After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

Chapter 473 The Imperial Envoy

Prince Ning is the emperor's nephew, and the emperor dotes on him even more than several other princes.

This shows how much importance it attaches.

Who knows, maybe the prince will reach the top in the future, and then she will be the highest-ranking woman.

When she thought of this, Amelia Su felt hot in her heart.

As for the prince who is in name only, he is their biggest stumbling block at the moment.

But she's not worried.

I heard that the prince no longer participates in political affairs and seems to be a madman. He killed his own brother at the age of eleven when he was only nine years old.

When the ladies in Beijing talked about such a cruel person, they all wanted to stay away from him.

Su Qingya didn't think that such a prince had a chance to ascend to the throne.

"I came back late today. I'm afraid Qingya will suffer. Wait until the city gate opens." Prince Ning's eyes were full of pity.

Su Qingya couldn't help but blush even more. "It's okay. What's this little hardship? In the past, when I was in the Fang family... Well, let's not talk about that. This time I came back to Huai'an Prefecture to help Brother Yao find someone. It was originally my own choice."

Originally, Prince Ning came here privately to inquire about the news because she thought that the engagement had just been made and she had to demonstrate her value so that Brother Yao would value her more.

So I volunteered to come.

The reason was that she was familiar with Huai'an Prefecture.

The heartache and emotion in the young man's eyes were even more intense. "I know Qingya's feelings, and I will definitely not let you down. As for the Fang family... those scoundrels, I will avenge you."

Su Qingya was overjoyed. Finally, she met her Prince Charming, who was always willing to help her like the male protagonist.

The guards had already lit a fire, and the maid had brought out a small stool and helped Su Qingya to sit down.

Prince Ning watched her walk away, took out a handkerchief from his bosom, wiped his hands, and his face was full of gloom.

This woman is so dirty.

If she hadn't been of some use, he would have killed her himself.

At daybreak, Fang Tong climbed up from the kang, scooped a bucket of water, and washed himself in the yard with tooth powder.

"Pfft!" He spit out the food and then touched his stomach: "Tiezhu, what are you going to eat today?"

Tie Zhu, who was already busy in the kitchen, just brought out a basket of steaming multi-grain steamed buns: "Steamed buns."

Fang Tong lowered his head and picked up one listlessly and started chewing it.

In theory, the food is good, but who can survive eating it three times a day?

The grown men just had to make do with their meals every day, and only when it was Fang Tong's turn to cook could he fry a few dishes.

"Let's go to the field and check out the yams."

The winter wheat has been harvested with the help of the yamen runners, and the yam has recently started to sprout, which looks very pleasing.

Lately they have just been watering and fertilizing the plants.

Actually it’s not too busy, just leaning against the iron pillars is enough.

Fang Tong didn't dare to return to the city because he wanted to settle the matter of Xiaomai.

Oh yes, and Tiezhu is getting married soon, and he has been cleaning up the house these two days, um, the Qin family’s house.

I need to clean the house, buy some wedding characters, put on some new bedding and so on.

I walked out slowly, and before I reached the end of the field, I heard the village entrance becoming bustling.

"A high-ranking official has arrived, and the county magistrate is here too!" Cheng Dafu shouted from afar.

Fang Tong sometimes wondered where Cheng Dafu was hiding all day and how he always got to be the first to see everything.

However, he changed his mind and realized that the person he was waiting for had arrived.

He turned around and headed towards the village entrance with Tiezhu.

General Meng Yi rode a tall horse, wearing iron armor, with a solemn and majestic expression. As soon as he entered the village, he stunned everyone.

Under his gaze, the few cricket lovers inexplicably dared not speak.

Behind him, there were two other people also wearing official robes.

One of them was the county magistrate. He remembered sweating profusely: "What? Where's the village chief? And Fang Tong? Go get them."

There was little work in the yamen today, so he had a rare chance to be lazy. He stayed at his newly married concubine's house last night and got up late. Who would have thought that the imperial envoy would suddenly arrive.

As soon as they arrived, they caught him committing dereliction of duty.

The county magistrate was very distressed, fearing that the imperial envoy would take action against him.

Just as a few yamen runners were about to move, the old village chief arrived.

"Hello everyone, I am the village chief of Mushan Village." The old village chief didn't know what kind of official the newcomer was, so he just called him "sir".

Fang Tong also arrived. He had just met the village chief and was about to say hello when he saw the old man walking very fast with a crutch and actually surpassed him.

Just by looking at these few steps, it can be seen that the old village chief can still work for at least five years.

"I'm Fang Tong." He stood half a step behind the village chief and bowed.

Immediately, Meng Yi's gaze dropped.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Fang Yin was tall and strong, while Fang Tong was thin. Although his eyes didn't move around, he looked smart.

