Chapter 411 - Comparison Hurts (2/2)

The ministers immediately began to debate. Some expressed that it was due to the water and soil, while some said that it was because of the climate. There were also some who said that it was related to the people who managed the fields… At this time, Minister Liu exerted Zhuge Liang’s [1] vigorous debate skills and refuted all of the factors speculated by the officials.

The conclusion was somewhat mysterious yet irrefutable—as long as the Yu Family participated in the process in the cultivation, their results would almost always be different from others. They grew early spring vegetables and sweet watermelons. They had a good harvest of corn despite the locust plague, and they also got a high yield of wheat. Facts spoke louder than words. Those who strongly opposed the Yu Family becoming imperial officials earlier had stopped and no longer came out to voice their objections!

Zhu Junfan smiled and said, “The Yu Family is really capable! Especially the little girl from the Yu Family! We heard that it was the twelve year old girl who suggested to plant the vegetables, watermelon, corn, as well as the winter wheat. It seems like the one who is truly capable in the Yu Family is this unassuming young girl!”

“Your Imperial Majesty, I don’t oppose the men of the Yu Family joining the imperial court as an official, but…if Your Majesty wants to promote the little girl, I’m afraid that the people will criticize the decision…” Imperial Censor Yang jumped out again. This person was seriously inflexible and didn’t know when to stop.

Zhu Junfan chuckled and said, “Criticism? As long as the people have enough to eat and wear, why would we be afraid of some criticism? When we were still the heir of Imperial Prince Li, we had built a shipyard and constructed large ships. Weren’t there also a lot of officials who said that we were wasting money and manpower? Those doubts were automatically disproved after we personally set sail to seek the high-yielding and stomach-filling sweet potatoes. Without those ships that we made, would we have the high-yield sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes now?”

“Your Imperial Majesty is wise!” The officials bowed to the emperor and were sincerely convinced by his foresight. Corn and potato had not been popularized, but they knew very well the importance of sweet potatoes. In the north, the number of people who died due to successive years of disasters was far less than that of previous years. Moreover, they were also able to quickly return to their normal lifestyles. In addition to the emperor’s benevolence in tax reduction and exemption, it was also because sweet potatoes were high-yielding and suitable for all types of soil. Therefore, the victims of the disasters wouldn’t die of starvation due to a lack of food.

“Since ascending the throne, we have attached great importance on the livelihood of the common people. For the sake of the people being able to fill their stomachs and wear warm clothes, we have been looking for experts who can promote agriculture. Now, an extraordinary talent in farming has appeared. Do we really have to give up on her because of her gender?” Zhu Junfan asked in a very sincere manner.

The bowing court officials didn’t say anything, but Imperial Censor Yang still very tactlessly voiced his opinion, “Emperor, you can reward her father and older brother…”

“Beloved Official Yang, the girl is still young, so her father and older brother can help her with the cultivation for the next few years. But what happens when she grows up and gets married in a few years? Her father and brother occupies her position but can’t do much for the common people. Is our Great Ming Dynasty going to bestow positions to officials who hold the office and enjoy the privileges without making any contributions?” Zhu Junfan spoke in a serious tone and questioning manner. He hated those pests who held onto a position without doing any work and didn’t let others take over. However, these good-for-nothing officials still existed and there was no way to prevent them from clinging on.

Imperial Censor Yang wanted to refute, but he didn’t know how to reply to the emperor’s words. He frowned and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Seeing that the emperor was enraged, the other officials didn’t dare to make anymore comments.

Zhu Junfan lightly sighed and said, “Let’s discuss this matter again after we see the father and daughter of the Yu Family. Junyang, send a hundred catties of the wheat you brought over to each official’s house. Consider it a reward!”

“Your Majesty, please don’t!!” The officials were very happy and were about to thank the emperor when Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue jumped out and tried to stop the emperor’s order with his life.

Zhu Junfan was mentally tired ah. He sighed and asked, “Beloved Official Liu, what ‘high opinion’ do you have?”

“Emperor! The wheat kernels that Royal Prince Yang brought back are all plump grains, which makes them excellent seeds ah! This official thinks that the wheat should be used as seeds and planted around the capital. Your Majesty, imagine how many people will benefit if these seeds produce a high yield and are popularized all over the country ah! This official thinks that these wheat kernels should be stored as improved variety seeds and not be eaten as food!”

The officials were still reminiscing the taste of the white, plump steamed buns. When the emperor said that he would give the grains to them, their hearts burst with joy. With one hundred catties of wheat, they could grind seventy to eighty catties of flour, right? Wouldn’t they be able to make a lot of steamed buns then? It would definitely be enough to satisfy their cravings! What was wrong with this Minister Liu? To ask the emperor to retract his imperial edict, he was seriously harming others without any self-interest! ‘Your Majesty, you stand your ground ah!!’

Zhu Junfan felt very relieved yet tired to have an official who wholeheartedly cared about the common people. In fact, Minister Liu’s words were quite reasonable. However, could he really not even reward these officials, who had helped him with a lot of worries, with a mere bag of wheat?

[1] Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) - a statesman and strategist, prime minister of the kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period; became a symbol of resourcefulness and wisdom in Chinese folklore