Shipin Dalizheng

Chapter 369 Winter Wheat Was Stolen

"Rather than raising a child from childhood and not knowing his character, it is better to adopt a reliable one."

After Rong Tang finished discussing his family affairs, he naturally transitioned to the good news from Emperor Xuanning. "Your Majesty, what good news have you received that makes you so happy? I believe it's related to the national economy and the people's livelihood."

Emperor Xuanning laughed. "You didn't come to court, so you haven't heard about it. Today, the Xie family presented a new crop that matures very early and should be harvested right now. After this season's harvest, we can plant another season of sorghum and beans. From the same piece of land, we can harvest two crops a year. Isn't that great news?"

He rubbed his hands and asked someone to bring in the new crops for Rong Tang to see.

Just as Rong Tang was wondering what kind of crop it was, several eunuchs brought over several wooden boxes filled with soil. Inside each box was a large clump of wheat. The wheat was nearly ripe, with a hint of yellow in the green, and then a hint of green in the yellow. It was indeed alive.

Rong Tang blinked.

Emperor Xuanning asked proudly, "Marquis Jian'an, do you recognize what this is?"

"wheat."

Emperor Xuanning: “…”

"Do you recognize it?"

"Your Majesty, is wheat so hard to recognize? Even though we don't eat much flour on a daily basis, we still have some!"

Emperor Xuanning was certain that Rong Tang was talking about different kinds of wheat, and he chuckled, "You're talking about spring and autumn wheat, which only harvests once a year. This is summer wheat, planted in the spring and harvested in the summer, giving you an extra season to harvest!"

The more Rong Tang listened, the more he felt something was wrong. Even though the technology for grain seeds was so mature in later generations, wheat only had one harvest a year. Who was so awesome as to discover wheat that could be harvested in two or three months?

"Your Majesty, you said this wheat was donated by the Xie family. Could you please elaborate? Where was this wheat found? Was it wild or cultivated? If it was cultivated, would the farmers have come to the capital?"

Emperor Xuanning knocked his head and said, "My dear companion, I don't remember where it is. Please talk to Earl Jian'an."

He Daban gave an address and concluded, "I heard that place was deserted two years ago after everyone fled. Xie Bingzhi, assigned to resettle the exiled people, discovered this wild wheat patch. He said that wheat can be planted in the first month of the year, and that it will grow rapidly, blooming in late March and producing ears in April. Seeing that it was almost ripe, he had someone dig up a patch and present it to the court. It's a good omen!"

Rong Tang felt a chill in his heart.

"He said it was wild and ownerless?"

He Daban said, "Yes, that's what's written in the memorial. Grand Tutor Xie was very confident when he presented it."

Among those who helped carry the wooden box in was Li Dequan. After hearing the place name, he scratched his head and said, "This place name sounds so familiar!"

Rong Tang said, "Eunuch Li, pinch two ears of corn and rub them open to see if you can recognize them."

Li Dequan picked up two ears of wheat that were completely yellow and rubbed them. Looking at the dozens of grains in his palm, he suddenly jumped up and said, "This is the wheat I planted. It's my grandma's. You are taking the credit for my work."

I still remember that last September, when they left that place, hundreds of people opened up seven or eight acres of wasteland, and it was he who sowed the wheat seeds himself. Jian'anbo said that this might be a crop that could survive the winter.

He Daban went up to cover his mouth and said, "Can you shut your damn mouth? His Majesty is unhappy."

Emperor Xuanning's face turned cold. "Li Dequan, are you telling the truth?"

Li Dequan fell to his knees and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not lie. The military supervisor's log I brought with me years ago records this incident, including the time, place, number of participants, and who was entrusted with its care. At the time, the Earl of Jian'an was unsure whether it would succeed, so he didn't mention it in his report of the success. However, the log is still in my room."

Emperor Xuan Ning asked him to go and get it with a sullen face. This matter had taken a turn for the worse, and for a moment he didn't know who to believe, but based on his understanding of Rong Tang, whatever he said must be the truth.

"Mr. Jian'an, what do you say about this?"

