I'm really not doing business

Chapter 930: Zhongshengliang's potato granary is full, and the nine borders are prosperous in times of wind and rain

When Zhu Yijun met Empress Dowager Li, he did not seem to mention the matter of Prince Lu's enfeoffment, but only talked about the Wuqing Marquis's Mansion. But in fact, the focus was still on the matter of Prince Lu's enfeoffment.

Empress Dowager Li did not say that 7800 taels of silver was a small matter or a small mistake. No matter how much silver it was, it was not a small mistake. The act of reaching out to the treasure banknotes itself would be a big mistake if people found out.

Now that the crime has been discovered, no punishment is too severe.

Li Wenquan and Li Wengui were able to survive only because they were incompetent and did not collude with court ministers or military honors. The case was committed by themselves, and was completely confined to the scope of corruption and profiteering, and did not rise to the level of a political case.

If the brothers Li Wenquan and Li Wengui had colluded with the court officials, this matter would never have ended so abruptly.

It's not that the two brothers didn't look for them, but the court officials didn't dare to. They took advantage of the emperor's absence from Beijing to steal the emperor's money. Moreover, the nobles colluded with the court officials. The emperor killed 622 powerful and wealthy families in the Southern Court. Did they get involved because they thought his death was not fast enough?
The cold winter of the twelfth month of the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign was an unusual winter.

The moat outside Zhengyang Gate was frozen, but the ice was a strange blue-gray color, as thin as glass, and there were a few half-dead carp floating underneath.
The old stall owner who used to hawk frozen persimmons now huddled in the corner of Zhengyangmen to avoid the cold wind. His coarse cloth mask was soaked with dark brown medicine, and every cough he made was so hard that people worried that he had the plague.

The haze condensed into lavender mist ribbons at the eaves. It was clearly a sunny day, but the sunlight shining through the haze immediately became bizarre and made the sky look a little creepy. The sun, however, was like a bronze mirror dipped in tung oil, casting a circle of rough-edged yellowish halo in the gray fog.

The cold wind, carrying the stench of the surging silt at the bottom of the Yongding River mixed with fine dust like coal ash, swept across the capital. Even the most noisy crows became silent, huddling among the branches of dead locust trees, their feathers covered with crystalline haze particles.

The crows suddenly raised their heads, flapped their wings and flew high, because teams of Ti cavalry were running by, scaring all the flying birds.

In this unsettling warm winter, the only thing that makes people feel at ease is that His Majesty is as active as ever.

The people of the capital could often see the emperor's carriage traveling through the streets of the capital, which gave everyone peace of mind. At least with His Majesty around, the man-made disasters caused by natural disasters could be alleviated a little. Even the Wuqing Marquis's Mansion was severely punished for its illegality.

What made the people even more relieved was that the emperor issued an edict before the New Year to demolish a large area of ​​imperial farms and convert them into farmland, so that sweet potatoes and potatoes could be planted in the spring of the following year.

From Lishui Bridge to Liulipu outside Chaoyang Gate, there is a pasture of about 20,000 mu, called Beiyuan, which is the pasture for the imperial palace's beef and mutton, which is specially supplied to the palace.

There is a pear garden in the southwest of Tongzhou from Baliqiao to Zhangjiawan. This pear garden is not an orchard for growing pear trees, but a place for performing operas. Changle Temple has 300 musicians and dancers here.
Apple orchards, pomegranate farms and other manors that were built specifically to provide the emperor with out-of-season fruits were all converted into farmland by the emperor, and potatoes were to be planted the next year.

The people of the capital have only four words to describe these changes: Your Majesty is wise and wise.

For example, the musicians and dancers in the Tongzhou Liyuan were not for the emperor's enjoyment at all. The Tongzhou Liyuan was originally a garden built by the previous emperor, a place specifically for him to select beauties.

The late emperor passed away and Your Majesty was still young. After Your Majesty's wedding, You Majesty was not very keen on taking a concubine.

