Chapter 294: Well, Isn’t This a Coincidence?
Li Yi had not expected Wen Xiuyi to actually be researching rice yield. After all, regardless of whether there were new high-yield crops, staples like rice and wheat remained the absolute core of the common people’s sustenance, so he listened attentively as well.
Wen Xiuyi had nothing to hide in front of the two children, including how Magistrate Chen was helping him cross-check yields and hunt for rice seeds.
He knew Old Chen well. What that man wanted most of all was promotion and wealth. Whether he’d grow wealthy, Wen Xiuyi couldn’t say, but securing a promotion was definitely Old Chen’s lifelong dream. Thus, in front of Li Yi, Wen Xiuyi did not forget to put in a good word for Magistrate Chen—after all, all of this could reach the Emperor’s ears directly.
When Li Yi learned that the two of them were actually investigating the yields in private, he knitted his brows slightly and said, “Uncle Wen, the Ministry of Agriculture keeps all these records. You only need to say the word, and I can ask my father to help you look them up. Why go to so much trouble?”
Wen Xiuyi offered a mysterious smile. “You’re still young, and your father doesn’t concern himself with anything, so there are certain things you don’t understand.”
How could Li Yi not understand? Yet he also knew that while some people faked their numbers, it wasn’t truly as exaggerated across the board; most of the data remained accurate. Still, he couldn’t refute Wen Xiuyi’s words, as some people indeed falsified records.
If, as Uncle Wen said, genuine data was required to improve the current situation, then they truly had to investigate it themselves.
What surprised him was that Magistrate Chen, a mere minor county magistrate, actually possessed such capability.
What Li Yi did not yet know was that for this opportunity to gain promotion and wealth, Magistrate Chen was truly betting his entire family fortune.
“However, Uncle Wen, Yazhou is a land of exile. Can high-yield rice seeds really be found there?” Li Yi was somewhat skeptical. After all, for centuries, Yazhou had been infamous for its barren wilderness. Even if there were local inhabitants, most were banished by the imperial court to settle there. Could such people truly cultivate high-yield rice? Li Yi doubted it.
His words struck a chord with both father and daughter, and both twitched their lips in unspoken understanding.
It might be a land of exile now, but in the future, it’s a tourist haven that countless people flock to! During holidays, plane tickets over there are insanely expensive—not somewhere you can just visit whenever you please.
Wen Xiuyi could hardly state with absolute certainty that it existed, so he simply offered a vague laugh: “Yazhou is surrounded by the sea on all four sides, and its climate is best suited for rice growth. I’m merely guessing—whether we can find any remains to be seen.”
“Well, isn’t this a coincidence? Just today, Li Yi and I were talking about lemon fruit. Li Yi has already written a letter to Uncle Li, asking him to send people to search for it—they’re all in that same general region,” Wen Yao said.
Wen Xiuyi did not catch on right away. “Lemon fruit? What’s that?”
Wen Yao mouthed silently: Lemons.
Realization dawned upon Wen Xiuyi, and only then did he remember that lemons indeed had another name—lemon fruit. Slapping his thigh, he exclaimed, “Aiya, why didn’t you kids say so earlier!” Prince Fu’s efficiency would certainly be far higher than Magistrate Chen’s. Wen Xiuyi still wanted to find suitable rice seeds before planting the early rice next year.
Li Yi tested the waters: “Then… should I write another carrier pigeon letter to my father?”
Wen Xiuyi stroked his chin. “That could work.”
Li Yi had Xun Feng fetch paper and brush, immediately setting to work. Writing in tiny script, he summarized Wen Xiuyi’s request with concise clarity, then bound it to a pigeon’s leg and released it into the sky.
Looking up at the pitch-black sky, Wen Xiuyi remarked, “This pigeon won’t lose its way at night, will it?”
Li Yi replied, “No, these pigeons undergo special training. They won’t lose their way whether it’s day or night.” Otherwise, every time he and his father went out, his mother wouldn’t force them to bring carrier pigeons along for fear of losing track of them.
