The ancestors and grandsons of the Qin family and Zhao Mo had a hearty dinner together, as if they had returned to the situation when they were still living together three or four years ago, and everyone couldn't help but sigh and miss it in their hearts. Especially Zhao Mo, after a few years, he tasted the familiar taste of the meal again, and he always felt that it was sweeter than he remembered.

After eating, everyone went back to the hall and sat down to eat tea and talk. Qin Bai began to ask Zhao Mo about the details of the compromise, as well as the process of entering the palace to face the saint today. He had never heard Zhao Mo mention this matter before, so he couldn't help but feel a little sudden, worried that Zhao Mo was young and would be negligent, and he didn't know if something went wrong.

Zhao Mo honestly recounted the situation from the beginning, and answered many questions from Qin Bai. Although he is young, he has also been smart since he was a child, and he studied with Qin Bai for two years, in Suning County, there is also the palace, and there are subordinate officials. Although his fiefdom is small, the palace has not been built for a few years, and there are no particularly outstanding talents among the subordinate officials, but he is also a county king, although the palace is small, it is also complete, and no matter how mediocre the subordinate officials are, the clerical work is still competent. He writes a note by himself, and then asks his subordinate officials to polish one or two, check and fill in the gaps, what big mistakes can he make?

The text on his fold was basically written in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, and he used a large amount of factual data as a basis—which was learned from the experimental report that Qin Hanzhen sent to Suning—and there was nothing to forbid in the first place, and it also gave the emperor, the crown prince, and the officials of the household department a more intuitive understanding of the saline-alkali land management method he came up with, which could not be more appropriate.

Qin Bai smiled and nodded when he heard this, only to feel that Zhao Mo had not been by his side for a few years, and he had still made great progress, and he was much older than when they met last year. He sighed: "Originally, I thought that you had been trying to plant for less than four years, so you handed it to the palace, I was too anxious, I should have precipitated for another two years, but I didn't expect that you have grown up, things are thoughtful, and you are not worse than those adults in your twenties and thirties, and even better than many adults." It's me who underestimated you, it's my fault. ”

Zhao Mo hurriedly said: "Uncle and grandfather are serious, you are the words of Lao Cheng Mouguo." I was indeed a little anxious, thinking that since I could experiment with a method of treating saline-alkali land, and had planted grain, sugar beets, medicinal herbs, and trees on different lands in the past two or three years, and found that it was indeed effective, then I should let the court and the world know about it as soon as possible. With so much saline-alkali land in the world, how much more grain can be harvested if it can be brought under control a year earlier? This is not something that can be delayed. Besides, I'm not just going to finish with the method, I'm going to continue to explore it to see if I can improve it or come up with a better way. When the time comes, if I put the new method on the court, it will not prevent the people from growing grain on saline-alkali land, right?"

Qin Bai nodded again and again when he heard this, and exclaimed: "Good boy, you are right, this kind of thing really shouldn't be delayed." Since you have tried planting for several years, you have determined that it is effective, and you will not go wrong with it if you dedicate it to the imperial court. ”

Zhao Mo smiled, lowered his head, and didn't dare to reveal that he was suddenly anxious to offer a salt treatment strategy, but he was really selfish. That high-sounding rhetoric was just to coax the Qin family's uncle and grandfather. Of course, even if he had no selfish intentions, he had planned to hand over the fold next year. This is a great good thing that is beneficial to the country and the people, and there is not much difference between a year earlier and a year later.

Qin Hanzhen asked Zhao Mo: "Now that this method of controlling saline-alkali land has been offered, the emperor can say, what regulations will the imperial court have? Do you want a few places to try to control salt according to the law, or try to plant it on the royal manor for a year or two? If it is immediately promoted to the whole country at this time, I am afraid it will be too hasty." Your method is estimated to be usable in the north, and my method of managing saline-alkali land in the Grange on the outskirts of Beijing is similar to yours. But if it is another place, the climate, water and soil are different, and the terrain is also different, so it may not work. As the saying goes, 'orange is orange if it is born in Huainan, and it is orange if it is born in Huaibei'. Don't run into a place that doesn't apply to you, and if something goes wrong, it's your head to blame. ”

Zhao Mo said: "Where did the saline-alkali land come from in the royal Zhuangzi? Several adults in the household department are still discussing, but I estimate that they should eventually try to plant the crops I mentioned in Zhili first, even if it is good to grow some beets and medicinal herbs, and the grain will naturally be planted, but it will take a lot of manpower and material resources to wash the salt first. According to the habits of the household department, it will take two or three years of hard work to achieve results, right? I have already offered the horizontal and vertical method, and the experimental fields on the fiefdom are not fake, and the imperial court has already sent officials to inspect them, and the emperor has also given them a reward. I don't need to worry about the rest of the matter, if something goes wrong, I naturally ask the official in charge of this matter, what does it have to do with me?"

Qin Bai smiled and said, "You can't really just leave it alone. If there are people in the fiefdom who are skilled in salt control, when the people of the household department ask you to borrow someone, you should also give it away generously and give ideas to the local officials, so that they will not be confused and do not understand the correct method, but waste manpower and material resources. There are so many saline-alkali lands in the world, and it is also a merit for you to have real results one day earlier. ”

Zhao Mo responded with a smile: "Yes, I will send someone back to Suning to order." ”

The Niu family whispered to Zhao Mo with some gossip: "Guanglu, you just said that the emperor has given you a reward." What did the emperor reward you? Did you get your title?"

