bayedsolid Chapter 180: Being Deceived
Chapter 180: Being Deceived
"General Liang is too modest. I've heard that you've recently acquired some novelties and are showing them off everywhere, even sending them as gifts to some ministers."
The Grand Tutor added casually from the side, and as soon as he said this, General Liang immediately knelt down with a thud.
This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. If His Majesty misunderstands it, it would be a crime of corruption and embezzlement! Even worse, it could be a crime of treason!
General Liang was drenched in sweat and extremely flustered. He tried his best to explain, afraid that he hadn't explained things clearly enough.
"Your Majesty, what I sent were just some food items. A few days ago, I obtained a type of vegetable that looked plump and I thought it was quite good, so I sent it to a few ministers to try."
"Is that so? Why did I hear from the Grand Tutor that you were carrying something and wandering around the streets and alleys?"
"Your Majesty, the thing General Liang brought is called corn kernels. I heard they taste very good, but unfortunately, this old minister will not have the chance to taste them."
General Liang thought that Grand Tutor Zhao was going to speak up for him, but before he could even feel moved for a second, he realized that something was wrong.
Why does the second half of this sentence sound a bit sarcastic?
General Liang now fully understood that Grand Tutor Zhao had come to the palace to complain because he was jealous that he hadn't sent him corn kernels.
Thinking of the few corn cobs he couldn't bear to eat in his own residence, General Liang gritted his teeth and decided to offer them as tribute to His Majesty.
"Your Majesty, this corn seed is exactly what this old minister wanted to present to Your Majesty, but I have not yet found an opportunity to offer it to you!"
"Oh? Where is this thing now?" The emperor was pleased, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his mood inexplicably improved.
General Liang accepted his fate and ordered a palace eunuch to go to his residence and bring the corn kernels to the palace.
While General Liang was retrieving the items, Grand Tutor Zhao helped him up from the ground.
"General Liang should have said earlier that he wanted to present this to His Majesty. I heard that the ministers who received the jade seed all said it was good. I just don't know why General Liang gave the thing he said he would present to His Majesty to others."
General Liang was now even more certain that this man was an old fox, and a vengeful one at that. He had deliberately shown off in front of him, and after he refused to give him the corn kernels, the man held a grudge and came to His Majesty to exaggerate and fabricate these stories.
Seeing that the emperor on the throne cast a probing look at him after Zhao Taifu finished speaking, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat again. If he didn't answer well, he would be in big trouble.
"Naturally, we want those people to taste it so that we can ensure it is presented to His Majesty without any problems, and that His Majesty can enjoy it with peace of mind."
Although there were loopholes in what General Liang said, Grand Tutor Zhao never intended to make things difficult for him; he just wanted to tease General Liang.
Seeing him constantly wiping the sweat from his face, he seemed to have gotten his revenge and felt relieved.
Grand Tutor Zhao simply enjoyed teasing these military officers. He was simple-minded and straightforward, making him much easier to work with than those shrewd and calculating individuals.
The emperor didn't take General Liang's answer seriously. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had gotten away with it.
A short while later, the eunuch came up with the items.
His Majesty held a jade stalk and fell silent.
“Is this delicious?”
General Liang got quite excited when this was mentioned, "Your Majesty, this thing not only tastes good, but it's also filling and good for your health! More importantly, it's produced in large quantities!"
The emperor became interested and asked, "Oh, how much grain can this produce per acre?"
"Your Majesty, it can produce two and a half shi of grain!"
"what?!"
His Majesty and Grand Tutor Zhao were both shocked.
When General Liang heard Ye Yuwu mention this number, he was also surprised, but he was not as shocked as His Majesty and Grand Tutor Zhao. His Majesty, who was usually solemn, actually stood up from his dragon throne.
However, it's understandable that Grand Tutor Zhao and the Emperor were so shocked.
General Liang was a military officer and did not have much understanding of the people's livelihood and national conditions of the imperial court.
But for people like His Majesty and Grand Tutor Zhao, who handle official business daily, they know perfectly well what this number represents.
In the south, the yield of rice per mu is only two shi, while the yield of this corn is two and a half shi! That's not surprising enough.
But the emperor and Grand Tutor Zhao quickly calmed down. "When did this corn seed appear? Where did you obtain it?"
"I bought these corn kernels from Manager Ye's estate. As for when they appeared, I don't know, but I bought them just before spring."
"Old Liang, why are you only saying this now? It's so important!"
Grand Tutor Zhao was furious, and General Liang was also somewhat bewildered.
"What does this mean?"
"I ask you, what is the annual yield of rice in the southern part of our Jin Dynasty?"
"Two stones?"
“In fertile lands like the South, even the best apprentices can only yield two shi per mu, while this corn can yield two and a half shi per mu. If what you say is true, this corn is good for the body and has no major harm. Moreover, it can provide a feeling of fullness. If our Jin Dynasty can grow this, it can solve the food problem for some people.”
"Grand Tutor Zhao, how could I not know what you're talking about!"
I was shocked when I first heard about this production volume, but I quickly calmed down.
Although the plant has an extremely high yield, it currently has a limited number of seeds, making large-scale cultivation impossible. That's why I haven't reported this to the imperial court.
However, I heard that Manager Ye is still trying this large-scale planting, and I think I will buy some of the batch he planted from him to plant later.
"Only after I have successfully cultivated it can I report it to the imperial court. Otherwise, it would be meaningless to report this matter to the imperial court now," General Liang said solemnly.
"So that's how it is. I'm sorry, General Liang, I misunderstood you."
General Liang said he didn't care. "I heard that these corn berries were brought from overseas. The weather has been warming up recently, and I heard that many ships are preparing to set sail. I think we can let these seafarers go out to sea and find some more corn berries to bring back."
"That's feasible, and it's also the fastest way."
"Now that Your Majesty and Grand Tutor Zhao are aware of this, I, Old Chen, have another matter to report to Your Majesty."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
"Grand Tutor Zhao must have heard about this recently?"
“You mean…” Zhao Taifu raised an eyebrow and said, but he didn’t finish his sentence.
“Exactly!” General Liang naturally knew what Grand Tutor Zhao wanted to say, so he nodded in response.
The emperor listened to his two ministers speaking in riddles and felt a strong urge to find out what they were talking about.
Fortunately, General Liang did not hide it for long; he simply asked the emperor to go to his general's residence to see for himself.
The emperor was coming to the general's mansion, and someone left the palace early in the morning to inform Madam Liang. Even Liang Suxin returned to the mansion and dressed up carefully.