Chapter 32 The Prince's Failed Rebellion
"Where's Qi Banyue?"
"The Emperor, mindful of the Princess's revelation of Qi Jiacheng's status as a concubine, gave her a favor and therefore released Qi Banyue."
"I thought this case would take a long time to investigate? It came out yesterday and it's solved today."
He Fei chuckled, "My royal brother had already found the evidence, but there was a loophole. With your commotion, Qi Jiacheng was immediately dealt with."
Zhang Xiaojia: "I always feel like I'm at a disadvantage."
"Silly girl, if you have nothing to do, stay away from my brother. You didn't even know that he had sold you out. If you don't help Song Fanyu, the Dali Temple Minister will definitely sentence her to divorce her husband."
Zhang Xiaojia was shocked when he heard this and asked hurriedly, "Why?"
He Fei gently stroked Zhang Xiaojia's back and said slowly, "The Qi family has many disciples and former officials. If their property is confiscated, it will definitely cause unrest.
But then, a bigger piece of gossip suddenly emerged: a series of bizarre events occurred to the prince's son, including marrying someone else, demoting his wife to a concubine, and then marrying a woman who had regretted her engagement. This was not only royal gossip, but also the first case of divorce in the Great Zhou Dynasty. For the common people, they naturally paid more attention to this first case of divorce in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Nowadays, all casinos have opened gambling games, betting on whether Song Fanxing will marry the Prince of Rongchang.
The Emperor will certainly take this opportunity to suppress Song Fanyu's divorce case over Qi Jiacheng's. Even if those ignorant students come out to cause trouble, it won't cause much trouble."
After hearing this, Zhang Xiaojia pondered, "So they want to suppress the scandal, so they'll create a bigger one. I'm going to complain to my aunt..."
He Fei shook his head and sighed: "I can't sue. It's my husband's fault. I make a lot of money from making earth and cement here. My royal brother is very envious." After that, he took out a thick stack of silver bills and handed them to Jia Jia.
Zhang Xiaojia took the banknote, counted it, and her hands trembled. She had been in the capital for less than half a month, and He Fei had earned nearly 5 million taels of silver.
"Did you get your share?"
"There's still money left after dividing it up! People from Jiangnan will be here tomorrow, and there's definitely more money than this."
Zhang Xiaojia looked at him, then at the silver, and suddenly tears filled her eyes. In her previous life, at the end of the war, the original owner's treasury was at its poorest and there was really not a single copper coin left. Who would have thought that a county lady and a prince, who both had rich fiefdoms, would have no silver.
Zhang Xiaojia turned her head and kissed He Fei. He Fei quickly took the lead and deepened the kiss. Looking at Jia Jia's eyes with lust, his little He Fei raised his head and hugged her tightly in his arms to calm his desire.
"Don't tease me. We can't have sex in this carriage. We'll hear it. I will never let anyone hear your moans. I will definitely satisfy you when we get home." He Fei said, turning the tables.
Zhang Xiaojia was stunned. She felt that He Fei was becoming more and more shameless.
After arriving at the Royal Manor, she came to the house. It was built in a low-key and luxurious style, with gardens, residences, and entertainment all in one. She had said going to the Royal Manor was a punishment, but it was so nice here! It was no worse than her prince's mansion.
He Fei pulled her and said, "This is the emperor's residence. Ours is next door. I didn't build it at the beginning."
Zhang Xiaojia took a look and saw that the land was blocked off with a wooden sign that read Prince Jing. He Fei smiled and said, "Let's live in the emperor's manor first. We will build it in the spring."
Zhang Xiaojia shook his head and said, "He Fei, are you going to live here for a long time? If it costs money to build it, we can go to our own farm and build it."
He Fei nodded indifferently.
He Fei took Jia Jia and walked in the field and said, "This is your experimental field. Plant winter wheat and make four kinds of compost."
Zhang Xiaojia asked, "What ideas do you have for improving food security?"
He Fei said, "No, right now we're just dealing with composting, topdressing, insulation measures, and the insecticide you made. Everything else is useless. Can you guess how many kilograms of winter wheat there are per acre?"
Zhang Xiaojia guessed, "200 jin?"
"Ah~ One acre of land can only produce 110 kilograms. We only have one winter wheat crop per year, and after that we have soybeans. Soybeans have a better yield of 160 kilograms, and potatoes are a bit higher, 220 to 250 kilograms. We must at least increase the yield to 400 kilograms. Then, when the war comes, we won't have to worry about anything."
"Don't they say that if you plant any potato, you can get 2,000 kilograms?"
He Fei said arrogantly, "If there really were 2,000 kilograms of potatoes per acre, my children wouldn't have to learn English anymore. I'd conquer all of Europe."
