I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 534 Extra 4
In April, the eldest son of the Marquis of Pingle got engaged to the second daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. They married in September, and Chu Shangming would have to call Pei Yunjian his brother-in-law from then on.

In the eleventh year of the Shunguang Emperor's reign, the nationwide land survey was completed, and tax reforms were effectively implemented at the local level, resulting in increased tax revenue for the national treasury. The Emperor was greatly pleased and rewarded those who had contributed to the success.

Leaving aside the others, the four who followed King Xiao on his travels were all granted official positions.

Chu Shangming was transferred to the position of Director of the Personnel Evaluation and Merit Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Personnel, a fifth-rank official with the same power as a fourth-rank official.

Pei Yunjian wanted to use his merits to ask the emperor for a marriage decree. Upon hearing this, Ren Qingxia also knelt down, wanting to use her merits to exchange for a marriage decree as well, which made both of their fathers roll their eyes in anger.

Actually, after so many years, both families have basically accepted it. After all, he's not their only son, so the family line won't end.

The two boys have decided on each other. Their parents, who feel sorry for them, have tried everything – hitting, scolding, and persuading – but they can't change their minds and have no choice but to accept it.

But when they heard the two men ask for a marriage decree in front of all the civil and military officials, the two old fathers still felt a little breathless.

Chu Shangming quickly helped his father-in-law catch his breath. If he died from anger, his wife would be heartbroken.

Xiao Jingfan was about to consider it, but an imperial censor jumped out to oppose it, denouncing Pei and Ren for their moral failings and deeming them unfit for office.

Xiao Jingfan immediately disregarded the matter and granted them a marriage, also bestowing official titles upon them.

Ren Qingxia was transferred to the position of Director of the Court of Judicial Review, a sixth-rank official; Pei Yunjian was promoted to the position of Principal Clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, a fifth-rank official.

All three have found their place, leaving only Yan Chengtong.

Young Master Yan had followed Prince Xiao on his travels for years and had long since given up on the job. But his merits were undeniable, and the moment he mentioned resigning as Grand Tutor, he threatened to punish him according to family law.

Young Master Yan, who didn't want to get beaten, seized an opportunity to enter the palace and plead with the emperor, asking if there was an official position that was easy to talk about, sounded good, and wouldn't get him beaten by his father.

Back then, Yan Chengtong played a significant role in the tax reform and the bid for the position of Grand Tutor. Xiao Jingfan remembered the young man's contribution and, after much thought, actually found a vacancy.

The Court of State Ceremonial Affairs was short of a Vice Minister. The main job was to receive foreign envoys when they visited. The job was relatively easy, and the rank was fifth grade, which sounded good.

After thinking it over, Yan Chengtong realized that getting things done through eating and drinking was perfect for him, so he decided to make this position of Junior Minister!
After the awards and rewards were distributed, there was another important matter to discuss at the court assembly.

After several years of exploration, Shennongshu has selected potato, sweet potato and corn varieties with stable yields that are suitable for planting in Dasheng.

With spring just beginning, Xiao Jingfan wanted to take the opportunity to promote its cultivation nationwide, and asked all officials to pool their wisdom and efforts to come up with a practical and feasible plan as soon as possible.

After a brief discussion, the officials gradually formulated a plan, which was to first have the government vigorously promote the three crops, starting with their huge yields and numerous ways of preparation, to arouse the interest of the people.

Then the Shennong Bureau sent people to various prefectures and counties to teach planting methods for free. For example, those old farmers who performed well in the Shennong Bureau were ready-made teachers, and the imperial court could give them a certain amount of subsidies as encouragement.

In the first year of planting, the imperial court provided free seedlings, and people who wanted to plant could register at the government office to receive them.

The government must distribute seedlings in proportion to the acreage registered in the fish scale register, and must arrange for special personnel to patrol and supervise to ensure that the seedlings are actually planted in the fields, so as to prevent anyone from reselling or maliciously wasting them.

While promoting the cultivation of sacred plants, we must not neglect other crops such as rice, wheat, and millet. We must adapt to local conditions and have the government calculate and control the proportions to avoid situations where only sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes are grown in the fields.

