Chapter 384 The Sword is Not in the Hand

"Oh! Have you eaten?" Mrs. Hu's laughter came from outside the yard.

"Oh, a distinguished guest has arrived. Welcome!" Su Ying came out to greet him.

Magistrate Hu and his wife, County Magistrate Lin, Wang Yannian, Fulu, Fuxi, Ade from Jinfeng Village and several village elders, each brought generous gifts to eat the pig soup.

Xie Qingyun, Su Lu, Pei Yuzhen and Wang Furu were also among them.

"Greetings, Mr. Xiang!" Su Ying bowed.

"You little girl, just keep talking nonsense!" Mrs. Hu smiled and patted Su Ying, "You know better than me how I became a county lady!"

A few days ago, the emperor issued an imperial decree, granting Xiangjun a special title, and she enjoyed great glory in Wuzhou for a while.

Mrs. Hu never thought that she could get the title of Lady of the Countryside, and her husband did not make any move.

After reading his son's letter, he learned the whole story. It was because he had assisted the Fu family in disaster relief.

And this credit comes from Su Ying's vermicelli, tea oil and honey.

What was even more surprising was that his son was admitted to the Imperial College directly without taking an exam. This made him even more excited than being awarded the title of Xiangjun.

After sitting down, we drank wine and ate pig-killing dishes.

"Oh, what is this dish called? Why is it so crispy, tender and sweet?" Mrs. Hu was eating a piece of braised pork.

It’s neither lettuce nor radish. It looks familiar, but I can’t remember what it is.

"How about the braised pork with sugarcane tips? Is it delicious?" Su Ying smiled.

A lot of sugarcane tips were buried in the sand as seeds. Today, Su Ying was making braised pork, but there was no suitable side dish, so she tried using sugarcane tips.

I didn’t expect that the braised pork would be so delicious, with a light aftertaste of sweetness. The tips of the sugarcane were tender and crispy, with a unique flavor.

"There's this way to eat it? It's eye-opening!" Mrs. Hu didn't expect Su Ying to come up with such a dish. It was very much to her liking.

"Hmm, castrated pork really doesn't have any mutton smell!" Wang Yannian devoured the succulent braised pork with his mouthful of red sauce. "We might consider promoting pig farming in all counties in the spring!"

"Every household in our Wu County will raise at least one sheep next year, which can gradually replace mutton in the future!" County Magistrate Hu rarely takes the initiative to express his opinion.

"Oh, is Lord Hu so arrogant?" Wang Yannian didn't believe it.

"We organized people from all villages to learn the pig-castrating technique. As long as there are enough piglets, each household can definitely have one pig!" County Magistrate Hu boasted.

After three rounds of drinks, we chatted and talked about the children in Chang'an.

Everyone envied Hu Erlang and congratulated the county magistrate and his wife. Hu Erlang was the first student from Lingnan to enter the Imperial Academy.

It is not only the glory of Wu County, but also the glory of Wuzhou and even all Lingnan people.

In addition to envy, the old men like Yang were also worried about their own grandchildren, wondering whether they would have a good life and sighed from time to time.

"Why are you sighing? At least we have connections in the capital. We in Jinfengzhai can't rely on anyone. At most, we can just go to a private school!" Ade muttered.

I envy the children in Huanggou Village for having someone to rely on.

"If you ask me, everyone should be happy. Leaving Lingnan, traveling around, gaining knowledge and broadening your horizons, and then studying in Chang'an for two years, will benefit you for the rest of your life!

"It's good to have someone to turn to, but there's no need to be discouraged if no one turns to you! At least you've surpassed your parents!" Su Ying said comfortingly.

"Yes! Ah Ying is right!" Ah De cheered up. "These kids are better than us. They not only left Wuzhou and Lingnan, but also reached Chang'an! This life is worth it!"

"Grandpa, I'm afraid you don't have time to go out now, and you can't even count your money?" Su Ying joked.

"No, no! Thanks to the care of the governor and everyone here, Jinfengzhai has a full meal!" Ade said modestly.

"That County Magistrate Wang of Rong County is such a piece of shit!" County Magistrate Lin cursed.

