Chapter 1431 - 1338: Seeds

Wang Hufeng said, "The garden was left desolate for two years after it was burned, and the plum trees seemed to have all died. But surprisingly, three years ago, after the flood, the plum trees suddenly budded, and within half a year, the branches were full. That winter and spring, the wintersweet and red plum in the garden bloomed profusely."

"Today, the plum garden has bloomed for three consecutive winters. Your Majesty said that this is a blessing from heaven to the people and should not be enclosed for personal enjoyment. Aside from occasionally needing to be enclosed for banquets, the rest of the time it should be open for the people to enjoy together."

Wang Hufeng looked at the traces left by the fire on the broken walls, "Your Majesty also said, leave these broken walls and ruins to remind the world that peace is hard-won, to warn those in power not to betray the people, and to prevent the nation from falling into chaos again. It also reminds all to take peace as a common consensus."

The Langya Princess and others were surprised and couldn’t help but sigh, "Your Majesty is wise."

After attending the flower-viewing banquet, the Langya Princess couldn’t help but say to her husband, "Although Jing Wen is a great man, he still falls short compared to Your Majesty. It’s no wonder Jiangnan fell."

Jing Wen is King Langya’s courtesy name. The couple has a good relationship, and the Langya Princess privately always calls her husband by his courtesy name.

King Langya: ...

He has long known he is not as capable as Zhao Hanzhang, but why bring this up at such a good time?

At this flower-viewing banquet, the Langya Princess donated ten rolls of silk brocade, which Wang Hufeng sold on the spot. The proceeds would be recorded on a separate account, primarily used for food, clothing, and spring farming tools, livestock, and seeds needed by Yushan Hall.

The seeds not only include grains and vegetables but also chicks, ducklings, and goslings.

Yushan Hall is a place for sheltering orphans and people in distress, mainly children who have lost their guardians. They, like other people of Hua Country, have the right to three years of compulsory education.

But among them, there are many who are not of school age yet or have already attended school for three years and cannot advance further.

The government has tried its best to tilt policies towards them, but their lives are still difficult.

The government stipulates that boys and girls aged sixteen must leave Yushan Hall. By then, they will be assigned land, seeds, and some farming tools to settle down.

If they want to live well in the future, they should learn skills and accumulate wealth while in Yushan Hall.

Hua Country is still mainly agricultural, so the skills learned and wealth accumulated naturally focus on agriculture.

Zhao Hanzhang also understands this, so the Ministry of Agriculture often goes to Yushan Hall to guide them.

The Ministry of Agriculture in Luoyang is responsible for Luoyang’s Yushan Hall, while each region’s Yushan Hall has their respective government’s Ministry of Agriculture in charge; this is a nationwide order.

Children will learn more detailed methods of seed selection, seedling cultivation, composting, weeding, and pest control from Ministry of Agriculture officials than ordinary farmers. In addition, they will learn from Ministry of Agriculture officials how to repair farming tools, basic carpentry, and animal husbandry knowledge.

Talented children can even learn methods to manage livestock diseases.

The Ministry of Agriculture received a batch of cotton seeds sent by Xiliang, and combined with those on hand, exceeded the number allocated for planting at the Imperial Manor. After discussion, they decided to release some seeds for the people to plant, and the promotion of cotton could slowly begin.

Wang Hufeng received the news early and wanted to use the donations to purchase a portion of cotton seeds for Yushan Hall to plant. Thus, by next winter, Yushan Hall would have a batch of quilts and cotton-padded clothes.

There are still some children in Yushan Hall who are only two or three years old and cannot tolerate the cold. Once cold, they catch chills, which are hard to treat in this era.

When Wang Hufeng spoke up, the officials agreed to set aside some cotton seeds for them and thoughtfully asked, "Does Chief Manager Wang want to buy some of the rice seeds we cultivated at the Ministry of Agriculture for Yushan Hall? I noticed that the eastern suburb’s paddy fields of Yushan Hall are very fertile, and drawing water is convenient there. Our newly cultivated Luoyang Dong Number 5 has been planted for two years, and the selected seeds are plump and large, all picked from the longest ears."

Wang Hufeng remained unmoved, "The seeds from your Ministry of Agriculture are more expensive than those on the market."

"These are the latest seeds cultivated by our Ministry of Agriculture. Naturally, they’re a bit more expensive, but if purchased for Yushan Hall, we can offer a lower price."

Wang Hufeng asked, "How much lower than the market price?"

The Ministry of Agriculture official replied, "How about we give you a ten percent discount?"

Wang Hufeng said, "Yushan Hall has its own rice seeds stored. Although they may not yield as much as those from the Ministry of Agriculture, they’re stable and won’t have sudden highs or lows or any other issues."

The official quickly explained, "Chief Manager Wang, although Luoyang Dong Number 5 has only been used for two years, it has been researched for five years. It was cultivated by Shen Zhengqing after he came to Luoyang seeking refuge with Your Majesty. By this year, it’s very stable and won’t have seed instability issues."

Wang Hufeng said, "I haven’t heard Shen Ruhui promote this seed at court; he mostly talks about a seed called Luoyang Nan Number 2."

"Ah, that seed is not suitable for Luoyang; it’s cultivated for rainy areas like Jiangnan and Jing Chu. The mother seed came from Jingzhou, which is flood-resistant and tall. Chief Manager Wang, I was rescued and stayed at Yushan Hall for three months when I was in distress. I wouldn’t deceive Yushan Hall."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hufeng looked him over, "Are you Jiang Lei Gong, who was once too frightened by Shi Le’s army to speak, couldn’t remember your name for two months, but was recruited as an official by Minister Fu due to accurately predicting several weather changes?"

Jiang Sheng responded indignantly, "I am indeed. Why does everyone only remember my involuntary silence and loss of speech?"

He did not consider where he escaped from.

He fled from Shi Le’s Camp’s prisoner camp!

Prisoner camp is just a prettier name outsiders gave it; in reality, Shi Le’s prisoner camp was a grain depot, and he escaped amid chaos; it was quite impressive.

Even now, when he recalls it, he cannot help but shiver.

Jiang Sheng said, "If you don’t trust me..."

"I trust you, I will buy the seeds," Wang Hufeng said, discussing the price and quantity to be purchased from him.

Meanwhile, Shen Ruhui was also introducing Zhao Hanzhang to the rice and wheat seeds selected this year.

The seeds cultivated by the Ministry of Agriculture do not directly enter the market to avoid unexpected situations resulting in large-scale reductions in production among the people.

Moreover, civilians actually trust their own seeds more.

In previous years, if they hadn’t lacked seeds, they wouldn’t have planted those given by the government.

Back in Wei Jin and Han times, when the government provided subsidized seeds, people would take them home to eat and plant their own seeds.

These past few years, many people lacked grain seeds and even food, which is why they accepted seeds given by the government.

This has fostered a better habit among civil people, who now experimentally plant seeds distributed by the government.

Civilian trust in the government has increased significantly, thanks to Zhao Hanzhang’s persistent efforts in sending schools and government officials to rural areas to promote various policies.

This year, the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Agriculture jointly compiled data showing that the average acreage of rice and wheat planted by civilians has risen, while millet, which used to occupy the top spot, has dropped significantly, now accounting for less than one-fifth of cultivated land.