lady, please calm down

Throughout mid-to-late July, Lin'an was immersed in a state of great agitation and ecstasy.

As previously stated, major newspapers and magazines have begun to publish the names and hometowns of the people who were abducted in the early years to facilitate family reunions.

Some who found their children, parents, and siblings were overjoyed.

Those who cannot find their missing family members are still waiting anxiously, hoping that their long-missing relatives will be on the next list.

Even those whose family members were missing began to plan to go north to Tokyo to witness with their own eyes the execution of Wanyan Liang and other Jin captives.

There were many people who had such plans. Even many officials in the Lin'an court arranged for their families to go to Tokyo. However, for the sake of the court's face, they were extremely low-key.

By the end of July, the news that Mei Yao, who had lived in Lin'an for a long time, was about to return to his hometown had spread among the scholars.

To them, Mei Dajia is more than just a simple singer.

First of all, Master Mei had a noble character and never looked down on others based on their family background. On ordinary days, if poor scholars came to his house to discuss scriptures and philosophy, Master Mei would not charge them a penny and even provided them with wine, food and meals. There are countless examples of this.

Secondly, when the scholar cried in the temple, Mr. Mei went to rescue him personally, even going to jail himself, and sharing the joys and sorrows with the scholar.

Because of these two things, Mr. Mei was highly admired and respected by scholars.

Upon learning that Mr. Mei was about to return home, the prominent young scholars in Lin'an City said goodbye to him in advance.

On July 28, old friends including Gu Yuntang and Xue Zhongyi came to visit the cottage. During the conversation, Gu Yuntang implicitly expressed his hope that Mr. Mei could stay in Lin'an permanently, but was politely rejected by Mr. Mei.

That night, after returning to Liuhuai Preparatory School in the west of the city, Gu Yuntang, Xue Zhongyi and student Guan Huimin had a drink in the dormitory. After a few drinks, Gu Yuntang, who was worried, was already drunk.

Xue Zhongyi naturally knew what his friend was thinking. Although Gu Yuntang had never said it out loud, everyone around him knew that he had admired Master Mei for a long time. However, this time Master Mei was returning to the north, and they would be separated by thousands of miles. If there was no chance, they might never meet again in this life.

"Yuntang, think positively. Madam Mei is a fairy-like person. How can we ordinary people be in her eyes? Madam Mei has lived in Lin'an for more than three years. She has many admirers and many young talents, but no one has ever been her lover. Alas, Madam Mei already has someone in her heart, so let's not bother ourselves anymore."

Hearing the meaning of Xue Zhongyi's words, he actually felt a sense of loss that he himself felt. However, Gu Yuntang, with sleepy eyes, only said: "Gu has long given up other extravagant hopes. Since we are not destined to be together in this life, I am willing to watch the Mei family live happily and contentedly. But when I think that after this separation, it will be difficult for us to meet again, my heart aches terribly."

"Hey." Xue Zhongyi drank a glass of wine with him and remained silent.

If Mr. Mei had someone else in his heart, he might have advised Gu Yuntang to fight for it, or even dared to fight for it himself.

But that person really made the two of them not interested in comparing themselves.

Guan Huimin, a student standing nearby, was an active participant in various activities at Liuhuai School. He was the chairman of the school's self-government association and was not much older than the two young teachers. He probably understood what was going on. After a little thought, he suddenly said:

"Gentlemen, our school has a three-year study period, and the last year is supposed to be a study trip to Huaibei. In this case, why don't we take advantage of the opportunity of the principal holding a public trial in Tokyo to go north to watch the ceremony and travel around?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Gu and Xue immediately became excited.

Liuhuai Academy advocates reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. Moreover, if we can set off soon, we can also travel with Mr. Mei!
"This can be done!"

Gu Yuntang clapped his hands and cheered, but Xue Zhongyi hesitated and said, "Although the school has sufficient funds, the money required for such a spontaneous trip is not a small amount. It's not right to ask the school to pay for it, right?"

Gu Yuntang, who was well-read but lacked life experience, felt depressed when he heard this. Indeed, if it was a school tour, it certainly couldn't be just the three of them, as that would make the purpose seem too clear.

