Chapter 47: Economic Crops

Chapter 47: Economic Crops

The Cheng family was involved in too many shady dealings. If Zheng Shanci found out, the Cheng family would be finished. Therefore, they had no choice but to oppose Zheng Shanci. As for the Gao family, they had always followed Patriarch Cheng's lead.

The four patriarchs discussed briefly, deciding to first hide their own dirty secrets to avoid Zheng Shanci digging up old accounts. Patriarch Cheng let out a heavy sigh and returned home to inform Cheng Ru.

Cheng Ru's expression darkened. "Let's first see what Lord Zheng is up to. If he digs too deep, we'll have to take him out. Xinfeng County is out of the emperor's reach, and if something happens, it's unavoidable."

Patriarch Cheng was taken aback. He didn't see himself as ruthless as his father, who would directly kill a government official. If the higher-ups investigated, the Cheng family would be done for. Patriarch Cheng still held onto a sliver of hope—what if Zheng Shanci was just trying to scare them? In that case, they wouldn't go to extremes. Once his three-year term was up, they would go their separate ways, and there would be no further connection.

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

After the New Year holidays, the county officials gradually returned to work. Most had enjoyed a good holiday, and the atmosphere in the county office was relaxed, except for Deputy Magistrate Qi, who often seemed distracted.

The scent of flowers filled the air as the spring rain fell gently. Scribe Jiang rushed to the door with an umbrella, instructing Wang Fu to announce his arrival.

Wang Fu: "Scribe Jiang, the magistrate is asking you to come in."

Scribe Jiang closed his umbrella and entered, bowing to Zheng Shanci. "Lord Zheng, the merchant caravan is back. They've brought the items you requested. You can go and check them out now. Once the final payment is settled, the goods will be yours."

Hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Zheng Shanci's face. He stood up and said, "Let me change into something more casual first, then I'll accompany you to meet the Fan family."

The Fan merchant caravan often traveled through Qingzhou, and Xinfeng County was a town under Qingzhou's jurisdiction. Zheng Shanci changed into casual clothes and then went with Scribe Jiang and Tan He.

Scribe Jiang, ever the diplomat, had already reserved a private room at the Zheng family's restaurant, allowing the leader of the Fan caravan to enjoy some pastries in advance. When Zheng Shanci entered, the leader of the Fan caravan was a middle-aged man in his forties. Fan Ping raised an eyebrow as he saw Scribe Jiang trailing behind a young man.

"Please, take a seat. What should I call you?" Zheng Shanci asked.

"My name is Fan Ping, Lord Zheng."

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

"I want to know, how much cargo did your caravan bring?" Zheng Shanci got straight to the point without any pretense.

"Scribe Jiang told us you needed poplar, willow, pear, and jujube trees. We picked up a lot along the way, enough to cover a third of Xinfeng County. As for hawthorn, goji berries, licorice, atractylodes, and sea buckthorn, since they are medicinal herbs, their prices are higher. We weren't sure how much you could handle, so we bought less. The total for these comes to about four hundred taels of silver."

Scribe Jiang was shocked to hear this—it was way more expensive than expected.

Fan Ping explained, "The trees themselves aren't worth much, totaling only seventy to eighty taels of silver. It's the medicinal herbs Lord Zheng wants to plant that are costly."

He thought about jacking up the price but decided against it. He wanted to maintain a good relationship with the magistrate of Xinfeng County and offer them a fair price. Given the large quantity of seeds they had ordered, it seemed they were planning to cultivate on a large scale and sell the produce later. This meant there would be many opportunities for future dealings, so there was no need to be greedy now.

The deposit paid to the caravan was forty taels of silver. Fortunately, the county office currently had funds. Zheng Shanci pulled out a banknote from his pocket. Before leaving, he had withdrawn five hundred taels of silver from the county office and now paid Fan Ping three hundred and sixty taels in full.

"Tan He, go find Archivist Zhu and have these items stored in the warehouse."

"Yes, Lord Zheng."

Tan He was surprised that Zheng Shanci had been in contact with the Fan caravan since last autumn. Despite his shock, he followed Zheng Shanci's orders and went to the county office to find Archivist Zhu.

Fan Ping: "The goods are right outside the restaurant. My men know Archivist Zhu and won't unload the wrong items."

