99 Chapter 99
◎Enter Chengdu Prefecture◎
Every day feels like a year.
Jiang Youxin stirred the brine in the pot and regretted his decision again.
For three whole days, he squatted in front of this stove, boiling the brine drawn by his colleagues, and watching the salt crystals gradually precipitate from the brine.
He had long since changed his official robes into coarse linen clothes. He had sweated more in the past three days than in the past few years. He felt as if he had been soaked in brine, and a strange salty smell emanated from his whole body.
Your Highness, the King of Shu, if you don’t come over, my hand will be crippled!
All the officials were eagerly waiting, but King Xie Peng of Shu finally arrived late.
He arrived at the camp near dusk. According to his attendants, he was delayed because he saw farmers doing spring plowing on the way and stood on the ridge to watch.
The carriage stopped outside the camp.
The title of King of Shu is hereditary. The current King of Shu is the son of the previous king who was born in his old age. As soon as he was born, he was given the title of Crown Prince and treated like a treasure. When he was thirteen years old, the previous king passed away and Xie Peng succeeded to the throne.
He has had a smooth road ahead of him since he was born, and everything has gone smoothly for him. He has never experienced setbacks and has always followed his heart in everything.
If it weren't for the glass products, he would have come to pay his respects only after the servants had talked him through.
In terms of seniority, he should call Xie Mingzhuo aunt.
After much persuasion from his servants, Xie Peng finally changed into a heavy prince's uniform. He took off half of it on the way because he felt hot, and only put it back on before getting off the car.
He got off the carriage, and everyone, including Gao Quan, who had never seen the King of Shu, was shocked.
How come you are so dark and thin?
It’s not that his skin is really as black as charcoal, but compared with the other pampered royal family members, he looks like a refugee.
His appearance is also ordinary.
Xie Peng grew up surrounded by praise and adulation, and had no idea what inferiority was. He walked to the main tent under the strange gazes of everyone.
"King Xie Peng of Shu pays homage to Princess Rong'an."
"Enter."
Xie Peng opened the curtain and strode in. The servant's instructions flashed through his mind. Before he could even see who was inside, he lowered his eyes and said dryly, "Princess, the conditions here are simple and I'm afraid it will hurt your health. Please move to the palace. I will certainly entertain you well."
Very rigid and without any emotion.
Xie Mingzhuo looked up at the other person. He inherited Xie's tall stature, but he was too thin and dark. If he changed into a coarse cloth shorts, no one would be able to tell that he was a prince who grew up in a pile of gold and jade.
"This place is very nice. I appreciate the King of Shu's kindness. Please return."
Xie Peng didn't continue to persuade him, but just breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed a task. Then he raised his head and looked straight at Xie Mingzhuo, his eyes full of expectation.
"Princess, I have a request."
"you say."
"I want lots and lots of glassware. Can you ask the Beijing Glass Factory to put me in line? It's urgent."
Everyone: “…”
Xie Mingzhuo couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What is it used for?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," Xie Peng said bluntly, "Can you help? If not, forget it."
Everyone was dumbfounded. Didn’t the former King of Shu teach his son about respect and etiquette?
Xie Mingzhuo had seen this kind of people in his previous life, and he never had the sense of being tactful. Because he was too lazy to handle interpersonal relationships, he was regarded as "arrogant because of his talent."
What is the confidence of the King of Shu?
"Tell me, then I can decide whether to help you or not." Xie Mingzhuo used provocation. "Besides, I don't think you know more than me."
Xie Peng raised his eyebrows and said unconvincedly, "I need to observe the growth and changes of the seeds in order to cultivate better quality seeds. Do you understand?"
There is no royal family member in the world who loves farming more than him. How could a princess in the deep palace understand it better than him?
"What seeds?"
"It doesn't matter what kind of seeds."
The Qi Dynasty was based on agriculture. If it wanted to develop the economy, agriculture was the foundation. Even if it wanted to develop the salt industry, it could not do without the support of agriculture.
