Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 418: Farming

Guangzhou, February 6th, when the prefectures and counties of Guangdong Province were celebrating the Spring Ploughing Festival, the Guangdong Provincial Government was also holding a Spring Ploughing Festival.
Zhu Lang officially ascended the throne last year, and the court changed the era name that year. This year is the second year of the Yongli reign, which is 1651.

This year is the first spring ploughing ceremony since Zhu Lang ascended the throne, so the court also attaches great importance to it.
On the morning of the sixth day of the second lunar month, Zhu Lang led all the officials to the Xiannong Altar outside the city to offer sacrifices to the god of agriculture. He then personally pushed the plow three times in the altar to show that he was personally tilling the fields and encouraging people to engage in farming.
After the suburban ceremony was completed, Zhu Lang led a group of military officials back to the imperial palace and began to plough the garden.

The land in the southwest corner of the imperial garden has been cleared. Outside the imperial garden, a group of soldiers are standing guard, and in the garden, there are many palace maids and eunuchs.
Inside and outside the Imperial Garden, soldiers stood in a line, and palace maids were standing by. Zhu Lang led a group of court officials including Qu Shisi to plant potato seedlings in the fields.

At this time, those who were working in the garden were all military officials. On one side were civil officials, including Qu Shisi, Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo, Chen Zizhuang, Su Guansheng and other cabinet officials.
On the side of the military officials were Jiao Lian, Ma Bao, Li Dingguo, and Li Guo. Except for Li Mingzhong who was still serving as the governor of Fujian Province, all the civil and military officials of the Military Affairs Office were present.

The fields in the garden had been plowed long ago, and the potatoes planted had already grown into vines by the old farmers. Zhu Lang, Qu Shisi and other cabinet ministers only dug holes, planted the potato seedlings in them, and then covered them with soil.
Although the palace servants had made a lot of preparations in advance, the farming was still not easy.
The land in the Imperial Garden is exactly one acre. According to the agricultural engineer's experimental plan this year, one acre of land will be planted with 1,500 rice seedlings. Zhu Lang and his cabinet ministers are exactly ten people, so each of them will plant 150 rice seedlings.
Guangzhou is located in the south, so the difference between winter and spring is not obvious. It is only February now, and if it were in the north it would still be freezing cold and snowing, but in Guangzhou it is already warm and spring.

The spring sun is bright, the sky is high, and the breeze still brings a hint of winter coolness. It is neither cold nor hot at this time. It is the best time of the year.

The best thing to do at this time is to drink wine and go outing, to look down at the abundance of crops and look up at the wonders of heaven and earth. However, the ministers in the fields are sweating profusely and have long forgotten the elegance of scholars.

Planting vines and digging holes to cover the soil all require bending over. Planting a few is easy, but planting dozens of them in a row will make you breathless no matter how strong you are.
Zhu Lang was also sweating profusely at this time, but he glanced at the ministers beside him, such as Lu Daqi and He Wuzuo, who were already sweating profusely and had messy hair, but he did not stop. Since Zhu Lang did not stop, the ministers naturally did not dare to stop either.

Zhu Lang buried the last seedling in his hand in the soil, then stood up and let out a long breath.
Li Guoyong, who was standing at the side, saw Zhu Lang stand up and immediately stepped forward to hand over the brocade handkerchief he had prepared.
Soon after Zhu Lang stood up, Jiao Lian, Ma Bao and other military officials on the right suddenly accelerated together, only a moment later than Zhu Lang, and they almost finished their work at the same time.
Zhu Lang, Jiao Lian, Li Dingguo and other military officials sat in the pavilion to rest. After another quarter of an hour, Qu Shisi and other cabinet officials finally finished their share of farming.

In the pavilion, the ministers who were supposed to be sitting in the court wearing high hats and wide belts had lost their manners. Everyone was wiping their sweat with handkerchiefs, and the oldest one, He Wuzuo, was pale.

All the ministers looked shaky, but the military officials beside them were much calmer, with a calm and relaxed look on their faces.

The commanders of these imperial guards in the court were not the second-generation military heroes of the Chongzhen Dynasty, such as Jiao Lian or Li Dingguo. They were the ones who led the troops themselves and fought on the battlefield.

