Chapter 152

Chapter 152

The clouds have cleared and the rain has stopped, the waves have risen; the building is high, the water is cold, and the melons are chilly.

In a small courtyard in Jianmeng Mansion, Ji Yuan was enjoying the cool evening breeze and eating fresh fruits and vegetables that had been chilled by the well.

The heat of early summer gradually dissipated, and the hard work of An Dahai and Ji Yuan was also eased.

It’s still better to be at home.

They both expressed the same sentiment.

After taking a bath and having a meal, eat some fruit to help digest the food.

Ji Yuan talked to Yin Mao about Dianzhou Prefecture in a casual manner, from the local customs to the local dialect, as well as the magnificent terraced fields, the dense forests, and the environment surrounded by fish and shrimps.

Yin Mao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he wished he could go there himself.

But then again, the mountains there are high and the roads are long, and there are so many dangers. There are so many wolves on the mountain, and if you are not careful, you will fall directly from the towering cliffs and die, and your body will never be found.

The local mosquitoes, snakes and ants are not something ordinary people can endure.

Teacher Cheng's niece even made special mosquito repellent powder and realgar powder, but the mosquitoes were still severe.

This is frightening to hear.

An Dahai also said: "The livestock there are fine in other aspects. They don't have to worry about food and water. The only thing they are afraid of is poisonous insects and mosquitoes. Sometimes they are bitten and the cattle and sheep will die in a few moments."

This situation is certainly not common, but if the insect is too big, the calf really cannot withstand it.

In short, it is a good place, but also a place that needs human transformation.

The local people have been transforming the local landscape from generation to generation.

After all this was said, Dr. Yin also listened with great interest, and then said, "Let's put this aside for now, what's the matter with the Champa rice?"

Before Dr. Yin heard the answer, several people came to the door.

To be precise, two families.

Li Jin came with his wife and children.

There is also the young master and second master of the largest bookstore on the first street of the local East Market.

That is, the Zhou brothers and sisters.

When they heard the news, they wanted to come over immediately, but they still bathed, changed their clothes, and prepared gifts personally before coming over.

When everyone saw Ji Yuan, they felt that after not seeing him for a few years, he already looked like a young man, but the sharpness in his eyes was still there, but he was used to smiling, which hid the sharpness.

"After four years, you're finally back." Li Jin stepped forward, but his wife was very reserved.

After all, the other party is the top scholar and is now an official of the fourth rank. He may be promoted after this transfer.

How can it be so casual?

Ji Yuan naturally didn't care about this, and even prepared a red envelope for his child.

The atmosphere became even better once the red envelopes were distributed.

The reason why Cai Fenglan didn't come was simple.

After he passed the imperial examination, he stayed in the Hanlin Academy to work.

Cong Huayuan passed the exam in 1943, and it has been a year now. He is probably still waiting for an assignment.

The same process was followed during the Epoch Times.

Cai Fenglan is 29 years old this year. He took part in the provincial examination for the second time in the 41st year of Huayuan. Not only did he achieve excellent results, but he also ranked second in the metropolitan examination the following year.

This made the Yue family and the Zhou family extremely happy.

When Cai Fenglan failed the imperial examination the first time, many people laughed at him behind his back and said they had bet on the wrong horse.

But the situation has been completely different in the past two years.

Cai Fenglan is also very competitive.

Moreover, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi at the age of 28, which was already very good.

Li Jin was different. He failed the provincial examination twice in a row and was indeed a little discouraged.

But his family is wealthy, which can support him to continue taking the exam. He and his wife and children have a leisurely life here, and he is not too old, so he can continue taking the exam.

The imperial examination is not a simple matter.

It is common to score in the 30s or 40s.

Not everyone can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi at a young age like Ji Yuan.

However, even though they hadn’t seen each other for three or four years, everyone was relieved to see that Ji Yuan was still the same as before.

I've seen people who take advantage of the powerful and bully the weak over the years, but the era is still the same as before.

After everyone started chatting, they mentioned the same problem.

“What’s up with Champa rice?”

Is it true that it will take two to three months to mature as rumored? The yield per acre is three to four hundred kilograms?

There are so many rice growing areas, I don’t know how exciting it is.

Although the crop they produced when Jian Meng Mansion was built was wheat, they were still very interested in it.

