In a small teahouse in a corner of the capital...
"Have you heard? A father and daughter from a fishing village were summoned by the emperor and made an official because of their good farming skills!" Mud, a burly man with a beard.
"What? You can become an official after farming the fields? Don't take the big guy for a fool! Who doesn't know that if you want to be an official, you must first study hard for more than ten years and pass the exams. It is the most chaotic in the previous dynasty. Sometimes, you have to take a lot of money to donate a low-level official." This looks like a failed scholar, with a long gown that has been washed white, with a thin figure and a weathered face, looking at the peasant There was a look of disdain.
"I said sour scholar, are you a newcomer from other places? It has been spread all over the capital, who hasn't heard of it? It is said that this Yu family is really good, and the output of winter wheat has reached five or six hundred catties, which is more than usual. Wheat will be twice as high! If I can grow such a yield, I won’t eat white noodles every day, and eat meat every now and then..." The farmer whose feet were covered with yellow mud looked longingly. Being an official or something is too far away from him. It is a matter of business if you can fill your stomach and let your wife and children eat something easy.
"Brother Zhang, the cousin of my brother-in-law's second aunt's family works in the yamen. I heard that the imperial court will sell some high-yielding grain seeds at a low price, such as the wheat seeds purchased from Yu's family, and those planted last year. , what kind of rice can be collected more than a thousand catties. I asked the relatives of my brother-in-law's family to help find out. As soon as the news came out, we rushed over to line up to buy... "
The person who spoke was younger than the farmer, with dark skin, fine wrinkles around his eyes, several patches on his clothes, his trousers rolled up high, one leg on the bench, and he started talking Like thunder, the voice is surprisingly loud.
Suan Xiucai sneered sarcastically, shook his head disdainfully, and said, "It's your turn to do such a good thing? Who doesn't want high-yielding seeds? I'm afraid that once the seeds are picked, they will be given by those officials. Make it round!"
The young man with the patched clothes glanced at him, seeing that the big man surnamed Zhang was a little anxious, and hurriedly said, "Brother Zhang, don't worry, the relatives of my brother-in-law's family said that the emperor sent the king of Yangjun to supervise the matter of the seeds. Yangjun You have all heard of the king, right? Which of the royal relatives, high-ranking officials and ministers’ sons and lords will not go around when they see him? Officials don’t dare to take it lightly. Our village is not far from the capital, so come here as soon as you get the news, and you’ll definitely get something.”
Hearing the words, the big man surnamed Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "If that's the case, our good days will come soon! Not to mention the seeds that can produce more than a thousand catties of grain are the seeds of the Yu family's winter wheat. If we plant a few acres, our life will not be worrying. If we can live a life full of food and clothing, I will support the Yu family's father and daughter, no matter how big the officials are! "
"Nonsense! If you farm well, you can become an official? Where do you put scholars? It's really insulting to the gentleman!! Is it true that Zhang San raises pigs well and Li Si raises cattle well, so they can be officials? Son Dangdang?" Suan Xiucai thought that he had studied hard for fifteen years, and he was only a scholar. It's so unfair that people can grow an official by planting land!
The man surnamed Zhang couldn’t understand his face for a long time, and couldn’t help but spray him: “No matter how many books you read, if you can’t benefit the common people, being an official is for nothing! The emperor has said that the common people are the foundation of the country, and the common people Only when you have enough food and clothing to live a good life, can the country be stable! Raising pigs and cattle can feed the common people or can they wear warm clothes? The father and daughter of the Yu family have this ability, and their officials are also obtained by their ability. You Eyes are useless!"
The sour scholar curled his lips, saying that if he disagrees with each other, he is not free to reason with these rough people who don't know a few big characters! Picking up the big tea bowl, took a sip of the bitter tea, feeling contemptuous, and stopped talking.
The young man in patched clothes spoke again: "It is said that the little girl from the Yu family was only twelve or thirteen years old, and she was made a sixth-rank official and worked in the household department. I’ve heard it in dramas, whether it’s the past or the present, this is the first time!”
Hearing this, the sour scholar who had originally made up his mind not to speak, couldn't help it anymore. He slapped the table and shouted: "It's unseemly for a rooster to sit in the morning!! A girl of twelve or thirteen years old can turn over The land can still pull the plow? And the title of sixth-rank official?? How unreasonable!!”
"Are you questioning the emperor's wise decision?" The young man was very unimpressed by this sour-spoken and mean-spirited scholar, and he snorted, "My brother-in-law's relatives said that this girl is aged Although she is small, she is shrewd and capable. The Shangshu master of the household department thinks highly of her. Last year, the high yield of the rice was more than 1,000 catties, and it was because Miss Yu was taken over to help breed it. The yield is so good! And the winter wheat planted by the Yu family is also because of the potion she made out of it, the yield is actually much higher than that of Huangzhuang!"
