In September, rice harvest begins.
The yield of hybrid rice is much higher than that of ordinary rice, with an output of 600 to 700 kilograms per mu, which cannot be compared with the hybrid rice of later generations.
Emperor Yongxing was very happy that one acre of rice could produce six or seven hundred kilograms, which was more than twice the previous rice.
"Hahaha! Great!" Emperor Yongxing was really happy. It was equivalent to planting one season of rice and getting the harvest of two seasons as before.
"Lord Zhang, you have made such a great contribution. How should I reward you? If you want anything, you can just tell me directly."
Zhang Hulan said: "I dare not take credit for this, and this is not just my own achievement."
"Don't worry, I will reward people based on their contributions. As long as people participate, I will reward them."
Emperor Yongxing thought for a moment and said, "Well, I see that you seem to like buying land, so I will reward you with 2,000 acres of good land in Changning County, and I will promote you to the third rank lady, and your official position to the sixth rank of the Ministry of Revenue."
As soon as Emperor Yongxing finished speaking, Lu Bingzhong, the Minister of Rites, stepped out and said, “Your Majesty, this is not possible. Zhang Tunjian deserves a reward for his contribution to the cultivation of hybrid rice, but there is no precedent for such a large promotion at once.
Zhang Tunjian was previously a sixth-rank Anren, and her promotion to a third-rank Shuren was somewhat against the rules.
Moreover, Zhang Tunjian's ability is to grow crops, which is completely different from Wu Tunjian's duties as the head of the Ministry of Revenue. I am afraid she will not be able to handle the job if she is appointed as the head of the Ministry of Revenue."
Emperor Yongxing said with displeasure: "Lord Zhang has helped our dynasty's grain production increase by more than double. Isn't such a great contribution worthy of such a reward?"
Lu Bingzhong said: "Your Majesty, I did not say that Zhang Tunjian did not deserve the reward. I also admire Zhang Tunjian for his great contribution to our dynasty. But the rules cannot be broken."
Yongxing said: "You want rules, right? Well, I will follow the rules."
Emperor Yongxing said, "You all know the good wines that are now on the market, right?"
Of course, these ministers all knew that such good wine must be sold to the capital.
Lu Bingzhong asked, "What does the emperor mean by mentioning this wine?"
Emperor Yongxing said, "This wine is brewed by Zhang Tunjian, and it is brewed with lotus roots, not grain. A few years ago, Zhang Aiqing presented the brewing method to me. This will bring me a lot of income. Is it okay for me to upgrade her imperial title by one level?"
"This..." Lu Bingzhong was speechless, "That's no problem."
Many ministers knew the current price of liquor. The cheapest ones cost two taels of silver per catty, while the better ones cost three to four taels or four to five taels of silver. The profit can be imagined.
But because it was sold by the Wang family, no one dared to take any ideas. No one expected that it was brewed by Zhang Hulan, and no one expected that Zhang Hulan would give it directly to the emperor.
Emperor Yongxing spoke again, "Last year, Minister Zhang cultivated potatoes presented by the Red Haired Clan. Do you know how much these potatoes yield per acre?"
Wu Bangtai knew about it, and he had eaten potatoes before. He stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister knows. Last year, Zhang Tunjianzhong planted one acre of potatoes and harvested nearly 800 kilograms.
Zhang Tunjian reported to the old minister that it was because the planting time was a little late, so the harvest was not high.
This year, Zhangtunjian used last year's potatoes as seeds. He planted five acres of potatoes and harvested more than 7,600 kilograms, with an output of 1,500 kilograms per acre.
Your Majesty, these potatoes can be eaten as a vegetable or as a staple food.
Your Majesty, the biggest feature of this potato is that it is easy to transport and preserve.
It is not afraid of rain or fire during transportation..."
Zhang Hulan also told Emperor Yongxing that potatoes are very good for making military rations.
During war, transporting food and fodder is a big problem.
It requires a large amount of manpower and livestock for transportation, and military escort is required, otherwise it will easily be robbed and burned by the enemy.
It is usually not easy to rob someone, as most of the time they just set the place on fire.
These potatoes are not afraid of being burned. At most you just need to burn the surface layer. As long as they are not burned into charcoal or ashes, you can still eat the burned potatoes, and they are quite fragrant.
As for the common people, if all of them start planting, will there still be people starving to death in the future?
Emperor Yongxing said, "If we count by merit, since Minister Zhang has cultivated such an important crop, it would not be too much for me to promote her by two levels, right?"
"This..." Lu Bingzhong was speechless again.
Emperor Yongxing continued, "Let's talk about the hybrid rice cultivated by Zhang Aiqing. It wouldn't be too much for me to give her a two-level promotion, right?
If it were really counted, Zhang Aiqing could be promoted to the first rank of imperial decree.
I just considered that I couldn't promote her too much at once, so I promoted her to the third rank."
Emperor Yongxing looked at Lu Bingzhong coldly. He really wanted to dismiss this old man from office and throw him out right away.
But he doesn't have a suitable candidate to succeed him now, and many people were replaced last year. It is not advisable to make any big moves in recent years.
Emperor Yongxing asked coldly, "You old killer, do you have any objections?"
Even the old killer called out, and Lu Bingzhong quickly knelt down and said, "I have no objection."
"Hmph..." Emperor Yongxing snorted, and then said: "My dear Zhang, you have made great contributions. I will promote you to the rank of second-rank lady."
Emperor Yongxing did it on purpose. He raised Zhang Hulan's imperial edict to a higher level to see what that old man Lu Bingzhong would say.
If he dared to say anything again, Emperor Yongxing planned to replace him now.
In the end, Lu Bingzhong said nothing.
When no one spoke, Zhang Hulan stepped out and said, “Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace.
Lord Lu is right about one thing. I am not suitable to work in the Ministry of Revenue.
I have only done some research on the Central Land, and I really don’t know anything else, so I ask Your Majesty to allow me to continue to serve as the governor.”
Yongxing said: "It's okay, I know you are smart, when you go to the Ministry of Revenue, someone will teach you, I believe in your ability.
When you arrive at the Ministry of Revenue, you will still be responsible for the affairs of the village."
Since the emperor had said so, Zhang Hulan had no choice but to say nothing.
If I refuse again, it would be a disrespect to the emperor. Even if I want to refuse, I have to talk to the emperor alone.
"I accept your order."
After the court session, Wu Bangtai called Zhang Hulan to follow him to the Ministry of Revenue.
"Don't worry, Niece Zhang. When you get to the Ministry of Revenue, I will arrange for someone to teach you how to handle the affairs of the principal."
"Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Wu."
Wu Bangtai smiled and waved his hands, "We are family, why be polite. The emperor trusts and values you very much, and the Ministry of Revenue is in need of talents like you.
What does the Ministry of Revenue do? It mainly helps the emperor manage financial and grain matters.
You can earn money and help the emperor increase grain production, the emperor will definitely use you."
Zhang Hulan suddenly felt something was wrong. If this was the case, how could she resign from her post in the future?
From what Wu Bangtai said, the emperor might give her a promotion in the future. Wouldn't that mean she's trapped?
Wrong decision...
Wu Bangtai then said, "You should hand over the affairs of the village as soon as possible. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend to take over your position as the village supervisor? If so, please report to me directly."
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