If there is no grain to exchange for surplus salt with the salt workers, the salt workers will not even have enough to eat, so how can we talk about expanding production?
Unfortunately, none of Xie Mingzhuo's family of five had studied agricultural science, so they were unable to develop agriculture in the short term.
If you want fertilizers, you must first establish an industrial foundation, but the prerequisite for developing industry is to increase grain production.
This is a vicious cycle.
If Xie Peng really has this talent, then his temperamental problems would not be a big deal.
"Okay, no matter what kind of seeds, let's talk." Xie Mingzhuo waved to him, "Ayu, give the King of Shu a seat."
Xie Peng didn't even say thank you. Under the stares of Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing, he sat down next to Xie Mingzhuo.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"We can talk about anything."
Thanks to the information explosion in his previous life, even if Xie Mingzhuo had never been to the ground himself, he could still crush Xie Peng in terms of cognition.
Xie Peng's mind was already full of wild ideas, otherwise he wouldn't have been so obsessed with experiments. When he heard the future scene described by Xie Mingzhuo, his body involuntarily leaned towards the main seat, and his eyes became wider and wider.
Greenhouses, hybrid yield increase, pesticides and fertilizers, mechanical harvesting, except for the first one, the rest were all things he had never imagined.
Although it sounds incredible, how can you know if you don’t try it?
What Xie Mingzhuo knew was too superficial, but even so, it brought many shocking ideas to Xie Peng.
"How do you know so much?" He changed his previous cold attitude and almost leaned on Xie Mingzhuo's knees, his eyes full of desire.
"The capital has established the Tiangong Academy, which also has a special section on agriculture. If you're interested, you might want to take a look," Xie Mingzhuo said patiently. "Agriculture is inseparable from the study of nature and the study of natural history. If we can apply these two disciplines to improve agricultural production, we will benefit the world and leave our name in history."
Such a talented person who is good at research must not be left outside.
Xie Peng doesn't have such big aspirations, he just likes these things.
"When are you coming back to Beijing? I'll come with you!"
Xie Mingzhuo liked his decisiveness. "I still have things to do in Shu, so I can't return to Beijing for the time being."
"Whatever you want to do, I'll help you. Finish it as soon as possible and take me to Tiangongyuan." He used his remaining emotional intelligence, thinking of the fact that vassal kings were not allowed to enter the capital without imperial decree, and added, "If I follow you, the emperor won't scold me, right?"
Xie Mingzhuo smiled and assured, "I will write a letter back later and ask the emperor to allow you to enter the capital."
"That's great, thank you Princess."
It was not until this moment that he expressed his sincere gratitude and his attitude towards Xie Mingzhuo took a 180-degree turn.
In his eyes, Xie Mingzhuo has been promoted to a "wise man" who can lead his research, and is many times smarter than other members of the royal family and officials.
"Whatever you need my help with, tell me as soon as possible." Xie Peng now just wanted to finish dealing with the affairs in Shu as soon as possible and rush to Beijing.
Xie Mingzhuo thought about it and whispered a few words in his ear.
Outside the tent, Liu Zhaoyu and his group were still waiting for the results of their persuasion.
After a while, the King of Shu walked out of the tent with an impatient look on his face. When he saw them, he snorted coldly and was about to return to his carriage.
"Your Highness," Jiang Youxin hurriedly called out to him, "Does the princess agree?"
Xie Pengtou didn't even turn around, "No, I'm going back home, don't bother me anymore."
"Your Highness, the princess is precious and cannot stay here for long. Please continue to persuade her." Jiang Youxin couldn't help but chase after her.
Xie Peng stood on the shaft of the cart and said condescendingly, "I see you are all frail and unwilling to follow His Majesty's lead in promoting the salt industry. You eat too much and indulge in extravagant activities, and are incapable of any work. What use is there for the court to have you? You might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes."
