Chapter 159
Chapter 159
It was November in the capital, and it was already deep winter. After Ji Yuan finished his work on the case in the Ministry of Justice, he was free again.
Like Cai Fenglan, he would go to the Hanlin Academy every day and then go home.
There are many other scholars like Cai Fenglan in the Hanlin Academy who have not yet been sent out.
There were still seven or eight of them, all with sad faces.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to be sent abroad nowadays, so they are all prepared to choose any official position as long as they can take up the post.
Since being assigned abroad is a good opportunity nowadays, there are naturally very few positions.
In addition, there are more and more Jinshi, and if we are not sent abroad now, there will be no chance next year.
Why?
Cai Fenglan reminded: "This year is the year of the provincial examination, but next year will be the year of the metropolitan examination."
ah?
Ji Yuan was really surprised this time.
The provincial and imperial examinations are coming up so soon?
If we calculate more carefully, he was a juren in the 37th year of Huayuan, and Cai Fenglan was a jinshi in the 40th year of Huayuan.
This year marks the 43rd year of Huayuan.
Sure enough, it was another year of provincial examinations. After the new year, those candidates who passed the provincial examinations would take the metropolitan examinations.
The emergence of a new batch of Jinshi also means the emergence of a new batch of Shujishi.
These scholars who remained in the Hanlin Academy were indeed in an awkward situation.
When he was in the Hanlin Academy, only two people were selected without having to choose an official position.
Now there are seven or eight people.
It seems that the situation of overseas assignment is indeed becoming more and more difficult.
Ji Yuan assured Cai Fenglan: "I have already discussed with the Ministry of Personnel, and we will try to get it finalized in the first month of the new year. We will leave after the first month."
There is no need to mention Cai Fenglan's ability. With him as his assistant, he can carry out his work more smoothly.
Cai Fenglan nodded.
He is definitely not worried. Following Ji Yuan, he doesn't have to think about these things.
He had already told his wife's family about this matter, and her wife agreed and was ready to go to the northwest with them.
But, would the Emperor let him go so easily?
Ji Yuan thought to himself that the emperor probably didn't have the time to take care of them.
Because the emperor is now full of energy.
The divine pill presented by the Living Buddha was indeed very effective. The emperor took it twice a month and looked radiant.
Also because the materials are precious, the old eunuchs are no longer "lucky enough to enjoy them".
The old eunuchs praised the pill to the skies and said they wanted another one at all costs.
But this miraculous medicine is not theirs.
The emperor even said to Prime Minister Li and Grand Secretary Chu: "If you have extra in the future, I will definitely reward you."
At this time, the old emperor's voice was loud and his tone was full of smiles. Seeing the prince coming, he also smiled and said, "It's snowing outside, why doesn't my son wear a cloak?"
The prince paused, seeming a little uncomfortable, and said with a cupped hand: "Thank you for your concern, father. It's only a short distance."
"You have to be careful about your health, too."
There was a lot of joy in the Qinzheng Hall, as if everything had returned to five years ago.
No, ten years ago.
At that time, the emperor was in good health and was very "tolerant" and "kind" towards everything.
The prince was also moved by his father's kindness.
When the emperor's health was up and down, his attitude was also up and down.
It has not been mentioned in recent years.
If you look closely, you can see that everyone's face looks a little uncomfortable, and then they all smile and talk, and their tone seems to be relaxed.
The little palace maid next to her just felt terrified.
It seemed like everyone was performing, and they were doing a great job.
In this strange atmosphere, the emperor stood up and walked around a few times, as if telling everyone that he was getting better.
After leaving the Qinzheng Hall, the prince breathed a sigh of relief.
The Fifth Prince's expression was also not relaxed. He looked at his brother and couldn't help but laugh.
It seems to be saying, see how hard you have worked, your father is in better health now, and you will be 35 after the new year.
A 35-year-old prince is really funny.
As for himself, the Fifth Prince himself was confused.
What on earth is he fighting for?
