Food bloggers made fortunes in ancient times

Beijing.

The inner courtyard of the imperial palace has red walls and green tiles.

At this time, the two little eunuchs were huddled in a corner of the imperial garden, lazing around.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, the two of them whispered to each other.

"Have you heard? Your Majesty the Dowager Concubine fell ill yesterday, and the imperial doctors were busy all night." The young eunuch lowered his voice, his eyes rolling around.

Empress Xiaociwen died early, and among the concubines of the late emperor, only the noble concubine had the highest rank. Even though the emperor was not close to the late emperor's favorite concubine, he still showed her all the necessary courtesy.

"Why did you get sick out of nowhere? Didn't you come out to enjoy the flowers the day before?" Another young eunuch scratched his head with a puzzled look on his face.

"It is said that he fell ill from missing His Royal Highness Prince Hui!" The little eunuch looked around and lowered his voice even more, "Think about it, His Royal Highness Prince Hui is far away in his fiefdom, and the noble concubine has only this one son..."

But right now the war in Hanzhou is tense, and even His Majesty has gone to war. Everyone in the palace is in danger. Who would care about the illness of a concubine like her?

As he was speaking, a light cough suddenly came from behind him.

The two men shuddered with fear, and turned around to see a young eunuch standing next to the rockery with a sullen face. Their faces immediately turned pale.

"Ning, Eunuch Ning..."

This eunuch Ning is a second-rank eunuch serving in the imperial court, Xiao Ningzi.

Although he is young, he has won the emperor's favor because of his prudent work.

Xiao Ningzi glanced at the two of them and said in a neither light nor heavy voice: "Do you think you can discuss the master's affairs?"

The two young eunuchs knelt down with their foreheads on the ground and said, "We know we are wrong!"

Xiao Ningzi didn't say anything. His eyes swept across their trembling shoulders and looked towards the direction of Shou'an Palace in the distance where the noble concubine lived.

The palace gates were tightly closed, and even the number of palace maids on duty was much less.

Quite a smart one.

He felt deeply moved.

"Go away and get ten strokes of the cane." He retracted his gaze and said calmly, "If I hear you talking about the master behind his back again..."

“I won’t dare anymore!” The two men kowtowed repeatedly and retreated tumbling.

After they walked away, Xiao Ningzi slowly walked to the rockery, reached out and stroked the rugged stones, his eyes thoughtful.

Suddenly, his fingertips paused and felt a few fresh scratches on a protruding stone edge.

The trace is so shallow that no one would notice it unless they looked for it deliberately.

"I see......"

Summer went and autumn came, and in the blink of an eye it was July.

Golden wheat waves roll across the fields, and it is harvest time again.

As soon as the wheat was ripe, Prince Hui's palace directly sent 5,000 guards to assist in the harvest.

With these five thousand guards, the autumn harvest progress was greatly accelerated.

While Song Yan was busy, she did not forget to count the days until Song Zhengdu's return.

Song Zhengdu had been studying abroad for more than half a year. In the letter, he said that he would return to Yunshan County before the autumn harvest.

However, there was no sign of him until mid-July.

If Shu Changyu hadn't said that Song Zhengdu had arrived safely in Guang'an Prefecture, but was delayed by something on the way, Song Yan would have personally led people to look for him.

Three days later, Song Zhengdu finally returned to Yunshan County exhausted.

He was darker and thinner, but his eyes were more determined and brighter than when he left home.

It seems that this trip has indeed made him grow a lot.

"Brother!" Song Zhengdu bowed to Song Yan as he entered the door, his voice filled with the joy of reunion after a long separation.

Song Yan looked him up and down, and only heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that he was safe. Then he frowned and said, "You still remembered to come back? You didn't even tell me in advance that you were going to such a dangerous place like Yizhou!"

Song Zhengdu knew he was in the wrong, so he bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "It was my fault for not thinking it through and making Big Brother worry."

Seeing him like this, Song Yan's anger also subsided a lot, and she pulled him to sit down: "Okay, just come back safely."

Song Wanzhou and Song Jiaojiao rushed over after hearing the news, and the four siblings were reunited after a long absence.

That night, Song Yan specially asked the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous welcoming banquet.

During the meal, Song Zhengdu recounted what he had seen and heard during his study tour, from the prosperity of the Jiangnan water towns, to the post-war depression of Yizhou, to the sufferings of the people along the way. Song Wanzhou's eyes became red, and Song Jiaojiao also clenched her chopsticks.

"I met an old scholar in Yizhou. He told me that before the war, Yizhou was known as the 'land of fish and rice', but now it has become a living hell." Song Zhengdu said in a low voice, "In order to raise military funds, Prince Fu levied heavy taxes and the people suffered terribly."

