I'm really not doing business

Chapter 778 Rye seeds were collected!
When Xu Zhenming saw the two Persian beauties, he knew that His Majesty was very satisfied with the Suiyuan King's rule. He searched through all the boxes and cabinets in the palace and checked all the things that could be rewarded before taking out these beauties from all over the world.

Xu Zhenming really didn't want it, because he was a real Jinshi. Even though he was farming now, he was still a Jinshi. The debate between Chinese and barbarians was deeply rooted. In his eyes, these Persian beauties were no different from livestock. He felt that if he had them at home, his family would not be at peace.

"If the Minister of Agriculture doesn't want it, we won't be able to report to the emperor when we go back." Xu Jue said with embarrassment. In fact, Xu Jue had anticipated this scene when the emperor said he would reward beauties from all over the world.

It was barely acceptable for scholars to have a quick meal in a brothel, but most of them would refuse to take the food home.

There are historical lessons for this. For example, the third empress of Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty, Empress Ki, was a Korean. This empress abused her power and formed her own clique, causing chaos in the palace. She instigated her son, Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan Dynasty, to go to war with his own father, causing a civil war between father and son. The civil war in the Yuan court led to the Red Turban Army in the south becoming completely powerful and could no longer be pacified.

Ki Queen's family was purged in Goryeo by the Goryeo King. In order to take revenge, Ki Queen instigated her son to send troops to Goryeo, but ended up suffering a great defeat. It was really true that: seeking war every day, provoking and expanding provocations, the royal society would be overthrown soon.

During the Yongle period, there were also Goryeo girls in the palace, but since the Xuande period, the practice of sending Goryeo girls as tribute was stopped.

"How about this, sending them to Prince Lu's mansion?" Xu Zhenming really didn't want these Persian beauties. Who knows what kind of trouble they might cause. This was indeed a reward, but he was not worthy of it.

Seeing that Xu Zhenming really didn't want it, Xu Jue thought about it again and again, then shook his head and said, "We should take her back. His Majesty has just recently reprimanded His Royal Highness Prince Lu for the persecution of beauties from all over the world."

After Xu Jue returned to the palace to report, Zhu Yijun just smiled and asked Xu Jue to leave. He did not pursue the matter and said that he dared not refuse the gift given by the emperor. It was a reward and he could refuse it if he did not like it.

The literati of the Ming Dynasty were not particularly interested in learning foreign languages.

On the third day of the second lunar month, the sky was dim and the first ray of sunlight just illuminated the golden glazed tiles of the Huangji Hall. The imperial guards from the Five Phoenix Tower of Chengtian Gate blew the horn. The bells from the Bell and Drum Tower of the Zhengya Court reached the ears of all the ministers waiting to attend the court. The gate of Chengtian Gate slowly opened. After the imperial guards' inspection, officials in colorful court robes walked across the Inner Jinshui River Bridge like rows of wild geese.

Zhu Yijun waited until the court officials had saluted before waving his hand and saying, "Xuan Da Si Nong Xu Zhenming."

The eunuchs in groups of two passed down the heavenly message from one level to another, and the sound echoed under the entire Danbi.

One of the heroes of Suiyuan Wanghua returned to the capital, and the Ming Emperor welcomed him with a grand court meeting.

Xu Zhenming was a little dazed. He didn't think he had done anything to deserve such courtesy. He just farmed in Suiyuan, built some water conservancy facilities, trained hundreds of veterinarians, ended the custom of grassland people who had migrated with water for thousands of years, and increased the output of animal husbandry.

Not all grassland people are nomadic, they also farm the land.

Holding the tablet, Xu Zhenming, under the guidance of the eunuch, walked step by step through the civil and military officials waiting on the left and right, walked up the white marble steps, and entered the Huangji Hall.

"Your Majesty, I, Xu Zhenming, the Director of the Baoqi Division, pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty. I have fulfilled your mission as the governor of Suiyuan. Since the tenth year of the Wanli reign until now, Suiyuan has registered more than 300,000 households, with a population of more than 1.2 million. We have reclaimed 600,000 hectares of land, enclosed 400,000 hectares of pastures, built more than 4,300 miles of canals, and 1,300 miles of highways." Xu Zhenming bowed five times and kowtowed 3 times before paying homage to the emperor.

