As the days went by, the villagers of Dashui Village remained completely unaware of what was happening outside, simply keeping to themselves and their own little lives.
Every so often, Qi Zhao's men would come to Old Jiang's house to secretly bring Qi Zhao the latest news.
Jiang Wanwan learned about the outside world only through Qi Zhao.
Currently, the entire Great Qi Kingdom is experiencing a drought.
With the emperor gravely ill and bedridden, and his sons fiercely vying for the throne, the emperor had no time to attend to the safety of the people. Furthermore, no funds were allocated for disaster relief or the distribution of relief supplies.
The people of the Great Qi Kingdom lived in dire straits, not only having to cope with natural disasters, but also with the civil war among the princes vying for the throne.
Liu, a former subordinate of the Duke of Dingguo, repeatedly returned to the Jiang family, pleading with Qi Zhao to return to the capital to take charge of the overall situation. If the infighting among the princes continued, enemy states might take the opportunity to invade the Great Qi Kingdom.
At that time, the people will be even less able to survive.
Seeing Qi Zhao hesitate, Deputy General Liu quickly offered a strong suggestion: "Your Highness, I know you don't want to take that position, but if you don't step forward to quell the rebellion now, how can Miss Jiang live a peaceful life when enemy countries invade?"
Jiang Wanwan went to the outhouse in the middle of the night and accidentally overheard this conversation.
Qi Zhao hesitated for a long time, but finally made up his mind. "Let's go back, let's go back now!"
Vice General Liu was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Your Highness is wise!"
"You go prepare the horses first, I'll go say goodbye to her."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Vice President Liu jumped out of the window and happened to run into Jiang Wanwan, who was eavesdropping.
Jiang Wanwan felt a little embarrassed and scratched her head. "Hi, Brother Liu, long time no see."
"Miss Jiang, it's been a long time."
Upon hearing the sound, Qi Zhao quickly came out of the house.
"Miss Jiang, let's talk again another time. I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, Deputy General Liu climbed over the wall and left.
Qi Zhao walked up to Jiang Wanwan and said after a long pause, "Did you hear what I said to Deputy General Liu?"
Jiang Wanwan nodded, "Yes, I heard you."
"I originally wanted to spend the rest of my life with you here, but I never expected that I would not be able to do so in the end. Now the court is in turmoil and neighboring countries are eyeing us covetously, so I have no choice but to return to the capital."
"Yes, I understand. I believe you will be able to lead all the people of Daqi to a better life. I believe you." Jiang Wanwan looked at him firmly.
In the original book, Qi Zhao became emperor by chance. Under his rule, the entire Great Qi Kingdom grew stronger day by day, and the people became prosperous.
"May I hug you one last time before I leave? This parting may be the last..." Qi Zhao murmured.
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Wanwan gave Qi Zhao a hug in a very generous manner.
......
Fifteen days later, the emperor died, and his sixth son, Qi Zhao, ascended the throne.
After ascending the throne, Qi Zhao immediately purged the court and distributed disaster relief grains. Furthermore, he wrote a book on how to find water sources and dispatched officials to various counties to guide the people in their search.
After a period of effort, new water sources have been found in most places, and meeting the needs of daily life is no longer a problem.
Qi Zhao traveled incognito to Dashui Village and stayed there for a few days.
This drove Vice General Liu and the others crazy. After being asked three or four times, Qi Zhao reluctantly returned to the palace.
The next day, Qi Zhao ordered that Jiang Dabo and Jiang Erbo be appointed as ninth-rank agricultural officials, and that the two be responsible for teaching the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture how to grow potatoes and cassava.
Two of Old Jiang's three sons were granted official positions, which was incredibly exciting for him.
Grandma Jiang and Grandpa Jiang were all smiles, as were Madam Hu and Madam Zhu. Neither of them had ever imagined that they would one day become the wives of officials!
A wave of potato and cassava cultivation swept across the entire Great Qi Kingdom. Both crops are drought-resistant, making them ideal for the current water-scarce environment.
Several months passed, and the potatoes and cassava were harvested. The people of Daqi Kingdom were no longer starving, and every household had surplus grain.
In the spring of the following year, the current emperor, in order to recruit talented people, held the spring examination in March, the imperial examination in June, and the provincial examination in September.
This is an unprecedented exception.
Jiang Wanwan's adoptive fathers, Jiang Jialin and Jiang Liu, both participated in the spring examination and passed, becoming scholars. This was an extremely exciting event for Dashui Village.
After decades, Dashui Village has finally produced two scholars. How could this not be exciting?
In June of the same year, Jiang Jialin and his nephew participated in the imperial examination together. They ranked first and second respectively, and both qualified to participate in the provincial examination.
In September, the uncle and nephew both participated in the provincial examination and both passed, becoming successful candidates.
The following spring, Jiang Jialin and Jiang Liu took the imperial examination together again. Jiang Jialin passed with top honors thanks to his years of talent and knowledge, while Jiang Liu unfortunately failed.
The following month, Jiang Jialin participated in the palace examination. When he saw Qi Zhao sitting on the throne, he was so shocked that he was almost speechless. Fortunately, his adoptive father still managed to stand out among all the talented candidates and win the top prize, becoming the top scholar.
......
Jiang Jialin petitioned to return to Anyang County as magistrate, and with the help of Jiang Wanwan, he popularized high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, and hybrid rice in Daqi Kingdom, causing a sensation in Daqi Kingdom.
As a result, Jiang Jialin rose through the ranks and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Anyang, with a fief of three thousand li. He was also granted a mansion in the capital, and Lady Lu was granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady.
Jiang Wanwan was also granted the title of Lady of Jia Hui County, with a fief of three hundred households...
In just two years, the Jiang family's social standing had completely changed. Their rapid rise to official positions was unprecedented. Suddenly, the Jiang family became the object of curiosity and flattery in the capital.
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