Soon, an imperial edict arrived along with Shi Tianbao, greatly praising Tao Wanniang for her contributions to the court.

"Manager Tao, congratulations! The Emperor greatly admires your righteousness and has not only bestowed upon you a special reward but also some gifts," Shi Tianbao said happily. The Ministry of Finance is covering the cost.

Tao Wanniang received the imperial edict, which instructed her to cooperate with Shi Tianbao of the Ministry of Revenue, since she was at the restaurant and not at the estate.

"Where is the reward?" Tao Wanniang didn't see the big box. Didn't she say she liked money?

A palace servant presented a brocade box, which Tao Wanniang immediately accepted politely. Only after the servant who delivered the imperial decree left did Tao Wanniang open the brocade box.

Wow, a stack of silver notes, she estimated it was only a thousand taels, but underneath that is... a land deed!

Before Shi Tianbao left, Lehe approached Tao Wanniang and said, "Manager Tao, have you seen the land deeds for those fifty mu of land? His Majesty summoned our Ministry of Revenue to discuss it. Since we need to see if this seed can be promoted, let's take these fifty mu of land as an example."

Tao Wanniang's lips twitched. This was quite a scheme!

“Lord Shi, do you know how many people it takes to cultivate fifty acres of land? The spring planting season has already passed, so we’ll have to wait until next year,” Tao Wanniang said.

“Yes, there’s still some grain in this field for next year. When can I take Manager Tao to see it?” Shi Tianbao said. “The imperial court will build the estate. As for the tenant farmers, you don’t need to worry about them. You just need to provide the seeds.”

That's a good deal. Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and nodded, "Then I'll go take a look when I have time. And Lord Shi, if you're interested in the grain from my fields, then you should go to the estate. It's no use in the restaurant."

"I mainly cook at the restaurant now, and the estate has hired someone to take care of it."

Shi Tianbao knew perfectly well, but he was really craving the food at Zhaixinglou!

"Manager Tao, um... how about we serve some appetizers and then we can have a proper talk about how to cooperate? Didn't I say you'd cooperate with my arrangements, since I'm just a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue? But arrangements are not something you can just promise..." Shi Tianbao chuckled.

Tao Wanniang could easily see through it, so she asked Shi Tianbao to open a private room for her.

"Lord Shi, could you tell me first, have these fifty acres of land been planted with rice yet?" After telling the waiter about a few dishes, Tao Wanniang went to talk to Shi Tianbao about business.

"Yes, I'm planting it, but after seeing your five mu of land, the rice on these fifty mu is quite poor," Shi Tianbao said truthfully. "You can decide later whether to plant two seasons of rice, or let it rest first and plant beans first?"

In the capital area, some people grow two seasons of rice, while others grow rice in the first half of the year and beans in the second half. It really depends on the specific fertility of the land. Tao Wan Niang nodded in agreement.

"By the way, besides rice, there are your vegetables, especially tomatoes. They're going to be introduced into the Emperor's vegetable garden. Are there any special considerations for planting them?"

"No, it's not that complicated. Before it was grown, I didn't know what it would be!" Tao Wanniang made up. "I bought this from a merchant in Youzhou. He said it was introduced from a foreign tribe and has been passed down through several generations."

"In that case, Manager Tao, you are quite lucky!" Shi Tianbao exclaimed.

"Does Lord Shi have a deep understanding of agriculture?" Tao Wanniang asked curiously. "I thought all the officials appointed by the court were scholars who had studied hard for many years and obtained their official titles."

"Manager Tao is right. I was also a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the past. However, after I was registered as a resident, I was put in charge of agricultural affairs. After learning more, I realized that I did not go to the wrong place."

"The people are the foundation of the country, and ensuring their peaceful and prosperous lives is the key to the stability of the court and the nation." Shi Tianbao said with emotion, "Manager Tao, you encountered a severe drought that year, and the court did provide disaster relief."

"I know, the prefect of Shanhai Prefecture embezzled the disaster relief funds," Tao Wanniang nodded. In that case, Shi Tianbao is actually a good official!

“Yes, when the imperial inspector discovered that the entire line of the prefect of Shanhai Prefecture was embezzling public funds, many people were executed in that case,” Shi Tianbao said. “His Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler who loves his people and hates corrupt officials who leave the people without food.”

Tao Wan Niang naturally agreed, but then asked, "I remember that the inspector back then was the heir of Prince Rui."

Shi Tianbao was taken aback. The Prince Rui's mansion had been convicted of a crime last year and demoted to Youzhou. To this day, the real reason for this was still unknown.

“Your Majesty… there must be a reason behind it, which we mortals cannot fathom.” Shi Tianbao thought for a moment and said, “Although Youzhou is in chaos due to war, the King of Youzhou and his son are of one mind. Perhaps they can live a better life there?”

"Lord Shi, you really know how to talk. Youzhou is a bit chaotic, but there are great business opportunities. I went there last year and brought back so many seeds, didn't I?" Tao Wanniang said with a smile.

"That's true. Maybe I'll go there again and bring back some food so that people can have something else to eat besides rice and wheat, so that they won't go hungry one day if they can't eat rice and wheat."

"That's right," Tao Wanniang nodded, "but many of the things she grows can actually replace staple foods. Sorghum can, right? Potatoes can also stave off hunger, and the sweet potatoes she plans to plant in the fall are actually easier to grow than rice, aren't they?"

However, she's currently using sorghum to brew wine; as for eating it, we'll have to wait for the right time!

Shi Tianbao was indeed concerned about people's livelihood. He chatted with Tao Wanniang for a while, and finally sighed, "Manager Tao, only people like you who used to farm understand. My colleagues and General Ling all look impatient when it comes to farming."

"Lingyunzhou is like this too?" Tao Wanniang asked back. "That shouldn't be the case. He spent the first twenty years of his life growing in the fields." Tao Wanniang was just saying it casually, without much emotion, but Shi Tianbao's eyes immediately lit up.

"Manager Tao, you and General Ling..."

Tao Wanniang frowned. Was this person really such a gossip?

"The food is here!" Tao Wanniang got up as the waiter called out.

"Lord Shi, please have your meal by yourself." She said, picking up the brocade box and turning to leave.

"Take care, Manager Tao!" Shi Tianbao swallowed hard when he saw the dishes, forgetting all about gossip.

Tao Wanniang came to Bai Yumei's room and put down the brocade box.

"Sister Tao, what good stuff is in here?" Bai Yumei asked with a smile. She was dazzled by a box of gold last time, so she could probably remain calm no matter what she saw next.

"Silver notes, plus the deed to fifty acres of land, hmm, I'm being ordered to farm!" Tao Wanniang teased.

Everyone knew that the imperial edict had been issued to Zhaixing Tower. Bai Yumei had never been to Tao Wanniang's estate and knew nothing about farming, so she was somewhat surprised that she was ordered to farm.

"Sister Tao, what treasure has grown in your field that even the emperor values ​​it so highly?"

“Isn’t it a treasure that can feed people?” Tao Wanniang smiled and said simply.