Chapter 295 All the land was planted
Shen Qingjun used to only know how to study in the mansion and knew very little about the outside world.
For scions of prominent families like theirs, as long as their academic knowledge is passable, that's enough.
He was still the heir of the Duke of Dingguo. Once he turned eighteen, he would be a first-class duke, a top position among the nobles of Dayu.
What's more, the current emperor is his cousin...
But after Shen Qingjun followed Shangguan Jin out, he felt that his eyes couldn't see enough.
He knew that Dayu was large, but he didn't expect it to be this large.
It would take a carriage more than ten days to travel from the capital to the northern regions.
He knew that farmers in Chongqing suffered, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.
Far from the capital, so many farmers were going hungry...
Furthermore, there are vast tracts of abandoned farmland...
Shen Qingjun couldn't understand why no one was cultivating such good farmland...
During his break, he specifically asked some farmers.
"Uncle, aren't those fields good?"
"Great! This is top-quality black soil, so fertile it's oily to the touch. How could it not be good?" said an old farmer dozing under a tree.
"If it's so good, why doesn't everyone plant it and leave those lands lying fallow?" Shen Qingjun was even more puzzled.
"Why plant them?" the old farmer asked.
“Plant crops and harvest grain! If we have grain, we won’t go hungry,” Shen Qingjun said earnestly.
The old farmer shook his head.
He glanced at Shen Qingjun's magnificent attire and knew that he must be the child of some noble family.
"Young master, it's not that people don't want to farm."
Farmers are the ones who most want to cultivate the land; no one cares more about the land than farmers.
But what good will it do once it's planted?
It's wasteland now, but once it's planted and the crops grow, this land will have owners.
At that time, officials and gentry came to collect land with the land deeds issued by the government.
Since you've planted our land, don't you have to pay us grain taxes?
Okay, now that the rent has been paid to the officials and gentry, the government officials are here again.
Various exorbitant taxes and levies were relentlessly piled onto the farmers.
This not only meant the land was wasted, but people weren't even free anymore.
"So who wants to farm?" the old farmer sighed.
Shen Qingjun...
He truly never imagined that something as simple as farming would involve so many complications...
He had wanted to ask a few more questions, but he was immediately speechless.
Later, as Shen Qingjun observed along the way, he discovered that the further north he went, the more barren land there was.
As they approached the northern border, the land became even more barren.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that the land here not only had unclear ownership issues, but the farmers also had to worry about the Northern Hu people raiding the land just as it was about to ripen.
As he watched the vast expanse of land swaying, Shen Qingjun felt as if his heart was bleeding.
"Mother, Chongqing has a large area and a lot of land suitable for planting."
But the farmers still couldn't get enough to eat.
"The south is better, the north..." Shen Qingjun shook his head.
He originally thought that Chongqing was prosperous and strong, but he didn't expect that only a small part of the area was doing well.
The more remote the area, the harder life is for the people.
“Jun’er, Mother knows you have something to do.”
But if you act according to these ideas, you will incur the resentment of many people.
The rights of the nobles, the interests of the wealthy and powerful, and the interests of the government officials...
"Do you really want to do these things?" Shangguan Jin asked.
Shen Qingjun nodded firmly.
"Mother, your child wants to do something!"
I am the future Duke of Dingguo of Dayu. I want peace on the border and prosperity for Dayu. As for others... I don't care.
Even if those people try to trip me up, even if it costs me my life..."
"Shut up! What do you mean by risking your life?"
"Your life was given to you by me, who told you to just give it away to someone else?" Shangguan Jin interrupted Shen Qingjun rudely.
Shen Qingjun, who still wanted to continue his impassioned speech...
"Go ahead and do it if you want to."
Your mother won't stop you.
You yourself said that as long as it benefits Chongqing, that's fine.
Who are you? The heir of the Duke of Dingguo, the highest-ranking noble among the Dayu nobility.
Who am I, your mother? I am the Duchess of Dingguo of Dayu, the First-Rank Protector of the Nation, and the Super-Rank Defender of the Nation. Who dares to touch my son?
Also, your cousin is the emperor of Dayu.
If you're thinking about your cousin's future, he'll definitely support you.
Moreover, you have the most valiant and skilled Weiyuan Army behind you.
Who dares to touch you?
"Son, go ahead and do whatever you want!" Shangguan Jin said seriously.
Shen Qingjun was taken aback at first, but quickly straightened his back.
Yes, what he wanted to do would face difficulties from nobles.
But within the Greater Chongqing region, who can be more expensive than him...?
"Mother, your child will certainly live up to your mission!"
"We will ensure that no land in Dayu is left barren, and that all land is planted with crops," Shen Qingjun said solemnly.
Shangguan Jin nodded.
That's good, a great ambition. Such a large project wouldn't be completed in less than twenty or thirty years.
Should all the land in Chongqing be planted with crops?
Shangguan Jin suddenly remembered a joke she had made in the past.
She loves cilantro, but just how much?
I want to plant cilantro on every inch of land in the world...
Of course, she didn't have the ability to do that; she could only dream at night that she was lying in a large field of cilantro...
"Good child! Mother believes in you! Your emperor cousin will definitely support you too." Shangguan Jin offered timely encouragement.
Shen Qingjun nodded, then looked in the direction of the border city.
"Mother, things should go well with Father, right? The losses shouldn't be too great, right?" Shen Qingjun asked in a low voice.
Shangguan Jin nodded.
"Don't worry! How could you not know what kind of person your father is?"
He's very good at instigating other people's armies to fight each other on their own territory.
As for the losses...
Your father is not one to suffer losses.
Jun-ge, you must learn this from your father.
"You can't afford to be taken advantage of, no matter what you eat. Whoever makes you suffer a loss will be in big trouble, understand?" Shangguan Jin said.
Shen Qingjun nodded and wrote down those words.
Mother is right, you can't afford to be at a disadvantage when it comes to food...
"Mother, I will definitely grow up to be a man as upright and honorable as Father!"
In response to Shen Qingjun's statement.
Shangguan Jin really wanted to say, "You should first fulfill your first ambition: plant all the land in Dayu with coriander... no, I mean, plant crops first!"
With your stubborn personality, you're nowhere near as good as your cheapskate father...
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