The 4,300 miles of ditches were mainly used to dredge blocked ditches during the dry season and divert water from them to the fields.

In the Ming Dynasty, where farmers cultivated crops meticulously, the simple act of ridge-making was an eye-opener for the grassland people. Ridge-making could prevent flooding, cold, drought, and lodging. The grassland people had never imagined that just ridge-making could nearly double the yield.

"Thank you for your hard work, my dear minister. Feng Daban, announce the decree." Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk and took two steps forward. He waited for the eunuch to open the imperial edict before shouting in a hoarse voice, "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees:"

"Agriculture is the foundation of the world, and the people rely on it for their livelihood. The way to guide the people is to focus on the foundation. If the people do not focus on the foundation and only care about the details, they will abandon the foundation and pursue the details, and many people will not be able to survive. I am worried about this, so now we personally cultivate the land and do farming. This is the first way for the kings of ancient and modern times to do so."

"Suiyuan has been newly opened up, and everything is new. I have sent the Minister of Agriculture to promote education and improve customs, to encourage filial piety and respect for courtesy, to bring peace to a thousand miles away, and to cultivate harmony for all eternity. You should follow the will of heaven, measure the advantages of the land, collect classics and history, love songs, consult the elders, and verify their actions; develop water conservancy, make agricultural tools, encourage people to work in agriculture, and follow people's wishes, pray for a good harvest, and work day and night every year."

"Whoever governs the people should be brave enough to put them first. Now, Baoqi is promoted to the Agricultural College. The Agricultural College should bear in mind the fundamental mission of the Agricultural College, so that the people can live a long and healthy life and the four seas can live in peace and health."

"The dynasty became a constitution after a long period of time, it was a good deed and a favor, and the edict was issued to the world, and the envoys heard about it."

"Appreciate this."

The imperial edict emphasized the importance of agriculture and sericulture, placing it at the top of the royal politics of ancient and modern times. It counted Xu Zhenming's achievements and announced that Baoqisi was officially upgraded to an Agricultural College, specializing in agricultural and sericulture research. Xu Zhenming was promoted from a fifth-rank doctor of agronomy to Si Nong, a senior official of the Agricultural College and a third-rank official.

The message from the Agricultural College is: May all people live in benevolence and longevity, and may everyone in the world be healthy and well.

"I thank you for your great grace." Xu Zhenming bowed again and stood up. He did not feel much about the promotion because he still did the same things as before, farming, planting more land and producing more food.

He was not good at anything else except land reclamation and water conservancy. He reclaimed 39,000 hectares of land in Shanyin, Zhejiang, but was attacked and impeached by the censors. He then lived in idleness and went to Beijing to make efforts. With the help of Zhang Juzheng, he was able to be by Your Majesty's side.

If there is any achievement over the years, it is that he really taught Your Majesty how to farm.

"My dear, you have become tanned and thinner." Zhu Yijun looked at Xu Zhenming. After not seeing him for five years, he became more like a farmer than a scholar-official.

Xu Zhenming bowed his head again and said, "Thanks to your majesty's kindness, I have not suffered much in Suiyuan. The local government has given me the best."

That's not appropriate.

If Xu Zhenming had a bit of political sense, he should have started to flatter the emperor, praising him for his wisdom, praising him for his courtesy to the wise, saying that it was all due to his saintly virtue and that he was grateful to the emperor, etc., to create an atmosphere of a saintly monarch and virtuous ministers;

Even if one has no political acumen, one should be grateful for the emperor's concern, complain a little, and talk about how hard life is in Suiyuan, but still overcome all difficulties to complete the task assigned by the emperor and build personal relationships.

Xu Zhenming chose the most simple way of answering, telling the truth, that it was not hard work and he did not suffer any hardship. Suiyuan took out the best things to entertain him, the Minister of Agriculture.

Luzon Governor Yin Zhengmao once said that he liked dealing with doctors of agriculture the most because these doctors of agriculture were the most down-to-earth and did not go through so many twists and turns.