The dishes ordered by Scribe Jiang were served, and the waiter left after setting the table. They drank a little wine, and Zheng Shanci said, "Master Fan, are you interested in purchasing medicinal herbs from Xinfeng County?"

"Lord Zheng, the medicinal herb business is highly profitable, so we are naturally interested. If Lord Zheng can sell the herbs to us, we will offer a satisfactory price."

Zheng Shanci only briefly mentioned the matter today. It would be better to discuss pricing with Fan Ping once the herbs were harvested. The meal was a hit with both host and guest. After the meal, they each returned home. The seeds Zheng Shanci had been waiting for had finally arrived. The trees were slightly more expensive than usual, but Fan Ping hadn't brought saplings. These trees could be planted directly and would bear fruit by autumn. Zheng Shanci was quite satisfied with the price.

Back at the county office, Zheng Shanci instructed Scribe Jiang to post a notice outside: "Have a minor official notify the heads of the four major towns to spread the word to the villages and ensure the matter is expedited."

"Yes, Lord Zheng," Scribe Jiang responded promptly and hurried off to attend to the matter. He sensed that completing this task would count as a political achievement. Maybe he could even gain some political clout working with Zheng Shanci. As a scholar who had passed the provincial exams, it was not impossible for him to climb further up the ranks.

The liquid fertilizer that Zheng Shanci had prepared was now ready for use in the spring. The fertilizer was a liquid, and Zheng Shanci had written a recipe for it. He had the clerks post notices outside the county office and instructed the workshop staff to start producing the liquid fertilizer. Villagers could buy it here for a small fee if they didn’t know how to make it.

With the arrival of spring, there was much to be done. Zheng Shanci was also thinking about Jinxing Town’s grain problem. He planned to discuss the matter with Deputy Magistrate Qi and other officials the next day. Jinxing Town had always paid higher taxes based on its grain production, but the land was suffering from severe soil and water erosion. It was time to consider planting different crops.

Scribe Jiang’s notice promoted planting pear, jujube, willow, and poplar trees. The county office would buy the fruits from these trees, so the people need not worry about finding buyers. The notice also encouraged the cultivation of medicinal herbs, with seeds available for purchase at low prices from the county office, which would then buy back the harvested herbs.

Those who understood the market were delighted to see that the purchase price offered by the county office was even one coin higher than the market rate. Ordinary farmers, who always considered profit when choosing crops, were reassured that the county office would buy their produce. They could plant confidently, knowing they’d earn money. This was a real win for them.

For the illiterate, a scholar from the county school was called upon to explain.

"So, if we plant medicinal herbs, the county office will buy them, and we won’t have to worry about selling them ourselves."

"Like with chili peppers, soybeans, and sesame, the county office handles sales. With the county office backing us, I’m willing to plant medicinal herbs, especially since they fetch a higher price."

"Our county has mostly sandy soil, which isn’t suitable for growing grain. Jinxing Town is the only one in the entire county still relying on grain cultivation."

"I’m leaning toward planting medicinal herbs—they pay better. Since it’s an official notice from the county office, we know it’s legitimate."

Zheng Shanci had set up chili pepper workshops, oil presses, and textile workshops, employing many villagers. Those who hadn’t been hired watched enviously as the others boasted.

Thanks to these moves, Zheng Shanci had earned the trust of Xin Feng’s people.

It was early spring, and the villagers had just tilled their land but hadn’t yet planted anything. Now, they spent money to buy seeds and saplings to take home and plant.

Minor officials from the four major towns were sent to spread the word. The mayor of Dongxing Town had been waiting for this and immediately took silver to the county office to buy seeds. After suffering from water shortages in the winter, the workshop staff had found and dug wells for them this spring. Now, upon hearing about the county’s new policy, they were the first to respond.

Three of the major towns came to buy seeds, but Jinxing Town remained inactive.

Zheng Shanci sent the workshop staff back to demonstrate the liquid fertilizer-making process several times so the townspeople could learn. The higher-ups talk, the lower-downs run. At first, it looked like Lord Zheng just wanted to make money with a few workshops, but after spring, he had taken significant action.

