, saying deeply: "Your Majesty is concerned about the national economy and people's livelihood, and does not forget the farming season. I admire you!"
Liu Chengyou waved his hand, wiped the stain on his forehead, raised his eyes to the north, and suddenly asked: "How is the drought in Hebei?"
"According to the reports from the various state farmers' envoys, there are signs of worsening!" Dou Zhengu's tone sounded a little heavy: "If there is no change, the harvest this summer and autumn will inevitably fail! If it gets worse, there may even be a food shortage!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's movements obviously stagnated for a moment, and then he sighed sadly: "Hebei has too much time to take care of itself. It seems that we can't rely on food from the north this year!"
During the discussion, the chamberlain hurried to the front of the palace, took a few breaths, and then called out: "The official family."
"What's the matter?" Liu Chengyou glanced at him with an unhappy look on his face.
"Cui Fang Palace came to report that Concubine Shu has given birth!" Frightened by Liu Chengyou's gaze, the chamberlain quickly reported.
After saying this, Liu Chengyou looked relaxed, and the surrounding ministers congratulated him: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"It's up to you all to take care of the farm work!" With a word of instruction, Liu Chengyou quickly returned to the palace to clean up the dust, put on some clothes, and hurried to Cuifang Palace.
Cuifang Palace became the busiest place in the entire palace in a short period of time. As Concubine Geng gave birth to her son, the palace and inside became tense and busy.
The sun has set in the west, and the dim light shines on the hall, covering it with a layer of brilliance, but under the brilliance, there is a feeling of depression and heaviness.
In the inner room, Geng's heart-rending moans of pain could be heard intermittently. From them, one could feel a sense of exhaustion. It had been more than three hours. For a normal birth, it's not long, but what Geng encountered happened to be not.
Dystocia.
In the hall, Liu Chengyou sat behind the couch with a dull expression, motionless. Although he appears calm, he is inevitably anxious in his heart. After all, she is his beloved concubine, and after all, she is his first heir.
After receiving the news, Queen Mother Li, Queen Fu and Imperial Concubine Gao rushed there one after another. They all stayed aside at this moment, with anxious expressions on their faces.
Da Fu sat next to Liu Chengyou, listening to Geng's moans of pain from time to time, she felt frightened. Seeing Liu Chengyou's sad face, she couldn't help but hold his hand and comforted him softly: "Guan, it will be fine..."
"Yeah." Liu Chengyou responded.
After waiting for more than half an hour, Wen Po, who delivered the baby, stepped out with a tired face and a sense of "blood energy" in her body. She reported to Ms. Li and Liu Chengyou in a deep voice that Mr. Geng's body was weak and the situation was not optimistic.
"It's so troublesome to have a child! Could it be that you didn't try your best?" Liu Chengyou slammed the table and finally burst out, his tone was stern, his eyes were fierce, and there was murderous intent.
His reaction immediately filled the hall with awe, and Po Wen couldn't help but tremble.
"Erlang!" Seeing this, Li stood up and called Liu Chengyou in time.
"The officials are impatient. Don't be nervous. Go back to the delivery room and continue assisting in the delivery. Make sure to ensure the safety of Concubine Shu and the prince!" Mrs. Li comforted Po Wen in a gentle voice, showing her kindness and authority.
Looking at Liu Chengyou, Mrs. Li thought for a moment, walked up to him, and said in a comforting tone: "Erlang, you can't help much here. Let's go back to Chui Gong Hall for the time being. You still need to handle the important affairs of the government. Here, leave it to me!"
Looking up at Mrs. Li, his mother's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't control his temper towards Ms. Li, and turned his head to look at the delivery room. Mr. Geng's moans of pain had become weaker, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Chengyou solemnly bowed to Mrs. Li: "Please, mother, please kiss me."
Speaking, with a hint of anxiety, Liu Chengyou left slowly.
"You guys should go back to the palace too!" After Liu Chengyou left, Mrs. Li looked at Dafu and Mrs. Gao who were a little confused and ordered.
The two women looked at each other, not daring to say anything, and responded: "Yes!"
