Chapter 498: Green Are the Mallows in the Garden

"Seven or eight years ago, when I was serving as Left Clerk of the Military Section in Jiangling, Governor Ye made his spring circuit of the counties and ordered me to accompany him. That was when I first saw the grandeur and prestige of a two-thousand-bushel grand official on tour. Right then I thought, one day I too must become a frontier-governing grand official and fully savor this glory—and the responsibilities that come with it. I never imagined that day would arrive so quickly…"

In late May, reckoning that the imperial edict from Xianyang would soon reach Linzi, Heifu also began his own county circuit, which he had already postponed for a month.

Ye Zijin straightened his attire. She had long grown accustomed to a life of frequent partings. Hearing the thick self-congratulation in Heifu's words, she teased him: "Back then, did my husband ever imagine he would become Governor Ye's fine son-in-law?"

Heifu laughed. "I actually did imagine it."

Ye Zijin covered her mouth. "So my husband had it premeditated all along."

Heifu instead pinched his wife's delicate, sharp chin. "Top-quality cabbage—how could I not have my eye on it?"

Ye blinked in surprise. "What is 'cabbage'?"

"Ah, it's a kind of wild mustard green. The Central Plains don't have as many vegetables as Nan Commandery. I'm having the Agriculturalists try cultivating it. Perhaps by the time I return, we'll be able to eat it…"

After the couple's daily banter ended, Heifu said to Ye Zijin, "On this county circuit, I will be taking Wei Yang along."

Yang was the son of Heifu's eldest brother, Zhong. When Heifu first arrived in the Qin dynasty, Yang was just a little brat of five or six. Now, ten years had passed in a flash; Zhong was nearing forty, and Yang had grown into a tall, strapping youth of sixteen.

Because their family's status and wealth had soared, Yang—who ten years ago still had to rise early, yawning, to help his mother hull grain—had long since been sent to the academy. Now he could read and write, and had even gone to Yuzhang Commandery to learn a fine halberd technique from Dongmen Bao.

When Heifu had his wife come to Jiaodong, he had her bring this nephew along. As the eldest grandson of their family, Heifu did not want Wei Yang to amount to nothing; he wished to keep him at his side and instruct him carefully.

"At my husband's side, you also need one of your own family."

Ye Zijin understood. Heifu's household and enterprises were now vast. For instance, matters involving the sugar workshop were things even Chen Ping, Gong Ao, and others could not conveniently handle—only their own kin could manage them. Her own branch of the Ye clan was sparsely populated and could not give Heifu support, so cultivating the younger generation of her husband's family was a fine alternative.

When Heifu had donned his full robes, sash, and official cap and arrived at the commandery office gates, he saw his nephew Wei Yang already standing there in martial attire, armored and wearing a sword, deep in conversation with Cao Shen. Spotting Heifu emerge, he immediately came over to salute. "Zhongfu… Lord Commandery!"

This was by Heifu's instruction: in public, he was not to call him Zhongfu, but to use his official title.

Heifu had Wei Yang ride in the same carriage. Noticing the bloodshot tinge in his eyes, he asked, "You didn't sleep well last night?"

"I didn't sleep a wink…" Wei Yang rubbed his head, a little embarrassed.

On this entire journey east, Wei Yang had seen all manner of famous mountains and great rivers, broadening his horizons. But after arriving in Jiaodong two months ago, he had been stuck inside Jimo City. Now, hearing that Heifu was willing to take him on the county circuit, his excitement knew no bounds. On the eve of departure, he hadn't slept well the whole night.

"The moment I thought that on this circuit with the Lord Commandery I'd get to see the legendary sea, I simply couldn't contain myself." The young man treated this trip as a brand-new journey.

Heifu, however, smiled. "Once you've seen it enough, it ceases to be remarkable. You might even come to feel it's just Cloud Dream Marsh magnified a few times over."

Wei Yang was astonished. "The Lord Commandery has seen the sea?"

Heifu only smiled and gave no answer. Of course he had seen it—the sea he had seen was also Shandong's sea. In his previous life, after graduating high school, he had gone to Qingdao to see the ocean, drinking draft beer and eating prawns.

But two millennia of shifting seas and mulberry fields meant that the stretch of beach he had once stood on was probably still submerged beneath the waves right now.

"Once I've achieved some modest success in governing this commandery, I absolutely must abuse my position for personal gain and build a sea-view house there…"

With such thoughts, Heifu's enormous convoy departed Jimo. He left his most trusted Chief Clerk, Chen Ping, to hold the fort. With Xiao He and Ku Fu as his aides, and given Chen Ping's capabilities, guarding this tiny patch of Jimo should pose no problem.

As for the retinue, besides Wei Yang, Heifu also brought along the Bandit Section Right Clerk, Cao Shen. Historically, this man was only remembered by posterity for "Cao following Xiao's rules," as if he had no particular talent. But after several months of close contact, Heifu had discovered that Cao Shen had abilities all his own. The man not only had a rough grasp of laws and ordinances but also possessed a full set of fine skills—a side of him that was brave and fearless, and another that was meticulous and steady.

Heifu did not know that in the original history, Cao Shen had initially made his name through military merit. After the Han dynasty was founded, when the achievements of all officials were tallied, Cao Shen had taken part in conquering two kingdoms and one hundred twenty-two counties; captured two kings, three chancellors, six generals, and one each of Grand Mo'ao, Commandery Governor, Marshal, Inspector, and Censor…

In the final reckoning, Cao Shen had suffered seventy wounds, stormed cities, seized territory, and his merits were the greatest—he should have been ranked first. But he was forcibly pushed down by Emperor Gaozu of Han, who, with a whole theory about men of achievement and hunting dogs, successfully handed the top merit spot to the civil official Xiao He.