The emperor was too busy to take care of these matters, so naturally someone took the opportunity to invade.

The people in the capital all knew that the 300 musicians and dancers kept in the Pear Garden eventually became actors in the homes of powerful and wealthy people. It was in other words that the emperor spent money to support them so that the powerful and wealthy people could enjoy a leisurely life.

There were no cattle or sheep in the cattle and sheep shed, no apple trees in the apple orchard, and no pomegranate trees in the pomegranate farm. When the palace wanted them, the farm would report the disaster and then buy some and send them to the palace for delivery.

The reason why there are no apple trees or pomegranate trees is entirely due to man-made disasters. The fruit farmers who took care of the trees ran away during the Xuande period because they could not stand the exploitation. These two pieces of land, covering more than 20,000 acres, have been abandoned for many years and are overgrown with weeds.

The emperor's vigorous rectification was not intended to increase the grain production of the land, but was mainly a gesture to tell the people that the emperor would share the difficulties with the people.

This attitude was really enough, because as soon as the emperor took the lead, the powerful and wealthy people in Xitu City were the first to respond.

The way they responded surprised everyone. The wealthy households in Xitu City demanded a rent reduction from 37.5% to %. If there was a drought or locust plague the following year, the rent would be waived.

The main reason was that they were afraid that the emperor would take away the big house they had built.

Outside Xizhimen and at the foot of Yuquan Mountain, there are hundreds of large houses that may be the emperor's next targets for robbery, because these large houses, if the walls are demolished, will be perfect for building schools.

The emperor even took away Tsinghua Garden, which was the mansion of the emperor’s grandfather!

On December 25th, the court announced a year-end holiday. Zhang Juzheng brought the account books of the Ministry of Revenue to the imperial study in Tonghe Palace to report to the emperor.

This year's annual revenue, land tax converted into silver is 1542 million silver, commercial tax converted into silver is 3658 million silver, totaling more than 5200 million silver. The proportion of commercial tax exceeded 70% for the first time, mainly due to the huge profits brought by the coal, steel and tobacco monopoly.

"The profits submitted by the tobacco monopoly actually exceeded three million silver coins." Zhu Yijun noticed a striking item in the increase in income: the income from the tobacco monopoly.

The profits from the tobacco monopoly surpassed those from the coal and steel monopolies in one fell swoop. Within a few years, the profits from the tobacco monopoly alone might actually offset military expenditures.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and said concisely: "This thing is a bit too expensive."

The tobacco monopoly can generate so much profit simply because it is expensive. Tobacco is actually a very, very easy crop to grow. It is much less troublesome than cabbage. Zhu Yijun is an agronomist, and he knows very well how easy tobacco is to grow.

In tobacco fields in Luzon and other places, one acre of land can harvest 300 kilograms of dry tobacco leaves a year. A cigarette is kilograms of tobacco, which costs only one or two taels of silver and can be sold for more than silver coins.

The biggest source of profit for this thing is because it is government-run.

The state-owned enterprises in the Ming Dynasty had two sides. On the one hand, tobacco and alcohol produced by the state-owned enterprises were very expensive. On the other hand, coal and steel produced by the state-owned enterprises were relatively cheap.

The coal and steel monopoly sold them cheaply, six cents for a pound of coal, and the price had not increased for many years. The profit of various iron tools was actually not particularly high. An iron hoe cost one hundred and fifty cents, an iron shovel cost one hundred and twenty cents, a complete set of horse harness cost one silver and eight cents, and a water well cart cost eight silver and four cents. The main business was to make small profits but quick turnover.

The iron pots of the Ming Dynasty's foreign trade cost one silver coin each, as if they were robbing money.

Moreover, with the continuous construction and production of 115 government-owned factories in the north, the price of ironware will not increase in the foreseeable future, and may even decrease.

The tobacco monopoly was actually the imperial court taking a tax point that had little impact on people's livelihood, was highly addictive, posed no immediate threat to health, and was a non-survival material, and operating it for huge profits.

