The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 728 The Divine Artifact to Solve Famine

Tianshui County is more than 600 li away from Lintao Prefecture. It took Tiehu, Zhang Huangyan and others three days to arrive in Lintao Prefecture on the tenth day of the seventh month. Because of the consecutive sunny days, the flood of Tao River had receded, but the grass and trees on both sides of the river covered with mud still clearly reflected the danger when the flood peak passed through.

The weather was unbearably hot, and with the city gate in sight, everyone urged their horses onward. At this moment, the two guards leading the way suddenly reined in their horses and said excitedly, "General, it looks like the Governor-General is ahead... no, it's the Governor-General himself! The Governor-General has come out of the city to welcome us!"

Tie Hu and Xing Wei looked up and saw Jia Huan standing under the shade of a tree by the roadside, waving and smiling in their direction. The two exchanged surprised and delighted glances, their hearts filled with warmth. Third Master was still the same Third Master; no matter how high his official rank, their brotherly bond remained unchanged.

"Jia!" Mandarin was even more excited than Tie Xing and the other two. She cried out and spurred her horse to the shade of the tree. She leaped into the air and flew into Jia Huan's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

Jia Huan was startled and quickly spread his arms and squeezed his legs tightly around the saddle, managing to catch the nearly 1.8-meter-tall foreign woman and prevent her from falling off the horse.

"Tsk tsk, this blonde, blue-eyed Aunt Man not only has a great figure, but she's also very skilled. These moves are not something an ordinary woman can do."

Dong Dao and Fan Jian, along with their personal guards, couldn't help but click their tongues in disbelief. However, they all wisely adopted a meditative posture, keeping their eyes, mouths, noses, and minds focused to avoid seeing anything inappropriate for children.

Mandarin wasn't usually a clingy person, but she had been separated from Jia Huan for so long that her longing for him was overwhelming. She couldn't control herself and clung to him, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, her face full of charming infatuation.

Seeing this, Tiehu and Xingwei cleverly slowed down their horses and slowly made their way over, dawdling for as long as they could.

Jia Huan held Mandarin's alluring waist tenderly for a moment before gently patting her buttocks and softly saying, "Good girl, we'll chat again tonight."

Mandarin then jumped off Jia Huan with satisfaction, sensibly stepping aside, her sapphire-like eyes filled with joy as she tenderly observed the changes in her man.

Yes, there have been changes. In the year and a half since we last met, Jia has grown taller and stronger. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold Mandarin so firmly on horseback just now.

In fact, Mandarin is not fat at all. She has a slim waist and full hips, and is voluptuous yet slender. However, with her height of 1.8 meters, she probably weighs 120 pounds.

At this moment, Tiehu and Xingwei finally arrived, dismounted, knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Tiehu (Xingwei) has come to report to the Governor."

Jia Huan gladly stepped forward and helped his two good brothers up. Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word.

Zhang Huangyan then bowed and said, "Zhang Huangyan greets Your Excellency the Governor."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Junior Brother Xuanzhuo, there's no need for formalities. By the way, why are you with Hu Zi and the others?"

Zhang Huangyan, courtesy name Xuanzhu, said humbly, "A few days ago, I encountered a band of bandits in Tianshui County. Thanks to Tiger and Wei for driving them away, I was able to escape."

Jia Huan hurriedly asked what had happened, and Zhang Huangyan gave a brief account of what had happened. After listening, Jia Huan raised his eyebrows. He had long wanted to deal with Luo Rucai and his gang of thieves, but he hadn't expected them to dare to plot against Tianshui County right under his nose. Well, he would make them his next target.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group entered the city. Once inside the commander's mansion, Jia Huan couldn't help but ask, "Xuanzhu, what treasure is your old servant carrying?"

Tiehu and Xingwei were also very curious. Zhang Huangyan's old servant had been carrying a bulging sack the whole way, and they had wanted to ask him about it for a long time.

Zhang Huangyan laughed and said, "In terms of monetary value, this thing is really not worth much, but it is indeed a treasure. I brought it here specifically to present to Senior Brother Jia, as it may be of great use!"

Jia Huan immediately became interested and asked, "What exactly is it? Junior Brother Xuanzhuo, please don't keep me in suspense."

Zhang Huangyan waved his hand, signaling the old servant to open the sack. The servant did as instructed, untied the rope, and emptied the contents of the sack.

Upon seeing the contents of the bag, Jia Huan immediately stood up in surprise and blurted out, "Where did Junior Brother Xuanzhu get these two rare items?"

What the old servant poured out of the sack were golden corn cobs and sweet potatoes—two high-yield crops that were "magic weapons" for solving famine!

