Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 565: Chapter 295: The Crown Prince Becomes Increasingly Stupid

Isn’t this shortening his lifespan?

Zhao Yao quickly returned the salute while telling Mr. Meng, "This is not appropriate."

The Emperor was very cunning; he only went over to help Mr. Meng up after he had finished saluting Zhao Yao.

"Mr. Meng, you’re giving such a grand salute to little Ten, it’s more than he can bear."

Sun Kui, serving as a background figure in the corner, muttered in his heart after hearing the Prince say this: Your Majesty, why didn’t you stop Mr. Meng before he saluted His Highness Ten? Saying this only after he finished seems a bit too late, doesn’t it?

Zhao Yao nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the Emperor: "I cannot bear it." After speaking, he returned another salute to Mr. Meng.

Mr. Meng hurriedly helped Zhao Yao up, looking at him with kind eyes and said, "Your Highness, please rise quickly."

Zhao Yao stood up straight and gave Mr. Meng a well-behaved smile.

The Emperor feigned ignorance and asked Mr. Meng, "Mr. Meng, why do you give such a grand salute?"

"To answer Your Majesty, I am grateful to His Highness Ten for creating printing technology for scholars worldwide, and for creating the curved plow for the people." When the printing technology emerged, Mr. Meng wrote several articles and poems praising it.

A few years ago, when Zhao Yao invented the curved plow, Mr. Meng was once again amazed. Although he was a great scholar, he often engaged in farming. He was not one to keep his hands clean of farming, nor did he consider book learning to be superior and thus beneath him. On the contrary, he loved farming, and the grains and vegetables he ate were all self-grown.

Knowing well the hardships of farming, he always reminded and warned the world to cherish food. He often wrote articles or poems about farming, grains, and vegetables.

He also specifically wrote books about agricultural work. He advised students not to focus solely on studies, not to think that scholars are superior, nor to look down on those who work hard in the fields. He often suggested that students should walk around and observe the fields, encouraging them to personally experience the difficulties of farming so that they can better serve the people in the future.

Mr. Meng was a very humble person, not engaging in flashy or pretentious behavior, unlike some who pursue fame and profit. He believed there was nothing wrong with scholars wanting to be officials, nor did he think the desire for fame and fortune was bad. He didn’t think scholars were morally superior to those who studied to become officials. In his view, as long as studying could save the world or benefit the people, it was a good thing, regardless of intention.

He often told friends or students that he was not a great scholar, no better or superior to others, and in fact, he felt inferior to those who truly served the people.

He frequently mocked himself, saying that despite a lifetime of academic pursuit, he never accomplished a single good deed for the people. When he returned to the mountains, he was actually escaping. He considered himself a cowardly and shameful person, unworthy of being revered as a great scholar.

When the former emperor conferred upon him the title of great scholar, he refused, believing himself unqualified. Even now, he feels unworthy of the title.

In the years of his reclusion in the mountains, Mr. Meng not only pursued academic studies but also delved into agriculture. Having farmed himself, he understood its various difficulties and always wished to solve these issues, though he couldn’t.

In the past few years, Mr. Meng visited many experienced old farmers. They knew the best times for sowing, planting, and pest prevention, but they did not know how to solve the difficulties of tilling land or how to increase grain production...

Mr. Meng’s place of seclusion was in a remote mountain in Jiangnan, where Zhao Yao’s curved plow was most suited for the fields. It made tilling easier and more convenient.

For grain production to increase, apart from good seedlings, fertilizing, and watering, the crucial factor was cultivating the land well. If the land wasn’t well-tilled, the best seedlings and ample fertilizer and rainfall would not improve the yield.

Tilling is the most basic, difficult, and critical part of grain production. The introduction of the curved plow truly solved the problem of difficult tilling.

The Jiangnan region already produced more grain than other areas, and the curved plow multiplied its grain yield several times over.

In recent years, Jiangnan’s granaries have been filled to the brim with grain. Not only that, but households also have ample stores. With surplus grain at home, people felt secure and no longer feared hunger. Having endured the chaos of the previous dynasty, when there was no food and people resorted to eating dirt and even human flesh, they hope never to experience that again.