Chapter 336 - Trip to the Imperial Plantation (1/2)

“Your Royal Highness, you finally came!!” Liu Jiajin, the Minister of Revenue, welcomed him with a delighted expression. After they politely greeted each other, he eagerly asked, “Did anyone from Tanggu Town’s Yu Family come?”

Since he received the official documents that Royal Prince Yang sent from Tanggu Town and found out that corn grown in Tanggu Town had been bred with pesticides that prevented pests and diseases, Minister Liu’s heart couldn’t stay calm as if it was being scratched by a cat.

Last year, when they planted the corn, everyone on the experimental fields of the Imperial Plantation tended to the corn meticulously. Nearly all corn seedlings were carefully protected, but they still couldn’t grow as well as the corn seedlings planted in the barren and sandy soil of Dongshan Village. When the locust plague came, the capital wasn’t considered one of the worst-hit regions. It was just mildly affected, but the yield of corn was low, and the seedlings looked as if they were malnourished. Over at Dongshan Village, they had harvested the early-matured crop in a rush and reaped around 1,800 catties per mu. It was such a sharp contrast!!

Last year, they could say that they were inexperienced since it was their first time growing corn. But, if they still couldn’t grow the crop better than those at Tanggu Town, where would he put his old face ah?! Therefore, when Minister Liu received the news, he immediately rushed to send a message to request for help. He hoped that the Yu Family would send someone to check if there was a possibility of saving the corn at the Imperial Plantation!

Zhu Junyang admired this white-haired old minister for his sincere concern for the livelihood of the common people. Originally, the Ministry of Revenue wasn’t only in charge of agriculture. However, Minister Liu had devoted all of his energy into cultivating high-yield crops since last year. He wholeheartedly hoped that the common people could stop suffering from starvation a little bit earlier! Minister Liu was born in a poor family. Perhaps, he was able to understand the life of the common people due to his childhood experiences, and thus he was able to become an official who truly cared about the common people.

“Yes! She’s on the carriage!” Zhu Junyang had just finished speaking when Minister Liu reached the side of the carriage.

The first to come down was Yingtao, who held a crook. Minister Liu looked at her and wondered when the Yu Family had a daughter so big in their family. At this time, he heard Yingtao voice a reminder, “Young Miss, be careful. The ground isn’t very even, so let Older Sister Linglong support you.”

Just as she finished speaking, Yu Xiaocao had already jumped down from the horse carriage and giggled, “The ground here is considered pretty good already. When I went to catch wild hares in the mountain forest in the past, there were some places that were really hard to walk… Official Liu, how are you? We meet again!”

For some unknown reason, Minister Liu’s anxious heart calmed down when he saw Yu Xiaocao. He said with a smile, “Miss Yu also came? This is great. Our corn can be saved!!”

Yu Xiaocao looked at the corn sprouting at the side of the road and reassured him, “Official Liu, you don’t need to be too worried. The pesticide is only a preventive measure. If the corn is grown well, then the possibility of them being harmed by pests and diseases will be reduced!”

Minister Liu stared at the jar in Yingtao’s hands and somewhat anxiously asked, “Is this the pesticide that Miss Yu made? There are over a thousand mu of corn and over fifty mu of potatoes planted in our plantation, is there enough pesticide?”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t even need to think about as she said, “This is a highly-concentrated pesticide. We only need to add one drop of pesticide into each bucket. Adding too much, on the other hand, wouldn’t be good for the corn seedlings! Official Liu, can you first show me the water source of the plantation?”

Minister Liu nodded and said, “Miss Yu, please…”

Zhu Junyang, who was on the side, interrupted their conversation, “Aren’t we going into the farmstead to rest for a while and have a cup of tea first?”

Minister Liu came to a sudden realization and said, “Just look at this brain of mine. I’m only thinking about the corn fields. Come, Miss Yu, Yu… dear nephew, I should be around the same age as your father, so I’ll just refer to you as my nephew!”

Yu Hai quickly replied, “Thank you, Official Liu, for such a great honor. Please do as you will wish…”

However, Yu Xiaocao glanced at Zhu Junyang and said, “Official business is more important. We came in the horse carriage, so I’m not tired! Official Liu, let’s go check out the water source first.”

As Minister Liu gladly led the way, he asked, “Is the water source related to the growth of the corn?”

Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, “It’s not too closely related! As you know, corn can endure droughts but not floods. If it’s not as dry as last year, rainfall will be enough! It’s just a precaution to check the source of water.”

Minister Liu nodded in slight confusion and said, “Oh, ok…”

The Imperial Plantation was situated in front of a small mountain on the outskirts of the capital. The spring water from the mountain gathered behind the plantation and formed a natural lake. The Imperial Plantation was relatively large, so wells were dug out certain distances apart to fight against and prevent droughts.

Inside the lake, there were fish, shrimp, and other creatures. Yu Xiaocao didn’t want to attract things like water monsters, so she didn’t do anything to the lake. After she checked all the wells and changed the quality of the well water, she said to Minister Liu, “Although the water isn’t quite as good as that of our Dongshan Village, it still meets the standard. Is there enough manpower? We can start working!!”

This time, Minister Liu had also brought along two vice ministers and the director of the Granaries Bureau. He was the boss of the Ministry of Revenue, so how could he take care of everything? Minister Liu turned his gaze towards the director of the Granaries Bureau.