Tie Hu and Xing Wei, however, did not recognize this thing. Seeing Jia Huan's excitement, they were both confused and asked, "Third Master, what is this thing?"

Zhang Huangyan asked in surprise, "Could it be that Senior Brother Jia also recognizes these two Southeast Asian crops?"

Jia Huan nodded, bent down and picked up a corn cob and a sweet potato, saying, "This is corn, and this is sweet potato. Both are very high-yield crops. If they were planted on a large scale, all the people of our Great Jin would be able to fill their stomachs."

Zhang Huangran looked at Jia Huan in surprise and said admiringly, "Brother Jia is indeed very knowledgeable. However, people in the south call this yellowish thing 'baosu' and another kind 'fanshu'. They are both imported from Southeast Asia and are rarely seen in the north."

"Whether it's called corn or sweet potato, is this thing really that productive?" Tie Hu asked in a deep voice, clearly aware of the immense value of these two crops.

Zhang Huangyan nodded affirmatively and said, "The yield is very high, and it is also drought-resistant. It can be grown even in barren mountainous areas. For example, if this sweet potato is planted in fertile fields, it can easily yield more than a thousand catties per mu, and even reach several thousand catties."

Tie Hu and Xing Wei were stunned. This was too exaggerated! Wheat yields were only one or two hundred catties per mu, but this thing could yield more than a thousand catties per mu, more than ten times the yield. Was it really true?

"You're not bragging, are you?" Xing Wei asked incredulously.

Zhang Huangyan shook his head and said, "I am not exaggerating at all. These two products have long been cultivated in Fujian and Lingnan, with extremely high yields. It is a pity that the imperial court has never paid attention to them."

Jia Huan nodded. As an archaeology major, he naturally knew that corn and sweet potatoes were introduced to China at the end of the Ming Dynasty, but they were not widely popular until the Qing Dynasty when they began to be cultivated in large quantities.

Unfortunately, the rulers of the Ming Dynasty did not pay enough attention to these two miraculous tools for solving famine. If they had been widely promoted decades earlier, the Ming Dynasty might have been able to extend its life by another hundred years. But there are no "ifs." Every dynasty is destined to follow the three-hundred-year cycle law. Perhaps this is what is called the will of Heaven. "Junior Brother Xuanzhuo, where did you get these two crops?" Jia Huan asked.

Zhang Huangyan replied, "My hometown is Yin County, Zhejiang. I had a classmate from Quanzhou, Fujian. One year, he brought these two things from his hometown for me to try. I was lucky enough to get some, and after tasting them, I thought they tasted pretty good. So I tried planting them in my yard, and to my surprise, they were successful. I dug up two large baskets of sweet potatoes from one plot. However, neither sweet potatoes nor corn should be eaten in large quantities, as they are easy to feel full and difficult to digest."

Tiehu said, "As long as it fills the cannon's belly, it's better than starving to death."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Tiger is absolutely right. I was just having a headache over how to settle the large number of refugees, but I didn't expect that Junior Brother Xuanzhu would bring these two miraculous relief items. The suppression of the bandit rebellion is just around the corner!"

As Chen Qiyu pointed out, the reason why the rebel army grew larger and larger despite repeated suppression was that the people could not fill their stomachs. If they had enough to eat, they would not risk their lives to rebel.

Now that we have two high-yield crops, corn and sweet potatoes, as long as they are widely planted, the results will be immediate within one or two years. Without the soil of famine, it will be difficult for the rebels to rise again.

Jia Huan bowed solemnly to Zhang Huangyan and said, "Junior Brother Xuanzhuo, you have done me a great favor this time. You have saved countless lives, which is more than enough to make you a living Buddha. In the future, when the bandits are quelled, Junior Brother Xuanzhuo will have a share of the credit."

Zhang Huangyan was also very excited at this moment, and even his fair face was flushed, as if he had drunk several kilograms of fine wine. He quickly returned the greeting and said, "Senior Brother Jia, you are too kind. In fact, it should be Huangyan who thanks you. Last year, Huangyan requested the court to promote the planting of corn and sweet potatoes, but unfortunately, I am of low status and my voice is not valued at all."

"I brought these two crops to Senior Brother Jia this time merely to try my luck and hope to attract the court's attention through his influence. I didn't expect Senior Brother Jia to recognize them as well. If we can successfully promote them, Senior Brother Jia will have made a great contribution."

Jia Huan smiled slightly and said, "Let future generations judge right and wrong. Let's get things done first."

Zhang Huangyan's spirits lifted. Young and full of vigor, what man wouldn't want to make a name for himself and achieve great things?
Jia Huan was always decisive and efficient. He immediately invited the supervising eunuch Duan Yong to come and have Zhang Huangyan introduce the benefits of corn and sweet potatoes in person, and expressed his intention to promote and trial planting them in Taozhou.

