Economic Crops

The Cheng Family has too many things on their hands. If Zheng Shanci finds out, the Cheng Family will have no way out, so they must oppose Zheng Shanci. As for the Gao Family, they have always followed the lead of the Cheng Family.

The four family heads discussed for a moment, thinking to first hide their own dirty deeds to avoid Zheng Shanci digging up old accounts. The head of the Cheng Family let out a sigh of relief and went home to inform Cheng Ru.

Cheng Ru’s gaze darkened, “Let’s first observe this Zheng Daren’s actions. If he investigates too deeply, then we should get rid of him. Xinfeng County is far from the emperor’s reach, so if something happens, it’s unavoidable.”

The head of the Cheng Family was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He considered himself not as ruthless as his father, who would directly kill a court official.

If the higher-ups pursued this, the Cheng Family would be doomed. The head of the Cheng Family still held onto a sliver of hope that Zheng Shanci was just trying to scare them.

If so, they wouldn’t go to extremes. Once his three-year term was up, they would go their separate ways, and it wouldn’t matter anymore.

Previously, they had gotten along well with the magistrate of Xinfeng County.

After the New Year holiday, the officials of the county office returned one after another. It seemed they had a good year, and the atmosphere in the county office was relaxed, except for Qi County Deputy, who often seemed distracted.

The scent of flowers wafted in the wind, and spring rain fell gently. Registrar Jiang, holding an umbrella, hurried to the door and asked Wangfu to announce his arrival.

Wangfu: “Jiang Daren, the lord invites you in.”

Registrar Jiang put away his umbrella, entered, and greeted Zheng Shanci, saying, “Zheng Daren, the people from the caravan have returned. They brought back the items you wanted. You can go check them out now, and once the final payment is settled, you can take the goods.”

Zheng Shanci was pleased to hear this and stood up, saying, “Allow me to change into my regular clothes first, then I’ll go with you to meet the people from the Fan Family.”

The Fan Family caravan often traveled through Qingzhou, and Xinfeng County was a county under Qingzhou. Zheng Shanci changed into his regular clothes in the inner room and then went with Registrar Jiang and Tan He.

Registrar Jiang, being considerate, had already booked a private room at the Zheng Family’s food shop, allowing the leader of the Fan Family caravan to enjoy some snacks inside. 

When Zheng Shanci entered, the leader of the Fan Family was a middle-aged man of about forty. Fan Ping raised an eyebrow when he saw Registrar Jiang following a young man.

“Please sit. May I know how to address you?” Zheng Shanci asked.

“My name is Fan Ping, Zheng Daren.”

Zheng Shanci was not surprised that Fan Ping guessed his identity. Registrar Jiang followed closely behind him, and above Registrar Jiang were only the county deputy and the magistrate.

“I’d like to ask, how much goods did your caravan bring?” Zheng Shanci asked directly, without beating around the bush.

“Jiang Daren told us to get poplar, willow, pear, and jujube trees. We bought many along the way, enough to plant a third of Xinfeng County. Hawthorn, goji berries, licorice, atractylodes, and sea buckthorn are medicinal, so they’re more expensive. We weren’t sure how much you could consume, so we bought less. Altogether, these require about four hundred taels of silver.”

Registrar Jiang was surprised to hear this, as it was quite expensive.

Fan Ping explained, “These trees aren’t worth much, only seventy to eighty taels of silver in total. The medicinal plants you want to grow are too expensive.”

He initially thought of quoting a higher price but reconsidered, wanting to maintain a good relationship with the magistrate of Xinfeng County. It seemed they wanted to plant a large number of seeds, likely for large-scale cultivation and future sales, so there would be many dealings in the future. It wasn’t worth being greedy for small gains now.

The deposit given to the caravan was forty taels of silver, and fortunately, the county office had money. Zheng Shanci took out a silver note from his pocket, having withdrawn five hundred taels from the county office before leaving, and paid Fan Ping three hundred sixty taels in full.

“Tan He, go find Registrar Zhu and have someone put these in the warehouse.”

“Yes, Zheng Daren.”

Tan He was surprised that Zheng Shanci had been in contact with the Fan Family caravan since last autumn’s harvest, but he followed Zheng Shanci’s instructions and went to the county office to find Registrar Zhu.