Zhang Xiaojia was amused by He Fei.
The two of them don't know how to farm and don't know how to do it. They only have theory but no practice, so they can only grope in the field.
Zhang Xiaojia asked softly, "Your Highness, where is Mr. Yuan's hybrid rice?"
He Fei looked up at the sky in silence and said, "Don't dream about this. Male sterility lines, maintenance lines, and restoration lines. It might take more than ten years to find the male sterility line alone. Don't even think about hybrid rice now. Hybrid rice has to go south to be realized. We are in the north, and the emperor still wants to realize the world you dream of. He won't let us go south. Unless your dream world is realized, we will give up our military power and go wherever we want. Only then will the emperor agree. If we go south now, do you want to be slaughtered by the emperor?"
Zhang Xiaojia sighed again and said, "In the next life, I want to learn how to farm."
He Fei touched her head and said, "Okay, I'll be wherever you are."
Zhang Xiaojia stayed in the imperial manor. There was a morning court session every two days. He Fei had no choice but to go. Fortunately, the road had been repaired, and he could quickly reach the imperial manor after walking more than ten miles.
During this period, Zhang Xiaojia was researching insecticides that had to be able to kill insects, be inexpensive, and non-toxic.
When she opened the door in the morning, she was shocked to find fallen leaves all over the ground. She looked around. Although it was autumn and falling leaves were normal, she had never seen such a thick layer of fallen leaves and bare branches before.
He Fei has already gone to the morning court
The wind outside was still howling. Zhang Xiaojia stood by the door for a moment, as if he was about to be swept away by the wind.
She quickly closed the door and turned to ask Bai Shao, "Was the wind so strong last night?"
Bai Shao replied, "It was much more violent than last night. You slept soundly and didn't notice it. I was awakened by the wind and could hardly get up. I was worried that the roof would be blown away."
This strong wind looks really weird.
Zhang Xiaojia opened the door again and looked up at the sky.
Bai Shao anxiously took out a cloak and put it on Zhang Xiaojia, saying, "County Lady, it's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold, you'd better put on more clothes."
Did you catch a cold? Zhang Xiaojia stared at the scene outside, thinking that Bai Shao's words were really appropriate.
Judging from the weather, a cold wave is expected to hit in the next two days.
After walking around the yard, Zhang Xiaojia ordered the people in the farm to harvest all the vegetables in the field.
Butler Liu was stunned after hearing this: "All... all of them need to be harvested?"
"Tell the farmhands to harvest all the vegetables in the fields. The temperature will drop in two days, so gather up all the vegetables you can, or they'll freeze if left in the fields."
After hearing this, Steward Liu was a little confused, but he still took quick action. He knew that the county lady's decisions were never rash, and she must have her reasons.
The work at the imperial farm is in full swing.
Zhang Xiaojia came over and said to the chief guard, "Go to the capital and find the Jingzhao Yin. Tell him that there will be a cold snap in the next two days. Farmers should collect all the vegetables in their fields and pay more attention to avoid hail and heavy snow, which would damage the crops."
The captain of the guards took the order and set off immediately.
Bai Shao said worriedly, "County Lady, the capital has never seen snow in October. I'm worried that the Jingzhao Yin won't take any action. If there's no hail or snow, and all the vegetables in the fields are harvested, I'm afraid the farmers will make a fuss."
Zhang Xiaojia frowned slightly, but his eyes were firm. "Whether the Jingzhao Yin believes it or not, we should be prepared. If a heavy snowstorm comes as predicted, it will cost the farmers their entire livelihood for the year. An Yi, you must hurry and tell the prince that a snowstorm is coming soon."
A day later, the wind grew increasingly bitter, and the sky darkened. The people of the capital continued their daily lives, unfazed by the unusually cold weather. However, the Jingzhao Yin remained silent. Upon hearing about the harvest at the imperial farm, many farmers came to watch, some even mocking Zhang Xiaojia privately for making such a fuss.
Two days later, in the court, Fang Zheng Censor impeached Zhang Xiaojia, saying that Zhang Xiaojia was alarmist, disturbing the people's hearts, and interfering in the affairs of the court, which violated the law that the backyard should not interfere in government affairs.
But He Fei stood up and defended Zhang Xiaojia, saying, "Concerned about the people, issuing an early warning just in case is nothing wrong. If we had waited until the ice and snow she mentioned came before responding, wouldn't the losses have been even greater?"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Censor's face froze, but he still insisted on his opinion: "Prince Jing, this is wrong. Princess Jing is just a woman, how can she comment on celestial phenomena, let alone interfere in government affairs? If such behavior is not stopped, I am afraid there will be endless troubles in the future."
