The Imperial Palace in the capital, the imperial study room.

Deeper and heavy, the rain curtain outside the temple is heavy.

Li Chong, the inner court supervisor, looked at Emperor Murong Jin who was still reviewing the memorial in the study, sighed, and took the freshly made soothing soup from the young apprentice Wei Jun beside him.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." Li Chong walked in and reminded softly.

The emperor didn't lift his head either. He grabbed his hand in front of Li Chong, took the medicine bowl to his mouth, drank it all, and waved his hand: "You don't need to urge, I know it in my heart."

Li Chong knows the emperor’s temperament best, but the weather has gradually turned cold recently, and the emperor’s wind is a little bit cold.

"Your Majesty." Li Chong has the emperor's trust the most. He can only persuade him to say this: "The old lady Qi said that this tranquilizing soup has the effect of helping sleep. If it is forcibly contended with the power of the medicine, it will be harmful to the body!"

The emperor finally put down the ink brush, rubbed the slightly sore eyebrows, and said in a bad mood: "It's very light, and the daily reports from all over the world are as many as snow flakes. If I don't pay attention to it, can I give it back to him? Can't see it?"

Li Chong chuckled: "The old lady Qi is afraid that he won't be able to share his worries with your Majesty. With his two eyes, I am afraid that it is even harder to write the medicine list now!"

After being interrupted by Li Chong, the emperor stopped his thoughts of continuing to criticize.

When I looked up, I saw the wind and rain outside.

"One autumn rain and one cold!" The emperor said with emotion: "I remember that the day Xiao Qi left last year, it also rained so much."

Li Chong smiled. He waited in front of the emperor for decades, knowing that the emperor’s affection for the seventh son of the Pei family was extraordinary, just like looking at his own child, always remembering.

He thought about it carefully, and replied: "Really, the old slave remembered that his majesty said at the time that Master Pei would return to Beijing for at most two years."

The emperor stood up, walked to the entrance of the temple, and looked at the rain outside: "Yes. In a blink of an eye, Xiao Qi has been in Wuzhou for a whole year. After this winter, it will be the provincial test in Beijing. I'm really anxious!"

"That's right!" The emperor seemed to think of something suddenly, and Chao Li Chong said: "I remember Huang Qing said this afternoon. I received a memorial from the prefect of Wuzhou. You can find it, but can you submit it?"

According to Li Chong, he hurried to turn over the table and the memoirs were piled up like a hill. Sure enough, I turned out a memorandum with a note on it, which was from Wuzhou.

"Your Majesty, here is the memorial." Li Chong picked it up and presented it to him.

The emperor grabbed the memorial, opened it excitedly, glanced at the ten lines, and quickly scanned the contents of the memorial, the joy in his eyes became greater and greater.

With a "pop", he closed the melodrama and said to Li Chong, "I know Xiaoqi will not let me down! All the five acres of sweet potatoes they tried to plant in Wuzhou this spring were harvested! One acre can harvest dozens of them. stone!"

Li Chong also became happy: "This is good, Jiangdong has been suffering from drought and rain for many years. With sweet potatoes, your Majesty doesn't have to worry about it all the time."

The emperor was also a little agitated. He turned around and pointed at Li Chong: "You go and give me an orally, and ask Hubu Shangshu to send a few capable personnel to Wuzhou to see for yourself the harvest of sweet potatoes."

"By the way, go and tell the prime minister to make a plan with the Ministry of Households as soon as possible to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes in Wuzhou next year. All growers will be exempt from duty and service for two years!"

Li Chong was taken aback. It's still raining in the middle of the night, now go to tell the decree?

But the emperor had long forgotten this, and instead urged: "Go, what's the matter?"

"Uh... yes, yes!" Li Chong hurriedly stepped back.

At the Jiangdong Academy at this time, Pei Yunxiao, Tang Hang and Han Shaozhen's house was also brightly lit.

"How about it, have you figured it out?" A group of students gathered around the table, staring at Han Shaozhen, who was planning to take the case.

Han Shaozhen made the last stroke and picked up the paper: "It's calculated!"

