Chapter 38: Food is the most important thing in life

It was quiet in the study, and Yun Ye was writing furiously. He had been in this state for six days.

The Academy of Diligence was poor and bare, and no one had ever thought of establishing such an institution before. If it weren’t for Yun Ye’s insistence and his promise to be self-sufficient, the emperor would not have supported such a seemingly ridiculous institution. In his opinion, the Academy of Diligence was a toy for the crown prince and Yun Ye. If there was a harvest, it would be an unexpected surprise. If there was no harvest, it wouldn’t hurt.

He was wrong about Yun Ye. As a modern man, he was used to this kind of entrepreneurial model. As long as the emperor gave him the policy, he could start from scratch. Li Er did not calculate his invisible investment. The word “royal” alone was worth ten thousand taels of gold, not to mention the loopholes in the Tang Dynasty’s law, which Yun Ye felt he could drive a carriage back and forth.

The Ke Wu Yuan was undergoing intensive renovation. The thirty-odd old men were divided into six groups, each doing their own thing in an orderly manner. Dozens of people were hired to transcribe the geographical information borrowed from the Ministry of Works day and night. Yun Ye wanted to get to know the Tang Dynasty again. The armory was confidential, and the Military Weapons Office refused to give face, bluntly rejecting the Ke Wu Yuan’s unreasonable demands. Even Li Chengqian was rebuffed. The military armaments department was more amenable, lending some drawings of civilian equipment, and stating that this was a special favor given in the name of His Highness the Crown Prince.

My broom is precious! This is Yun Ye’s verdict. The more he looked at the various materials, the more angry Yun Ye became. Look at the drawing of this straight-shaft plow. Not only is it ugly, but the dimensions are not even marked. The entire drawing only says the geometry of the materials, without construction instructions. Who knows how to make it? Besides, the plow head is just a regular triangle, not even with the necessary cutting edge. No wonder it can only be plowed by a cow, a horse can’t pull it at all. Garbage!

The hoes are made of cast iron, rubbish. The sickles are only one foot long, rubbish. What? Seeds are scattered by hand? Where is the basket with holes in the tip of the plough? Wasn’t it invented in the Han Dynasty? How could the most developed agriculture in the Tang Dynasty still be sowing by hand? These bastards have even lost the earliest Chinese combine harvester, which is really unforgivable.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and agricultural tools are the main focus of the Ke Wu Yuan. Throughout the ages, farming has been considered more important than the heavens. In spring, there were ceremonies to celebrate the planting of crops, and in autumn, there were ceremonies to celebrate the harvest. The emperor and empress would personally go out into the fields to work. Although it was a show, it was not common in this era for the emperor and empress to do things that were considered shows. Unlike later generations, even the president buying an ice cream is classified as a show.

If you give me face, I will give you face. The newly made farming tools will be handed over to you for dissemination. Everyone will share the credit and everyone will be happy.

You’re the armaments inspector, aren’t you? Are you saying I’m presumptuous? Do you think I’d be impressed by your junk, your ladders, siege engines, and catapults? I know what a trebuchet is, but I’m not going to tell you.

Just when Yun Ye was immersed in extreme masturbation and couldn’t extricate himself, there was a commotion outside the study. Yun Ye was a little upset. He had told them not to walk around the study. What was going on?

“Lao Zhuang, what’s going on? Who’s making all the noise?”

“Master Hou, it’s Master Cheng and Master Niu. Grandma said that Master Hou had instructed that these few days were very important and not to be disturbed, so she asked the two masters to come to the living room.”

Yun Ye has been staying in the study these days. In order to maintain confidentiality, Yun Ye does not intend to make it known to the whole city, so he has declined all visitors and is preparing to give the entire court a surprise attack, asking them to have a basic understanding of the Ke Wu Yuan, that is, the Ke Wu Yuan is very important, very important, not the Ke Wu Yuan that they think is dispensable.

Old Cheng and Old Niu are just like pure elders in Yun Ye’s eyes. He won’t hide anything from these two old men, even if he hides it from the whole world. Grandma is a bit too worried. She always thinks that the new things her grandson comes up with are only for her to see. Although she can’t understand them, it doesn’t stop her from collecting them. She even locks up a piece of paper with writing on it in a box, and only she has the key.

Since the grandson came back, he has drawn a few pictures and brought the whole impoverished and dilapidated Zhaoguo Square to life. Now 30% of the family’s income comes from those iron stoves, coal briquettes, and other things he brought back. The grandson worked hard to learn the skills from the old immortal, but he can’t let other people learn them. Needless to say, she has started this strange idea again.