The old emperor is getting better.
Who would be happy about this?
I’m afraid there are not many.
If someone really wanted him to live a long life, he would probably have died long ago.
But it doesn’t matter, at least on the surface, everyone will still be friendly.
There is no need to mention the fact that the more friendly one appears on the surface, the more anxious one is on the inside.
When the emperor was in a good mood, Ji Yuan's documents for external assignment were handed in again.
The destination is still Suzhou in the northwest. Although it is not the farthest place in the northwest, it is almost there.
The sandstorms are so severe every year that many generals are unwilling to be stationed there.
But he must go.
The emperor looked at the Minister of Personnel and said slowly, "Hasn't Ji Yuan made it clear yet?"
As he was speaking, Duke Xie also came over. When he learned that Ji Yuan was going to be sent abroad again, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
The Minister of Personnel replied, "Lord Ji said that he really wanted to cultivate wheat seeds, and this matter was also a knot in his heart. He also said that there might be plants in the northwest that could be used to make rubber."
The Emperor and Duke Xie looked over immediately.
The Minister of Personnel continued to answer reluctantly: "I didn't believe it at first, but the Ministry of Revenue said that someone did report that there is a grass in the northwest that can be used to refine rubber, but the method is not known, so not much can be refined."
???
The emperor stood up and said, "Express the Minister of Revenue."
When the Minister of Revenue came, he brought the documents with him.
Sure enough, it is said that there is a kind of grass called dandelion in the northwest that can also be used to extract rubber, but this grass is not easy to collect and the extraction method is not correct.
The document was intended to take credit, but it also made the problem clear.
The general meaning is, please rest assured, the court will figure out a method to extract rubber.
But everyone who saw the document had only one thought in their mind.
Stop studying!
Let Ji Yuan go!
Ji Yuan can definitely do it!
Originally, it was a foregone conclusion that Ji Yuan would be the director of the Rubber Department.
Now Ji Yuan wants to study both the method of making new rubber and high-yield wheat varieties.
No matter how you look at it, it would be more appropriate to send him out.
The emperor thought for a moment and sighed, "It would be great if all the ministers in the world were like Ji Yuan."
These are talents who are truly considered by the court.
Although it is a pity that Ji Yuan is not the head of the Rubber Department.
But anyone can be in charge of this task, but only Ji Yuan can research new rubber.
Go ahead.
When he comes back, I will definitely give you a high position and a generous title.
The old emperor in the past might have felt that he didn’t have much time left and couldn’t wait until the return of the era.
It’s hard to say now.
He can definitely wait for Ji Yuan, the capable minister, to come back.
So he is not in a hurry.
Once Ji Yuan gets the new rubber variety, his rubber company will surely become even stronger.
Lord Xie was also shocked. He rolled his eyes and said immediately, "Lord Ji is already over 20 years old. Shouldn't we put the marriage on the agenda?"
"This child has no parents, so he is pitiful. I guess no one will think about him."
After being reminded, the old emperor also smiled and said, "Yes, it's time to get married at this age."
“I don’t know if he has a candidate in mind.”
In recent times, no matter where Ji Yuan goes, there are people going to see him.
Almost all the unmarried noble ladies, including princesses, county ladies and other families, have visited him.
No one who has seen Ji Yuan would say anything dissatisfied.
Even though she knew he was going to Suzhou in the northwest, she was still willing to marry him.
Many people were willing to do so, whether it was getting engaged first and waiting for him to return, or going directly to Suzhou with him.
The name of the era represents everything.
Some came for his looks, some for his promising future, and some for his character.
Others think that he is polite and courteous to women and will definitely be a good husband in the future.
But every time he meets her, he always avoids her.
Cai Fenglan also complained: "The more you avoid others, the more people want to talk to you. Do you believe it?"
Ji Yuan didn't have time to care about these things, he was busy packing his luggage.
If it hadn't been difficult to travel in winter, he might have already set off for Suzhou.