"I am very pleased that you have returned. The stability of the grassland is due to your contribution. Go back to work. After the court session, come to the Agricultural College and tell me about Suiyuan." Zhu Yijun smiled brightly. Xu Zhenming was still speechless as always, which meant that he was still himself, a typical technocrat.

"I obey your order." Xu Zhenming returned to work.

Zhu Yijun then announced several things. From this year on, overseas trade can accumulate gold, Yanxinglou Trading House will exchange gold and silver, salt production will be vigorously promoted, the Royal Institute of Technology will have a talent allocation mechanism, Gao Qiyu will be in charge of the development of education, no more grain and fodder will be shipped to Korea, special trade licenses will be granted, etc.

These are the contents approved by the court and announced at the grand court meeting on the third day of each month.

There was rarely any discussion at the grand court meetings, unless there was a huge argument, probably a falling out, which would lead to a heated argument at the grand court meetings.

"If you have something to do, go out and report early. If you have nothing to do, draw the curtain and leave the court." Feng Bao swung the whisk again and shouted loudly in a hoarse voice.

Zhu Yijun waited for a while, and seeing that no one came out, he stood up and said with a smile: "Sir and Si Nong, please follow me."

"Retreat!"

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid farewell to you." Zhang Juzheng led the ministers in bowing again and respectfully bidding farewell to the emperor.

Wang Chonggu was very envious of Zhang Juzheng because the emperor always pulled Zhang Juzheng aside to talk in private, not only about state affairs but also about some trivial matters in life. This was a true teacher-student relationship.

They are all ministers, but there are always differences in closeness and distance.

After Zhu Yijun left the court, he took the prime minister and the minister of agriculture and took a train to the former site of the Baoqisi, Guanghan Palace on Qionghua Island in the Western Garden.

The upgrading of Baoqisi to an Agricultural College was not just a matter of changing its name. Beitucheng had specially built an agricultural base of 100,000 acres of fertile land for the use of the Agricultural College.

The former site of Baoqisi became the emperor's own vegetable garden.

"Since the Minister of Agriculture went to Suiyuan and the Agricultural College was built, I renovated Guanghan Hall and conducted some experiments." Zhu Yijun walked across the stone arch bridge and stood in front of Guanghan Hall. He said with a complicated expression: "I failed."

"What experiments did you do?" Zhang Juzheng asked curiously. His Majesty was always tinkering with some strange experiments, such as the technique of inducing lightning. If the bell and drum tower of the main government office did not have the technique of inducing lightning, who knows how many times it would have been struck by lightning.

The doctors of science did not understand why a simple iron wire could conduct the lightning from the sky to the ground.

Zhu Yijun sighed and said, "I built a paradise for the mice, where they have no worries about food and water. After three years, except for the third group of large cages, all the others died without exception."

After listening to this, Zhang Juzheng felt that the emperor was really bored and built so many paradises for mice.

The emperor made nine large cages, with two eunuchs in charge of each cage. They cleaned up the feces and kept the cage clean and hygienic to ensure that there was no plague. They also made water and food fall from the sky every day to ensure that there was enough food. They also put four pairs of mice in the cage to reproduce.

Nine cages in groups of three, the first heaven, three large cages, no communication, no plague, all dead;

The second heaven, three large cages, regular exchange of groups, no plague, all dead;
In the third group of large cages, after the population grew to 600, the doors of the cages were opened and the animals shared what they had. As a result, they lived the best. The population in the three cages grew to 9,000, reaching the upper limit that the cages could accommodate.

Zhu Yijun's mouth twitched and he said, "The first two groups of heavens proved that Lin Fucheng's theory is not valid, that is, when material is extremely abundant, everyone will be free; the third group of heavens proved that the prosperity of a tribe requires war."

This was a very absurd experiment. Zhu Yijun saw that the Guanghan Palace was empty, so he planned to verify whether Lin Fucheng's social transformation from limited freedom to unlimited freedom would be established.

Lin Fucheng believed that when material wealth is not extremely abundant, people can only live with limited freedom; only when material wealth is absolutely abundant and exploitation of resources becomes meaningless, can all people obtain absolute freedom. That is, when exploitation is meaningless, oppression does not exist.

