Jiang Laosi smiled and said, "Your Highness, according to the news from Kaifeng, the reason why General Zong took action against Liu Guangshi's army was because of the order of the Supreme Emperor!"
"That makes sense. If there is an order from the Supreme Emperor, it is not considered disloyal."
Then she thought of something again, "How is the situation with Wang Zaixing?"
"I have been in contact with Zhu Shengfei several times, but I haven't received a clear answer yet." Jiang Laosi replied.
Zhao Yingluo nodded slightly, "This Zhu Shengfei has some backbone! Continue to pay close attention to his movements! If possible, try to win his support!"
"Follow your orders!" Jiang Laosi bowed his hands and withdrew.
……
The rice planting month in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas is usually before June. To meet the deadline for late rice planting, Zhao Yingluo finally bought a hundred acres of land and planted rice seedlings.
This batch of seedlings was carefully cultivated by her in the laboratory, drawing on the old man's lifelong efforts.
Seeing the neatly planted seedlings, Zhao Yingluo relaxed a little. If those farmers knew that the rice yield per acre could reach two thousand kilograms, they would probably be so surprised that they fainted on the spot.
On the field ridge, buffaloes were gnawing on young grass, while Jiang Laosi was explaining to the farmers basic knowledge on field management after planting seedlings.
Zhao Yingluo found a cool place, blew in the breeze, drank mountain spring water, and left all the worries of the court disputes behind.
……
The quarrels in the court had made Zhu Shengfei very unhappy in the past few days. Now that Mr. Lu has returned to his hometown as official, the main fighting faction has lost its backbone and is at a disadvantage with the surrendering faction.
Hearing that Qin Hui was going to suggest that the officials and the Jin people should attack from the north and the south in the near future, with the intention of destroying Zhao Yingluo's army of hundreds of thousands, he was so angry that he almost slapped Qin Hui in the court hall.
But in the end, reason prevailed over emotion.
After going to court, he took a few days off and planned to return to his hometown in the countryside on the outskirts of the city to recuperate for a few days.
Three carriages brought his family, a dozen servants on foot, and ten guards on horseback to protect him.
Seeing farmers busy in the fields outside the carriage window, Zhu Shengfei ordered his carriage to stop and strolled to the field edge, "Brother, how is the rice harvest in a normal year?"
An elderly farmer saw a rich and luxuriously dressed man and asked him. The wrinkles on his face relaxed and he revealed a simple and honest smile.
"If we catch up with the good weather, if the yield per mu can reach two or three stones, it will be considered a high yield!"
"With this kind of output, can we possibly have enough food and clothing?"
"After deducting the rent, we can barely get a household registration. If there is a disaster, life will be difficult."
Zhu Shengfei let out a long sigh. Food is the most important thing for the people. If the weather is good, farmers can only make ends meet. In bad years, how many people will suffer from hunger? If...if these paddy fields were as productive as those of corn and wheat around Kaifeng, farmers would no longer have to worry about food and clothing.
But this is also what if!Now that the officials are determined to eliminate Zhao Yingluo's threat to their throne, how can they allow her to help these poor farmers in Lin'an?
He was worried about the farmers' food and clothing problems. He raised his eyes and saw Zhao Yingluo lying in the shade of a tree. Seeing her lying leisurely on the grass and watching the farmers working in the fields, he walked over.
Judging from his appearance, he is probably the steward of the owner of this land. Nowadays, the rich who own the land do not have to work, but they can live well and live well, while the farmers have to worry about their livelihoods all year round. It is really unfair.
"Sir, you are so leisurely and at ease, do you know the hard work of the farmers?" When Zhao Yingluo saw a man who looked like a high official talking to her, she stood up and sat up, looked up at him and said with a smile, "How does this sir know that I don't know the farmers?" of hard work?”
Zhu Shengfei was slightly startled. He probably didn't expect that this delicate-looking steward would actually ask him, "Sir, you have never been to the fields, how can you know the hard work of farmers?"
Zhao Yingluo didn't answer his words. She got up and walked straight to a paddy field where rice seedlings had not yet been planted. She took off her shoes and socks, revealing her white and delicate feet.
Then he picked up a handful of seedlings with his left hand and stepped into the paddy field with both feet. "Sir, do you know how many spacings there are between each seedling? How wide is each row? When is it sown and when is it harvested? How to manage and maintain it?"
Zhu Shengfei was speechless. He had never worked, so how could he know this? Zhao Yingluo smiled slightly and answered him while planting the rice seedlings skillfully, "Each plant is one finger apart, and each row is spaced two fingers apart! Early rice in March, mid-rice in April, late rice in May, July and August are the harvest period..."
Zhu Shengfei saw that his rice transplanting technique was even more skillful than that of the nearby old farmers. Every row was inserted straight, as if he had measured it with a ruler. His face turned red because he was being abrupt!He's a veteran.
After inserting almost two lines, Zhao Yingluo simply rinsed her hands and feet with water and returned to Zhu Shengfei again, "Sir, do I know the hard work of the farmers?"
"Sir, I hide everything, please forgive me for being rude!"
After Zhu Shengfei apologized, he saw that the delicate steward was a bit indifferent, so he stepped forward and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"
"Zhao Yan!"
"It turns out to be Mr. Zhao. I have a few questions, and I hope you can answer them."
Zhao Yingluo glanced at him and saw that he was quite respectful. She bit a grass stem and said vaguely, "Just tell me."
“May I ask what the rice yield per acre can be?”
Before Zhao Yingluo spoke, Jiang Laosi, who had explained how the farmers worked, came back and said for her, "Sir, the yield of these seedlings can reach about ten shi per mu!"
Zhu Shengfei probably didn't believe his ears, "Is it... is it four stones?"
Jiang Laosi took the trouble to emphasize one side and gestured with his hands, "It's ten stones!"
Zhu Shengfei couldn't help but smile when he saw him so confidently swearing, "Is this brother joking? I have been an official for more than ten years, but I have never heard of a rice yield of ten shi per acre."
When Jiang Laosi was about to argue with him, Zhao Yingluo grabbed the conversation and asked, "Have you ever heard of Zhao Yingluo?"
Zhu Shengfei nodded, "She is a strange woman. She can actually make the wheat yield reach ten stones per mu! There are also strange seeds such as corn and potatoes..."
"Zhao Yingluo can make the wheat yield reach ten stones per mu. Can't I make the rice yield reach ten stones per mu?"
"This……"
"Zhao Yingluo can get strange seeds, can't I?"
Zhu Shengfei was silent. In his opinion, Zhao Yingluo in the Song Dynasty was already blessed by the emperor and heaven. If this young man could also increase the rice yield per mu to ten stones, it would be a double blessing from Emperor Taizu and the emperor.
"Sir, you are joking. If you know how easy it is to get those strange seeds, how could Zhao Yingluo have the statue enshrined by the people of the Central Plains?"
Zhao Yingluo didn't want to continue arguing with him. After all, she could only rely on facts to convince him to believe in her.