White-robed Minister

Chapter 161 0159 [Another List of Those Who Have Been Forgiven]

The fifth day after Xu returned to the village was Lunar New Year's Eve.

He bought some meat and distributed it to every household in the village. After the New Year, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, he went for a walk in the mountains, especially to carefully observe the mulberry fields of each family.

Back home, Xu Lai called his father and brothers to discuss: "I plan to write a letter and ask Uncle Zhang to make a trip to Guangzhou to ask his friend there to hire someone skilled in mulberry cultivation."

"What are you hiring them for?" Xu Yongnian asked, puzzled.

Xu Lai said, "We need to teach the villagers how to grow mulberry trees. Qingxi Village doesn't have many mulberry fields, and the yield is low. There are many problems from site selection to daily management, so we need to learn from outsiders."

Xu Yongnian still didn't understand: "I learned how to plant mulberry trees from your grandfather, and your grandfather learned it from his ancestors. Could it be that we planted them wrong?"

"Yes, I was wrong," Xu Lai nodded.

During the Five Dynasties period, many new immigrants settled in the hilly areas of Liangzhe (present-day Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces). Lacking fertile land, they cultivated mulberry fields in the mountains. By the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, the harvest from one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of hilly mulberry land was equivalent to that of at least ten mu of grain fields!

The situation is similar in Guangdong, and the mulberry and silkworms grown there are special varieties. During the Tang Dynasty, silkworms could be harvested four or five times a year. As sericulture techniques became more sophisticated, by the Qing Dynasty, they could even harvest seven or eight times a year.

There's a lot to learn about mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing.

When Xu Lai was studying in Guangzhou, he inquired with classmates whose families owned mulberry orchards. Later, when he served as an official in Yingtian Prefecture, he inquired with officials from Liangzhe (Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces). He discovered that the mulberry cultivation methods in Liangzhe and Guangdong were significantly different.

The mulberry fields in Qingxi Village, presumably modeled after those of farmers outside the mountains, combined with their own haphazard experimentation, resulted in a rather unscientific set of techniques. The harvest was exceptionally poor!

Xu Lai said, "Father, Second Brother, after I invite these people here, you must study them carefully. Follow their methods and don't plant haphazardly anymore. In particular, you must learn how to cultivate the mountain land into mulberry fields. We didn't have the means before, but now we have oxen at home."

When reclaiming mountainous land for mulberry cultivation, the soil must be tilled at least one foot deep, and even deeper. Furthermore, tilling is necessary annually to prevent soil compaction and degradation.

None of the existing mulberry fields in Qingxi Village meet the standards.

They also need to continue composting every year. There isn't enough human and animal manure in Qingxi Village, but they can slowly fertilize the land with silkworm excrement, soybean meal, and humus from the mountains. So, in the future, villagers who grow mulberry trees will also need to grow more soybeans.

The village's traditional land reclamation methods are also ineffective; they rely on whatever is easiest and simply cultivate the land haphazardly along the mountainside. It's essential to create terraced fields, extending layer upon layer, to prevent soil erosion during the rainy season and to prevent the loss of soil fertility.

As long as agricultural experts are invited to teach techniques, the income of Qingxi Village residents can double or even double again by relying on silkworm farming!

Of course, this is a long and continuous process. Because there is too little manure fertilizer in the village, the fields can only be fertilized slowly year after year.

It would take at least two or three generations of tireless effort to transform individual plots of land into medium-sized fields.

After hearing Xu Lai's description, Xu An, the second brother, could hardly believe it: "Is it really possible to turn the harvest from one acre of mulberry land in the mountains into something equivalent to ten acres of rice paddies outside the mountains?"

"It's definitely possible. I've asked around, and that's how it is in Zhejiang and Jiangsu. But we can't rush it; it took generations of people cultivating the land for one or two hundred years to achieve this," Xu Lai said.

Xu Yongnian said, "No rush. As long as each generation is better than the last, that's enough!"

