Yang Zheng felt a deep sense of despair. Qiu Yuanshang was narrow-minded and would surely hold a grudge against him now.
It was partly his own fault; he was momentarily shaken by the Commandery Princess’s sudden harshness and misspoke.
Yang Zheng had no choice but to stand up and plead for Qiu Yuanshang: "Chief Steward Qiu did not intend to offend the Commandery Princess. He was momentarily confused and misspoke, but his loyalty is genuine. I beg the Commandery Princess to forgive him this once."
Jiang Shaohua looked steadily at Yang Zheng and said slowly, "Yang Shi has a clever tongue, making everything seem reasonable whether it’s true or not. It seems to Yang Shi, this Commandery Princess is naive and easily deceived!"
Song Yuan furrowed his brows, his gaze heavy, his right hand gripping the sword handle, ready to draw it should the Commandery Princess give the order.
Yang Zheng had no choice but to kneel down to plead for forgiveness.
Chen Zhuo’s mouth twitched slightly, exchanging a glance with Feng Wenming from afar.
Over the past year, Lu Xuan had secretly rallied the officials of the Prince Mansion, and Yang Zheng and Qiu Yuanshang had been colluding with Lu Xuan.
The Commandery Princess had remained silent, but she had obviously taken note of everything. Today, she used this opportunity to assert her authority.
The usually cheerful Chief Clerk Wen hid the smile on his plump face and focused on studying the patterns on the jadestone floor.
It was instead the solitary and socially averse Shen Mu who stood up: "Yang Shi and Qiu Yuanshang were both in error only in speech, with no major faults. I ask the Commandery Princess to be lenient."
In terms of rank, Shen Mu was only of the Standard Eighth Rank, responsible for the construction of barracks and the manufacture of tools, similar to the duties of the Ministry of Industry of the court.
Jiang Shaohua showed no leniency towards Yang Zheng and Qiu Yuanshang but was particularly courteous to Shen Mu: "Since Minister of Industry Shen has pleaded, this Commandery Princess will forgive you for this instance of disrespect and deception in speech. If it happens again, even if Chief Historian Chen or Chief Historian Feng intercedes, it will be no use."
This reproof has now implicated them as well.
Chen and Feng, the two Chief Historians, stood up together to acknowledge.
The only one still seated, Chief Clerk Wen quickly rose and bowed his head.
Whether Yang Zheng and Qiu Yuanshang harbored resentment in their hearts was unknown, but at this moment, their faces were filled with trepidation as if treading on thin ice. After expressing gratitude, they each stood back up.
Jiang Shaohua remained seated steadily, her gaze sweeping over the ministers, then turning to smile at Song Yuan: "Commander Song, first let go of your sword handle, so as not to frighten them."
A moment ago, her stern and forceful demeanor was intimidating, but this smile was as blossoming as a mountain flower.
Song Yuan’s expression relaxed, he nodded in acknowledgment, moving his hand away from the treasure sword once more.
"Everyone, be seated." Jiang Shaohua said as if nothing had happened, her voice amiable and warm: "This Commandery Princess is young and lacking in many respects, should there be any shortcomings, I hope everyone can understand a bit."
This level of tact and strategy is anything but "young."
The officials silently criticized in their hearts but responded respectfully aloud, each taking their seat.
Jiang Shaohua said softly, "My grandfather appeared in my dream, telling me that there will be consecutive droughts in Da Liang in the next two years, followed by locust plagues, and refugees will be everywhere. He instructed me to make sure to store enough food for three years for the people of Nanyang County."
Everyone was visibly moved.
Chen Zhuo, shocked, asked, "Did the Prince really say such a thing in a dream?"
Jiang Shaohua’s expression was grave: "With such matters, how could I speak carelessly? My grandfather gave special instructions in a dream, urging me to spare no effort in storing grain to prepare for famine."
In the previous life, Da Liang’s northern counties experienced two consecutive years of droughts followed by locust plagues. People abandoned their homes to flee from the famine, with corpses littering thousands of miles, an appalling tragedy. Nanyang County had three counties affected by disaster, with roving bandits, and the number of people who perished in the famine and chaos was innumerable.
