Chapter 243 So That's It
Ye Caiping frowned: "What do you mean?"
Shen Zhiyan said: "Last year, the county magistrate here reported the method of eating cassava. Before that, everyone thought it was County Magistrate Lu who discovered it. But until last night, I found out that it was actually your credit?"
Ye Xuan thought of something and his face changed drastically: "Sir, what you mean is... No, last year my aunt asked the head of the village to report cassava, and later the court rewarded my aunt with 50 taels of silver! Everyone saw it."
Shen Zhiyan raised his eyebrows: "50 taels? You think the court is too stingy."
Ye Caiping and Ye Xuan looked tense, and only heard Shen Zhiyan say:
"There was a severe drought in June last year, but the south recovered quickly due to the abundant rain in August. Despite this, there are still many places suffering from famine."
"The situation in the north and northwest is even worse, with people even exchanging their own children for food. Last year, the bitter cassava was reported, which solved the food crisis in the entire northwest. Even though it is poisonous, it can be a life-saving food if it is handled properly."
"This is a great achievement, the emperor is very happy..." Shen Zhiyan paused, "Well, the emperor doesn't feel anything, but the queen mother is very happy anyway."
Ye Caiping was speechless. Ye Xuan whispered in Ye Caiping's ear: "The emperor is only four years old."
Ye Caiping nodded and remembered it too.
The reason why Gu Han finally became the regent was because the emperor was too young and needed a regent.
Shen Zhiyan continued, "At that time, Magistrate Lu reported that his son, Lu Wansheng, in order to solve the famine, did not hesitate to test poison on himself and almost died, and only then did he find a way to eat cassava."
Ye Caiping was shocked.
Shen Zhiyan asked, "Have you ever heard of his son Lu Wansheng?"
Ye Caiping nodded, "The county magistrate's wife said that he was a Jinshi in the previous session, and a fellow Jinshi."
Shen Zhiyan said: "Tongjinshi is only slightly better than Juren. In a dynasty, there are dozens of Jinshi in the first and second classes. Among these dozens of people, not everyone can successfully enter the government, let alone the more than one hundred Tongjinshi below?"
"So after passing the imperial examination, Lu Wansheng returned to the county magistrate of Yue'an County, Lu, and waited at home for his appointment, which was actually just sitting on the bench."
"Mr. Lu was born in a poor family and only had the title of Juren. He was able to become a county magistrate because of the war. With his family background and no political achievements, his path to promotion is slim."
"His son is more capable and is a fellow Jinshi, but even so, he has no future."
"But because he reported the cassava last year, Magistrate Lu gave all the credit to his son, saying that it was his son who discovered it."
"With such great achievements, Lu Wansheng is also a fellow Jinshi, so he was directly employed by the higher authorities, admitted to the Ministry of Works as an exception, and was granted the title of Langzhong of the Fourth Rank of the Ministry of Works."
"In addition, Magistrate Lu was also given a credit for his merit and a reward of 5,000 taels of silver."
Ye Caiping and Ye Xuan's faces turned dark when they heard this.
So the credit for discovering cassava earned him a fourth-rank official position and 5,000 taels of silver?
Ye Caiping was stunned with anger, and she asked why she was only rewarded 50 taels for discovering cassava. It turned out that the son of County Magistrate Lu claimed her credit, and in the end he was so stingy as to only give her 50 taels!
Ye Xuan was so angry that he almost smoked: "They are too bold, and they even gave my aunt a reward of 50 taels?"
If it were him, he might have killed the person to silence him!
Magistrate Lu actually left Ye Caiping alone, he is really a talented person!
Shen Zhiyan knew what Ye Xuan was thinking, so he said, "Madam Ye was just an ordinary peasant woman at that time. In the eyes of County Magistrate Lu, she was an ant that could be crushed to death at any time. Such a humble person would never be able to leave Yue'an County in her lifetime."
"Besides, by then, Mushu had already spread the news to several villages. He could kill one person, but not people from several villages. Besides, the entire Yue'an County was under his control, so he was not afraid."
"This time, Magistrate Lu reported the yellow-heart cassava again. But Lu Wansheng was already working in the capital, so the yellow-heart cassava was not his turn. Magistrate Lu reported that he had been sending people to search for it in the mountains to relieve the suffering of the people from consuming cassava poisoning."
"Finally, his efforts paid off. He found the non-toxic yellow-heart cassava. He also had 60 mu of land planted for breeding."
"No, because yellow-heart cassava is of great importance, the higher authorities sent the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Agriculture to inspect and promote yellow-heart cassava."
"So, now you know why he must marry you!"
When Ye Caiping heard this, her eyes widened.
Suddenly I remembered the time when the county magistrate's wife came to propose marriage.
