Chapter 514 - Worries (2/2)
The streets of the capital were filled with commoners. When they heard this person’s thoughts, they also began to exclaim, “That’s right, that’s right! With surplus grain on hand at home, we don't have to worry. It’s all thanks to Official Yu!”
“Official Yu’s good deeds can be compared to the merciful Buddha’s ah!!”
“Official Yu, here are some eggs that my family’s chickens have laid. If you don’t disdain them, please take them as a sign of my entire family’s grat.i.tude to you!”
“Official Yu, here are some apricots from my family’s garden. Please take some to try.”
“Here's some vegetables I planted…”
Someone interrupted the last speaker, “Official Yu plants vegetables and her vegetables look and taste much better than yours. All of the wealthy and official families in town eat the vegetables she plants. Why would she need you to send some to her?”
“I’m just trying to show my appreciation and grat.i.tude to Official Yu ah!”
A voice as clear as spring cut through the clamour of the crowd and everyone quickly calmed down, “Fellow countrymen, I, Xiaocao, appreciate all of your kindness and warm thoughts! It is my duty to cultivate high-yielding crops, so I feel a bit ashamed to receive your grat.i.tude! With everyone’s support here, I will continue to do my best and cultivate more crops that are high-yielding!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the sounds of grat.i.tude, admiration, and opinions. .h.i.t the air again. A youthful and somewhat lofty voice cut through the chatter of the crowd, “Official Yu, I heard that last year’s wheat harvest was a b.u.mper crop and the yield was more than three times higher than regular wheat. Would you happen to know if this high-yield winter wheat will be sold this autumn to us commoners?”
Yu Xiaocao glanced at this youth who was dressed entirely in plain farmer’s attire that was dotted with patches all over it. She smiled and said, “The seeds for winter wheat will naturally be sold to the commoners in the capital. However, anyone who has bought seeds from the government must sell it back to the court’s officials come spring and no one is allowed to sell it privately. The price will be at ten copper coins a catty. Anyone who is caught breaking the rules will no longer be allowed to buy any more high-yielding seeds in the future. In addition, their whole village will also be blacklisted as well!”
Essentially, they were using the tactic of ‘guilty by a.s.sociation’. If anyone in the village wanted to privately sell the high-yielding wheat crop for their own profit, then that entire village would be blacklisted in the future. By doing this, every family in the village would be keeping an eye out on their neighbors. It’d be very hard for someone to sell things sneakily with everyone watching everyone else!
In fact, this restriction wasn’t actually that restrictive. The new winter wheat could produce seven to eight hundred catties per mu. When sold at a price of ten copper coins a catty, a farmer could make six to seven taels per mu. An a.d.u.l.t man may not necessarily be able to make that much money by doing hard labor for a whole year!
The winter wheat that was harvested this past spring would be able to supply ten thousand mu of farmland in addition to the new ten thousand mu farmstead that had been constructed by the court. Thus, all of the farmers in the area of the capital would benefit! When the common people heard this news, they transmitted it quickly and soon almost all of the suburbs knew about this.
“Ling’er, what are you looking at right now? You seem so concentrated.” Jiang Meiyi glanced briefly outside and only saw the backside of a young maiden riding a red horse.
“Mother, have you heard of Yu Xiaocao?” Wu Junling had a somewhat dark expression on her face and she clenched the handkerchief in her hands tightly. Her usually bright large eyes had a shadowy veil dimming them.
Jiang Meiyi frowned slightly and thought for a bit before she replied, “Yu Xiaocao? This name seems quite unfamiliar ah? Why are you bringing her up? What’s the point?”
Wu Junling watched as that slight figure disappeared in the street before she finally lowered the carriage curtain. She smiled slightly and said, “Mother, you haven’t heard of Yu Xiaocao? Then, have you heard of the imperial court’s only female official?”
“Uh...are you talking about that la.s.s who relied on her ability to plant crops and caught the emperor’s eye? The one who is a sixth-ranked small official at the Ministry of Revenue and is in charge of their fields? Argh! What was the emperor thinking when he elevated a rural country brat into an official?” Jiang Meiyi thought about her own husband, who had cautiously worked in the backwards countryside for more than a decade. He only received a fifth-level sinecure position in the capital now. Yet, a little farming girl, who hadn’t reached the age of majority, was actually an official around one rank lower than her husband? For what?
Wu Junling glanced at her mother helplessly and spoke in a cajoling tone, “Mother, we’re no longer in that small place, Huainan. We’re currently under the emperor’s foot. Can you think a little bit more before you speak? The emperor’s commands are all-important and holy, so do you think you’re allowed to criticize him? I beg you, Mother. If you can't help me or Father, then at least don’t cause any trouble for us, okay?”