Zhao Mo smiled dumbly, and hurriedly said: "Back then, the emperor was able to crown me as the king of the county, which was already an exception, how old am I? Could it be that I can still be promoted to a prince? My grandfather is the prince, and my father is only a son, I have never crossed their reasoning." The title of the king of the county is actually enough, but with the merit of offering advice, no one will talk behind my back, thinking that I should not be the king of the county. ”

Niu suddenly realized and sighed: "That's not bad, how old are you? Your status is so noble, and you don't know how to be treated as a fragrant dumpling by others, staring at it every day, and I can't wait to take a bite." It's also a good thing that you won't be promoted to the title anymore, anyway, your title of county king is enough. Whether it's in the palace or outside, not many people will dare to give you a look. You Lao Tzu, and the royal family, you must shut up! You are now a person with the support of the emperor and the court. ”

Zhao Mo couldn't help but laugh when he heard it: "Uncle and grandma are still so funny. The Wang family has long been a thing of the past, the main branch has already gone back to his hometown, and the few remaining in the capital can't become the climate, what am I afraid of? I went to my father's place today, but my father was not at home, only my wife was left, and I just greeted her outside the courtyard gate, and no one picked on me. Who would dare to show me a look when she saw that she only had to kowtow honestly and salute me? Since the day I became the king of Suning County, the emperor and the court have already supported me, and it makes no difference whether I have the credit this time or not. Even if my father saw me, he couldn't use filial piety to pinch me at will. ”

In fact, this is not a question of title, but the difference between whether there is a saint on the head and whether there is real power in the hand. Zhao Shuo, the prince of Liao, is now idle, as long as he is not stupid, he will not embarrass his son for some illusory benefits, anger the nobles in the palace, and be thankless. In the final analysis, Zhao Shuo is still a person who is obsessed with fame, fortune and power.

Qin Hanzhen asked Zhao Mo: "Since the emperor wants to reward you, but he can't promote your title, then there should be other substantial rewards, right? What is it? Did the emperor give you any inheritance?"

Zhao Mo gave Qin Hanzhen an appreciative look: "Cousin guess." Isn't it the industry that the emperor rewarded me? There is more than one place!"

In fact, the emperor originally planned to change Zhao Mo to a larger fief, but Zhao Mo felt that he had finally built up the county prince's mansion and adapted to the life of Suning, where there were many of his experimental fields, and even the skilled hands and tenants in agricultural affairs were ready-made.

What's more, although Suning is small, it has the advantage of being close to the capital. The fast horse can arrive in one day, and it is convenient to send things through ordinary communication, and the production is not bad. He had all asked his subordinates to set up business channels in furs, tea, and medicinal materials, and it was just the time to see the silver, so why bother to abandon this long-established territory and change to another unfamiliar land? Even if he was given a rich domain like Jiangnan and Shudi? The mere fact that it was too far from the capital was compared to Suning County. He doesn't do such stupid things!

Of course, when Zhao Mo shirked, the reasons he used were more high-sounding, and the emperor and the prince were moved by him, and they generously gave him other properties as compensation. This includes a large area of land around Suning and Cangzhou, as a hereditary grange given to him, as well as a summer garden in Xishan and a hot spring village in Xiaotangshan, all of which are complete. Although he was not given a mansion in the capital to use as a place to stay when he entered Beijing, considering that there was such a large Liao Wangfu there, and Zhao Shuo, the son of the Liao Wang, also had a house, the emperor did not bother to do that. As for the floating wealth other than these properties, such as gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin, scholar's treasures, medicinal herbs and spices, etc., I will not repeat them one by one.

Qin Hanzhen didn't care about floating wealth, but when he heard that the emperor had given Zhao Mo a large piece of land in the area of Cangzhou as a hereditary inheritance, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask: "How big is the grange over there in Cangzhou, and where is it?"

Zhao Mo seemed to guess her thoughts, and said with a smile: "It's near the wharf, next to the canal, although it's not a whole piece, it's not a piece, it adds up to almost fifty hectares." Part of it is official land, and part of it is wasteland. The emperor said that the good land in that area has long been occupied, and what can be left to me is not a fertile and good land, most of which is saline-alkali land, which makes me suffer. However, the place is big enough, so I can toss it as I want. ”

Qin Bai nodded on the side: "The emperor is also kind, and he gave you such a large piece of land, although it is not good land, but it will not make people blush." What does it matter about saline-alkali land? You were originally rewarded for your meritorious work in the treatment of salt, and you can completely rely on yourself to turn those 50 hectares of land into fertile land, wouldn't it be more affordable?"

Qin Hanzhen and Zhao Mo glanced at each other, but what they were thinking of was something else.

The saline-alkali land near the wharf is still tossed and turned casually, and who says that there is only one way to grow crops? Relying on Cangzhou, a prosperous water and land transportation hub, but only thinking about farming, is it not in vain that the good geographical advantage is not in vain?