Chapter 229

Chapter 229

Upon returning home, Chen Qingyan had already arrived, as the Ministry of Revenue was closer to their residence.

"How was your first day on duty? Did you settle in well?" Chen Qingyan asked, taking the bag from his hands.

Wang Ying rubbed his neck. "It was alright. I didn’t do much today—just got acquainted with the people at the Ministry of Agriculture and met an official named Yu. He’s read the two books I wrote and asked me many questions from them."

Chen Qingyan smiled. "That’s good. I was worried all day that you might face ostracism."

"Well, there was some ostracism. Some of the older officials can’t accept a ger serving as an official."

Chen Qingyan paused, his expression tense. "How did you handle it?"

"I reasoned with them, of course. They asked me what qualifications I had to join the Ministry of Agriculture, so I told them about the wheat seeds I cultivated and my farming manuals. You should’ve seen how pale their faces turned."

"And then? Did they continue to give you a hard time?"

"Not really. Lord Wen happened to arrive and admonished them. The matter was dropped after that. Don’t worry—I didn’t take their words to heart."

Once inside, Chen Qingyan brought Wang Ying a cup of warm water. "Speaking of which, you’ve always been braver than me. Back when we first married, you dared to help Mother drive Second Uncle’s family away. Lying in bed, listening to you scold him, I felt so relieved!"

Wang Ying couldn’t help but chuckle. "Why bring that up now?"

"I just think your temperament is better suited for government service than mine."

Wang Ying was taken aback and turned to look at Chen Qingyan. "Has someone in the Ministry of Revenue been gossiping about you too?"

"No, no," Chen Qingyan denied quickly.

Wang Ying took his hand. "We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. If you won’t tell me the truth, I’ll learn of it myself."

"Alright, fine. There has been some gossip, but I ignored them."

It was more than just gossip. That morning, several colleagues had specifically advised him not to let his husband be out in public, lecturing him about husbandly virtues, almost pointing fingers and accusing him of having no decorum.

Though Chen Qingyan didn’t openly confront them, he firmly held his position. While he was generally even-tempered, when it came to his husband, no one had the right to preach!

Wang Ying had suspected there would be talk. "Those officials have nothing better to do than gather and gossip like village women. They’re just idle."

Chen Qingyan sighed wryly. "Exactly. The treasury was drained from years of war. This spring, the winter wheat in the north failed, and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the south flooded. The Ministry of Revenue can’t collect enough grain and has to spend money on disaster relief everywhere. The higher-ups are desperate, while the lower-ranked officials have nothing to do."

"The south is facing disasters too?"

"The situation in the south isn’t too bad. It’s just an excuse for the major aristocratic families to avoid handing over grain."

Chen Qingyan continued, "Do you know why the emperor risked criticism from scholars to appoint you to the Ministry of Agriculture?"

Wang Ying shook his head. How would he know?

"The reason lies here. Initially, the court wanted to use the war to restrain the aristocratic families, but now the situation has reversed—the south is restraining the court."

The Wu Dynasty has been stable for many years. Is there money? Yes, but it’s all in the pockets of the aristocratic families, who took it back with them when they retreated south.

Although the fertile land left behind has been reclaimed by the emperor, it will take time to yield harvests. With natural disasters striking just as they took over, if the disaster isn’t contained this time, the southern families will likely make their move.

After hearing this analysis, Wang Ying felt a pang of fear. Having just experienced one war, he didn’t want the country to descend into internal strife again.

"Right now, the court is resorting to desperate measures. Not only did they appoint you, but they’re also procuring grain nationwide. Recently, the Ministry of Revenue has started working on issuing grain tax vouchers."

"What are grain tax vouchers?"

"The southern aristocratic families and merchant princes have inflated grain prices. If we try to buy grain with silver, we’d bankrupt the treasury without acquiring much. The Minister proposed issuing grain tax vouchers—using them to exchange for grain. The people who hold these vouchers can use one dou of grain to cover one and a half dou when paying taxes next year."

Wang Ying said, "That’s a good idea, but it’s only a temporary solution."

"It’s still under discussion and hasn’t been implemented yet. It’s expected to be rolled out nationwide by the end of September. Hopefully, the grain collected will help the northern people weather this hardship."

After discussing official matters, Yuanbao came home. Chen Qingyan tested him on his lessons for the day, while Wang Ying went to the kitchen to see to dinner. Since he introduced potatoes, everyone in the household had grown fond of them.

Whether stir-fried, deep-fried, or stewed, potatoes tasted delicious. They were added to supper again.

Just as the meal was almost ready, Old Liang returned. His health improved recently, and he often spent his days visiting new friends, including the chancellor of the Imperial College and his close companion Xiao Jingran.

Initially, it was Lord Xiao who admired Old Liang. The old man, wanting his grandson to study well at the Imperial College, had intentionally joined their company.

But as they spent more time together, Old Liang found the two men quite agreeable. Both shared a love for traveling to see the world. Years ago, Qi and Xiao had traveled in the south for several years before returning to the capital to work at the Imperial College, where they felt confined.

Liang Boqing, unable to travel due to his health, also felt similarly constrained. The three found common ground in their shared limitations and quickly became friends.

"Little Wang Ying, how was your first day at work?"

"Not bad. I handled it adequately."

Old Liang laughed heartily. "I know you’re different from ordinary gers—your temperament is more like a man’s. You’re capable, decisive, and have presence. I believe you’ll distinguish yourself at the Ministry of Agriculture."

