Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Hanzhong.

The original Lizhou Road Transfer Office of the Song Dynasty has now become the Sichuan Gorge Economic Envoy Office.

This is not the point.

The key point is that the back house of the Yamen has a large garden, pavilions, rockery ponds, flowers and trees. Nowadays, most of the garden has been leveled into cultivated land, except for the pond which has been retained for irrigation. All the rockeries and rocks were demolished and sold to wealthy households in the city.

Dean Zhu has dozens of acres of experimental fields on the outskirts of the city, 20 acres of which are used to grow rice, and the remaining acres are used to cultivate various vegetables and fruits.

But many times, the experimental fields outside the city are left to students to take care of, because Dean Zhu has official duties every day.

The cultivated land opened up in the back house of the Yamen is specially used to cultivate mung beans!

This thing is an extremely important crop in the north.

Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty introduced improved varieties, firstly, Champa rice from the south, and secondly, large mung bean from India.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, China's traditional mung beans were called mung beans, and the mung beans introduced from India were called zhidou (the beans are numerous and the grains are large).

Now, Dean Zhu is trying to cross-breed two types of mung beans, retaining the field-fertilizing attributes of Chinese mung beans and the high-yielding attributes of Indian mung beans.

As early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Chinese ancestors knew that beans could fertilize fields, and they also ranked them: mung beans were at the top, adzuki beans came second, and soybeans were at the bottom.

Among leguminous plants, soybeans have the greatest fertilizer effect. Ju Ming was widely used to reclaim wasteland in the Nanxiang Basin, mainly taking its value as a "strategic material" and using soybeans to provide protein to the soldiers.

Seeing that he was about to occupy all the northern roads, Dean Zhu set out to cultivate improved mung bean varieties.

Mung beans are not only extremely beneficial to fertile fields, but also have a short production cycle, their roots can loosen the soil, and their drought resistance is as good as that of corn. They are suitable for interplanting and rotation of various staple crops.

If interplanted with wheat, wheat yield can also be increased - without using chemical fertilizers, using mung beans to cover wheat can increase wheat yield by 10% to 18%.

The green bean masking method only appeared in the Yuan Dynasty and matured in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

If it is promoted in the north, you can imagine how effective it will be!

early morning.

Zhu Guoxiang, the owner of the entire Sichuan, was walking in the experimental fields in civilian clothes, followed by male and female servants carrying dung buckets.

Shen Yourong and Wen Xiaomei, both wearing commoners, poured manure on the mung bean seedlings themselves.

Mung beans don't require much fertility, so the manure water is diluted with only a slight odor.

There is also a concubine, An Niang, who just gave birth to a child, otherwise she must also be in the field.

Wen Xiaomei also took a ruler to measure the height of bean sprouts, leaf width and other data, and was responsible for recording it in a small book every day.

Zhu Guoxiang's one wife and two concubines have become half-agricultural experts due to long-term exposure.

Not only that, the dignitaries in Hanzhong Prefecture learned that Zhu Xianggong had experimental fields inside and outside the city, and he cultivated them with his wives and concubines, so they also eagerly learned agricultural knowledge.

They wanted nothing more than to have more topics in common when they met Zhu Xianggong!

They even asked the children of the clan to learn farming at a young age, claiming to the outside world that they wanted to farm and study to inherit the family, but in fact they just wanted to do what they wanted.

"Mr. sir, today's data has been recorded." Miss Wen handed over the small notebook.

Zhu Guoxiang browsed through it roughly, nodded and smiled: "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work," Miss Wen smoothed up her hanging hair and said with a smile, "In the past, I only carried flowers and rare bamboos in the garden. After marrying my husband, I realized that growing grain and vegetables is also quite interesting, and I learned a lot during it." It is complex and profound, no less than reading the books of sages."

Shen Yourong had also washed his hands, walked over and joked: "In the government offices next door, you can often smell the stench of excrement. The officials jokingly call your husband 'farming husband'."

Miss Wen spread her hands and looked at the tender calluses growing on her palms. She couldn't help laughing and said, "I never thought that one day I would farm the land myself."

Zhu Guoxiang was in a happy mood: "In his later years, he went to the countryside to find a piece of land. Men farmed and women weaved and traveled around the mountains and forests. Those days were very happy."

"My husband has given up such a huge foundation?" Wen Xiaomei asked.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "I don't like secular affairs being annoying, leaving it to that bastard to worry about."

Miss Wen smiled: "My husband is indeed a person who has been born from the mortal world. No wonder there are widespread rumors that my husband is the reincarnation of an immortal."

"This immortal has a hard life. I'm afraid he will make a living by farming in heaven." Shen Yourong complained.

Zhu Guoxiang couldn't stop laughing after hearing this. He went back to his room and changed into official uniform, then strolled to the front hall to handle official duties.

Shen Yourong and Miss Wen also changed their clothes and went to teach their children how to read. While the children were reciting texts and practicing calligraphy, they sat together and played Shuanglu.

Zhu's improved version of chess was popular in Hanzhong, but Shen Yourong always lost, so he simply played Shuanglu because he could win by luck.

In the afternoon, Mrs. Yan sent someone to invite them and invited them to go to the theater together.

So they went to Wase together.

Grandma Yan doesn't like elegant ones, but prefers low-end ones, because they are crowded and lively, and the performances are close to people's lives.

With servants and guards following him, the place is a mixed bag, making security work extremely difficult.

Grandma Yan also likes to chat with others, which makes the guards even more troubled. Every time she goes out, it's like going to war.