"Five acres of land, excluding the academy's own reserves, and the need for replanting and seedling next year, and a total of 387 shi sweet potatoes, which will be distributed to the eight poorest villages in Wuzhou, plus the rice we donated this year. Food and cotton clothes will enable at least a hundred of the poorest families to survive this winter!"

"Good! Great!" Everyone cheered immediately.

However, five acres of land can save the lives of more than a hundred households, and the harvest of these five acres of land is all their own dedication. How can it not be exciting?

You know, when the news came out that Tang Hang was trying to grow sweet potatoes, there were many disapproval voices inside the academy.

But even so, the five people including Pei Yunxiao and Tang Heng still gritted their teeth and just planted sweet potato chunks one after another in the field.

When the seedlings came out in the field, the other students in the college couldn't sit still.

They are all classmates, and their relationship is pretty good on weekdays. Where can I look at others exhausted, and I seem to be idle.

As more and more students joined, public opinion in Wuzhou City gradually changed its direction. Both men and women, young and old, want to see what these white-faced scholars who could only read sages and sages in the past can tinker with them.

It wasn't until the autumn wind blew over the fields over and over again, when the students of Jiangdong Academy were barefoot, holding their cuffs and trouser legs, and digging out the fruitful sweet potatoes from the field regardless of the dirt and filth, did they finally realize what is called " The joy of a bumper harvest"!

From spring to autumn, for half a year, the students don’t know how much effort has been devoted to this big and sweet sweet potato.

How many people have their toes bitten by insects in the ground, how many people have fainted on the edge of the fields in the hot summer, and how many people have been pressed by the shoulders to shed blood on both shoulders in order to lift water for watering... …

On the night when all the sweet potatoes were harvested, the head of the Academy Zheng asked the college kitchen to cook a big pot of sweet potato porridge for the students.

That is the sweetest porridge that students have eaten in their lives. That taste is unforgettable in this life.

Some students even cried as they ate. They were not afraid of other people's jokes. They just said-he finally understood what "who knows Chinese food is hard to eat"!

"The Chief of Academy Zheng stated that we will hold a feast banquet at the champion restaurant on the day. This is a turnaround for our academy, and we must tell those in Wuzhou City who look down upon others to take a good look at our ability!"

Now that the account is clear, then they should "show off their power", right?

"Yes!" Another student echoed: "Brother Zikuan, Brother Yifei, do you have any good ideas, let us have a good breath!"

"What's so bad about this?" Xie Ying stood up and objected: "The news of our success has been spread, and the faces of those people are so embarrassed that they naturally dare not mention it again.

Maybe there are those thick-skinned people who might come to our celebration banquet tomorrow. There will be no need for us to do anything at that time. Those people will be polite and polite to your fellow students. "

Xie Ying was talking about this Dao Bo and the few people who stopped thinking carefully.

At noon on the second day, there was a lively scene in the champion restaurant.

The students of Jiangdong Academy were all very energetic, pushing their cups and talking about them during the banquet, and people outside the restaurant could not help but stop and watch.

Because of the hype by many students, everyone in Wuzhou City now knows that Jiangdong Academy, under the leadership of a student named Tang Heng, has planted food that can solve the famine.

Although everyone has never seen it before, seeing them so happy, they can't help but hope.

"Mr. Zheng! Mr. Song!"

In the midst of the hustle and bustle, three well-dressed men came in the restaurant.

The students could not help stopping the noise and looking over.

At a glance, Pei Yunxiao recognized that these three were all well-known big grain merchants in Wuzhou City, and the words "rich and oily" were barely written on his forehead.

"Master Wang, Master Li, Master Qian? Who are you?" Zheng Boyan and Song Jue met the three in confusion.

"Yeah, didn't I hear that you two have cultivated a good student, and you have done a great job for the people of Wuzhou! We are all from the same country, so we always have to come to congratulate you!" Mr. Wang laughed.

The student Li Yan curled his lips on the side and murmured at Pei Yunxiao: "It was these three who laughed at us the most. It's really fast to change our faces!"

Since Liang Ze and Wang Sen died and left, Li Yan has completely become Pei Yunxiao's attendant.