Fan Ping: “The goods are outside the food shop, and the brothers know Registrar Zhu, so they won’t unload the wrong items.”

The dishes ordered by Registrar Jiang were served, and the waiter left after serving them. They drank a little wine, and Zheng Shanci said, “Is the Fan Family interested in purchasing medicinal herbs from Xinfeng County?”

“Zheng Daren, the medicinal herb business is profitable, so we’re naturally interested. If you can sell the herbs to us, we’ll offer you a satisfactory price.”

Zheng Shanci only mentioned it briefly today, planning to negotiate with Fan Ping once the herbs were grown. The meal was enjoyable for both parties, and after eating, they each went their separate ways.

The seeds Zheng Shanci had been waiting for had arrived, and although the trees were more expensive than usual, Fan Ping hadn’t found small saplings. These trees could survive once planted, and by autumn, they would bear fruit. Zheng Shanci was quite satisfied with the price.

Back at the county office, Zheng Shanci instructed Registrar Jiang to write a notice to be posted outside the county office: “Have a clerk inform the town leaders of the four major towns, and let them inform the villages to expedite the process.”

“Yes, Zheng Daren,” Registrar Jiang responded and hurried to work. He had a feeling that if this was successful, it would be an achievement. He might even gain recognition alongside Zheng Shanci. As a scholar, it wasn’t impossible for him to advance further.

The compost fertilizer made by Zheng Shanci was now useful in the spring. Compost fertilizer is a liquid fertilizer, and Zheng Shanci wrote a recipe, having the clerks post it outside the county office, while also having the workshop start making compost fertilizer. Villagers who couldn’t make it themselves could purchase it here for a small fee.

With the arrival of spring, there were many tasks to handle. Zheng Shanci was also thinking about the grain production in Jinxing Town. He planned to discuss the matter with Qi County Deputy and other officials tomorrow. Jinxing Town had been paying more taxes with its grain, and the land was severely eroded. It was time to switch to other crops.

Registrar Jiang’s notice was straightforward, essentially encouraging the planting of pear, jujube, willow, and poplar trees. The fruits from these trees would be purchased by the county office, so the people didn’t have to worry about selling them.

The notice also encouraged the planting of medicinal herbs, with seeds available for purchase at a low price from the county office, and the herbs could be sold back to the county office.

Those who understood the trade saw that the purchase price was a penny higher than the market price, and they were delighted. Ordinary people planted crops based on profit, and with the county office willing to buy them, they weren’t worried about selling. They just had to plant and wait for the money to come in, which was truly a great thing.

Those who couldn’t read grabbed a scholar from the county school to explain.

“So, if we plant medicinal herbs, the county office will buy them, and we won’t have to sell them ourselves.”

“It’s like chili peppers, soybeans, and sesame, all bought by the county office. With the county office backing us, I’m willing to plant medicinal herbs, especially since the price is higher.”

“Our county has a lot of sandy soil, which isn’t suitable for growing grain. We rely solely on Jinxing Town for grain.”

“I want to plant medicinal herbs. The money is better. Since it’s a county office notice, it must be true.”

The workshops for chili peppers, oil pressing, and textiles opened by the county office employed many villagers. Those who weren’t employed looked on eagerly, listening to the employed villagers boast.

Through these efforts, Zheng Shanci had gained credibility among the people of Xinfeng County.

It was early spring, and they had just turned over their land, not yet planting anything. They spent money on seeds and trees to plant.

The four major towns had clerks go to inform them, and the town leader of Dongxing Town had been waiting and immediately went to the county office with money to buy seeds. 

During the winter water shortage, the workshop had found a well for them. Now, hearing the new policy from the county office, they were the first to respond.

Three of the major towns came to buy seeds, but there was no movement from Jinxing Town.

Zheng Shanci had the workshop people go again to demonstrate the compost fertilizer making process to the townspeople, so they could learn. When the higher-ups spoke, the lower-level people ran their legs off. They thought Zheng Daren was just trying to make money with a few workshops, but they didn’t expect such a big move in the spring.

The clerks hurried, and Qi County Deputy heard about it, thinking Zheng Shanci was just messing around. But since he was using his own money, Qi County Deputy’s face turned even more sour.

The clerks rode horses to the towns and villages.

