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Chen Xisong showed his badge, and the Imperial City guards immediately let him go and took him in to drink tea and wait.

The female officer quickly went to report, and in just half an hour, Chen Xisong was allowed to meet the emperor.

There are currently less than ten officials with this kind of treatment. Among these people, Chen Xisong is the only fifth-grade official. He can go to the Forbidden City to meet the saint at any time.

"Your Majesty, Dr. Chen is here."

"Let him in."

Chen Xisong quickly entered the side hall and said with a joyful face: "I pay homage to Your Majesty!"

"Sit down." Zhao Han said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Xisong was already familiar with the traffic. Sitting on the bench, he felt like he had come to drink tea with an old friend.

Zhao Han asked curiously: "What else is gained?"

Chen Xisong couldn't wait to say: "Your Majesty, it's a pig...ah, no, I'm trying to persuade the Agriculture Department to breed good pigs."

The original Agricultural Encouragement Office has been upgraded to the Agricultural Encouragement Department, which has jurisdiction over three offices: animal husbandry, fruits and vegetables, and grain. Responsible for cultivating improved seeds and guiding local officials to promote high-quality crops and livestock.

Zhao Han asked: "What's a good way?"

Chen Xisong said: "This new pig is large, matures early, grows quickly, is docile and easy to fatten."

"Then it's a really good pig. How did you breed it?" Zhao Han asked enthusiastically.

Zhao Han seemed particularly happy every time Chen Xisong entered the palace. The female officials and the maids in the palace also liked to see Chen Xisong. The emperor must be very talkative today.

Chen Xisong said: "After I came to Nanjing, it was still a farming office, and I was already cultivating pig breeds. Jianghuai pigs have big ears, Hebei pigs have thick skin, Shandong pigs have short feet, Liaodong pigs have white heads, and Henan pigs have a light taste ( (no fishy smell), the pigs in Jiangnan have small ears, and the pigs in Guangdong are fat and white... Pig breeds in different places have different characteristics. Therefore, I conducted crossbreeds separately and selected the best offspring for breeding."

Chen Xisong spoke faster and faster, gushing: "The best pig breed to cultivate is the cross between Taihu's 'Big Painted Face' and Jintan's 'Mi Pig'. 'Big Painted Face' has a large body and strong bones. They are thick, thick-skinned, and moderately fat. The disadvantage is that they grow slowly. They are also called "sand pigs" or "thick-skinned pigs" among the people... The offspring of big-faced pigs and rice pigs have retained the advantages of big-faced and big-bodied pigs, and have become fatter. They also gave birth to more babies. After three or four generations of cross-breeding, the characteristics became stable, and Chen and others called them 'Misha pigs'."

Suddenly, Chen Xisong stood up in excitement, paced back and forth and said: "Misha pigs are already very good, but there are better ones! Crossing Misha pigs with Guangdong gray and white pigs will show results in the first litter. This kind of New pigs grow very quickly and are quite large. Sows can be bred after half a year of raising them. The first litter will produce at least ten piglets, and more will be born from the second litter. The sow that gives birth to the most piglets will have one litter. Eighteen piglets were born! And the characteristics are very stable. Compared with the big-faced piglets, the pigskin becomes thinner and the fatter is much longer!"

Having a lot of fat was not a disadvantage in ancient times, but a very pleasing advantage.

Chen Xisong took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Zhao Han from the female officer: "Your Majesty, please name the new pig!"

Zhao Han finally read the paper and saw that the pig name column was empty, and the rest were written about the characteristics of the pig: big body, thin skin, fat meat, short feet, small ears, black and white, pure white, pure black. It matures quickly, has many litters, and is easy to fatten. It is actually the top grade among pigs.