This is a beautiful idea, but the experimental results made Zhu Yijun feel deeply moved.

"Your Majesty, humans are the most intelligent creatures in the world, but they are different from mice." Zhang Juzheng did not quite agree with the emperor's point of view. It was not appropriate to infer humans from mice. Humans have spirituality and rationality, but mice do not.

Xu Zhenming hesitated to speak. What he actually wanted to say was that from the perspective of anatomy, there is actually not much difference in structure between mice and humans.

Zhu Yijun led Yuan Fu and Si Nong into Guanghan Hall and stood beside the first group of heavens. Two eunuchs reported the experimental process. There were three large cages in the first group of heavens. Each cage had sixteen funnels to provide water and food. Guanghan Hall was a warm room with a temperature of about 20 degrees all year round. The eunuchs wore masks and gloves to ensure that no diseases from outside were brought into heaven.

Without having to forage for food, dig holes, or face natural enemies in the wild, these mice only needed to focus on reproducing. Just as the emperor expected, the population of these mice doubled every 315 days. On the 600th day, the number of mice in each cage exceeded .

But the reproduction rate of these 55 mice increased from doubling every 145 days to doubling every days. Moreover, classes and gangs were formed in the three paradises. The mice without gangs had nowhere to go, no status, and would be bullied.

The extra mice became less active and instead hid at the bottom of the cage. They stopped playing with their companions and remained motionless. Even if they were bullied, they would only retreat even more and eventually die.

The first collapse stage has arrived. Due to sufficient food and water and a comfortable living environment, these mice will abandon their pups after giving birth. Without human intervention, the mortality rate of the mouse pups has reached over 90%.

The second collapse stage occurred in the third year, when the rat population reached 2200. Almost all rats began to lose interest in reproduction. The solitary rats hid on the upper level, and the violent rats bit frantically near the water and food sources. Due to the low birth rate and high mortality rate of the cubs, the population quickly decreased from 2200 to zero.

"All dead?" Zhang Juzheng was surprised by the whole experimental process. The self-collapse of the rat group made Zhang Juzheng unable to understand. They had no worries about food and drink, but all died.

"Yes, all died. Even the mice that survived by chance didn't know who they learned how to survive from. Apart from the instinct of eating and sleeping, they had no interest in reproducing. That's what happened in the end." Zhu Yijun took Zhang Juzheng and Si Nong through the first heaven and came to the second heaven.

"I think it's caused by the same race's reproduction. After all, the Central Plains has experience that people with the same surname cannot marry, otherwise their offspring will be deformed or infertile. The rat race in the First Heaven is too closed, and the Second Heaven will exchange races regularly to ensure that the race will not be destroyed due to deformed or infertile offspring." Zhu Yijun sighed and said, "The speed of the Second Heaven's collapse is not slower than that of the First Heaven. Both were completely destroyed in about three years."

The second group carried out regular exchanges to prevent the offspring from being deformed, but it was of no use.

Without any interest in reproducing, the solitary mice hide on the upper level, while the strong and aggressive mice stay on the lower level. Even if mouse pups are born, they will be bitten to death.

"There is only the third heaven. So far, everything is normal." Zhu Yijun brought Si Nong and Yuan Fu to the third heaven.

Each of the three large cages in the third heaven has a door, which opens immediately after the number of the tribe exceeds six hundred. The passage is very wide and the dispute begins.

"A rat this big." Zhang Juzheng was shocked. He actually saw a rat that was nearly half the size of his forearm!

"These are rats from Guangzhou. They are different from the previous species. They are more aggressive." Zhu Yijun said in amazement: "Open the cage door. When there is a dispute, these big rats will protect their young. They have a strong desire to reproduce and are extremely aggressive."

"In the Third Heaven, the size of each large cage group will reach an upper limit of three thousand."

"Let's start killing rats." Zhu Yijun said to the eunuch.

The eunuch bowed his head and said, "I obey your order."

The eunuch changed today's ingredients and started feeding the mice poisonous food. Soon, the nine thousand mice in the three cages began to die one after another.