There is already a group of old men and women who come to Washe every day to hang out and wait.

As soon as he saw Mrs. Yan appearing, he immediately came forward to speak. The children and grandchildren of these old people all work in various yamen, and they obviously want to get involved with Mrs. Yan.

The guards didn't stop them either, because they were all familiar with each other and had secretly investigated the details and knew that their family backgrounds were innocent.

"Grandma is here to listen to the show again!" Several old men and women took the initiative to say hello.

Grandma Yan was all smiles: "I have nothing to do at home, and I don't have to worry about my children and grandchildren."

"I am still blessed. My children and grandchildren are all successful, and my daughters-in-law are also filial."

"That's right, my daughter-in-law is not filial and even shows off to me at the dinner table."

"Then you won't teach me a lesson?"

"Her natal family is so strong, how can I dare to teach her a lesson? So she spoke harshly, ran away to her natal family, and didn't come back for ten days and a half."

"When it comes to filial piety, I have to count the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Liu's family in Jinhuafang. She just came in last year, with a big face and pockmarks. She said she was not worthy of her son's talent. But after she came in, she took care of the housework. Not only does it look good, but you can also help in the shop, and you can say pleasant words to attract customers, so the business of Mrs. Liu's bun shop will be better."

"Then she is really lucky. To marry a virtuous wife, it doesn't matter how good-looking she is. A good wife is one who can speak and act."

"Isn't that so? They also said that there is a family named Yang in Jinhuafang. He married a daughter-in-law who was born like a coquettish girl. She usually attracts some slutty gangsters..."

Grandma Yan likes to hear this kind of gossip. The boss of the house is short of the Li family.

She had not been like this in the countryside before, especially when she was in Shangbai Village. After all, there were two widows in the family with a child, so they had to be careful in everything they said and done.

Now she lets herself go and loves to gossip. She knows all the news about every neighborhood in Hanzhong Fucheng.

Shen Yourong and Wen Xiaomei were quite helpless. They were not talkative women and had no interest in this kind of thing. But when the old lady goes out, she always likes to have them accompany her, as if she is leading them as the second general of Hengha.

After gossiping, the old men and ladies began to change the topic again, saying all kinds of good things about the Zhu family and his son.

The guards all wore casual clothes, and Mrs. Yan did not reveal her true identity. She thought others did not know who she was.

"Last year, the weather was good. It was an eye-opener for God. This year, food prices have dropped again."

"It also depends on who is the official. If Mr. Zhu wins Sichuan, the weather will be smooth with God's blessing. If Mr. Zhu becomes the emperor, will the whole world be free from disasters every year?"

"This is reasonable, but the emperor in Tokyo is not. He is a foolish king, and God will not bless him."

"What are those fields on the outskirts of the city called?"

"Experimental field!"

"Yes, it's the experimental field. The seedlings are growing really well this year. I heard that one field harvested five stones of grain last year."

"I heard it was ten stones."

"Where is the ten stones? The rice planted by Mr. Zhu was harvested by twenty stones!"

"..."

Grandma Yan was smiling from ear to ear. She liked to hear people praise the Zhu family and his son. She really regarded them as her biological children and grandchildren.

It wasn't until the performance started on the stage that these old people finally shut up.

Shen Yourong and Wen Xiaomei took the opportunity to run away and go shopping with their two maids and two guards. They would come back when the show was almost over.

Dean Zhu is very good at "keeping the family together". The relationship between his wife and his concubine is as good as that of real sisters. They even hold hands when going shopping.

In fact, it is easy to understand. Both women have been widowed for many years and do not like fighting. Living under the same roof all day long, they naturally became close. The main reason is that Dean Zhu is a good husband. Both women feel that they are more capable. Favored.

In addition to playing at home and farming with Zhu Guoxiang, Shen Yourong also taught Wen Xiaomei nvhong, and Wen Xiaomei taught Shen Yourong calligraphy and painting.

After shopping around for half an afternoon, they each carried some things to Washe and took Mrs. Yan home for dinner.

Halfway through, Mrs. Yan said with a cheerful smile: "The price of rice this year has dropped to 600 fen, and the people say that Yuan Zhang has governed well. If it were that fool in Tokyo, the price of rice would still be more than 1,000 fen. If it were me, Tell me, Yuan Zhang should be the emperor. I am not thinking about the position of the old queen mother, but I am thinking about the common people in this world."

"My husband has indeed governed Sichuan well, and the people can live a good life." The two women immediately agreed and did not reveal anything. Anyway, as long as the old lady is happy.

"I don't know what happened to Brother Qi," Mrs. Yan said worriedly, "The wife he married must not be a foxy girl. I'm really worried."

This is because there is too much gossip in the market, and he brings the affairs of other families into his own grandson.

Shen Yourong immediately comforted her: "Brother Qi's wife is from a wealthy family in Sichuan. She is a virtuous lady."

Grandma Yan added: "It's been more than a year since we got married, so why is there still no news? If we don't want to give Brother Qi a concubine, I'll start with a son and a half daughter."

"Don't be impatient, madam. Maybe a letter from home announcing the good news is already on the way." Miss Wen said.

Grandma Yan thought for a while: "I will burn incense in the temple another day and ask Bodhisattva to bless Brother Qi to have a son soon."

The three of them were escorted back by the guards. Before they arrived at the Jinglue Mansion, they saw a fast horse galloping towards them.

The messenger showed his badge and went straight to the gate of the Imperial Palace. After passing the message, he saw Zhu Guoxiang who had already left work: "Ms. Zhu, the Generalissimo has sent an urgent message!"