At this point, another minister, Li Mu, also spoke up. "Your Excellency, the Censor, is being overly biased. Although Zhang Xiaojia is a woman, she cares deeply about the people's livelihood and provided an early warning, which is a truly benevolent and righteous act. Furthermore, she didn't directly interfere in government affairs; she simply conveyed her concerns and suggestions to the court through reasonable channels. What's wrong with that? It's impossible that Princess Jing knew about the bad weather and concealed it from the court! On the other hand, Your Excellency, aren't your actions a bit too harsh, or even a bit inappropriate?"
The court was immediately filled with discussions and opinions. Some ministers supported the censor's view, believing that Zhang Xiaojia's behavior was indeed inappropriate; while others supported He Fei and Li Mu, believing that Zhang Xiaojia's warning behavior was worthy of recognition.
At this moment, the emperor spoke up, "My dear ministers, there's no need to argue any further. Zhang Xiaojia's early warning, while unverified, shows her concern for the people, and her feelings are sympathetic. As for whether she violated the law prohibiting interference in government affairs, she didn't issue an order to the Jingzhao Yin; she merely issued a warning out of kindness. It's not an act of meddling in government affairs at all. She was simply concerned about the people suffering from natural disasters!"
The emperor's words were like a huge rock hitting the water, causing a thousand waves.
When the ministers heard that the emperor had already made a final decision on the matter, concluding that Zhang Xiaojia had not been involved in any political interference, even though they still had doubts, they did not dare to say a word. For a moment, the entire court fell silent, and no one dared to mention anything about Zhang Xiaojia.
The emperor then decisively issued an order: "Jingzhao Yin, listen to my command! Immediately organize personnel and strengthen winter preparations. Furthermore, I order all local officials to closely monitor weather changes and report any disasters promptly and truthfully to the court."
The imperial edict was issued, and all the ministers complied. However, many still expressed doubts about the emperor's emphasis on the weather forecast, with some even secretly wondering if it was just a false alarm.
Just as everyone was still paying no attention, the sky, which was already covered with dark clouds, suddenly became windy and violent, and then hail began to fall. At first, these hailstones were only the size of beans, but as time went on, they became bigger and bigger, falling like eggs, crackling and hitting the roof and ground of the palace.
The people in the city panicked, and the Jingzhao Yin realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly organized people to rescue the farmland that had not yet been affected. The farmers who had laughed at Zhang Xiaojia were filled with regret.
The hailstorm lasted all day, and then heavy snow began to fall, which lasted for several days. Thanks to Zhang Xiaojia's advance arrangements, the vegetables in Huangzhuang were preserved.
After this incident, Zhang Xiaojia's reputation spread around the capital, and everyone knew that this princess was extremely intelligent and cared about the people.
But the consequences are extremely serious. Seasonal fruits and vegetables in and around the capital have now been almost completely frozen. Radishes, for example, can still be eaten on their own, but all leafy vegetables have gone bad.
But for Zhang Xiaojia, this is good news. The price of meat outside is still the same as before, but the price of vegetables changes every day. Today's price is the same as meat.
She wanted to buy groceries, but couldn't.
Openly selling vegetables at high prices would inevitably lead to criticism and impeachment from the censors, who would believe that she was abusing her position for personal gain, thus damaging the reputation of the royal family.
Zhang Xiaojia has been teaching the farmers in the village how to store radishes these past two days. Looking at the tens of thousands of kilograms of radishes, they found that there were not enough jars at home.
When the people from the Imperial Household Department arrived, Zhang Xiaojia squinted her eyes and watched them as they planned to take half of her harvest, saying that half belonged to the emperor.
At the same time, she also said that if they couldn't finish eating it, the Ministry of Internal Affairs could buy it out. Looking at the purchase price, it felt like a robbery struck upon her head.
Zhang Xiaojia snorted coldly: "I just like eating radishes and vegetables. I can definitely finish these!"
The purchase price of radish is only ten cents, but the price outside is now seventy cents.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei, who was standing nearby, smiled and jokingly said, "County Lady, that's over a hundred thousand kilograms of food. Can you really eat it all?"
Zhang Xiaojia responded with a look of disgust: "Even if this county lady can't finish the food, the worst that can happen is that she can use these vegetables to help the disaster victims! Why, is that not possible?"
The Duke of Wei unexpectedly took the opportunity to speak up, saying, "The county lady is so understanding of justice that I truly admire her. When I return, I will immediately report this to the emperor. I believe that when the emperor learns of the county lady's good deeds, he will surely reward her for her noble act."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaojia was completely stunned.
What's going on?
She just said it casually out of anger.
Now, her hundreds of thousands of kilograms of vegetables are probably going to be gone...
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaojia felt extremely regretful and hated himself for saying such words so hastily.
My cousin is having another day of being a jerk...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
