Chapter 740: Ungrateful? Agriculture Is Fundamental

Although this was not the capital city, the official study still used the same name as Zhang’s study in the capital—“Self-Reflection.” At that moment, Rong Xi sat beneath a banner that read, “When you see the virtuous, strive to emulate them; when you see the unvirtuous, reflect on yourself.” Watching Zhang Yue read the letter while pacing back and forth in the study, he couldn’t help but recall his father Rong Shan’s instructions before he left.

He was now in his thirties. According to the rules of the Duke of Ying’s household, as long as he performed well, he would surely take over his father’s position as head steward in the future. Unlike those stewards’ sons who were pampered like young masters, he had started working formally at the age of eight—first as a junior servant in the front courtyard, then as a gatekeeper, later working in the accounting department, managing purchases in the kitchen, greeting guests in the main hall, and even overseeing gardening. It wasn’t until he got married and had a son that he was assigned to work under his father, and another five years passed. By then, he was well-versed in the habits and priorities of all the nobles in the household.

After finishing reading the letter, Zhang Yue folded it neatly and placed it back in the envelope. Then he turned to Rong Xi with a smile and said, “The distance from the capital to Guangzhou is nearly eight thousand li, yet you made it in just twenty days. You must be exhausted. I have another letter for you to take back. Rest here for a couple of days; there’s no rush.”

“Yes, thank you, Young Master Yue, for your kindness.”

“Besides this letter, does Uncle in the Main Hall have any other instructions?”

After pondering for a moment, Rong Xi replied, “Before I left, the Duke of Ying only ordered that the letter be delivered as soon as possible without delay. He also assigned two people to accompany me. Otherwise, he didn’t give any other instructions. My father, before I left, asked me to tell Young Master Yue that another official, Lord Yang Pu, has been added to the cabinet. With more people now, there seems to be some discord between Lord Huang Zongyu, who is in second place, and Lord Yang Mianren, who is in third. Only Scholar Du is on good terms with Lord Yang, so things should be fine.”

Nodding, Zhang Yue signaled for Rong Xi to retire and rest. Disputes within the cabinet were inevitable. At the end of the Yongle era, there were only four members in the cabinet, with Yang Rong at the top, often in conflict with the others. Now that he had dropped from first to third, it was natural for him to be displeased—after all, Yang Rong was by nature ambitious and proud. As for Huang Huai, who had spent nearly ten years in prison, Zhu Gaochi suddenly released him. Zhu Zhanji didn’t hold much affection for the old ministers of the Eastern Palace, so it was understandable that he felt aggrieved. Anyway, his father-in-law and Yang Shiqi were both shrewd people and likely wouldn’t get involved in such disputes.

It was Zhang Fu’s letter… Truly befitting a duke renowned throughout the land—far away in the capital, he could still anticipate Gu Xingzu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, having ulterior motives and sent a letter to warn him in advance. Though the distance was great and the letter arrived late, at least he learned in advance about the changes within the Zhang family, allowing him to prepare somewhat.

It had been just over a year since the new emperor ascended the throne, and Zhang Fu finally resigned from his position as Commander of the Central Army!

Even though Gu Xingzu had come in person and Xu Zhengping’s case was being tried at the Guangzhou government office, Zhang Yue, as the Left Minister of Administration, naturally wouldn’t devote all his attention to arguing with others or to a case already handed over to the government office. Thus, for several days in a row, he dealt with matters related to the maritime trade office, post-disaster water conservancy projects, the autumn harvest, and various miscellaneous issues reported by his subordinates under the Ministry of Administration. Otherwise, he never visited Gu Xingzu at the command office or went to the Guangzhou government office to observe the trial.

It was unclear whether Gu Xingzu’s arrival provided support to the Xu family or if they had already decided to go all out. In any case, the Xu family hired a famous lawyer who argued point by point with Judge Li, the presiding judge, and Judge Lu, the assessor. Yet this lawyer’s familiarity with the Ming laws far surpassed that of the experienced Judge Lu. Although lawyers were generally prohibited from practicing their trade by the government, Judge Li, sensing the delicate situation, didn’t want to use his authority to dismiss them outright, so he simply chose to engage in a strategic stalemate with them.

Zhang Yue didn’t mind the days passing by, but Gu Xingzu did. Over five days, aside from Zhang Qian from the maritime trade office, no one else showed up—clearly ignoring him. Although he had made other preparations in advance, in a fit of anger, he still sent his personal guards to the city to gather information and spread various rumors. But on the sixth day, when Zhang Qian came by, he calmly placed a thick stack of papers on the table. Gu Xingzu glanced at them briefly, and his expression immediately changed.

