However, the Grand Minister of Agriculture's risky foray into the desert served as a reminder to Zhao Changgeng, and a sign was erected at the edge of the desert.
The desert is dangerous; do not enter lightly, as it is infested with wolves and various poisonous insects. Sandstorms, tornadoes, and other unexpected events can strike at any time.
Your willfulness has brought disaster to the whole family.
That's roughly the idea.
There are various rumors about the desert, and some even say that there is a mysterious underground city in the middle of the desert, where there is endless wealth.
Even just one of these items would be enough to last a lifetime.
Every year, hundreds of people disappear after entering the desert.
The so-called disappearance means never returning. There are also hopeful speculations: they crossed the desert, entered another country, and settled down there.
Is this possible? Maybe. But how many lucky ones are there?
Putting aside everything else, the Grand Minister of Agriculture's experience over those four days and three nights is enough to show that entering the desert is a matter of life and death.
It seems that we still need to intensify our efforts in afforestation.
If we can conquer the entire desert, then all the rumors will cease to exist.
It's just that Zhao Changgeng's grand wish is so hard to imagine how many years it will take to be realized.
After returning, the Grand Minister of Agriculture rested for a few days and came to a realization: he was just a farmer, why should he go on adventures?
Curiosity killed the cat; we should just stick to farming.
He was still a little uneasy, and finally turned his attention to the poplar seeds. He couldn't go into the desert, but couldn't he cultivate seedlings outside the desert?
With more high-quality seedlings, we can conquer the desert sooner.
Yes, he is also a person with ideals.
Zhao Minggeng's governance of Hongling County is thriving.
It doesn't make sense that they always have to pay the workers' wages with their own grain first.
So Zhao Minggeng went to visit the prefect.
"My purpose in coming here today is to discuss the future development of Hongling County."
You are the local official in charge of this area, and you know how bad the situation is in Hongling County.
Now, I have found a way to develop Hongling County, but even the best method needs someone to implement it.
Therefore, I have hired many common people.
The common people lack nothing but food, and I, your humble servant, have exhausted my savings of many years to temporarily pay for it on behalf of the county government.
But I have a family to support, and I can't possibly squander my entire fortune on the affairs of the government.
"Sir, do you think we should report this bill to me first?"
After Zhao Minggeng finished speaking, he handed over the bill in his hand.
Although the prefect had never visited Hongling County, he had heard about the actions of Zhao Minggeng and his son-in-law after they took office.
Of course, he also received the news from his fellow graduates who were working in Beijing.
Zhao Minggeng was Prince Rui's uncle-in-law and had an extremely close relationship with Prince Han.
Presumably, his classmates wouldn't spread false information, so Zhao Minggeng and his son-in-law shouldn't be offended lightly.
Just looking at Zhao Minggeng's bills made his head spin.
Are you sure you want this money?
The prefect's voice trembled slightly.
Zhao Minggeng nodded, "Sir, you know how few people there were before I came to Hongling County, but now the population of Hongling County has exceeded ten thousand."
The fundamental reason for such a large population is that I have always paid wages with fine rice.
Each person can receive 3 catties of polished rice per day.
The number of workers we hired has increased from a hundred initially to ten thousand per day now, over a period of more than a month, and my personal savings have been depleted.
Even at the price of unpolished rice, it costs 8 copper coins per pound. Moreover, the quality of my fine rice is so good that it wouldn't be unreasonable to sell it for 20 copper coins.
As he spoke, Zhao Minggeng handed the rice bag he was carrying to the prefect.
"Sir, open it and take a look. Do you think this kind of fine rice is worth 20 coins?"
The prefect opened the rice bag and saw that the white rice inside was no less impressive than the tribute rice he had ever seen.
"You actually used such good rice as wages?"
The prefect felt he had encountered a fool.
Zhao Minggeng nodded, "Otherwise what? Without substantial profits, would those people come back to Hongling County?"
Only when they return will Hongling County have a future.
Today, the pottery workshops run in the name of the county government have begun to generate profits, and the farmland cultivated by the local people has exceeded 3,000 mu.
And there are even more trends to come.
I have specially brought in high-yield grain varieties, so I believe that Hongling County will be able to escape the fate of hunger for its people this year.
My lord, let's not talk about these things for now. Just this good rice that I paid for, at 10 coins per catty, isn't that much?
Do you, sir, still think that the money I asked for is too much?
The price of the grain I paid far exceeded the two taels of silver recorded on my bill. At the same time, I also purchased oxen for the people in the name of the government.
Each cow is priced at 16 taels of silver, and more than 300 households have already claimed them.
Of course, the cost of the ox has been agreed upon with the people, and the county government will repay it within two to three years. Therefore, sir, shouldn't the cost of the ox also be returned to me first?
Otherwise, I really wouldn't have any rice to cook.
Zhao Minggeng spoke again, noticing the prefect's hesitation.
"Alas, I feel I am not suited to be a local official. I really cannot afford to pay these expenses. If you want the horse to run, how can you not give it grass?"
If this is difficult for you, my lord, then I will write a letter to the court to Prince Han, and see if the Ministry of Revenue can directly return this sum to me first.
It's a pity that I've spent nearly ten thousand taels of silver in just over a month on this Hongling County.
I've never seen an official lose money.
I think I should just keep the bill as it is.
Let's calculate based on the price of polished rice. As for brown rice and the like, let's forget about it.
Whom are they looking down on?
When would Zhao ever do such a despicable thing? If he can take something, he should give the best of it. He treats the people like family.
"If I weren't so generous, it would have been difficult to bring back so many people in such a short time."
What could the prefect say? Zhao Minggeng demanded money with complete confidence.
Besides, he has powerful backers. If a bill were to actually reach Prince Han, it would be tantamount to handing it over to the Emperor.
Then I've truly reached the end of my official career; I've been terribly derelict in my duties.
Forget it, just hurry up and allocate the money. Anyway, it wasn't money that the prefect embezzled.
Before Zhao Minggeng could amend the bill, he decided to take his profits while he was ahead.
Thus, Zhao Minggeng returned home with the silver notes without any trouble.
Upon seeing his own daughter, he immediately stuffed the silver notes into Zhao Qingyan's hand.
“Daughter, all this money is yours. It’s just that the Southwest Prefecture isn’t a wealthy place. I was too embarrassed to set the price of rice too high, and you suffered a loss. It’s my fault.”
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