Chapter 161 Magistrate Shen Asks for Rewards
"During the autumn harvest, didn't I tell you all that the rice stubble should be left at least eight inches long? But what did you all say? You all thought it was unnecessary, that it would only add unnecessary trouble, and that you were afraid of delaying the work and affecting the grain storage... You thought it was troublesome back then, but now you're asking me why we need to increase the yield per acre? Without leaving rice stubble, it's useless for you to know!"
Magistrate Shen held his teacup and leisurely took a sip.
In previous years, when everyone sat together, he was always the one pouring tea for everyone, and no matter what was being said, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Now that the tables have turned, he's not going to give these people any face anymore.
Magistrate Zheng grinned and said, "Brother Shen, listening to your words is like reading ten years' worth of books. I immediately issued an order for the villagers to remember to leave rice stubble, but the order was issued a day late, and only 80% of the farmers left rice stubble. I wonder what the intention was?"
Magistrate Shen put down his teacup and slowly began to speak: "There is a type of rice in the south called ratooning rice. I don't know if any of you have heard of it. If not, that's alright. I'll tell you all about it now..."
He talked attentively, first describing the scenery of Dahe Village, then describing the farm work in the fields, and also showing off his son. After all, his son invented the stone roller, which was a not-so-small contribution and could be mentioned briefly in the memorial. Finally, he mentioned the sprouting of axillary buds on rice stalks.
"Now that the weather is favorable and there are no locusts, the yield of this ratooning rice should reach about 150 jin per mu. Adding that to the previous harvest, the yield per mu in our Ping'an County is about 350 to 360 jin. In a normal year, the yield of the first crop of rice plus the ratooning rice can reach 400 to 500 jin per mu." Magistrate Shen beamed. "I must report this matter to the Prefect immediately. Excuse me!"
He hurriedly got up and left. This matter really could not be delayed. Not only did he have to report to the prefect, but he also had to write an edict and have the officials read it out in every village.
He sat in his study, drove out all the people who were working on the paper, and pondered over it alone, carefully writing down each word.
First, the total grain yield of Ping'an County in the autumn harvest must be written down, followed by a detailed description of the tax grain collected, and a list of all relevant government orders concerning grain must also be compiled… Then, the topic shifted to ratooning rice, a matter that could not be explained in countless words. Magistrate Shen recalled the locust control manual that Cheng Zhao had presented, which used pictures instead of words, making it easy to understand at a glance. Therefore, Magistrate Shen also drew rice stubble and axillary shoots on his memorial, describing in detail the length of the rice stubble and the current growth status of the axillary shoots…
For such a major event, he naturally did not dare to take credit for it, and he carefully explained who discovered the regenerated rice, when, and where...
The memorial, a lengthy one thousand words long, reached its end with Magistrate Shen naturally not forgetting to praise his son. He drew a picture of a stone roller pounding rice, describing it with restraint in three short sentences, afraid that writing too much would offend the prefect... He was about to close the memorial when he thought about it and felt that something was missing. Everyone in the nearby towns and counties knew what kind of person his son was. Would they say that his son had stolen someone else's credit?
His son's success was not unrelated to Zhao Chengshi's, but also to the influence of Cheng Zhao. These two people made the greatest contributions.
Furthermore, the stone roller was made by Qian Hui's men, so that guy's name should also be included.
While Magistrate Shen was pondering this, Magistrate Zheng, sitting in his carriage on the way back, sighed deeply.
Although Phoenix County also has ratooning rice, it has no direct connection with him; he can only be considered to have made neither significant contribution nor demerit.
His son, Zheng Wangfeng, has always been his pride. This time, even that rascal Shen Zheng has figured out how to make a stone roller. Why can't his son be a little more ambitious?
If the Shen family father and son work together to improve their skills, they will surely be commended by the prefect. In the assessment and promotion process two or three years from now, Brother Shen will definitely be promoted.
He... well, that's all there is to his life. He has to pave the way for his son.
Magistrate Zheng said, "Go to the Southern Academy."
The coachman obeyed and changed course to Hekou Town. The carriage then sped onto the main road and headed towards Nanfu Academy.
It happened that school was over at Nanfu Academy, and Zheng Wangfeng, Qian Hui and others made an appointment to have dinner at a restaurant. They were tired of the food in the cafeteria, so they basically went to a nearby restaurant to have a bite every few days. Several people took turns to treat everyone, and those who could not afford the money were not qualified to enter their circle.
Seeing his son hanging out with Qian Hui, Magistrate Zheng's face darkened. The Qian family was a large business, and they never expected Qian Hui to achieve any academic success. But his son was different. His son, Zheng Wangfeng, had to pass the county-level exam, become a provincial-level scholar, and eventually a metropolitan-level official to bring honor to the Zheng family.
Zheng Wangfeng looked up and saw his father walking towards him with a stern face. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly went to greet him: "Dad, what brings you here?"
"You still have the mind to go out and have fun? Do you know that Shen Zheng made a great contribution because of a stone roller? Magistrate Shen is about to ask the prefect for credit." Magistrate Zheng said coldly, "Shen Zheng was with Cheng Zhao and, influenced by him, invented the agricultural tool stone roller. He has already made a name for himself in front of the prefect before even taking the imperial examination. You are not as diligent as Shen Zheng at the Nanfu Academy. I will have someone send you to Dahe Village to study and write with Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng. I hope you can also make progress."
Zheng Wangfeng exclaimed in disbelief, "Father, my essays are among the best in Nanfu Academy, and the headmaster said I have a very good chance of winning first place in this year's academy exam..."
"Oh, let's not talk about that now." Qian Hui couldn't help but ask, "Sir, you just mentioned a stone roller, is it something like a wheel made of stone?"
Although Magistrate Zheng disliked Qian Hui, the Qian family's businesses spanned various counties and towns, and they paid a considerable amount of taxes every year, so he couldn't afford to offend them. He spoke in a low voice, "According to Magistrate Shen, the wheels are indeed made of stone, but they are larger and wider. They are excellent farming tools for threshing rice."
"Damn it, I had this stone roller made!" Qian Hui cursed. "This is our Qian family's achievement, how could that bastard Shen Zheng steal it? Sir, I'll take my leave now, please excuse me!"
Magistrate Zheng was shocked: "The stone roller is also related to Qian Hui?"
"Shen Zheng had Qian Hui make it and send it to Dahe Village." Zheng Wangfeng frowned. "Is something made of stone really enough to get credit from the prefect?"
“I think you’ve wasted your time reading books. All you do is spout classical phrases all day. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the lives of ordinary people?” Magistrate Zheng said. “Agriculture is the foundation of a nation, and farming is the most important thing that those in power care about. The fact that rice threshing can be done with tools is indeed a commendable achievement. Now, not only Shen Zheng has made a contribution, but Qian Hui has also done one. All you do is study books. Come on, go back and pack some clothes. Tomorrow you’ll go to Dahe Village for a few days of training before you come back.”
Zheng Wangfeng did not refute, not because he dared not, but because he wanted to see if Shen Zheng was really that capable.
Meanwhile, Qian Hui also rushed back to the Qian family home in Baiyun Town.
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