Love Lock

Chapter 221 Food for the Lowly
Since Han Lei had given the order, Luo Hai dared not be careless. He summoned the county yamen runners overnight and personally supervised the clearing of a three-courtyard house under Wei Dabao's name.

Although the house is not luxurious, it has a spacious courtyard and is fully furnished.

As dawn broke, Luo Hai specially ordered people to add several newly transplanted fruit trees to the backyard, and also prepared rice, flour, and cooking oil. Even the firewood in the kitchen was neatly stacked.

The next day at dawn, Luo Hai, dressed in a brand-new indigo official robe, arrived at the Yuelai Inn with eight yamen runners.

The shop assistant, who was yawning and removing the door panel as he was preparing to open for business, was startled by what he saw and almost dropped the door latch.

"Your Highness and Princess Consort greet you respectfully outside the guest room, your voice neither humble nor arrogant. The new residence is ready, and I have come to welcome you."

The door creaked open, and Liu Yan, the King of Jingzhou, appeared, wearing a worn brocade robe and with dark circles under his eyes.

He sized up the weary-looking prefect before him and suddenly laughed, "Lord Luo is certainly decisive. Last night I heard a constant stream of carriages and horses on the street. Could it be that they're moving my residence?"

Luo Hai cupped his hands and replied, "I have disturbed Your Highness's rest, and I deserve to die. I only thought that the inn was too simple and that it was really unfair to the noble guests."

At this moment, Princess Shen Yanru of Jingzhou led her six-year-old son out of the inner room. The child rubbed his sleepy eyes and mumbled something.

"Father, are we going to live in a big house?"

The young prince's innocent voice made the King of Jingzhou, who had just felt a little relieved yesterday, feel even more sad.

He fled with his family, and although they have now settled in Cangzhou, he always feels like he is living under someone else's roof, with no end in sight for the future.

As the relocation procession passed through streets still shrouded in morning mist, the King of Jingzhou suddenly reined in his horses.

A group of soldiers dressed in uniform dark green uniforms were marching in formation. Although their equipment was simple, their attire was very neat and their steps were uniform.

He had never seen such clothing before; it looked tall and imposing.

What he didn't know was that these were military uniforms that Han Lei had specially prepared for the deserters who had fled from Jingzhou. They were modern-style training uniforms, not only sturdy but also very convenient for drills.

When the guards leading the soldiers saw Luo Hai and his party, they immediately clasped their hands in salute, and the group spontaneously stopped to make way for them.

“These are…” Liu Yan squinted his eyes.

"Your Highness, these are the garrison troops organized by the Princess of Cangzhou. In addition to their daily drills, they also have to farm."

Luo Hai didn't avoid him, but readily explained: "These soldiers all escaped from Jingzhou a few days ago. Our prince took pity on them, and since Cangzhou needs to reclaim wasteland for farming, he reorganized them into garrison troops."

"Oh!"

The King of Jingzhou nodded in understanding.

He knew that there were a large number of deserters in Jingzhou. But he never expected that Zhao Zun, the King of Cangzhou, would be so audacious as to accept them all.

These deserters, whether soldiers or civilians, would certainly face the death penalty if the imperial court found out, yet the King of Cangzhou did just that.

He was eager to know what kind of trump card the King of Cangzhou had that gave him the courage to take in deserters and disregard the laws of the imperial court.

He recalled that someone in the court had once said that Zhao Zun's achievements were so great that they threatened the emperor's power. Zhao Zun and his son had guarded the North Pass for many years and made indelible contributions to the Great Jing Dynasty.

He had always respected Zhao Zun and didn't believe that Zhao Zun would become too powerful and harbor rebellious intentions, but now it seems that Zhao Zun probably already...

As the King of Jingzhou was pondering this, he heard Luo Hai's voice again.

"Your Highness, you see they are recruiting refugees over there. All those who register will be assigned work according to their abilities. Those with strength can go to reclaim wasteland, while women and children can do light work such as weaving and animal husbandry."

Liu Yan saw several poor-looking scholars registering at a wooden table. A lame old man was gesturing excitedly, then happily took a wooden plaque and headed west of the city.

To his surprise, despite the bustling crowds and numerous homeless people on the streets, there was no chaos whatsoever. Even the vendors' stalls were neatly arranged within white lines drawn with lime.

The King of Jingzhou secretly admired Zhao Zun's management skills. Such order was something that could not be seen not only in his Jingzhou, but also in the capital.

After settling the Prince of Jingzhou into his new home, Luo Hai personally drove the carriage in the afternoon, taking the Prince, his wife, and the Princess and Heir to visit the wasteland project on the outskirts of the city.

The wheels rolled over the newly paved cement road, which was even smoother than the bluestone roads in Beijing.

