kingnovel Chapter 1345 The True Ancient Golden Age
Chapter 1345 The True Ancient Golden Age
Grain yielding over 6,000 jin per mu in sandy land?
The emperor sat on his throne, feeling his heart pounding as if something was about to burst out of his chest.
However, Ji Benchang continued to provoke him: "Your Majesty, there are eighteen rows of new crops on this land. I only brought people to weigh twelve rows before I received your summons and came to the palace. Now, there are still six rows of crops left to weigh."
Six rows left... Haven't been weighed yet?
The emperor's breath hitched, his gaze went blank, and his voice became stiff: "Ji Qing, you... say it again?"
He thought that perhaps he hadn't heard clearly.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Ji Benchang held the straw paper above his head, lifted his robe, and kowtowed: "If we calculate based on the yield of 500 catties per row, the yield of this new crop per mu can approach 9,000 catties! Your Majesty! With this crop, how can my Great Zhou not prosper!"
What does a crop yield of 9,000 catties per mu mean for the Great Zhou?
The emperor was very keen to think about this question.
But at this moment, he felt all the blood rush to his head, and he was completely stunned and bewildered.
He tried to stand up, but he couldn't control his hands or his feet.
At this moment, it seems that the only thing he can control is his mouth.
He heard himself ask, "Ji Qing, do you know what a yield of 9,000 jin per mu of sandy land crops means to our Great Zhou?"
He couldn't figure it out for the time being, so he handed the problem over to Ji Benchang.
Ji Benchang had already thought about this issue carefully on his way to the palace.
"This means that the Northwest can produce grain locally, no longer needing the imperial court's aid, and no longer fearing foreign invasion."
"This means that the government's expenditures will be greatly reduced, and the national treasury can save a lot of money, which can then be used to benefit the people in other ways."
"This means that the cultivated area and population of our country can be multiplied several times over."
"This means that our granaries have gained another layer of great protection, and we are no longer afraid of drought."
"mean......"
Ji Benchang slowly raised his head, his voice beginning to choke: "Your Majesty, from this day forward, our Great Zhou will never again see the tragic scene of displaced people and starving corpses everywhere, nor will it be plagued by famine and chaos. The people of the borderlands will be loyal to us, and the people will live in peace and happiness. Our dynasty will surely last for thousands of years and remain stable for ten thousand generations! We will usher in a true... golden age!"
Throughout history, the essence of all prosperous eras has been "sufficient food, no rebellion, and peace throughout the land."
The people aren't stupid.
The fundamental reason they revolted was that they couldn't get enough to eat.
Now there is a thing that can produce 9,000 catties per mu in sandy land.
In this way, border troubles can be eliminated, the national treasury can be filled, the people can live in peace, and the world can be stabilized, which is truly the mandate of heaven.
The emperor remained silent for a long time.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly blinked.
Ji Benchang was still kneeling.
"Rise..." The emperor's voice was somewhat hoarse, "Rise and speak."
Ji Benchang kowtowed again and stood up.
The emperor raised his hand: "Let me see it again."
Ji Benchang respectfully handed over some draft paper.
The emperor took it with trembling hands, "Hong Banban, go and fetch my abacus beads."
......
A quarter of an hour later, the door to the Imperial Study opened.
Ji Benchang stepped across the threshold and greeted Cui Xiang and the others with a smile: "Gentlemen, you haven't left yet?"
"Leave?" Prime Minister Cui frowned. "Lord Ji, the matter of reclaiming wasteland in Shazhou has not yet been decided. We must await His Majesty's summons. How can we leave at will?"
Ji Benchang chuckled: "That makes sense, that makes sense. The Prime Minister's actions are always very proper."
Anyone could tell that this was a sarcastic remark.
Cui Xiang secretly clenched his fist, watching helplessly as Ji Benchang shook his head and returned to the Imperial Study.
Lan Youguang felt that Ji Benchang was going too far and couldn't help but say to his back, "Lord Ji, the Prime Minister didn't say anything wrong, so why do you always talk about guns and sticks?"
"My lords," Eunuch Hong said with a smile as he brushed past Ji Benchang, "Minister Xu, Minister Yue, please follow this old servant inside."
Lan Youguang was taken aback upon hearing this: "Eunuch Hong, where are I and Prime Minister Cui? Did His Majesty not summon them?"
Eunuch Hong nodded with a smile and bowed to them, saying, "Please return first, gentlemen. His Majesty has important matters to discuss with you at the morning court tomorrow."
"No..." Lan Youguang stepped forward, grabbed Eunuch Hong's sleeve, and asked, "Eunuch Hong, His Majesty was just discussing the reclamation of Shazhou with us. Why did he send us away as soon as Minister Ji arrived?"
Grandpa Hong was pulled so hard he stumbled.
Thinking of the Emperor's instructions, he smiled and said, "General Lan, you have been away from the capital for a long time. You may not know that your second son has severed his master-disciple relationship with the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Yan."
"What?!" Lan Youguang roared, "Is this true?!"
That Yan Fengci is really asking for trouble! After taking all that treasure from him, he still dared to expel his precious Xiaoyi from the sect while he was away from the capital!
“Absolutely true.” Eunuch Hong curtsied and added fuel to the fire: “General Lan, His Majesty also said that the Second Young Master Lan is eccentric and domineering. Now that you are back in the capital, you must teach him a lesson so that he does not go astray.”
Lan Youguang clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, gritting his teeth: "That Yan Fengci, how dare he corrupt my son... I'm going to confront him right now!"
With that, he pushed off the ground with his toes and rushed to the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.
Eunuch Hong curtsied and said, "General Lan, please take care."
Prime Minister Cui took all of this into view.
After pondering for a moment, he couldn't help but ask Eunuch Hong in a low voice, "Eunuch Hong, did Lord Ji bring any good news from the Ministry of Revenue's public lands?"
Eunuch Hong smiled and said, "Prime Minister, this old servant is just a servant and dares not presume to discuss state affairs."
Cui Xiang's eyes darkened.
He really is a lackey, extremely loyal.
He glanced at the imperial study one last time, then turned and left.
......
Half an hour later, a low-profile carriage drove out of the Vermilion Bird Gate.
There were four people sitting in the carriage: the emperor, Ji Benchang, Yue Zhenchuan, and Xu Zhijie.
It was the first time Yue Zhenchuan and Xu Zhijie had ridden alongside the emperor, so they were inevitably a little nervous.
Ji Benchang, however, remained relaxed and kept pressing for details: "Old Yue, please tell me more carefully, besides land reclamation and seedling cultivation, what else did Prime Minister Cui say? Did he mention any specific candidates or regulations?"
Yue Zhenchuan glanced at the Emperor secretly, intending to ask if he could answer, but unexpectedly, the Emperor answered for him directly: "He is in a hurry and wants me to issue an edict as soon as possible to select talented people to go to the Northwest."
"In a hurry?" Ji Benchang stroked his chin, pondering repeatedly. "What's he in such a hurry for? The Northwest is barren; there's not much profit to be made in the salt industry, the cloth industry, or agriculture..."
"cough--"
Yue Zhenchuan coughed lightly, subtly stepping on Ji Benchang's foot to signal him not to be so blunt.
Unexpectedly, this move hit Ji Benchang right where it hurt.
Ji Benchang cried out in pain, his face contorted in agony as he gasped for breath.
The Emperor was displeased: "Yue Qing, Ji Qing's leg injury has not yet healed."
Yue Zhenchuan was stunned.
Ji Benchang made outrageous remarks, but His Majesty was not displeased at all; on the contrary, he defended him.