“The price of medicinal herbs is high, and planting them is encouraged. Zheng Daren also mentioned something about compost fertilizer. Some officials will come to demonstrate, so you should go listen and then teach the villagers,” the village head instructed a few young people.

“Understood, village head.”

Since receiving the goods from Fan Ping, the entire Xinfeng County had been mobilized. Zheng Shanci’s style in the county office was like this; he never liked to procrastinate, even pushing them to write concise official documents. This top-down approach led to high efficiency.

…

Xu Ge’er and Yu Lanyi were riding horses when Xu Ge’er laughed and asked, “Lanyi, are you going back now?”

Yu Lanyi wiped the sweat from his face, “I’ve run enough. I want to go back first.”

Yu Lanyi changed out of his riding clothes. Recently, the Xia Family, Gao Family, Cheng Family, and Qi Family had been sending invitations, asking him to visit their mansions or sending gifts to his residence. Yu Lanyi was getting tired of dealing with it, so he went out for a ride.

Zheng Shanci had to work in the county office, and these gifts couldn’t be accepted, as accepting them would create obligations. Moreover, Zheng Shanci’s work conflicted with the big families in the city, so he just avoided them.

The Xu Family collected rent from shop stalls and had no connection with the four families in the city.

Xu Ge’er also knew what the four families were thinking. They wanted to get some information about Zheng Daren from Yu Lanyi and also probe into Yu Lanyi’s family background. After all, everyone had seen the incident last year when General Yu was sent off.

The Xu Family’s spies, who had been sent to gather information, returned in the spring. Xu Ge’er learned about Yu Lanyi’s background and found it reasonable. Only a family like that could raise someone as proud and innocent as Yu Lanyi.

Yu Lanyi wasn’t home, but Lin Ge’er and Zheng Qingyin were. Cheng Furen brought gifts over.

Lin Ge’er said, “Furen, please take your gifts back. We don’t dare to accept them.”

“And who might you be…?”

Deng Xue said, “Cheng Furen, this is the eldest young master’s husband and young master Zheng.”

Cheng Furen understood and smiled, “These are just some worthless trinkets. It’s only good if Zheng Daren likes them. I see young master Zheng is very handsome. Is he engaged?”

Zheng Qingyin, hearing Cheng Furen’s words, hid behind Lin Ge’er.

“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Cheng Furen. If there’s nothing else, please leave,” Lin Ge’er said, issuing a polite but firm request for her to leave.

Cheng Furen, being a person of some standing, couldn’t stay after being told this, so she had her maid take the gifts back. Sitting in the carriage, she hugged a hand warmer, “If it weren’t for my son, I wouldn’t bother with this trip.”

The Cheng Family can die for all she cares. She regretted marrying into the Cheng Family. Seeing their upright family style and scholarly background, she happily married in. Who knew the filth inside?

The head of the Cheng Family was a lecher, surrounded by beautiful maids and ge’ers, and he often frequented brothels. Being lecherous was one thing, but he was also mediocre, yet thought highly of himself. If it weren’t for her two sons, Cheng Furen wouldn’t have such a good temper.

Cheng Furen sighed and returned home, only to find her husband in some concubine’s courtyard. She asked about her father, and the room was filled with ge’ers and maids serving him, so Cheng Furen went back to her room, not bothering with this mess.

Some wealthy families look glamorous on the outside, but only those who marry in know the bitterness inside. Women and ge’ers must choose carefully when marrying, or they’ll ruin half their lives. Divorce isn’t an option, as the family won’t allow it, fearing it will bring shame and affect the marriage prospects of other family members. So, they have to endure.

Capital City

An Ge’er had his engagement called off, and recently, everyone at home spoke to him gently. His brother, the heir of An Xinhou, even wanted to deal with his former fiancé. His former fiancé had already been sent out of the capital by his family, which was good, as it spared him the eyesore.

The heir of An Xinhou came to see his brother after court this morning. After all, he was his own brother, and although he was supposed to marry into another family according to the family’s wishes, the heir of An Xinhou still felt sorry for An Ge’er.

“Still feeling down? I’ll take you horseback riding in the suburbs,” the heir of An Xinhou said at the door.

An Ge’er: “Brother, no need. I’ll just stay in my room.”

After a while, footsteps were heard, and the heir of An Xinhou left.