Even if Ma Bao and Li Dingguo were wearing dozens of kilograms of heavy armor, they could still charge and kill several times in the chaotic army. At this time, planting a few seedlings in the garden would be easy.
Zhu Lang saw that several ministers beside him had recovered their breath, so he spoke

"Today, we have cultivated only one acre of land. If we calculate, each person has cultivated only one fen. How do you feel, elders?"

Seeing that Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others were silent, Qu Shisi, who was standing by, had no choice but to speak up.

"Your Majesty is brave and strong, just like my great Ming Dynasty was born tomorrow. Time is not forgiving, and we, the ministers, are getting old."

Qu Shisi actually knew the purpose of His Majesty's actions today, but it was none of his business. He stood on His Majesty's side and made great efforts.

If your majesty wants to punish someone, just go find the real person. Why bother to implicate an innocent person and bring him here to suffer?
Seeing the resentful expressions on the faces of Qu Shisi and others beside him, Zhu Lang laughed and said

"The elders are the pillars of our Ming Dynasty, why are you so decadent?"

"If you were ordinary people, you would be an old man at home and enjoy your family life. But if you were an assistant minister of the Ming Dynasty, you would be in your prime, so why would you say you are old?"

Among the cabinet ministers, Qu Shisi and He Wuzuo were the oldest, both over 60 years old, while the remaining three, Lu Daqi, Chen Zizhuang and Su Guansheng, were only in their 50s.
Sixty years old can be considered old, but for the central government officials, it can be said to be in the prime of life.
Zhu Lang chuckled and stopped making things difficult for Qu Shisi and the others. He looked at the group of military officials on the right and said:

"You gentlemen just now deliberately gave way to me and let me take the first place, but it caused you to stay in the sun with me for a while longer."

Jiao Lian and other military officials were embarrassed when they heard this, but Zhu Lang didn't care. He just joked and said

"Do you have any thoughts?"

Jiao Lian, Ma Bao and others were considering how to respond. Li Guo, who had been quite silent since entering the court, suddenly said

"I have been working hard every day. I am already exhausted after planting just one acre of land today. Every grain of rice is earned through hard work. Farming in this world is extremely difficult."

Li Guo looked at the young man in the dragon robe above him, his eyes were complicated. After several years in the court, Li Guo became more and more aware of the difference between this emperor and the emperor.
In the past, members of the Zhu family had been captured. There were some who refused to pay a penny when the army attacked the city, and some who refused to release a grain of rice when the warehouse was full of grain and rotted, and watched the hungry people in chaos and were finally killed. Li Guo had seen countless members of the Zhu family.

But the emperor in the court was not like that at all. In Li Guo's opinion, this emperor did not look like a member of the Zhu family at all, but rather like someone from a commoner family.
What his majesty has done in the court over the years vaguely makes Li Guo feel that it is very similar to what they did when they first started the rebellion.

Eat his mother, wear his mother, the rebel king comes and does not pay taxes. Although this is just a slogan, it is more than just a slogan.

When they were forced into a desperate situation and rose up in rebellion, they were also angry and wanted to make sure that all the people in the world were not exploited and had enough food and clothing.
Of course, that was when the rebellion just started. Later, as King Chuang went back and forth in the Central Plains, killing officials, bandits, civilians, rebels, bad guys, and good guys, there was nothing in the world that could not be killed. The killing was so bloody that the whole world was wailing. In the end, Li Guo himself did not know what he had become.

When Li Guo was first escorted back to the capital, he was still resentful and felt that the court was untrustworthy. However, after seeing the various changes in Guangdong Province in the court over the past few years, Li Guo suddenly felt that being a commander of the imperial guards in the court was not a bad thing.

After hearing what Li Guo said, Qu Shisi and other cabinet ministers also looked a little serious. Zhu Lang looked at Li Guo opposite him, nodded slightly, and said softly

"If someone else had said this, I would have just thought it was just a casual remark, but Li Qing is different."

"I heard that Li Qing was a local postman before he joined the army. Li Qing has experienced the sufferings of the people. This is not a lie, but a deep feeling."

When Zhu Lang said this, the expressions of the ministers in the room became completely serious. Zhu Lang glanced at the ministers such as Lu Daqi and He Wuzuo below, and continued
"We are sweating profusely while tilling this piece of land today, but the people of the world are working in the fields every day, and the land they till is thousands and tens of thousands times more than ours. If it weren't for the people of the world working hard every day, how could we have such high positions in the government?"