In fact, it is just like the Guojiao sold in the imperial farm. Guojiao is not very delicious, but it sells very well and the price is very expensive. The logic is exactly the same as that of tobacco.

The worries of the literati at the beginning finally came true. In order to make money and enrich the country, the imperial court extorted and amassed wealth.

However, this kind of accumulation showed a certain restraint and was generally acceptable to the people of the Ming Dynasty. After all, the emperor took the money to build highways and schools instead of using it for his own extravagance and debauchery.

"Sir, you told me that the imperial courts of all dynasties were all about where to get money and where to spend it. However, no one asked about the deficits of the imperial treasury and the internal treasury, and no one dared to ask about it, because the deficits of the imperial court should not be mentioned. Once mentioned, it would be questioning whether the Mandate of Heaven of the Ming Dynasty is still there."

"Looking at it again today, I deeply agree with it." Zhu Yijun put away the account book of the Ministry of Revenue and said sincerely.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, the court had a lot of things to do, but it all came down to two things: making money and spending money.

The key positions in the imperial court are the source of revenue and the way the state spends its money. When the state treasury is empty, no one dares to ask, nor can they question it. The discussion of the empty treasury is actually a question of heaven's will. If you touch on it, it will involve the ears of heaven, and if you talk about it, it will be a taboo.

Once, Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng, "What do you think of Yan Song?" Zhang Juzheng did not give a direct answer to your majesty, but said this inexplicable words.

Zhu Yijun did not ask any further questions at that time, but later he figured it out.

The fundamental reason why Yan Song, a well-known corrupt official, was able to dominate the court for twenty years was that he was able to get money, which provided military supplies for the southeast to suppress the Japanese pirates and wages for the northwest to resist the invaders. Therefore, all the civil and military officials in the court knew that Yan Song was a corrupt official, but no one could bring him down.

Zhang Juzheng's evaluation of Yan Song was basically that Yan Song was protecting Emperor Jiajing from the wind and rain, so that the emperor and court officials would not have to deal with the fatal problem of the national treasury deficit.

Zhang Juzheng and Yan Song were both prime ministers. After being in power for a long time, Zhang Juzheng's response was different from Yan Song's. He picked open the abscess and then tried to make the scar heal.

"Now that the court has money, we should pay more attention to how to spend the money. We should also pay attention to actually spending it, rather than distributing it layer by layer, which will eventually become private profit." Zhu Yijun talked about the past for the sake of current state affairs.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a while and said, "We must crack down on corruption severely. These stupid people are just sitting there doing nothing but eating and drinking. But if they are like Li Wenquan and Li Wengui, who can't get much money and are harmful, the Wanli Reform will fail."

Zhu Yijun showed a sunny smile. Zhang Juzheng was opposed to anti-corruption and cracking down on corrupt officials. His approach was to first address the malpractices of nepotism and tolerance before cracking down on corrupt officials, because if the malpractices of tolerance were not eliminated, anti-corruption and cracking down on corrupt officials would only become a form of factional ganging up on dissidents rather than a tool for governing officials.

Gao Gong fought corruption many times during the Longqing period, but in the end no one from the Jin Party was dismissed. This is a typical lesson.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng discussed the intensity of the fight against corruption. The performance evaluation system, the official selection system, and the Censorate can gradually perform their functions, and the intensity of the fight against corruption can be further increased.

Zhu Yijun found several memorials and handed them to Zhang Juzheng, saying, "Qi Jimei, the general of Guangxi, Liu Jiwen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Wan Wenqing, the prefect of Guangzhou, have already withdrawn from Zhennan Pass. The withdrawal has caused dissatisfaction among some imperial censors in the court. In the eyes of these censors, Annan and the Burmese bandits are attacking Laos from both east and west. Are they attacking Laos? They are clearly attacking the Ming Dynasty."