Duan Yong was a man who was ambitious and eager to make a name for himself. When he heard that these two crops were so productive, he was eager to try them out. However, he was worried that he would fail and have to take responsibility. So he hesitated and pondered, saying, "This is a big matter. I think we should first report to the court and wait for the court to approve it before promoting it."

Feudal society was essentially an agricultural society, with land economy as its lifeline. What was planted in the fields was crucial to the national economy and people's livelihood. Missing the planting season for even one season could have serious consequences. Therefore, everyone from officials and emperors to ordinary people was extremely cautious. If you suddenly introduced a crop that had never been seen before and asked the court to promote it, not only would officials be unsure, but even ordinary people would probably not dare to easily switch to planting it. After all, if the change failed, they would have to starve for the next year.

However, in Jia Huan's eyes, these two high-yield crops, sweet potatoes and corn, had been cultivated for hundreds of years in later generations, and their high yield had been effectively verified. Therefore, he was not worried about the failure of planting them. He confidently assured Duan Yong that it would definitely succeed. If it failed, then he, as the governor, would bear all the blame.

Duan Yong had been waiting for Jia Huan's words. Since Jia Huan was willing to take on all the responsibilities, that was perfect. If the promotion was successful, he would get credit, and even if it failed, he wouldn't be held responsible. Where else could he find such a good deal? So he immediately agreed.

As the saying goes, "A year's plan starts in spring," and if spring is missed, summer cannot be missed. Therefore, Jia Huan immediately appointed Zhang Huangyan as the acting prefect of Taozhou, in charge of promoting the planting of sweet potatoes and corn.

Not long ago, the two young generals, Sun Ting and Zhang Yi, had wiped out three rebel armies in Taozhou and captured a large number of prisoners. Most of these prisoners were local people, and it was impossible to kill them all. So they simply punished them slightly and then let them go home to farm. It was a win-win situation.

When Jia Huan finished his work, it was already completely dark. He then suddenly woke Mandarin and hurried towards the back of the governor's mansion.

Jia Huan's governor's mansion is divided into three courtyards: front, middle, and rear. The front courtyard is where offices are located, the middle courtyard is used for receiving guests, and the rear courtyard is where people live and eat.

Meanwhile, Jia Huan returned to the inner quarters and, standing outside the door, heard the sound of water coming from inside. Intrigued, he gently pushed open the door and went in. Sure enough, he saw a graceful figure swaying behind the screen, with the sound of flowing water. It must be Mandarin taking a bath.

Jia Huan couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This foreign girl had indeed learned all of Caixia's little tricks. He turned around, closed the door, and then walked behind the screen.

Before the governor could react, a wet, jade-like arm suddenly reached out, wrapped around his neck, and with a splash, the governor fell into the bathtub, becoming a drowned rat.

"Hehehe, Jia, you were too careless. If I were the assassin, you would be dead already!"

After playing this prank, Mandarin covered her mouth and giggled, trembling like a flower branch shaking.

Jia Huan was so angry that his teeth itched. He stepped out of the bathtub, quickly removing his equipment as he said viciously, "You just wait, I'll show you who the real assassin is!"

Mandarin stood gracefully in the bathtub, her voluptuous pear-shaped figure appearing and disappearing in the white steam. Her wet blonde hair cascaded down her back, her lips slightly parted, and she beckoned with a seductive glance.

Tsk tsk, those foreign women! This is intolerable!

The governor quickly freed himself from his restraints and, exuding murderous intent, leaped into the steamy bathtub…

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I won't go into too much detail about how intense the battle was. Anyway, the governor, who was used to getting up early every day to exercise, slept until noon the next day for the first time ever. His two servants, Jinbao and Muye, wisely refrained from disturbing him.

When Jia Huan woke up, Mandarin was humming a little tune and happily packing her luggage. When she saw Jia Huan wake up, she rushed over to help him get dressed and wash up. The summer clothes were thin, and there was some dawdling involved, which almost led to another accidental encounter.

Mandarin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Jia, you should wear it yourself. I'm not teasing you anymore." Then she turned and ran away.

Jia Huan was both amused and exasperated. That damned hussy, she lit a fire but didn't put it out. How could she be so unreasonable?

The governor sat quietly for a while, finally suppressing his anger. After getting dressed and freshening up, Mandarin brought out breakfast.

After the two had breakfast, Mandarin took out the several large boxes of things that Jia Mu, Tan Chun, Xi Chun, Ping Er, Qing Wen, Cai Xia and others had asked her to bring, and showed them to Jia Huan one by one.

(End of this chapter)