Chapter 220: Auspicious Omen

Announce good news?

That remark woke them up. The Tuntian Captains finally reacted.

Many of them jolted. Their eyes shone with a strange light.

They had been too happy earlier. They forgot what effect this ginseng yielding thirty dan per mu would have.

Food… was life. It meant living, breathing lives.

Future generations would never know how precious something edible and filling could be.

You must understand, this was an era where without ten or twenty mu of land, you could not feed several mouths.

And even then, it was barely enough to fill their stomachs. Eating well was far from possible.

Now, this nearly tenfold yield was truly maddening.

These Tuntian Captains were knowledgeable men. They had all served in the Imperial Forest Guard before. Some had even guarded the Imperial Palace.

They clearly knew that in the current Great Ming, most memorials sent to the Emperor by the Brocade Guard and local officials were about how much it had rained recently.

The reason was simple. In this era reliant on weather for food, anything affecting farming seasons or grain yield was a major event.

One Captain, without a word, already started running wildly along the ridge towards the field’s end.

Zhang Xin was helped up. His eyes still held tears. His body felt weak.

This was the result of countless efforts and hard work. Finally… there was a result.

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

A magnificent fast horse, kicking up dust, raced straight through the gate tunnel of the Capital.

Soon after, outside the Ministry of Revenue, a Captain swiftly reined in his horse!

This Captain had dark skin and was covered in dirt. The Yamen Runners at the door looked at him with disdain. But the Captain shouted, “The Newly Established Count sent me to report! Great joy, great joy! Please dispatch someone from the Ministry of Revenue to the Western Hills Military Agricultural Colony immediately!”

Hearing it was the Western Hills Military Agricultural Colony, the Yamen Runner did not dare neglect.

Although it was said the Captains in the colony had tough duties, they were still Imperial Guards, led by the Newly Established Count!

This Newly Established Count was famous in the capital. How could they not know who he was? Most importantly, they heard this Count had a terrible temper. They naturally did not want to provoke him.

So, the door guard quickly went inside to report.

Li Dongyang was a Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, but he was also the Minister of Revenue. However, his role as Minister was a concurrent post. Most ministry affairs were handled by the Vice Ministers acting on his behalf.

The official presiding in the hall today was Han Wen, the Right Vice Minister of Revenue. Han Wen was a descendant of Han Qi, a Chancellor from the Song Dynasty. People often teased him, saying he would also become a Grand Secretary one day.

Hearing this often, Han Wen felt troubled. Who wouldn’t want to become a Grand Secretary? But he was only a Vice Minister now. Although he managed the Ministry of Revenue and was a senior court official, if the Grand Secretaries heard these daily jests, who knew what they would think!

Just then, hearing noise outside, he felt even more annoyed, but kept his composure. As he was about to send someone to check, a Yamen Runner came in and said, “Lord Han, someone from the Western Hills Military Agricultural Colony is here to report. They said Baihu Fang Jifan reported that in the Western Hills, one mu of land produced thirty dan of grain.”

Hearing this, Han Wen’s face froze. He thought he misheard and asked suspiciously, “Thirty dan?”

“It is thirty dan.”

Han Wen’s face immediately fell. “Three dan or thirty…”

“It’s thirty… ah no, three… ten… dan.”

“…”

Han Wen suddenly felt his intelligence was being mocked.

Recently, many people teased him, calling him Grand Secretary Han, which already bothered him greatly. He scolded, “Nonsense! Send him away. Tell the messenger that I truly admire the Newly Established Count. Especially when the Crown Prince and he requested a Perfected Master to perform a Rain Prayer Ritual for the people. It shows his conscience isn’t completely lost…”

His words were veiled.

After all, he was a Scholar by background and had been in officialdom for years, navigating its ups and downs. On the surface, it sounded like praise, but what did ‘conscience isn’t completely lost’ mean? It was an insult.

Of course, Han Wen wasn’t worried that idiot Fang Jifan would catch on. Even if he did, so what? I’m clearly praising you.

Han Wen paused, then continued, “But what does this Military Farming matter have to do with the Ministry of Revenue? Send him away. Their Imperial Guards should report to the Imperial Forest Guard Commander’s Office.”

“They mean… to request the Ministry of Revenue to verify…”

“No verification!”

Han Wen said angrily.

This was truly insulting his intelligence. What did he take the Ministry of Revenue for? Fools? Was the Ministry that stupid? Would they believe something about thirty dan per mu? Even if you want to deceive, at least put some effort into it. Report seven or eight dan, that would be somewhat believable. And the number you reported, no fractions, not even a whole believable figure? Can’t you even lie properly? Say twenty-nine dan, seventeen jin, eight liang, and five qian. See, that number sounds much better!

Seeing Han Wen’s displeased expression, the Yamen Runner listened, then could only nod. He was about to leave.

“Wait, come back.” Han Wen narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering something.

The Yamen Runner had to turn back and bow. “Does Lord Han have further instructions?”

