Compared to Qi Chenglang's solo efforts, the Emperor's method was much simpler and clearer. He assigned the task to the Prefect of Jinzhou, instructing people to continuously tell the refugees about the benefits of settling in Xinliang. At the same time, the Imperial Envoy accompanied the Emperor with relief funds and a thousand guards.
Having come from the Jiangnan region, these refugees have never had enough to eat. They eat grass roots and tree bark almost every day. Occasionally, they might find one or two wild animals in the mountains, but the group would fight over them.
These refugees believed that they should go to Beijing.
But now, the imperial envoy said that His Highness Prince Wen would provide them with food for the first month in Xinliang and a monthly allowance for the second month. As long as they cultivate the land properly, they will definitely not starve.
Of course, these were all things said by the imperial envoys; they themselves did not know the truth.
However, the imperial envoy lured them with coarse grain cakes, promising that as long as they followed the group, they could not only eat coarse grain cakes every day, but also occasionally have meat porridge!
For them, who could resist such temptation after not having eaten a proper meal of dry food for months?
We've already come all the way from Jiangnan to Jinzhou, so what's there to be afraid of going to Xinliang?
The refugees not only walked on their own, but also tried to notify those who came later to go to Xinliang together.
Before Qi Chenglang could even put in much effort to persuade them, the refugees had already run off with the imperial envoy.
At the same time, Qi Chengjun also brought him the Emperor's decree, because the Emperor wanted to give Prince Wen a surprise, so he was instructed to keep the matter a secret.
As Qi Chenglang walked, he thought to himself, "This isn't a surprise, it's a complete shock!"
With such a pleasant surprise, the group arrived outside Changzhou City at the end of August. Qi Chenglang took the imperial envoy back to his residence to report the news, while the refugees were settled outside the city.
Gu Yuzhi has already turned six. Compared to last year, he has grown noticeably taller. His chubby little face, which used to be cute, has become thinner due to exercise, but his eyes remain as clear and innocent as ever.
Inside the council hall of the Wen family mansion, Gu Yuzhi was happily swinging his legs, but his attention quickly shifted back to his feet.
Hehehe, he's really grown so much taller! When he sits on the chair, his feet almost touch the ground.
Gu Yuzhi happily tiptoed, touched the ground, and then pulled his foot back. He played with it for a while until Xie Changshi handed him the letter. Only then did he sit up straight and carefully read the contents of the letter.
Chief Secretary Xie smiled broadly: "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations on your bountiful harvest in Xinliang this year."
The letter was sent back by Chen Dianyi, saying that Xinliang was rushing to harvest corn, and after all the corn was harvested, they would rush to harvest sweet potatoes, potatoes, rapeseed and other crops.
By late September, they still need to rush to harvest rice and millet.
When reclaiming wasteland, everyone rushes to plant, and when it's harvest time, they race against the heavens, fearing that if it snows in Xinliang, all their hard work for the year will be for nothing.
Hearing Xie Changshi congratulate him, Gu Yuzhi felt so happy he was practically bubbling with joy.
After working hard for more than half a year, Xin Liang finally reached the harvest season. From now on, even if his elder brother no longer gave him rewards, he would no longer be afraid.
As Gu Yuzhi spoke, he gestured: "Chen Dianyi has really worked hard this year. I'm going to give Chen Dianyi a big red envelope during the New Year."
They'll pay you an extra three months' salary—no, an extra six months' salary.
Teacher Shu said that we must not be stingy with rewards for talents like Chen Dianyi, and we must win them over.
Although Gu Yuzhi didn't quite understand this principle, he felt that Teacher Shu was right.
Chief Secretary Xie glanced at the end of the letter, his expression turning indifferent: "However, Your Highness, Prefect Chen said that the harvest progress in Xinliang is rather slow, and asked us to discuss with Prefect Qi whether we can send some manpower to Xinliang to help."
Gu Yuzhi sighed, just like Chief Secretary Xie.
How could that be? Xinliang is busy harvesting, and the people of Changzhou are busy harvesting too!
Just then, Qi Chenglang strode in, flashing a bright white smile before even speaking: "Your Highness, I'm back."
He chuckled and said, "Not only have I returned, but I've also brought Your Highness a surprise!"
Gu Yuzhi blinked: "Surprised?"
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Did one of the royal sisters-in-law ask you to bring me something? What was it?"
Why is Guard Qi so happy? Could it be because of the money?
Thanks to the compensation from Li's Trading Company and the casino, the government has managed to get through this year without any major incidents.
He and Chief Secretary Xie had already discussed it and agreed that if Xinliang had a bumper harvest and a surplus, they would open a grain store first...
Gu Yuzhi was thinking when he saw Qi Chenglang shake his head slightly and say, "No, no, this time it's not the Empress's surprise for you, it's the Emperor."
He took a letter from his pocket and handed it over: "Your Highness will understand once you take a look."
After Xie Changshi received the letter, Qi Chenglang continued, "I just heard His Highness say in the courtyard that Chen Dianyi was demanding people. I think my return is just in time!"
These refugees were fortunate to catch the harvest in Xinliang. After the grain was harvested, they could immediately devote themselves to the infrastructure construction in Xinliang, determined not to waste any time.
Gu Yuzhi leaned closer and looked for a while, then his eyes widened: "Floods in Jiangnan?"
He did some mental calculations: "It's been raining since the beginning of spring until you left, that's more than four months!"
Gu Yuzhi's face immediately darkened: "More than four months have passed, and we've already missed the spring planting season. What are the people of Jiangnan eating?"
Chief Secretary Xie's face also turned extremely unpleasant: "The impact of the floods in Jiangnan is definitely not limited to the Jiangnan area, but extends to the entire Sang Dynasty. As Your Highness knows, Jiangnan is an important production area for our dynasty. Reduced grain production means higher grain prices. This winter, the people of the northern desert will suffer again."
This topic is too heavy. If he were still in the palace, he would not feel anything upon hearing such news.
But now he understands the importance of food and appreciates the hardships faced by ordinary people. He still vividly remembers the scenes of last year's snow disaster.
Gu Yuzhi rested his chin on his hands, pouting, and said, "Guard Qi, you said my brother would bring me a surprise, but this is hardly a surprise!"
"Your Highness need not worry." Qi Chenglang stopped smiling. "I have had people inquire and found out that the rain in Jiangnan has stopped. The Emperor has sent people to provide disaster relief and allocated 100,000 taels of silver and 50,000 shi of grain. In addition, there are some tax reduction policies."
Gu Yuzhi patted his chest with his small hand: "It's good that the rain has stopped. We can wait a little longer. The land in Jiangnan is dry, and the people can quickly start sowing again."
As Teacher Shu once said, most crops in the Jiangnan region are grown twice a year. If spring planting is not done in time, autumn planting must be done as soon as possible.
Chief Secretary Xie shook his head slightly, understanding that floods were often followed by outbreaks of plague, but...
He glanced at Gu Yuzhi, swallowed his words, and looked at Qi Chenglang, asking, "What exactly is this surprise you're talking about?"
Qi Chenglang straightened his back and couldn't help but smile: "The surprise is that His Majesty has ordered me to bring back a lot of refugees from Jiangnan!"
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