This is real food.

It makes people all over the world very excited.

The answer is yes. There is even an acre of land with a maximum of 570 kilograms of grain.

This data came from Ji Yuan's mouth, so it definitely cannot be wrong.

Everyone gasped.

Five hundred and seventy kilograms, which is more than most ordinary rice varieties.

Not only is the growth cycle short, but the yield is also high.

The advantages of Champa rice are clearly revealed.

Ji Yuan rarely takes a rest during the construction of Meng Mansion.

However, the news of Champa rice spread throughout the Tianqi Kingdom over time.

This news is much more shocking than rubber.

Although the rubber trade has become a force that cannot be ignored today, the commercial taxes paid each year are also rising steadily.

But compared with food, it is still different.

Food is always the top priority at all times.

From the capital to the border, it spread throughout Tianqi State in an instant like a gust of wind.

Especially Yingtian Prefecture.

What is Yingtian Prefecture? It is the hidden economic center of Tianqi State and also a rice-producing center.

The areas surrounding Yingtian Prefecture are basically all important rice-producing areas of Tianqi State.

Did they hear the news?

Wouldn't it be shocking?

Besides being shocked, I wanted it even more.

Nie Shiming from Yingtian Prefecture looked at Ji Yuan's letter with a complicated look in his eyes.

Sure enough, there was a reason why Ji Yuan had been on good terms with him in recent years.

The reason lies with an official in Yingtian Prefecture.

It’s actually not difficult to guess.

Even if he is not a smart official, four years have passed and even a fool can guess it.

That official was Wang Changdong. His name was not special, but he was remembered by many people.

I guess he himself doesn't know that so many people are thinking about him.

Nie Shiming recalled his journey from taking the imperial examination to becoming an official. In fact, he had been more successful than many people along the way.

After all, the first place he went to was Zhengrong County, which was well managed by the previous county magistrate Lin.

But the former Magistrate of Lin County was not as lucky as him.

The Zhengrong County that County Magistrate Lin took over was a complete mess.

Then why is Zhengrong County so bad?

Because of Wang Changdong.

Nie Shiming took a deep breath and thought about everything in Zhengrong County. He couldn't help but find Wang Changdong annoying.

After all, it was his own place of administration. He was furious when he thought that such a good place was ruined by a corrupt official.

He is so angry, what about Ji Yuan who is suffering from it?

Nie Shiming didn't dare to think about it.

So, Ji Yuan had known for a long time that Wang Changdong was working in Yingtian Prefecture. When he was sent out, it was for the purpose of seeking revenge in Yingtian Prefecture?

But no one knew what had happened, and Ji Yuan was transferred to Dianzhou Prefecture, thousands of miles away from Yingtian Prefecture.

Ji Yuan did not give up, but continued to befriend him.

Not only did he get the benefit of rubber, but he was also guided to find evidence of Wang Changdong's crimes.

Nie Shiming was very angry when he found out that Wang Changdong was secretly selling official positions and titles.

But it would be inappropriate to ask him to expose it directly.

After all, to be able to survive in Yingtian Prefecture and that major case, Wang Changdong must have someone behind him.

The things he did were not something that a household official like him could accomplish.

Nie Shiming prepared to write a letter to his family and ask his uncle what to do about this matter.

I thought my uncle's personality would prevent him from caring about it.

Unexpectedly, my uncle said, "Keep collecting evidence and wait for the right time."

ah?

What opportunity are you waiting for?

Also, why is uncle also helping Ji Yuan?

Soon, Nie Shiming also realized that there were benefits to helping Ji Yuan.

This benefit is not private, but open and aboveboard.

For example, the method of making rubber, and the latest news about Champa rice.

With these things, Nie Shiming truly gained a foothold in Yingtian Prefecture at the last moment of his term.

One is the rubber commonly used in the Jiangnan area, and the production method is also given.

Another is rice varieties that can significantly increase local food supplies.

Any one of these would have allowed Nie Shiming to be reused, and he got two of them.

In this case, both he and the Nie family will do their best to help Ji Yuan.

For example, in December before the New Year, Nie Shiming began to attack Wang Changdong, the head of the Household Department of Yingtian Prefecture.

Wang Changdong, the head of the Household Department, was originally an acting head. He was promoted to the real head of the Household Department last year, so this year is also his first term.

