Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Rewind to February. When Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan returned to the palace after dealing with the Heavenly Venerable's forces, the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields in Shu was also underway.

Because the Shu Prince's Palace had proactively announced the strategy of converting rice paddies to mulberry trees before the new year, and had carefully designated areas for planting mulberry seedlings.

Unexpectedly, this decree immediately met with fierce resistance from the people of Sichuan.

These farmers, who spend their days working the land, understand this perfectly well.

Compared to the illusory business of Shu brocade, it's more practical to be down-to-earth and have food in hand.

After all, one can live without wearing Shu brocade, but one will starve to death without food.

With this awareness, when the decree to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields was issued, farmers in Sichuan were more united than ever before, unanimously opposing the conversion of their fields to mulberry seedlings.

As a result, scenes of officials and civilians enthusiastically mingling together in the fields unfolded almost daily.

This greatly worried Jiang Chong, who was thinking of quickly weaving the Shu brocade and then handing it over to the Empress to exchange for money to expand the size of the army.

As a result, before my plan could even be officially implemented, it was obstructed by you bunch of unruly people?

It seems that my usual image is too benevolent, leading the common people to believe that I am no longer capable of wielding a sword.

Therefore, Jiang Chong decisively ordered that anyone who opposed changing rice paddies to mulberry trees should be regarded as a traitor.

Of course, Jiang Chong wasn't stupid; he made preparations in both civil and military aspects.

This article naturally uses reason to persuade people, gradually convincing these unruly people to plant mulberry seedlings.

He added a specific sentence: those who are willing to cooperate with the Prince's Palace to implement the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields will have their mulberry tax collected at the same rate as agricultural tax.

Mulberry trees are considered cash crops and are subject to a 30% tax, while agricultural taxes are only 10%.

Jiang Chong has really gone all out in this regard, determined to carry out the policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields to the end.

Under normal circumstances, once the king issues an order, the unruly people should have the self-awareness to immediately settle down and start farming.

Moreover, Jiang Chong had his reasons: planting mulberry seedlings is much more profitable than planting grains, so why are you making such a fuss? Are you trying to make things difficult for me?

No, you're just throwing money away!

As your prince, now that I've become successful, I haven't forgotten you unruly commoners. I was thinking of giving you a hand, so how can you not be grateful?

These troublemakers are truly unreasonable, and those who are lowly should not be approached.

However, the honest, ordinary people responded to Jiang Chong's fallacious reasoning with a single word.

fart!

Food is the most important thing for people, and eating is always the most important thing.

Now that everyone is switching from growing grains to growing mulberry seedlings, what will we eat in the future?

Despite the Prince's repeated assurances that not all farmland in Shu was being converted to mulberry seedlings, but only a portion, and that everyone would have enough money to buy food by selling mulberry leaves, and that no one would go hungry.

To the older generation of farmers who had spent their entire lives working the land, these words were nothing short of a blatant insult.

According to them: So, I, a farmer, have to ask another farmer for grain in order to have enough to eat?

Therefore, due to the strong opposition from farmers in Sichuan, the policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields could not be effectively implemented.

Officials who went to promote the benefits of mulberry seedlings were either beaten up by a group of unruly people or fought with a group of unruly people.

The main point is to take action instead of talking; whatever you say, they won't tolerate it.

More importantly, residents of Sichuan living in towns and cities also began to oppose the policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields on a large scale.

Fewer fields for growing crops means less food available for purchase.

A shortage of grain means that grain prices will rise.

With rising grain prices, the cost of buying other items will also increase.

Then, I didn't have any money to go shopping in the buildings.

No one visits the building anymore, and the income of prostitutes has decreased.

With less income from prostitution, the cosmetics business has also declined.

If the cosmetics business is bad, then closing down is the only option.

The watercolor shop closed down, and the building collapsed as well.

The building collapsed, the crowds thinned out, and the whole city was left desolate, a scene of people leaving and the city growing cold...