But with so many people, the travel expenses are not a small amount, and I feel embarrassed to ask the school for money.

But Guan Huimin was born in a poor family. He came all the way and was able to finally squeeze into the Liuhuai School, which had a very high elimination rate, thanks to his character of being very good at making use of various resources.

But he rolled his eyes and said, "Gentlemen, this is not difficult."

"Oh? Tell me about it!"

"We can go find Miao Kui, a big Huai merchant in Lin'an! His fortune is closely related to Huaibei, and there are even rumors that he drank with the King of Jin! The headmaster of our school is the King of Jin! If we tell Manager Miao that we want to travel to Qi, he will definitely give our school a favor and provide a considerable amount of travel expenses."

"Borrowing money from a businessman?"

"This amount of money is not small. Will Manager Miao agree?"

Gu Yuntang and Xue Zhongyi said in unison, but the former seemed to look down on merchants, while the latter was worried that Manager Miao would be reluctant to let go.

"Sir, what's wrong with being a businessman? What's important is to accomplish what we want to do! Mr. Lu from Huaibei always talks about 'pragmatism'! The result is what's important."

Guan Huimin first coaxed Gu Yuntang, and then said to Xue Zhongyi: "This little travel expense is like a drop in the bucket for Shopkeeper Miao. I think Shopkeeper Miao will not only not refuse, but may even publicize it in a big way. It would be best if King Jin could hear that he supports our school!"

Xue Zhongyi was skeptical and said, "This is Lin'an! Not Huaibei. Isn't he afraid that the court will be unhappy with him for doing this?"

"Oh! Sir, the current situation in the world is obvious! How could Chen Gong, the Third Secretary, snatch the position of Minister of Finance from Qin Xiang? How could the Commercial Daily be the mouthpiece of Huaibei and speak for Huaibei in Lin'an? When Mrs. Mei was imprisoned with you, why did no one dare to trouble her again?"

The two were stunned by Guan Huimin's series of rhetorical questions, and then Guan Huimin answered himself: "It's because the King of Jin is standing behind them! Now in Lin'an City, whoever is close to the King of Jin is safe! Just like the shopkeeper Miao, who has ever heard him say that he had a drink with the King of Jin in his early years? Why did many people hear that he had a drink with the King of Jin after the King of Jin's troops arrived at the city last year? He said it himself. Prime Minister Qin dare not touch anyone related to the King of Jin, and the court dare not touch him either, even the emperor. Hehe."

Having said this, Guan Huimin ended with a proud laugh.

It seems that it is a great honor for the emperor to be afraid of their headmaster.

But just ten years ago, in the Zhou Dynasty, which emphasized the death of the minister if the king humiliated him, such words would be absolutely treasonous.

However, neither Gu nor Xue expressed much, and they both even felt a little inferior. They were both traditional scholars who only knew how to read books of sages in their early years, and there were no elders in their families who were officials, so they were not keenly aware of the situation.

But the student in front of him spoke very clearly and even saw things more clearly than the two of them, which made him feel frustrated.

Xue Zhongyi, who was honest by nature, could not help but sigh: "Hui Min has extraordinary insight, and his future achievements will surely surpass the two of us."

Being praised by his teacher, the young Guan Huimin couldn't help but feel a little flattered. He lowered his voice and said, "Hey, now the situation is becoming clearer. Zhou has lost its power and the King of Jin is chasing it! In less than five years."

"Hui Min! Be careful with your words!"

Almost exactly as Guan Huimin had guessed, on the 29th, Gu and Xue asked to meet with Miao Kui and stated their demands.

Manager Miao agreed without hesitation and handed over a thousand-string bill of lading on the spot. He also agreed to provide three thousand strings of lading every year to support the students' travel.

Gu and Xue didn't expect that after this trip, they would actually get a long-term meal ticket for the school, so they were very happy.

However, businessmen are businessmen, and Shopkeeper Miao doesn't take the money for nothing. He just made a small request. The annual 3,000 strings of cash should be set up as a special project in the name of the Miao family, called the 'Miao Scholarship'.

At first, Gu Yuntang was not very happy about this. After all, it seemed a bit cheap for a prestigious institution to set up a scholarship in the name of a businessman.