The papers detailed every move of his guards. Aside from the Jinyiwei, who else could have such capabilities!

“My lord, it’s better to be cautious with some matters. We know you are related to the Xu family through marriage, and some financial transactions between you are quite normal. Even if Xu Zhengping truly has faults, it won’t affect you—what belongs to you will still be yours.”

“Eunuch Zhang truly has clever tactics!” Gu Xingzu was already furious; at this point, he resolved to go to extremes. He threw down the stack of documents heavily and sneered, “Don’t force the Xu family’s issues onto me! Do you think I’m such a reckless man who would come to Guangzhou with just a few dozen personal guards? Don’t think just because you’re the emperor’s confidants you can do as you please. If you truly hide a rebellion, the court will never tolerate you! Even if the Xu family has countless faults, reporting the rebellion committed by the Li people is a great merit! Eunuch Zhang, take care of yourself. Don’t think you’ve won yet. Someone, see this guest out!”
Zhang Qian had only intended to make Gu Xingzu back down, but seeing that he was now determined, he became angry too. Without even looking at the two stern-looking personal guards approaching, he smiled scornfully and said, “Thank you, My Lord, for the reminder. I also have a message for you. It’s true that as a hereditary noble, no one can insult you lightly. But don’t forget—nobles can’t act arbitrarily either! Back then, even the Marquis of Longping, who was favored by Emperor Taizong and called ‘Eunuch Zhang,’ ended up seizing over eighty li of land around Lianhu in Danyang and more than seventy hectares of government farmland in Jiangyin, only to be impeached by the Censorate. What more now? People die for wealth, birds die for food—this kind of thing wouldn’t be strange if it were ordinary people doing it. But you are a nobleman—please think carefully whether it’s worth it. Goodbye!”
After saying this, he turned and left. As soon as he stepped out of the hall, he heard a thud behind him, followed by a series of sharp noises. He knew Gu Xingzu must have smashed a teacup in frustration. He merely sneered but didn’t slow down at all. Only when he reached the door and got into the carriage did he cross his arms in front of him and close his eyes in thought.
He didn’t want to go to extremes. Yesterday, he had barely convinced Zhang Yue that if Gu Xingzu stopped now, he could return all of Gu’s family’s money before the Xu family’s property was seized, thus preserving the dignity of both noble families. But the ungrateful Gu Xingzu refused to accept this and tried to force them to admit fault with his power. Did he think this was Gu’s territory in Guizhou where he could do as he pleased? The court would never allow another Mu family to emerge. Otherwise, with that remote land in Guizhou, why would they need to recall Gu Xingzu to the capital?
“Yongqing, do you know where Governor Zhang is now?”

In the carriage were only Cao Jixiang and a young man dressed in blue short clothes. Hearing this deep voice, Cao Jixiang’s gaze flickered, while the young man quickly bowed and replied, “To reply to my lord, Lord Zhang should be in a villa in the west of the city right now. I’ve inquired, and it’s the people from that merchant ship that Qin Huaijin tried to escape on earlier. Should my lord remind Lord Zhang that as an official appointed by the court, he shouldn’t mix with such merchants…?”
“You don’t need to worry about these matters,” Zhang Qian cut him off coldly, then ordered, “Remember, we sent the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on him, not to track his movements! His family’s elders give up their high-ranking positions but are very skilled in business. Many of the properties managed by nobles like the Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Chengguo are overseen by his people. This ship is also part of their legitimate business, with records kept by the Eastern Depot. Change course to that villa and say nothing else.”
The Jinyiwei’s Guangzhou station had only a few dozen people. Though they enjoyed some prestige thanks to the name Jinyiwei, there were always those eager to climb higher. Yongqing was Tang Le’s adopted son, sent to serve Zhang Qian in hopes of a better future. After being reprimanded like this, he hurriedly nodded in agreement, not daring to say another word.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the villa. Zhang Qian got out, and Cao Jixiang rushed forward to pull the doorbell and knock. After just a few knocks, the door creaked open. A middle-aged man with messy hair poked his head out and asked suspiciously, “Who are you looking for?”
“Go and announce that Zhang Qian has arrived.”
Hearing this strange voice, the middle-aged man sized Zhang Qian up from head to toe before slamming the door shut. Hearing someone inside rush away, Cao Jixiang muttered under his breath, “My lord has already introduced himself—how can this servant be so rude?”
Zhang Qian glanced at him sideways but remained silent. After a while, the door opened again. The same middle-aged man welcomed Zhang Qian in with a smile, apologizing the whole way, “Lord Zhang, please forgive me. I was just transferred here by my elders. I didn’t recognize you at first and was startled—I really didn’t expect you to come.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Probably your master didn’t expect someone like me to show up either. Now, go back and take care of my carriage. You’re not needed here, so there’s no need for further apologies.”

