The Marquis looked up at the moon, which was already high in the sky, and realized that he had been thinking for too long. He nodded and instructed, "Tomorrow morning, find an excuse to invite Brother Li from next door over. Tell him that I have something important to discuss with him."
"Yes, Lord Marquis." Ye Shan left.
The Marquis entered the room, sat on the kang (heated brick bed), gently shielded the chubby girl by his side, and sighed deeply.
“Little girl, how many secrets do you still have that your godfather doesn’t know? Giving you everything in the Marquis’s mansion is still not enough to repay your life-saving grace. I never expected that I would owe you such a huge favor.”
He lowered his head and kissed the chubby girl on the forehead, making a soft but extremely solemn promise.
"Rest assured, your godfather will not let you down and will definitely get back everything you deserve. From now on, you can roam freely in the Tianwu Dynasty, and no one will be able to bully or humiliate you again!"
Jiayin was drooling in her sleep, so naturally she couldn't hear it.
I don't know if she was having a happy dream, but she waved her little hands a couple of times and tried to put her chubby little legs on her godfather, but her legs weren't long enough and they fell down with a thud, making her frown.
The Marquis found it amusing and stretched out an arm to drape her chubby little leg over his shoulder.
Sure enough, the little girl immediately became happy, smacking her lips as if she had secretly eaten something delicious...
Because Li Zhensheng was in a good mood after returning home, and because Dr. Zhang's medical skills were exceptional, his condition had recovered significantly in just over half a month.
Having nothing to do these past few days, he went to the school construction site.
Even though he couldn't work, he was happy just watching.
When Ye Shan arrived, he was pulling up wild grass to weave straw dogs for the children.
This was a trick he used to coax his younger brothers when they were little, and he still uses it skillfully to coax his son and niece now.
Upon hearing that the Marquis had found some new books for him, he hurried to the Ye family.
Ye Shan quickly grabbed half a box of snacks, successfully keeping the little ones who wanted to come along.
The Marquis was sitting behind the table, writing furiously. When he saw him coming over, he said, "Brother, please sit down. I'll be done in a minute."
Li Zhensheng found a chair and sat down, then made tea himself. Just as he finished, the Marquis arrived.
After taking a sip of tea, the Marquis got straight to the point: "Brother, I recently acquired two high-yield grains, whose yields far exceed those of sorghum, millet, and sweet potatoes. Moreover, they are easy to grow, taste good, and are very filling. If we promote their cultivation, it will only take two years to support our army in marching back to Jiangbei and recovering lost territory."
"Oh my, there are such good things? That's wonderful! May Heaven bless Tianwu, and the restoration of our land is just around the corner!" Li Zhensheng laughed.
He knew that the Marquis was determined to restore the country and even had no interest in getting married and having children because of this. So he adopted Fu Niu from their family as his goddaughter and entrusted the Marquis's mansion to him.
Everyone felt both admiration and heartache for this incident.
Now, the Marquis's persistence has finally become a possibility, and everyone who hears this will be happy.
The Marquis waved his hand, suppressing his excitement, and said in a low voice, "Discovering such high-yield grain is a great achievement, but you should know that I am a military marquis. Adding this achievement to my record is not a cause for celebration, but rather a disaster."
"Therefore, I want the Li family to take on this credit. However, there is no such thing as wealth and honor without a reason in this world. There is always hard work and danger to be endured. I wonder if you, elder brother, dare to give it a try?"
Li Zhensheng was so shocked that his eyes widened, and he subconsciously stood up.
Two kinds of high-yield grains that can help Tianwu restore its land and rivers are definitely auspicious omens. If they are presented to the court, just as the Marquis said, it would be a great achievement.
Not only will it quickly replenish military supplies and national strength, but the people will also benefit from it and no longer have to worry about going hungry.
At that time, the imperial court will surely bestow rewards, and the people of Tianwu will be filled with gratitude.
It can be said that once the Li family stepped forward to offer the grain, as long as there was no rebellion, no one in Tianwu would dare to bully the Li family from then on; otherwise, it would be considered repaying kindness with enmity!
Thinking back to yesterday when his mother was in the Marquis's mansion, and even a few maids dared to bully her, his heart felt like it was being fried in oil.
If they seize this opportunity, the Li family won't have to wait for Jiaren to take the imperial examination, and he won't have to find another way to protect the family...
He downed his tea in one gulp and asked in a low voice, "Is the risk of this matter my responsibility, or will the entire Li family bear it?"
“I’ve made a quick plan, and for now, we only need you. Of course, Jiayi is a bit adventurous, so you can take him along if you’d like.”
The Marquis's calm response relieved Li Zhensheng.
That's good. He'll take on the risks, and the family can just live a peaceful life.
Thinking this, he lifted his long robe and knelt down on the ground. “My lord, on behalf of my whole family, I thank you for your great kindness. With such a great service, the Li family can be guaranteed wealth and honor for three generations.”
The Marquis quickly helped him up, saying, "Brother, please get up. This credit should rightfully belong to the Li family. I cannot accept this thanks. Although I cannot explain it to you clearly now, one day you will understand that I was merely helping out!"
Li Zhensheng was puzzled, but did not press for details.
The Marquis is absolutely trustworthy. Since he said so, we should just wait patiently for the future.
The two sat down again, and the Marquis took out the written plan and explained it to them step by step.
"Brother, these two grains are called corn and potatoes. I plan to start planting them next spring, so we don't have much time left. The Emperor has a caravan that is spread throughout Tianwu. They usually gather information for the Emperor and also collect good things from all over the country for him."
"One of them travels to the Quanzhou area on the southeast coast and occasionally brings back some foreign gems and items. I heard that they were brought back by foreign monks who traveled across the ocean. They are very novel and completely different from those in Tianwu. I will send my elder brother to this caravan!"
Li Zhensheng understood and asked, "You mean, you want me to go to Quanzhou and then pretend that I got these corn and potatoes from foreign monks?"
The Marquis nodded. “Not only that, I will have someone send corn and potatoes over in advance, and then arrange for a sunken ship brought by a hurricane and a seriously ill foreign monk. When the time comes, you will stay with the monk for a few days, and it would be best if you could learn a few words of foreign language. Then bring back the corn and potatoes from the ship, and say that the monk gave you high-yield grain to repay your kindness.”
"I'll take you to the palace again and present you to the Emperor. Then the credit will truly belong to the Li family, and no one can take it away. Of course, the Emperor won't give any rewards in the first year; we'll have to see the results by autumn. But from now on, you'll never have to worry about your official position or your children's careers, and..."
He hesitated for a moment, but still said, "And my suggestion is that it would be best to get Fu Niu a get-out-of-jail-free card. Of course, if we can't get one, don't be disappointed. Once I've recovered half of the country, I can use my military merits to get one for Fu Niu!"
Li Zhensheng was stunned; the word "shock" was no longer enough to describe his feelings.
This shock stemmed not only from the Marquis's meticulous plan, but also from his unwavering protection of Fu Niu.
He was actually obsessed with finding a get-out-of-jail-free card for Fu Niu!
Or perhaps Fu Niu will encounter some danger that makes the Marquis think she needs a get-out-of-jail-free card?
Served at midnight~~
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