After accompanying Chongzhen back from Xishan, Wang Chengen, who had just been on duty, was sent by Wang Tiqian and Li Chengzhen to wait for the little eunuch and invited to a small courtyard in the palace.

As soon as Wang Chengen stepped into the courtyard, he saw the two of them standing in the courtyard and waiting for him respectfully. He glanced at the two of them under the candlelight, and couldn't help but say a little tiredly: "What can't be said tomorrow, I ran all day today, but I don't have the energy to discuss things with you." ”

Wang Tiqian and Li Chengzhen were originally attached to Wei Zhongxian in the palace, but when Wei Zhongxian was expelled from the capital, they naturally moved closer to Wang Chengen, a close confidant of the new emperor.

Therefore, when Wang Chengen spoke, he hurriedly stepped forward and explained: "I didn't know that my father-in-law was so tired today, and I asked my father-in-law to come over to discuss things, but I waited too much for Meng Lang."

It's just that after I heard about this, I felt that I should let my father-in-law know a thing or two as soon as possible, so that when His Majesty heard the report tomorrow, my father-in-law would not know anything about this matter. ”

Wang Chengen suddenly said with some surprise: "What is the matter, you are so nervous?" ”

Wang Tiqian gave Li Chengzhen beside him a look, and Li Chengzhen immediately stepped forward and said to Wang Chengen: "At the beginning of the year, didn't the palace send a few people to the south to find a suitable place to grow sugarcane, and rely on the sugarcane production area to develop sugarcane, papermaking, winemaking and other industries?

Now they are experimenting with the development of these industries in the south, and they finally have some experience. Therefore, they sent people back to report the good news to His Majesty, and by the way, they wanted to ask His Majesty how to expand these industries next year. ”

Wang Chengen suddenly said with some displeasure: "It's just this little thing, you don't need to be in such a hurry to call me over." ”

Li Chengzhen immediately explained: "Father-in-law, these properties are not a trivial matter, if they can be in the hands of our celebrant supervisor, it is not much worse than those industries in the hands of the eunuch."

Since the governor took charge of the Wensi Academy, he has become the richest yamen in the twenty-four yamen, and his speech in the palace is getting louder and louder day by day. Our ceremonial supervisor was originally the head of the twenty-four yamen, and now he has to back down one or two when he encounters the governor of the capital, isn't this because His Majesty sealed the inner treasury and choked the money bag of the celebrant eunuch.

If this continues, won't the celebrant in the palace in the future look up to the governor's breath. Is my father-in-law really willing to let that prince press on your head..."

Wang Chengen's face suddenly sank, interrupted his words and said: "Stop, I and the prince of the capital governor are both from His Majesty's hidden mansion, even if there are some disagreements on weekdays, there is no idea that anyone wants to suppress anyone." You must not think like this, lest you spoil the peace between our two families. It's not too early, so take me to meet someone and hear what's going on..."

The next morning, in the study room of the Qianqing Palace, the table in front of Zhu Youzhen was full of some novel gadgets, of course, the eunuchs on the side felt that the novel gadgets were not so novel to him.

Canned fruits, sugarcane wine, white sugar, and some paper packaged in glass**, this is the eunuch Gao Encheng sent by the palace who brought it back from the south, and their hard work this year.

Gao Euncheng was originally an overseer of the sake vinegar noodle bureau, but because he was familiar with the process of sake brewing, he was sent to the south at the beginning of the year along with several colleagues in the palace.

Their task was to investigate the areas of the south suitable for sugar cane cultivation and to find out what could be a by-product of sugar cane in addition to sugar extraction.

At this time in Daming, the two regions where sugarcane cultivation was more famous, one was Fujian, and the other was Guangdong. The area where sugarcane is planted more intensively is still the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong.

The types of sugarcane are also divided into two types, one is called Kunlun cane, which is mainly eaten as a fruit; The other is called bamboo cane, which is mainly used for sugar extraction.

Gao Encheng and several colleagues compared sugarcane cultivation in Putian and Leizhou Peninsula in Fujian Province. The sugarcane and sugarcane cultivation techniques in Putian, Fujian Province, are better, while the soils of the Leizhou Peninsula are more suitable for sugarcane cultivation, and the latter has better sugar extraction techniques.

Fujian has more people and less land, so more manpower is used to extract sugar. The Leizhou Peninsula is vast and sparsely populated, and the local buffalo population is large, so more animal power is used.

The growing period of sugarcane is about 12-14 months, but it can be shortened to 12 months when using root germination. Although theoretically, sugarcane can be grown in all seasons on the Leizhou Peninsula, which has a high temperature all year round, but the Leizhou Peninsula is high in the middle and low on all sides, and except for a limited number of rivers, there is basically no water left. As a result, spring is often prone to drought, but in summer, the rain brought by typhoons makes it more suitable for growing sugarcane.

However, although the Leizhou Peninsula is famous for its sugar cane fields, most of the peninsula is still in an undeveloped primeval forest state at this time, and only a few counties such as Xuwen and Zhanjiang are relatively densely populated.

