The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 133 Imperial Envoy

Wang Hengzhi is also from Shu. When he saw this novel pot in the evening, he really liked it. The couple did not ask the maid to do it. They just rinsed the pot themselves and ate with the dipping sauce. They ate until their noses were sweating. It was so satisfying!

Wang Hengzhi praised the hotpot highly, but sighed helplessly after eating it.

"Alas, I don't know what's going on with the higher-ups. This is a matter concerning the new grain variety, which concerns the people, but the petition I submitted has fallen on deaf ears. Alas, my voice is not taken seriously. If I were in a high position, how could this happen?"

Even though he had thousands of ambitions in his heart, he was unable to realize them due to the limited official position, so he was very worried.

Zhang Ruomei comforted him, "Master, don't worry. The mountains are high and the roads are long. You might be delayed on the way. If you wait a little longer, you might get some news."

Wang Hengzhi knew that his wife was trying to comfort him, so he just patted her hands to soothe her.

However, no one expected that Zhang Ruomei's words would come true so soon.

Three days later, Wang Hengzhi met the imperial envoy who came from the capital specifically for the new breed at the county government office.

The special envoy was an agricultural official from the Ministry of Revenue. His rank was not high, only the sixth rank. However, he was a Beijing official and came with the emperor's order. With the title of imperial envoy, the local authorities naturally did not dare to neglect him.

Wang Hengzhi was naturally overjoyed. The situation he had thought was hopeless suddenly took a turn for the better. It was truly a blessing from heaven!

The Imperial Envoy, Lord Hu, was a skinny old man in his forties with a dark complexion. If he hadn't been wearing an official uniform, he would have looked no different from an old farmer working in the fields.

Lord Hu was an impatient man. After landing and taking a short rest, he asked to see the corns that were kept.

Although he felt that no one would have the guts to deceive the emperor, a yield of 500 kilograms per mu was indeed appalling. As someone who had been dealing with land for half his life, he had to see it with his own eyes.

The corn in that warehouse was well preserved. There was a bag of unshelled corn left, and there were even two bundles of corn stalks. The chain of evidence was so comprehensive that Wang Hengzhi was not afraid to look at it.

When Lord Hu saw these things, he checked them one by one. After confirming that they were correct, he stood there in shock, then hugged the corn and cried: "God bless our Great Zhou. Once this thing is out, there will be no more hungry people in the world!"

Wang Hengzhi could understand his emotions, as he thought the same at the time.

After the excitement, Lord Hu asked to summon Chen, the peasant woman who discovered the seeds and planted them, to come and see him. He wanted to ask her about the details.

After all, discovering new grains is one thing, and the subsequent planting and popularization requires a process, and there is still a long way to go. If we ask those who are the first to plant them now, perhaps we can avoid a lot of detours.

After receiving the notice, Chen Cui took the prepared planting booklet and went to the county government office.

Although there are differences between men and women, there were many people present, so Lord Hu had no taboos when asking questions.

Chen Cui felt that he was very professional and the questions he asked were all key issues about growing a new crop. Fortunately, she was well prepared, so she handed the booklet to him.

Lord Hu was overjoyed when he saw the booklet. He didn't expect that this peasant woman was not only literate, but also knew how to take notes. This greatly facilitated his subsequent research work.

However, even though he had the booklet, he still had many questions about corn planting to ask on the spot. Fortunately, Chen Cui paid special attention when planting, so she was able to give answers. These questions and answers were all recorded in the book by Lord Hu.

Although Lord Hu confirmed the authenticity of the new crop, corn, he was not in a hurry to return to Beijing. The mountains were high and the road was long, and it was not easy to make a trip. He had to understand this crop before he could go back.

Besides, when they left, they were going to take these thousands of kilograms of corn with them to the capital. Now it was freezing cold and the road was not easy to travel on. It would be better to wait until after the New Year when the weather was a little warmer before setting off.

Lord Hu wrote an official letter truthfully reporting the situation in Yinping and submitted it. He then lived there peacefully. Every day he either studied the booklet or called Chen Cui to question her.

Wang Hengzhi did not always have time to accompany Chen Cui. Later, Chen Cui felt that he was annoying her and it was affecting her life, so she simply recommended Liu Youcai to come over.

When Liu Youcai learned that the man in front of him was an imperial envoy from the capital, he was extremely terrified and his words were not clear enough and even incoherent.

This made Lord Hu sigh, he was a village chief, but his reply was not as fluent as a woman.

But he also knew that Chen was a widow with three sons who were studying hard. She valued her reputation the most, so it was reasonable for people to avoid suspicion.

The arrival of Lord Hu finally calmed Chen Cui's heart, and it was only a matter of time before the court rewarded her.

At that time, she would not mind whether she was given false fame or money. Of course, it would be best to gain both fame and fortune, so that she could gain benefits and face at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

The three Changping brothers were also happy about this matter. An imperial envoy had come to the county, and people in the school were also talking about this matter, but no one knew that it would be related to them three brothers.

The three brothers are both simple and dazzling in the school. They are simple because of their inconspicuous clothes, and dazzling because of their academic performance.

Except for the first month, Changping has ranked in the top three in three consecutive monthly exams. Changan and Changfu's scores are also at the top. This is really surprising for other children with good grades in the school.

In the past, transfer students were always at the bottom of the class, and even if they caught up later, they would not be outstanding. Unexpectedly, these three brothers performed so outstandingly that the teachers were all impressed.

Good students are welcome everywhere, and teachers never hide their preference for children with excellent grades. Changping is especially hard-working and humble, which makes the teachers appreciate him. They usually take good care of him. Gradually, Changping also dares to borrow books from the teachers.

The books in the bookstore are too expensive, so it is better to borrow them and copy them. This can not only practice writing, but also deepen the memory and help with memorization. After copying, the three brothers can take turns reading them.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Dahai and Chen Dahe brought Chen Cui the profit from selling charcoal this year, a total of one hundred and forty-five taels.

Chen Cui's money was not collected in vain, as she taught Chen's father and son the skill of making charcoal, which could be considered as an investment in technology.

In other words, the Chen family earned 480 taels of silver from selling charcoal this year, which is already a considerable sum of money.

She was a little worried that the Chen family would get such a large sum of money suddenly, and that something bad would happen if they became poor and suddenly rich.

But considering that the Chen family has been busy for a whole winter and has finally finished their work, they should take advantage of the New Year to take a break and stop working so hard. It won’t be too late to talk about it after seeing Dad after the New Year.

Three days later, Chen Cui welcomed her second New Year in this world!