After sending away the relieved middle-aged gatekeeper, Zhang Qian saw Zhang Yue waiting for him at the second gate. Upon meeting, Zhang Yue pointed to Yongqing beside him and explained, “This is someone sent by Tang Qianhu from the Jinyiwei. If not for him, I wouldn’t have known you were in such a secluded place. I heard you’ve been extremely busy these days, and today you managed to find some free time. Who would have thought you’d choose such a peaceful spot—right not far from my residence in Yaozhou!”
“It’s just quiet here. Besides, the soil is fertile, and there’s a large garden, making it perfect for living.”
Zhang Yue was well aware of all the methods used by the Jinyiwei for surveillance and investigation. So if he really wanted to handle something secret, he would use the easiest ways to bypass them. Since there was nothing to hide about this place, and he had other considerations as well, it was natural for Zhang Qian to discover it quickly. Smiling, he replied, and when Cao Jixiang helped Zhang Qian take off his cloak, he raised his hand and said, “Since we’re here, why not go to the garden together?”
“Sure, I’d be delighted.”
Guangzhou has no winter throughout the year. Zhang Qian had assumed the garden Zhang Yue mentioned would be a lush, colorful paradise, but what he saw upon entering was something entirely different. The large garden was divided into three main sections. To the west, along the wall, stood a row of unknown fruit trees; in the middle was a field of golden rice ready to mature; and in the far east, there were other crops whose names he couldn’t identify. In the fields, a middle-aged man wearing a conical hat and leaning on a cane was looking around here and there, occasionally crouching down to pinch some soil.
“What’s this…”
“Eunuch Zhang should know that Guangdong has hot weather and abundant rainfall. Long ago, there were examples of planting two crops of rice in a season. However, because the planting method wasn’t effective, the yield was never very high, and the extra labor required meant it wasn’t widely adopted. As far as I know, today’s so-called double-cropping mostly involves planting early and late rice together in the same field—harvesting one early and the other late. But looking at these fields, this is already the second time they’ve matured this year.”
Although Zhang Qian had entered the palace since childhood and wasn’t very familiar with farming, he had heard some figures reported by the Ministry of Revenue. He immediately realized the implications: “So, you plan to promote this double-cropping method across the entire province of Guangdong?”

“Not bad, that’s indeed my plan. Moreover, in fertile areas like Panyu County in Guangzhou Prefecture, crops can be harvested not just twice a year but even three times! Plant seeds in March and harvest by the end of June; plant again in July and harvest by the end of September. After that, one can plant another crop of beans or wheat, or even try to grow rice once more. As long as the land is cultivated carefully without overexerting it, and thanks to Guangdong’s abundant sunlight and rainfall, yields can increase by at least 20% and up to 40%-50% per year!”
“That’s truly the greatest form of good governance!”
Zhang Qian was both surprised and delighted. The anger he had felt earlier over Gu Xingzu’s matter vanished instantly. After asking a few more detailed questions, and once Liu Da arrived, he eagerly inquired further. Upon learning that the rice seeds brought from Java outperformed local varieties, allowing for two harvests per year, his face lit up with a smile.
“Guangdong has never been a major grain-producing province. Whenever disasters strike, there’s often a shortage of food. If this plan works, the granaries will be full, and hunger will no longer be a problem! If this is reported to the imperial court, I’m sure everyone from the Cabinet to the six ministries will praise it. Compared to methods like opening up trade routes for profit, scholars and officials place the greatest emphasis on agriculture. Whoever focuses on these agricultural fundamentals will be secure, no matter what else they achieve in Guangdong!”
Seeing Zhang Qian so happy, he stepped forward and immediately began asking Liu Da questions. Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile as well. In any era, agriculture is crucial—even in later times, countries have been striving to develop hybrid rice to increase yields per mu. When he first arrived in Guangdong, he thought multiple harvests per year were common, but after further investigation, he learned that only areas like Panyu in Guangzhou practiced two harvests per year, with the rest relying on alternating early and late rice crops, the difference being merely the harvesting times. As for three harvests, that was virtually unheard of. Thanks to Guangdong’s abundant sunlight and rainfall, rice yields were relatively high, but they couldn’t withstand floods during summer and autumn. Once disasters struck, food shortages would occur throughout the province, just as happened this time.
He had to deal with those overt and covert struggles, but putting agriculture first and supporting industry and commerce were the top priorities now!