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

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for the assessment, transfer, and awarding of officials. Daily official affairs are closely related to every official. It has considerable power and is the head of the six ministries.

When he heard Cheng Yan said that he wanted to go to the Ministry of Personnel, Emperor Jingfeng raised his eyebrows: "The Ministry of Personnel? Why?"

Just as Cheng Yan was about to answer, Ning Fuhai came in from outside and reported: "Your Majesty, Pu Tingnan, the chief envoy of Sichuan, wants to see you."

Pu Tingnan is a high-ranking official of the third rank. He goes to Beijing to report to the emperor every year at the end of the year. He arrived in the capital half a month ago.In just a few days, Emperor Xiangfeng had already summoned all the officials from various places to report on their work. Pu Tingnan should have other things to do this time.

Thinking of what Qian Xun had told Pu Tingnan in the report a few months ago, Emperor Jingfeng tacitly exchanged a look with Cheng Yan. He said nothing and only said to Ning Fuhai: "Let Pu Tingnan come in."

Not long after, Pu Tingnan came in respectfully holding a box and knelt down: "Pu Tingnan, the envoy to Sichuan Province, is here to see your majesty."

Emperor Jingfeng said: "Pu Qing is exempt from courtesy."

Pu Tingnan was polite and stood up carefully after hearing this. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Cheng Yan who was quietly accompanying him and was slightly surprised.

I had long heard that Cheng Yan from the Hanlin Academy had been very popular with the emperor in recent times, and now it turned out to be true. It was almost the Chinese New Year, and he was still kept in the imperial study by Emperor Jingfeng, which shows his great honor and favor. .

Being able to gain Emperor Jingfeng's trust at such a young age will definitely have a bright future.

"Pu Qing?"

Pu Tingnan couldn't help but look at Cheng Yan several times, filled with envy in his heart. He was caught off guard by Emperor Jingfeng's call. He suddenly came back to his senses and quickly lowered his head in fear: "Wei Chen is here."

Emperor Jingfeng took this look into his eyes and said calmly: "As the chief envoy of Sichuan, Pu Qing has already done the year-end report a few days ago. Why do you come to see me again today?"

Pu Tingnan said: "I have something to offer to Your Majesty."

With that said, Pu Tingnan handed the box he brought with him to Ning Fuhai and said: "This thing is called potato. It is a kind of food crop. It is characterized by high yield. The yield per mu is not too much. It was first planted in Xuzhou, Sichuan. The palace was accidentally discovered by the minister, and I came here to present it to His Majesty."

"Potatoes?"

Emperor Jingfeng made a move, and then opened the box that Ning Fuhai had brought over. Sure enough, he saw several round, cleanly washed potatoes inside, and his eyes suddenly darkened.

"Yes, potato." Pu Tingnan did not notice the strangeness of Emperor Jingfeng and continued to speak respectfully, "The reason why it is called this name is because it originates from America, traveled across the ocean, and looks like a taro. That’s why it’s called potato.”

Immediately afterwards, Pu Tingnan introduced the origin, high yield characteristics, planting habits and so on of the potato to Emperor Jingfeng.Emperor Jingfeng had a smile on his lips. While listening, he began to rummage through the pile of memorials on the table. He seemed to have said unintentionally: "You just said, how did you discover this potato?"

Pu Tingnan hesitated for a moment, then said: "To be precise, it was not discovered by Wei Chen, but by the prefect of Xuzhou Prefecture, a state capital under Wei Chen's jurisdiction. Xuzhou Prefecture is close to the Yangtze River and has a river port. I think It was accidentally brought in by traders, and local people tried growing it out of curiosity, and then it gradually became popular."

Emperor Jingfeng smiled half-smilingly: "'Brought in by accident'? Since it is a crop originating from America, even if it was introduced to our country in Daxia, it should have first reached the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fuguang, right? How could it be achieved by relying on the Yangtze River? The river transport, bypassing so many state capitals along the route, was only discovered by Xuzhou Prefecture, which is far inland? What a coincidence."

Pu Tingnan laughed twice: "...It's just good luck. Things in this world sometimes happen by accident. Who can say for sure. Whether it's in the southwest or along the coast of Zhejiang, it's all in our territory of Daxia. I have discovered it, and I am dedicating the potatoes to His Majesty today in order to make the court pay attention to this matter and benefit the people of the world."

"Pu Qing has such a heart, it is really righteous." Emperor Jingfeng sighed and said absently, "It's just that you said that potatoes are high-yielding. How high-yielding is it? Is it feasible to plant it in a large area? Have you ever tested it?"

"Don't introduce any poisonous plants without being clear about it. High yield means high yield, but it seizes water and soil. Except for itself, not a single blade of grass will grow within a hundred miles. In that case, the gain outweighs the loss."

Pu Tingnan said quickly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, potatoes are not a poisonous plant. Weichen has tested it. If you plant three hundred catties per acre, you can get nearly two thousand catties when harvested. The yield of one thousand catties per mu is not a boast of Weichen. Before I make the donation today. , has been widely planted in Xuzhou Prefecture, there is no abnormality, and other plants have not been affected."

Emperor Jingfeng didn't respond. He was still concentrating on flipping something on the table. His expression didn't even change when he heard that the yield per mu was a thousand catties, and he looked like he didn't take it seriously.

Pu Tingnan felt worried after seeing it, and quickly added: "Although the potato is inconspicuous, it is indeed a crop that can have a significant impact on the entire Great Xia. It can feed millions of people and contribute to the prosperity of our country. "

"This year there was a severe drought in central Sichuan. Countless people starved to death in various prefectures, but Xuzhou Prefecture was spared. The reason is precisely because of the planting of this potato. I sincerely ask your majesty to pay attention to the potato and order the yamen to try to promote it, so that The people of the world will be free from famine!”

Emperor Jingfeng searched for a long time and finally found the memorial written a few months ago. After flipping through it for a few times, he finally looked up at Pu Tingnan and said, "Since potatoes are such an important thing, they are also grown in Xuzhou Prefecture. , why haven’t you seen relevant descriptions in the performance books of Xuzhou government officials?”

Pu Tingnan's eyes flashed and he hesitated: "...Potatoes were grown spontaneously by the people. The government didn't notice it at first, and the ministers only found out about it later, so they didn't have time to count it as a political achievement for local officials..."

"Spontaneous planting?" Emperor Jingfeng yelled inexplicably, "So, the introduction and promotion of potato has nothing to do with Gu Yunji and an Huizhou businessman named Fan? Just the local people in Xuzhou Prefecture , can it spontaneously grow to this extent in such a short period of time?”

Pu Tingnan was confused when he heard this: "...Gu Yunji is the general magistrate of Xuzhou Prefecture. As a local official, the promotion of potato must naturally be regarded as a political achievement. As for the Huizhou merchants... Weichen does not understand this. What does it have to do with businessmen?”

Emperor Jingfeng's smile faded and his face suddenly turned cold: "You're still pretending! You still say you don't understand. I think you understand too well. You're just pretending to be confused because you understand!"

With that said, Emperor Jingfeng threw the memorial he had just found in front of Pu Tingnan and scolded: "Open your eyes and see what is written on it!"

Pu Tingnan was frightened by Emperor Jingfeng's sudden change of mood. He picked up the memorial and opened it tremblingly. The more he looked at it, the more horrified he became.