Han Wen thought to himself, if he casually sent the person away, would Fang Jifan hold a grudge? Although he really didn’t need to deal with someone like Fang Jifan, avoiding trouble was better. As the old saying goes, fear not the thief who steals, but the thief who schemes against you.

But should he really send Ministry personnel to inspect?

If he gave that order, it would damage his official reputation.

Just think, if a madman went to the Ministry of War, claiming he made a firearm so sharp it could fire from the Capital and hit Japanese Pirates eight hundred li away in Shandong, requesting the Ministry to send someone to verify.

If anyone in the Ministry took it seriously and actually ordered a test of this firearm? Probably… the whole world would laugh their teeth out.

So… he could not send anyone.

If he took it seriously, his nickname would change again, to ‘Han Thirty Dan’ probably.

So what should he do then?

Forget it!

So Han Wen said calmly, “Tell the Yamen Runner that I will be attending the noon court session at the palace shortly. Since he was sent by the Newly Established Count, I will present the report on his behalf. I still give face to the Newly Established Count. Go tell him I will report the Auspicious Omen later.”

The Yamen Runner was an old hand and immediately understood.

This was a safe way to shift responsibility. Han Wen would act as if he believed whatever Fang Jifan said, then submit the report to the Emperor under the name of reporting an Auspicious Omen. Whether the Emperor believed it or not was His Majesty’s business. It had nothing to do with Lord Han.

The seventh noon court session after the autumn of the thirteenth year of Hongzhi was, as usual, held in the Hall of Prudent Cultivation.

In this hall, the most striking thing was the plaque above the imperial throne, painted in vermilion lacquer, bearing the words ‘Revere Heaven and Emulate Ancestors’.

Previously, there was one court session per day, usually held early in the morning. But now it had changed to two sessions per day, so a temporary noon session was added.

Recently, disasters struck various regions. Who knew when frost would descend? So, what worried the Emperor and his officials most was frost descending before the autumn harvest. The already strained agriculture would suffer who knows how much more damage.

Because of this, Emperor Hongzhi frequently summoned his ministers for court sessions!

This was a signal. Superficially, the court session was crowded and noisy, and little substantial discussion happened, since all Military Officers of the fifth rank and above had to attend. But in reality, it was to announce to the ministers that the Emperor took this extremely seriously, so seriously that he held sessions to this extent. If any prefecture or county failed to assist farmers with harvesting promptly, if southern provinces failed to collect grain taxes on time, if transport commissions along the Grand Canal failed to dredge the canal promptly, or even if officials of the Capital’s three main granaries failed to account for funds and grain expenditures promptly, then anyone who caused a delay, affecting the overall situation, would surely face the death penalty.

Although official formalities seemed useless, to some extent, as the Emperor or the imperial court, they didn’t need to teach subordinates what to do in minute detail. Just showing this level of importance was enough to make the entire bloated bureaucratic system temporarily set everything aside and operate quickly.

After Emperor Hongzhi ascended the throne, the Hundred Officials performed their rites.

Wearing the Heaven-reaching Crown and his Ceremonial Robe, Emperor Hongzhi swept his gaze over the ministers but remained silent.

Xiao Jing cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, does anyone have matters to report?”

“Your Majesty…” As soon as he spoke, surprisingly, the first one to step forward was Han Wen, the Right Vice Minister of Revenue.

Han Wen impatiently stepped out of the ranks. The entire hall immediately burst into murmurs and whispers.

Ministers were supposed to be steady and mature, especially on such a solemn occasion. Usually, Xiao Jing had to ask three times before someone slowly reported matters.

But Han Wen, as the Right Vice Minister of Revenue, was so eager to report today. The only possibility was that something had happened within his jurisdiction, the Ministry of Revenue.

Could there be a problem with funds or grain?

Li Dongyang was also confused. He was the concurrent Minister of Revenue. Normally, for any important matter, Han Wen should have discussed it with him first. But today was so unusual. Did he really encounter something so urgent that it had to be reported immediately?

At this moment, Emperor Hongzhi was also puzzled and secretly worried. His face fell. “What matter do you report, Minister?”

“Your Majesty…” Han Wen saluted, then said solemnly, “Fang Jifan, the Baihu of the Imperial Forest Guard Tuntian Hundred-Household Office, reported an Auspicious Omen appearing in the Western Hills. The crops he planted yielded up to thirty dan per mu. I heard of this matter and thus report it on his behalf.”

“…”

The Hall of Prudent Cultivation fell silent.

Then, countless eyes stared at Han Wen. In countless minds, they seriously pondered and digested Han Wen’s report.

Auspicious Omen…

Thirty dan per mu.

If there truly was a yield of thirty dan per mu, calling it an Auspicious Omen would not be an overstatement.

This was far more shocking than discovering a qilin, which was actually just a giraffe or something similar. But…

This Fang Jifan really could boast better than many local officials. Look at him, thirty dan, and a round number too.