Lin Yinan was busy as soon as she returned, with a lot of important documents such as official papers and letters piled up on her desk that needed her processing.
In addition, there were arrangements for the burial and compensation of the soldiers who died in this battle.
After discussion, it was decided that Lin Yinan would designate a piece of mountain land outside the city to build a martyrs' cemetery, where the ashes and remains of all the fallen soldiers would be buried together, and a grand memorial and burial ceremony would be held.
In the future, during festivals, the government would organize students and soldiers to visit the martyrs' cemetery to sweep the tombs and commemorate the contributions made by the soldiers to the people of the south.
Generous pensions will be provided to the families of fallen soldiers, and their taxes and corvée labor will be reduced or exempted. Education and employment arrangements will be made for their children. If the fallen soldiers had no children, they will be helped to find an adoptive parent from their relatives or clans so that the family line can continue.
The emperor bestowed upon her the title of Marquis and granted her two prefectures in the south as her fiefdom. With the New Year approaching, Lin Yinan still had to prepare New Year's gifts to send to the capital to express her gratitude for the emperor's favor.
She had discussed this issue with the Yun brothers. The reason why the emperor directly conferred upon her the title of Marquis instead of reinstating the Yun family was simply due to the following points.
With a coalition of various nomadic tribes rampaging across the Central Plains in the north and a large number of refugees gathering in the south, the emperor, not wanting to be attacked from both sides, wanted to use her to restrain the Yun family and prevent them from growing too powerful in the south and becoming a second royal family of Dongyue.
Secondly, she was used to maintain order and stability in the Southern Lands, Cangwu County, and Pingdu and Linjiang Counties. For a female marquis to gain a foothold in the Southern Lands, the Yun family would inevitably provide strong support from behind.
The fact that the new emperor had already mastered the art of checks and balances so skillfully so soon after his ascension to the throne shows that Emperor Yongping was no ordinary man.
Regardless of their motives, none of the emperors harbored any ambition to vie for control of the Central Plains or to seize the throne.
As long as Emperor Yongping doesn't take action against them and disrupt this peace, they can continue living like this.
Of course, if Emperor Yongping were to take action against them in the future, Lin Yinan wouldn't mind having a new emperor for the country.
Now, they have gained control over the two southern provinces, as well as numerous people, land, and wealth—all tangible benefits.
Since Emperor Yongping was so sensible, Lin Yinan decided to be generous in return.
The New Year's gifts sent to the capital were all local specialties of Longtan, including fruit wine, brown sugar ingots, and most importantly, potato seeds. In addition, there was a booklet with detailed planting methods recorded by my second uncle, Lin Shuo.
After the New Year's gifts were prepared, Yun Yi personally led the team to Linjiang County to meet Xie Chong, and together they went to the capital to express their gratitude.
Xie Liang, the Minister of Personnel, played a significant role in promoting the conferment of titles, and naturally, the Xie family received a substantial amount of New Year's gifts.
In the main hall of the palace, the eunuchs presented the New Year's gifts sent by Lin Yinan to Emperor Yongping one by one, as if they were treasures.
Emperor Yongping did not expect that the wild and uncivilized land, which was constantly attacked by Japanese pirates, could produce any decent New Year's gifts.
"Your Majesty, look! This thing that looks like a gold ingot is actually candy."
"Oh? Bring it here quickly so I can take a look."
The eunuch presented the exquisite box to Emperor Yongping.
Emperor Yongping looked at the neatly arranged small gold ingots in the box, picked one up and put it in his mouth. The eunuch tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't..."
Emperor Yongping took a bite, sipped it in his mouth, and a faint caramel flavor instantly filled his mouth. It was sweet but not cloying, and the aroma of sugarcane filled the air. He couldn't help but take another bite.
"What is this made of?" Emperor Yongping asked.
Yun Yi stood at the lower end and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this is made from the juice of sugarcane, which is unique to the South. Yuanbao brown sugar is not only delicious, but it can also replenish energy, relieve fatigue, and regulate the body's qi and blood. It was specially selected by our Marquis for Your Majesty."
"Hmm, Marquis of Nanxing is very thoughtful!"
Emperor Yongping was very pleased that the newly appointed Marquis of Nanxing was so sensible.
On the other side, the eunuch had already opened a jar of fruit wine, and the aroma of the wine filled the entire hall.
Xie Liang, the Minister of Personnel, who was waiting nearby, sniffed the air.
"Your Excellency, what wine smells so good?"
The eunuch had already tasted it and, finding nothing amiss, poured two cups and personally presented them to Emperor Yongping and Xie Liang.
"What is this?" Emperor Yongping asked.
The eunuch said, "Your Majesty, this is lychee fruit wine."
"Made with lychees?"
The eunuch glanced at Yun Yi.
Yun Yi immediately understood and replied, "Your Majesty, it is indeed wine made from lychees. The climate in the south is humid and warm, and lychees are abundant in the mountains. Ripe lychees are not easy to store and transport, so the Marquis devised a way to make fruit wine."
"I've heard that lychees have a short fruiting period; their color changes in one day, their aroma in two days, their taste in three days, and by the fourth day, all color, aroma, and flavor are gone. However, lychee wine made from them is indeed quite good, with a sweet and mellow flavor," Xie Liang praised sincerely.
The eunuch said, "Huan'er also has longan fruit wine. Would Your Majesty like to try some?"
"Bring some up!"
After tasting the wine, the eunuch looked at the sack opened by the young eunuch with a troubled expression. He didn't recognize the round, fist-sized object.
Upon seeing this, Yun Yi stepped forward to explain, "This is a potato. It was obtained by the Marquis on the Japanese ship. It can be used as a staple food or as a dish. It is very filling and has a very high yield."
"How tall?" Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Yun Yi below him.
"Experienced farmers have repeatedly experimented and now the yield per mu can reach about 2,000 jin."
This is what Lin Yinan told Yun Yi: the yield per mu may fluctuate depending on the land and climate, so they cannot make any definitive statements.
Xie Liang stared in astonishment, "It's actually that tall?"
Emperor Yongping was also alarmed, but he did not show it on his face.
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