Zhu Yijun was not sure what kind of ecological disaster would occur if these mice that grew up in paradise were released, so he chose to kill them directly. If they all died, there would be no secondary disasters.

"Mencius said in Born in Sorrow and Die in Comfort: If a country has no laws at home and discords with its people, and has no enemies outside and faces external troubles, its country will surely perish." Zhu Yijun said with emotion, looking at the cage in front of him.

Sometimes, the wisdom of our ancestors can indeed stand the test of time, because these words have been passed down after experiencing the baptism of the long river of history and have extremely high reference value.

The First Heaven was closed, so the extinction of the tribe could be considered a biological problem; the Second Heaven exchanged tribes regularly, but it still collapsed quickly after the number reached 2200.
Only in the third heaven, after a threat, the population reached the upper limit of heaven and was able to maintain the ecology for a long time.

Without enough external pressure, these mice had no desire to reproduce at all.

Larger, more aggressive rats will completely control the funnel and not give the smaller rats any water or food. Moreover, these rats' attacks are not to compete for mates or water or food. Their attacks have no motive.

Moreover, the newborn mice have not learned any normal mouse behaviors. They no longer reproduce, hide in corners to eat alone, and most of them are grooming their own hair.

The collapse of the first and second paradises was not due to density, or the cages were not large enough for their living, but rather to overly frequent social interactions, which led to dissatisfaction with resource allocation. In addition to water and food resources, the more beautiful female rats would be occupied by the larger rats.

"This is almost identical to the wolf packs I observed on the grassland." Xu Zhenming said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the reproduction of wolves on the grassland is not linear. Not every wild wolf has children. Instead, they continue to overflow from the stronger top."

"Well, it's just like the civil and military yangban and the middle class in North Korea."

Mice and wolves are just animals, and humans are the most intelligent creatures. So can humans avoid this reproduction model? The answer is no.

The Mun and Muyangban were aristocrats, and their illegitimate sons and concubines, relying on their relationships with their main families, began to keep Hwarang, squeezing out the living space of the poor laborers of Korea and constantly annexing land. The cost of marriage was too high, and most of the poor laborers could not find wives and could not reproduce.

This is the process of artificial selection, anthropic theory. People are not only choosing better animals and plants, but also selecting themselves.

Xu Zhenming said solemnly: "In Korea, most Hwarang have no children, and are even unwilling to have children. They prefer to bully the good and poor coolies to get satisfaction. As for the oppressed poor coolies, it's not that they don't want to have children, but that they can't find wives at all."

"In fact, this phenomenon also occurred in the Southern Court of the Ming Dynasty and Zhejiang. When I was in Zhejiang, many people incited themselves to become eunuchs in wealthy families."

It was illegal to castrate slaves in the Ming Dynasty, but because there were many wealthy families in need, the poor laborers would rather give up their reproductive rights and work like slaves.

Wisdom is not hereditary, but wealth is. Human beings will never stop reproducing. Poverty will not last for more than three generations, and the lower class will cut off themselves.

"As long as the small peasant economy transforms into a commodity economy, it will be fine." Zhang Juzheng thought again and again, and said with certainty: "As long as new production relations are established and the distribution mechanism is sound, this situation will not happen again."

"Sir, is that true? As long as a new large-scale free employment production relationship is established, today's tragedy will not happen again?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile on his face: "This commodity economy is not a panacea. This is also reflected in the fourth volume of the theory of class."

"This throne can be hereditary..."

"Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng interrupted the emperor forcefully. He knew very well that the emergence of the fourth volume was inevitable, but it was not appropriate at the moment.

The third volume of the theory of class should be used with caution, and the fourth volume should not be discussed or mentioned. The final collapse of the imperial system, even at the current rate of productivity growth, will require about a hundred years before there is sufficient material foundation to support it.

"I brought back a kind of wheat from Suiyuan, a kind of wheat from the Xianbei Plain, called rye." Xu Zhenming took out a silk bag from his sleeve, slowly opened it and said, "This kind of wheat was brought to the Xianbei Plain by Ottoman merchants. It is an extremely cold-resistant plant. Its cold resistance is so strong that it can even be grown in ice and snow."

