Chapter 294 The storm is coming
On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month in the sixteenth year of the Qian'an calendar, the birthday of Emperor Zhou, people from all over the world were singing and celebrating the grand ceremony together, and the atmosphere of joy permeated the heaven and the earth.
In order to show his filial piety, Prince Zhou proposed to build the Afang summer palace, hoping to use the towering and magnificent palace to demonstrate the supreme honor of the royal family.
The luxury of this palace is rare in the world. It has jade steps and glazed tiles. It is resplendent and dazzling. The dazzling scenery is like heaven and earth. The furnishings in the palace are all rare and rare treasures in the world. They are so dazzling that they are breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
However, various feudal states were suffering from drought, their people's livelihood was in decline, and their financial and material resources were exhausted. It was really difficult for them to bear the heavy task of building palaces.
When the Emperor of Zhou heard this, he was not considerate of the people's sentiments, but wrote a letter to reprimand him, and strictly ordered all the feudal states to contribute money and people to support this prosperous age. The words in the book are harsh and the attitude is decisive. All feudal states must be completed as scheduled, otherwise they will be severely punished to show the imperial power.
The various feudal states suffered terribly, but due to the power of the emperor, they had no choice but to do their best.
However, the tens of thousands of handymen were still insufficient, so Prince Zhou actually ordered the arrest of refugees to supplement the number. The innocent refugees were brutally imprisoned and worked in the palace. They were tortured both physically and mentally and suffered unspeakably.
As soon as this move came out, public dissatisfaction boiled and people complained, and Qian'an was in turmoil, as if a storm was coming.
An official wrote: "Although the prince's actions were driven by filial piety, his actions were too harsh and inconsiderate to the people's sentiments, which was really unethical. I hope he can understand the people's sentiments, change his ways, so as to calm the people's hearts and tide over the difficulties together. Only then can we ensure that our country is safe and sound forever, and that our people can live and work in peace and contentment.”
Yongning is remote, and the majestic natural moat of Ailao Mountain blocks the imperial power.
It has been more than a month since Xiao Xuan and his party went out to sea for exploration. Xie Fengyue was not idle during this period. She took the agricultural adjutant borrowed from Yonghe to survey the soil quality of Yongning over and over again.
Finally, a suitable place for planting was found in the gathering place of the She people.
The She people are indigenous to Yongning and originally lived in the Ailao Mountains. Due to the heavy casualties caused by the sky fire, the leader of the She people asked the Yongning government for help, and the first county magistrate took the initiative to move the entire family out of the Ailao Mountains.
After so many years of integration, the She people have become proficient in Chinese and know the world. When Xie Fengyue went to negotiate, she was not faced with any difficulties and obtained the clan leader's consent without much effort.
The most urgent task now is to cut down the white trees in that area to free up enough experimental land, turn over the soil and wait for the first crop of crops to go to the ground.
Xie Fengyue was very concerned about this. When she sent someone to cut down the tree for the first time, she was present throughout the process.
Due to the hot weather, Xie Fengyue allowed workers to cut down trees at night. Was it Xie Fengyue's compassion that allowed her to harvest a piece of strong white bark?
Xie Fengyue weighed the object in her hands and asked the knowledgeable Lu Mei: "Master Lu has been in Yongning longer than me. Do you know what this is?"
Lu Mei just glanced at it and replied: "This thing is caused by the condensation of white tree sap. It is very common in the local area. It has no other uses. Instead, it smells bad and is often disliked by the people. This thing looks tough, but in fact It can be torn apart with just a little force and has no other effect.”
Hearing this, Xie Fengyue tried to pull the object in her hand. As Lu Mei said, it was indeed a bit tough, but she still tore it into pieces with a little force.
What followed her was not only the object, but also her newly ignited secret heart.
When she received this thing, she took the hairpin and poked it several times. The feel of the poke made her think that this thing might be used as protective gear for soldiers. Today, most soldiers of the Qian'an Dynasty still use Nepeta soaked in water and softened as protective gear. As for protective items, high-end items such as armor can only be used by those with official rank.
But if this condensation of white tree sap can withstand the harm of stray arrows, wouldn’t it be. Wouldn’t it be.
Xie Fengyue's newly excited heart was shattered by Lu Mei's words.
After she returned to her room, she stared blankly at the things in her hands that were broken into several pieces.
Looking at this appearance, You Heng couldn't help but ask: "My wife was very happy when she went out. What happened?" Xie Fengyue looked at the things in her hands without saying a word.
You Heng stepped forward and took it. He took it to him and sniffed it, then broke off a piece and crushed it. He pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, do you want this thing to be used as a protective gear?"
Xie Fengyue's eyes lit up when she heard this.
She thought silently in her heart, could this You Heng be the roundworm in her stomach? Can she know this?
"This object is elastic enough. If something can be added to make it bond when it solidifies, it might be able to be used as a protective gear." You Heng said.
Xie Fengyue's eyes brightened again and again, "You're right."
After saying that, she got up and walked out.
She now has plenty of time to experiment. If this thing can work, everyone will be happy. If it can't work, then it won't work. All in all, there is no loss for her.
Xie Fengyue looked for two agricultural adjutants and a few locals from Yongning with expectation, and expressed her thoughts in a tactful way. She couldn't just tell others that she wanted to rebel. Let's make a lot of armor.
At first, several people heard that the princess wanted this white thing to be turned into pieces of leather that could be played with, and they all thought that the noble lady was teasing people.
But after Xie Fengyue explained it in detail, it seemed that it was not impossible.
"The sap produced by pounding the bark of the white tree is a good thing for bonding objects. If the princess really wants to try it, why not try adding it first when the sap of the white tree is condensing."
The speaker was an agricultural adjutant named Wu Chongyang. When Xie Feng saw him at the beginning of the month, he thought he was sent to make up the numbers. After asking him for a long time, he hung his head and refused to answer.
If he hadn't been able to tell the smell and feel of the soil during the field survey, as well as the content of rainwater in the soil and the types of crops that could be grown, Xie Fengyue would have classified him as having an extra mouth.
Xie Fengyue nodded: "Then I will leave this matter to Adjutant Wu. Adjutant Qian will take the lead in the experimental field."
When Wu Chongyang was in Yonghe, he was just an adjutant who couldn't work in the fields. He stayed in the official office all day serving tea and laughing with his colleagues. Now, whenever there is some work assigned to him, he is extremely happy and takes the first job if he is busy. .
This matter has not yet been revealed, and Xie Fengyue is not in a hurry to be happy.
She copied the two copies of the first volume of "Essential Art for Elevating the People" and distributed them to the two of them one by one.
She didn't explain anything, and just silently observed the two people's reactions after getting it.
This kind of book written by a great scholar, these two people would never have seen in this life if they had not had some great adventure. This is the absolute hierarchical suppression under the rule of the aristocratic family.
The top aristocratic families control most of the resources, and the remaining resources are exploited layer by layer by the lower-level aristocratic families, leaving ordinary people with almost nothing. Masterpieces on agriculture such as "Qi Ming Yao Shu", if it were not for Xie Fengyue's unintentional If it was obtained in time, even if the book was rotten in a family's library, neither Wu nor Qian would be able to see it.
As expected, the two of them opened it without knowing why, and closed it in shock, with surprise on their faces.
There was no rubber in ancient times. It was first produced in South America and later introduced from Southeast Asia.
But there was indeed a substitute in ancient times, rosin resin