Everyone: “…”
The carriage rolled away, leaving only the officials sighing at the moon. However, at this moment, they had no mood to compose a poem. All they had in their hearts was cursing the Xie royal family.
Two days later, the officials were so tired that they could not even speak. They drooped their heads and wings, like eggplants hit by frost, and their former vigor and vitality were no longer visible.
What is image? No one cares anymore.
During dinner, everyone sat in silence, their hands shaking as they held their chopsticks.
"After five days of training, you all produced 300 kilograms of salt. Although the efficiency is a bit low, it's still acceptable." Xie Mingzhuo said slowly, "In view of your hard work, I originally planned to let you share the 300 kilograms and take them back for consumption. Unfortunately, according to national laws, the excess salt must be handed over."
Everyone's first reaction was: "Why? Why should I hand over all the salt I worked so hard to produce?"
Only then did they come to their senses and realize that they were not salt workers. Whether they took the salt back or not, they would not lack salt to eat.
But I still feel bad.
Tired to the extreme, the originally shrewd officials forgot to disguise their emotions, and all the dissatisfaction and anger they showed at that moment fell into Xie Mingzhuo's eyes.
No one can empathize with others unless the knife hits themselves.
Now that the roles have been reversed, isn't this easily understandable? But understanding is understanding; once these people return to their jobs, they'll only be more thankful they weren't salt workers. It's unlikely they'll have a change of heart and give up the huge profits from salt.
As long as salt profits exist, corruption will not disappear.
Even if we kill these people, there will still be another group of people. Greed cannot be eliminated.
When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. As a ruler, Xie Mingzhuo is particularly aware of this. She will not be naive to eliminate all corruption. She has the ability to develop various industries and increase national tax revenue. Even if such officials have a little selfish motives, they can be reused.
But what about these in front of us?
He is only concerned with making money and accepting bribes, and has not done anything in government affairs. He is already a deadly case and there is no need to continue to employ him.
The appearance of opium further proves that they are either stupid or poisonous.
"Do you have any objections?"
All the officials shook their heads: "We dare not."
After the meal, they took their leave and left the main tent. Just as they were about to go back to their tents to sleep, Gao Quan told them that the persuasion class was over and they could go home the next day.
Good news from heaven!
Governor Gao's deep voice was like the sound of heaven, instantly washing away the torment and pain of the past five days.
Seeing that they seemed to be happy and crazy, Gao Quan felt extremely fortunate that he had never offended the princess. He secretly vowed that he would never let the princess down in the future.
Look more at the miserable conditions of these people and learn from them.
At noon the next day, the princess set off for Chengdu Prefecture.
The case of the Zongchao family massacre has been "solved", but opium has surfaced again. All the people involved in the case have been taken to the Censorate Prison for trial. Xie Mingzhuo previously sent Meng Fan to assist in the investigation. Now five days have passed, and no matter whether the source is found or not, she has to go and take charge.
This excuse was reasonable and logical, so the officials did not think much about it.
Of course, they no longer had the energy to engage in intrigue, and they couldn't even ride the horses back home, so they could only arrange to take a car.
As soon as he entered the carriage, he collapsed and didn't move.
Before leaving, Xiang Jinghui came to see him off. After saying goodbye at the saltworks, I don't know when we will meet again.
The two of them tacitly agreed not to reveal her identity as a woman. While it was inappropriate to use the name of a deceased person, the current situation was to rectify the salt administration, and revealing her identity would be tantamount to destroying the city wall.
"The wind rises from the tip of a blade of grass, and the waves form from the ripples." Xie Mingzhuo held her calloused hands and said with a smile, "If you are willing to humble yourself and work hard, you will surely rise to the top in the future. Now you just need to wait for the opportunity."
These words were spoken from the heart and were a promise.
Tears welled up in Xiang Jinghui's eyes. He was so lucky to meet a wise leader.
"Take care, Princess."