But then, he remembered Guan Huimin's explanation of "pragmatism" last night and agreed.

As soon as the news came out, many merchants who were agents of Huai goods took the initiative to find Liuhuai School that day. Some said they would sponsor the trip, and some said they would set up a scholarship using their own surnames.

Gu Yuntang naturally had no time to deal with these matters, so he left them all to the teacher in the school. He immediately ran to Mr. Mei's residence, informed the other party that he was also going north, and agreed on matters of travel together.

However, after Manager Miao’s deliberate publicity, people who wanted to join the trip in Lin’an City came to the school one after another.

Although they were not students of the academy, each of them had some background, such as Zhong Yan, the son of Lord Zhong Che, the left envoy of the Sansi Yamen, Cao Bai, the eldest grandson of Lord Cao Wande, the clerk, and many other children of officials.

Yes, the elders of the other family are officials in the court. If their children go north to Qi State, the court will not look good. But if they say that it was a group action organized by Liuhuai Academy, they will always have an excuse when asked about it in the future.

So by the day of departure, the number of students heading north had exceeded 300, and even so, the applications of many registered students were postponed to the second batch.

Otherwise, the entire Liuhuai Academy would have to be mobilized.

On the first day of August, more than 300 people set out north on three river boats.

The imperial court was naturally aware of the huge commotion in Lin'an City, but no one tried to stop it.

After all, last year's "Lin'an Peace Agreement" had clear provisions that mutual visits and exchanges between the people and scholars of the two countries should not be hindered.

Now that the King of Jin has just won a great victory in the north, why should he violate the terms of the peace agreement for this matter? If Qi is allowed to find another reason to send troops, whoever stops it today will be blamed tomorrow.

The death of Wanqi Xie is a lesson for us.

Since they were traveling, it was impossible for them to take the boat all the time. After crossing the river from Jiangning, they passed through Chuzhou and Luzhou and entered Anfeng.

Today, the entire Huainan area is under the rule of the retired emperor of the Anfeng Dynasty. In early to mid-August, the fields are full of late rice swaying in the wind and corn that is as tall as a person.

The crowd had never seen a crop like corn before. When passing through a town in Luzhou, they tried boiled corn in a small roadside shop. The sticky texture and slightly sweet taste made everyone marvel.

When I asked the shopkeeper what the food was called, he said, "It's called corn, but we country folk are not used to this difficult name, so we call it 'Wangyebang' in private."

Hearing this strange name, the lively Guan Huimin couldn't help but ask: "Uncle, why is it called Wangye Bang? Could it be related to King Jin?"

Seeing that the scholars were interested, the shopkeeper dusted himself off and sat down. "Of course it's related! This stick doesn't need paddy fields. It can be planted in places where rice couldn't be grown in previous years. And the yield of this plant is very high. One mu of land can produce about 500 kilograms."

"Is 500 jins high?"

Zhong Yan, who followed the scholars north, asked this question. He was not questioning it, but he really didn't know.

But these words made the shopkeeper unhappy, but his innate respect for scholars made him hold back and not retort, but he remained silent.

Guan Huimin, who knows a lot about farming, said hurriedly, "Five hundred catties is of course a lot! You have to know that in our Jiangnan paddy fields, one mu of rice can only produce two hundred and sixty to seventy catties at most. Wheat yields even less, with a yield of one hundred and thirty to forty catties per mu in a good year, and seventy to eighty catties is common in a bad year. Uncle, am I right?"

Finally, the store owner was given a way out.

Sure enough, this humble attitude of asking for advice made the shopkeeper look much better, and he finally spoke again: "Well, you know a lot, but your wheat yield is more than 100 kilograms. The new wheat variety that the prince promoted here last year can yield more than 400 kilograms this year!"

The shop owner was quite pleased with himself, and the students who came from farming families also showed expressions of astonishment.

Since ancient times, food has been the most important thing for people.

High-yield crops have always been a magical tool that can make a country rich and threaten the people!

Guan Huimin immediately thought: King Jin only needs to master this new variety to be invincible, so why is he promoting it so widely? If the people of the world are full, this magic weapon will be useless.

From a political standpoint, this is undoubtedly a waste of resources.

