Chapter 108
There were more than a dozen kinds of fertilizers waiting behind him as death warrants. The Grand Minister of Agriculture was anxious to figure out how to use the ones he had on hand. He left the Chu family and rushed back to the Minister of Agriculture Temple with a sack of fertilizers.
The Minister of Revenue hurried to the Ministry of Works and grabbed a Minister of Works who was drawing a diagram and shook him: "Have you heard of cement, steel bars, and concrete?"
The Minister of Works looked up from the blueprint in confusion: "What is that?"
"I haven't heard of it. That's easy." The Minister of Revenue grinned like Grandma Wolf. "It was Master Chu Huachu who said it could be used for construction and road paving."
When the Minister of Works heard Chu Huan say that, he had some idea in his mind. She had a lot of good things in her hands, but she was busy with her studies and had no time to show them to others.
Thinking back to the Jinyiwei report recently, which said Chu Huan hadn't attended Shang Lu's class in half a month and had been spending every day in the lab researching, the Minister of Works suddenly had an idea: "Cement, steel bars, and concrete—all in just half a month? Is that so fast?"
This efficiency is pretty good!
Fast? The Minister of Revenue's face twisted for a moment: "What do you mean fast? They came up with a fertilizer in half a month, and they only know how to make it, not how to use it. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture have to research it themselves!"
As soon as the resentful words came out, the Minister of Works knew why the Minister of Revenue came: he came to complain to him.
As expected, the Minister of Revenue gnashed his teeth and said, "Using chemical fertilizers can triple or quadruple the yield of crops per mu. When there are carrots hanging in front of us, how can we old donkeys not work hard?"
Minister of Works: “…”
If I remember correctly, when this man was the Minister of Revenue, he once said, "I am still young and can work for Dasheng for another 30 years!" As a result, the emperor at that time thought that the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor could work for another 30 years.
It is surprising that someone who always claims that he can work for another 30 years has to admit that he is just an old donkey. Fertilizer is so terrible!
The Minister of Works said something fair: "If you can really triple or quadruple it, the people will have enough food and clothing. You are doing a great thing that benefits the country and the people, and it will be passed down through the ages."
What do writers desire most? Isn't it to leave their names in history and be passed down through the ages?
Fertilizers can help you achieve your goals in one step, so what else could you be dissatisfied with?
The Minister of Works felt a little jealous. He felt that the Minister of Revenue came to him to talk, ostensibly to complain, but actually to show off.
The Minister of Revenue keenly sensed a hint of jealousy and his brows twitched.
My goodness, I’m already in such a miserable state, and you’re still jealous?
"We used to have only one kind of fertilizer for farming, but now Lord Chu plans to develop more than a dozen fertilizers to supplement what all plants need. She only has a general idea of how to use it, how much to use, and when to use it. The Ministry of Revenue and the Sino-Agricultural Bureau have to work out that themselves."
"If you think this job is good and can be passed down through the ages, why don't we exchange it?" This reputation is for you!
Minister of Works:!!! I see! Hahahaha!
He could barely hide his smile. "More than a dozen kinds of fertilizers are enough for you to work for Dasheng for another thirty years. I won't compete with you for such a good job."
The Minister of Revenue twitched his lips. If he had known that this day would come, why would he be so frivolous and let someone use his past words to block him from saying anything?
But if I die, you can't live!
The Minister of Revenue had a sinister smile, and his tone was a bit cold and erratic: "Glorious?"
The Minister of Works shuddered and quickly denied it: "How could it be? We are all colleagues, why would I be so bad?"
Having said that, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face, which made it clear that the friendship between colleagues was limited, so cherish it while we have it.
Minister of Revenue: “…” Oh, I don’t believe you!
"Cement, steel bars, concrete, you've never heard of them, right? Those are all jobs for your Ministry of Industry."
The Minister of Works seemed to realize something and his smile gradually froze. Could it be what he thought it meant?
The Minister of Revenue told him with a firm look: That’s what you think!
And it will be even worse, because... "Lord Chu has a lot of good things in his hands, including steel and stainless steel. I don't know if it's like fertilizer, all of which he can make but not use."