"These imperial censors believe that we should take advantage of this opportunity to march south in large numbers, destroy the four great families of Annan in one battle, and turn Annan into a county again."

Zhang Juzheng had read these memorials and given them floating tickets. Since the emperor asked them in person, it was obvious that he had some thoughts.

"Your Majesty, now is not the best time to restore the Thirteen Divisions of Jiaozhi." Zhang Juzheng said solemnly: "From the perspective of national strength and military power, Annan has no ability to resist."

"The imperial court prepared money and food, mobilized the elite troops of the Beijing camp and the elite troops of Guangdong and Guangxi, and deployed fire guns, artillery and fast sailing ships. Let the well-read writers from Qin Shi Ming Yue to the present to boost their momentum and write a soul-stirring manifesto, and then they can go to war."

"We can even prepare the most stringent conditions and force the four great families of Annan to sign them, and then prepare the "Records of the Southern Expedition" and "Records of Heroes". Then we can win a great victory, intimidate the powerful and make them obey us, and conquer cities and territories to increase food supply."

"It seems that everything is going well, but Your Majesty, before going to war, you must ask a question, that is, what if you lose?"

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said with a smile: "If you lose, just say you won, then continue playing music and dancing, and enjoy peace and prosperity."

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, he shook his sleeves and said, "Your Majesty, you said that again!"
The Ming Dynasty's winning theory really would not do such a thing as pretending to win. Pretending to win is worse than not winning at all.

If you really do this, you will probably be laughed at for thousands of years. By then, no matter who says that His Majesty the Emperor is wise and powerful, if someone says that you lost the fight and yet you say you won, they will be speechless and ashamed.

Your Majesty, you were joking. In fact, Zhang Juzheng had already made it very clear in his floating vote. It's not that we won't fight, but that we won't fight now.

If the Ming Dynasty attacks now, the four major families of Annan will only put aside all conflicts and fight against the Ming Dynasty together. Moreover, with the banner of fighting against the Ming Dynasty, everyone will work together as one. This is not good news for the Ming Dynasty. Even if it swallows it, it will probably suffer from indigestion.

The place of Annan is really not that easy to conquer.

The more chaos there is in Annan and the more people die, when no one knows what to do, the best solution is for the Ming Dynasty to take action and for Annan to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and become a part of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Juzheng was well aware of the strength of the Ming army in Beijing. It would take less than three months to defeat Annan and wipe out the four major families in one go. However, once Annan formed a situation of unity and concerted efforts, it would become a mess.

By then, Annan will be like the past during the Xuande period, a piece of chicken ribs that is tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

More chaos, more deaths, more intense conflicts. "In fact, it's the same with Japan. Not enough people died." Zhu Yijun looked at the geomancy map. This increasingly detailed geomancy map of the world included Annan, Jiugang, Japan and other places.

The prototype of this geomancy map of the world was completed in the third year of the Wanli reign. At that time, the map already included Annan, Jiugang, Malacca, Japan and other places.

This is the ambition of His Majesty the Emperor and also the blueprint for the Ming Dynasty to become great again. How can we call it great again if we can’t even take over these places?

In recent years, only the Juezhou maps of the Jinchi Governor's Office and the Datieling Guard have been added to this geomancy map, but the overall map has become several times more detailed.

The situation in Japan is similar to that in Annan. The population of Japan is decreasing rapidly. Due to the loss of young and middle-aged people, the population of Japan has experienced a structural collapse. In the 17th year of Wanli, the population of Japan decreased by nearly 500,000, falling below the lower limit of 7 million people, and is still sliding downward rapidly.

The internal contradictions in Japan were rapidly intensifying. The local uprising, the national uprising, the Ikko (Ikko sect) uprising, and the common people's uprising were becoming more and more intense. The daimyo could no longer effectively suppress the dissatisfaction of the Japanese people, and this contradiction could not be diverted through foreign wars.