Xu Lai added, "The villagers might not believe it at first. Let's test it on our own land first. If it really works, the villagers will naturally follow suit."

Many villagers in Qingxi Village have engaged in marriage exchanges with other nearby mountain villages. As long as the agricultural technology reforms here are effective, the nearby mountain villages will follow suit.

"I'll leave some money at home," Xu Lai instructed. "Once we bring him here, make sure to take good care of him. Keep him here for as long as possible."

The father and brothers both seemed very excited.

They are illiterate and have limited knowledge. Even if Xu Lai opened a shop in the county town, they wouldn't know how to manage it; their only option is farming.

Xu Lai immediately wrote to Ding Zhengchen, asking the Ding family to help hire a silkworm expert.

He himself couldn't wait any longer and set off for Beijing right after the Lantern Festival.

Before Xu Lai left home, the county magistrate, registrar, wealthy merchants, and gentry came to the village one after another to offer New Year's greetings. They tried to force many gifts upon him, but Xu Lai could only decline the more expensive ones.

If you really can't refuse, then give them a piece of calligraphy in return.

When Xu Lai traveled north by boat, he also took his nephew Hu Zi with him. His second brother's son was almost six years old.

Given the medical level of ancient times, such a young child was really not suitable for long-distance travel. Xu Lai planned to send his nephew to live with Yu Shanyuan so that he could learn to read and write under Yu Shanyuan's care—Yu Shanyuan had already agreed.

Her niece, Dou Niang, was already ten years old and was going to the capital with Xu Lai and his wife. Having no parents of her own, she already regarded Xu Lai and Pian Pian as her parents.

When passing through Shaozhou, Xu Lai took his nephew to Yu Shanyuan's house and left ten strings of cash as living expenses. Yu Shanyuan firmly refused to accept it, and after much back and forth, his wife reluctantly accepted it.

Then he went back to Pianpian's parents' home, bringing a lot of local specialties from the mountains as gifts. They were all things like dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, and cured wild game, which Xu Lai had bought from the villagers.

He then went to the home of Prefect Sun Minxian to deliver gifts to thank him for helping to arrange the wedding venue. The gifts were the latest manuscripts of "Mathematics" and "Geometry".

Sun Minxian, a water conservancy expert, treasured these two books.

On Dayu Ridge.

Xu Lai and Chen Xiaoyi carried the luggage, while Bu Chao and Chen Dequan were responsible for picking out books—all the books Xu Lai had read before, which they were going to take to the capital this time.

We trekked over mountains and valleys, and we were exhausted.

After finally arriving at Nan'an Military City, Xu Lai and his wife stayed at the post station, patiently waiting for the ships heading north.

At the nearby post station, a soldier shouted urgently, "The Emperor has died! The Emperor has died!"

Soon, the street became noisy, and locals and merchants alike began to talk about it.

Chen Xiaoyi exclaimed in surprise, "The emperor has died again? It hasn't been that long."

Bu Chao looked pained.

The original plan was to hold Bu Chao's wedding when passing through Yingtian Prefecture on this trip to the capital. However, now that the emperor has passed away, marriage is forbidden for three months.

We had to change boats along the way, and occasionally stop to wait for another boat.

When Xu arrived in Tokyo, it was already early March of the fourth year of the Jihei era.

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"Wow, Tokyo is so big! There are even side houses so far from the city center!" Yu'er exclaimed from the deck.

Pianpian was also quite excited. It was her first time in Tokyo, and she had only read about it in poems before.

Xu Lai was troubled by the matter of renting a house.

He didn't know if he would stay in Beijing, so it was difficult for him to decide whether to rent for a short or long term. The Yu family's house in the capital had already been sold through Ouyang Xiu to cover the expenses of several weddings in the family.

Sigh, let's stay at Taiping Xingguo Temple for now.