Pei Yunxiao raised his eyebrows: "Isn't this just being said by Brother Chu Fang."

The three masters over there were rich and powerful, and with a big wave, the people brought up a few large boxes of gifts, saying that they were going to the Academy and Tang Heng.

"We really admire the talents of this young man, and we are deeply impressed by his high character." Master Wang said again, "I wonder if Mr. Zheng and Mr. Song can recommend us?"

Zheng Boyan and Song Jue couldn't refuse this request, so they had to call Tang Heng away.

"Oh! What a kind of talent!" Mr. Li praised.

On the other side, Master Qian's eyes became more and more blatant, looking at Tang Hang as if he was some sweet pastry.

"Little Qi, let's make a bet?" Han Shaozhen leaned in, "Without three words, the three of them must say that Zikuan will go to Beijing for the exam, and that Master Qian will tell Zikuan to his girl! "

When Pei Yunxiao heard the last sentence, his heart sank suddenly, and he was inexplicably sour, but he didn't care.

"I won't bet with you." Pei Yunxiao refused to answer Han Shaozhen's stubbornness: "Because I think the same as you."

Sure enough, the three people over there had already begun to bomb Tang Hang in turn.

Master Li: "I heard that Mr. Tang took out his savings for the sweet potato. It is really high! Brother Tang is such a talented person and absolutely can't be buried. I would like to give Brother Tang the silver taels that he went to Beijing for free, and help him get the title on the gold list. It can be considered as a contribution to the court!"

Master Qian: "At a young age, a good nephew has such a temperament and good fortune, which shows that the family style is brilliant. Such a son can be a beautiful girl. I don't know whether a good nephew can have a marriage? The little girl is in this year. , Proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting..."

Master Wang: "Mr. Zheng, Mr. Song, Brother Tang, the college has worked so hard for the people of Jiangdong, I really admire it. I am willing to invest in buying all the sweet potatoes harvested by the college this time, so that those who benefit the people will not be chilled!"

Um? Pei Yunxiao frowned slightly.

Something strange seems to have gotten in?

What Master Li and Master Qian said, Pei Yunxiao didn't care about it, but smiled. But what the Master Wang said was a little subtle.

Merchants are chasing profits, and they cannot afford to be unprofitable. Master Wang must have seen the huge profits of sweet potatoes before he opened his mouth.

But Pei Yunxiao would never sell sweet potatoes to such people!

They grow sweet potatoes so that the people can eat their food and not die from freezing and starvation. If they were sold to these unscrupulous profiteers, hoarding and making money, wouldn't everything they do be ruined?

This Lord Wang is exhausted. At the beginning, the big opposition was because they were afraid that growing sweet potatoes would endanger the interests of their grain merchants. Now they are rushing to buy out and make a big dream!

Tang Heng obviously also heard the pitfalls.

He turned around for the first time, exchanged a look with Pei Yunxiao, and then tactfully rejected Master Li's kindness to marry Master Qian, before looking at Master Wang.

"Master Wang, it is true that this sweet potato was planted together in the same year by Jiangdong Academy. It is not Zikuan who has the final say. We have discussed with the two gentlemen to give these sweet potatoes to the impoverished people in Wuzhou free of charge. Please forgive me for understanding their urgent need." Tang Hang was very polite.

But after hearing this, Master Wang was neither angry nor anxious, but he chuckled: "Little brother, you guys are young and have high spirits. You always talk about "for the country and the people". I understand."

"But..." Master Wang paused, showing a complicated smile: "Nowadays, whether this sweet potato can be eaten, how to eat it, but no one can say."

"At that time, I am afraid that you will not be grateful, but will give birth to enmity. By then, the bamboo basket will be empty, but the gain will not be worth the loss!"

Tang Heng narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "Master Wang, what does this mean?"

Master Wang looked around all the people who were holding his breath and prepared to listen to his explanation. He stroked his beard and said: "It is true that there are rumors in Wuzhou City and various prefectures and counties. This sweet potato is poisonous and is distributed to the poor just for the sake of Take their lives and rob their houses and land! Tell me, do you still send out your sweet potatoes?"