Wang Ying replied, "That’s all thanks to the potatoes you gifted to Lord Wen."

Liang Boqing rubbed his nose and pretended not to admit it. "What’s for dinner?"

"Potatoes."

…

That evening, Wang Ying went to the experimental field to check on the development of the newly planted potatoes. These were sown after the wheat harvest, with the growth rate tripled.

Normally, the growth cycle is about ninety days, but with the acceleration, they would be ready for harvest in just a month.

Wang Ying crouched at the edge of the field and pulled up a plant, revealing six or seven potato tubers the size of eggs. They were growing well and would likely be ready for harvest in another half month.

After inspecting the potatoes, he went to another experimental field to check on the wheat seedlings. This batch was part of his research on high-yield wheat. Wang Ying had crossbred the Changfeng No. 3 with a traditional Wu Dynasty wheat variety, but the results so far were unsatisfactory. He planned to try other varieties next time.

After recording the data, he returned to his room. Both he and his husband were tired and went to bed early.

*

The next day, Wang Ying woke up early again to go to the Ministry of Agriculture.

After yesterday’s experience, he felt more at ease today. Since these people didn’t welcome him, he saw no need to engage with them. It was better to maintain his distance.

After signing in, he went straight to his office. The Yang brothers were already waiting there, bringing him the duties assigned to him for the day.

As a seventh-rank official, Wang Ying’s responsibilities were relatively light. His main duty was to record the growth of crops in the ministry’s fields, similar to a modern-day agricultural researcher, which aligned well with his expertise.

Coincidentally, Lord Wen was taking him to inspect the fields in the outskirts of the capital that day. Wang Ying prepared his gear and prepared to leave.

Around the early morning hours, after the morning court session ended, Lord Wen returned from the palace. He called for not only Wang Ying but also several other officials, including Minister Zang, who had denounced Wang Ying most vehemently the day before.

They split into three carriages and left the city through the west gate, traveling for over an hour before arriving at the fields in the outskirts.

The fields spanned thirty-five qing (a unit of area), thirty of which were imperial farms whose produce went directly to the palace. The remaining five qing were experimental fields for the Ministry of Agriculture, where newly cultivated crops and varieties transplanted from other regions were concentrated.

After getting off the carriage, Wang Ying saw severely parched fields, with hundreds of farmers hauling water to irrigate them.

Even this was just a drop in the bucket. It was said that the largest river near the capital was almost dried up, and it probably wouldn't hold out much longer.

If the capital was in such a state, one could only imagine what other places were like.

The tenant farmers in the fields, seeing the officials approach, quickly set down their buckets and knelt to kowtow. They only dared to look up and stand after the group had moved on.

The group walked along the narrow path beside the ridges. The clerk responsible for this land introduced as they walked, "These are soybeans and mung beans, all planted after the wheat harvest. For now, the growth seems passable; they’re already podding and should mature in about a month."

Wang Ying stepped into the field, plucked a pod, and squeezed it. "Severe water shortage during the flowering and pod-setting stage. Even if they grow, we won't get much of a harvest."

The clerk swallowed his words, not daring to rebut. He didn’t know Wang Ying or what his status was.

However, the official Yu, who was standing behind him, nodded and said, "That’s right. Most of the pods here are empty."

The clerk dropped to his knees with a thud. "Please forgive me, sir. We’ve followed the instructions to water every ten days, but with no rain, the land is parched, and the soil just won't hold the moisture…"

Wen Yanping raised his hand. "Get up. This is a natural disaster; it's no one's fault. Since these beans won't amount to much, there’s no need to waste manpower watering them."

Moving further ahead, they reached the experimental fields with various plants. Wang Ying even spotted the tomatoes he had brought over, though they looked wilted, and the fruit they did bear was pitifully small.

Seeing Wang Ying engrossed in examining the tomatoes, Zang Mingsheng couldn’t resist sneering, "Magistrate Wang has never seen this before, has he? It only reached our capital a few years ago. I was the one who cultivated it here last year—it's still quite a rarity…"

Wang Ying shot him a look that said 'idiot' and walked straight past him. He reached out to trim the tomato plant. "This plant is called tomato, belonging to the Solanaceae family, order Solanales. Its growth cycle is four to five months, and it can be annual or perennial. However, during cultivation, the plant must be pruned; otherwise, it will affect its growth and yield."

"The pruning method is simple: single-stem pruning, which means removing all the side shoots. For double-stem pruning, you leave the first side shoot that appears just below the first flower cluster."

The others quickly gathered around to learn.

After listening, Yu Xin asked curiously, "How is Magistrate Wang so familiar with this plant?"

Wang Ying explained, "The tomato was first found in my homeland. Though I lack talent, I’ve grown them for a few years and sold vegetables to make a living."

The group suddenly understood—this was like showing off your axe-play in front of Lu Ban, the master carpenter.

Zang Mingsheng’s face flushed red, and he stood rooted to the spot, wishing the earth would swallow him up.

Along the way, whenever Wang Ying saw a crop, he would offer insights—methods to handle pests and diseases, as well as fertilization techniques and dosages.

Gradually, everyone let go of their prejudices. Being personally appointed by the emperor, he surely had skills. It seemed this young master Wang was indeed no ordinary person.

When they reached the last plot, about ten acres in size, Wen Yanping said to Wang Ying, "This land is reserved for you. I hope you can successfully cultivate potatoes here."

"I will not fail in this task!"