Inside the Deyang Palace, after dealing with the memorials and Zhong Yao's secret letter, Liu Hong couldn't help but stretch.
Since Tian Feng and the others returned to the capital, Shen Ke's political affairs have been handled very well by the four of them, and Liu Hong's work has become much easier.
Liu Hong then got up with a relaxed expression and walked out of the hall to get some fresh air.
Liu Hong, who had just stepped out of Deyang Palace, noticed that Zhang Rang and Cao Song had already turned into Deyang Gate and were heading towards Deyang Palace.
"Huh? How did those two end up together?"
Seeing the two walking side by side, Liu Hong, who was standing in front of Deyang Palace, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"His Majesty?"
Upon spotting Liu Hong standing in front of the hall, Zhang Rang's face lit up with joy. He immediately quickened his pace and ran over in a flash, leaving Cao Song behind.
Running up to Liu Hong, Zhang Rang, his expression excited and his eyes red, bowed deeply in respect.
"Your Majesty, this servant greets you...! Your Majesty, how have you been while this servant was away...?"
As he bowed, Zhang Rang wiped away a tear that had welled up in the corner of his eye.
"Heh~, I'm perfectly fine, no need for formalities! As a Grand Eunuch, aren't you afraid of being laughed at for looking like this?"
Seeing Zhang Rang's girlish demeanor, Liu Hong couldn't help but be amused.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing the emperor's mockery, Zhang Rang's face lit up with joy. He immediately stood up, bowing his head and standing before Liu Hong.
Liu Hong looked Zhang Rang up and down, then asked, "Hmm! You've lost a lot of weight since your trip to western Liaoning. You must have suffered a lot there, right?"
Zhang Rang smiled and quickly said respectfully, "No, no, apart from being a bit cold in Liaoxi, everything else is fine. I lost weight because I was dieting, but I didn't suffer any hardship!"
"Hehe, good! Wenhe has told me everything about your situation over there. You've done a good job! I'm very satisfied!!"
Seeing that Zhang Rang didn't complain or feel aggrieved, Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction.
Just then, Cao Song, who was following behind, also came over and bowed to Liu Hong.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"Hmm, what brings the Grand Minister of Agriculture here?"
Cao Song respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the greenhouse has been completed, and I have already sent people to begin planting. I believe that by the end of the month, some of the faster-growing vegetables, such as the garlic sprouts, scallions, coriander, and chives that Your Majesty mentioned, will be ready to eat!"
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, people's food options were already very diverse. Garlic, scallions, coriander, and various legumes were introduced to the Han Dynasty as early as when Zhang Qian made his second mission to the Western Regions. Alfalfa was also considered the best forage.
Those who are interested can look up many of these records in the *Natural History*!
"Oh? So fast...?"
Liu Hong's eyes lit up, and a look of joy appeared on his face. Finally, he could eat some green vegetables in the winter.
Cao Song chuckled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, with these vegetables, we can make a fortune again!"
Thinking of the twenty-five greenhouses full of vegetables, Cao Song's eyes lit up, and he began to think about how to operate the business to get a good price!
Looking at Cao Song's greedy expression, Liu Hong couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. However... a Grand Minister of Agriculture whose mind was only focused on making money was indeed a good thing for him and the Han Dynasty.
"Alright, it's cold outside, let's go inside and talk!"
Then Liu Hong led Zhang Rang and Cao Song into the Deyang Palace.
As soon as Liu Hong sat down, Zhang Rang hurriedly took out a list from his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, this is what I brought back for you from Liaoxi! Please take a look!"
"Um!!"
Liu Hong nodded, took the list, and glanced at it. It was filled with densely packed records of various valuable jewels and gold artifacts.
"Hmph~, these parasites in Liaoxi are so lawless, they've plundered so much wealth from just one prefecture?!"
Seeing these valuables worth a total of 5 billion coins, Liu Hong couldn't help but show anger. And this doesn't even include the land, grain, and people. If all of them were included, it's likely that they had seized and plundered more than half of the income of western Liaoning.
In the end, Liu Hong couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his killing intent growing stronger. If the powerful families in just one prefecture of Liaoxi were this wealthy, then how many must there be in the entire Youzhou? And how many must there be in the entire Han Dynasty?
Sensing the murderous aura emanating from the emperor, Zhang Rang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but tremble and quickly lowered his head.
"property....?"
On the contrary, Cao Song, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but think of the hundred large carriages outside the Southern Palace when he heard the emperor mention wealth. It turned out that he had indeed guessed correctly.
"Your Majesty, I just saw Zhang Changshi bringing back over a hundred large carts outside the South Palace. They must be the confiscated goods, right?"
Cao Song looked at the emperor with shining eyes.
Liu Hong nodded. "Uh, of course!"
Seeing this, Zhang Rang couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, those valuables...!"
Liu Hong turned to look at Zhang Rang beside him and saw that Zhang Rang looked bitter. He then realized that he had accidentally let it slip that Cao Song had probably come with Zhang Rang for the valuables.
"Oh, that's good. Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will lead men to receive it immediately! I guarantee that every penny will be deposited into the national treasury without fail!"
After saying this, Cao Song bowed to Liu Hong and turned to leave.
"Wait..."
Liu Hong hurriedly stopped Cao Song, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, when did I say that it was to be added to the national treasury?"
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