The situation in the household department is complicated. The fact that he has been able to "occupy" this position for many years shows how cunning Wang Changdong is and how powerful the forces behind him are.

After all, Wang Changdong is a cunning guy, but he doesn't seem to have much real ability.

He is more like a greasy middle-aged man who likes to brag at the dinner table. He talks a lot and has a bad temper, but he has no ability.

And the young Lord Nie Shiming is going to attack such a person?

Is this the Nie family's plan behind Nie Shiming?

Or is Nie Shiming still a young and inexperienced person?

What puzzled the officials of Yingtian Prefecture the most was.

Nie Shiming left office this year and should have gone directly to the next post, but he had not received a transfer order yet, so he had to return to Beijing.

Isn’t his uncle in the Ministry of Personnel?

Don’t you know that the capital is in danger now and these young men would rather not return to the capital if possible?

This incident also caused some unrest in Yingtian Prefecture.

To everyone's surprise, Nie Shiming kept pestering Wang Changdong and actually produced a lot of hard evidence.

In short, it's about things like unclear tax collection, ineffective disaster relief, and concealing household registration.

Everyone then realized that Nie Shiming was serious.

From the beginning of the year to now in March, the two forces began to fight each other.

Unfortunately, Lord Nie, who is only 34 years old this year, is still no match for Wang Changdong, who is 47 years old.

Wang Changdong didn't have much hair left, but his tone was exaggerated. After several months of confrontation, both sides were angry.

If Nie Shiming had not had Lord Nie from the Ministry of Personnel behind him, he would have been dead long ago.

I thought that Wang Changdong, the head of the Household Department of Yingtian Prefecture, had already won.

Who made him involve the interests of too many people?

The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture also vaguely favored him.

As an economic center, its economic problems are not small at all.

No one dared to investigate the matter further.

But at this time.

Yingtian Prefecture received a message.

Champa rice, seventy-five days, five hundred and seventy kilograms.

This news was first revealed by Nie Shiming, and some people even said that he still had the best quality seeds of Champa rice.

Now, everyone's expressions were completely different.

Even if I don't care whether the people can grow this kind of rice.

But all the local officials own thousands or even tens of thousands of acres of fertile land.

If he could grow Champa rice on his own land, wouldn't his family's food supply double?

Not considering it for the time being.

For personal reasons.

Then we must get the rice.

Nie Shiming looked at the less than ten kilograms of rice seeds in front of him, but he was full of confidence.

Because the Ji Yuan letter said that if we waited one more season at most, we would have more than 100,000 kilograms of this kind of rice seeds.

Nie Shiming looked a little tired, and the old officials around him felt sorry for him.

But the old official vaguely discovered that perhaps only by experiencing these cruel battles could the young master grow.

From the beginning of the year to now in March, Young Master Nie has become very different. He seems to have a more thorough understanding of human nature and the ways of the world.

Growing up in such circumstances may be cruel, but it will also be very rapid.

With this batch of seeds in hand, the latest news about Champa rice, and the grown-up Lord Nie, everything became different.

Anyone who wants Champa rice seeds will help Lord Nie to step on Wang Changdong.

What?

Only less than ten kilograms of seeds?

That is also a seed.

As long as the channel is there, there is nothing to be afraid of.

That's 570 kilograms of rice seeds per acre, and it only takes three months to harvest.

Ordinary people may also have to consider whether it is cost-effective to plant the crops, and whether it will consume too much energy and cause exhaustion.

These gentry don't consider this because they are not the ones who farm the land. If possible, they would like to let their tenants grow rice four seasons a year.

The more crazy this group of people were in their desire for seeds, the faster Wang Changdong died.

Wang Changdong even found it absurd when he was taken to prison and was about to be taken to the capital by Nie Shiming for interrogation.

I've been through a lot, how could I fall into the hands of such a person?

Those rice seeds seemed to have fallen from the sky, as if they were specially designed to defeat him!

Less than three days after Nie Shiming got the result, he ordered his men to set off.

In fact, Nie Shiming was not supposed to be in charge of this escort.

But who knew that he happened to be returning to Beijing to report on his work, so it just happened to be on his way.

The complex forces in Yingtian Prefecture were also willing to do this favor.

Even now.

They also didn't understand what had happened to Wang Changdong, this old wily fellow, to offend Lord Nie?

