Yang Zhi was very drunk, because Jin Yuanwai was too enthusiastic, and he kept toasting.

If he goes back for a few days, Yang Zhi will definitely be vigilant.

But along the way, as long as they said that they would give gifts to Yuan Zhanggong, the gentry along the way would inevitably be hospitable. Coming and going, unguarded, it seems that this is how it should be.

In the middle of the night, the treasure knife next to the pillow was taken away.

Although he didn't make a noise, he didn't even touch Yang Zhi, but as if he sensed something, he suddenly woke up and opened his eyes, and directly reached out to grab the treasure knife.

"This guy is awake, hold it down!"

Several servants pounced on Yang Zhi and pressed Yang Zhi's whole body.

In this posture, Yang Zhi, who had drunk wine, couldn't use his strength at all, and was tied up in a daze.

In the middle of the night, he was escorted to the courtyard, and the torches were brightly lit.

Yang Zhi angrily reprimanded Jin Yuanwai: "Straight thief, you can't die well!" ”

Not only him, but all the fugitives cursed and cursed extremely badly.

When the fugitives were tired of scolding and gradually stopped, Zhao Fengji asked, "Tell me, where did you come from?" ”

Yang Zhi resolutely refused to admit it: "We are here to give Yuan Zhanggong a birthday gift, so let's release me soon!" ”

Zhao Fengji asked: "Who entrusted you to give gifts?" ”

Yang Zhi said: "Yongxing Zhijun, Jingzhao Yin Xidan!" ”

Yang Zhi is crooked, Zhu Guoxiang is indeed friends with Xi Dan. When he first entered Beijing, Zhu Guoxiang passed by Chang'an and chatted with Xi Dan very happily.

Zhao Fengji naturally didn't know about this kind of thing, but he knew that Xi Dan was not a traitor.

Zhao Fengji sneered: "You have a Tokyo accent, and you still have tattoos on your face, how can Xi Zhijun send a gift?" Nearly half of you thieves are stabs! ”

"If you have a tattoo, you can't be a good person?" Yang Zhi asked rhetorically.

Zhao Fengji asked: "Since it was sent by Xi Zhijun, where is the evidence?" Where are the letters? ”

Yang Zhi said: "When I met a thief halfway, I lost my trust. ”

"Dare to deny it!"

Zhao Fengji was too lazy to entangle any longer, and ordered: "All of them will be detained, and when I return, I will be escorted to Xingyuan Mansion for questioning." ”

Yang Zhi shouted anxiously: "I know Yuan Zhanggong, if you don't believe it, take me to Daming Village." ”

Jin Yuanwai persuaded: "Petty official, although this person has no trust, his words do not seem to be false. If you take it to Daming Village, ask Yuan Zhanggong to see if it's true or not. ”

Is it really the wrong person?

Zhao Fengji approached and stared at Yang Zhi, Yang Zhi raised his head and looked at him, without showing the slightest timidity.

Zhao Fengji was a little uncertain: "Tomorrow, I will take the boat and escort them to Daming Village." ”

The next day, the official ship went down the river and docked at Daming Village at noon.

This year's inn business is not good, and the fleet of merchant ships has decreased sharply.

Daming Village was naturally also affected, and when Zhu Guoxiang returned to the village, many villagers were already raising corn seedlings. He ordered all corn seedlings to be destroyed, and forced all dry land to be planted with corn and said that corn was not drought tolerant.

Although the villagers complained, they had no choice but to do so.

At the worst time, all the weirs and ponds on the hillside dried up to the bottom. Although the Han River has not dried up, the tributaries that pass near Heifeng Village are dry like a small ditch and have completely lost their irrigation function.

Moreover, Daming Village was burdened by its reputation, and the hungry people in seven or eight nearby villages did not believe that the government would provide disaster relief, so they fled to Daming Village in one fell swoop.

Zhu Guoxiang could only contact the old white staff and the surrounding gentry to jointly provide food and separate relief. Taking the opportunity to build bridges and pave roads, dredge irrigation canals, and dig weirs and ponds, anyway, it is a cash-for-work to help the hungry people survive these days.

In this way, Daming Village is more like a county seat, and Zhu Guoxiang is the local county commander.

Although the weather is hot today, there are still a few old women setting up stalls under the bamboo shed near the pier.

Zhao Fengji said to the servant: "I heard that the dried sweet potatoes in Yangzhou came from Daming Village, and now there are them in Xingyuan Mansion." This thing is similar to preserved fruit, and it is cheap and easy to make, and nobles and small people love to eat it. ”

"It's a really good thing." The servant laughed.

Zhao Fengji said: "This is to taste the most authentic dried sweet potatoes in Daming Village, I didn't have copper coins on me, but you paid for two catties." ”

"Yes." The servant hurriedly took out the money.

