kingnovel Chapter 864 Jiahe Garden
Chapter 864 Jiahe Garden
There were four carriages on this trip.
The second carriage held three agricultural engineers, and the last two carriages were loaded with sweet potatoes.
In the front carriage sat Shen Zheng and Ji Benchang, while Hua Duo and the Yulin Army were riding on horses beside it.
Ji Benchang was originally embarrassed to ride with Shen Zheng, but he really wanted to talk to Shen Zheng. After thinking it over, he decided to lift up all the curtains of the carriage.
Everyone could see the two of them, one sitting on the left side of the carriage, the other on the right side, with a small table between them, their backs straight, their eyes clear, all focused on work.
The destination of their trip was the public land in the suburbs of Shangjing.
The fields belong to the Ministry of Households, which are managed by agricultural engineers who record the growth of crops and hire special people to plant the crops. These people are farmers, also known as "agricultural engineer reserves."
If someone is careful and down-to-earth, has a sharp mind and rich planting experience, he or she may be nominated by the Ministry of Households and promoted to agricultural engineer as an exception. However, it is no exaggeration to say that such an opportunity is one in a thousand.
Although only one in a thousand can be selected, countless people are vying for the opportunity to farm the government fields.
Why?
Because those who study and take the imperial examinations are only one in tens of thousands, that is the real process of sifting through the sand.
In comparison, farming in the Ministry of Revenue was already a "shortcut to becoming an official."
The carriage was ventilated on three sides. Shen Zheng and Ji Benchang were talking while stroking their hair.
In fact, it was Ji Benchang who had been talking all the time.
"Haha, Master Shen, you don't know that my Ministry of Revenue has many official fields. This suburban official field is the closest to the city and meets your previous requirements."
Sandy loam soil, breathable, and able to retain water and fertilizer.
Shen Zheng's eyes were on Ji Benchang, but her peripheral vision was looking outside the car.
——It was clear that neither she nor Ji Benchang were wearing official robes, but the people outside were still looking at her like a monkey. What's more, she had clearly seen him at the previous intersection, and when she turned around, he appeared at the next intersection again.
"...Master Ji, how long will it take to leave the city?"
Ji Benchang craned his neck to take a look. "Almost, almost, two quarters of an hour."
After saying that, he suddenly slapped his head and said, "Oh, my brain."
Shen Zheng really didn't want to answer, but because of the other party's official rank, she still forced a smile and asked, "What's wrong, sir?"
"Today's work is over. Lord Shen, do you want to go and see the high-yield rice seedlings?" Ji Benchang's eyes lit up when he talked about rice. "Oh, those seedlings are so strong. I don't know what to say. I have lived for decades, and this is the first time I have seen such lush rice seedlings."
"..."
Fat?
Shangjing is located to the north, so the seedlings are grown later than in Tongan County. It is early May now, and the seedlings should be about to emerge.
Ji Benchang's words really aroused Shen Zheng's curiosity.
Last year in Tongan County, she saw the first batch of rice seedlings with her own eyes. The rice seedlings now in Shangjing City are considered their descendants. I wonder if they are as... plump as last year's batch?
"If the day is still good after we finish our work today, I would like to go and take a look." Shen Zheng said.
"You have to see it." Ji Benchang seemed to be inviting, but in fact it was kidnapping.
"Xiao Shen, let me tell you something." Unconsciously, his address had changed, "Last year's rice was grown by you, and although this year's rice is growing well, I and a group of agricultural engineers are still unsure."
Shen Zheng understood what he meant.
He and the agricultural teachers were afraid that the Ministry of Revenue would not grow crops well and would be reprimanded by the emperor, and would not be able to face the people.
They need contrast to feel at ease.
And her arrival is the best reassurance.
......
After the carriage left the city, it slowed down a little. Although the outside of the city was not as prosperous as inside the city, the atmosphere of life was stronger.
People selling vegetables on shoulders, washing clothes by the river, and horse-drawn carriages traveling from north to south all came to Shangjing in a hurry and left Shangjing at a leisurely pace.
Half a minute later, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the coachman stopped the carriage. Shen Zheng looked up and saw the stone archway above her head clearly engraved with "Jiahepu".
Except for the path leading into the garden, everywhere you look are neatly arranged bean ridges, with layers of dark green bean leaves swaying in the warm breeze.
"We're here." Ji Benchang signaled the driver to continue moving forward.
Just as the driver raised his whip, two little girls suddenly ran out from the garden. They didn't look at the road and almost bumped into the horses' legs.
The two were estimated to be around ten years old, with dark faces, greasy hair, and straw sandals on their feet, but they stepped on the ground with their thumbs to greet everyone.
Shen Zheng's heart sank when she saw this.
They seemed not to have expected to meet anyone when they went out, and there was fear in their eyes. But the next moment, the taller girl among them suddenly straightened her back, hugged the things in her arms tightly, grabbed another person and tried to run.
"Eh--"
There were shouts coming from the field, "Run slower, it's still..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly changed his tone, "You stupid girl, why don't you run faster? If I see you again next time, I will call the officials to arrest you! What bad luck! I met you two while on duty today!"
Anyone with discerning ears would know that these words were not meant for the two girls.
Shen Zheng thought about it for a moment, not quite understanding it, so she leaned out of the car window and looked back.
The taller girl happened to turn her head and looked her in the eye.
Those eyes were round, but not at all pleasing. Under the sunlight, Shen Zheng seemed to sense a ray of... murderous light?
The kind that appears to be powerful but is actually weak.
She was obviously shaking with fear, and some beans in her arms fell out, but she still kept her chin down and stared at Shen Zheng fiercely.
After a moment, Shen Zheng withdrew his gaze and sat back in the car.
As an "outsider official", she couldn't say much about the Ministry of Revenue's affairs.
Ji Benchang's expression was also a little complicated, but he did not speak to her, because the man who had just "spoken harshly" in the garden appeared in front of their car.
"My lords!" The man was about forty years old, his clothes were not much better than those of the two girls, and his fingers were covered with mud that could not be washed off.
He was a little nervous when speaking, but he still spoke to them with a trembling voice, "Are you from the Ministry of Revenue? Today, today... Oh, the steward is inspecting the fields in the garden. Do you want me to take you there?"
He didn't know the people in the carriage, but the seal of the Ministry of Revenue on the carriage could not be faked.
Lord from the Ministry of Revenue, why don't you go to Ruiguxuan by the river to see the rice seedlings, but instead come to our Jiahepu to see the beans?
Before Ji Benchang could speak, three agricultural engineers came from the carriage behind.
The most experienced and oldest teacher, Mr. Qu, looked through the carriage at Ji Benchang and asked him, "What's your name?"
"I am Yuan Guang!" Yuan Guang knelt down directly. He seemed to know that his previous words were heard by the official, so he kowtowed and said, "Sir, please spare my life, sir, please spare my life. Those two girls did not steal the beans in the garden. Those were all bad beans that were picked according to the regulations..."
As he was speaking, a man led dozens of people and rushed out from the garden.
The leader was about thirty years old, slightly fat, wearing a linen shirt, and his hands were covered in mud like Yuan Guang's.
He came hurriedly, ready to start a fight. Before Shen Zheng could react, Yuan Guang was kicked to the ground by him.
"You are a traitor! Are those two little girls your own? You should always give them some food. This is the Ministry of Revenue's experimental field, not a disaster relief center!"