"The seedlings can even withstand temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius, and they are not picky about the soil. They can be grown on barren and thin soils, and even on saline-alkali soils washed by the Yellow River."

"It's not picky about the soil and it's cold-resistant." Zhu Yijun's eyes immediately lit up. What rat paradise? That's all metaphysical research. The more cold-resistant crops there are, the better!

The small glacier climate is intensifying regardless of human will. If the food production in the North cannot meet the demand, the expensive land transportation costs will cause the entire North to collapse.

Duntai Yuanhou's expedition team had already discovered the existence of rye. Zhu Yijun thought that it was a special envoy from Russia who brought rye to China, but he didn't expect that it was brought back by Xu Zhenming.

"Rye." Zhu Yijun carefully opened the silk bag, looked at it for a long time and said, "It must be cultivated carefully. Where did this seed come from?"

"Stolen." Xu Zhenming said succinctly: "I asked Duntai Yuanhou to find seeds. The people in the Xianbei Plain were unwilling to share food seeds. Duntai Yuanhou secretly took one or two handfuls at night. A little bit made a lot, and he stole twelve kilograms of rye."

Coffee was monopolized by Arab merchants, who only sold coffee powder and not any seeds in order to make huge profits. It was only when the Ming Dynasty had good relations with the Mongol Empire that they exchanged cotton cloth for coffee seeds from Shah Mamtim, and tried planting them in Yunnan with considerable success.

Rye seeds could not be obtained through trade, but Xu Zhenming asked Duntai Yuanhou to steal twelve kilograms of them, and he stole them in small amounts, just one or two handfuls at a time.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng looked at each other and thought Xu Zhenming was a little too frank.

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and said, "Teacher, this was not stolen by Duntai Yuanhou. How can this be considered stealing? This is what scholars do. This is called collecting. What do you think, teacher?"

"It's just... collected." Xu Zhenming wanted to explain, but he immediately understood that this was collecting, and the Celestial Empire does not engage in stealing or robbing.

"In that case, Feng Daban, at the beginning of this spring, I will reward our Duntai and Yuanhou with ten silver coins each. On the grounds that I am grateful for their hard work, I will give an additional fifty silver coins to the 300 Duntai and Yuanhou who have gone deep into the northern border as a reward for their hard work." Zhu Yijun chose the reward.

Feng Bao bowed his head and said, "I obey your order."

The total expenditure was only forty-five thousand silvers, which was really not much. The expedition team led by Duntai Yuanhou was really risking their lives to gather intelligence, and an expedition team also had Han people and Outer Khalkha tribes as escorts. The extra gift of fifty silvers was really not much.

"Your Majesty, rye doesn't taste very good." Xu Zhenming said earnestly, "I think this stuff is a good forage grass. In Suiyuan, it can be harvested every 1 to days, and can be harvested three to four times a year. The yield per mu of fresh grass can be more than catties, and the dry weight is more than catties."

"Rye has a large and shallow fibrous root system that can fix water and soil very well. It is a good choice to cultivate it mainly for fixing water and soil."

Xu Zhenming hopes that His Majesty will lower his expectations. This kind of rye, because of its larger leaf volume, will yield higher returns when used as forage grass.

"Isn't this better?" Zhu Yijun's eyes lit up and he said, "With this horrible weather, if the temperature continues to drop, we can plant it as staple food. If the weather is good, we can plant it as forage grass. It's like killing two birds with one stone."

The annual average temperature in Yingchang, Jilin Prefecture and other places is still declining, and the frost-free period has been shortened by seven days in five years, with no sign of stopping.

"That's true." Xu Zhenming thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. If it was promoted, as the weather continued to get colder, it could be grown as food. The main thing was to expand the scale of planting.

"The envoys from Xianbei City hope to exchange rye for weapons, but I am worried that they will ask for an exorbitant price." Xu Zhenming talked about the envoys he brought back. The envoys from Xianbei City were very eager to obtain a large number of weapons to face the invasion of the Russians.

This is also the reason why Xu Zhenming hopes that Duntai Yuanhou will use various means to obtain rye seeds. The transaction is fine, but the exorbitant price is unacceptable to the Ming Dynasty.

The initiative must be in the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)