Thousands of words can only be turned into one wish.
Chengdu Prefecture.
Xie Mingzhuo and her personal guards moved into a house on the outskirts of the city. The house had been properly arranged before she arrived in Shu, and the servants in the house were all selected and arranged by Liu Zhaoyu and others. She sent them all away, leaving only her own people.
More than a thousand soldiers led by Gao Quan were stationed around the mansion, providing strict guards.
A group of officials watched the princess move in, finally breathed a sigh of relief, hurried back to their homes, and fell asleep.
Even Liu Dutai, who prided himself on being strong and healthy, was no exception.
We'll deal with the rest after he wakes up.
As soon as Xie Mingzhuo settled down, he summoned Meng Fan.
Generally speaking, cases involving banned substances such as opium are extremely dangerous. The perpetrators are inhumane and can lose their lives if they are not careful.
It was originally thought that two hundred soldiers were enough to protect Meng Fan, but unexpectedly she still suffered some minor injuries. Dozens of soldiers were also injured, but fortunately no one was killed.
Although Meng Fan's face was pale, he was quite energetic, and his usually gentle eyes were now a little sharper.
"Princess, the source of the opium has been identified. It was a peddler named Jin Fugui who secretly cultivated opium in the mountains and used his position as a peddler to secretly sell the finished product."
"Thank you for your hard work." Xie Mingzhuo took her to sit down and poured tea himself. "I heard that you injured your shoulder. Is it serious?"
"It was my own carelessness." Meng Fan blushed. "It was my first case, and I was a little impulsive. It's just a minor injury. Thank you for your concern, Princess."
Xie Mingzhuo shook his head and said seriously, "It's not that you were careless."
She has learned the cause and effect of the case.
After Meng Fan followed the Censor Hong Tan into the Nei Si, he specifically interrogated Ge Kang and seven yamen runners from the Ambassador's Office. He finally pried open their mouths and got the clue about Jin Fugui.
They followed the clue and tracked him to a mountain village outside the city, where they learned that he had secretly reclaimed several acres of land in the valley to grow opium.
Meng Fan took two hundred soldiers and went to the mountain village with the Nian Si Yamen to catch the criminal red-handed.
Unexpectedly, Jin Fugui had buried gunpowder in the valley in advance. After the gunpowder exploded, it only injured a few people, but caused the rocks to collapse and roll, injuring more soldiers.
She was also hit on the shoulder by the gravel, leaving a large bruise.
Meng Fan personally burned the opium and brought Jin Fugui to justice.
The case was solved successfully and she didn't find anything wrong.
Xie Mingzhuo picked up the teacup, and steam rose up, blurring her eyes, but their sharpness remained unchanged.
"Both cases went so smoothly, it was like someone deliberately staged a show for me."
A peddler sold opium illegally, and even made officials appointed by the imperial court addicted, but he was only arrested and brought to justice until now. Isn't this too much of an underestimation of the ability of the judicial office?
Coincidentally, at this time, Yan Tai, who was following Cao Shengcai, secretly entered the house and brought a new clue.
"Princess, I followed Cao Shengcai from the salt fields and sneaked all the way to the outskirts of Chengdu. I saw him enter a Taoist temple on Longming Mountain, thirty miles away."
"What Taoist temple?"
"The name of the temple is Lingxiao."
The current emperor was previously obsessed with Taoism, so there are many Taoist temples among the people. Many Taoist temples not only rely on the incense and offerings from the people to survive, but also purchase large amounts of land for cultivation. The land under the name of the Taoist temples does not need to pay taxes to the court.
As a result, more and more people registered their land under the name of Taoist temples in order to avoid taxes.
After learning about such cases, Xie Mingzhuo thought about finding a reason to abolish the tax-free policy for palace and temple lands. Perhaps this salt inspection trip could solve this problem.
It is impolite to come without giving anything in return.
Since the other party was so generous, she couldn't be stingy.
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