Women Wearing Men: The Growth Path of the Bastards of the Aristocratic Family

Chapter 364 The drought is finally over
The drought in Sichuan is getting more and more serious. The fields in Xuzhou Prefecture are full of farmers carrying buckets between rivers and fields to irrigate crops.The rice is on the verge of withering, but there is a field without anyone carrying water, as if it has given up on the food on the ground.

Hearing that Chen Peishi's family was planting this land, Chen Xunzhou frowned: "Chen Peishi? The drought is like this, why doesn't his family send someone to fetch water to irrigate the land?"

The master explained: "Chen Peishi's family's land is farthest from the river. His father, Chen Yuanen, is old and can hardly do any farm work. In previous years, he hired long-term workers to plant. But this spring and summer, God didn't rain, so people were hired to water the fields everywhere. Land, his family can’t hire long-term workers.”

Chen Xunzhou said angrily: "Is his family unable to hire or does he not want to hire? Chen Peishi is a scholar, and his family has provided him with education for 20 years. He can't even afford to hire long-term workers, right? As long as the price is higher , I don’t believe I can’t hire him!”

The master's expression was hard to explain: "As you said, his family... most likely doesn't want to hire him. So what, didn't Gu Tongpan always want to promote potato cultivation? Chen Peishi followed him wholeheartedly, and he had long persuaded his father to save the crops. But he didn't help him, so he planted potatoes instead and still had food to eat. His father also listened, and he didn't take care of the crops in the field much after that."

Chen Xunzhou was so angry that he blew his beard: "Growing potatoes?! Chen Peishi is so brave that the clan didn't even say anything. His family, a branch of Yibin County, dared to give up crops and grow potatoes? Call Chen Peishi over! I have to give it to you today!" He established rules, and now the young people are really going to shake things up!"

The master looked embarrassed and hesitantly said: "...Sir, during this period Gu Tongpuan was busy planting potatoes. Chen Peishi was his master. He followed him around every day until no one was seen... I didn't know where he was. For a moment I might not be able to find him for a while."

Chen Xunzhou couldn't believe what he said and cursed: "Is Chen Peishi a disciple of my Chen family, or is he Gu Yunji's bastard? The family worked hard to train him, handed him over to practice, and let him go to school in the county. I even found someone to teach him. He's serving his official duties, but his emotions are all for making wedding clothes for outsiders, right?"

"When I asked him to do what Gu Yunji did, it was just a courtesy, but he really listened to it?! After all, his surname is Chen, and he belongs to my Chen family. He doesn't do everything for his own family, but listens to outsiders. Why? Do you think he has a brilliant mind? Idiot!"

Chen Xunzhou was so angry that he greeted Chen Peishi's eighteenth generation ancestors with saliva. The master looked at him and did not dare to remind Chen Peishi that his ancestors were also his Chen Xunzhou's ancestors, otherwise he would be even more angry.

After venting his anger, Chen Xunzhou finally let out some of the restlessness in his chest in recent days. He calmed down and said, "Gu Yunji is busy planting potatoes every day, and I don't care about him. As for Yan Zhengqian, he is here again during this time." Why? The drought is so severe, you can’t let me take care of everything alone, can you?”

The master said: "Prefect Yan set off to Chengdu a few days ago to meet with the Chief Envoy. He said he wanted to report on the drought situation and ask the superior officer to formulate disaster relief regulations."

Chen Xunzhou's anger that had just been suppressed suddenly surged up again, and he gritted his teeth angrily: "You think I don't know? Is he going to report on the drought? He is clearly hiding from official duties to please the superior! In the past two years, Yan Zhengqian has become more and more passive and lazy When he is in power, he either stays at home all day and is unworthy, or he finds various excuses to go to the Chief Secretary to smooth things over, so as to pave the way for his promotion!"

Speaking of this, Chen Xunzhou became extremely angry: "One is a young man from a well-known family from the capital, and the other is an old man who has been working hard in the officialdom. Neither of them can worry at all!"

"Yes, they are floating officials. Whether it's Gu Yunji or Yan Zhengqian, they won't stay in the Xuzhou government for long anyway, and they will all get promoted and get rich and transferred away in a few years! Only I am a local, a fellow magistrate who was replaced by a registered supervisor , there is no hope of promotion in this life, so I can only stay here until I die."

"They just saw that I couldn't run away, so they left everything to me! I don't have three heads and six arms. After all, I only have two legs and two hands. How can I handle this? I might as well get tired and forget it!" Chen Xunzhou cursed. I was so angry that I wanted to give up my choice on the spot.However, after scolding, you still have to pat your butt and continue to do things.

Fortunately, God finally had some conscience. After nearly three months of drought in Sichuan, on the last day of mid-May, a hearty downpour finally came, moistening the dry and cracked earth.

Once it rains, the drought will be resolved, but the crops that have dried up before can't be saved.The rice has not yet reached the harvest time, but the result of a sharp reduction in production is already foreseeable-the drought is over, but the real difficulties have just begun.

In the government office, the magistrate, tong magistrates and magistrates rarely gathered together to discuss matters after the drought.

Gu Yunji sighed deeply and sadly, and said: "I took a look around the fields around Fucheng. The crops in the silt fields near the river are pretty good. They are not affected much by the drought. The yield is reduced by [-] to [-]% at most."

"Some fields far away from the Yangtze River are not so lucky. They have been dry for too long and the irrigation water source is far from enough. It is estimated that the yield will generally be reduced by [-] to [-]%. Some are particularly remote and located halfway up the mountain. There is a possibility that there will be no harvest in the fields. All in all, the situation is not optimistic.”

Yan Zhengqian was in a bad mood and said in a stiff tone: "We built a number of water conservancy facilities at the end of last year. We originally said we would work hard this year to get more grain, but with a medium-sized state capital, now it's all gone."

There are more than 100 prefectures in Daxia, which are divided into upper, middle and lower levels according to the amount of grain tax paid. Those with a grain tax payment of more than 20 shi are Shangfu, those with a grain tax payment of 20 to [-] shi are Zhongfu, and those with a grain tax payment of less than [-] shi are called Zhongfu. The one is the lower house.

Xuzhou Prefecture has salt wells and river ports. Overall, it can be regarded as an upper-middle prefecture in the southwest. However, although the economy is good, agriculture has never been able to keep up.Xuzhou Prefecture is located on the edge of the Sichuan Basin. The terrain is not as flat and fertile as the Chengdu Plain, with more mountains and hills and less cultivated land.

In previous years, Xuzhou Prefecture's grain payment has been hovering around [-] shi, sometimes a little more than [-] shi, and sometimes more than [-] shi. Because it has been unstable, it is still rated as a lower government by the imperial court.

Yan Zhengqian originally planned to receive more food in the last year of his term and strive to be promoted to the central government. In this way, even if he was transferred from the central government to the upper government, at least he would be transferred from the central government to the upper government instead of from the lower government to the central government.

As a result, during the spring and summer of this year, most areas in central Sichuan suffered from a severe drought. Not to mention whether they could be rated as worthy of the central government, or whether they could pay sufficient taxes and grains were two questions.

The reduction in grain production was directly linked to the interests of Chen Xunzhou, who owned the most fields. The thought of having to pay taxes and grains in such a severe drought made him heartbroken. He couldn't help but ask Yan Zhengqian: "Master Yan went to the Chief Secretary two days ago. Sir, have you told me how to pay taxes and rations this summer? Can they be exempted or exempted?"

(End of this chapter)