Zhao Fengji walked to the inn again and asked, "Shopkeeper, where is Yuan Zhanggong's mansion?" ”

Yu Shanwei was reading a book, looked up and asked, "Where did Your Excellency come from?" What is the important matter of looking for Yuan Zhanggong? ”

Female?

Zhao Fengji was a little surprised and said: "My name is Zhao Fengji, and I was entrusted by the Lizhou Lu Cao Division to find Yuanzhang to discuss important matters. ”

"Please come with me." Yu Shanwei told the guy to look at the store, and then took Zhao Fengji out.

Zhao Fengji looked around carefully and said curiously: "Daming Village seems to have not been affected by the drought. ”

Yu Shan smiled bitterly: "Even if you are in Hanzhong, how can you not be affected by disasters?" ”

The food that Daming Village has accumulated for several years has been consumed this year, and some relief has been given to the victims.

There are also some landless farmers who fled the famine, and they are reluctant to leave after the drought is over, anyway, they go back like that, and ask Daming Village to take in the whole family.

Zhu Guoxiang did not refuse to come, and placed them further downstream to open up wasteland.

At this moment, Zhu Guoxiang is reading his son's letter.

In the letter, he complained that Jinzhou was really poor, and asked Zhu Guoxiang to get some sweet potatoes to go over, and plant them quickly when the rain increased, so that he could top them after the winter harvest. Otherwise, according to this year's disaster, there will be another famine next spring when the green and yellow are not shining.

Daming Village is also replanting sweet potatoes, and seedlings have been planted.

There are not many potato seeds left in the cellar, and it is estimated that after breeding, at most twenty or thirty acres of cuttings can be made. And the best planting season has passed, and now that the temperature is too high, the harvest will not be too good.

He called Zhang Guangdao and instructed: "Since you plan to open up a trade route in Shiquan County, you will bring all the remaining potato seeds to Jinzhou City when you go." Tell my stupid son that it's too late to replant sweet potatoes at this time, and it's lucky to have half of the normal harvest. ”

"Yes!"

Zhang Guangdao is also quite depressed this year, Shaanxi is too chaotic, and there are thieves everywhere that seriously affect his smuggling business.

Zhu Guoxiang actually planned to return to Yangzhou to build a paper mill, and he also got the technology to make bamboo paper.

Yangzhou itself is a paper-producing company, and Cai Lun's cemetery is in the Longtingpu in the east of Yangzhou City (Cai Lun's title is the Marquis of Longting). There is a long history of papermaking here, in the past, rattan paper was mainly made, and in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was changed to make leather paper, and the Min family was the largest papermaker in Yangzhou.

At the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, the mainstream paper in China was rattan paper, which was not only expensive, but also difficult to increase due to the limitation of raw materials.

Today's mainstream has become parchment, which uses a variety of barks as raw materials.

At the same time, bamboo paper is also on the rise.

However, the bamboo paper process is too complicated, and it is still being explored and improved, and it will not be able to develop until the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The emperor gave Zhu Guoxiang land, and when he returned to the village, he found that there was no need to occupy this place at all. It is completely possible to occupy the bamboo forest in Yangzhou, a large area is full of bamboo forests, and Su Shi and Wentong are the in-laws to make signboards, and the bamboo paper produced must have a market. (Su Shi and Wen Tong both left poems in the bamboo forest in Yangzhou, and Wen Tong left poems and paintings in batches.) ）

Unfortunately, the papermaking plan was disrupted by the drought, and Zhu Guoxiang now has no money or food.

After reading a book for a while, Zhu Guoxiang went out to inspect the village, mainly to the newly opened land downstream.

The distance between the newly opened wasteland and the inn wharf is already about the same as going to Shangbai Village, and Daming Village is stretched along the Han River. Further afield it is not suitable for farming, and the mountains along the river are so steep that you have to take a boat to get around some of the steep places.

"Yuan Zhanggong!"

Zhao Fengji stepped forward quickly: "Junior, Zhao Fengji, meet Yuan Zhanggong." ”

Zhu Guoxiang returned the salute, his eyes swept to Yang Zhi, and when he saw that he was tied up with five flowers, he deliberately asked, "Why are you here?" ”

Yang Zhi hurriedly said: "I was sent by Xi Zhijun to give a birthday gift to Yuan Zhanggong. ”

This question and answer made Zhao Fengji extremely embarrassed, and he couldn't wait to find a crack to get into.

Zhao Fengji hurriedly said: "Hurry up and untie these strong men!" ”

"Humph!"

Yang Zhi snorted coldly and turned his head to anger Zhao Fengji.

