Chapter 1666 Renzijuan house leaks and encounters continuous rain (1)
Chai Ke lived near the outer courtyard. When Feng Ziying went to visit, there happened to be guests visiting Chai Ke, so he had to wait for a while.
It seems that he should be an acquaintance of Chai Ke. From the time Chai Ke kept talking to the other party until he finally sent him out, Feng Ziying did not go to the window to see who it was. That was too rude, but the other party's voice still sounded a bit... It sounds familiar, but I can't remember who it is.
"Ziying, come on." When Chai Ke greeted Feng Ziying, his face was a little gloomy and he felt that he was not in a good mood. Feng Ziying came out of the waiting room with a smile and cupped her hands: "I have met Mr. Chai."
"Well, how long have you been here?" Chai Ke called Feng Ziying into the room and motioned for Feng Ziying to take a seat. Feng Ziying responded: "It's just two cups of tea. Seeing that you have guests, I just read here for a while. You are quite leisurely." , you can also bring books with you when you come here.”
Feng Ziying was quite surprised by the books Chai Ke read. They were actually "Principles of Geometry" and "Taiwan Water Method" translated by Xu Guangqi. One was a monograph on mathematics, another was a monograph on water conservancy, and another was "Sweet Potato Drying". , which is a monograph introducing crops introduced from the West such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, was actually seen in this waiting room.
This waiting room is actually where Chai Ke usually studies in the past few days. Feng Ziying can come in because Chai Ke's servants have always known that Feng Ziying is familiar with his master and have not noticed anything, so they introduced him. Ordinary guests naturally come in. You can't go in.
"Well, these books by Zixian (characterized by Xu Guangqi) are quite troublesome. The book "Principles of Geometry" made me dizzy, but the book "Taixi Water Method" is quite interesting. The books from the Ministry of Industry You should read it carefully, it is very insightful, and "Sweet Potato" is also quite innovative. By the way, Jun Yu is said to have promoted sweet potatoes and potatoes on a large scale in Yongping. It is said that this is the foundation you laid. After you came to Shuntianfu, you also Tongzhou, Yutian, and Fengrun counties have also worked hard. Why, you and Jun Yu both think that these two crops are more suitable for the north than corn?"
Chai Ke didn't mind if Feng Ziying read the book he brought. Xu Guangqi's reputation in the court was very subtle. On the one hand, he was indeed quite talented. Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe, Qi Yongtai and others all thought highly of him. But on the other hand, he was very talented. On the other hand, he believed in Catholicism and was considered an outlier among the civil servants in the DPRK. However, the DPRK was relatively open to Western religions. Although the DPRK officials did not quite approve of it, they were not overly hostile. He was not welcome but still Not in a state of resolute rejection and hostility.
"Sir, in terms of yield alone, sweet potatoes and potatoes far exceed corn. Of course, in terms of meeting people's tastes, sweet potatoes and potatoes are much inferior to corn. But I think this is not a matter of taste, but a matter of habit. As long as If you eat it for a long time, you can gradually adapt to this texture and taste. Besides, if the weather is not good now, sweet potatoes and potatoes are drought-tolerant and barren. When people are starving to death, it is self-evident to choose to plant crops like that.”
Feng Ziying is very calm and honest.
"I read that the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes in Zi Xian's book is more than five dan per mu, and can even reach seven to eight dan. Their yield can be five to six times that of corn. Although there is a reason for the moisture content of potatoes and sweet potatoes, but even so , the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes has also greatly exceeded that of corn. If this is the case, wouldn’t it be possible to grow all potatoes and sweet potatoes in the North?”
Chai Ke was extremely interested.
"Sir, although the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes is indeed several times that of corn, they also have several unavoidable weaknesses. First, they are wet materials and cannot be stored well, and they will perish easily over time; second, their taste is inferior to that of rice. Wheat is very different, and it is difficult for the majority of people to adapt to it; thirdly, its original species are prone to degradation after several harvests, and the yield drops rapidly, which is far less stable than corn,..."
"Well, let's see. Zi Xian mentioned it in the book, but he didn't say much." Chai Ke nodded, "Someone came to me earlier, do you know who it was?"
“Who is it?” Feng Ziying was also curious. She heard it familiar just now, but now she can’t think of the name.
“It’s Ming Zhong (Wu Liang’s descendant).” Chai Ke said with a smile: “Are you familiar with it? They were the ones who went to Jiangnan with you back then...”
"Is it Mr. Wu?" Feng Ziying was really a little surprised, but she immediately came to her senses. No wonder he sounded familiar. He had worked with him for several months, but he had not been in contact with him in the past two years, so he couldn't remember it for a while.
Wu Liangsi is now a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs and has no direct working relationship with Chai Ke. However, Wu Liangsi is from Wuxue, Huguang, and is from the same hometown as Chai Ke, who is also from Qianjiang, Huguang. Therefore, it is normal for him to visit, but It was obviously impossible for Wu Liangsi to be summoned by Emperor Yonglong, but to come to Chai Ke to talk about something at this time was probably not a pleasant thing.
"Well, do you know what Ming Zhong is talking about?" Chai Ke's face was filled with dark clouds, and his tone became more and more indifferent.
“Students don’t know.” Feng Ziying shook her head honestly.
"Come here for the grain." A hint of gloom passed through Chai Ke's eyes, and he sighed: "The replenishment of the second warehouse in Jingtong is very slow, and it has not yet replenished 70%. It is said that the price of grain in Huguang has risen, and it will be transmitted soon. I'm very worried when I go to Jiangnan and Beijing."
Feng Ziying's thoughts turned quickly. Chai Ke was the left minister of the Ministry of official affairs, but he was so concerned about the affairs of the Ministry of household affairs. The situation must be very bad to make Chai Ke act like this. He couldn't help but ask: "But outside the second warehouse of Jingtong Are there other problems in other Shuizicang stores as well?"
Chai Ke looked at Feng Ziying: "Ziying, do you think there is a problem in Cicang, Linqingshui, your hometown?"
Feng Ziying hesitated for a moment, wondering which water warehouse would have no problems? The second warehouse in Jingtong has such a big problem as it is the end point of the grain transportation. How can the second warehouse in Jingtong, which is used as a transit, not have problems? It is nothing more than a matter of degree.
Unlike Jingtong Ercang, which is still under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture, Shuicicang is completely under the jurisdiction of water transportation. The local government has no right to intervene. Even though the Ministry of Household Affairs can intervene, the supervisors are still the governor of water transportation and the inspector. The Censor, that is, the Water Transport Yamen, is not directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. As long as the water transport can ensure the quality and quantity of the grain transported to Jingtong Ercang every year, then other matters are under the jurisdiction of the Water Transport Yamen, and the Ministry of Revenue has no right to directly intervene.
"Sir, where is the problem in the Shuici warehouse?" Feng Ziying's heart tightened. She was originally worried about the problem of replenishing the grain supply in the second warehouse of Jingtong. Now there is also a problem in the Shuici warehouse. It looks like this and the problem is not surprising. Small, otherwise Chai Ke, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, should not have intervened, but he was so anxious, so the matter must be very difficult.
“What do you think?” Chai Ke sighed.
(End of this chapter)