Japan's grain production has been declining year after year because the coastal ports and mining areas have absorbed too many strong laborers, and there is no one to farm in the countryside. Food is completely dependent on overseas imports, which further exacerbates the population decline.

Japan is heading towards total collapse.

Zhu Yijun took out a long-prepared imperial edict and handed it to Zhang Juzheng. He sent it out on the last day of the Chinese New Year. It would probably take until March of next year for it to reach Japan. He smiled and said, "It's almost the Chinese New Year. Send an imperial edict to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the shogun of Japan. I'll give him a prescription."

The imperial edict contains all kinds of good medicines, which are absolutely effective.

Zhu Yijun proposed two routes to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The first was to close the country to the outside world and not send a single soldier to sea. Problems such as population loss and population concentration in coastal towns would be solved, and the shoguns and daimyo would be able to continue to act tyrannically.

The second route is to return all the land to the original owner. Owners of land with more than one hectare of land will return all the land, which will be distributed to the people of Japan by the Japanese shogunate to allow them to recuperate. This will not only solve the food crisis, but also curb the continuous decline in population.

But it's all nonsense. No matter which route he took, Toyotomi Hideyoshi could not take it.

If the first route was taken, even if the Ming Dynasty agreed, the lords of the coastal towns would not agree; if the second route was taken, the daimyo would be the first to chop off Toyotomi Hideyoshi's head.

The reason why Zhu Yijun issued such an imperial edict and pointed out the way for Japan was nothing more than a divisive tactic to fan the flames and add fuel to the fire. His only purpose was to intensify the alienation between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the daimyo and cause further division in Japan.

Although being picky inside and out may seem immoral, it really works.

"Which of these two paths Japan takes will ensure their survival. But in my opinion, neither path will work." Zhang Juzheng said solemnly after reading the imperial edict. He gave his majesty a verdict and sentenced Japan to death.

No matter which path Japan takes, the Ming Dynasty will not continue to use large-scale military force against Japan, because this represents a broad consensus in Japan, from the shogun to the common people.

The Ming Dynasty would only build high walls to blockade Japan, for the same reason as Annan: a country that can form a general consensus is difficult to destroy.

The Ming Dynasty could easily achieve military victory, but could not achieve political victory. The inability to achieve political victory meant that the Ming Dynasty would have to pay an extremely heavy price to maintain its rule.

This is actuarial science, but also reality.

Zhang Juzheng left with the imperial edict, while Zhu Yijun took out a memorial from Li Le, the governor of Songjiang. After reading it, Zhu Yijun said with a lingering fear: "This Jile Cult is really evil."

"Instruct all the Maritime Customs Offices to strictly guard against the Japanese and the Pure Land Sect, and never allow the Pure Land Sect to spread in Ming Dynasty."

"I obey the decree." Feng Bao bowed his head and said.

Japan had the opportunity to form a consensus that was accepted by both the top and the bottom, and it was being formed. Various evidence showed that this process had been completely destroyed by the Paradise Cult.

At first, no one paid attention to the Jile Sect. Even Zhu Yijun did not take it seriously. Isn't it just evil? The Ming Dynasty also had it.

Zhu Yijun was subconsciously on guard and defined the Jile Sect as an evil sect and banned its spread in the Ming Dynasty. But looking back now, the emperor's seemingly random decision can be described as wise and brave!

The Pure Land religion disrupted the formation of consensus in Japan and the process of building a Japanese dynasty.

If people do not marry or work, their passions will be half gone; if people do not have food and clothing, the relationship between ruler and minister will cease. This statement by Yang Zhu from the pre-Qin period is happening in Japan.

The number of followers of the Pure Land Sect in Japan has expanded to millions. Recently, news came from Nagasaki and Matsue Prefecture that the Pure Land Sect has carried out a terrible act of exterminating infants.

The Ming Dynasty has tried its best to cooperate with Japan to ban the spread of Paradise Cult. Even Japanese slaves and women with tattoos on their bodies are not allowed to leave the Nagasaki Governor's Office, and are subject to strict inspection to prevent any fish from slipping through the net.

