Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 724 Returning Home to Contemplate

At that time, Hua Lei would most likely be recalled to the capital city immediately, and he would most likely have to give up the position of Right Vice Minister, which he had obtained with great difficulty, to Hua Lei.

He would be absolutely unwilling to give up his position to Hualei, who was old enough to be his granddaughter, so he strongly opposed Hualei's proposal.

"Your Majesty, I feel that we cannot be led by Lord Hua. Lord Hua only changed the literal meaning and wants us to forget the essence..." Fan Rongcheng still said the words that were stuck in his throat.

Emperor Shengwu, who originally wanted to ignore him, felt a nameless anger rising in his heart, and said slowly, "Since Minister Fan has reached the state of seeing mountains as not mountains and water as not water, then go home and continue to comprehend.

Wait until you see that the mountains are still mountains and the water is still water, then come back." These words, which were a veiled praise but a covert criticism, made Fan Rongcheng break out in a cold sweat. The emperor was going to dismiss him from his post.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong..." Fan Rongcheng knelt on the ground.

"Eunuch Fu, send Minister Fan out." Emperor Shengwu ordered Eunuch Fu beside him. If it weren't for the need to appease certain forces behind Fan Rongcheng, Emperor Shengwu would have directly dismissed Fan Rongcheng.

Now, he was just allowed to go home to "contemplate", which was really a bargain for him. Fan Rongcheng, who was kneeling on the ground, was politely "invited" out by Eunuch Fu.

The imperial study suddenly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"Sir Pei, gather the relevant personnel and set up a dedicated department in Shangjing City to conduct experiments on this excellent rice. If you have any questions, you can write to Hua Aiqing for advice.

You can also exchange what you have with Hua Aiqing, and if Xichang Prefecture needs any assistance, I will do my best to help." Emperor Shengwu made the final decision.

"Yes!" Everyone, led by Pei Jingxuan, responded respectfully and then left the imperial study. They began to experiment with planting excellent rice in Shangjing City.

Emperor Shengwu, who was sitting behind his desk, slowly leaned back in his chair.

"Eunuch Fu, convey my order to immediately send a batch of Laci to Xichang Prefecture. Make sure it is delivered to Minister Hua before the end of the year." Emperor Shengwu suddenly spoke again and instructed Eunuch Fu behind him.

"Yes." Eunuch Fu responded and immediately passed on the emperor's instructions. Having followed Emperor Shengwu for decades, Eunuch Fu was very familiar with many of his little habits.

The emperor often addresses his subjects based on his mood. For example, when addressing the Minister of Revenue, he sometimes calls him "Mr. Pei" and sometimes "Minister Pei".

However, once it reaches the level of "My Dear Minister", it means that he is extremely satisfied with this minister.

The emperor has changed his address for Hua Lei from Doctor Hua, to Lord Hua, to Minister Hua now, which shows that Hua Lei is becoming more and more important in the emperor's eyes.

Therefore, regarding the batch of Laci that Emperor Shengwu said would be awarded to Xichang Prefecture, Eunuch Fu also worked hard to make a long list and gave it to the Ministry of Rites, asking them to arrange for its distribution and transportation to Xichang Prefecture.

He is not afraid of too many, but he is afraid of too few flower buds.

Hualei knew nothing about what happened in Shangjing City. She was also preparing for the year-end gift. Although she had not said anything when she came here at the beginning of the year, she would definitely share the gift at the end of the year.

However, in the past six months, all the officials in Xichang Prefecture have worked diligently and without complaint. Therefore, Hualei still wants to share some of the gifts.

Therefore, as early as a month ago, she wrote to Tian Xiaofu and Liang Xiangyi respectively, asking Tian Xiaofu to purchase a batch of sausages, preserved meat, bacon, etc. from his home and send them over.

As for Liang Xiangyi, Hua Lei asked her to help buy a batch of light and thin fabrics suitable for Xichang's weather, and to distribute them according to the merits of each official.

As the top leader of Xichang Prefecture, Hua Lei had certain power and could call on funds from the government office, so she brought back some business for her own workshop and her friends.

As for the price of their own preserved products, Hualei also buys them according to the market price. They dare not charge more, but they also do not charge less. They follow the principle of fairness and rationality.

As for the donkeys raised in the government office, Hua Lei picked out some old and weak ones that were no longer able to reproduce, slaughtered a batch of them, and distributed them to the officials of the government office in advance.

Hualei was not stingy and sent a few donkeys to the counties and prefectures below, letting them distribute the crops on their own.

A few days after the donkeys were distributed, Liang Xiangyi's ship arrived at Xichang Prefecture. This time, she did not come in person, but sent one of her own stewards to accompany the ship.

In addition to delivering fabrics to Hualei, the steward also brought Hualei a handwritten letter from Liang Xiangyi, saying that she was helping to find a sugar press.

However, in many places, the production of sugar cane is controlled by many local wealthy people, so there are no finished products to sell from sugar presses.

However, she has already bought a broken sugar press from several hands. She will ask her own craftsmen to help make a batch based on this and send them over.

Hua Lei was already accustomed to Liang Xiangyi's help and the "calculations" behind it, so she also wrote a reply and asked the steward to take it back.

In the following days, Hualei distributed the fabrics one by one. The officials who had thought that they would only get a few pounds of donkey meat at the end of the year were delighted to see that they could get fabrics again. So, everyone took a few pieces of fabric home.

However, what the officials did not expect was that just a few days after the cloth was brought home, Tian Xiaofu's ship arrived in Xichang Prefecture again.

So, each person was given several cured chickens, several pounds of sausages, bacon, as well as salted duck eggs, fermented bean curd and other small items.

Many people even received sweet potato wine, which was available in bottles ranging from one pound to twenty pounds, and was awarded according to merit. So, that night, many people drank the expensive wine with steamed sausages and steamed bacon.

These things are sold in Xichang Prefecture, but the price is quite expensive, and many people have never tasted them. Therefore, they were all very happy to see the wax gifts and wine distributed by Hualei.

In addition to distributing to officials, Hualei also prepared a batch of preserved food and wine and sent them to Bailiyun. Of course, the sweet potato wine was replaced with wine.

In Xichang, preserved food and sweet potato wine can be bought in Bai Yunhe's shop, but there is no wine for sale. Scarcity makes things valuable, so the wine sent by Hualei touched Bai Liyun's heart.

As for the Anbang soldiers, Hualei also gave each of them a cured meat or a few pounds of sausage. Although the amount was not much, it at least showed that Hualei was thinking about them, and that was enough.

During the last month of the year, many officials were very happy because of the distribution of Laci, and the government office was bustling every day, creating a New Year atmosphere.

The performance reports of the following states and counties have also been handed in to Hualei's desk. You can take your time to read them. Hualei is not in a hurry.