"Construction and road paving are slower than our farming. I don't know if thirty years is enough for you to complete the research. Hehe..." This time it was his turn to gloat.
Minister of Works: “…”
Oh boy, the fox's tail is exposed! It turns out that he came here specifically to laugh at his joke!
"My Lord Minister, we have been colleagues for many years, why has it come to this?" The Minister of Works was heartbroken. Where was the promised friendship between colleagues?
The Minister of Revenue sneered. "Why is it so now? What about when you were laughing just now? What about when you were gloating over someone else's misfortune? Why wasn't it so then?"
He turned around and rushed back to the Ministry of Revenue. No, his fighting power alone was not enough, he had to find a few more comrades.
The Minister of Works was feeling annoyed and stopped drawing the blueprints. He still had a little fantasy: Maybe?
When today's report came in, that little bit of fantasy was completely shattered - the Ministry of Industry has so much to do!
Look at Chu Huan's sigh again...
What do you mean there are many benefits to not being an official? That's not true!
What do you mean by taking out all the good stuff so that there are no idle people in the court? Don't take advantage of your future colleagues like this!
Minister of Works: Feeling flustered and confused.
Coincidentally, the emperor and officials felt a little panicked when they saw this report.
I thought that all the good stuff in Chu Huan's hands had been taken away by them, but I didn't expect that she could take out more than a dozen kinds of fertilizers, making the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture work for decades?
The Minister of War thought of the blueprint of an ingeniously designed compound bow, and the pulleys, screws and other accessories on it were enough for them to study.
It will take at least years to thoroughly research, produce, and apply it to other fields.
The Minister of Justice thought of the criminal psychology and criminal profiling that Chu Huan had occasionally mentioned when solving cases earlier. Some of the content sounded very reasonable at the time, but when they applied it themselves to catch the criminals, it seemed a little unfamiliar.
We still have to let Chu Huan explain it systematically. If this knowledge can be organized and compiled into a book and promoted, it may improve the efficiency of Dasheng public officials in solving cases.
The Minister of Personnel had already foreseen the various changes caused by fertilizers, and estimated that the appointment, transfer, and promotion of officials in the entire court would be frequent in the next few decades.
The Ministry of Rites should have been the department least affected, but the Minister of Rites foresaw the possibility of a harvest festival.
The generals' thoughts were simpler: Chu Huan could provide them with weapons that were less labor-intensive and more powerful, more food, and more effective medicines, so that they would have fewer worries. What a good person!
The civil and military officials thought about it over and over again, and finally came to a conclusion: the little girl is so young, she is suitable to be an official and contribute to the country!
Too young? Being young is good! Being young means you can dedicate decades more to Dasheng!
All the officials spontaneously submitted memorials to the emperor. The memorials from civil officials were more tactful, while those from military generals were more concise. No matter who submitted them, the memorials had only one central idea: Your Majesty, please let Chu Huan become an official as soon as possible.
emperor:"……"
He couldn't hold back his complaints any longer, and he started ranting to Jinyiwei Commander Lin You: "I suspect they just can't stand seeing Chu Huan come up with something that keeps them all busy while they sit around doing nothing."
Lin Youxin thought: Chu Huan is not idle either. She doesn't attend evening classes and doesn't look at beauties. She has lost two kilograms.
The emperor continued, "Is it that I don't want to invite her into the court sooner? Is it that I don't want her to work for Dasheng sooner? It's the Grand Tutor who won't let her go!"
You're the only ones who feel wronged? I feel wronged too!
Lin You waited, but when he heard nothing further, he chimed in, "Your Majesty, why didn't the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor allow Chu Huan to enter the court through the recommendation of aristocratic families and officials?"
If you are recommended to the court, you don't need to wait for five years and you can take office and start working immediately.
The civil and military officials who submitted the memorials also wanted Chu Huan to take this path.
The emperor flipped through several memorials that all showed Chu Huan being appointed an official. He quickly threw them aside, thinking out of sight, out of mind, and pinched his brows in pain.
