A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

First, the emperor inquired about Mu Nanzhao's poisoning and the process of detoxification.

While seemingly concerned for his subordinates, he actually wanted to confirm whether Mu Nanzhao had indeed been poisoned by a strange poison.

If Mu Nanzhao's poisoning was fake, or the poisoning wasn't that serious, then his feigned death and departure from the capital might indicate that he had already sensed the coup, and that he might have been in cahoots with Huo Jiang, which is why he headed straight for the Northwest.

Secondly, who first proposed the idea of ​​the Northwest Army reclaiming wasteland?

If it was Huo Jiang who suggested it, then he was likely planning this for a long time and harbored ambitions for the world, thus hoarding military rations.

On the contrary, the fact that Gu Xixi accepted the offer meant that Huo Jiang had long been struggling to provide food for the army, and he had no choice but to seek out Gu Xixi in order to ensure that the entire army had something to eat. Moreover, Huo Jiang did not initially fully trust Gu Xixi; he was merely taking a chance.

Gu Xixi was not good at politics, and based on her thinking, she could only deduce the above at most.

As for the mind of emperors, they are even more suspicious than ordinary people, and who knows how many possibilities an emperor might come up with.

Fortunately, everything she did in the past was aboveboard, so Gu Xixi only needs to tell the truth.

At this point, everything matched what Huo Jiang, Mu Nanzhao, and others had said, as well as what the emperor himself had investigated.

The emperor looked at Mu Nanzhao with emotion, "Qi Xiu's journey from the capital to the Northwest was truly a brush with death."

"Heaven has eyes, and it has brought you together with Miss Gu; it can be considered a serendipitous encounter."

He then chuckled and sighed, "The process of detoxification was terrifying to hear, but thankfully, it was all over without any real danger."

"Otherwise, who else can assist me?"

The emperor spoke these words with genuine sincerity.

Mu Nanzhao stood up and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty is of the legitimate bloodline of the late Emperor, and possesses both virtue and talent. Even if I had died in the Northwest, Your Majesty would still be the Son of Heaven truly supported by the people of Daye."

The emperor put on a stern face, "What are you talking about, death? That's unlucky!"

"You must live well and serve me as my subject for the rest of your life. Don't even think about quitting early!"

Mu Nanzhao smiled, "Your Majesty is a great man, but I am but a mortal and I am afraid I cannot keep up."

The emperor chuckled, "Sit down, sit down. I've told you countless times, there's no need for such formalities when it's just the two of us, ruler and subject!"

Looking at the scene of the emperor and his ministers being so close, Gu Xixi felt as if she were reading a "textbook on the workplace in the imperial court".

This is probably what they mean by "the boss can be polite to you, but you can't be too polite."

Art!

Superb artistry!

Only now did Gu Xixi begin to understand why Mu Nanzhao was able to maintain his position as a powerful minister in two dynasties, not only being highly valued but also trusted by them.

However, she couldn't remain uninvolved for too long.

The emperor turned to Gu Xixi again, "The Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial at the morning court session, ordering that locust control pesticides be sprayed starting today."

"If this matter is accomplished, it will be a blessing for me and the people."

"What reward would Miss Gu like?"

"I have to kneel again," Gu Xixi sighed inwardly, then got up and knelt down in front of her.

"This humble woman does not want any reward."

"Firstly, the locusts have not yet been eradicated, and the results of what the woman has done are still unknown, so I dare not take credit for it."

"Secondly, ensuring food security is crucial for the well-being of the people and the stability of the nation. As one of Your Majesty's many subjects, it is my duty to do my part for the peace and tranquility of the world."

The emperor smiled and nodded, seemingly with approval, and looked at Mu Nanzhao, saying:

"Just as you said, Boss Gu is no ordinary woman."

"His breadth of mind and magnanimity were never confined to the small confines of his boudoir."

Gu Xixi was taken aback. Was this how Mu Nanzhao praised her?

The emperor became serious and said, "Miss Gu, tell me more about your thoughts on locust eradication. You may speak freely about anything you think of, including any concerns you may have."

"Get up and sit down to answer!"

It's clear that this emperor is a man of action.

Gu Xixi sat down again, composed herself, and said, "I have already explained the drawbacks of the prescription to Minister He. Due to time constraints, the chance of killing the insect eggs by spraying the medicine is at most 50%."

"However, it will be nearly a month before the remaining larvae hatch and become a pest."

"Therefore, the next month is the key to winning the locust eradication battle. We need to collect insect-eating poultry and frogs, especially frogs, which do not require supervision and will not harm the rice seedlings. Frog excrement can also fertilize the fields. They can be released into any field with a nearby water source."

The emperor suddenly realized, "Brilliant! Since locusts are the natural enemies of crops, let's use the natural enemies of locusts to control them."

Gu Xixi then mentioned several possible unexpected events and how to deal with them.

The emperor, upon hearing this, was filled with admiration and nodded repeatedly, "Excellent, excellent!"

"I never imagined that Miss Gu would not only be so skilled in farming, but also so meticulous in planning and arranging."

"Such talent is completely comparable to some of my court officials."

Gu Xixi lowered her head, "This humble woman dares not."

The emperor raised his hand and said, "I never flatter anyone with empty words."

"You have the ability, there's no need to belittle yourself."

After saying this, he sighed as if talking to himself, "It's a pity I was born a girl, if only I were a boy..."

The emperor suddenly thought of something and looked at Gu Xixi with a smile.

"There's no need to wait until the locust eradication is over."

"You offered suggestions and worked tirelessly day and night to develop the prescription. For these alone, I should reward you."

Gu Xixi couldn't refuse immediately, so she had no choice but to listen.

The emperor gave Mu Nanzhao a meaningful look and said, "How about I bestow a marriage upon you?"

"In this way, you will have both status and a powerful backer in the capital."

"With you assisting your husband, your intelligence and talent will finally have a place to be put to use."

Gu Xixi was greatly surprised.

She barely dared to look up at Mu Nanzhao across from her.

There was no need to guess; the emperor intended to bestow her upon Mu Nanzhao.

As for whether to be a wife or a concubine, that was no longer a question that Gu Xixi was concerned about at the moment.

Just as she was about to get up, she heard a few soft laughs from across the room.

"His Majesty loves to joke. Look how frightened Miss Gu is."

The emperor's eyes held a smile, his expression unreadable, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

After Mu Nanzhao's interjection, Gu Xixi had completely regained her composure.

She came prepared, how could she be defeated by such a small problem?

Gu Xixi bowed solemnly again, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no plans to get married at the moment."

The emperor looked at her from above, his expression imposing without anger. "Why?"

Gu Xixi said, "Because there are too many things I want to do that I haven't yet accomplished."

"By introducing the Western Regions' Pinpo fruit, cold melon, persimmon, etc., we can enable more people in Daye to eat delicious fruits and vegetables, and farmers can earn money by selling their fruits and vegetables, so that everyone can have enough to eat and wear."

"There is a lot of wasteland on the northwestern border. If the soil can be further improved so that land that can only grow oats and alfalfa can grow wheat and millet, it may save the court military rations."

"There is a village of family members near the Northwest Army's camp, where the soldiers' wives and children live. They eat coarse grains all year round and are afraid of not having enough to eat during the spring famine. Now the Northwest Army has allocated one or two acres of land to each family to cultivate, hoping that these women can also be self-sufficient, so that the soldiers in the army have no worries about their families and can serve the country."

“I planted a patch of Bodhi fruit trees in the barren mountains of the Northwest and entrusted them to the military families to take care of. If they bear fruit and make money, I will share the profits with them; if they lose money, I will bear the losses myself.”

……