Royal Gold Magistrate

In the court hall.

The ministers were heatedly discussing the issue of reduced grain production due to the flooding disaster in Jianjiang.

Jianjiang was the granary of the south. Under the impact of the flood, countless granaries were ruined. More importantly, it also affected this year’s harvest.

Undoubtedly, grain shortages big and small would be inevitable in the south this year.

Emperor Jing looked at the crowd of ministers arguing in a mess below, also feeling endlessly vexed.

Fang Zheng, on the other hand, was at ease. His mood had been good recently. Everything was on the right track without any mishaps.

Li Yuanzhao was progressing very quickly. As the leader of the Sanitation Team, he often led the team members scurrying through streets and alleys, checking for gaps in the work.

He was also responsible for scheduling.

It should be known that the Sanitation Team now had a scale of nearly four thousand people! Its business coverage extended beyond Banshan District, involving over a dozen surrounding districts.

Such an immense workload was very difficult, and the vast majority of the people under Li Yuanzhao were illiterate.

Of course, he had thought of seeking help from the City Garrison at first, needing some professionals to assist. But Fang Zheng flatly refused.

What leader asks subordinates for help after just a few days? Do you still want to save face or not?

Li Yuanzhao didn’t say much more and went back in a huff. He picked a few veterans from the team to temporarily stabilize the situation. Of course, Fang Zheng secretly helped too. Currently, progress was getting smoother and smoother.

The lottery event at Bonfire Square had been changed to once a week. The commoners’ learning progress was gratifying. Most of them could basically write numbers one through nine now. The rules for numbers ten to a hundred were also clear.

After all, who wouldn’t want to participate in gambling without any cost?

Afterwards, Fang Zheng planned to do two more rounds and then stop. After all, everyone had learned it more or less by then, and the hygienic habits of the residents in the district had also improved. The event could be changed to something else later.

Most importantly, the first batch of sweet potatoes had been harvested in Taoyuan County.

They even mailed a batch to Fang Zheng along with a letter. Those sweet potatoes weren’t large, different from what he remembered, and the taste also wasn’t as sweet as what he ate in his previous life.

It was probably because the variety was too primitive. However, fortunately, Taoyuan County claimed in the letter that the yield per mu reached a thousand catties, which made Fang Zheng breathe a sigh of relief.

Sweet potatoes were of great importance. There absolutely couldn’t be any errors in the yield.

Although Fang Zheng kept coming up with fresh things and new business models in Taoyuan County, fundamentally it could only benefit a small number of people.

The good development of Taoyuan County was just sucking the blood of the rich using high-end goods.

Blindly developing industry and commerce was just deceiving oneself. Sucking the blood of the rich created new rich, and the rich in turn sucked the blood of the poor.

If the pie couldn’t be made bigger, it became a zero-sum game. This world would still be a hell.

The development of society must first let the commoners have full bellies before talking about anything else. With high-yield sweet potatoes, the pig farming industry could also take this opportunity to develop.

Fang Zheng had thought about promoting Taoyuan County’s pig farming methods, but that was meaningless.

The commoners themselves lacked grain, so how could they have grain to feed pigs?

But with sweet potatoes, everything was different. Raising pigs and chickens could also take this opportunity to gain great promotion. Eating just carbohydrates would leave the commoners weak.

The commoners needed to eat more fat and protein to strengthen their physiques.

By then, the military and civilians of the world would have the energy to explore those unimaginable places – the vast oceans, the endless treasures.

Grain was the foundation of everything! Those poor people were also living, flesh and blood human beings. Farming had already exhausted everything. Further mobilizing manpower to industry and commerce while they were already tired out was tantamount to a path to death.

Fang Zheng dared to play like this in Taoyuan County. After all, it was just that few people. He had also planned to lie flat and live his life in Taoyuan County.

Now with sweet potatoes, how could Fang Zheng still lie flat?

Originally, he had sent people to search for sweet potatoes and potatoes. Not finding them, he could still deceive his conscience.

Now that they had been planted, could I, the morally supreme Fang Zheng, still watch the poor starve?

The discussion was so intense in court this time, it was a good opportunity for promotion.

Although the grain disaster in the south was already unavoidable, sweet potatoes couldn’t resolve this year’s grain disaster in Jianjiang. But they could resolve next year’s urgent crisis. If fully promoted, it would still take a few years.

But many wealthy households had no small amount of grain reserves. Everyone could tighten their belts a bit and get through it together without too many people dying.

The worry was wealthy households taking advantage of the situation to drive up prices! And this kind of thing was bound to happen.

If you always kept it to eat yourself, it wouldn’t matter. But you just had to take this opportunity to gorge on the blood of the poor.

Actually, according to Fang Zheng’s conception, rising grain prices were fine. The market would ultimately automatically adjust back.

But this was ancient times, people would really starve to death! Those starved commoners, in the end, would just be reduced to a number in the reports to the court.

If they waited for the market to adjust on its own, a large batch would have died first, with starved corpses everywhere!

He had to use sweet potatoes to force them!

Seeing the discussion had reached a fever pitch, Fang Zheng took a big step forward and proclaimed loudly, “Reporting to Your Majesty!”

“In Taoyuan County, there is a high-yield crop! This item has extremely high yield and grows extremely fast! It was successfully cultivated just recently! The grain disaster may be resolved!”

In an instant, the hall quieted down. Everyone’s doubtful gazes focused on Fang Zheng.

You little brat usually don’t talk, and when you do, it’s just flattery. At this juncture, you actually dare to report good omens?

Emperor Jing also felt a chill in his heart and said sternly, “Minister Fang, explain in detail!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This item is called the Prosperity Potato! The yield per mu can reach as much as eight hundred catties! Moreover, it can be eaten in just one to two months. From the stem and leaves to the fruit, all can be eaten!”

“The most critical point is that the Prosperity Potato is drought-resistant and can grow in barren soil. In other words, this divine item is not picky about land at all.”

“Even if thrown on a mountain, it can still produce a harvest.”

“Having this divine item is all thanks to Your Majesty painstakingly governing, tirelessly working from dawn to dusk, diligently listening to the people. Truly a blessing for the commoners, a blessing for all the people!!”

Guo Tianyang’s eyes went straight from listening, his hand in his sleeve starting to tremble wildly again.

With these words, the ministers were all shocked!

Li Yansong couldn’t help exclaiming, “Fang Zheng! Are you speaking the truth!? You can’t talk nonsense about this!”

Although Emperor Jing had doubts in his heart, thinking of how Fang Zheng could always come up with novel things, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

He said urgently, “Minister Fang! Where is this item? Quickly present it!”

“Answering Your Majesty, I don’t have it!”

A huge amount of resentment instantly filled the entire court hall. The gazes of everyone transformed into blades, piercing towards Fang Zheng.

Damn thing! He even dares to joke about this matter?!

“Answering Your Majesty! This item is right in Taoyuan County! This minister doesn’t have it on hand! But this minister dares to guarantee that every word just said is true! The Crown Prince has also seen this item before!”

Li Yuanzhao had been too tired recently, having to get up so early. He was a bit drowsy.

Upon hearing Fang Zheng speak, his spirits immediately lifted. He chimed in, “Correct! What Master Fang says is right!”

Everyone’s gazes looked back at Fang Zheng again.

Fang Zheng appeared completely at ease as he slowly opened his mouth. “Your Majesty! This minister has a presumptuous request. Tomorrow happens to be a rest day. Why not have Your Majesty and the various lords personally go witness the emergence of this divine item?”