Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

May 28th.

Liangyi Hall.

Li Shimin looked on in astonishment: "Why does Minister Dou want to resign as Minister of Agriculture?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Dou Jing's eyes: "Duke Dou Fengjie of the State of Zan has cleared an acre of uncultivated land in his residence. After the wheat was harvested, I took a look and found that the yield per acre was about two and a half shi (a unit of dry weight).

Li Shimin suddenly stood up.

He was not an emperor who didn't care about basic necessities; he knew the data on grain production. For wheat to produce two shi (a unit of dry measure), the land had to be fertile and well-cultivated.

Therefore, Dou Fengjie's high productivity was of great significance.

Li Shimin laughed and scolded, "You brat! How can you be so petty?"

He understood that Dou Fengjie harbored resentment towards Dou Jing and his brother for not speaking out on Wei Shishi's false accusation against Dou Gui.

Therefore, as long as Dou Jing remains in the position of Minister of Agriculture, Dou Fengjie's method will not be taught to the Ministry of Agriculture, but may be taught to the Ministry of Works and Agricultural Reclamation Department.

Dou Jing was particularly interested in land reclamation and preferred to resign as Minister of Agriculture rather than let this method fall into the hands of the Ministry of Works first.

This is a difficult situation, as both sides are stubborn and it's unrealistic to expect either of them to back down.

"I'll think about it some more..."

Li Shimin did not want Dou Jing to leave his position as Minister of Agriculture, but he could not force Dou Fengjie to hand over the method.

After all, this idiot still remembers how Princess Yongjia made things difficult for Dou Fengjie.

Putting everything else aside, Xi Simin preferred to give it to Li Tai rather than Li Shimin, which reflects Dou Fengjie's stubborn attitude.

Compared to Dou Fengjie's plans in foreign lands, Li Shimin actually valued his agricultural abilities more.

After all, we live in an agrarian society where food is of utmost importance, and starving commoners are truly capable of rebelling with sickles in hand.

Why not move Dou Fengjie to the Ministry of Agriculture?

That's not appropriate. Even Li Shimin praised Dou Fengjie's scheme involving Tuyuhun.

The cities of Damomen, Shudun, Niuxindui, the seven Dangxiang clans, and the Xueshan Dangxiang were like invisible iron chains, firmly binding the activity space of the Tuyuhun.

Even more outrageous is the claim that Murong Fuyun's childhood friend, Xiang Dunshan, the king of the Black Party, is also preparing to send envoys to the court to request submission.

The price the Tang Dynasty had to pay was simply to exchange wheat for cattle, horses, and other livestock in a fair manner.

Why didn't anyone think of this way to win over Tuyuhun's allies and vassals before?

"Why can't we add Dou Fengjie as the Inspector General of the Imperial Garden and Deputy Supervisor?"

Yin Hongzhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, spoke in a nonchalant manner.

Dou Fengjie was appointed as the seventh-rank official in charge of guest management, but what happened to the sixth-rank official, the deputy director of the Imperial Garden?

Judging from Dou Fengjie's demeanor, he neither holds a position nor engages in its affairs, so giving him a part-time job wouldn't be a bad idea.

Yin Hongzhi was somewhat disrespectful to Li Shimin, the descendant of his enemy and brother-in-law.

His father, Yin Shishi, killed Li Shimin's younger brother, Li Zhiyun. Li Yuan then killed his father, and Li Shimin even took his sister as a concubine.

The relationships within this family are such a mess it's a headache.

Yin Hongzhi felt that as the emperor's brother-in-law, his power should be comparable to that of Sikong Changsun Wuji. He wanted to be promoted, but he couldn't let go of the hatred for his father's murder, which made him extremely conflicted.

However, Yin Hongzhi was indeed far superior to his predecessor, Yang Shidao, in terms of personnel selection.

"I was momentarily fixated on a single point. Your humble position as a high official is indeed unconventional in your use of people."

Li Shimin was overjoyed.

With the official position of Inspector General of the Imperial Garden, Dou Fengjie would be too embarrassed to keep his farming skills hidden any longer, right?

In this way, Dou Jing wouldn't need to resign as Minister of Agriculture; at most, he could simply avoid going to the Capital Gardens to annoy Dou Fengjie.