"The imperial court has always been based on agriculture, but this does not mean to plunder and exploit the people. Instead, it should encourage agriculture and sericulture, and evenly distribute taxes, so that everyone in the country, regardless of whether they are gentry or common people, can have enough food and clothing. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we are all learning from you."

When Qu Shisi and the others heard this, they could only bow down and kowtow.
He Wuzuo could naturally hear that what His Majesty said was meant to be a hint. He Wuzuo and Lu Daqi looked at each other, and when their expressions became serious, they were about to speak.

Zhu Lang glanced at He Wuzuo, but before He Wuzuo could say anything, he smiled and said

"What are you doing? General Li was just expressing his feelings. I am just expressing my feelings too. Why should we be so restrained?"

"It's a rare day for us, the emperor and his subjects, to have a free day. Today we will only talk about daily farm work and not about national affairs."

When He Wuzuo heard this, his expression froze and his body froze in mid-air. For a moment, he could neither sit nor stand. The emperor had already said that they would only talk about daily farm matters today, so how could he make any suggestions?
Qu Shisi, who was standing by, saw He Wuzuo's embarrassed expression and shook his head slightly. The matter of Guangdong Province was over, so why should He Wuzuo step out again?
Qu Shisi thought for a moment, but without paying any attention to He Wuzuo beside him, he spoke

"Are these sweet potatoes really as productive as your majesty said?"

Zhu Lang smiled when he heard this.

"Of course it's high-yielding, otherwise why would I have to go to so much trouble?" "Last year I just asked someone to take some seeds for trial planting, and last year alone, one acre yielded 15 dan. This year, the Ministry of Revenue has recruited agricultural engineers to summarize the habits and planting methods of sweet potatoes, and this year's yield will only be higher."

Qu Shisi was also surprised when he heard this. He had heard that sweet potatoes were high-yielding, but he had never thought that they could be so high-yielding.
Normally, one mu of rice can yield three or four dan, which is considered high. However, this sweet potato is just a new crop, and one mu can produce 15 dan, which is four or five times higher than the rice yield.

Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others also looked serious. Since His Majesty had grown it himself, it must be true. The court officials were all present, and everyone knew what such a high-yield crop meant.

Qu Shisi's expression straightened up, and he said in a deep voice:

"This plant is so high-yielding, I request that the court send it to all counties and order them to immediately promote trial planting."

"The weather has been changing frequently in recent years, and harvests have been fluctuating in different places. If this product can be widely promoted among the people, it can serve as a supplement and help the people avoid famine."

Zhu Lang shook his head slightly and said

"Mr. Qu knows the nature of sweet potatoes."

"This...I don't know"

Qu Shisi's expression froze. Although he had heard of sweet potatoes before, Qu Shisi was the Prime Minister of the court. He had too many things to deal with in the cabinet every day, so how could he have the time to learn about the habits of sweet potatoes?

In fact, if Zhu Lang had not tried to grow it in the palace, Qu Shisi would not have paid attention to sweet potatoes as an overseas crop.

"Sweet potatoes like humidity and heat, and are very easy to grow. They can be planted in fields or hills. If they are properly cared for, even on sloping land, you can harvest dozens of dan."

When Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian and others heard this, they were even more confused. According to what Your Majesty said, this is even better. Now the court controls all the land in the south, and the climate in the south has always been humid and hot. Isn't it more suitable to promote this thing?
Zhu Lang glanced at the green seedlings in the field and said softly
"The court is still summarizing the method of this species for promotion, but even if it is to be promoted, it has to wait until the court recovers Jiangnan."

Qu Shisi, Lu Daqi and others frowned slightly at first, and then their faces soon became thoughtful.

Everyone in the pavilion was silent and thinking, but the sound of footsteps broke the silence. Li Chengzhi, the commander of the Jinyiwei, hurried into the hall and handed a note to Zhu Lang.

Everyone came back to their senses at this time, and their eyes fell on the note in Zhu Lang's hand. Zhu Lang glanced at it and said softly

"News from Zhoushan has come back. I originally said that I would not discuss state affairs today, but it seems that I have to break my promise. Please follow me into the palace to discuss matters."

"The minister obeys the order"

Qu Shisi and others naturally knew what Zhu Lang was talking about in Zhejiang Province. After the ceasefire in 1948, the Ningbo war was the biggest action of the court in recent years, and it also concerned the maritime trade of the court.