Zhao Han commented with a smile: "If things are prosperous and the people are prosperous, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, let's call it 'Cathay Pig'. We can promote it in Jinling Prefecture first, and let the big pig farmers around Nanjing city buy a few piglets for each family to try raising. After the big pig farmers have tasted the benefits, they will definitely take the initiative to breed them next year. Ordinary farmers will definitely be jealous when they see it, and this Cathay pig can be promoted."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Chen Xisong immediately flattered.

Zhao Han thought for a while: "You have worked really hard these years. If Datong can have abundant crops and prosperous livestock, you will also have a great contribution to it. I can't treat you badly, so I will call you Uncle Guanong. Secretary of Guanong. If you make a list of those who have made meritorious deeds, they will be rewarded as appropriate."

I had also given rewards before, but this time I was so generous that I directly made a count.

"Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty!"

Chen Xisong was overjoyed that the pig farming land actually gave him the title of earl.

The reason why Zhao Han is so generous is that pigs are too important. The second senior brother has long become the main source of meat for the Chinese people.

Castrating pigs did not start in the Song Dynasty, but existed as early as the Pre-Qin Dynasty. It was only popularized on a large scale during the Song and Ming Dynasties.

"Book of Changes" says: "The teeth of pigs are auspicious."

In human terms, even if a castrated pig becomes docile, its sharp teeth will not cause any harm.

"Book of Rites" says: A pig is like a mane, a pig is like a fat man.

Uncastrated pigs with thick skin and thick hair are called pigs. Castrated pigs with fat and round buttocks are called pigs.

The word "home" refers to an uncastrated pig (hog) with a roof on top. With a roof and pigs, it's a home.

A small farmer's home builds a pigsty and raises two to three pigs. Pour the leftovers in, add some pigweed, and you don't have to worry about taking care of it. It can be sold in half a year or one year. Pigs also poop a lot, which can be used as farmyard manure, and there is enough fertilizer for growing grain.

With all these benefits, small farmers have benefited a lot. No wonder pigs were called "black gold" in ancient times (mostly black pigs in China).

China's pig raising technology and pig breeding technology have always been world-leading.

The Roman pigs in Europe are hybrids of pigs introduced from South China during the Tang Dynasty.

The British Yorkshire pig has not yet appeared. It was formed by crossing Cantonese pigs with Thai and British pigs introduced by the British in the early 18th century. The Large White pig, the most widely distributed pig in later generations, almost dominates the world's pork market. It is a cross-breeding of British Yorkshire pigs and is a hybrid offspring of Chinese Guangdong pigs.

The "Cathay pig" named by Zhao Han combines the characteristics of Taihu sand pig, Jintan rice pig and Guangdong gray pig, but its appearance is more like Taihu sand pig.

The more Zhao Han thought about it, the more comfortable he felt. He took up his pen and wrote down the words "The grain is plentiful and the livestock are prosperous" and said: "Hang it in the Yamen of the Agriculture Department and find a craftsman to carve the sign!"

Chen Xisong bowed and stepped back, walking with a wind in his eyes.

The royal pen and ink treasure go to the Agriculture Department to hang up, who the hell dares to make a mistake?

Ministry of Rites.

Chen Maosheng has joined the cabinet as prime minister, and the Ministry of Rites is now in charge of Wang Tiaoding.

The emperor's decree came, and the canonization of an earl was a big matter, and it had to be handled personally by the Minister of Rites.

"Persuading the farmer?" Wang Diaoding felt strange.

Liu Mai, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, smiled and said: "I heard that Mr. Chen raised good pigs, and His Majesty Long Yan was so pleased that he made him a count. This is rare in ancient and modern times. I'm afraid it will spread throughout Nanjing in a few days."

Wang Tiaoding said: "The Department of Agriculture has made great achievements. It was they who promoted Chinese cabbage. Now it is a winter delicacy for high-ranking officials and ordinary people. In the past two years, I heard that after corn and sweet potatoes, the Department of Agriculture has been promoting Chinese cabbage." Potatoes. This must be a good pig, and a new breed of pig has been bred, and the pork in the future may be cheaper."