The clerks rushed around, and Deputy Magistrate Qi heard about it too, thinking that Zheng Shanci was just causing unnecessary trouble. Considering that Zheng was using his own money, Deputy Magistrate Qi’s expression darkened further.

The minor officials rode swiftly to the towns and villages.

"Medicinal herbs fetch high prices. Lord Zheng also mentioned something about liquid fertilizer. Someone will come to demonstrate it, so you all should pay attention and then teach the villagers," the village head instructed a few young men.

"Understood, Village Head."

Since Zheng Shanci received the goods from Fan Ping, the entire Xin Feng County had been set in motion. Zheng Shanci always ran the county office this way—he disliked delays and even forced the clerks to write concise official documents. With such top-down efficiency, things moved quickly.

...

While riding horses, Xu Geer asked Yu Lanyi with a smile, "Lan Yi, are you heading back now?"

Yu Lanyi wiped the sweat from his face. "I’ve ridden enough. I think I’ll head back first."

Yu Lanyi changed out of his riding clothes. Recently, the Xia, Gao, Cheng, and Qi families had been sending him invitations, either to visit their mansions or to deliver gifts. Yu Lanyi was getting annoyed with them and had come out for a ride.

Zheng Shanci was busy with official duties at the county office and couldn’t afford to accept these gifts, as doing so would create obligations. Moreover, Zheng Shanci’s work often conflicted with the interests of the city’s wealthy families, so Yu Lanyi simply avoided them.

The Xu family collected rent from shops and stalls, so they had little to do with the four major families in the city.

Xu Geer also knew what the four families were after—they wanted to probe Yu Lanyi for information about Lord Zheng and, at the same time, learn more about Yu Lanyi’s family background. After all, everyone had seen how General Yu was sent off last year.

The Xu family’s spies, sent to gather information, returned in the spring. Xu Geer learned about Yu Lanyi’s background and found it reasonable. Only such a family could have raised someone as spoiled and naive as Yu Lanyi.

Yu Lanyi wasn’t at home, but Lin Geer and Zheng Qingyin were. Mrs. Cheng arrived with gifts.

Lin Geer said, "Madam, please take these gifts back. We cannot accept them."

"And this is..."

Deng Xue said, "Mrs. Cheng, this is the young master's husband, Young Master Zheng."

Mrs. Cheng understood and smiled, "These are just some small tokens. It would be an honor if Lord Zheng finds them pleasing. The young master is quite handsome. Has he been betrothed yet?"

Upon hearing Mrs. Cheng's words, Zheng Qingyin hid behind Lin Geer.

"Mrs. Cheng need not concern herself with that. If there is nothing further, please take your leave," Lin Geer issued the dismissal.

As a woman of standing, Mrs. Cheng felt it improper to linger and had her maid take the gifts back. Seated in the carriage, she clutched a warming pan, "If it weren't for my son, I wouldn't have bothered to make this trip."

Patriarch Cheng might as well be dead. She bitterly regretted marrying him. Drawn by the Cheng family's honorable reputation and scholarly heritage, she had happily married into the family, only to uncover the rot within. Patriarch Cheng was a man of loose morals, surrounding himself with comely servants and frequenting pleasure houses. His mediocrity was matched only by his arrogance. Were it not for her two sons, Mrs. Cheng would not have endured so patiently.

With a sigh, Mrs. Cheng returned home to find her husband in the quarters of one of his concubines. She retreated to her chambers, too weary to contend with the mess.

Some noble families present a glittering facade, but only those who wed into them know the bitterness within. Women and young men must select their partners with care, lest their lives be ruined. Separation is unthinkable, as the family would never permit it, fearing scandal and the repercussions on other family members' matches, so they suffer in silence.

In the capital, An Geer's engagement had been broken, and of late, his family had been treading lightly around him. His brother, the Heir of Marquis Anxin, had even considered confronting his former betrothed, who had already been sent away by his family to avoid causing trouble.

The Heir of Marquis Anxin visited his brother after court, still caring for him despite the family's plans to marry him off.

"Still feeling down? Let's go horseback riding in the countryside," the Heir of Marquis Anxin suggested at the door.

An Geer replied, "Big brother, no need. I'll just stay in my room."

After a while, footsteps were heard as the Heir of Marquis Anxin left.