"This Prince Fu really deserves to die!" Song Wanzhou slammed the table angrily, "If such a cruel and inhumane person is allowed to rebel successfully, it would be really unjust!"

Song Jiaojiao said calmly: "The way of heaven is clear, and there will be public opinion. Prince Fu's harsh rule is more ferocious than a tiger, and it has aroused public resentment. Even if he succeeds for a while, it will be difficult for him to maintain his throne."

"Jiaojiao is right!" Song Yan echoed, "A tyrannical person like Prince Fu will suffer the consequences sooner or later."

Song Zhengdu no longer continued the topic of Yizhou, and instead talked about what he saw and heard at the Zhan family in Huaizhou.

"With Mr. Zhan's letter of recommendation, the Zhan family treated me with great courtesy..."

"......The Zhan family is indeed a famous family in Jiangnan. All the children in the family are talented, and the books in the library are endless. There are many rare and precious books among them. I copied them day and night, but I could only copy a small part of them..."

Song Zhengdu said as he took out a few handwritten books from his bag and handed them to Song Yan: "These are some agricultural books and water conservancy books I copied at the Zhan family. Brother, maybe they can be used."

Song Yan took it and looked through it. He saw that it was densely covered with records of planting methods of various crops, construction techniques of water conservancy facilities, and even folk remedies for preventing and controlling pests and diseases.

Song Yan's eyes lit up: "What a good thing!"

They are truly a prominent Jiangnan family with profound cultural heritage, and even these agricultural books are so detailed and practical.

Seeing that his elder brother liked it, Song Zhengdu also smiled: "The old master of the Zhan family heard about your deeds of improving farming and promoting new crops, so he specially ordered people to find these books from the library and asked me to copy them and bring them back."

Upon hearing this, Song Yan couldn't help but feel a bit favorable towards the Zhan family.

It seems that not all members of the Zhan family are old foxes like Zhan Qingyue. At least this old man is quite reasonable.

After resting at home for a day, Song Zhengdu went to Prince Hui's mansion the next day, met with Mr. Shen, and then returned to the county school to resume classes.

There is less than a month left until the provincial examination. Time is tight and there is no time to waste.

Song Yan learned from Wei Taoer that Gao Ruowang would also take part in the provincial examination this year and would happen to go with Song Zhengdu.

The two of them can learn from each other and take care of each other.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of July, and the two set off for Guang'an Prefecture to take part in the provincial examination.

Before leaving, Song Yan packed his bag and handed it to Song Zhengdu: "Keep calm and do your best. With your talent, it won't be difficult to pass the imperial examination."

Song Zhengdu said seriously: "Don't worry, big brother, I will live up to your expectations."

Over there, Wei Tao'er was also reminding Gao Ruowang: "Be careful on the road, don't eat too much cold food and get an upset stomach. I put a pill in your bag, take one if you feel uncomfortable. Also, remember to wear more clothes during the exam days, the dormitory is cold..."

Gao Ruowang held his hand helplessly: "I know, you've said it three times."

Wei Taoer rolled her eyes at him: "You think I'm nagging? Then I'll just shut up."

Gao Ruowang smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. You have to say it a few more times so that I can remember it."

Song Yan was passing by and couldn't help but get goose bumps all over her body after hearing this.

These two people are so annoying when they get too close.

After seeing off Song Zhengdu and Gao Ruowang, Song Yan turned around and devoted himself to the busy autumn harvest.

This year's harvest is better than last year's, especially for potatoes and sweet potatoes, with the yield per mu reaching a new high.

Song Yan looked at the mountains of grain and felt both satisfied and worried.

The good news is that with these grains, at least the people in Yunshan County and surrounding areas will not go hungry.

The worry is that as the war continues, the importance of food becomes increasingly prominent, and there is no guarantee that someone will not covet these food items.

He must plan ahead and prepare in advance.

After the autumn harvest, Song Yan convened a meeting of the managers of various farms to discuss matters related to grain storage and distribution.

"The harvest is good this year. In addition to enough food and seeds, the remaining grain is divided into three parts." Song Yan pointed to the map and said, "One part is stored in the granary west of the city, one part is transported to Nanyang Prefecture, and the other part is hidden in secret granaries in various places."

The stewards looked at each other in bewilderment, and one could not help but ask, "Boss Song, why are you going to such great lengths?"

Song Yan glanced at him and said, "It's just a precaution. Now that the war is not over, food is our lifeblood. It's always a good idea to have a few more escape routes."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

After the meeting, Song Yan left Wei Taoer alone.

"I have something for you to do." Song Yan said seriously, "Take a few reliable people with you and dig a few more hidden granaries near the village. The more secretive the location, the better."

Wei Taoer understood: "Don't worry, Boss, I will definitely get it done."

Song Yan patted his shoulder and said, "Remember, don't let anyone else know the exact location except you and me."

Wei Taoer nodded seriously.