Rong Tang's face was grim. "Your Majesty, when we finished planting the wheat, we gave it to a hunter to look after. His home is not far from the wheat field. If the Xie family claims that the wheat field has no owner, I'm afraid..."

The owner of the field was silenced.

Emperor Xuanning was extremely serious. "This is a serious matter. Do you have any concrete evidence?"

Rong Tang frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, I'm always reluctant to reveal things I'm not sure of. Actually, it's easy to verify. Let the Xie family plant a field of spring wheat next spring and see when the harvest is ready. I'll plant another field this winter, and we'll know if they can survive the winter. There's another thing: the wheat seeds were borrowed from the Cui family grain store. It's not much, but their owner should be able to verify it. Wild grains only appear in remote areas, but that large field is near the village. Your Majesty, just give it a little thought and you'll understand."

Emperor Xuanning was already convinced by what he heard and felt disheartened. "I was taking it for granted. It turns out that it's impossible to have a double harvest in one year."

Rong Tang was surprised and said, "How could it not be? Your Majesty, since this wheat can survive the winter in the fields and be harvested in May of next year, it won't delay the planting of another season of sorghum or beans. The timing is just right to wait until the sorghum is harvested before planting the winter wheat."

Emperor Xuanning's heart was lifted, "You are right."

At this time, Li Dequan came over with the military supervisor's diary and turned to that page. Sure enough, the time and place matched.

Rong Tang bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, if you don't believe me, I can draw a map and ask Your Majesty to follow it. Everything that has existed must have left traces. The hunter has helped to look after the wheat fields for a whole winter, so I think he is familiar with the habits of wheat. I hope Your Majesty will show me mercy."

Emperor Xuan Ning closed his eyes. What kind of favor was that? Based on his understanding of the Xie family's character, that person should have been silenced.

Rong Tang finished drawing the blueprint. The nearby reference objects, the location of the wheat fields, and the location of the village seemed to be right in front of him. Seeing such a clear chain of evidence, what else could Emperor Xuan Ning not believe?

Xie family!!!

Rong Tang added, "If Your Majesty wants to send someone to investigate, I recommend Zheng Jiuan, the second son of Prime Minister Zheng. He was once the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple in the Jiangnan capital and is an expert in investigating cases."

Emperor Xuanning saw the benefits of sending Zheng Jiuan to investigate Xie Bingzhi with a single thought. The four clans both supported and undermined each other, and if they could shift some of the power within the court that had previously belonged to the Xie family toward the Zheng family, the Zheng family would spare no effort to suppress the Xie family.

He glanced at Rong Tang and said, "Zheng Changzhi has been quite active recently. Prime Minister Zheng's two legitimate sons are both very outstanding. No, his third son is also good. It is very likely that they will both become officials in the future. Have you ever thought about it..."

This is the embarrassing point about Rong Tang’s status in the court.

He held two titles and had three thousand new troops under his command. He was favored on the surface, but he had no actual official position. Therefore, when he occasionally attended court, he had no say in the affairs of the six ministries and was not exceeding his authority.

When he first came at this time last year, he was told that he would enter the military camp for training when he turned sixteen. What was unexpected was that before he was fifteen, he had formed his own new army with his own ability. He had already fulfilled the original imperial decree in advance.

This child has the ability and courage to be the sharpest knife in his hand, so it's time to let him take on a responsibility.

"Mr. Jian'an, you are sixteen, right?"

Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, "Your Majesty, it will take until October."

"You have now completed a year of mourning. I intend to issue a decree to allow you to end your mourning period early and take up a position in one of the six ministries. Please consider which department you would like to join."

The so-called "deprivation of affection" was actually a decree of favor from the emperor to his capable ministers. There were too many officials with no outstanding abilities who had to observe the three-year mourning period after their father's death, and they no longer had a place in the officialdom.

Speaking of it, Rong Tangshou's filial piety was not strict. He led people across the river to the south while he was still in the hottest mourning period and made great contributions. No one took his filial piety seriously or not.

Rong Tang thought for a while and mentioned a department that Emperor Xuan Ning would never have thought of.

"Tobe."