They were afraid that the maggot of Paradise Cult would crawl onto the dining table of the Ming Dynasty, but religion is such an evil thing that it is very difficult to eliminate it once it has grown to a certain scale. The more you suppress it, the stronger it will grow.

Unless we show the same determination as the Three Wars to destroy Buddhism and take drastic measures to control it, otherwise it will be like a wildfire that cannot be extinguished and will spring up again with the spring breeze.

When Zhu Yijun read the words "destroy infants", his heart trembled. The Paradise Cult not only taught its members to kill infants themselves, but also hunted for infants everywhere. Killing infants became a symbolic activity of the Paradise Cult, and a large number of Japanese gossips participated in it.

The Governor of Nagasaki, Xu Wei, reported a phenomenon that was widespread in Uraga Castle: when midwives went to deliver babies, they would bring a needle that had been used to prick plague patients. After the baby was born, the needle would be stuck into the baby. When the owner of the house asked about it, they would say it was to make the baby cry.

The case was only stopped after the Osaka Bay Garrison Thousand Households Inspectorate arrested all the midwives.

Zhu Yijun's hands and feet felt cold and his scalp numbed.

"Go to the Momoyama shogunate and ask Toyotomi Hideyoshi if it is possible. The Gokuraku Cult has gotten to this point. Will he suppress it? If he can't, let me do it. I will send troops to Japan to exorcise these bastards!" Zhu Yijun was ready to intervene militarily.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi can't do that. The Ming Dynasty is coming. No matter what, the Paradise Cult cannot be allowed to spread.

Feng Bao did not obey the order, but took several memorials from the bookshelf in the imperial study and placed them in front of His Majesty. He pointed to a few paragraphs and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid he can't be defeated. His ministers and the two daimyo who support him are all followers of the Paradise Sect and are the Dharma Masters."

The Paradise Cult has a very strict organization, with one leader, nine Dharma masters, and twenty-seven gods, with groups in various places. Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi tried to suppress it several times, and three leaders were killed. Now the position of the leader is vacant, and the nine Dharma masters are in charge of their own affairs.

During the campaign against the Gokuraku Cult, two daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi became legal leaders.

Feng Bao said solemnly, "The reason why the Paradise Cult is so difficult to eliminate is that it and the shogunate are already intertwined. The daimyo who went to attack them, as the fighting progressed, turned into the masters of the law. They ostensibly eliminated the evil spirits, but in reality they protected them, which is why the evil is getting worse and worse."

"In addition, the Pure Land Sect does not discriminate between meat and vegetables. Gangs and bandits from all over the country are also an important part of the Pure Land Sect."

The gangs in the city and the bandits outside the city all joined the Paradise Cult to join in the fun. These violent groups were the most important armed forces of the Paradise Cult. According to the list collected by the Ming Dynasty court alone, the number of these violent groups exceeded 60,000. They were active in ports, docks, warehouses, brothels, casinos, opium dens and other places.

To eradicate the Paradise Cult was completely beyond the Shogun's ability.

"Even in the Ming Dynasty, it would be very difficult for the imperial court to wipe out the Paradise Cult, which has developed to such an extent, so the Ming Dynasty must nip it in the bud." After Feng Bao explained the reasons clearly through several memorials, he put the memorials back on the Nagasaki shelf of the bookcase in the Governor-General's Office.

Feng Bao knew without asking Toyotomi Hideyoshi that Toyotomi Hideyoshi really couldn't do it, and couldn't even stop its continued expansion.

In fact, in Feng Bao's opinion, the fundamental reason is that the Ming Dynasty changed its national policy. After opening the sea, the situation in Japan was inevitable. Even if there was no Paradise Cult, there would be other evil spirits causing chaos. This is an inevitable situation.

The Ming Dynasty completely abandoned the policy of appeasing foreigners and instead adopted violence; the Ming Dynasty was a money-eating beast that needed too much silver; the Ming Dynasty needed too much labor to develop Southeast Asia.

