I fought back after reselling my engagement
Chapter 188: Princess Promotion
Because there were not enough vines this year, it took five batches to plant all the vines in the sweet potato fields on and below the mountain in Baixianzhuang. It would be a bit late to plant more. However, some of the sixth batch of yams were still planted in some wasteland. Farmers thought it would be better to plant something instead of leaving the land idle, so they could harvest some.
After yam, cotton was planted. As the seedlings were limited, they were intercropped with sweet potatoes, covering less than two acres of land.
Su Mo handed over the family's pawnshop, restaurant, money house and Yaxianzhuang business to Su Shilin, and took his brothers from the second, third and fourth rooms to Baixianzhuang to learn farming.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the early corn in Su Shao's greenhouse was ripe. He picked a few bags and brought them home to eat. The Governor's Mansion and the Su Mansion were relatives, so they sent some to the old lady, who praised the corn for being refreshing and delicious.
Sujiazhuang harvested some of the sixth batch of yam and planted them in the ground, hoping for a higher yield. Even if they didn't grow much, the sweet potato vines could be used to feed pigs.
All the piglets, chickens and ducklings of Sujiazhuang are purchased from Baixianzhuang. Indeed, the young livestock here are better than those elsewhere, and the pork is tastier. Even the chicken and duck eggs are bigger than those laid by chickens and ducks elsewhere.
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On the second day of June, after a day and night of pain, Yao Yun gave birth to a big fat boy, Su Mo's eldest son. Su Shilin was overjoyed and sent his servants to the Grand Commander's Mansion to announce the good news.
Su Mo had disliked Yao Yun before, but after observing Su Zhen, he let go of her completely because he realized that there was no result between him and Su Zhen. He became more compassionate to Yao Yun, and every time he came home on vacation, he would sit down and talk to her.
Yao Yun used to be jealous, but now she doesn't have any hatred at all. She is considerate, gentle, respectful to her parents-in-law, and does her best. Although Su Mo cannot give her love, he gradually gives her 50% of the respect and care that a legitimate wife should have.
Su Shilin named his eldest grandson "Su Changgeng" and held banquets for his third-day bath and full-month celebrations, inviting clan members and in-laws to celebrate.
Su Mo studied farming at Baixian Manor and met four other young masters from aristocratic families, who became his classmates and friends. As time went by, he became close friends with a young master named Li Meng.
Corn is harvested in July, and there are bags of golden corn. First, a batch of seeds are selected and weaved together to hang under the eaves, which is very beautiful. Then some are picked out to dry, grind, steam into steamed corn bread, bake into corn cakes, and then boil into corn soup. Su Zhen taught Chunxiao, Xiaoluo and the cook how to make several kinds of corn food.
Corn and cornmeal were sent to the emperor through the Inspectorate Guards.
When he arrived at the palace, someone would prepare steamed corn bread, corn cakes, corn soup, and steamed corn balls for the emperor to taste. The corn soup was delicious, and the corn balls were acceptable, but the emperor did not like corn cakes and steamed corn bread, and some of them were difficult to swallow.
Some agricultural officials recorded the intercropping of corn and sweet potatoes on one acre of land, how many kilograms of corn were harvested, and how many dried corns were harvested, waiting for the sweet potato and cotton harvest to come.
On the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Su Cang's wife, Wu, gave birth to a son. Su Shilin decided to name the son "Su Chang'an", after Su Cang's eldest daughter "Su Changning", which means a peaceful life. He also held a third-day bath and a full-moon banquet for the son.
Mrs. Wu was content with having a son. Now that she had escaped death, she lived with Su Shilin and his son, which provided her with more security than a woman living alone.
Su Shilin gave Wu a grocery store so that she could earn some money for herself.
Mrs. Wu also has a daughter who lives with them, so she will have to prepare a backup dowry in the future.
The old lady suffered a blow after experiencing the Su family's rebellion in Jiangnan. Her health deteriorated and she needed to take medicine frequently. It was not until Mrs. Wu gave birth to another great-grandson that she recovered some of her energy and spirit.
Wu wrote a letter to her parents to report her safety and tell them about her family affairs.