Or is it that Lord Nie cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes?

They don't know the answer.

Anyway, the important thing now is to divide the less than ten kilograms of seeds.

The more rice seeds promised by Nie Shiming will be delivered in July.

By then, they will also be able to grow Champa rice!

Nie Shiming felt a little uncomfortable with the greed of these people.

It took him four years to finally understand what these people looked like when they were greedy.

They all came from reading books of sages and from passing the imperial examinations.

Why don’t you look like a scholar at all?

Are those books of sages really useful? Aren’t they just like reading into a dog’s stomach?

Think of the era again.

Nie Shiming's admiration was even deeper.

I even felt a little secretly happy that I was useful to Ji Yuan, which was really rare.

Does that mean that I have caught Ji Yuan’s attention?

Along the way, Nie Shiming's thoughts were jumping around, and he even wrote a few good poems on the way.

It is obvious at first glance that these poems were written from the poet's true feelings and were not forced expressions of sorrow just to create new words.

If Nie Shiming continued to head towards the capital, he would probably arrive in a month or two.

At this moment in the era, the Mengfu city is still under construction.

He has been living in Dr. Yin's home since April 23, and has had everything provided for him every day, which is completely different from his previous situation.

At most, I would discuss the Book of Rites with Dr. Yin, and the rest of the time I would be waiting for people.

On April 27th, Ji Yuan also bid farewell to the sea.

Although they had entered the territory of Jianmeng Mansion, it was not Dahai's home after all. His family was all in Anji Village, Zhengrong County, so he was naturally eager to go home.

The rest of the way, we go our separate ways.

The sea was reluctant to let go, but it also knew that there would always be a time to say goodbye.

An Dahai met Ji Yuan when he was eleven years old. At first, Ji Yuan forced him to study, and later he found a veterinary master for him.

At the age of nineteen, he followed Ji Yuan to Dianzhou Prefecture.

Now he is twenty-three, and he returns to his hometown with all the money he has earned and all the skills he has acquired.

It can be said that without the era, he would not have achieved what he has today.

Is this also considered an achievement?

Dahai waved at Ji Yuan and suddenly realized that Ji Yuan seemed to have always been alone.

Gradually, his classmates in the village could not keep up with his progress and stayed where they were.

The same is true for my classmates in the county school.

This time when I came to the provincial capital, I found that the people in the provincial capital were the same.

But Ji Yuan did not abandon any of them.

In his arms, he was carrying the letter that Ji Yuan wrote to Xiao He.

Of course, there are also letters from Master Zhao and others.

Dahai suddenly thought of a sentence he learned when he was a child: a good teacher is a helpful friend.

This is what the era is like.

If Nie Shiming were here and knew what Dahai was thinking, he might not have been so concerned about whether it was a sage book or not.

How to interpret, recite and apply a book depends on the reader, not the book itself.

How does the saying go? If the line is wrong, the more knowledge you have, the more reactionary you become.

But this is not just a matter of one person, it is about people all over the world, and the unhealthy atmosphere in the world.

After seeing Dahai off, Ji Yuan went out for a stroll with Li Jin when he had nothing to do. They also went to the First Street of the East Market, revisited the Qiyan Temple, and met with their former teachers to reminisce about the past.

The only bad thing was that the local provincial school official invited him to give lectures many times.

The current academician and prefect of Jianmeng Prefecture have long been replaced.

But the enthusiasm for the era remains.

Ji Yuan couldn't refuse, so he went to give a few classes, which attracted countless students to watch. The classroom was so crowded that there was no place to stand.

Fortunately, the person he was waiting for finally came back before May.

Mathematics, Master Gao.

Nowadays, the Jianmeng Prefecture School no longer has the subject of mathematics.

Everyone says this subject is useless.

Master Gao then has more time.

Ji Yuan couldn't help but complain: "You have no vision."

Master Gao nodded: "Well said."

Doctor Yin, the seal holder of the prefectural school, was helpless: "There is no other way. The imperial examinations don't test this anymore."

This is also true.

We didn't chat too much.

He then turned his attention to the materials in Master Gao's hand.

"This is high-quality steel. It took them more than two years to develop it."

A steam engine is not something that can be built just by saying it.

Materials, craftsmanship, design, and even maintenance, each one is a difficult point.