With a major problem resolved, the weight in Wen Xiuyi’s heart eased considerably, and his anxiety over his son’s sudden departure was much relieved.
Early the next morning, Wen Xiuyi could hardly wait to head out and share the good news with Old Chen.
“What? You don’t need me to look for them anymore?” Magistrate Chen had been fully prepared to pull out his hidden savings for a coffin, only for this man to tell him his help was no longer required.
Wen Xiuyi nodded. “Indeed, Li Yi wrote a letter to the King. With the King stepping in, it will certainly be much easier.”
Magistrate Chen uttered a few “ohs.” Although he no longer had to exhaust his own wealth and people, why did he feel a strange sense of disappointment in his heart?
“By the way, the imperial decree from the court has arrived. Just like Gutong Village, Manager Qiu’s estate has been granted a two-year tax exemption. Furthermore, for her merit in seeking seeds, the court has rewarded Manager Qiu with one thousand taels of silver, and the tax on all other businesses under her name will be halved. Consider it the court’s compensation to her.”
Saying this, Magistrate Chen showed the imperial decree to Wen Xiuyi, sighing with emotion: “It’s a pity Manager Qiu is a woman. Otherwise, on account of her merit in securing the new crops alone, it would be enough for her to enjoy a lifetime of honor and wealth.” Perhaps she would even have been granted an official position, just like Wen Xiuyi.
Halving the tax on the businesses under her name carried no time limit, which was effectively a form of indirect compensation for Manager Qiu.
Yet Magistrate Chen found it quite peculiar: although Manager Qiu was a woman, the master of the Xie family was not. Under such circumstances, since the court could not confer a title upon Manager Qiu, wouldn’t granting it to the Xie family serve the same purpose? Yet the imperial decree did not make a single mention of the Xie family.
It was truly bizarre.
Wen Xiuyi, however, understood very clearly that this was undoubtedly Prince Fu’s doing. Having stayed at the Wen household for so long, Li Fu naturally knew what kind of person Xie Yushan was, and the Wen family’s stance was laid out plain and clear. Naturally, it was impossible to let such overwhelming benefits land in the hands of the Xie family.
Wen Xiuyi did not spell it out directly, merely offering a subtle hint to Magistrate Chen, which Magistrate Chen grasped in a flash.
Truth be told, he didn’t like Xie Yushan either—arrogantly posturing and shouting orders all day long just because he belonged to the Xie family, when he was nothing more than a member of a side branch.
At this thought, Magistrate Chen broke into a mischievous grin: “Then how should we deliver this imperial decree to Manager Qiu? How about… we deliver it with gongs and drums banging? After all, it’s a happy occasion!”
As the saying goes, only those with similar values can get along. The two hit it off immediately. Magistrate Chen promptly ordered the yamen staff to make preparations, putting on his official robes alongside Wen Xiuyi, and set off toward the Xie estate with gongs and drums banging loudly along the way.
When Qiu Rongrong heard that Magistrate Chen and Wen Xiuyi had arrived, she assumed that if it were just Wen Xiuyi alone, he might have come to see her. But with Magistrate Chen joining him, Qiu Rongrong couldn’t be certain—after all, Xie Yushan’s relationship with Magistrate Chen used to be decent as well.
Yet when a servant came to report that the two officials were here specifically to see her, Qiu Rongrong was thoroughly perplexed.
Not only her, but Xie Yushan and Old Mistress Xie—who had dressed up in her finest attire—were completely dumbfounded as well.
It was not until Qiu Rongrong tidied herself up and arrived at the reception hall, watching Magistrate Chen present the imperial decree, the reward silver, and the tax reduction honors directly into her hands, that the mother and son finally realized Qiu Rongrong had accomplished such a monumental feat behind their backs.
Yet holding these rewards, Qiu Rongrong felt they were remarkably scalding to the touch.
“Uncle Wen, this…” Others might not know, but could Wen Xiuyi be unaware? She held no real claim to these rewards—she was merely taking the credit as a scapegoat!
