The next day, the bodyguard in charge of surveillance told Wen Hemian everything that had happened at the Ministry of Personnel.
Everyone was friendly and amicable in front of her, and no malice could be seen. Her departure actually made it easier to observe the situation.
Once reforms begin, discontent is inevitable. Perhaps the Ministry of Personnel is exploiting workers too much. The number of dissatisfied people is much smaller than Wen Heming had imagined.
The biggest troublemaker was Min Rong, the Left Vice Minister.
In the original book, he was a stubborn old minister. After the Minister of Personnel retired, he naturally took over. In the struggles in the court, he opposed Xie Lang several times and secretly assisted Ning Hechu. In the end, he was naturally purged and beheaded.
It's not time for him to cause trouble yet, so Wen Hemian has placed him under close observation.
The main problem is a lack of staff; we'll make do with them for now.
Wen Heming made the decision happily.
Seeing her young master's expression, Qingyun knew that a hapless person was about to be exploited. She suppressed her smile and handed over a dusty cloth package: "Young master, take a look. Is this what you asked someone to look for before?"
In the past few years, Wen Hemian focused all her attention on Xie Lang, thinking about how to raise him well. Now that the time is right, she is further considering how to improve the people's livelihood.
Food is the most important thing for people. In feudal times, people had simple thoughts; as long as they were fed and clothed, they could live a peaceful life.
In addition to blocking many of Ning Hechu's policies, Wen Hemian also drew up diagrams and instructed his subordinates to find high-yield crops.
The world in the book is similar to reality. High-yield crops such as corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are not available in the Great Zhao territory. Traveling merchants are slow and may even be involved overseas, so it has taken so long to find out some information.
If Qingyun hadn't mentioned it, Wen Hemian would have almost forgotten.
She took the package, opened it, and found a vine inside. Because it was well preserved, although it was a little wilted, it was still relatively intact.
“Yes.” After looking at it for a while, Wen Hemian raised his eyebrows and smiled. “This is called sweet potato. It is a high-yield crop. If it is planted, it should be able to produce several times more grain than we do now.”
Wen Hemian wasn't an agricultural student, but her roommate was, and her roommate would often nag her about it. Over time, she learned a lot from her, and who knew that transmigrating into a book would come in handy.
She didn't say anything too definitive, but even so, Qingyun was already very surprised: "Is what you said true, young master?"
Only when you're in charge do you realize how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are. Qingyun, who manages the entire vast royal palace, has the most contact with these things and understands more clearly what the birth of high-yield crops represents.
With more food available, people can eat their fill for less money, which is a great blessing for those struggling to make ends meet.
“Of course it’s true.” Wen Hemian was also very happy. She stood up and said, “We shouldn’t delay. Where are the remaining sweet potato vines? I’ll go take a look. This is the perfect time to plant sweet potatoes. We can set aside a plot of land and see how it goes.”
The quantity must not be large, since it was transported all the way to the capital. Otherwise, it would be impossible to treasure a single vine like this. If more could be planted and used as seeds, things would be much easier.
"Young master, please come with me."
Qingyun's face was full of smiles, and his steps became much lighter.
Wen Hemian's subordinates are very meticulous in their work. She specifically emphasized what she needed, and no one dared to neglect it. However, just to be on the safe side, they were temporarily placed at the farm in the suburbs. Wen Hemian rode there directly, and when she arrived, she found that there were quite a few items, all piled up in a corner.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that many sweet potatoes had already sprouted and looked to be growing well; with a little preparation, they could be planted.
The old man in charge of the estate was named Uncle Liu. It was the first time he had seen this novel crop. Seeing Wen Hemian's serious expression, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Young master, are you going to plant all of these?"
Wen Heming replied without hesitation, "Of course."
After searching for a long time, she finally found this kind of sweet potato. Among the people present, she was the only one who knew the best how to grow sweet potatoes. Wen Hemian pulled Uncle Liu aside and explained everything in detail: "...That's about it. We can see how the harvest is in August or September this year."
When Liu Bo first learned that this was a high-yield crop, he had the same expression as Qingyun. However, as Wen Hemian continued to explain, he became convinced. Although he didn't know what the outcome would be, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try!
This is something that can feed so many people!
Uncle Liu's gaze toward the sweet potatoes grew eager.
Wen Hemian could understand the enthusiasm of every farmer for high-yield crops. She coughed twice guiltily, and finally picked out two whole, unsprouted sweet potatoes under Uncle Liu's heartbroken gaze.
Having gotten used to taking care of children, she always wanted to bring any new or interesting things to the palace to show Xie Lang.
Things personally approved by the emperor are easier to promote in the future, aren't they?
Thinking this way, Wen Hemian became more self-righteous.
It was still early, so she took a quick look at the Ministry of Personnel. Seeing that it was operating smoothly, Wen Hemian put two sweet potatoes in her pocket and went into the palace.
Lai Xi was still being punished, and another clever little eunuch was serving in front of the emperor. Everyone serving in the palace knew the imperial tutor. When they saw Wen Hemian from afar, they hurriedly came up to him, bowing and scraping: "Lord Wen has arrived! His Majesty has instructed that you may go in directly."
Wen Hemian nodded and knocked three times politely before entering the imperial study. When she heard no response, she pushed the door open and went in.
"What is Your Majesty doing?"
Through the screen, Wen Hemian heard the sound of books falling to the ground. When she went around to the side, Xie Lang had already stood up abruptly, looking a little flustered: "Grand Tutor, what brings you here?"
"Does Your Majesty not want me to come?" Wen Hemian asked as she approached him. "I think I just heard something fall to the ground?"
"It's nothing, it's just a book."
Xie Lang spoke too quickly, clearly trying to cover something up. He glanced nervously under the desk before letting out a sigh of relief: "Grand Tutor, please don't say that. I had no such thoughts."
"uh-huh."
Wen Hemian chuckled, no longer dwelling on it, and placed the oil paper package she had been carrying all the way on the desk, immediately attracting Xie Lang's attention.
"What's this?"
"You'll know once you take it apart."
Having received a reply, Xie Lang began to unwrap the oil paper package. As the oil paper was slowly unwrapped, a sweet fragrance filled the air, making one's mouth water.
"Food? I've never seen it before."
Xie Lang poked at the unassuming thing wrapped in oil paper: "How are we supposed to eat this?"
There were two roasted sweet potatoes in total. Wen Hemian took one, peeled off the slightly charred skin to reveal the golden and sweet inside. It wasn't too hot anymore. She handed it to Xie Lang's mouth: "Take a bite."
Xie Lang took a small bite and was instantly captivated by the flavor of the sweet potato. His eyes lit up: "Delicious!"
Wen Hemian caught a glimpse of the joy of feeding, but the next thing she said was a little cruel: "If it's delicious, cherish it while you can, because you probably won't be able to eat it again for a while."
Xie Lang's smile froze instantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com