“Please ask the two elders to come to the study. I can’t leave,” said Yun Ye, while he ordered Zhuang San to stop and ask Lao Cheng and Lao Niu to come, and he was organizing the summaries of the records and the drawings he had made in the past few days. Some things are indeed not to be seen by others, such as this portrait of Li Er with the word “pig head” written on his forehead.

After the evidence of the crime was destroyed, Lao Cheng and Lao Niu arrived.

“You’ve grown a lot in a few days. I’m old, but I’m still coming to visit you. You don’t even greet me. Where’s your upbringing?” I like listening to Old Cheng’s nagging. It seems that my elders’ lack of symptoms is getting worse.

“What nonsense! You know his temper. If it weren’t for something important, would he be rude to you and me? It’s no different from going to his place than going home. You’re just being nosy.” Old Niu ignored the nagging of Old Cheng and took the hot tea that Yun Ye had poured for him.

“Kid, what have you been doing these days? I don’t see you hanging out with Ugly Ox or Tiger. What’s the matter with you, staying home alone? Is it because of the 20,000 strings of cash? If that’s the case, I’ll tell you, kid, you’ve made a fortune. Besides you, have you ever heard of His Majesty or Her Highness blackmailing anyone? 20,000 strings of cash! In the eyes of ordinary people, it’s money, but in the eyes of His Majesty, it’s nothing. If he really needed money, do you think he would have to blackmail you when he had no place to get it? This is not treating you as an outsider. You didn’t see the money the crown prince won was confiscated? You won more than the crown prince, but the emperor didn’t say a word. Where’s the wine? Why are you serving me tea?

Hurry up and order some wine and food. Please sit on the small bed in the study. Yun Ye sat down and accompanied him.

“Uncle Cheng, I haven’t even looked at the 20,000 taels of silver, and even if Your Highness didn’t say anything, I would have voluntarily handed it over. This money was won from the officials, and it’s hard to digest. If I don’t find someone to hold onto it, I won’t be able to keep even 6,000 taels of silver. Your Highness is kind, but don’t you think I know that?” Yun Ye rolled his eyes and said in a bad mood, “It’s true that I’m young, but I’m not a fool. Can’t I tell the difference between good and bad?”

Lao Niu laughed heartily, pointing at Lao Cheng and saying, “I’ve said it before, this kid is a human genius. How could he not be able to see this little thing clearly? Do we need to ease his mind? You’re worrying too much. You don’t believe me!”

Old Cheng scratched his head and felt a little embarrassed. At this time, Auntie personally came to the study with wine and food, arranged them, and went down without even looking up.

“Is this study a forbidden area in your house?” asked Lao Niu, eating a piece of pork liver with chopsticks.

“Grandma drew the line herself, saying that this is all confidential and that no family members are allowed to wander in. Servants who come in here will probably be buried alive.”

“Confidential? These drawings on the wall?” Old Cheng took a sip of Yunfu’s fine wine and asked with narrowed eyes.

“This is a picture book sent by the Da Tang Jinsuo Jian, saying that it is the best farming tool in the world.” Yun Ye was a little uncertain.

“What do you think?” Lao Niu was serious.

“Rubbish!” There was no need to hide it in front of these two people. If it were someone else, a two-hundred-word compliment would be inevitable.

“Puff!” The mouthful of wine that Old Cheng had not yet swallowed flew out and splashed Old Niu’s face. Old Niu seemed to be insensitive and did not care about the wine on his face. He asked in a low voice, “Do you have any farming tools that are not garbage?”

He handed an old cow a handkerchief and took out a few scrolls from the flowerpot on the ground and handed them to the old man.

“A curved-handle plow?”

“A plow that can be used by one cow to plough the land deeply, achieving the goal of intensive farming.”

“What is this? What is it used for?” Old Niu also opened one.

“It is said to have been made by Zhao Guo during the Han Dynasty. Why is it that there is none in Guanzhong? The group of idiots in the Ministry of Agriculture have lost such an important agricultural tool. It is recorded in Zheng Lun that no one knows about this powerful tool that can sow 667 mu of land in a day. What is the reason?”

Lao Niu’s eyes nearly popped out of his head: “You’re saying that this good thing that can sow more than 600 mu of land in a day already existed in the Han Dynasty?”

“That’s right. You just need to check the Zheng Lun written by Cui Shi of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and you’ll find it mentioned there.” Yun Ye, of course, would not tell him that he had learned about it from the guide when he was visiting the Terracotta Army and was sold a ticket to the Folk Museum next door.

“A bunch of idiots, they can’t even keep hold of good things. I’m going to file a complaint against these good-for-nothings.”