Chapter 135 The Celestial Map Unveiled
He Santie only recovered after Magistrate Huo held a simple banquet to entertain Young Master Qi.
He racked his brains and could only think that perhaps he had some connection with the traveling merchants of Jiangnan, which was why he had attracted this giant Buddha statue.
After all, in his previous life, the Second Prince had been developing his business quietly for a long time, and no one paid much attention to the caravan. When the caravan first became famous, few people in the capital thought that the Second Prince could succeed. Most people thought he was short-sighted and greedy, so greedy that he didn't even care about his reputation.
It was only later, when he discovered that many strange and novel things came from caravans, including ration coupons and divine provisions... that his power was combined, and he finally caught their attention.
"This method is not suitable for large-scale locust plagues. The best option is to do it like this now, or to drive chickens and ducks to catch and eat insects when the locust plague is about to form, in order to prevent the locust plague from forming..."
Qi Chengming spoke eloquently, racking his brains to pour out every point he could think of: "We have to start training them to herd them soon after they hatch... but the place to raise ducks must be near water. Chickens are only suitable for eating in low-lying plains and fields..."
He Santie looked at the familiar-looking young boy and a thought struck him.
If he can cultivate a good relationship with the new emperor here, perhaps... he might be able to find a way to go to Liuzhou and avoid being transferred to the palace?
Although he hasn't picked up a pen to compose poetry since returning from this new job, being so busy he hasn't even had time to close his eyes, his former fame is still considerable, and it's possible that His Majesty might remember him and summon him.
Even if I still have to enter the palace eventually... it would be good to get to know the new emperor and do some things in advance.
He San Tie finally regained his spirits.
He listened quietly for a while before interjecting, "I have an idea. Guanyang is full of jujube groves. Jujubes are large and sweet, and they are also a medicinal herb that can regulate stomach and spleen qi and treat insufficient body fluids. The people are accustomed to making candied dates, jujube wine, jujube cakes, etc., which they rely on for their livelihood."
"If you raise chickens and ducks in the future, you can offer me a recipe called 'Luosu Ganlu Tang,' which uses local dates and chickens and ducks to make a medicinal soup and gain fame."
As she said this, He Dajia quietly watched Qi Chengming.
"You want to sell this soup in Jiangnan?" Qi Chengming understood the meaning immediately.
"It's true that our place is small and our resources are limited. Even if travelers come and go to try something new, it can't compare to the Jiangnan region." He Santie said this with certainty that he wouldn't be refused.
Setting up chicken and duck farms in areas infested with locusts reduces the largest expense—grain—so the chickens and ducks need to be sold for money. The impoverished people in these counties won't be willing to spend much money on them, and even the wealthier locals, no matter how varied their cooking methods, can't consume them all.
People on the boats coming and going were indeed curious and would try them, but it was better than nothing. The best thing to do was to use the merchants' skills to sell them to Jiangnan—firstly, to earn money for the local people from the exotic dates, and secondly, for the merchants to make a profit as well.
We can't expect them to always be kind, even if there's a new ruler behind them; it has to become a two-way transaction.
Thirdly... once the reputation is established, the locusts will disappear, and chicken and duck farms will be reduced or shut down. In a prosperous place like Jiangnan, there must be gourmets who would crave this soup, right? They would either go looking for locusts or come to Guanyang to taste the authentic local soup.
These are the benefits He Santie could think of; all he needs to do is contribute a family recipe.
He was happy to.
"..." Qi Chengming hesitated for a long time, pondered for a while, and finally figured it out.
He couldn't believe how far this idea was going to go, but he forgot about it.
This is ancient times.
Not all places produce jujubes! Especially since jujubes vary from place to place. Guanyang jujubes are sweeter, have more flesh, or are a bit redder. This varietal variation brings many advantages. There might even be changes in their pharmacological properties.
This isn't a modern world where information is readily available; not everyone naturally knows that you can use dates to make chicken soup.
Therefore, chicken soup made with Guanyang dates would be considered a rare delicacy in Jiangnan.
Qi Chengming looked at this Mr. He with newfound surprise.
sure.
Although he seems dull and doesn't talk much, he can say some important things when you listen carefully to the precise details.
This...this is what you call lacking talent?!
Putting aside his vision, his perspective surpasses that of the ancients by many years!
Qi Chengming always sensed a faint, modern familiarity in the words and actions of this Mr. He.
"..." He had some doubts, but he suppressed them and praised her aloud.
"Lord He is truly dedicated to the people. I'd like to join in the fun. I have some recipes for cooking chicken and duck that are perfect for being transported far away and sold. Consider them a bonus."
Let's use all the modern recipes available, like preserved chicken, smoked chicken, roast duck, braised leg, and duck neck! That way, the people of Guanyang can live a better life.
Qi Chengming would not hesitate to spread these knowledge; he only regretted that there were too few people in the community who knew them.
"Thank you very much, Young Master Qi!!" Magistrate Huo was overjoyed.
He finally got to hear Lord He offer some advice. He hadn't expected that this young master Qi was so impetuous, or rather... kind-hearted and compassionate. The two of them said a lot of things that he couldn't understand, but the only thing he could understand was that Guanyang County was saved!
Qin Liusong then said quietly, "We've provided the solution, and we'll deliver the chickens and ducks as soon as possible. Whether you can raise them well afterward... that's up to you. Although my young master means well, he doesn't want to do anything that loses money."
One plays the good cop and the other the bad cop.
After His Highness finished saying "yes," Qin Liusong had to give Magistrate Huo, who was beaming with joy, a few words of caution to prevent him from getting too cocky and wasting His Highness's money in the future.