"There are already many controversies surrounding women entering the imperial court. Recommending them would be seen by the people as backdoor entry, and no matter how many merits they possessed, they would be considered the work of others attributed to them. The imperial examination was different."
"In the eyes of the common people, the imperial examination is a relatively fair process. She was able to stand out from so many candidates, which shows her ability, so there will always be less controversy around her."
Lin You felt from the bottom of his heart that this matter was unreliable. There was cheating and leaking of questions in the imperial examination as well.
If the people do not trust a person, they will not trust her no matter what means she uses to become an official in the court, unless she can prove it to everyone through her political achievements and facts in the future.
However, Chu Huan is not lacking in abilities and political achievements.
If she only made public the parts of her contributions that could be made public, she could at least get a fourth-rank official position.
At this moment, even the emperor couldn't help but sigh when he saw that Chu Huan, who was capable and had a strong backer, had to go through such a tortuous process to become an official in the court.
Forget it, let’s deal with the women’s imperial examination first.
Starting from the next day, the morning court began to discuss the imperial examination for women.
In the past, officials had very ambiguous attitudes towards this issue, either opposing it or remaining neutral and arguing.
Although there are still some officials who oppose it today, their attitude is no longer as firm as before, and their voices are not as loud, simply because they know who this policy is paving the way for.
The introduction of a new policy always requires a long period of discussion and wrangling, and it will not be implemented too soon.
The emperor originally thought that this matter would take at least two or three years to bring about, just in time for Chu Huan to catch up with the first women's imperial examination. Unexpectedly, this matter would have such a strange development.
It usually takes two to three months from sowing to harvesting radishes. Chu Huan took out the fertilizer in the middle of the process. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture quickly made arrangements and set up many control experimental groups.
There wasn't enough fertilizer for the experiment, so people were sent to transport it from Chu Huan's laboratory in sacks.
Chu Huan is only one person, and no matter how much overtime she works, she can never supply the quantity they need for the experiment.
She recorded the steps and quantities of fertilizer production in detail, without missing any relevant precautions, and handed them all over to the court.
Grand Minister of Agriculture: “…”
Who should I entrust this matter to?
The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Works all felt that they could do it, and the other party could do it too, so a group of people were shirking responsibility and arguing.
Soon, buck-passing and arguing were of no use, because Chu Huan took out the second, third and fourth types of fertilizers.
She didn't say a word, but everyone felt that she said: Come on, stop arguing, everyone gets a share, I'm fair!
The Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of Works stopped arguing and turned around to find the Minister of Personnel: There are not enough people, please send a few more!
Minister of Personnel: “…”
Do you think the Ministry of Personnel is a factory that produces officials? Even after the system leaves the factory, they still need training before they can take up their posts, and for a few hundred million? You wouldn't even dream of such a thing!
No matter how much you curse, you still have to do your work.
The fertilizer is so effective on crops, but Dasheng hasn't used it yet. We can't let other countries steal it. We have to keep it secret. We can't just pull some people together and do it. We have to be cautious in selecting people.
Some officials had just been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Works, and even some Jinshi and Juren had been arranged. As a result, Chu Huan took out the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth types of fertilizers, and there was a shortage of people again.
The Minister of Personnel screamed and almost cried.
This batch has not been arranged yet, and the 91st type of fertilizer has come out, and we are short of people again.
Minister of Personnel: “…” He actually didn’t really want to be the minister.
How about exchanging positions with the Minister of Rites? Or perhaps promoting the Vice Minister of Personnel?
The Minister of Rites asked for leave that day on the grounds of chest pain. The newly promoted Vice Minister of Personnel asked for leave on the grounds of headache. The Minister of Personnel followed suit and also asked for a day off.
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
It's impossible to leave such a good thing there without researching it. Otherwise, why not let Chu Huan's research take its time? It doesn't have to grow as fast as mushrooms.
While they were hesitating and discussing, Chu Huan took out the twelfth, third, fourth and fifth types of fertilizers. When the Minister of Personnel heard about it, he wrote a memorial to retire and return home overnight.
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
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