Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 122 People's Livelihood is the Biggest Problem
While conducting the search, Zhu Gaoshuo also reviewed the Ministry of Personnel's archives. Zhou Wuzui, the magistrate of Qingpan County, was a seventh-rank official with an annual salary equivalent to about ninety shi of rice. This amount of grain, even if saved, was barely enough to support his family, hire advisors and clerks, maintain official decorum, or even pay the wages of the dozens of unofficial servants in the yamen. This was precisely the huge hidden danger left by the "low salary to encourage integrity" policy established by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

Officials' salaries are so meager that they can barely make ends meet, let alone maintain integrity.
The inevitable result is that people will "live off the land" and "live off the water," extending their reach to the powerless and vulnerable.

Looking at the mountains of stolen goods and reports of starving people everywhere, Zhu Gaoshuo fell into deep silence. He understood that Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention was to reduce the burden on the people and eliminate the extravagance and corruption of officials during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

But reality is cruel. In the Yongle era, when prices were soaring, this meager salary was not even enough for a county magistrate to maintain the most basic dignity and keep the government office running!

"Your Highness, what should we do with Zhou Wuzui and the others?" Wang Ao asked for instructions.

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Gaoshuo's eyes.

"Corruption, embezzlement, and exploitation of the people have led to their misery and are unforgivable crimes! Zhou Wuzui and the three ringleaders shall have their property confiscated and be executed immediately! Their heads shall be displayed on the city tower! The remaining accomplices shall be severely punished according to the law, dismissed from their posts, and exiled! Half of the confiscated property shall be put into the government treasury, and the other half shall be distributed locally to Qingpan Township and the disaster-stricken people to temporarily alleviate their urgent needs!"

Swift and decisive measures to deter petty criminals.

The corrupt officials in Qingshi County were executed, and the people received life-saving grain and money. The name of Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, as "Upright Official" spread throughout Xunzhou in an instant. However, Zhu Gaoshuo knew that killing a few corrupt officials and distributing money and grain could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. The fundamental problem could not be solved.

Limited land, food shortages, poor officials, and impoverished people.

Back at the palace, Zhu Gaoshuo locked himself in his study, pondering deeply over the field maps and climate and hydrological records of Xunzhou.

He needed a crop that could produce high and stable yields in the barren land and changeable climate of Xunzhou, and could quickly feed a large population. He thought of sweet potatoes.

This plant is drought-resistant, can thrive in poor soil, is highly productive, and is rich in nutrients, making it an ideal solution to food shortages. Unfortunately, sweet potatoes had not yet been introduced to China at that time.

"Isn't there a substitute?" Zhu Gaoshuo searched through his memories and collected agricultural books unwillingly. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a miscellaneous record from Qiongzhou, which recorded a tuber crop grown by the local people. It was shaped like a taro, with well-developed vines, heat and humidity resistant, and a high yield. The locals called it "mountain potato" or "sweet potato".

"Sweet potato?" Zhu Gaoshuo's heart skipped a beat.

Could this description be of a wild relative or early variety of sweet potato? Even if not, their characteristics are extremely similar.

"Wang Ao!" Zhu Gaoshuo suddenly pushed open the door.

"Immediately send men with my token to Qiongzhou at top speed. At all costs, find the local natives who cultivate 'sweet potatoes' or 'sweet potatoes,' and bring them back to me alive, vines and soil included. The more the better. At the same time, select a few barren slopes and sandy loam plots in the palace gardens and outside the city to prepare for trial planting."

His eyes shone with hope.

“Ping’er, you are meticulous and know a bit about farming. This matter concerns the livelihood of all the people in Xunzhou. You should take charge personally, organize reliable farmers, and as soon as the seedlings arrive, immediately follow the methods I wrote down for seedling cultivation, cutting, soil preparation, and management! We must grow the ‘lifesaving potato’ that can feed all the people in Xunzhou.”

Zhang Xiuping sensed the weight and expectation in her husband's words and nodded solemnly.

"Your Highness, rest assured! I will do my utmost to ensure that this 'sweet potato' takes root and sprouts in Xunzhou, relieving the people's suffering from hunger!" On the fields of Xunzhou, new hope is being nurtured, and Zhu Gaoshuo also deeply realizes that to truly change this era, "ingenious skills" and decisive killing are far from enough; ensuring that the people have enough to eat is the true "stabilizing force."

He has to transform himself into a hexagonal warrior.

The fast horses of Qiongzhou carried bundles of sweet potato vines and tubers, still carrying the scent of damp earth, carefully to the Qiwang Mansion in Xunzhou.

Zhang Xiuping was already on high alert. She personally led the capable servants and experienced farmers in the palace to begin the intensive seedling and cutting work in the back garden of the palace and on several barren slopes and sandy loam lands outside the city. They followed the unheard-of methods provided by Zhu Gaoshuo, such as "deep ditches and high ridges," "slanting vines," and "frequent soil replenishment."

Every day, Zhu Gaoshuo would go to the fields to check on the growth of the sweet potato seedlings. Those tenacious lives from the tropics had stubbornly taken root in the warm and humid early spring climate of Xunzhou, and tender green vines began to spread along the furrows. The tender shoots of hope quietly sprouted in the barren soil.

However, the heaviness in Zhu Gaoshuo's heart did not lessen. He stood on the city wall, gazing at the magnificent view of the sea and sky merging into one in the distance, his brows furrowed.

“Relying solely on fishing is ultimately a drop in the ocean,” he said in a low voice to Zhang Xiuping and Wang Ao beside him.

"No matter how many fishermen there are, the number of boats is limited, the wind and waves are unforgiving, and the catch is unstable. The population of Xunzhou is growing, the workshops are expanding, and the army is training. All of these require food. Even if this 'sweet potato' is successful, it will take time to promote it. Right now, the food shortage is still huge. Being by the sea can only solve part of the meat and trade problem, but it cannot solve the fundamental problem of rice."

It seems he still needs to put in more effort in matters concerning people's livelihood.

The capital city, the warm chamber of the imperial palace.

Several reports were laid out in front of Zhu Di. One of them was a secret report from Xunzhou, which detailed the process of Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, cracking down on corruption in Qingpan County, beheading corrupt officials, opening granaries for disaster relief, and that he had sent people to Qiongzhou to introduce a vine crop called "sweet potato" or "sweet potato" and was organizing trial planting.

The other document was a summary from the Ministry of Revenue regarding the collection of taxes and grain in Xunzhou and several surrounding prefectures. The shocking arrears and the description of "empty grain reserves" confirmed the universality of the predicament encountered by Zhu Gaoshuo.

The atmosphere inside the warm pavilion was somber.

Zhu Di leaned back on the dragon throne, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, his gaze shifting between the reports and his three sons. The corruption case and famine in Xunzhou were like a thorn in the heart of this emperor who ruled with an iron fist.

What troubled him even more was that his fourth brother's introduction of new crops and attempts to open up new avenues subtly prompted him to think about some fundamental issues.

"Speak up, everyone," Zhu Di said, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"What are your thoughts on the Xunzhou incident, the Qingpan County case, and this 'sweet potato'?"

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi spoke first, his plump face showing deep worry, but his tone was calm and pragmatic.

“Father, what my fourth brother did in Xunzhou was a swift and decisive crackdown on corruption and relief for disaster victims, which was very gratifying and relieved the urgent needs of the people of Qingshi County. This is what a ruler should do. However, I believe that the plight of Xunzhou is not just a local problem. While people like Zhou Bapi in Qingshi County certainly deserve to be killed, the root cause of their corruption is probably not entirely due to their personal character.”

(End of this chapter)