The young man took a breath, and continued: "Besides, after the emperor ascended the throne, he proposed to improve the status of women time and again. Now women don't need to wear veils in the streets, and they can be found everywhere. There are more and more women coming out to do business. The Jiang family The girl who runs the embroidery workshop, and the queens and concubines in the palace all ask her to make clothes. Then the girl of the Yu family, why is it so strange to be a small official?"
The man surnamed Zhang laughed, and said: "If you can sell me a few acres of high-yield grain seeds, let alone a sixth-rank official, no matter how high an official is, I will not object! Brother, you said that in the Yu family's father and daughter's family, You must have left a lot of seeds, you have a wide range of connections, can you... "
The young man glared at him, and said: "Then the father and daughter of the Yu family are from Tanggu, and they are not from our capital. No matter how well-connected my brother-in-law's relatives are, they can't reach Tanggu! However, I vaguely heard that, The Yu family has nearly 1,000 mu of land, but only handed over 800 mu of crops. The other 100 mu of grain, except for keeping enough for planting in the coming year, was sold at a high price. It was five times more expensive than the market price! How willing are you? purchase?"
"What? Five times? Doesn't that mean that a catty of seeds costs fifty Wen? An acre of land costs only one tael of silver? Isn't it too expensive?" The big man surnamed Zhang was dumbfounded, and immediately retreated. The five acres of land in the family cost five taels of silver just for the seeds, and he couldn't make it up even if he tried to sell everything!
The young man shook his head and said with a smile: "Brother Zhang, what I'm talking about is Tanggu's price. The Yu family sells all officials, gentry and wealthy businessmen, and they don't lack that little money. Just seeing the high price of seeds, have you ever thought about it?" The yield of 600 catties per mu of land is sold at ordinary grain prices, and one mu of land can still earn three taels of silver! You are stupid to be rich businessmen and gentry, who will do business at a loss?"
"But... who in our village can scrape together a few taels of silver to buy seeds? Alas, it seems that this good thing is not our turn!" The man surnamed Zhang sighed dejectedly.
The young man hurriedly said: "Brother Zhang doesn't know something. The emperor loves the people like a son, and he will definitely not make money from our poor people. I heard that high-yield grain seeds are priced at ten cents a piece at the price of grain seeds in the market." The seeds of the rice in Huangzhuang have already started to be sown, and if they are sold, it will only be a few days!"
"The one you said can produce more than a thousand catties of grain, is it reliable?" The man surnamed Zhang hesitated.
"How can it be unreliable? I heard that the emperor ordered the king of Yangjun to go to the west to find it. Then what... oh! I remembered, it's called corn!! The flour made from corn, finely sifted , the steamed buns made are golden yellow and fragrant, not to mention how delicious they are!" The young man showed off his extensive knowledge and showed embarrassment on his face.
Suan Xiucai beat him back to his original form with one sentence: "It's as if you have eaten it! Rare things are expensive, and the output is so high, so the price will definitely not be expensive in the future. Besides, the corn you mentioned is eaten by most people. If you don’t know each other, who dares to buy it? Don’t plant it, but you can’t sell it, it’s a waste of seeds, fertilizer and effort!”
"You have a crow's mouth!! Don't talk, no one will treat you as a dumb!! My brother-in-law's relatives told me that his immediate boss was lucky enough to eat it at a friend's house once. The cornmeal pancakes were delicious, with a hint of sweetness. , the more you chew in your mouth, the more delicious it is!
Brother Zhang, think about it, one mu of land is more than a thousand catties, even if a catty is only sold for the price of coarse grains, that is still an income of three or four taels of silver! Anyway, our family has three acres of land, and we have to take out one acre for trial planting of corn. Even if it can't be sold, there will be a shortage of food for the next year!
I heard that the leaves and stalks of corn can also be fed to pigs and livestock. Next year our family will catch two more pigs, so we are not afraid that there will be no feed for them! ! Thinking about it makes me motivated..." The young man said with his eyes shining, as if a good day is coming soon.
The man surnamed Zhang hesitated for a moment, patted the table, and gritted his teeth: "Since my brother said so, my old Zhang will also get the seeds of two acres of land back. It is food after all. If you can't sell it, you can eat it yourself! Two acres of land is not enough. It is said that there are more than 2,000 catties of grain produced, and our family will not have to go hungry for at least the next year!"
The young man nodded vigorously in agreement. Suan Xiucai was still thinking about the appointment of the Yu family as an official, and said in a slightly dissatisfied tone: "A little girl was appointed a sixth-rank official. What about her father? He can't be a third-rank official, right?"
A mud-legged person who can't read big characters and only knows how to farm, because he has grown more than the grain, has been mixed up as a third-rank official. Can other officials in the court be willing
Unexpectedly, the young man chuckled and said, "It's interesting to say! This little girl from the Yu family got the position of a sixth-rank agricultural officer in the household department, but her father was only appointed a seventh-rank sesame official. It is said that she still works in Tanggu , specifically in charge of the fields on the Yangjun King's fief..."