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

Yu Nanshu also forgot about this.

It wasn't until Shen Zheng asked that she remembered to explain: "Grandfather and grandmother said that we should eat first, and if we have no problem eating...they will eat later."

Shen Zheng choked.

He is very cunning and uses his tricks on his own people.

"Okay." She walked towards the kitchen. "You have to remember the taste and texture of today's food. Go back and make them crave it."

Yu Nanshu nodded with a smile.

If Sister Shen says it’s edible, then it must be edible. If Sister Shen says it’s delicious, then it must be delicious.

......

There are three large kitchens and several small kitchens in the Shen Mansion. One of the large kitchens is located in the side room at the back of Ziyi Residence.

In the kitchen, Nanny Gu and Peiyu were leading the cooks in cutting up frogs.

First cut off the head, then peel off the skin, and finally open the belly, take out all the organs and wash them.

The scene was a bit bloody, and many bullfrogs died before they had time to struggle.

Killing a living creature may feel cruel to some extent, but after their reluctance fades, they are left with more worry.

"Butler Gu, I just heard from Steward Jiang today that the Ministry of Revenue issued a notice saying that this giant frog has worms in its stomach and eating it is bad for your health. You said, we can make whatever the lady wants to eat, so why put herself in danger and eat this beast..."

"Yes, Steward Gu, my heart has been pounding too. You don't know, if I were to make this into food and send it to the adults, I would feel like I'm poisoning them!"

They were sincerely happy to be able to work in the Shen Mansion, and it was not their place to question the master's orders.

But when they saw the big frog in the basin kicking its legs even though it was dead, they were really a little scared.

Nanny Gu cleaned the blood stains off the frog meat without looking up. "Jiang Sheng only delivered half of the message? The Ministry of Revenue's notice said the frog harbored worms, but it also said that as long as it's steamed long enough, the frog will be eaten. Instead of worrying about it, why not clean the meat and keep an eye on the heat while cooking? That way, you can save your Excellency the worry."

As he was speaking, two more frogs appeared in the basin.

It was at this time that Shen Zheng walked into the kitchen.

In fact, she had arrived earlier, but she had not entered because she wanted to hear the true evaluation of the bullfrog in the mansion.

The cooks' reactions were within her expectations, but what Grandma Gu said was a little beyond her expectations.

As expected of an old man in the palace, his character is truly incomparable to that of ordinary people.

"My lord is here."

"grown ups!"

When they saw her come in, everyone put down their work and stood up to greet her.

Shen Zheng gestured for them to continue, and then asked Grandma Gu, "How much is left to be processed?"

Nanny Gu put on gloves and opened the bamboo cage to take a look.

"There are only a few left, sir. The water in the pot is already boiling. Once these frogs are cleaned, we can blanch them all in the pot."

Shen Zheng nodded and thought, "This is everyone's first time cooking this kind of frog, so we don't have much experience. After adding the ingredients, cover and cook for a while. It doesn't matter if the meat is a little tough. The most important thing is safety."

As soon as Gu Mama heard it, she knew that she had overheard the conversation in the kitchen. She quickly knelt down and apologized: "Everyone was talking without manners. It is my fault for failing to manage. I beg for forgiveness, sir."

The cooks were startled. They sat down, then stood up again, their faces full of hesitation.

Without waiting for them to confess, Shen Zheng shook her head: "It's okay. Aunt Gu, come with me."

The two walked to a secluded spot in the courtyard, and Shen Zheng directly asked about the 500 acres of fertile land bestowed by the emperor.

Gu Mama immediately replied, "Your Excellency, I have previously visited the farm on your behalf, and the accounts are all correct. The farm is located in the eastern suburbs. The manager's family is surnamed Mei. There are 26 tenant households and 20 oxen working the farm. The 500 mu of land is divided into 300 mu of paddy fields, 100 mu of sandy loam, 50 mu of clay soil, and 50 mu of cultivated soil near the farm..."

As she listened, Shen Zheng finally felt the reality of her becoming a landlord.

Five hundred acres of land is too much.

She gestured for Gu Ma to continue.

Gu Mama continued, "The paddy fields are now planted with rice. After the autumn rice harvest, the tenants sow milk vetch and bluegrass to feed the fields and cattle. Beans are being planted in the sandy loam, and winter wheat will be sown in the autumn. The clay soil is difficult to cultivate, so only sorghum is grown. The husks are used for wine, and the stalks are used for sugar. Half of the cultivated land near the village is planted with fruit trees, and the other half is planted with seasonal vegetables and medicinal herbs."

After listening to it, Shen Zheng secretly sighed - what a fulfilling year.

People are busy, and neither is the land.

"All in all, a tenant farmer has about 20 mu of land to tend, plus oxen to plow, so he should be able to handle it, right?" she asked.

"I can handle it." Gu Mama guessed she was going to ask this. "Having oxen to plow the fields saves a lot of trouble. Manager Mei is quite capable. He divides the land among the tenants fairly, and every tenant family has at least two able-bodied men."

Two strong men and a plowing ox are more than enough to take care of more than ten acres of land.

Shen Zheng nodded and asked, "How will the profits be divided with the tenants?"

As far as she knew, the farm was divided into 60% and 40% with Wang's family taking 40% and the tenants taking 60%.

The tenants got a lot, so they were very motivated.

"Fifty-fifty split," said Gu Mama. "Those five hundred acres of land are government-owned. They're fertile and have oxen, so the tenants have been cultivating them for generations, and have always shared the profits with the manor fifty-fifty."

This profit-sharing system is actually reasonable because not many landlords are willing to provide tenants with oxen.

Since this was the case, Shen Zheng no longer worried about the profit sharing, but began to think about the "invisible benefits" for the tenants.

As I said, anyone who follows Shen Zheng cannot have a bad life.

She was not afraid that the tenants would run away after they had a good life. Each era had its own way of farming, and the landlords just had to keep up with the times.

After thinking for a while, she said, "Next time you go to the farm, tell the steward to use all the paddy fields to grow high-yield rice next year. Also, leave the sandy loam land so that there will be good crops to grow next spring."

After a moment's pause, Nanny Gu immediately agreed.

She was happy for the tenants from the bottom of her heart. They were lucky to be given the land by His Majesty.

"My Lord, when you're free, would you like to visit the farm?" Nanny Gu said with a smile, "The peach and plum trees near the farm have produced a lot of fruit this year. They'll be ripe in about a month. Steward Mei said the peaches from the peach trees are incredibly sweet, and they pick them out to sell every year."

When Shen Zheng heard this, her mind was full of "I have an orchard, I can plant whatever I want in the future."

The landlord’s pleasure is indeed extraordinary.

"I'll go when I'm free," she said.

Then I'll take Nan Shu and the others to pick some fruit, and then roast a whole lamb...

Hiss——

......

A carriage and a horse drove into Yintai Street one after another, and finally stopped at the gate of Shen Mansion.

After leaving the yamen, Shen Xingjian went home to change his clothes and went to the street to buy some cooked food that Shen Zheng and others liked.

But he was a little dazed all the way.

Minister Chen looked at him with a strange look today, one of scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of pity.