These are just general guidelines; many problems will inevitably arise during implementation, and all of them must be carefully considered, especially the need to guard against people from other countries stealing seedlings.

Don't waste money, effort, and manpower to bring back many divine objects, only to have them benefit another country in the end.

The officials discussed the matter enthusiastically, and Xiao Jingfan ordered the Minister of Revenue and the Director of the Shennong Bureau to summarize the findings and present a practical solution at the court meeting the next day.

The two accepted the order.

Five days later, all the details were finally agreed upon, and Xiao Jingfan ordered the nationwide promotion of the cultivation of the three divine plants.

The first step was promotion. Some genius, with a stroke of genius, linked the divine objects to the Phoenix Maiden, creating a story that the Phoenix Maiden deliberately revealed information about three divine objects so that the people of Dasheng could have enough to eat, willingly enduring divine punishment and nearly being annihilated. After these two miracles, the Phoenix Maiden was already a household name. Any storybook related to the Phoenix Maiden sold incredibly well.

This book is the same. Compared with other love stories and demon-slaying stories, the subject matter is particularly fresh and unconventional, which makes people who are tired of the same old stories feel refreshed. After reading it carefully, they are so moved that one handkerchief is not enough.

The divine punishment was truly excruciating. Lady Feng Nu's efforts were so painstaking; how could they possibly betray her good intentions?
As a result, the publicity campaign was unexpectedly successful. People flocked to the area, showing great enthusiasm for planting potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes, and the promotion went exceptionally smoothly.

Seeing this, other prefectures and counties immediately followed suit, adapting the story to their local conditions and creating second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth... versions of the story of the Phoenix Maiden and the three divine creatures, each more touching than the last.

As Chu Liuzheng refreshed through various versions of the system, he felt as if thunderbolts were rolling down his head.

No, did you have to portray her as so tragic?

Although she did reveal the existence of potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes, she simply copied down the information she found in the system and handed it to the emperor. That was all. There was no divine punishment, such as being burned, struck by lightning, or thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil.

Can't things be more peaceful and beautiful?

Chu Liuzheng refused to believe in this superstition and, after much deliberation, personally wrote a peaceful and refreshing little story without divine punishment, the depletion of divine power, or the obstruction of demons and monsters.

"Go print five hundred copies and distribute them for free."

Three days later, the booksellers announced that Lady Phoenix had a new storybook, available for free!

Few can resist the word "free," and the 500 copies of the storybook were all claimed in less than an hour.

Chu Liuzheng lay on the rattan chair, stroking his child's round head while browsing the storybook's feedback in the system.

The evaluation is so-so, very so-so, extremely so-so.

The lucky person who managed to snag the storybook said that free things are never as good as those that you pay for. If it weren't for the beautiful illustration of the Phoenix Maiden on the cover, they would have used it to start a fire and cook rice long ago.

"It hurts." The child being handled, Xiao Dunheng, protested, covering his little head and pulling out some hair.

Chu Liuzheng guiltily tossed away the two strands of hair he had pulled out, quickly brushed them off his son, kissed his shiny forehead twice, and asked with a smile, "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry." Little Xiao Dunheng, who is just over one year old, pouted.

The fragrant cakes had been sitting there for a long time, and the Empress Dowager ate half a plate of them but didn't feed him a single piece.

"My dear, it's not that I don't want you to eat." Chu Liuzheng asked Siyue to check if the goat milk was warmed up.

She ruffled her son's hair. "Last month you choked on Eight Treasure Cake. Your father decreed that no one is allowed to give you Eight Treasure Cake anymore, or they will be beheaded. I only have one head, I can't afford to lose it."

Xiao Dunheng tilted his head, not understanding, but that didn't stop him from crying.

Fortunately, Siyue returned quickly and promptly plugged his crying little mouth with a jug full of goat's milk.

Chu Liuzheng wiped his tears with a silk handkerchief, her head aching: "Why did you suddenly start crying?"

Xiao Dunheng's eyes, which were very much like his mother's, were still filled with tears. He looked at her while drinking milk. From Chu Liuzheng's angle, it looked just like her own child was rolling his eyes at her.

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

It must be her imagination.

(End of this chapter)