Zhao Fengji arched his hand and said: "How offended. ”

"It doesn't matter." Zhu Guoxiang knew that Yang Zhi must be guilty again.

Zhao Fengji immediately changed the topic, Dao Ming was the deputy envoy of the transfer, and he also came with a letter from the envoy.

Zhu Guoxiang opened the letter and did not express his position after reading it.

The crown prince Zhao Huan is lonely, although he has an upright minister, he has repeatedly instilled great truths in him. But these ministers did not dare to get too close, for fear that once they went too far, they would not be able to educate the prince again.

Around Zhao Huan, there were also several East Palace officials, led by Yang Feng, the prince's family commander, and Geng Nanzhong, the prince's housekeeper.

Because Yang Jian reported the prince's rebellion, Song Huizong later cut Yang Feng.

As for Geng Nanzhong, during the Jingkang period, he belonged to the faction of cutting land and seeking peace.

Geng Nanzhong hosted Zhu Guoxiang many times, hoping to recruit talents for the prince. Zhu Guoxiang was reluctant to get involved, and kept refusing the invitation, and he was already a little unhappy with Geng Nanzhong.

"Yuan Zhanggong, please don't shirk!" Zhao Fengji bowed.

Zhu Guoxiang asked Yang Zhi's gang to settle downstream, and said to Zhao Fengji: "Follow me to the downstream walk." ”

"Yes!" Zhao Fengji followed honestly.

Walking along the riverbank, Zhu Guoxiang pointed to the land at the foot of the mountain: "There is dry land that has been cultivated for a year, and the fertility is not enough. ”

Zhao Fengji said: "The power of the sky is unpredictable, and the manpower is not enough. ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "Replant after the rain, alfalfa interplanting beans." Don't look at alfalfa as grass, in fact, it is a close relative of beans, and it can fatten the land together with beans. Alfalfa is also drought tolerant and can be eaten by people and livestock. ”

Zhao Fengji didn't know what Zhu Guoxiang meant, so he could only flatter: "Yuanzhang is good at farming, and the younger generation admires him." ”

Zhu Guoxiang continued to talk to himself: "Alfalfa was introduced together with Dawan Ma in the Han Dynasty. Nowadays there are three kinds, one with purple flowers, one with yellow flowers, and one with purple flowers. Purple flowers and purple flowers are different, and you must distinguish them carefully to know. ”

So, Zhu Guoxiang introduced Zhao Fengji to how to identify alfalfa species.

Zhao Fengji was impatient, and Zhu Guoxiang said: "Lao Tzu said, governing a big country is like cooking a small fresh. I'm not good at cooking, I think governing a big country is like farming. ”

"Please don't hesitate to teach Yuan Zhang." Zhao Fengji hurriedly moved.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The land in front of me was also cultivated decades ago. But what is the difference between the barren land and the thorns and weeds that have been barren for a long time? To cultivate and replant, you must first cultivate the land, and you cannot immediately plant staple food. Alfalfa and beans, both are used to raise land. The country has been barren for a long time, and it has to raise the land. ”

Zhao Fengji didn't understand: "Please Yuan Zhanggong speak." ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The traitorous party in the DPRK and China is a thorny ear. Local corrupt officials are weeds and the like. Thorns and weeds must be eradicated first, and then the land must be slowly warmed before the staple food can be planted. The prince is the Langjun of the landlord's family, and you are all alfalfa beans, so you can't be the master of how to farm the land. ”

Zhao Fengji said: "If the prince is the landlord's husband, we are servant tenant farmers, and we have to remove thorns and weeds!" ”

"The prince will be fine, and it doesn't make much difference how much land is barren for a few years." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Zhao Fengji said in a low voice: "King Jia has promoted the Imperial City Division!" ”

Zhu Guoxiang shook his head and said, "Instead of asking me to go back to Beijing to help, it is better to let the prince be obedient and hibernating." He didn't know how to hide, when the Ming Hall was completed, the prince couldn't live in the depths, and in front of the ministers inside and outside, he really couldn't get off the stage. If this continues, ten of me will enter Beijing, what help will it be? Those of you only know how to teach the prince to be upright, but not to teach the prince Qurou. Rigidity is easy to break, and so is the king. ”

Zhao Fengji said: "What Yuan Zhanggong said is very true, but those Confucians who teach the prince, they themselves are very upright, how can they teach the prince with a soft personality?" ”

"Hehe, they are very soft, and they know how to avoid trouble." Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile.

Zhao Fengji was speechless.

Zhu Guoxiang suddenly asked: "You said before that you and Ling Zun have lived in Chengdu for many years?" ”

"Exactly." Zhao Fengji replied.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "I'm quite curious about Sichuan, what are the big families there? ”

(End of chapter)