Guan Huimin also raised this question, but the shopkeeper was ignorant after all, and he couldn't explain it clearly. He just kept emphasizing that the prince had put a lot of effort into promoting the new varieties last year so that everyone would not go hungry.

Farmers’ ability to bear risks is almost zero. If the harvest is poor or even total next year, their families will be ruined and their loved ones will die. Therefore, they are extremely cautious and resistant to new seeds.

For this reason, the King of Jin had to convert a year's harvest into money and grain before he would give them a try.

As a result, the harvests of crops such as wheat and corn far exceeded those of previous years, which scared everyone and made those who had been very resistant at the beginning feel very guilty.

Perhaps out of gratitude for the prince's painstaking efforts, everyone unanimously called the corn "Wangye Bang". Firstly, the corn ear looks like a mallet, and secondly, "Wangye Bang" is also a humorous expression of the prince being great.

While the shopkeeper was telling his story with emotion, Guan Huimin was still wondering why King Jin did such a thing that received no reward. He could not help but look forward to the trip to Huaibei so that he could explore it himself and find the answer.

Before leaving, the shopkeeper learned that the students would pass by Huaibei on their way to Tokyo, so he quickly called his son and asked him to bring a bag of newly ground wheat flour and a bag of newly collected prince's sticks, and held Guan Huimin tightly.

He said straightly: "Young sir, I have never been out of the county in my life, and I don't know how to get to Huaibei. I beg you to deliver this bag of wheat flour to the Prince of Jin's mansion when you pass by Huaibei. And please tell me something. Last year, I was ignorant and treated the technician sent by the prince in a weird way. Now my wife at home scolds me for not knowing what is good for me. I regret it. Please try this bag of wheat flour. If you are free, please come to our Bazhang Village again. I kowtow to you to apologize."

"."

"Little sir, please"

The shopkeeper thought Guan Huimin was unwilling to help and was about to kneel down. Guan Huimin quickly pulled him up and had no choice but to accept this random, sudden side quest.

During the rest of the journey, the students were much quieter.

Among them, there are many whose elders are landlords and gentry. Almost every family hangs a plaque with the words "Farming and studying to pass on the family tradition". They have always boasted of being kind to the people and bringing benefits to the community.

But no one has ever been treated like this before.
Along the way, I saw and heard all kinds of things.

But in general, people along the way lived and worked in peace and contentment. If one did not know it in advance, no one would have been able to tell that the two governments had just experienced a war early last year.

The more you see, the more you think.

The only thing that made people unhappy was that the attitude of officials along the way was almost to the point of strict defense against them.

It's not that they are rude, on the contrary they are very polite and will even give you some travel expenses.

But whenever they wanted to go deeper into the places to have a look, local officials would always make excuses and just want the students to leave the country as soon as possible.

The officials’ reaction is not difficult to understand.

Scholars and students have always been difficult to deal with, and they cannot be beaten or scolded. If they find some flaws in their own territory, there may be a big disturbance.

The Prime Minister Chen Jing'an, who was stationed in Anfeng, was extremely tough in governing the officials. Who wouldn't be afraid that if the students caused trouble, Prime Minister Chen would dismiss him from office and punish him?

August 15th is the mid-autumn day.

The students arrived at Anfeng, a temporary capital of small size. While strolling in the city, they passed by an inconspicuous gate tower and realized that this was the imperial city where the retired emperor lived.

Compared with the residence of Emperor Lin'an, this place can no longer be described as simple, it is simply shabby.

Zhong Yan, who was born in an official family, couldn't help but sigh: "Ah, the emperor is so simple, it's amazing! Along the way, everywhere is a paradise! Today, I saw the residence of the emperor, and I know why this peaceful and prosperous era came! The emperor is a holy monarch!"

"."

It seems that all the credit for Huainan's prosperity was created by the retired emperor.

Guan Huimin and others who had a master-disciple relationship with the Prince of Jin could not help but glance at Zhong Yan, but since it was related to the retired emperor, Guan Huimin kept silent.

However, there was a poor and brave classmate who could not stand it and said slowly: "Mr. Zhong may have expressed his feelings to the wrong person. If he was really capable, would there be a disaster like Dingwei? The prosperity of Huainan is due to the King of Jin." (End of this chapter)