-----------------

When the Imperial Secretariat revisited the Court of State Ceremonial and bestowed upon Dou Fengjie the official robes of a sixth-rank official and a new official certificate, he couldn't help but reveal envy in his eyes.

A duke who was suppressed and started as a lowly ninth-rank official rose rapidly within half a year, being granted official positions beyond his rank one after another.

The key is that this appointment process is so effective that no one can complain; every step is built upon solid achievements.

"Congratulations, Deputy Supervisor! Another victory has arrived from the direction of Niuxindui. Shanzhou Prefect Jiuqie Luosheng led his troops to reinforce Xiping County Prince and Gandou Khan, and defeated the Tuyuhun King Liang Qucong, beheading over three thousand."

Chuanzhi revealed a genuine smile.

The beheading was actually changed to cutting off the left ear long ago.

Three thousand were beheaded, and the number of enemies killed was probably around ten thousand.

This news is more nourishing to Niuxindui than a century-old ginseng.

Dou Fengjie smiled and placed a piece of Lantian jade cicada of mediocre quality into Chuanzhi's palm.

"Congratulations, Shangguan! You've succeeded in winning the battle!"

Mu Zhancheng, Cheng Chumo, Beimen Shuang, and other colleagues offered their congratulations.

"Tsk, you've caught up with me without me even noticing."

Zhao Dekai, the Grand Secretary, sounded a little sour.

Changsun Huan looked at Dou Fengjie with a complicated expression.

They both came from good backgrounds and had been classmates for many years. How come Changsun Huan didn't know that this fool knew about agriculture?

Occasionally going to work on one's own private fields certainly doesn't count, but the emperor personally oversaw the planting of crops. Did the emperor also know about agriculture?

This fool has broken free of his shackles; no one can stop his future now.

Dou Fengjie sighed softly: "You don't know, I don't want to go to the Ministry of Agriculture. Isn't the Ministry of Works' Agricultural Reclamation Department better?"

Cheng Chumo exclaimed, "Shangguan's words are making my fists itch!"

Laughter filled the Honglu Temple.

Although it was the truth, Dou Fengjie's words sounded like he was showing off.

When a new official takes office, Dou Fengjie still has to be careful around the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Vice Minister of Agriculture, Wu Shiling, met with Dou Fengjie and told him that as long as he could increase the wheat yield by one dou per mu, he would never have to see the Minister of Agriculture, Dou Jing, again.

If we both find each other unbearable to look at, it's better not to meet at all.

Jingyuan's director, Li Wei, maintained a kind smile, and his handsome beard was exceptionally smooth.

"Officials of the Imperial Garden Supervisor and the Four-Sided Supervisor of the Imperial Garden, come forward to pay your respects to the Inspector General of the Imperial Garden and the Deputy Supervisor!"

"Vice Supervisor Dou is truly skilled, which is why Your Excellency specially requested the Director of the Imperial Garden to come and learn from him!"

Li Wei wasn't just making empty promises; he knew the yield that Dou Fengjie had achieved through meticulous care.

Even if the crops are managed in a less meticulous manner, this method will inevitably lead to a significant increase in grain production.

"First, the soil must be deeply tilled, from four and a half inches to six inches;"

"Secondly, the manure needs to be piled up and fermented for one or two months before it can be applied to the fields as fertilizer."

Dou Fengjie's two requests left the Director of the Imperial Garden and the officials of the Four-Sided Imperial Garden scratching their heads.

"Deputy Supervisor, the current plow can only clear four and a half inches of land."

Dou Fengjie produced a diagram of the curved plow.

The curved plowshare, which can turn freely, the plowshare with adjustable plowshare height, and the lightweight plow body instantly won the praise of these knowledgeable agricultural officials.

As for whether deeper cultivation will make wheat grow better, the one mu (unit of land area) that Dou Fengjie tried is a good example.

Of course, too much of a good thing can be bad; digging three feet deep is simply harmful.

Li Wei gave the order: "Someone, immediately send these blueprints to the Imperial Workshop and have them trial-produce... one hundred racks!"

The Ministry of Works could also handle this task, but the Director of Works had a better relationship with Dou Fengjie, so the shrewd Li Wei would naturally take care of Dou Fengjie's feelings.

Why is it necessary to ferment feces through composting?

"You can understand it this way: fresh manure is very hot and can easily burn the roots of crops. After being exposed to wind, sun and rain, the heat dissipates and it can better nourish the crops."