A small modern handicraft may look ordinary, but it is actually the result of a lot of experience and technology.

Ordinary countries simply cannot build it.

Because the technology also needs to be improved bit by bit, it is absolutely impossible to just eat a fat man directly.

Not to mention the steam engine, a more complex craft.

Mr. Gao and his team started almost from scratch.

If it weren't for their interest in steam engines and even their trust in Epoch, they might have given up long ago.

That's right, it's them.

Master Gao’s fellow disciples were also helping.

Now we have just produced steel suitable for making steam engines.

They got these things from a large cave nearby, where the temperature of the charcoal fire was high enough and the cave owner had good skills, so he could control the temperature inside steadily. That's how they got this batch of steel.

Anyway, the owner of the kiln is almost annoyed with Master Gao and his friends.

For several years, he burned one furnace after another, and used up countless pounds of the best charcoal, which made him feel distressed just by looking at it.

However, as a result, the kiln owner's craftsmanship is getting better and better.

He was tortured by Master Gao's fellow disciples.

The ones Ji Yuan was waiting for were Master Gao and his gang.

Master Gao said, "We need to try this steel again."

"The steam engine is too powerful. If the steel is not stable enough, it will easily explode."

"Besides that, the heat and cold aren't even or stable enough."

"There are also problems with sealing, but fortunately there is rubber, which can appropriately solve this problem."

"It's just that the rubber is too easily damaged. The sealing plug needs to be replaced in less than a day."

Ji Yuan wrote down these questions one by one, and if he could think of the answers, he would send them to them immediately.

As rubber is easily damaged, Jiyuan also has no way to deal with it.

The rubber from the water melon tree is just a substitute and its quality is indeed very average.

But changing a plug a day means that the steam engine has to stop for a while.

And stopping work for a moment means that a lot of heat energy is wasted.

It seems that there are really a lot of problems.

A group of people were writing and drawing here, and Dr. Yin felt helpless watching them.

Usually at this time, he would just watch the fun.

After a few days, Ji Yuan had some understanding of the progress of the steam engine, but he said, "How about we think about how to improve the rubber?"

Master Gao and the others looked at him with extremely serious expressions.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to wave his hand, everyone said, "Okay, improve the rubber!"

"We just don't believe that we can't make a stable steam engine."

Ji Yuan almost shed tears when watching it.

At the same time, I secretly said to myself that I must pick up mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

The sufferings you suffered in the previous life must never be repeated in this life.

Although Ji Yuan wanted to continue his research, he had to set off.

Being able to stay here for almost ten days is already a waste of time.

On the third day of May, Ji Yuan said goodbye to Dr. Yin, and also waved to Li Jin, the Zhou brothers and sisters, and Master Gao who came to see him off.

Ji Yuan rode a rented horse all the way towards the capital.

This time we didn’t stop and headed straight to our destination, the capital.

There are still many things waiting for him in the capital.

For example, the prisoner Wang Changdong escorted here by Nie Shiming.

Another example is the secret that terrified Lord Cheng.

The journey was dangerous, but it made Ji Yuan unable to help but increase his fighting spirit.

Right and wrong, right and wrong will all be determined.

Although he was alone, Ji Yuan didn't feel any difference and just headed towards his destination.

After speeding all the way, on the evening of May 22nd, Ji Yuan knocked on his door.

The scenery of the capital city remained the same, and the view of Shannei Street was the same as when he left.

The Ji family’s house on Shannei Street was opened from the inside.

Cai Fenglan subconsciously supported his head and asked, "Who is it?"

Cai Fenglan didn't even finish his words, and directly said: "Ji Yuan!"

"It's really you?!"

"Oh my god! I haven't seen you for four years!"

Cai Fenglan is still the same as before, except that he has changed his glasses and the lenses are thicker.

He kept the pendant that Ji Yuan gave him and took it out to look at it from time to time.

I even took it out and wiped it this morning.

And tonight, I saw Ji Yuan himself!

After the excitement, Cai Fenglan looked around and his expression changed: "Why are you back?"

"Nowadays, all the young men in the capital want to leave. They shouldn't come back."

Ji Yuan smiled: "That's why I came back."

What's the meaning?

Cai Fenglan was puzzled.

What do you mean, that's why he wants to come back?