From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 305

Entertaining guests is a troublesome thing, especially in occasions where the status and class are clearly divided, there are more things to pay attention to.

Zhou Yuan said polite words everywhere before he finally settled people down and started the banquet.

"Master Zhou, we don't need to be polite. You go and do your thing. The inner courtyard has me and the Shangshu to keep the situation under control."

"Your sister-in-law will help Jianjia take care of the female guests, don't worry."

It was also the first time that Zhou Yuan met Sister Xiong. She was very pretty. Although she was almost forty years old, her skin was still very white and her figure was well maintained.

She was a woman from Jiangnan with a relatively gentle temperament. Of course, Master Xiong, who wanted to go on a dry road, naturally did not get a good look.

"Master Zhou, Jianjia and I will take good care of this place, don't worry."

Her voice was very gentle.

Zhou Yuan said quickly, "Sister-in-law, please don't embarrass me. Just call me brother."

He winked at Zhao Jianjia, then clasped his fists and said, "Everyone, I'll go out first. Eat and drink well!"

After saying that, he hurried out, feeling much more relaxed.

Because the brothers from the Fifth Army Camp and the Five City Army have already started drinking, the scene is extremely lively.

The atmosphere here is obviously much more harmonious.

"Hey, the adults are out! Hurry up and bring them to drink!"

Liu Daguang saw Zhou Yuan first and shouted quickly.

Hong Bo's eyes lit up, and he directly picked up the jar and shouted loudly, "Boss Zhou, come and judge. These bastards from the Fifth Army Camp are unreasonable. They start to talk glib when they can't drink."

Li He immediately said, "Don't be shameless, Mr. Hong. You use your age as an excuse to avoid drinking. How dare you ask the adults to judge?"

Others from the Fifth Army Camp also laughed.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand and said, "Damn it, stop arguing, pour me some wine, I've been busy all day and haven't even had a sip of water."

Now everyone was interested and quickly made way for him.

Zhou Yuan picked up a full bowl of wine, looked at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "It is said that a general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. I, Zhou Yuan, don't believe that. I have come this far thanks to the support of all of you brothers!"

"I don't want to say anything else. I'm not a gossipy woman. I just want to say that we share happiness and difficulties together! We brothers must continue to work hard and do great things!"

After saying that, he drank the wine in one gulp.

All of them were soldiers with rough temperaments. Such direct words made everyone present feel excited and they all picked up their bowls to drink.

Zhou Yuan drank three bowls in a row before coming to the outer courtyard, and drank a few more glasses with the readers of "Three Kingdoms" and the members of the nine major gangs.

The leaders of the nine major gangs were very excited. In the past, they were all figures in the dark ditches. How could they have the opportunity to participate in such occasions and meet dignitaries?

They were all very happy to be here today.

After greeting for most of the day, Zhou Yuan finally returned to the table and sat down. After a few glasses of wine, although he was not drunk, he was still more emotional than usual.

Liu Jing also took the opportunity to say: "Why don't you go to the study to rest for a while? By the way, tell me about business."

"Okay!"

Zhou Yuan stood up.

Zhao Jianjia said hurriedly: "Ziyuan, go prepare two cups of tea for the son-in-law and Lord Liu."

The two came to the study and drank a sip of tea, and then they sobered up a lot.

At this moment, the noise outside could not be heard, leaving only the subtle heartbeats of two officials, one old and one young.

"What strategy can solve the eternal famine in Dajin?"

As the Minister of Revenue, this may be the ultimate question that Liu Jing wants to know the answer to the most.

Of course, this is also the question that people have wanted to know most since ancient times.

"Why is there a food shortage?"

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but wonder.

Liu Jing was obviously stunned, then frowned and said: "So many people need to eat, but there is little food. Of course there is a food shortage. What are you talking about?"

Zhou Yuan continued: "Why is there a shortage of food?"

Liu Jing said: "There is only so much land, barely enough to feed so many people. When encountering natural disasters and man-made disasters, the harvest in the land is not good, so naturally there is less food!"

"No, it's not like that."

Zhou Yuan waved his hand and said softly: "You have fallen into a misunderstanding. In fact, the reason is very simple. There are only two reasons for food shortage, too many people or too little food."

"If you want enough food, either make the number of people less or make the food more."

"How can we make the food more? We can't just rely on the absence of natural disasters and man-made disasters, right?"

"So the only thing we can change is to find food that can withstand natural disasters better and find food with higher yields."

Liu Jing's face changed immediately.

He could hardly sit still, and stood up, glaring, "Zhou Yuan! Don't tell me to switch to other crops!"