After passing the imperial examination with top honors, Xu Lai was responsible for planning and executing a series of activities for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). He chose Taiping Xingguo Temple as the venue for these activities, and through repeated interactions, he became very familiar with the abbot.

The whole family can rent a separate courtyard, and the rent will naturally be discounted.

After disembarking at the dock, Xu Lai hailed two donkey carts, loaded his belongings, and headed straight for Taiping Xingguo Temple.

Pianpian had Yu'er hang the carriage curtain so they could enjoy the street scenery along the way. Xu Lai was in charge of introducing the area to them: "On the right ahead, that's the Imperial Academy and the National University. Yu Sanlang and I studied here—that's the Vermilion Bird Gate—after you enter the Vermilion Bird Gate, about a hundred steps to the right, that's where your family used to live—"

"It's so lively up ahead," Pianpian said, peeking out.

"That's Zhouqiao Bridge. There are always a lot of people around Zhouqiao Bridge," Xu Lai explained. "It's relatively quiet now, since the emperor has passed away and drinking and dancing are prohibited during the national mourning period."

Not far past the state bridge lies the Taiping Xingguo Temple.

Hearing that the top scholar's family was going to move in, the abbot personally came out to receive them and arranged for them to stay in a private courtyard.

After settling in briefly, Xu Lai went to the Ministry of Personnel to report for duty the next day.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, there were too many messy matters, and the Court of Judicial Review, which was specifically responsible for the assessment and appointment of officials in the capital, really didn't have time to examine and appoint Xu Lai.

We'll have to wait patiently.

After staying at the temple for several days, one morning before dawn, Xu Lai was sleeping with Pianpian in his arms when he heard someone shouting from the next courtyard, "Get up and check the results! Get up and check the results!"

They were probably scholars staying at Taiping Xingguo Temple.

"It's so noisy." Pianpian rolled over groggily and snuggled into Xu Lai's arms, rubbing her forehead against his chest.

Xu Lai opened his eyes and looked outside. The window was pitch black, and it was still dark.

The couple hugged each other and continued sleeping.

The place where the results were posted was already packed with people.

Ouyang Fei, Ouyang Bian, and others were waiting anxiously.

It's another damn list of traitors.

This time, the scions of prominent families did not deliberately avoid the issue, because when they announced the list of successful candidates in the provincial examinations last year, Emperor Yingzong of Song, Zhao Shu, was not ill at all.

Now that the exam has been announced, I can't just skip it without a reason, can I?

Amid exclamations of surprise, the first list was posted, and the scholars whose names were called cheered with joy.

Unlike last time, there were far fewer merchants coming to lend money this year. This is because the "gratitude silver" (a form of monetary reward) was abolished, and the funds collected in installments were now granted by the emperor.

Ouyang Bian looked at the two lists and found that he was not on them. His heart sank.

The third list was posted, and his brother, Ouyang Bei, passed.

Huang Tingjian, who had met Xu Lai once, and Wang Anshi's son, Wang Pang, both passed the imperial examination. Standing to the side, Lu Dian could only congratulate them with a heavy heart, feeling that he had little chance of passing this year.

Not far away, Zeng Gong's younger brother, Zeng Zhao, was also cheering with his friends.

This year, there are many sons of prominent families who passed the imperial examination. They deliberately avoided the previous year's list of successful candidates, but somehow ended up participating in this year's list.

The chubby Xu Anshi appeared riding a donkey and asked the scholars standing on the outskirts of the crowd, "How many lists have been released?"

The other party replied, "We just finished posting the second list."

Xu Anshi did not push his way in, but waited patiently on his donkey.

The last list was posted, this time from left to right, with the top scorer's name showing first.

"Xu Anshi, the top scholar in the first rank of the imperial examination!"

People at the front of the line shouted.

Xu Anshi smiled upon hearing this, then turned his donkey around and rode away.

The chubby boy was quite pleased with himself: "Hehe, if Brother Xingzhi can become the top scholar, then of course I can too."