Princess Shen lifted the carriage curtain and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" There stood a stone tablet by the roadside, engraved with the four large characters "Convenience Ditch," and the clear, cool water was flowing merrily towards the distant fields.

"This was built under my supervision," Luo Hai said with pride. "It draws water from mountain springs and now irrigates more than 3,000 mu of land nearby."

As the carriage entered the project gate, Liu Yan suddenly grabbed the window frame.

As far as the eye could see, there were golden stacks of corn, piled up like small mountains of gold on the open ground.

Dozens of laborers chanted as they carried sweet potatoes; each tuber, still covered in fresh soil, was as big as a fist.

Further away, several women were teaching children to sort potatoes by size into piles, their laughter carried on the wind through the fields.

"Lord Luo, what are those?" The King of Jingzhou asked, pointing to the bountiful harvest of grain with a face full of curiosity.

"Those are grain seeds that the Princess Consort of Cangzhou obtained. One type is corn, the big one is sweet potato, and the yellow and white ones are potatoes. All three types of grain have high yields and are easy to store. This year, all counties have had a bumper harvest, so Cangzhou will not lack grain next year."

"Good heavens!" Princess Shen covered her gaping mouth with a handkerchief. "We've never even heard of these grains before."

"This...this is really a wasteland? Stop the car, I need to get out and take a look."

The King of Jingzhou couldn't help but jump off the carriage, walk down the cement road, and grab a handful of dark brown soil to rub between his fingers.

The soil, though not fertile, carried a damp fragrance, quite different from the barren red soil he remembered as common in Cangzhou.

Princess Shen and the princess's son also got off the carriage, curiously looking around at everything. For nobles like them, this was their first time visiting the countryside, and everything seemed new and exciting.

Luo Hai also jumped off the carriage and walked with them. He bent down to pick up a small sweet potato that had been overlooked, wiped it with his sleeve, broke it in half, and handed it to the young prince and the young princess.

"Eat up! Peel it with a knife, you can eat it raw," he said with a kind smile.

The King of Jingzhou looked around at the distance and found it utterly unbelievable. Cangzhou was mountainous with little arable land, and the land there was not fertile.

Everyone in the Great Jing Dynasty knew that Cangzhou was a poor, desolate place teeming with unruly people, but what he saw today was completely different from what he knew. The county town of Qingshui was orderly, and the reclaimed wasteland was producing large quantities of grain. How did Zhao Zun manage to do that?
Luo Hai noticed his confusion and explained, "Your Highness, please look, these lands were indeed originally mixed with stones. But the people picked out the stones for repairs, leaving the soil for planting."

He then pointed to the southeast corner, “Over there in the experimental field, they are still growing what the princess said… oh right, it’s called cotton. The princess said that the climate in Cangzhou is very suitable for growing cotton. Cotton has a good insulation property. With cotton, we can make cotton-padded jackets instead of just wearing linen or silk like we do now.”

Just then, a clear bell sound came from afar.

More than a dozen brand-new wheelbarrows were lined up in a long queue, each fully loaded with corn cobs.

The leader was a young woman with a blue headscarf. She wasn't intimidated by the officials and said loudly, "Lord Luo, this batch is going to the relief warehouse!"

The King of Jingzhou suddenly noticed a detail: although the laborers pushing the carts were drenched in sweat, their faces were all rosy, and some were even humming tunes while they worked.

This was unlike any he had seen in other states and counties, with farmers bent over by corvée labor.

"Does Your Highness know how much they are paid?" Luo Hai seemed to see through his doubts. "Strong laborers get thirty coins a day, plus two full meals. If they exceed the quota, there will be additional rewards."

"So much? And it's all-you-can-eat?"

The King of Jingzhou was stunned. Although he considered himself to be quite generous, unlike other nobles who overly exploited tenants or laborers, the fact that he treated peasants so well every day still overturned his understanding.

He stood on the edge of the field, silent for a long time. A gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of corn, and Princess Shen gently took her husband's hand, noticing that his palm was trembling slightly.

“My dear consort,” Liu Yan said in a hoarse voice, “we may have… really underestimated this Miss Han.”

Luo Hai stood quietly not far away, watching the down-on-their-luck royal couple.

He recalled what Han Lei had once said: "No matter who it is, they must ensure that the people are well-fed before they can sit securely in this world."

At the time, he thought Han Lei was just talking nonsense, but now, looking at the full granary, he suddenly felt that Han Lei's relaxed and comfortable sportswear seemed to be more dazzling than the dragon robe.

Walking slowly along the newly built cement road of the wasteland project, the King of Jingzhou stood with his hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed. Today's trip had given him a deeper understanding of the strength of Zhao Zun, the King of Cangzhou.

The autumn sunlight filtered through the newly planted poplar trees along the roadside, casting dappled shadows that shone on his brocade robe embroidered with dark patterns, creating a faint halo.