But there are also advantages to staying.
Before we go, there is one more thing to confirm.
He had been thinking about this matter before the beginning of the era. Now that the emperor had agreed to let him go to Suzhou, he must get it done before leaving.
That is how many good seeds the dozen or so small countries in the southwest want.
These people came here in August and now it is almost December.
Who knows what they talked about in private.
With the existence of the living Buddha, he probably wants to gain a lot of benefits from the Tianqi Kingdom.
This matter has been handled by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites.
Moreover, with the destruction of the Secret Buddha Temple, the emperor became more and more trustful of the Living Buddha and his people, and these small southwestern countries were also treated favorably.
Even many royal family members of small countries don't want to leave.
Ji Yuan and Cai Fenglan came out of the Ministry of Personnel and turned around and "went" to the Ministry of Revenue.
Officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites were arguing.
If you just arrived, you might be surprised.
How could these officials, who were extremely respectable outside, start quarreling?
Still arguing fiercely?
But if you stay here for a long time, you will get used to it.
Everyone was just about to roll up their sleeves and start fighting.
When Ji Yuan arrived, everyone looked at him and subconsciously said, "It's just right that Ji Yuan is here! He cultivated the rice seeds! Let him talk!"
It was obvious that this was said by an official from the Ministry of Revenue.
The official from the Ministry of Rites was speechless: "I also replied to Prince He Hui in the same way, but he said that the fine seeds were not cultivated in Ning'an Prefecture, but were gifted by the gods and Buddhas, so it has nothing to do with Lord Ji."
Ji Yuan understood, but they were still arguing about the good seeds.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue did not want to give more good seeds.
This is easy to understand.
The high-quality Champa rice had just been cultivated, and there was not enough for Ning'an Prefecture and even Dianzhou Prefecture, let alone the entire Tianqi Kingdom.
Wherever there is rice in Tianqi Kingdom, there are people lining up to wait.
The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the agricultural departments of the whole country, and it is estimated that it has received many documents requesting improved varieties of seeds.
In this case, why not give it to our own people, but to the small country in the southwest first?
There was nothing they could do.
To be honest, the Ministry of Rites doesn't want to give it either.
But who made them responsible for diplomacy? They also have to deal directly with Prince He Hui.
Normally speaking, Prince Hehui was somewhat clever, but that was not a big deal. Their two assistant ministers could defeat Prince Hehui with just a few words.
The problem is that Prince Hehui has the living Buddhas as his backers.
The living Buddhas also gained the emperor’s trust.
The Terry Living Buddha sent by Prince Hehui, maybe he is a foreign monk who is good at chanting? He is already the most favored person by the emperor.
Of course, it is also related to the finest divine and Buddha elixir and the right-handed conch shell with special effects.
Therefore, everyone in the Ministry of Rites had to side with Prince Hehui and help them ask the Ministry of Revenue for more good seeds.
Other various return gifts have been decided.
Neither side is willing to make concessions on the issue of good seeds.
Everyone has good reasons, of course.
The Ministry of Revenue said that this was bred by Lord Ji in Ning'an Prefecture and it belonged to them.
Prince Hehui said that this was a gift from heaven, born this way, and even the Hehui Kingdom got it first.
What I mean is that it’s already good enough to give it to you, and we should supply it to Hehui Country first.
Other small southwestern countries also chimed in, probably having received promises from Prince Hehui.
Ji Yuan sorted out the situation and asked, "So, how many rice seeds do they want?"
Ji Yuan asked.
Officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites expressed anger at the same time.
"Fifty million jin!"
"I also want the best 793 Champa rice!"
???
Cai Fenglan was shocked and asked, "How much?!"
Fifty million kilograms!
Ji Yuan's expression was also a little unbearable.
The people of Ning'an Prefecture worked hard to grow crops.
Wow, the lion is opening its mouth wide!
Ji Yuan frowned and said, "The total population of the dozen or so countries in the southwest is less than four million. Do they need 50 million kilograms of rice seeds? Do they intend to plant Champa rice in every household?"