When the child was 100 days old, the Wu family in Suzhou sent a housekeeper to visit them and left a sum of money for Wu so that she could add to the family business and allow the mother and child to live a stable life.
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After the Qiqiao Festival, the mother potatoes are pulled out from the ground and chopped up to feed pigs.
After entering the beginning of July, the cotton fields have mature cotton. Every sunny afternoon, you can see village girls carrying baskets to pick cotton. The cotton is hung on a special bamboo fence for two days. Then it is pulled with bamboo strips and beaten to make it look like white clouds. When the cotton seeds are crackling, it is considered dry and the cotton is divided into grades and packed into sacks.
The cotton with long threads that feels soft and warm in the hand is put into one bag; the second best is put into another bag; the dead cotton needs to be repeatedly pulled with bamboo sticks until it becomes soft, white and swelled before being packed. The cotton that cannot swell after being beaten is called dead cotton and is useless. It can only be soaked in water and buried in the soil as fertilizer.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the cotton plants dried up and were pulled out.
Sweet potato vines can be harvested in large quantities. Pig farmers cut several vines every day and take them home, then cut them into small pieces to feed the pigs.
In September, the court sent officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to come.
There are a lot of sweet potatoes planted on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain. This time we came here to weigh the sweet potato yield and verify the corn and cotton yields.
Su Zhen ordered people to comb the cotton seeds, make quilts and cotton clothes to present to the emperor.
Cotton yarn was spun into cotton cloth, which was used to cover quilts to make them fit more closely. Several sets of undershirts were made for the emperor using plain cotton cloth.
The officials excitedly took the farmers to harvest sweet potatoes. The first batch did not have the highest yield, but the second and third batches had the highest yield. The second batch of sweet potatoes had a yield of 3,800 kilograms per mu; the third batch had 3,200 kilograms, and the first batch had 2,900 kilograms; the fourth batch had the same yield as the first batch, and the fifth batch had less than 2,000 kilograms.
The old vines and leaves of sweet potato vines can be fed to pigs, while the young leaves and vine tips can be used as cooking food.
Because six batches were planted, the number of sweet potatoes on and below the mountain is astonishing.
Su Zhen had farmers dig several cellars specifically for storing sweet potatoes early on. The sweet potatoes must not be bruised, and those with wounds when harvested must be eaten first, otherwise they will easily be damaged.
The officials ate boiled sweet potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato and corn porridge, and sent good news to the capital again and again, reporting the astonishing sweet potato production to the emperor.
The emperor was overjoyed and directly appointed officials to those who participated in the planting of corn, cotton, and sweet potatoes in Baixianzhuang. The eight sons of noble families, including Su Shao, were all appointed agricultural officials. Su Shao was appointed as an agricultural official in Hunan Province, Su Mo was appointed as an agricultural official in Yueyang Prefecture, and three of the other sons of noble families who were not married were appointed as agricultural officials in Beijing, while the married ones were appointed as agricultural officials in the states near Hunan Province, responsible for instructing and guiding the people in planting corn, cotton, and sweet potatoes.
The officials from Beijing took away Da Hu's family, who were good at planting. Da Hu and his son also had to go to Beijing to serve as agricultural officials. They took away 70% of the sweet potatoes, 70% of the corn, and 70% of the cotton, and more than ten sets of new farm tools.
Emperor Zhi sent his trusted confidant Li Dajian to Yueyang Prefecture to convey his order:
"By the Will of Heaven: The Emperor proclaims: Princess Jiarou Su Wenjiang has made great contributions to the people and will benefit future generations. She has planted cotton, corn, and sweet potatoes to provide food and clothing for the people. The sweet potato yield per mu is as high as 3,000 kilograms. Now, Qingdi County in the north is taken back and Jiaxing County in the south is granted as Mushiyi. The title of 'Jiarou' is changed to 'Jiaxing'. She is promoted to the position of princess and awarded a princess's mansion in the capital. The Ministry of Works is ordered to build the Jiaxing Princess's mansion within a time limit!"
Su Zhen raised his hands high, "Long live the emperor!"
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