"This road is quite smooth." The King of Jingzhou lightly tapped the gray-white road surface with the tip of his boot. "It's even more solid than the one in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hai quickly cupped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, this is cement specially developed by the Princess of Cangzhou. It is not afraid of rain erosion and is not easy to grow weeds. The fort built in Tuomugou used this cement."

The King of Jingzhou nodded slightly, about to ask another question, when suddenly a series of "humming and chirping" sounds drifted on the wind.

His face stiffened, and he subconsciously covered his nose with his sleeve: "What is this...?"

Princess Jingzhou, walking beside him, suddenly brightened up and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Lord Luo, what is that sound? The sound is so peculiar."

Luo Hai smiled and said, "Your Highness, that's the squealing of pigs from the pig farm ahead."

"Pigs?" The King of Jingzhou's voice suddenly rose. "How could there be a pig farm in this desolate wilderness?"

His brows furrowed even more, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. As a member of the royal family, he had been raised in luxury since childhood, and the meals in his residence never included pork, a "cheap meat," let alone the sound of pigs squealing.

Princess Shen, however, was in high spirits. She came from a family of military generals; her father was the former General Zhennan, who had been replaced by Emperor Qianlong. Although she was a noblewoman, she was more forthright than her husband.

She gently tugged at her husband's sleeve: "Your Highness, I've never seen a live pig before, why don't we go take a look?"

The young princess and prince could no longer contain themselves, tugging at their mother's clothes and shaking her: "Mother, I want to see too! What do those pigs look like? Are they round and plump like in the paintings?"

Seeing this, Luo Hai quickly explained, "Your Highness, please forgive me. This pig farm was started by the Princess Consort of Cangzhou before she went to the capital. Not only did she reclaim wasteland to grow grain, but she also built this pig farm as a supporting facility. The pig manure is used as fertilizer to irrigate the fields and improve the soil quality; the fattened pigs can also supply the market restaurants and improve the food for the laborers. It's a win-win situation."

"Was this also done by the Princess Consort of Cangzhou?" Upon hearing this, the King of Jingzhou's brows relaxed slightly, but he still harbored some doubt: "You mean... pig manure can fertilize fields?"

“Indeed,” Luo Hai replied respectfully. “In the past, the land here was barren and could not grow good crops. Since pig manure was used to fertilize the fields, the soil quality has greatly improved. Your Highness can see this by looking at the grains that have been grown.”

"Oh! No wonder." The King of Jingzhou nodded thoughtfully.

Although he was a prince, this was the first time he had ever heard of such agricultural matters.

The princess was already impatient: "Lord Luo, please take us to see it!"

The group turned past a cornfield, and suddenly the view opened up before them. Rows of neat cement buildings sat on the flat ground, and from a distance, they even had a sense of order and discipline, like a military camp.

"This...is this a pig farm?" The King of Jingzhou stopped in surprise. Why did it seem more novel than his own palace?
He had imagined a pig farm to be a muddy, stinking place, but the gray-white buildings in front of him were clean and tidy. If it weren't for the occasional squeals of pigs, he would have almost thought it was a newly built granary.

Luo Hai led them forward: "Your Highness, please look, these pigsties are all made of cement, and the ground is sloped for easy cleaning. There are people who clean them every day, so they are not dirty or messy."

The eight- or nine-year-old princess and the six-year-old prince had already broken free from their mother's hands and ran like happy little deer toward the nearest pigsty.

Through the wooden fence, you can see plump, round pigs in each pigpen. Some are strolling leisurely, some are rooting for food in front of the trough, and some are lazily lying on the hay basking in the sun.

"Father, Mother, come and see!" The little princess waved excitedly, as if it were her first time visiting the zoo.

The young prince was overjoyed: "Wow! Are these pigs? They're so cute! Round and chubby, like walking pillows!"

The King of Jingzhou was helplessly pulled over by his daughter, and when he saw the inside of the pigsty, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The ground was clean and dry, the feeding troughs and water troughs were neatly arranged, and each pig had a shiny coat and a robust physique, which was completely different from the dirty and thin "lowly animals" he had imagined.

"These pigs... are raised quite well," the King of Jingzhou commented reluctantly.

The princess asked with great interest, "Lord Luo, what do these pigs eat? How long do they take to reach market weight?"

Luo Hai explained in detail: "Your Highness, they are mainly fed soybean residue, feed, and pig feed. They can usually be ready for market after seven or eight months, and the heaviest can weigh about two hundred catties."

"Two hundred jin?" the young princess exclaimed. "That's a lot of meat! Wouldn't he be a huge fat man?"

The young princess suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the King of Jingzhou, "Father, why have we never eaten pork in our manor?"

The King of Jingzhou coughed slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed: "Pork is food for the lowly, we..."

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