Ning'an Prefecture may be able to plant it in the next two years, but Dianzhou Prefecture, Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi, etc., are all waiting in line.
Not for your own people?
Should we prioritize outsiders first? Should we also make sure every household of outsiders grow the best Champa rice?
The official from the Ministry of Revenue saw Ji Yuan's expression and knew that he had found a helper, so he quickly said, "It's just right. You have to wait until after the New Year to be sent out. How about coming to the Ministry of Revenue to help in the next few days?"
Although the Minister of Revenue was a Grand Secretary of Chu.
But party disputes are party disputes, and work is work.
The above conflicts did not affect their helping each other.
Besides, this is why Ji Yuan came here.
Ji Yuan answered directly: "The good seeds of Ning'an Prefecture must not be given away for nothing."
"Neither the Dianzhou government nor any other places in the country have used it. This is absolutely not acceptable."
Ji Yuan spoke with such finality that everyone in the Ministry of Revenue nodded their heads. They immediately wanted to temporarily transfer both him and Cai Fenglan over.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites were confused.
you?
What is this for?
Directly bring in such a powerful helper? !
That's good too.
The people in the Ministry of Rites rolled their eyes and said directly, "Master Ji, it is indeed appropriate for you to go and talk about this matter."
"But the emperor trusts the Living Buddha and will most likely agree. You must be mentally prepared."
That’s 50 million kilograms of rice seeds.
Twenty-five million mu of rice fields can be planted.
The standard farmland in the entire Dianzhou Prefecture is only more than 15 million acres.
Good guy, he took all the rice seeds from the entire Dianzhou Prefecture in one go.
Can you agree to this?
But in the eyes of the emperor.
These rice seeds should be worth it in exchange for his longevity.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, anyway, these rice seeds belong to our Tianqi country, and we must not give them away easily."
"I remember that your ancestral home is Ganzhou, and that place also produces rice. Our Champa rice has not yet reached you, so how can we give it to other places?"
Mr. Song, who was in charge of foreign affairs in the Ministry of Rites, was indeed from Ganzhou. His family had a tradition of farming and studying, and the tuition fees he used to pay for his studies were all earned by growing rice.
These words touched his heart.
Needless to say, the Ministry of Revenue was not willing to do so either.
Since we have the same goal, the next thing will be easy.
Cai Fenglan followed Ji Yuan in confusion and was temporarily transferred in by the Ministry of Revenue.
The official who was going to be transferred to another post in two years joined the Ministry of Revenue in November.
Come to think of it, I have basically not had any rest since Ji Yuan came back.
I returned to Beijing at the end of May to deal with Wang Changdong's affairs.
Wang Changdong's problem was solved and it was Mid-Autumn Festival in August.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, he went to the Ministry of Justice to investigate the case of the Secret Buddha Temple.
The case of the Secret Buddha Temple was finally concluded in November.
He was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue without stopping?
Cai Fenglan slapped his head.
Ji Yuan was the top scorer when he was in school, and he is still the top scorer now. That's totally normal.
But isn’t this roll of his a little too powerful?
It all got involved in the officialdom.
Colleagues in the officialdom welcomed it.
Ji Yuan neither takes credit for others' work nor does he do things in a meticulous manner.
The Ministry of Rites even wanted Ji Yuan to help organize this year's imperial examination.
However, the emperor is in good health this year, and it seems that he plans to take care of it himself.
As the emperor's complexion gradually became rosy, many things that were previously beyond his control were finally accomplished.
I heard from many people that the emperor looked like he had returned to his forty-year-old self.
When Ji Yuan heard these words, he just said that he hoped the emperor was in good health.
But in his mind he was already calculating how many pills the emperor had taken.
To put it bluntly, are these pills useful?
It is indeed somewhat useful.
But all of these come at the cost of overdrawing the body, making people look rosy-cheeked, but in fact, the body may have been poisoned.