She was raised in the deep palace, witnessing a succession of cold, hard numbers, feeling sadness and grief but being out of reach and powerless.
Now that she has been reborn, she must make preparations in advance to deal with the coming years of disasters and chaos from bandits.
Feng Wenming, who managed the Prince Mansion’s finances and grain, was particularly keen on the issue of grain storage, frowning as he said: "Nanyang County has fourteen counties, three Upper Counties, four Middle Counties, and seven Lower Counties. According to the household registration, there are 23,465 registered households, totaling 93,698 people."
"This is the latest registered population according to this year’s census. Including some unregistered slaves and hidden households, at least 100,000 people."
"To store enough food for three years for so many people, it’s simply impossible."
There’s no doubt Chief Historian Feng is well-versed in the population situation of Nanyang County.
Even after being refuted, Jiang Shaohua wasn’t angry: "I remember grandfather once ordered each county to set up Taiping Grain Warehouses. In years of disaster, the grain warehouses could be opened to relieve the people. I wonder how much grain is stored in these warehouses."
Chief Clerk Wen, who managed the warehouses, answered: "Reporting to the Commandery Princess, each county has three Taiping Grain Warehouses. If all were filled with grain, it should be enough to feed the entire county for three months. In disastrous years, with ration reductions, it can barely support for five to six months."
This means that even if the Taiping Grain Warehouses were full, it would at most support for half a year.
In fact, in recent years, Nanyang County has enjoyed relatively favorable weather, and the Taiping Grain Warehouses have rarely been utilized. The old grain is replaced with new grain annually, which is labor-intensive and costly in terms of silver, and it doesn’t offer much in terms of political achievements, so County Magistrates are reluctant to put in the effort.
If the Taiping Grain Warehouses have three or four tenths of their capacity in grain, that would be considered good.
Jiang Shaohua did not hesitate to give orders: "Chief Historian Chen, please issue a public document to convey the Commandery Princess’s decree, mandating each county to increase the number of Taiping Grain Warehouses. Upper Counties should have ten Taiping Grain Warehouses, Middle Counties eight, and Lower Counties six. They must be filled after the autumn harvest, storing enough food for a year for the people."
Food must be eaten one bite at a time; the matter of storing grain must also proceed slowly. Fortunately, there’s more than half a year remaining, ample time for her to take action.
Nanyang County is the Commandery Princess’s fiefdom; on this land, her command is akin to a decree from the emperor.
Chen Zhuo immediately stood up to comply.
However, constructing grain warehouses is no small task, requiring considerable expenditure, and filling them completely is no easy task either.
Feng Wenming, with his mental abacus clicking, furrowed his brows into a knot: "To build the grain warehouses, labor must be conscripted. It is currently spring planting season, and it is imperative not to delay the spring plowing."
Feng Wenming was not deliberately opposing. In fact, he was the most hardworking person in the Prince Mansion. Chen Zhuo handled court affairs and the county documents, while matters involving finances, land registers, and tax records were the responsibility of his position as the Right Chief Historian. Late-night work until midnight was common for him, akin to a tireless donkey toiling at a millstone year-round.
His temper might be a bit harsher, but his capabilities were even greater.
Jiang Shaohua was particularly lenient towards those with abilities, smiling as she said, "Chief Historian Feng is right. Spring plowing is of utmost priority. Once the spring plowing is concluded, then labor can be conscripted to build the grain warehouses."
As for the spring plowing period, County Magistrates should not rest idle; aside from overseeing the spring plowing, they should also inspect the existing grain warehouses and ensure they are filled.
As court officials receiving salaries, they should diligently fulfill their duties. Everyone should emulate Chief Historian Feng’s dedication!
Feng Wenming’s brows relaxed, and his tone softened considerably, "The Commandery Princess’s concern for the people is truly a blessing for them."
Jiang Shaohua looked toward Shen Mu: "Minister of Industry Shen, Nanyang County also needs to increase its grain warehouses. I give you three months to build twenty grain warehouses."
Shen Mu, about to become extremely busy, was unaware of the gears of fate already turning at this moment, and accepted the order.