Well, in one sentence, the headmaster was also left in the Zhao family. Since that was the case, the Zhao family's students naturally did not go to the county to study the next day.

Having a good husband at home, yet still insisting on going out to study, is indeed a bit foolish.

If he only traveled around teaching, it seemed like something was missing, since he had never participated in the imperial examinations. But if he stayed behind as the headmaster, the significance would be quite different.

The headmaster was selected through various levels of imperial examinations and has been specializing in the study of the imperial examinations in recent years. Naturally, the content he teaches is very helpful to the Zhao family.

With Yunyou's talent, it would be strange if the academic performance of the Zhao family's students didn't improve.

Besides being obsessed with farming, the Grand Minister of Agriculture was also a glutton.

In the Zhao family's yard, they found delicious fruits such as tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, and cantaloupes, and they also found corn on the hill behind the Zhao family's house.

It's a high-yield crop, but planting some of this is a genuine grain, which is durable and tastes good.

A secret letter was delivered to the Emperor. Accompanying it were two large, fat pigs from the Zhao family, along with several recipes for cooking pork dishes.

When the emperor saw this unusual gift, he was both amused and exasperated.

Hearing that the pork tasted good, he ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare it.

The Emperor's "pig-killing feast" wasn't just pickled cabbage, blood sausage, and sliced ​​pork stew; it was braised pork belly, stir-fried pork slices, sweet and sour pork ribs, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, stir-fried pork, cumin-flavored pork slices, sweet and sour pork...

A large table was set out, and the emperor tasted a bite of each dish before he was full.

The emperor was pleased with the meal, so he distributed the remaining dishes to each palace, giving them one or two plates.

But it did not betray Chu Zhongji's sincere heart.

Then the emperor remembered his eldest nephew, Han Xuri, the heir of the Duke of Protectorate.

"What has Xu'er been busy with lately?" the Emperor asked.

Han Xuri placed a chess piece down and said, "What can I be busy with besides doing business in various places?"

The Emperor nodded. "Today I received a gift from the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Can you guess what it is?"

Han Xuri didn't care.

"What gifts could the Grand Minister of Agriculture possibly give to my uncle? What high-yield crops has he invented?"

The emperor smiled and shook his head, simultaneously placing a chess piece down.

"No, he sent me two pigs and several recipes."

That pig was raised by Zhao Qianci's family in Zhao Family Village, Lingnan Prefecture.

"Haven't you always had business dealings with them? How come I've never tasted such delicious pork before?"

Han Xuri immediately perked up, inwardly cursing the Grand Minister of Agriculture for being so meddlesome.

"Uncle, how does the Grand Minister of Agriculture know the Zhao family?"

The Emperor rolled his eyes at his nephew.

"Don't play dumb with me, kid. The Grand Minister of Agriculture went to the Zhao family to deliver an imperial edict, and because of the Zhao family's contributions, he rewarded them."

He also found a lot of delicious food at the Zhao family's house, including corn. Did you know that?

Han Xuri frowned and thought for a moment.

"How would I know what they have? I can't exactly rummage through their warehouse."

But if you, Uncle, say you've never eaten pork from the Zhao family, you're wronging your nephew.

Didn't you enjoy the pork jerky I brought you?

And those large winter melons weighing over twenty pounds, I got them all from the Zhao family.

As for that rice you just mentioned? Corn, I've never seen it before.

If I see it, I'll definitely get it back.

The Emperor nodded, approving of Han Xuri's decision. If that brat had missed out on some good food, he'd be in for a beating.

"The pork from the Zhao family is quite good."

Han Xuri immediately nodded.

"Indeed, the people of Zhao Family Village learned pig-raising methods from Zhao Qianci's family, and I believe that a large number of delicious fat pigs will be ready for market next year."

I've already signed a contract with the Zhao family; they'll sell all their pork to me, so next year my uncle can eat as much as he wants.

The emperor nodded after listening, "I didn't expect that this farmer's family really has some skills."

Han Xuri said, "Yes, their family is indeed a bit special."

According to the informant, the Zhao family's life was only slightly better than that of ordinary villagers before their fortunes changed more than a year ago.

However, it is true that his family members are skilled in martial arts.

It is said that the old woman was born with superhuman strength, which she passed on to her third son, who then passed it on to his eldest daughter.

The only concern was that her daughter, Daliguai, had a bad reputation and would have difficulty finding a husband. No one knew about her, except that she was a skilled hunter.

This isn't the same story from a while back, when the youngest son of the Tu family took a fancy to a young girl in Qingyang County, causing quite a bit of trouble.

Because of the two mistresses of the Tu family's overprotective and reckless behavior, they actually brought a painter and posted the girl's portrait all over the streets, and even falsely accused her of being a runaway slave who stole their family's silver.

This led to a series of human trafficking cases…

Han Xuri calmly recounted the human trafficking case in Qingyang County, adding his own veiled criticisms and praising the righteousness of the third daughter of the Zhao family at the end.

"She is quite a remarkable woman. I wonder if she is married?" the Emperor asked.

Han Xuri's alarm blared, "Uncle, what are you thinking? That girl is already engaged. It's to a young scholar from their village."

Han Santong and Sifang attended the engagement banquet and said that the young man was handsome and the two were a perfect match.

However, their engagement also had some connection with the third young master of the Tu family.

So Han Xuri recounted the whole story of Zhao Qingyan's engagement, which greatly shocked the Emperor.

"This is...this is too unorthodox."

Han Xuri laughed,

"Uncle, you don't know this, but how dare ordinary people fight against the officials? Especially since Tu Gu is a high-ranking official of the third rank."

The third young lady was forced into this situation by circumstances.

Fortunately, she was lucky and was accepted as a student in the imperial examinations. I heard that the third son of the Tu family has also returned to the capital.

I just don't know what they've been doing lately.

Huang Shang glanced at his nephew, then placed another piece on the board.

"You little brat, are you standing up for the Zhao family?"

Han Xuri chuckled and said, "Nothing escapes Uncle's eyes."

The next day, Tu Gu was severely reprimanded by the emperor during the morning court session, and the warning in his words was all too obvious.

If the women in the family cause trouble again, the imperial title will be revoked.

When the Tu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law learned of this news, they trembled with fear. They vowed never to cause Zhao Qingyan any more trouble.

As for her son, Tu Haoyu, since returning to Beijing, he has stayed at home all day reading, never leaving the house.

Of all the days so far, this was the only situation that pleased Tu Gu.

He would be willing to go back to farming now, even if his youngest son could work hard and improve himself.

As for how the emperor scolds him, it doesn't matter, he hasn't been dismissed from office yet, has he?

It was already a very good result, but Tu Gu became even stricter with his mother and wife.

Tu Haoyu was moved to the front yard to live with him and help with his son's studies.

For the mother and daughter-in-law in the backyard, seeing their beloved grandson (son) was harder than climbing to heaven.

Since Chu Zhongji moved in, the Zhao family in Zhao Village has become even busier.