Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Even so, the rice in his hand now can be considered an excellent start. After growing it once, is he still afraid that he won’t be able to grow it a second time?

Yu Shizhang was stunned when he heard this, because that was not what his son said in the letter.

He coughed lightly and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, my son said in the letter that this rice has been promoted in Tongan County this year. Now every household is planting this rice, and each household has at least one acre of land. The rice is exactly the same as the rice in your hand."

Then he thought his words were not clear enough, and added: "And my son also said that he had been to Tong'an County, and the rice waves in the fields were one after another, which was so spectacular that I couldn't describe it in words. I guess it was harvested during this period."

Upon hearing this, the emperor looked at Yu Zhengqing in disbelief.

It was not a trial planting, but after the yield had stabilized, the whole county was allowed to plant it!

He couldn't help but feel a little envious of Yu Zhengqing. Yu Zhengqing had chosen a good place to be the prefect this time, and he could witness such a magnificent scene with his own eyes!

And now he is in Shangjing, and can only look at the rice in his hand...

Then the emperor shook his head, thinking wrongly. The key point now was that the whole Tongan County was planted with this rice, which meant that there would be seeds left this year!

If we save seeds this year, more areas will be able to grow rice next year, and by the year after, won't it be...

Wouldn’t it be possible to plant it throughout the Great Zhou?

The emperor originally thought that he would never be able to achieve any political achievements in his lifetime, but who would have thought that he could now set a goal in just three years!

He asked in some surprise, "Did Shen Zheng go to Tongan County with rice seeds? If I remember correctly, she just took office this year, which means that not long after she arrived in Tongan County, she led the people to plant rice?"

Yu Shizhang pondered for a moment and then replied, "Your Majesty, these officials... are not too sure. I have a letter to report to you. Would you like to take a look?"

Only then did the emperor react and Yu Shizhang returned the letter to him.

He stuffed the rice in his hand into Yu Shizhang's arms and said, "I'll read the letter first, take my rice."

Then he picked up the letter from the table, quickly tore open the envelope, took out the letter inside and unfolded it to examine it.

This letter is not long, but it is concise and to the point.

In the letter, Yu Zhengqing first introduced to him the function of the textile machine made by Shen Zheng, and then described to him the planting and yield of rice per mu.

Then comes the main point of this letter.

First, Shen Zheng wanted to open a cloth workshop in Tongan County, and took the initiative to propose cooperation with the Grain Transport Bureau. The Grain Transport Bureau would help purchase the cotton for the workshop and then transport it to Tongan County by water.

What shocked the emperor was that Yu Zhengqing also said in the letter that when Shen Zheng first invented the textile machine, he took the initiative to report it to the government office and bluntly stated that the cotton cloth produced by this textile machine was only for the benefit of the people, not for profit.

"It is only for the benefit of the people, not for profit."

The emperor lowered his head and chewed over these words carefully, a smile on his face. At this moment, his opinion of Shen Zheng could not be higher.

There is such an official who is capable of doing practical work, and she is a female official selected by him personally. He really wants to call those old pedants to come and see!

Yu Zhengqing also thoughtfully included the current price of linen in the market, as well as the cost of cotton that Shen Zheng spent on making the first batch of cotton cloth.

There is a difference of five or six times!

The emperor naturally knew that the selling price of cotton cloth could not only include the cost of cotton, but also the cost of textile machines, labor, land usage and other expenses.

But no matter how you calculate it, the price of cotton cloth woven in Tongan County will be lower than that of linen!

Moreover, Shen Zheng took the initiative to propose cooperation with the Grain Transport Bureau. He issued an order to the Grain Transport Bureau, asking them to fully cooperate with Shen Zheng in purchasing cotton. Then the price of cotton will definitely be able to be pushed down!

water transport.

The emperor frowned when he thought of this. Cotton absorbs water and the humidity on the canal is heavy. If the cotton is transported by water, it will have to be dried in the sun after it is transported to Tongan County.

After a moment, his brows relaxed again. Shen Zheng and Yu Zhengqing were not simple-minded people. They should have countermeasures for these things.

Then he looked down and saw that the second content in the letter was about the sale of rice seeds in Tongan County this year.

Yu Zhengqing wrote in the letter that although every household in Tongan County planted rice this year, the rice seeds left would not be enough to plant this rice throughout the entire Zhou Dynasty next year.

