amaotonovel Chapter 118 Sugarcane Planting Begins in Chu
Chapter 118 Sugarcane Planting Begins in Chu
At this moment, the King of Chu sat upright on the high platform, his sharp gaze fixed on the officials below, and asked in a stern tone, "Where did these merchants come from?"
One of them quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, most of these merchants are from the Qin state."
"Qin? What are they planning to do now?" The King of Chu frowned and asked, puzzled.
Someone said, "Your Majesty, these merchants are only here to buy sugarcane."
"Sugarcane? Why would the Qin state buy it?" the King of Chu asked, even more puzzled.
The man continued, “Your Majesty, I believe that whatever Qin’s purpose in purchasing sugarcane, it is certainly not suitable for war. So why not sell it to them?” The King of Chu nodded slightly in agreement and gestured for him to continue.
The man continued, “Your Majesty, think about it. Sugarcane may or may not be found elsewhere, but it certainly isn’t in Qin. These merchants must have received orders from the King of Qin to come to Chu to buy sugarcane. Whatever Qin intends to use it for, it will need a large quantity of sugarcane. This is a rare opportunity for Chu.” The King of Chu nodded again, indicating his agreement.
Seeing this, the man's confidence soared, and he continued, "The Qin state has earned thousands of taels of silver from various countries thanks to its papermaking technology. Now that it's finally our Chu state's turn to earn money from the Qin people, we should of course plant sugarcane on a large scale and rake in a hefty sum of Qin's silver!"
Just then, Xiang Yan suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, you must not! Although we do not know what Qin intends to do with the sugarcane, the Qin people never act without a reason, and they would never send money to Chu without cause. I suspect there is some conspiracy involved, and I urge Your Majesty to consider this carefully!"
The man retorted righteously, "Prime Minister, our Great Chu has just had ten million taels of silver forcibly taken from us by the Qin state. The importance of this silver to our Chu army is self-evident. Now our Chu treasury is empty, and we have a golden opportunity to make money off the Qin people. Why would you, Prime Minister, give up so easily?"
Xiang Yan glared angrily at the man and said, "Lu Qian, why would King Ying Zheng of Qin send silver to my Chu state for nothing? This is clearly a trap, can't you see that? Or have you been bribed by Qin?"
Lu Qian's face flushed red instantly. He said angrily, "Xiang Yan, don't push your luck! You keep saying it's a conspiracy by the Qin state, so tell me what exactly this conspiracy is? What are you plotting? Do you think others will ignore us just because we don't earn this silver? Do you dare to say that sugarcane is only found in Chu?"
Xiang Yan was speechless for a moment, then let out a cold snort and fell silent. Seeing that the two had stopped arguing, King Fu Chu of Chu finally spoke, "What are the opinions of my other ministers?"
In the imperial court, those who supported large-scale sugarcane planting and those who were skeptical of it argued endlessly, each trying to persuade the other but to no avail.
Seeing this, the King of Chu said, "In that case, we should first send spies to investigate what Qin intends to use the sugarcane for. If it is confirmed that this is not a Qin conspiracy, then we can plant sugarcane on a small scale."
Both sides found the outcome acceptable, and the crowd shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!" The King of Chu glanced at the crowd and said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, let's adjourn the court." The crowd then withdrew.
Time flies, and more than half a month has passed. In the Chu court, a man rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, according to the information from our spies in Qin, sugarcane is not what the King of Qin needs, but rather what Princess Jiayang requested."
The King of Chu looked curious and pressed for details, asking, "Who is Princess Jiayang?"
The man quickly replied, “Your Majesty, Princess Jiayang is the thirteenth daughter of the King of Qin. She was previously unknown, but since last year, she has been deeply favored by the King of Qin. The soap that has become so popular recently was made by Princess Jiayang.”
The King of Chu suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. I've also heard of that soap. It seems that Princess Jiayang is just someone who likes to cause trouble. This matter probably has nothing to do with any conspiracy. But why does the King of Qin favor this woman so much?"
The man then spoke up, "Your Majesty, the money needed to purchase the sugarcane did not come from the King of Qin or the Qin state, but from Princess Jiayang's own private funds." Upon hearing this, the King of Chu was astonished and muttered to himself, "She actually possesses such a vast fortune?"
The man continued, "Princess Jiayang's ability to make money is unparalleled. In the Qin Dynasty, she pioneered many profitable industries."
The King of Chu shook his head and sighed, "She's just a young and ignorant child. For a princess to become a merchant is truly beneath her dignity and respectability. Let's not mention her anymore. So, are there any objections to planting sugarcane?"
Everyone remained silent. Seeing this, the King of Chu continued, "Since there are no objections, let's begin planting sugarcane. I'd like to see just how much wealth this Princess Jiayang possesses."
The crowd responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Following the King of Chu's decree, all the villages responded enthusiastically and began experimenting with sugarcane cultivation. In Luo Family Village, the village headman stood in the open space and gathered the villagers together. He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd loudly: "His Majesty has ordered our village to try planting sugarcane. Now I would like to ask, who among you is willing to try planting sugarcane? And who is unwilling? Please speak up."
Upon hearing the news, the villagers were immediately abuzz with excitement. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation, for the profits from sugarcane cultivation far exceeded those from grain cultivation. However, a lingering worry also existed: the issue of grain tax. Someone couldn't help but ask, "If we grow sugarcane, how will we pay the grain tax?"
The village head frowned, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Well... I don't know either. The king only asked us to try planting sugarcane, but didn't mention how to solve the problem of grain tax. However, perhaps there will be some arrangements after we harvest the sugarcane."
A murmur arose from the crowd, and people began to discuss the matter. Some thought they should seize the opportunity to try planting sugarcane; others worried about losing a stable food income and being unable to cope with potential difficulties. The situation reached a stalemate, and the village head, looking at the hesitant villagers, felt utterly helpless.
Just then, a dark-faced man gritted his teeth and said, "Village head, I want to plant sugarcane. You know my family's situation. My mother has been ill for a long time, and I'm not getting any younger. If I grow some sugarcane and sell it, maybe I'll have enough money to get married."
The village head nodded slightly and said, "Okay, then you can set aside a piece of your land to plant sugarcane."
Seeing that someone had taken the first step, others also expressed their willingness to plant sugarcane, and so most of the people in Luojia Village chose to plant sugarcane.
In villages like Luojia Village in the Chu region, the same thing was happening. In those villages that were selected to grow sugarcane, everyone's face was filled with joyful smiles. They seemed to have already seen the scene of silver flowing into their pockets like a tide.