The Ming Dynasty stretched its body and turned over, and Japan was crushed to pieces in the process. This happened to Japan, Annan, and Toungoo.

Without a country, where would a home come from? Similarly, without the lights of thousands of homes and the peace of the years, where would a country come from?

Those who separate the word "country" and the collective and the individual and create opposition between them are stupid and bad. At the very least, they have never read the theory of contradiction and the theory of public and private.

"Then we must defend it strictly and ask Toyotomi Hideyoshi if we need Ming troops to station there. We can't go on like this." Zhu Yijun knew the difficulties, but it was important to wipe out the enemy and prevent its scale from spilling over to the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Shi Xingyan, has arrived." A eunuch walked in and said with his head bowed.

Shi Xingyan was the foreign official that the emperor wanted to receive this year. Shi Xingyan had to return to Beijing because he had disagreements with the emperor. If he didn't come back to see the emperor, he would probably be dismissed.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant Shi Xingyan pays homage. Long live Your Majesty. Long, long live Your Majesty." Shi Xingyan performed the ceremony in a proper manner, bowing five times and kowtowing three times, not daring to be disrespectful in the slightest.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "General Shi, you are wrong. You are right. This is to criticize Chen Shan. I wish all the officials in the world could criticize Chen Shan. What crime has he committed? Please don't be polite. Sit down and talk."

Zhu Yijun was still young and could listen to opposing opinions.

"I heard that there was no famine during this drought in Gansu. Why is that?" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and asked about the situation in Gansu.

There was a severe drought in Shaanxi, Gansu and Suiyuan. More than a thousand people starved to death in Shaanxi, and hundreds of people were counted in Suiyuan. Only Gansu did not report the famine. Either Gansu was deceiving the emperor, or Gansu had its own way.

"Your Majesty, I rely entirely on this to fight drought." Shi Xingyan had someone bring a basket of potatoes, which were small and oddly shaped.

Zhu Yijun grabbed three in his hand and said with a frown, "Is it okay to just eat potatoes?"

"Your Majesty, this is Zhongshengliang potato. I have planted 263 million mu of it, all of which are thin fields. The yield from each mu is 2000 kilograms, and the dry weight is 400 kilograms, which is more than wheat. Therefore, this disaster can not harm us." Shi Xingyan quickly reported on the drought resistance situation in Gansu this year.

Wheat in Gansu was hit by disaster, with an output of only 86 kilograms per mu. If it weren't for these 263 million mu of potato fields, Shi Xingyan would probably have committed suicide.

The direction of breeding in Gansu was found by Shen Yikuan. Zhongsheng Fast-growing Poplar was the first auspicious sign presented by Gansu, and Zhongsheng Good Potato was the second auspicious sign.

"My dear Shi, I am a farmer. I am in charge of agricultural affairs. Do you know that?" Zhu Yijun asked Shi Xingyan while holding three potatoes covered with dirt in his hand.

If Shi Xingyan deceived the emperor, at this point he still had a way back. He could honestly admit that he concealed the truth and still survive.

"Your Majesty's personal involvement in agriculture is a great blessing for the country. From my perspective, the Agricultural College and Baoqi Division are the greatest contributors to the new policy, and the rest are secondary. I know that Your Majesty is concerned about agricultural affairs, and you have studied the twelve chapters and sixty volumes of "Agriculture", so you can be considered a student of agriculture." Shi Xingyan not only refused to look back, but also regarded himself as a student of agriculture.

Shi Xingyan bowed again, took out a memorial, bowed his head and said: "I brought back 10,000 jin of medium-quality potatoes from the northwest, just for your majesty to examine."

There are ten thousand ways to deceive the emperor, and Shi Xingyan has no need to bring physical evidence to the emperor.

Shi Xingyan came here to seek credit, not to ask Your Majesty to behead him.

(End of this chapter)