So he begged the emperor to allow the rice seeds to be sold this year by the Tongan County Government and the merchants in the county, while various government offices would have priority in purchasing them.

The government office will be watching from the sidelines, Shen Zheng will not set prices arbitrarily, and the county government will select a batch of rice seeds and transport them to the capital to be handed over to the emperor for disposal.

To be honest, the emperor felt a little conflicted when he saw this.

After all, such a big thing as selling high-yield grain seeds was handed over to the county government for full handling...

It’s not that he didn’t trust Shen Zheng, but as the emperor, he naturally wanted the people of the Great Zhou to live a life without going hungry as soon as possible.

But the last content of the letter made the emperor completely put his worries to rest.

The letter clearly stated what Shen Zheng had done to help the people in the county grow rice.

The landlords in the county volunteered to cultivate grain seeds, and the county government paid for digging ditches and building canals. The county government also paid for subsidizing grain for several months. Even for the rice seeds, Shen Zheng did not collect money at the beginning, but made an agreement with the people to take a percentage of the harvest.

All these incidents made the emperor even more silent.

Whether it was Shen Zheng, the county government, or even the landlords and residents in the county, they all paid a lot for the rice.

If he directly deposited the county's grain seeds into the national treasury after the autumn harvest, wouldn't that discourage Shen Zheng and the people of Tongan County?

All their work for half a year was in vain!

We shouldn’t, we really shouldn’t treat Shen Zheng and the people of Tongan County like this!

The emperor heaved a sigh of relief after putting down the letter, and sighed in his heart, if all local officials were like Shen Zheng, what a peaceful and prosperous country his Great Zhou would be!

It's a pity that he has sat on the throne for more than 20 years, and there are only a few officials like Shen Zheng.

Fortunately, there is Shen Zheng in his Great Zhou now!

The emperor handed the letter to Yu Shizhang, "My dear minister, please take a look. I allow Tongan County to sell grain seeds. Is that not too much?"

Yu Shizhang took the letter but did not check it. Instead, he said:

"Your Majesty, you are a wise ruler. No matter what decision you make, I will support you."

The emperor was moved by these words. After a moment, he asked, "My dear, what kind of reward should I give Shen Qing this time to match her great achievements?"

This question made Yu Shizhang feel troubled. He thought to himself why the emperor had to consult him before making any decision today.

He bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, although promotion is the best reward for an official, the rice and textile machines in Tongan County are just starting out, and I'm afraid they can't do without Magistrate Shen."

The emperor nodded upon hearing this, and his first thought was to immediately transfer Shen Zheng back to Shangjing.

Officials like this are simply buried in the mud when they serve in local positions.

But the autumn harvest has not yet begun in Tongan County, and only one textile loom has been built. If Shen Zheng is transferred back to the capital, it will be very inconvenient.

After a moment, he said, "Then I will reward him with silver first! Didn't Yu Zhengqing say in the letter that Tong'an County is very poor now, and even the silver for grain subsidies is borrowed? Then I will reward Shen Qing and the Tong'an County Government. As for the transfer, let the old guys from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works go to Tong'an County first, and then come back to discuss it!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yu Shizhang also felt that the reward of silver was the most practical thing for Tongan County now.

But just as he finished speaking, he heard the emperor say, "I feel that the silver is not enough, and I will...reward her with a house in Shangjing. Wasn't the house in Anruibo still empty before? Give it to Shen Qing, and she can live there directly when she returns to the capital."

Yu Shizhang was stunned when he heard this.

The first An Ruibo was a popular figure around the late emperor, but who would have thought that his descendants would not live up to his expectations. Not only had three generations done nothing, they had also committed crimes, so the house was naturally taken back.

The Anruibo Mansion, with its rockery pavilions, garden corridors, was truly luxurious.

There were so many officials in the capital who were eyeing the Anruibo Mansion, but they didn't expect that His Majesty would award it to Shen Zheng today.

Although he was surprised, he felt that Shen Zheng deserved the reward.

Seeing that he had no objection, the emperor reached out and snatched the rice from his arms, then picked up the cloth bag on the ground and wrapped the rice up.

Yu Shizhang was totally confused. What was going on?

Then he heard the emperor say loudly: "Pass on the message that the Minister of Revenue Ji Benchang and the Minister of Works Yue Zhenchuan."