However, the underdeveloped Leizhou Peninsula is second only to the sugarcane fields in the Pearl River Delta near Guangzhou, which produced about 50,000 or 60,000 quintals of sugar in previous years, which is worth about 180,000 yuan at the current market price of 35 yuan per quintal.

When Gao Encheng and others arrived on the Leizhou Peninsula and investigated the local natural conditions, they believed that the climate and soil here were very suitable for large-scale cultivation of sugarcane.

The local use of oxen to pull stone rollers to squeeze cane, pot stove to boil sugar, pottery to divide honey of the soil sugar liao. Processing 2,500 kilograms of sugar cane every day, only 150 kilograms of sucrose is obtained, which is equivalent to more than one load of sucrose per mu of sugarcane field, and this efficiency also has great room for improvement.

In addition, in the south-central region of Guangxi to the south of the Leizhou Peninsula, the soil quality and natural conditions are similar to those of the Leizhou Peninsula, and they also believe that sugarcane cultivation can be vigorously carried out.

Because sugarcane is more suitable for planting in hilly areas with dry slopes, and there is a large amount of rain brought by typhoons in Guangxi and Leizhou Peninsula, it can be developed as a sugarcane planting area in hilly areas that are not suitable for planting rice.

There is no shortage of wasteland for the development of large sugarcane plantations in these two areas, but a lack of population and upfront investment. In the name of the palace, Gao Encheng and others requisitioned local military households and ordinary people, and opened up 10,000 acres of sugarcane plantations in Xuwen County on the Leizhou Peninsula and another 3,000 acres of sugarcane plantations in Lianzhou Prefecture, Guangxi.

In addition, in Xuwen County, they recruited several craftsmen from Macao to improve the sugar extraction process, increasing the sugar yield of sugarcane to more than 9%, and the processing capacity to 5 tons of sugar cane per day.

The improvement of the sugar extraction process alone has increased the output of cane sugar on the Leizhou Peninsula by 50% this year, with an increase of about 90,000 yuan.

At this time, Gao Encheng and others felt that if they relied on the strength of their people to open up the sugarcane planting area in the Liangguang area, it would obviously be a very long process. If the palace can increase its support and vigorously develop the sugarcane areas of the Leizhou Peninsula, Guangxi, and Hainan, then the new sugar mills they have established can reap greater benefits.

In addition, after Guanglu Temple developed the canning technology, it also sent people to the south to contact them, and developed canned fruits by using the sugar produced in Guangdong and the rich local fruit resources.

As for the by-products of sugarcane sugar extraction that Chongzhen ordered them to develop, molasses wine and sugarbagasse papermaking, it really became a by-product.

Moreover, the effect of using activated charcoal fired from coconut shell to decolorize the sugar juice is much better than that of the old-style sucrose. The price of the white sugar they make now is one percent higher than that of the white sugar produced by the old method.

After the first batch of white sugar and canned fruits were sold, Gao Encheng and others found that the funds they had invested in opening up sugarcane plantations and building sugar mills and canning workshops had been completely recovered.

For these eunuchs in the palace, what they pursue on weekdays is nothing more than two things. One is power, the other is money. Suddenly, a glittering avenue of wealth appeared in front of them, and they had the idea of not hurrying to grasp it.

So Gao Encheng returned to the capital with the results of the year, as well as an investigation report on sugarcane cultivation in Liangguang and Hainan. While asking Chongzhen for credit, he hoped that the emperor would give them greater power to develop.

Zhu Youzhen listened to Gao Encheng's report with great interest, and then tasted the canned fruit he brought back. These canned foods are already the second batch of products, and the first batch of 3,000 canned fruits is very popular in Jiangnan and Beijing, and they are sold at a high price of one yuan.

Although the technical officials of Guanglu Temple had a good grasp of the taste, for Zhu Youzhen, he still felt a little sweeter, and he quickly picked up the tea on the side and rinsed his mouth.

After putting down the teacup, Zhu Youzhen said: "It's good for a few of you to go to the south on an errand this time, Wang Banban, record their names, and the celebrant will study the reward methods for them, and I will personally approve them." ”

After Wang Chengen agreed and Gao Encheng thanked him, Zhu Youzhen continued: "According to your investigation, the output of cane sugar in Fujian and Guangdong accounts for two-thirds of next year's output. However, it only adds up to more than 30 million quintals, which can only meet the needs of a small number of people, which is obviously out of place. Your proposal is very good.

However, if you want to promote sugarcane cultivation areas in Liangguang and Hainan, enthusiasm alone is not enough. The problem of lack of funds is easy to solve, but the population problem cannot be taken lightly. It is good to say in Guangdong, but Guangxi is a complex terrain with mixed local Chinese and Han people, and it is a complex terrain known as 100,000 mountains, and if you act too impatiently, you will work in vain.

Go down and rest for a few days, and then I think about it." I'll summon you again. ”

Gao Encheng didn't dare to say much, and after kowtowing to Chongzhen, he bent and retreated out of the upper study.

For the emperor did not make a decision immediately, although Wang Chengen was a little anxious, he did not dare to disturb Chongzhen's thoughts.