That red face is most likely a sign of poisoning.
Two months have passed since the incident in the Secret Buddha Temple in September and the emperor started taking elixirs in October.
If I must say, the secret incense in the Secret Buddha Hall definitely contains toxins, although they are relatively mild. It can be calculated that it has been used for at least three or four years.
Three or four years of dense fragrance, plus two months of strong medicine.
Ji Yuan didn't even dare to imagine if the old emperor went to a modern hospital for a full-body check-up, would the test results make the doctor dizzy?
I'm 65 years old, but I still take weird health supplements.
I guess my liver can’t take it.
Ji Yuan immediately joined the Ministry of Revenue’s debate team.
This small team is specifically used to "communicate" with the Ministry of Rites and small countries in the southwest.
It is almost equivalent to the Ministry of Rites acting as the middleman.
The Ministry of Revenue came to "discuss" with the small southwestern countries how much good seeds should be distributed.
When Cai Fenglan heard this, his eyes lit up. Is this how you deal with other countries? How interesting!
Ji Yuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Get ready. We'll talk later."
On December 15th, the winter in the capital was incredibly cold.
The Ministry of Revenue specifically chose to discuss matters in the warm room.
It was freezing outside, but warm as spring inside the house.
A group of people from a small southwestern country, led by Prince He Hui, walked in and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
It had never been so cold where they were.
At first, everyone was happy to see the snow and ice, and even went out to have snowball fights.
After a while, they all became obedient.
As they walked from their residences to the warm room of the Ministry of Rites, many people were shivering with cold.
They originally didn't want to go home, but now they are looking forward to finishing the discussion quickly so that they can return home.
Everything else is easy.
But it is really difficult to talk about good varieties.
Prince He Hui refused to give in. He just wanted 50 million kilograms of high-quality seeds. Although it was an exorbitant price, it was indeed what he expected.
He even calculated that Ning'an Prefecture could definitely afford 50 million kilograms of high-quality seeds.
This rice can be grown three times a year, and it is estimated that the amount has increased exponentially since they set out.
But other small countries in the southwest are a little worried. How can they ask for so much? It would be fine if they could take it slow and steady.
As long as they are respectful to Tianqi Kingdom, Tianqi Kingdom will not treat them unfairly.
Prince He Hui thought to himself.
This fine variety originally belonged to my family.
The Tianqi Kingdom was just cultivated.
Besides, if the living Buddha he brought was not so useful, the Tianqi Kingdom would definitely give him several thousand or tens of thousands of kilograms as a reward.
How could it be like this now?
The most important thing.
The emperor of Tianqi Kingdom didn't care about these good breeds.
The ministers of Tianqi State have a lot of things to do. They are all the emperor's subjects and family servants. Do they really think they are pleading for the people?
To put it bluntly, Prince Hehui believed that he had made great contributions, and with the presence of Living Buddha Terry, he could manipulate the ministers of Tianqi Kingdom at will.
There is also a hidden meaning, which is that the royal family is the owner of the land.
These ministers were nothing more than subjects, or even household slaves.
What qualifications do domestic slaves have to help their masters allocate finances and property?
Ji Yuan looked at them with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.
When Ji Yuan was sent abroad, he was transferred from a fourth-rank official to a fourth-rank official.
But right now in the capital, he has no actual position.
Even so, the Ministry of Revenue official still let him sit in the front row, so Ji Yuan's gaze at this moment was clearly seen by Prince Hehui.
For a moment, the scene in the warm room of the Ministry of Rites was a little awkward.
At the top were people from the Ministry of Rites, sitting slightly to the side, and the main seat was empty.
On the left are the people from the Ministry of Revenue, with the first one being an official and the era being the second.
On the left is a small country in the southwest. The first one is Prince He Hui, and the second one is from Jingguo.
Ji Won looked at Prince Ha Hui, then at the Jingguo official and smiled at them.
The official from the Jing State was flattered, as he was originally very angry.