"What's the matter? Why aren't you quiet yet?" Su Ying asked.

"Hey, it's already poorer than my Tong County, and the people are unlucky to meet him! It's really adding insult to injury!" County Magistrate Lin slapped his thigh.

"I drove away the people from Jinfeng Village and squeezed my own sugar. Did I think brown sugar was that easy to make? It either boiled into a paste or didn't hold its shape.

Merchants who were unaware of the situation were stopped by them and forced to buy or sell at high prices. If the merchants refused, they would be beaten and thrown into jail, and their money would be confiscated.

The villagers were not happy with the low price of sugarcane purchase and they snatched it away by force. Some villagers secretly transported the sugarcane out to sell, but were discovered and their money was confiscated.

All the roads leading to the outside world are blocked by yamen runners. If you enter Rong County, you won't be able to leave unless you've been tortured several times. It's a mess and the air is so polluted!"

"How did Chongzhi know that? Why is there no movement from my side?" County Magistrate Hu was puzzled.

"You have dealt with the yamen runners in Rong County. The official roads and side roads leading to Wu County are all filled with yamen runners. The people are not allowed to bring sugarcane here.

The people have no choice but to come to me to sell their goods, and they're complaining! If this continues, I'm afraid it will provoke a civil uprising!" County Magistrate Lin said worriedly.

"This kind of dog official should be chopped off and fed to dogs!" Ade thought of the tribesmen who were chopped and felt so angry that his teeth were itching.

Su Ying didn't say a word. The sword was no longer in her hand, and her indignation was useless. She wondered if her essay could reach the heaven?

"Da da da..." The sound of horse hooves was heard outside the yard.

Wei went out to check and saw a familiar figure standing there in a daze.

"Zhen'er!" The dark-skinned Su Lao San smiled at his wife with his big white teeth.

Following behind him were Dou Jing and several chancellors and chief clerks.

"Husband!" Wei was delighted and wanted to hold her husband's hand to ask him in detail, but she saw that her husband's boss and colleagues were also there.

He suppressed his longing and invited everyone into the yard. "Today is the day to slaughter the New Year pig. You are lucky enough to come here!"

Fortunately, we have enough food today. We set the table, poured some hot rice wine, and brought a bowl of pork soup to the table...

"Thank you for your hard work, sir!" Su Ying toasted Dou Jing with wine.

He left Chang'an at the beginning of spring and had not yet returned home by the end of the year. It was truly rare for the Minister of Agriculture to achieve this level!

Su Ying admired this man with a spirit of hard work from the bottom of her heart. No matter which dynasty or generation, such people are worthy of respect.

"You're welcome, you're welcome!" Dou Jing was dark and thin, completely different from the handsome man before, with bright eyes.

The past six months have been extremely tiring, but it has been quite productive and I am full of energy.

"I'm so lucky today. Before returning to Chang'an, I can catch up with Lord Su's family's New Year's pig banquet!" Dou Jing said with a smile.

"The New Year is coming soon. If you leave now, you won't be able to celebrate in time. Why don't you stay here and spend the New Year before leaving?" Su Ying tried to persuade him to stay.

"No, I'll go back and report to His Majesty on the progress of land reclamation and two-season rice promotion in Lingnan this year! There are still a lot of trivial matters to deal with in the spring." Dou Jing picked up the rice wine and drank it all.

"Sir Su! The Lingnan Office will be handed over to you from now on. Don't let me down!" Dou Jing picked up the rice wine and said to Su Lao San.

"Don't worry, sir. I will do my best to ensure the full promotion of two-season rice!" Su Lao San said solemnly.

"Before the spring, take advantage of your free time to go to Rong County and urge Rong County to make preparations for spring plowing and planting before the spring begins. Do not neglect your duties! Otherwise, you will be impeached directly!" Dou Jing repeatedly reminded.

"I will go tomorrow!" Su Lao San did not hesitate.

On the way back, the paddy fields in various counties were plowed and dried in preparation for the next spring.

Only in Rong County, the fields are rarely plowed, and even farmers can be found few and far between, making the scene desolate and desolate.

I don’t know what happened in Rong County, why they treated it so perfunctorily!