With the opening of the Japanese shipping route, maritime trade has become increasingly important in the DPRK.

In the past few years, the court has stopped the war and the people have recovered. After the court completely lifted the ban on sea trade, more and more people from various provinces have gone to the sea.

Last year, the total amount of customs duties collected by the Maritime Flag License and the Customs Offices in Fujian and Guangdong reached 500,000 taels.

This is just the data known to the Ministry of Revenue. In fact, the income brought by maritime trade is far more than this.
The Maritime Trade Department brought a large amount of Japanese copper back to the court every year through the silk and copper trade between Ryukyu and Japan. These Japanese coppers were minted into countless copper coins. The interest earned by the court from minting coins was also huge. This did not include the profits earned by the Maritime Trade Department from transporting commercial goods to Nagasaki.
The affairs of the Maritime Trade Department and the Copper Administration were related to the palace, and the Ministry of Revenue did not know the specific situation, but according to the court's estimation, the annual income of the court from maritime trade was probably more than one million taels.
At this time, maritime trade had already surpassed the salt tax and became the second largest source of revenue for the court after the land tax. In the eyes of some people, the importance of maritime trade tax was no less than that of the land tax.

Since Zhu Lang became regent, the court has started to implement grain instead of silver. Now the land tax in the court is all rice, while the money brought back from sea trade is real gold and silver.
Zhu Lang stood up and said to Li Guoyong beside him

"Go and ask the Shangyiguan to bring robes and give them to the ministers to change into. We have just sweated all over, so we cannot discuss anything like this."

"We thank your Majesty for the reward."

Zhu Lang just waved his hand when he heard this. He wanted to give some people in the cabinet a warning, but he didn't want to bring them down.

Qu Shisi and his men are indeed quite old, and it would be hilarious if they were sweating profusely while discussing matters.
Zhu Lang ordered all the officials to stand up and said

"Tell the Wardrobe Supervisor that the robes I am wearing today are also not to be discarded. Have them washed and sent back to me. I will wear them again in the future."

"I understand."

He Wuzuo, who was standing by, was moved when he heard this and said:

"Your Majesty is so kind and frugal, it is a blessing for the people of the world"

The royal families of all dynasties were extremely extravagant. As an emperor, even if he changed into new clothes every day, no one could criticize him.
But today, Your Majesty worked in the fields, and his robe was covered with mud, but he still refused to throw it away. This can really be said to be extremely frugal.
This is also the reason why He Wuzuo and other cabinet ministers were repeatedly suppressed. In the eyes of He Wuzuo and others, His Majesty avoids extravagance and pleasure, and the life he leads is even worse than that of the vassal kings in the past. His Majesty is really cruel to himself.

Zhu Lang himself did not consider himself to be that frugal. If he wanted new clothes, he would immediately get brocade and silk. If he wanted to eat anything, whether it was mountain delicacies or seafood, shark fin or bird's nest, he could eat it immediately the next day.

The palace used ambergris worth more than gold, and the pens, ink, paper and inkstone were all top-grade. Although Lu Province had been lost, the palace still kept five or six lion cats as big as jade and as white as snow. He really didn't know how he could be so frugal.
But since Qu Shisi and others say he is frugal, then he must be frugal.

Zhu Lang was about to leave, but when he glanced at He Wuzuo who was looking emotional, he suddenly spoke

"Emperor Taizu of Song washed his clothes twice, and the historians praised him for his frugality. How could I wash my clothes more than three times?"

"If you want to accomplish great things, you must first work hard and endure hardships. Since you know that I am so frugal, you should know that I must have great ambitions."

He Wuzuo was also shocked when he heard this. He naturally knew that His Majesty had other intentions at this time. He Wuzuo frowned slightly and was about to speak.

But before he could say anything, Zhu Lang interrupted him again and said

"I just said that we will not discuss this matter today. No matter what reason I give you now, you will definitely not accept it. Let's wait for another month, and then we will see what happens."

After Zhu Lang finished speaking, he walked out of the pavilion without waiting for the ministers to reply.
He Wuzuo and Lu Daqi looked at each other with helplessness on their faces, and had no choice but to chase after His Majesty and Jiao Lian and other military officials in front of them.

(End of this chapter)