I originally thought that the trip to Tianqi Kingdom would be led by Jing Kingdom, but now everyone is led by Prince Hehui, which is really infuriating.
When he returns to the country, he will probably be scolded by the king.
Prince He Hui's face turned dark.
The two sides haven't even started discussing rice seeds yet, and his people are turning against each other. How can they continue the talks?
Prince He Hui said directly: "I guess this is the famous Ning'an Prefecture Governor, Lord Ji?"
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "That's me."
Ji Yuan's smile made many people look at him.
What an epoch.
In the small countries in the southwest, everyone knows his name.
It is no exaggeration to say that Ji Yuan is more famous in the small countries in the southwest than he is in Tianqi.
After all, people in Tianqi only knew that he was making rubber and cultivating rice seeds.
Other things are not so clear.
The topography of Ning'an Prefecture is very similar to that of the small countries in the southwest.
Everyone thought that the place had been barren since ancient times, and growing rice on the mountain was entirely dependent on fate.
But after Ji Yuan went there, he thought of many ways to improve the local planting environment.
For these small countries, especially the more pragmatic ones, these are experiences that they can secretly learn from.
In fact, many small countries are already following suit in building reservoirs and repairing canals.
To be honest, those who can come thousands of miles to seek good seeds for their country are basically not the kind of people who love leisure and hate work.
So these sixteen small countries are also different.
But the same thing is that they have all heard of Ji Yuan's name, and even hoped that Ji Yuan was from their place.
Repair the fields and the canals.
There are also oxen for plowing.
The oxen working the field are also shocking.
In fact, they were very surprised. After arriving in Tianqi Kingdom, everyone was praising Ji Yuan’s rubber production and the good varieties he cultivated.
But those who are closest to Ning'an Prefecture envy the canals, the oxen and the roads.
I just mentioned the canal.
What about the oxen?
Who doesn't want a plowing ox in that place?
In Ning'an Prefecture, everyone can use a plowing ox.
Roads and bridges are an extremely urgent need. Everyone who knows the terrain over there knows it.
Because of these things, everyone subconsciously stared at Ji Yuan.
Are the officials of Tianqi State so good looking?
Although I have heard of it in private, when I saw it in person, I still felt it was different.
Prince He Hui's words actually made the eyes of the people from other small countries light up. They stared at Ji Yuan and kept praising him.
Many officials in the capital were unaware of these things.
The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue and others were amazed when they heard this. The Ministry of Revenue even felt that Ji Yuan was born to work in the Ministry of Revenue.
Just when everyone's emotions reached their peak.
Prince Hehui asked again, "How are the people of Xinning in Ning'an Prefecture?"
Prince He Hui said this with some gritted teeth.
The officials of Jing State, who had just been friendly to Ji Yuan, also changed their expressions.
The other fourteen small countries even restrained their expressions and looked at Ji Yuan with fear in their eyes.
When everyone saw Lord Ji for the first time, they were filled with admiration.
At this moment, being reminded by Prince Hehui, everyone remembered that this man would recruit people from Xinning!
Will recruit people from Xinning!
The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites were whispering, what are Xinning people?
Fortunately, there are well-informed people among them, who whispered: "Life in Ning'an Prefecture is getting better and better, and people from the surrounding small countries are going there to seek refuge."
"After these refugees settled down in Ning'an Prefecture, they were called Xinning people."
The population certainly did not appear out of thin air.
The more family you have, the less family I have.
So, where did these Xinning people originally come from?
"In Jingguo alone, 23,000 were spent."
"In total, it is estimated that there are more than 50,000 people from various countries who have fled to Ning'an Prefecture."
Some officials in the Ministry of Household Registration were in charge of household registration information, and Ning'an Prefecture had submitted all the information, so they were not unfamiliar with these numbers.
Other officials were shocked.
???
How many? !
How much did you say?
More than 50,000 Xinning people suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
Jiyuan, ah Jiyuan, you did a great job!
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