Unable to make up his mind, Clerk Li had no choice but to go to the county magistrate.
As soon as Clerk Li left, Qin Baiyi whispered, "If this potato were to spread to all places, I'm afraid that even in this year of famine, not so many people would starve to death."
Mo Qianshang nodded: "Yes, but this is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Moreover, the storage of potatoes determines that they can replace grain to a certain extent in the short term, but potatoes cannot completely replace grain."
"Even if the harvest is good in the future, we can't replace all the land with potatoes, or something will go wrong."
Mo Qianchang said with great familiarity: "Moreover, potatoes are different from grains. They can't be planted in winter because they will freeze to death. In the north, you can plant two crops if you try hard, but not in the south. It's too hot in the south in summer, and the potato tubers won't grow too big."
"Therefore, we cannot promote it rashly. If it fails to grow in some places, it will delay the whole season, and then even more people will starve to death."
Mo Qianshang has a deep understanding of this. Even in the same place, just a few kilometers apart, the potatoes grow in completely different ways, like heaven and earth.
She was lucky; she actually managed to grow it successfully in Dongshan Village. Next year, when she plants it again, she will change the fertilizer and pay attention to other things, hoping to grow it to over 5,000 jin.
After listening to what Mo Qianshang said, Qin Baiyi also felt that he had been thinking too hastily. He nodded, and the two of them waited together for Li Zhubu to return.
Li, the registrar, was gone for more than a quarter of an hour. He didn't summon the magistrate directly, but first told him what Mo Qianshang had come for, and that the two of them needed to discuss how to handle the matter.
However, Qin Baiyi's matter reminded Mo Qianshang that although the potatoes had many requirements, she still had two other things she hadn't brought out: corn and sweet potatoes.
The varieties in her system are all excellent, and corn has lower requirements for climate and soil; it can even be grown in some poor mountainous areas.
Moreover, corn takes up little space; after all, it's an above-ground plant, not underground. One seed can produce several ears of corn.
In terms of yield per acre, corn is certainly far less than potatoes, but if you consider the arable land, the total yield of corn is much higher than that of potatoes.
As for sweet potatoes, needless to say, although their grain yield is average, they are definitely easier to raise than potatoes, and there are many ways to cook them.
By the time Clerk Li and the magistrate arrived, the tea was almost cold.
The magistrate didn't waste time and hit the nail on the head. Although Mo Qianshang had grain, the county government didn't collect grain, only grain taxes. So, selling grain was a matter for grain shops.
Mo Qianshang smiled slightly: "Actually, it's not a difficult thing. I did the math. The tax in our county is nominally 10%, but when you add up all the miscellaneous taxes, it's about 15%. This is because the harvest is bad these days. In good years, the tax can be 20%."
"In that case, magistrate, why don't you hear how much tax I can pay on my land? See if it's worth it for you to help me issue a notice in the grain store or the city to inform everyone that the grain store has this new grain for sale?"
Clerk Li and the magistrate exchanged a glance. When Mo Qianchang came to the yamen last time, she knew that the magistrate was indecisive and listened to Clerk Li on many matters.
Especially after her purchase of the mountain last time, Clerk Li is now increasingly trusted by the county magistrate.
Clerk Li hesitated for a moment: "Then, Madam Mo, why don't you tell me how much you can pay this time?"
Mo Qianshang did some mental calculations, without mentioning her yield per mu or total output, nor how much she paid based on grain tax, but directly gave her conclusion.
"Seven hundred and fifty shi (a unit of dry measure)."
The expressions of Li, the registrar, and the magistrate were almost simultaneously shocked—750 shi (a unit of dry measure)?!
Clerk Li even took out his abacus and started calculating right in front of Mo Qianshang, finally looking at the magistrate and saying, "Sir, the calculation comes to 90,000 jin!"
If these 90,000 catties could be exchanged for grain elsewhere, the county government's granary would be truly impressive!
Moreover, all it takes is issuing a proclamation to get 90,000 catties of grain for free. It's no different from getting a free pie from the sky!
The two had no idea how much potatoes Mo Qianshang's yield per acre was, and they never imagined that this was just the grain tax that Mo Qianshang had calculated at 15%.
In this way, even if she gave away 90,000, she had calculated that if she sold all of them, she could get 4,250 taels of silver.
Even if she kept some food for herself and gave it to the people of Dongshan Village at a lower price, she would still easily get 4,000 jin in the end.
Farming yields four thousand taels a year, which is a drop in the ocean compared to the silver given to farmers. If someone with a keen eye were to calculate this, they would probably be green with envy.
At this moment, Clerk Li and the county magistrate were clearly not thinking about so much; their minds were completely occupied with those 90,000 catties of potatoes.
"My lords, what do you think? If you're satisfied, I can even load these potatoes onto a cart and deliver them to you tomorrow."
Not only can they give it to you, they can even give it to you right away. Who can resist that temptation?
After discussing it with the county magistrate, Clerk Li agreed to Mo Qianshang's request, and the matter was settled.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sirs. Also, if any of the officials in the nearby government offices are willing, it would be best if we could try selling to several nearby counties. After all, our county alone probably can't handle it all."
That's 500,000 jin of potatoes.
The county magistrate naturally had nothing to say. If he could get 90,000 catties, it didn't matter where he sold the rest. What they were thinking now was to get along well with this Lady Mo. She was practically a god of wealth falling from the sky for their county!
Once the matter was settled, Mo Qianshang followed Qin Baiyi out of the county government office and went to Qianqiu Academy, which they had visited before. There, they met the teacher Qin Baiyi had invited, who had become the instructor there.
Mr. Feng looked quite old, with a long white beard, but his eyes were bright and piercing.
When Mo Qianshang greeted him, Mr. Feng smiled and said, "Mrs. Mo, there's no need for such formalities."
Mo Qianshang still knew how to say some polite words: "Thank you very much, Mr. Feng. I can tell you are very learned. It is really a disservice to you to come here to teach a few children. Please stay here and ask if you need anything."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Feng waved his hand and said, "No need. I've only read a few books and served as a minor official for a few years. Now that I'm getting old, it would be good for me to come and teach and keep the children company!"
Mo Qianshang smiled and nodded, thinking to herself that it was definitely not like that. She observed this person's speech and behavior, and his demeanor was not that of a poor scholar. He said that he had served as a sinecure official for a few years, but she didn't know if he was really or not.
She handed the children's tuition fees to Mr. Feng, who accepted them without hesitation and even invited her and Qin Baiyi to have tea.
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