An Geer had been confined to his room for a whole month, not seeing anyone. His family was at a loss, afraid to upset him further. With the engagement broken, they couldn't arrange a new one without causing gossip. The Anxin Marquis's family had become enemies with An Geer's former fiancé's family, causing a stir in the court, which Emperor Wuming watched with amusement.

An Geer was not in a hurry about his marriage. It wasn't until his fiancé was caught in the act with a servant that he felt relieved, finally able to break off the engagement. He shed a few tears, gritted his teeth, and made a show of being heartbroken, which won everyone's support.

Now that the engagement was off, finding another match was troublesome. High society families, regardless of the reason for the broken engagement, considered such events unlucky and preferred to avoid the hassle. There were plenty of good young men and women in the capital to choose from.

The Heir of Marquis Anxin went out to drink with a few close friends, chatting freely. They had grown up together and spoke without reservation, eventually discussing An Geer's situation.

"We're already married, otherwise we'd take him in. We can't not look after your brother."

"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 Marquis Anxin sighed, "It's too late to say anything now. An Geer has locked himself in his room and won't come out. He's really hurt this time."

One of the drunk friends slammed the table, "What's there to fear? As his elder brother, you should find An Geer a better husband, one that would make the Zhang family choke on their own bile."

"If it were someone like you, I wouldn't want it," the Heir of Marquis Anxin knew his friends' characters and didn't want his brother married to any of them.

At that moment, Yu Zhangxing, just out of the palace, passed by the tavern. He wasn't riding a horse and was dressed in the uniform of the deputy commander of the imperial guards, looking majestic and dignified.

A drunken youth pointed at Yu Zhangxing and slammed the table, "Isn't Yu Zhangxing the one all the matchmakers in the capital are clamoring for? With him around, how many young ladies and gentlemen in the capital are eagerly watching? If we could arrange a marriage with Yu Zhangxing, it would be a great way to vent our anger and leave the Zhang family speechless."

Hearing this, the Heir of Marquis Anxin turned his gaze to Yu Zhangxing, pondering the possibility. His intense gaze caught Yu Zhangxing's attention, who, recognizing the Heir of Marquis Anxin, nodded slightly and walked away.

Indeed, Yu Zhangxing was the dream match for all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in the capital. With a good family background, a promising future, and the decent upbringing of the Marquis of Changyang's family—though this upbringing seemed to apply only to Yu Zhangxing.

The Heir of Marquis Anxin kept this in mind.

...

Zheng Shanci had gone to great lengths in Xinxing County: "The land in Jinxing Town can no longer be used to grow grain. This year's grain tax can be covered by purchasing grain from other counties. We can resume planting next year, and rotating crops will improve the fertility of the land."

Deputy Magistrate Qi was determined to oppose Zheng Shanci, but unfortunately, Scribe Jiang and Archivist Zhu did not side with him. Zheng Shanci was resolute in implementing this plan, and since it was only being discussed within the county office, Deputy Magistrate Qi's opposition was completely ineffective.

These days had been busy, and Zheng Shanci had a quick meal in the county office's canteen before heading home.

The spring nights were no longer cold, and Zheng Shanci's expression gradually relaxed. He returned to his room, where Yu Lanyi sat by the bed, not engaged in any reading today. After washing up, Zheng Shanci climbed into bed and apologized, "I've been swamped lately. I'll carve out some time to be with you soon."

Yu Lanyi reached out and touched Zheng Shanci's lips. He felt frustrated but knew he had to be understanding. Once they reached the capital, he would ask his father and brother to arrange a less demanding position for Zheng Shanci.

"Ahem, aren't you off duty tomorrow?" Yu Lanyi asked with restraint.

"Right, I'll spend the day with you," Zheng Shanci immediately agreed.

Yu Lanyi leaned in, his breath lightly brushing Zheng Shanci's face. Perhaps it was a man's instinct, but Zheng Shanci immediately wrapped his arms around Yu Lanyi's waist. The candles in the room had already been extinguished, and they could only vaguely see each other's outlines. Their eyes met in the darkness, and their breaths gradually intertwined. Zheng Shanci's nose touched Yu Lanyi's, and the tension between them heightened. Zheng Shanci turned and kissed Yu Lanyi's lips.