At that time, she asked, she was just a common woman, even if she was the one who discovered and planted the yellow-heart cassava, it would be recorded as an achievement in the report by County Magistrate Lu. It was originally a win-win situation, so why make such a fuss.
The county magistrate's wife said that she wanted to record one more achievement.
She was a little strange at the time, just for one more point?
Now I know that Magistrate Lu took direct credit for her work, whether it was bitter cassava or yellow-heart cassava!
Also, because someone from above was coming to inspect, Magistrate Lu was afraid that his taking credit would be exposed by the villagers, so he wanted to marry her and keep her under complete control.
When the inspectors from above came, they pushed her out to speak for them, saying that it was the adults and Lu Wansheng who discovered the bitter cassava last year, and that she led the villagers to dig cassava at the adults' instruction!
The 60 acres of yellow-heart cassava were also planted by her for the adults!
Thinking of this, Ye Caiping felt horrified.
This is not a matter of adding more merit, but a matter of impersonation!
I may not be able to survive!
Once she passes the inspection, she might be locked up, and within a few months, she might "die of illness", and her relatives would also continue to "die accidentally", because only the dead can keep secrets.
Ye Xuan was also frightened after hearing this: "Then... why didn't they just let my aunt marry Lu Wansheng? Lu Wansheng is only in his thirties, young and promising, maybe he is more attractive."
Shen Zhiyan said, "Since Lu Wansheng was admitted to the Ministry of Works last year, his first wife 'died of illness'. Now that yellow-heart cassava has appeared, County Magistrate Lu wants to take advantage of this momentum and marry Lu Wansheng a noble wife. How can he let taking a concubine ruin his reputation?"
"Moreover, Prefect Qin will be transferred to the capital at the end of the year. If nothing unexpected happens, County Magistrate Lu will take over the post of prefect because of the merits of the yellow-heart cassava, and Lu Wansheng will also be promoted."
Ye Caiping sneered: "It turns out that Lu Wansheng got 80% of all the benefits. No wonder the county magistrate's wife was so generous to let her husband take a concubine. When a husband and wife are of one mind, they can overcome difficulties!"
Shen Zhiyan suddenly raised his eyebrows: “Madam Ye, does Shen live far away?”
Ye Caiping was confused: "Not far!"
"Where is that Su Hen from?"
"He is from Mingzhou." Ye Caiping reacted, her face embarrassed, and whispered: "I heard that Master Shen was originally from the capital, but later he was implicated in some things, so he retired and lived in seclusion here."
Shen Zhiyan was unhappy. When Ye Caiping encountered a problem, she actually went to Su Hen, whom she had only met a few times, instead of looking for him. This made him very upset.
Ye Caiping continued: "Besides, I'm always afraid of implicating you."
Shen Zhiyan was slightly stunned. Is there any reason to care about him? sidewalk:
"My situation is not what you think. I was indeed implicated in something back then, but was later vindicated. I live in seclusion here because, firstly, I really don't want to teach anymore and want to be alone, and secondly, it's for Manman. Our family is fine."
Ye Caiping knew that he had no burden and was not forced to retreat, so she was relieved for him. That was good. If he wanted to retreat, he could retreat. This was true freedom, not being forced to compromise.
Shen Zhiyan said, “Don’t worry about the cassava matter, I will report it to you.”
Ye Caiping was grateful and amazed: "Thank you, Mr. Shen."
As he was speaking, Duanwu came in and said, "Master, Prefect Qin wants to see you."
"Let him in."
After a while, Prefect Qin came in in a formal official robe and bowed: "Greetings, Master Shen."
Shen Zhiyan said: "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so polite. I am not an official, so how can I accept your courtesy?"
Prefect Qin still had a flattering look on his face: "Your subordinate... No, I am here to pay my respects to Master Shen as an ordinary person, hehe."
Ye Caiping stood there, feeling embarrassed for Prefect Qin.
But at the same time, he was also shocked by the family status of Shen Zhiyan's family.
The prefect was a fifth-rank official, and he was so respectful to Shen Zhiyan, who had no official position. It can be seen that the Shen family had considerable influence in the capital.
Shen Zhiyan asked, "Where is Magistrate Lu?"
Prefect Qin stammered, "Lu Baiwen, Lu Zhengshi, Master Luo, and several of his cronies are all in jail."
Shen Zhiyan looked at him with a half-smile: "I heard that Prefect Qin and Lu Baiwen are in-laws."
Prefect Qin's face turned pale, and he said anxiously, "This morning, my son divorced Madam Lu! We have no relationship with the Lu family anymore. I only found out yesterday that it was Madam Ye who discovered the cassava, and Lu Baiwen and his son actually claimed the credit for Madam Ye's work."
"I have written a memorial and am preparing to submit it. I am waiting for the Emperor's decision!"
She said that the emperor would decide her fate, but actually she wanted the empress dowager to decide her fate.
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