"This is the imperial envoy, General Meng, who has come here specifically for the wheat issue." The county magistrate got off his horse and introduced.

"Greetings, General Meng." The old village chief and Fang Tong said in unison.

The magistrate pointed to another official and said, "This is Mr. Wang from the Sinology Department."

Lord Wang looked to be in his forties, with a small mustache and a dark, thin face.

As soon as I got off the horse, I vomited.

Yes, he was riding too fast and felt a little dizzy. At his age, he should have taken a carriage when traveling on business.

Who made the chief officer this time Meng Yi, a crude military general?

He suddenly decided to come to Mushan Village in the middle of the night and arrive at dawn. It was really troublesome for him at his age.

Fang Tong was startled, and when he came to his senses, he quickly gave the bamboo tube he was carrying to Lord Wang.

Lord Wang felt that he had vomited everything in his stomach, so he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

He took the bamboo tube and drank a sip of water before he could catch his breath.

"Thank you, this Fang... Fang..." I can't remember his name.

"No need. It's my honor to serve you." Fang Tong quickly replied.

General Meng Yi glanced back at them and said with a half-smile, "Lord Wang is the backbone of the court. It's time for him to exercise and strengthen his body so that he can share the burden of worrying for His Majesty."

Lord Wang's already dark face darkened even more: "I know, General, there's no need to worry."

The group walked in, with their horses led by guards.

When we arrived at the Qin family's house, we saw bags of new wheat piled up in the backyard warehouse.

A yamen runner brought down a sack and opened it. Lord Wang stepped forward and took out a handful of wheat grains from the sack.

Touched and pinched.

Said nothing.

Meng Yi was already sitting on a chair, drinking milk tea in his hand.

Fang Tong did it. He held a ledger in his hand and said, "General, these are the records of winter wheat production per acre."

The account book was prepared by the eldest son Qin Yan.

However, although he could barely recognize some words, he still found it a bit difficult to keep the account books, so in the end the village chief helped him to keep the accounts himself.

Meng Yi took the account book, which was thin but had very clear memories.

Seeing that the wheat yield per acre was between seven and eight stones, Meng Yi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I have sent runners to count and I can ensure that the number is correct." Seeing that he didn't say anything, the county magistrate couldn't help but say.

Meng Yi closed the account book, picked up the milk tea and took a sip: "Well, the county magistrate is thoughtful."

The county magistrate was so happy that his teeth showed: "General, you are too kind. This is my duty."

He was thinking that with General Meng's attitude, he probably wouldn't mind his small mistake today.

The group stayed at the Qin family for an hour.

Although Mr. Wang was not in good health, he was still serious about his work. He checked every bag of wheat carefully and weighed them one by one.

Finally, they went to the field to take a look.

The winter wheat has been harvested, and there is nothing in the fields now. I don’t know what to see, so Fang Tong just goes with me.

"Fang Tong, right? After the flood last year, your family was the first to plant winter wheat?" Lord Wang asked as they walked.

Fang Tong's heart was filled with alarm.

The two senior officials came prepared. Have they found out all these things in advance?

However, he didn't show it on his face and even sighed heavily.

"Yes, sir. You don't know, but I had just gotten married at the time, and I had a wife and children to support. There wasn't much food at home, and I figured I'd just have to go hungry through the winter, and then spring would be over."

"I just wanted to plant winter wheat. I chose dry land. I didn't know how much I would earn, but I just wanted my family to not starve to death."

Fang Tong looked sad, then smiled innocently.

"Sir, you don't know, it's like this in the countryside. If one family grows winter wheat, several families will follow suit, and eventually everyone will grow it."

Lord Wang was made to feel sorry for himself by his actions and kept talking nonsense, but he didn't feel dizzy at all.

He knew that this was the case with people who had never read. They would easily miss the point when speaking, but such random remarks could often reveal key information.

So, Lord Wang didn't show any impatience. He stroked his mustache and asked with a smile, "Your winter wheat is doing well. How are the harvests of other families in the village?"

Fang Tong had an exaggerated smile on his face, and was obviously a little proud.

"That's right. This year's harvest is four or five times greater than in previous years. No family in the village can compare to it."

"I've been thinking privately that it's because I've cultivated the land more carefully, applied fertilizer more diligently than others, knocked down the clods of earth more finely, and pulled out more weeds. Plus, the weather's good... well, what do you call it? It's the Emperor's blessing, and the people are living and working in peace and contentment, that's why this good thing has happened."

"Indeed, the current emperor is wise and enlightened, and the auspicious signs from heaven are blessing the people here." The county magistrate quickly responded, bowed towards the distance, and flattered the dragon.