After analyzing it from an economic perspective, even local officials felt that converting rice paddies to mulberry fields would bring disaster to the country and its people, and that a firm decision should be made to stop it.

This seriously affects their own interests, and no one is willing to spend their hard-earned money on food.

As a result, the town and villages united to oppose the implementation of the king's order, which at one point made it impossible for the local government to function properly.

The matter continued to escalate until January of the Xuan Yuan year, with no sign of any progress in implementing the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields.

Finally, Jiang Chong could no longer sit still.

He never expected that his rare act of acting as a human being, and his policy of making the people of Shu prosperous and strong, would cause such a public outcry.

Farmers are one thing, but why are you city dwellers, who have seen the world, joining in the commotion?

It seems you don't take me seriously at all!

Then don't blame me for using force.

Since verbal methods won't work, let's try physical ones.

Jiang Chong decided to start by targeting Yan Family Village, the most troublesome and vicious among these unruly villagers, to make an example of them.

The effect is remarkable.

When the farmers in the neighboring village heard that the soldiers had taken all the men, women, and children of the village to the yamen, they immediately became obedient.

Although most people still opposed it, a small number of people secretly went to their respective village heads and signed the documents for converting rice paddies to mulberry fields.

Once one thing starts, another will follow. Once someone takes the lead in anything, it will immediately become like a dam bursting, unstoppable.

As February approached, the rice-to-mulberry conversion plan, which was expected to be fully implemented in April, was actually implemented two months ahead of schedule.

Upon seeing the news from the local authorities that the people of the southern Sichuan region were collectively planting mulberry seedlings, Jiang Chong finally felt relieved.

He assumed that the farmers, under the combined influence of the prince's kindness and strictness, had come to appreciate his good intentions and had begun planting mulberry seedlings on their own initiative.

However, in reality, 99% of the people in Shu have never seen what you, Jiang Chong, look like, so how could they understand your good intentions?

The real culprit that made the people of southern Sichuan willingly give up growing grain and switch to growing mulberry seedlings was the entry of grain merchants from the south into Sichuan.

Moreover, the grain merchants who have moved in this time all have government-run operations behind them.

As for the price of grain, one tael of silver could buy three shi of grain, which was 30% cheaper than the market price in Sichuan.

With such low grain prices, everyone except grain merchants in Sichuan, whether farmers or urban residents, welcomed them.

More importantly, there is an abundance of food, so there is no need to worry about food shortages.

With a stable and inexpensive grain supply, farmers naturally had nothing to complain about and took advantage of the early spring season to quickly plow the land and prepare to plant mulberry seedlings.

Upon learning that the policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields had finally taken effect, Jiang Chong was relieved and waited for the silk brocade to be woven and exchanged for gold and silver.

Little did he know that a catastrophe he had never anticipated was quietly brewing.

In late February, tens of thousands of looms were running day and night in the weaving workshop, and the air was filled with the sound of wooden machinery turning.

Yang Song stood in front of a loom, watching the fabric about to take shape, and nodded in approval.

"How many are there?"

Upon hearing Yang Song's question, another minor official beside him immediately opened the account book and examined it.

"My lord, from the end of December until now, in two months, a total of 25,000 bolts of low-grade silk brocade and 1,620 bolts of high-grade silk brocade have been produced."

Yang Song was very satisfied with the efficiency: "The rest are not urgent. The court needs 100,000 bolts of low-grade brocade and 5,000 bolts of high-grade brocade."

We must expedite the process and deliver the goods before July. We also can't be careless about the 300,000 bolts of silk ordered by the powerful families of Guanzhong.

Someone will be coming to inspect it in a few days, so everyone should be on their best.

"But sir, the current stock of raw silk is not much. At most, we can weave three thousand bolts."

"No rush, just keep going. The people of southern Sichuan have already started planting mulberry seedlings."

Two months later, the first batch of fresh mulberry leaves will be on the market, and new silk will be available soon; there's no need to rush.

After Yang Song finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back and slowly strolled around the silk weaving workshop.