Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 723 Pros and Cons

Compared with other young ladies from aristocratic families, this was no advantage, so Hua Lei was not worthy of serving in the court. However, Hua Lei shamelessly took office, and he sneered.

Later, when he heard that Hua Lei was transferred from the Silin Bureau to the Ministry of Revenue and went directly to Mobei, he believed that Hua Lei's promotion was due to the relationship with the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

A woman, not staying at home to take care of her husband and children, but going to Mobei to fill the gap, is really against the fairness of the imperial examination. Therefore, he was even more dismissive of Hualei.

In the first half of the year, when he heard that Hua Lei was appointed as the prefect of Xichang, he felt that the emperor had finally opened his eyes and was going to expose the true colors of this unqualified person. He believed that Hua Lei was exiled to Xichang.

The resentment in his heart seemed to have an outlet, and he waited for Hua Lei to make a fool of herself. This time, he also read Hua Lei's work report, but he just glanced through it and did not read it carefully.

Moreover, he had a preconceived notion that the content must be exaggerated. Xichang Prefecture was the poorest prefecture in the Great Sheng Dynasty, and everyone knew this.

There were many governors before who were committed to improving the poverty and backwardness of Xichang Prefecture and increasing its tax revenue. However, after so long, Xichang Prefecture remained the same.

Taxes have always been at the bottom, and often they can't be collected. As for Youjia Rice, he did see the content, and he studied it carefully.

What they call "Excellent Rice" is actually just a bunch of nonsense, and they whitewash it to make it sound good. Fan Rongcheng decided to expose Hualei's "whitewashing" and let Hualei suffer the consequences.

So, when Emperor Shengwu brought it up, seeing that Pei Jingxuan and Minister Zhang had not expressed their opinions, he took the initiative to express his rejection.

"Your Majesty, I object. I think that Master Hua is making things up. Let's not talk about whether the yield of Youjia rice can really be increased, and whether it can reduce diseases and insect pests.

However, I have carefully read the plan proposed by Lord Hua. In the final analysis, this Youjia rice is just a mixed cross-planting of rice.

It's just that Mr. Hua used the word "excellent" to whitewash it. How can the rice that is essentially grown in a mess be a good thing? Everything should be as pure as possible. "Fan Rongcheng said passionately.

If Hua Lei was present, she would definitely praise Fan Rongcheng for being able to see the essence through the surface and immediately revealing the true nature that he wanted to cover up.

In the Great Prosperity, in order to maintain the nobility of their bloodline, the aristocratic families clearly distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate children. Legitimate sons did not marry illegitimate daughters, and legitimate daughters did not marry illegitimate sons. This was the principle of the aristocratic families. Moreover, the upbringing was completely different.

As the legitimate son of the family, Fan Rongcheng hated all his illegitimate brothers and sisters. This mixed rice cultivation was like raising a legitimate son together with his illegitimate brothers, which was hard to accept.

Looking at Fan Rongcheng who was about to retire in a few years, Emperor Shengwu frowned slightly. If it wasn't for the need to balance certain relationships in the court, how could this good-for-nothing, lazy and cunning person sit in this position.

He originally wanted to scold him, but because he was thinking about the mixed cross-planting of rice, Emperor Shengwu turned his gaze to Pei Jingxuan who was sitting on his left.

"Lord Pei, what do you think?" Emperor Shengwu asked.

"Your Majesty, I think we can try it out in Shangjing City first. Lord Hua also said that this is a long process and cannot be accomplished overnight.

However, it would be a good thing if we could find rice seeds with less pests and diseases and high yield. At present, rice in the Great Sheng Dynasty is very susceptible to pests and diseases, resulting in low yields. Therefore, many people still have insufficient food and clothing.

Moreover, the imperial court was also vigorously encouraging childbirth and working hard to increase the population of the dynasty, so the issue of food was a big problem.

If the mixed cross-planting of rice proposed by Master Hua really finds a better rice variety, it will also bring great benefits to the increase in population. The two complement each other and both require a long time. "Pei Jingxuan said carefully.

Emperor Shengwu nodded and turned his gaze to Minister Zhang on his right.

Minister Zhang leaned forward slightly and said, "I second Lord Pei's opinion. Lord Hua has already conducted experiments in the barren Xichang. Although the results are not ideal, this shows that the direction may be right.

If the experiment is conducted in Shangjing City, whether in terms of fields, seeds, or other conditions, such as manpower, experience, irrigation, and fertilizers, it will be better than Xichang Prefecture, and the possibility of success will be greater.

I guess that the reason why Lord Hua proposed this plan in his performance report before he succeeded was probably based on this reason.

Lady Hua felt that she might not be able to accomplish this task on her own, and she needed the support of the court and the Ministry of Revenue.

I, your humble servant, have worked with Lady Hua in Mobei for three years, and I know her very well. She has always been a very down-to-earth and hard-working person, and has never sought fame or glory. She always has the people in her heart.

Therefore, I think we can give it a try according to Master Hua's method. Even if it fails, it will not be a loss to the court. At most, it will only cost a few more people."

Minister Zhang spoke his mind. As a person who had been hungry and cold since childhood, he knew the importance of food.

When he was very young, one year, the rice planted in his family’s fields was completely destroyed due to pests and diseases.

He had been hungry for a long time. He hoped that such things would not happen again and that all the people could have enough food and warm clothing.

As Hua Lei's former superior, he also knew Hua Lei's character and talents. Even if Hua Lei really took over his position one day, it would be because he was not as skilled as her and had nothing to do with Hua Lei.

Emperor Shengwu nodded again and turned his gaze to the other doctors in the Ministry of Revenue, completely ignoring Fan Rongcheng who was looking at him eagerly, waiting for him to ask questions.

Fan Rongcheng, who had prepared a long speech, suddenly had all his words stuck in his throat. The other doctors in the Ministry of Revenue were also shrewd people. After observing Pei Jingxuan and Minister Zhang's expressions, they all agreed with their opinions.

For a moment, Fan Rongcheng became even more unconvinced. What he could not stand the most were these people who fawned on the powerful and flattered others and had no backbone at all.

In fact, in his heart, he was more concerned about his own interests. Hua Lei is now a fourth-rank official, only one rank lower than himself.

Although Hualei is currently working in a local position, he may return to Beijing in a few years. If the mixed cross-planting rice experiment proposed by Hualei accidentally makes the Ministry of Revenue succeed, it will be a great achievement for Hualei.