When someone interrogated him and he couldn't explain clearly, he would just blame the emperor for his wisdom. This was Fang Tong's idea.

As expected, Lord Wang was not in a position to refute, but simply smiled even more deeply: "Brother Fang Tong, have you also studied?"

Fang Tong quickly bent down and waved his hand, "Sir, I'm not worthy of that. You can just call me by my name. My son is a student and has passed the imperial examination. He often recites it at home, so I learned a few lines from him."

His face was a little red, showing embarrassment.

Meng Yi, who was walking in front, couldn't help but curl up the corner of his mouth. Fang Tong is a wonderful person.

He remained calm and gave Qin Yan an image of loyalty to the emperor.

Although this impression is not necessary now, it may not be the case in the future.

When they arrived at the field, Lord Wang touched the soil and finally frowned slightly.

It was not a very good field, and the farming method was nothing special, but he had observed before that the Qin family's wheat grains were fuller and rounder, different from the wheat of today.

Meng Yi and Lord Wang did not make a final decision after this trip.

Three days later, they came to a conclusion. After all, wheat only grew well in Mushan Village, and only this year. There were too many variables, so the credit for the new wheat variety could not be given.

I can't give you any credit for this, but I'll take note of it. Lord Wang made the decision to buy most of the wheat using a price twice the market price of wheat seeds.

The remaining small portion will be kept for cultivation near Mushan Village and even Huai'an Prefecture.

Fang Tong was very satisfied with this, he didn't think about soaring into the sky.

The main reason is that Master Shi mentioned it when he came last time. Since this is a matter of food, a lot of considerations must be made. It will take at least one or two years for this achievement to be realized.

"I have devised a method for composting manure, and a new agricultural tool—a curved plow—which I would like to present to you, my Lords."

Fang Tong presented the recipe respectfully and also brought the finished product of the curved plow.

Lord Wang tried the plow and soon realized its usefulness: it saved effort, could turn, and plowed deeper.

He didn't know how to make fertilizer, but he still patted Fang Tong's shoulder.

Originally, he spent money to buy new wheat seeds, which would be promoted in various places by the Sinong Temple in the future. If the yield was really high, the credit would go to the Sinong Temple.

Who made Fang Tong just a commoner with no power or influence?

But now, with the addition of plows and composting methods, all these achievements have accumulated together. As long as the wheat seeds are not wrong, this achievement will definitely be worth a lot of money.

This was also the suggestion made by Shi Junyan.

Even with the Zhou family as a shield, the Qin family's starting point is too low. If they want to be remembered, they must have multiple achievements.

General Meng Yi took Lord Wang away, along with the wheat. Fang Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

He was just a gangster, but he accompanied these high-ranking officials for three days, fearing that he would miss anything. It was not easy.

I'll have to find my wife and pity her.

Mushan Village also became lively.

With the imperial envoy here these days, everyone has been thinking about all kinds of things in their minds, but they dare not say anything to others.

The village chief went door to door to warn them that if they said something wrong or offended someone, they would be thrown into jail directly, and the yamen runners were ready.

Now, the tight cursing is gone and everyone has come to the Qin family.

Cheng Dafu was the first to speak as usual: "Tongzi, are you going to get rich? How come planting winter wheat attracted the imperial envoy?"

"Oh my god, I've been dreaming these past few days. This is the first time I've seen such a high-ranking official in my entire life."

The person who spoke was Doctor Gu, who was always steady.

He and the Qin family are neighbors, and it's very exciting to see the imperial envoy coming in and out every day these days.

"The imperial envoy said he was a general? What kind of general? He is really handsome, but too scary. One look from him makes people feel cold on the back." Mrs. Lu said, patting her thigh.

Behind her, Lu Dagun was unhappy: "What's so handsome about you? If you don't control your words, I'll beat you up!"

Everyone ignored the couple.

"Tongzi, please tell us, I see all your wheat has been taken away!" someone asked.

This is what everyone is most curious about.

As for what the general looks like, they don’t care and it has nothing to do with them.

Fang Tong stood up and said helplessly, "Yes, I sold it."

"How much is it?" Mrs. Lu was very confident.

Fang Tong glanced at her and said nothing.

"What's it to you how much it sells for?" Some people can't stand it, because they are short-sighted and pry into other people's wallets every day.

"The main thing is that the Qin family's winter wheat has been planted. One acre of land can yield seven dan. By the way, do you have any wheat seeds left?"

My fellow villagers want it too! They can even exchange it for some wheat seeds.

However, when they thought about what Fang Tong said, that the imperial envoy bought a lot of things and took them away, they felt embarrassed to take advantage of him.

"Yes, yes, if there is any, we will buy some."