"Do you know how many people are fed by rice and wheat? For thousands of years, what have the people relied on to survive?""If you change to other crops, you will be a sinner for all eternity!"

Zhou Yuan glanced at him and said indifferently: "Why doesn't Lord Liu wear linen clothes?"

"What?"

"Although linen clothes are rough, they have protected people from freezing to death for thousands of years. Why don't you wear them?"

Liu Jing glared and said: "I wear silk, which can also keep warm, but I will never look at people wearing linen clothes differently, otherwise it would be 'why don't you eat meat porridge'."

Zhou Yuan smiled and said: "When silk appeared, why didn't anyone resist it? Linen clothes are so good and protect so many people, why do we still produce silk?"

"Lord Liu, the reason is the same. Linen clothes are wheat and rice, and silk is a new type of food."

"Are you going to resist the emergence of silk because of linen clothes? Are you going to resist the emergence of silk because of wheat and rice? Resist the emergence of new grains?"

"Do you think there is too much grain in the world of Jin?"

Liu Jing said anxiously: "Wrong, wrong! This is not the same reason! If silk is useless, people can still wear linen clothes. However, there is only so much land. If other grains are planted but they are useless, people will starve to death. The cost is completely different."

"The former can go hand in hand, but the latter can only replace each other because of limited land."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "I didn't ask you to plant all new grains, just try to plant them in one area."

Liu Jing said: "If you plant them in a county, tens of thousands of people may starve to death, if you plant them in a state, hundreds of thousands of people may starve to death, and if you plant them in a prefecture, millions of people may starve to death."

"How many people do you plan to starve to death, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Yuan laughed angrily and couldn't help saying : "Are there not enough people starving to death? In the past few years of drought, more than tens of millions of people have starved to death in the world. Lord Liu, changing to new crops is also saving lives, saving the lives of refugees and the lives of our descendants."

Liu Jing immediately waved his hand and said, "No need to say more! Changing crops is something that shakes the foundation of the world. I will never agree to it!"

Zhou Yuan said, "One acre of sweet potatoes can produce dozens of stones, which is more than ten times that of grains. It can be harvested after three or four months of sowing. It is nutritious and sweet and delicious. Is there any reason to give up planting?"

"Lord Liu, the world is developing. In the past, people couldn't even make pots. What about now?"

"In the past, people didn't even have pens, ink, paper and inkstones. What about now?"

"If the predecessors and sages didn't have the courage to try new things and were complacent, how could there be today's world?"

Liu Jing was also furious and shouted: "You are a soldier in battle, why are you talking to me about food? Do you understand this?"

"Let me tell you, I am not a pedantic stone. If there is really a sweet and delicious food that can produce dozens of stones per mu, I am of course willing to plant it."

"But at most take out a few dozen acres of land and try to sow. If the harvest is very good, it will be expanded to a county."

"If the harvest is better next year, it will be expanded to a state."

"And so on, and eventually it will be gradually popularized throughout the Great Jin Dynasty to complete the replacement of food. This will take at least seven or eight years to change slowly."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "You go, you go to the Central Plains now, go to Shandong, and tell those refugees to let them hold on for another seven or eight years!"

"Lord Liu, do you know how much food the Central Plains needs? Even if it is porridge, one catty of food is enough for four people to eat for one meal at most, at least two meals a day."

"This means that each person needs at least half a catty of food every day!"

"What if there are five million people? It needs 2.5 million jin! More than 20,000 shi! "

"More than 20,000 shi a day, more than 2 million shi in 100 days, you need to give me at least this much food!"

Liu Jing took a breath and said in horror: "More than 2 million shi? Are you crazy? The government warehouses in the whole Liangjiang only have more than 2 million shi!"

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "Give me 200,000 acres of land, this request is not high, right? 200,000 acres of land, I will give you more than 2 million shi of sweet potatoes!"

"Impossible!"

Liu Jing said loudly: "Ten shi per mu? Do you think you are a god descending to earth!"

Zhou Yuan said: "You must agree, the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains is imperative, I need food."

"I have lowered the conditions to this point, Lord Liu, you must give me and your majesty an explanation!"

Liu Jing said: "Where are the sweet potato seeds? Where to find them? "

Zhou Yuan smiled and said slowly: "As early as half a month ago, the Shanxi merchants had contacted the Fujian merchants. Three ships full of sweet potatoes have set out by sea. In about ten days, they will dock at Leiden Port and be shipped to various places. "

"I have been preparing for this for a long time. "