Liu Mai nodded and said: "If this is true, it will benefit the country and the people."

Liu Mai also belongs to the veteran faction. He was originally a child in Yongyang Town, Luling County. Not only did he have profound qualifications, he also had outstanding political achievements. He was the first right-hand envoy in Guangdong and was fully qualified to hold the post of minister.

Liu Ziren, who had just joined the cabinet as prime minister, was the first left-wing political envoy in Guangdong. Both of them have the surname Liu, and their hometowns are not far away. After recounting their genealogy, they can be said to be distant brothers.

Isn’t there a relationship?

This happens a lot, so it becomes complicated. Jiangxi officials not only have three major factions, but also various small groups.

Wang Tiaoding said: "Let the people below engrave Mr. Chen's earl seal. Before Mr. Chen Ge (Chen Maosheng) joined the cabinet, he had already decided to advance his schooling age. I think there is no need to discuss it anymore and just go directly to His Majesty. .”

The entry age for primary school was originally set at 7-10 years old, and anyone can enroll during this period.

Chen Maosheng plans to advance the school entrance age to six years old, which will benefit poor children.

Those wealthy families who value education often educate their children at the age of five. By the time he officially entered primary school at the age of seven, he had already recognized many words, and his academic performance immediately left him behind the poor children.

In recent years, many scholars from the former dynasty who were not qualified to be officials have begun to study new courses on their own. Then, he was invited by a wealthy family to work as a private tutor, and he received a high salary to provide tutoring for his children. As a result, the academic performance of the rich children puts the poor children behind them as a whole.

Compared with before, the results of entrance examinations in various provinces now show that more and more students come from wealthy families.

What Chen Maosheng can do is to advance the school age so that poor children can gain enlightenment earlier.

There is another phenomenon that makes Chen Maosheng very helpless.

Local officials are becoming more and more relaxed about children's schooling. Not to mention mountainous areas, even in county towns, many children did not come to study because of the cancellation of free lunches. The local government turned a blind eye.

When Chen Maosheng was the Minister of Rites, in addition to formulating general strategies, he could only take charge of the specific matters inside and outside Nanjing.

He often travels incognito, wandering around in and out of the city. Once it is discovered that school-age children are not studying, officials are bound to be punished. Three of the etiquette section chiefs in Jiangning and Shangyuan counties were ordered to be raped by Chen Maosheng.

This matter made the local officials in Nanjing complain endlessly. The first thing the chief of the etiquette department in charge of education did when he took office was to check out the children who were out of school. Children over ten years old do not need to be controlled, but those under ten years old must study. If a family does not allow their children to study, the magistrate will ask the county to severely punish their parents.

Today, within and outside Nanjing, the enrollment rate for school-age children under the age of ten is certainly not 100%, but 70%.

But the quality of education is getting worse because there are too many students.

In the city of Nanjing, the number of schools continues to increase, and classrooms are full to the brim. There are dozens of people in a class, and the teacher can't take care of them at all. Many schools in low-income neighborhoods simply teach like sheep, and teachers don't bother to care if they sleep in class.

But no matter how much I mess around, after three years of elementary school, I can still write letters in vernacular, and read vernacular novels.

The direct result of such education is that popular books in Nanjing are selling well.

Most children who finish primary school go to work as apprentices or find other jobs. It's hard to earn some salary, but I haven't started a family yet, and I don't have any other entertainment projects, so I'll get some novels and newspapers to read.

Book rental shops have appeared in Nanjing. You can rent novels back by paying a deposit.

You can even rent newspapers for very low rent. They are all tabloids, full of vernacular articles, and even serialized popular novels.

Throughout Jinling Prefecture, tabloids have grown rapidly, and more than 40 restaurants have opened, including those that have gone bankrupt. Moreover, there are gossips about celebrities, whether a certain brothel chooses an oiran, or who is a famous actor in the theater, etc. Young people who do not read much but are literate like to watch this kind of news.