An Ge’er had been shut in his room for a whole month, not going out to see anyone. The family didn’t know what to do, afraid of upsetting him. With the engagement called off, they couldn’t discuss a new one, fearing rumors.

The An Xinhou Mansion had already become enemies with An Ge’er’s former fiancé’s family. The court was in chaos, and Emperor Wu Ming watched the two families argue with amusement.

An Ge’er wasn’t in a hurry about the engagement. Until his fiancé was caught in the act with a servant, he felt relieved to finally call off the engagement. He shed a few tears, gritted his teeth, and put on a sad face, gaining everyone’s support.

Now that the engagement was off, finding another match would be troublesome. High-ranking families didn’t care about the reasons for calling off an engagement; they just saw it as bad luck and didn’t want the hassle. There were plenty of good families in the capital, and they could afford to be picky.

The heir of An Xinhou went out to meet some friends for drinks, chatting about various topics. They had grown up together, so they spoke freely, even discussing An Ge’er’s situation.

“If we weren’t already married, we could have taken him in. We’re brothers, after all, and should look out for each other.”

“If the Zhang Family hadn’t sent that scoundrel away early, we would have given him a good beating. What a disgrace.”

The heir of An Xinhou sighed, “It’s too late to say anything now. An Ge’er has shut himself in his room, truly hurt this time.”

Someone, drunk, slammed the table and said, “Why worry? As his brother, you should find An Ge’er a better husband and make the Zhang Family regret it.”

“If it’s someone like you, I wouldn’t want it,” the heir of An Xinhou knew his friends’ ways and didn’t want his brother marrying into that crowd.

At that moment, outside the tavern, Yu Changxing had just left the palace. He wasn’t riding a horse today, wearing the uniform of a deputy commander of the imperial guards, looking majestic and dignified.

A drunken young man pointed at Yu Changxing’s figure and slammed the table, “Isn’t Yu Changxing the most sought-after match in the capital? With him around, many young ladies and ge’ers are eagerly watching. If we could arrange a marriage with Yu Changxing, it would be a great way to vent our anger and leave the Zhang Family speechless.”

The heir of An Xinhou heard this and looked at Yu Changxing, contemplating the possibility. Perhaps his gaze was too intense, as Yu Changxing stopped and looked at the heir of An Xinhou. Seeing it was him, Yu Changxing nodded slightly and continued on his way.

This man was indeed the one everyone in the capital wanted to marry. He had a good family background, a promising future, and the upbringing of the Changyang Marquis family was commendable, though this only applied to Yu Changxing.

The heir of An Xinhou kept this in mind.

Xinfeng County

Zheng Shanci was busy in Xinfeng County, “The land in Jinxing Town can’t be used for grain anymore. This year’s grain tax can be bought from other counties. Next year, we can plant grain again. Rotating crops will improve soil fertility.”

Qi County Deputy was determined to oppose Zheng Shanci, but unfortunately, Registrar Jiang and Registrar Zhu didn’t support him. Zheng Shanci was determined to implement this, and since it was only discussed with the county office staff, Qi County Deputy’s opposition was futile.

These days had been busy, and Zheng Shanci had a quick dinner at the county office canteen before heading home.

The spring night was no longer cold, and Zheng Shanci’s expression gradually relaxed. When he returned home, Yu Lanyi was sitting by the bed, not reading anything today.

After washing up, Zheng Shanci climbed into bed and apologized, “I’ve been too busy lately. I need to make time to spend with you.”

Yu Lanyi reached out and touched Zheng Shanci’s lips. He felt frustrated but knew he had to be understanding. When they reached the capital, he would have his father and brother arrange a leisurely position for Zheng Shanci.

“You’re off tomorrow, right?” Yu Lanyi asked, trying to be reserved.

“Yes, I’ll spend it with you,” Zheng Shanci immediately replied.

Yu Lanyi leaned closer, his breath lightly falling on Zheng Shanci’s face. Perhaps it was a man’s instinct, but Zheng Shanci immediately wrapped his arms around Yu Lanyi’s waist.

The room was dark, and they could only vaguely see each other’s faces, their eyes meeting in the darkness, their breaths gradually intertwining. Zheng Shanci’s nose touched Yu Lanyi’s, and the atmosphere around them intensified. Zheng Shanci turned and kissed Yu Lanyi’s lips.