Miss Lu didn't take the chance encounter at the gate of the girls' school to heart. It was just one of thousands of chance encounters and had no meaning. On the contrary, now that spring is in full bloom, it is a good time for an outing.
Others can play, but Xie Qing, the crown prince who is the regent, has no time to play.
He focused all his energy on the construction of the dam, and left all other matters to the eldest prince, the third prince and the court officials.
As for the Spring Examination, it was naturally handed over to the Prince's Tutor, Lord Yu, Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, and Lord Meng, Minister of Rites.
Qin Wan also frequently summoned the Minister of Agriculture of the Ministry of Revenue to the Eastern Palace to discuss matters.
In the past, her land only included her own farms, and at most the land given by her grandfather and Xie Qing, but now, all the official land in the entire Zhou Dynasty can be used by her.
However, Qin Wan was also very sensible. She called in the Minister of Agriculture and only gave him seeds and various planting precautions. She did not care about any issues such as how to distribute these seeds.
Originally, Qin Wan planned to cultivate the cotton for two more seasons before handing it over to the Ministry of Households, but after repeated consideration, she decided to hand it over to the Ministry of Households in advance.
Not to mention anything else, if successful, how many people can be saved from hunger and cold by doubling the cotton production?
Qin Wan handed the compiled planting notes to the Minister of Agriculture and repeatedly reminded him, "Because everything is grown in a greenhouse, the records in it are also recorded according to the greenhouse environment. Therefore, you must adapt to local conditions and not trust everything. However, you must remember the cultivation methods in it."
"Also, we can't occupy arable land. It's best to reclaim wasteland. If the final yield is not ideal, it won't affect the livelihoods of the people."
After saying this, Qin Wan was still worried: "Do you think the people will have high hopes for this cotton? If the yield turns out to be low, wouldn't I be guilty? Why not test a portion of it on the government farm first? If the yield is good, we can distribute it."
"If the people are willing to plant, we can give them less, but we must ensure that they don't run out of food."
Qin Wan was really worried. She didn't have much contact with the common people, but she understood that the farmers were worried about their food and hoped for a good harvest.
The Grand Minister of Agriculture agreed to all of them and said, "Don't worry, Princess Consort. The Ministry of Revenue will strictly control this."
Qin Wan wanted to give some instructions on reclaiming wasteland, but then she remembered that this involved the court's land policy. She didn't know much about court affairs or the current policies, and as the Crown Princess, it would not be good for her to interfere in government affairs, so she kept her mouth shut.
The Grand Minister of Agriculture, however, guessed what she wanted to say from her previous and subsequent remarks. He and the Minister of Revenue had recently been discussing the land issue. He said, "Don't worry, Princess Consort. The Ministry of Revenue has the only plan for this."
Qin Wan heard this and smiled, "It's good to have a plan."
Qin Wan gave a few more instructions about cotton, then said, "I had someone build a greenhouse on the farm to grow vegetables. We made a lot of money last year. If this greenhouse can be promoted, in our northern region, selling some vegetables in the winter can also add income to the people."
The Grand Minister of Agriculture's eyes lit up, but then he frowned again and said, "Crown Princess, you don't know that the common people have limited land. Moreover, although the price of colored glaze is cheap nowadays, it is still very expensive for ordinary people, especially for building a greenhouse. Who would be willing to spend that much money?"
Qin Wan knew what he was going to say. She ordered someone to bring a ledger and said, "This is the amount of glass discarded every month by my glass workshop. Although this glass has various problems, it's enough to use in a greenhouse to grow vegetables. The amount of glass I waste in a month is enough to build at least one greenhouse of three acres."
"The discarded colored glaze we have now can at least be used to build a greenhouse covering several acres. What if I provide the colored glaze, the Ministry of Revenue provides a small amount of silver, and the people themselves provide the manpower to build the greenhouse?"
The Grand Minister of Agriculture frowned and said, "Crown Princess, you don't know that the Ministry of Revenue is out of money right now!"
Qin Wan chuckled, "I knew your Ministry of Revenue would cry poor. I've already calculated the silver needed. One greenhouse only requires 500 wen from the Ministry of Revenue. Even if there are hundreds of greenhouses, the silver the Ministry of Revenue needs to pay will only be a few hundred or a thousand taels."
Her smile was gentle, but her words held a knife in their grasp: "All we need to do now is build this greenhouse at the feet of the emperor. Everything is expensive at the feet of the emperor. If we can build a greenhouse here for 500 coins, then we can build one for less than a tael of silver anywhere else, right?"
"If this matter is implemented by the court and spreads from point to point, it will eventually benefit all the people of the Great Zhou. Then, whether it is Shenyang and Guangling in the extreme south or Wuguan in the extreme north, the people will always be able to afford cheap vegetables in winter. We can also use our ubiquitous vegetables to exchange for the supplies needed by our country with the Northern Di, Xianbei, Western Regions, Qiang and other countries in winter."
"So, five hundred coins, not a penny more, not a penny less, and certainly not a single acre less of greenhouse space."
The implication was that if anyone dared to take advantage of this to embezzle money or enrich themselves, or take the opportunity to grab land, the Crown Princess would never agree.
The Grand Minister of Agriculture quickly bowed and replied, "I will certainly keep a strict watch on this matter. I will not dare anyone to embezzle money."
Qin Wan nodded in satisfaction, thought for a moment, and then warned, "Don't force the common people to do this, and don't let the wealthy merchants do it either. They have money, and they've already ordered a lot of colored glaze from me this year to make greenhouses. Don't worry about them."
The Grand Minister of Agriculture hesitated and said, "The people are all cautious. This year we have new crops to grow, cotton to grow, and greenhouses to plant. I wonder if they have the energy?"
Qin Wan looked at the Minister of Agriculture and asked in confusion, "The greenhouse should be built in autumn, and completed before the frost falls, so that the seeds can be sown. This will not delay spring planting or autumn harvest. How can they not have the energy? In previous years, they would have to hibernate during the winter."
"What's more, it won't take up any arable land, nor will it delay their winter wheat planting. We only need to build greenhouses in their own vegetable fields. The most expensive thing would probably be the charcoal. But if we were to take care of all that, it would easily foster their bad habits of laziness, so we have to choose diligent farmers."
"With them taking the lead, some people will become wealthy first, and then others will see and will definitely find ways to build vegetable greenhouses."
The Grand Minister of Agriculture had also risen through the ranks from being a county magistrate. He understood Qin Wan's strategy of looking ahead ten steps at a time, and was immediately excited: "What a great idea, Crown Princess!"
Qin Wan gently waved her hand: "No need to say nice things, there are many things to do and the task is heavy, so I will trouble the Minister of Agriculture."
The Grand Minister of Agriculture no longer dared to underestimate the Crown Princess. His demeanor, words, and actions became increasingly respectful. Most notably, he bowed even deeper. "Your Highness, I am truly humbled. Serving the Great Zhou with all my heart is my duty."
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