As the true magistrate of Liuzhou, Qin Liusong understood best how much of a proposed method could actually be implemented.
"We must not let Young Master Qi down." Magistrate Huo put away his smile and gave a polite bow, though his lowered face showed a hint of restrained anger.
He San Tie saw it all.
He used to have a bad temper and looked down on Magistrate Huo for using such obsequious means to secure his position, as if he would do anything. Now, however, He Santie understood. He found an opportunity and hurriedly began to advise Magistrate Huo in private:
"I don't see Brother Huo looking too happy... You've come up with a great idea today, isn't that good?"
Magistrate Huo sighed, his face growing even more gloomy: "If it weren't for this deadly locust plague, how could a merchant's servant be ordering me around like this!"
The merchant surnamed Qi brought a life-saving method and help, like a timely rain from heaven. He was truly relieved and extremely grateful. But the grief and indignation in his heart could not be quelled. After all, he was once a county magistrate!
He was willing to swallow his pride and lower himself for this help.
But you'll inevitably feel sad afterwards.
He San Tie coughed.
If it weren't for Magistrate Huo, he wouldn't have realized that the social hierarchy of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants" was still so clearly defined at that time. But even if it weren't so clearly defined... did Magistrate Huo know who he was so indignant about?
That is a future emperor who is extremely good at using people.
Although he didn't recognize the person accompanying the other party, it certainly wasn't someone like a "merchant's servant." If Magistrate Huo knew, he'd be incredibly agitated.
Despite thinking this, He Santie dared not reveal the secret.
For a vassal king to leave his territory without permission is a serious crime, and he himself is pretending not to know anyone. We can only try our best to persuade him a few more times, so as not to cause trouble for the new emperor's affairs in the future.
Thinking about his current cautious and meticulous manner, He Santie felt he had lost some of the integrity of his past life, and felt somewhat depressed. He almost followed Magistrate Huo to drown his sorrows in alcohol. But then he thought...
He simply changed his ways, but he saved a whole village of people.
"..."
Qi Chengming turned his head and saw He Dajia sitting alone in the distance. He seemed to be thinking about something, and a wistful and happy smile appeared on his face. He tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp. His face was flushed with excitement, and he was still chuckling softly.
It exudes an indescribable scholarly spirit, and is extremely elegant.
Qi Chengming was filled with admiration and longing: "...!"
Is this the air of a refined scholar? In modern times, he would be a national treasure-level veteran artist!
With the chicken and duck farm matter settled, Qi Chengming was planning to contact the caravan to entrust the follow-up work. At the same time, he was thinking that since they had made good dealings this time, he should at least take a piece of calligraphy with him as a souvenir before leaving!
I don't want to draw, but calligraphy is fine too.
Unexpectedly, Qi Chengming woke up before dawn the next day—he hadn't been sleeping well lately, getting two hours of sleep a night was considered a lot. Not wanting to wake anyone, he simply opened the window and gazed at the street scene in a daze.
A familiar pageboy, whom I had seen yesterday and who followed Master He, walked over from afar, carrying something bulging in his arms.
Qi Chengming: "?"
He looked around, but there was nothing to take; taking pastries would be too wasteful. So he simply grabbed a bare branch of the tree outside the window and shook it.
The pageboy was startled. He looked up and saw him, a look of surprise on his face. The clever boy knew he shouldn't shout, so he just took out the bundle from his arms and held it up.
"What is it?" Qi Chengming asked, his expression puzzled.
The page pointed in the direction of the inn's door, and they agreed to meet inside.
Qi Chengming glanced around and saw that everyone was asleep. Even Gan Tang was sleeping on the couch in the outer room because he was not used to being carefully served by palace maids. He quietly opened the door and prepared to go downstairs by himself.
However, one should always be wary of others, and Qi Chengming cherished his life. He opened the infrastructure system, navigated to the mall page, and also brought up the warehouse page side by side, ready to deal with any emergencies.
Although the inn was quiet in the early morning, some listless staff members were already up and about in the lobby, and the owner was dozing off behind the counter.
Qi Chengming felt somewhat relieved after reading it.
The pageboy waited by a table, removed a chair and sat down. When he saw Qi Chengming arrive, his eyes lit up and he bowed respectfully: "Young master, my master said he has never met such a kindred spirit. He has nothing of value to offer but a painting. I hope you will accept it."
He repeated his master's words, feeling extremely envious.
The master must really like this young master to have given away his prized possession. Therefore, the page dared not be negligent in the slightest, and his attitude was exceptionally cautious.
"A painting?" Qi Chengming asked in surprise, carefully untying the bundle and unfolding the rolled-up scroll.
He didn't expect...
Why would a great family be willing to give him a painting?
It's like my wish came true.
Then, the page proudly introduced, "This celestial map is one of our master's favorite works. It's a landscape painting he made when he was still serving in Jiangzhou. The scenery is breathtaking... Aside from seeing it in person, you can only see it again through our master's brush!"
Qi Chengming stared at it closely and was surprised to find it looked very familiar. He couldn't help but ask in astonishment, "...What kind of landscape is this?"
"The waterfall at Mount Lu!" the pageboy exclaimed emphatically.
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Author's Note: I'm dying of laughter! Lately, I've been writing about locust plagues, haven't I? But I have a friend (author's name: 荒海匿语), whom I call '荒宰' (Huangzai). Every time I type "locust plague" into my input method, it all comes up as '荒宰'! Without exception!
This forced me to check carefully, and I often had to go back and correct mistakes...
In conclusion, Arazaburo bears full responsibility.
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