As if fated, Old Cao, from Pei County all the way to the imperial court, was forever kept one step beneath Old Xiao, a perennial second place. The fellow may have been indignant at first, but later he came to terms with it. When others called him "Cao following Xiao's rules," he just laughed it off and accepted it gladly.

But in this era, Cao Shen had made his choice one step ahead of Xiao He, and thus earned great regard from Heifu. The covert competition between him and Xiao He had also become a case of brothers climbing the mountain, each relying on his own skill.

…

After traveling a few li, when passing the public fields west of Jimo City, Heifu ordered the carriages to halt. He dismounted to visit and encourage the Agriculturalist disciples who were working the experimental plots here.

The entire several hundred mu of public fields had been handed over to Xu Sheng and his group. On Heifu's suggestion, they had been divided into grain fields, dedicated to growing cereals and improving cultivation techniques, and vegetable plots, dedicated to growing vegetables and improving crop varieties.

Compared to Heifu's last inspection, a patch of small saplings had appeared beside the fields—these were newly planted fruit trees…

But as the saying goes, it takes ten years to grow a tree; for fruit trees to bear fruit, one must wait many years. The same was true for grain. Jiaodong could not compare to Jiangnan and could only yield one harvest a year. Whether those intensive cultivation methods could increase production would not be known until autumn.

Vegetables, however, were different. Their growth cycle was shorter, and different varieties could be planted across all four seasons. So lately, Xu Sheng and several key disciples had been focusing their energy on the vegetable plots.

As early as the Spring and Autumn period, the horticulture industry in the Central Plains was already highly developed. There were already people who specialized in cultivating vegetables and planting fruit trees, known as "old gardeners" or "orchard masters." The Agriculturalists had no shortage of talent proficient in this field and had once compiled books teaching people how to plant trees.

"These men are the Yuan Longping of this age, the great druids…" Heifu felt he had stumbled upon a treasure.

While he was extremely assertive when facing powerful nobles and officials, before the Agriculturalists he was respectful and courteous, showing not a trace of official authority. He also loved to flaunt his grassroots origins. Heifu had even worn short trousers and gone barefoot into the fields to consult Xu Sheng on farming and gardening matters…

This attitude from the Commandery Governor made Xu Sheng appreciate him greatly. So whenever Heifu had some small "suggestion," Xu Sheng believed it without doubt and had his disciples give it a try.

As Heifu and his party entered the vegetable plots, Xu Sheng led his disciples, clad in coarse brown clothes, forward to greet them. The two chatted for a while, and Xu Sheng mentioned how, a month ago, Libationer Xiao He had organized academy disciples to visit the vegetable plots. Some disciples from wealthy families had actually mistaken wheat sprouts for chives, which left Xu Sheng both amused and exasperated.

"Limbs unaccustomed to toil, unable to tell the five grains apart—that describes these scholars exactly. Lord Commandery, if such men, even if they know the Qin language and understand Qin officials, become officials themselves, how can they possibly understand the hardships of the common people? This old man believes that the Qin officials of Guanzhong do this well: in all matters, agriculture comes first, and officials do not consider farming a disgrace. This fine tradition must not be discarded!"

Heifu nodded. "Elder Xu teaches rightly. Henceforth, every cohort of public academy disciples should be sent to the fields and gardens to personally labor at farming for a few days, so they understand the toil behind the food on their plates!"

Hmm, and incidentally, this would also spread that poem "Pity the Farmer" even further, making Governor Heifu's name for compassion toward farmers known throughout the land.

At that moment, Wei Yang, at Heifu's side, spoke up. "Are there truly people in this world who do not know the five grains?"

He had endured plenty of hardship as a child, going to the fields with his parents and helping his grandmother carry fertilizer and plant vegetables. So he felt—wasn't this an innate skill one should be born with as a human being?

Xu Sheng saw that this young man had an honest face and a lean, sturdy build, but was dressed in a martial warrior's outfit, with a fine sword at his waist worth several thousand coins. He smiled and said:

"Young man, judging by your attire, you are neither poor nor low-born. Can you tell the five grains apart?"

Wei Yang lifted his chin. "The five grains are nothing. I can even name every single vegetable in your garden, old sir."

Xu Sheng, far from taking offense, laughed. "Go on, then, let's hear it."

And so, the young man, ever eager to show off, pointed at the lush green vegetables in the field and began to recite.

"This is mallow. It's the autumn mallow, sown in summer and harvested in autumn. Though it has a slightly bitter taste, it's most delicious when pickled."

"Intercropped in the wheat field is bean leaf. Tender bean leaves can be boiled and eaten directly, but these are already a bit old—I fear they'd be tough to chew and hard to swallow. That's why those who eat this are mostly commoners and convict laborers; they're called 'bean-leaf eaters,' in contrast to 'meat eaters.'"

"By the water is celery. Besides being eaten fresh, it's also used for pickling. In my family's home, Anlu County in Nan Commandery, the celery by the shores of Cloud Dream Marsh tastes the finest. Old sir, I fear your celery here cannot compare!"

Next, Wei Yang pointed out one by one: the neatly arranged, lush green chives blooming with little white flowers; the mountain scallions, a mix of white and green among the fields; and the mustard greens just beginning to sprout…

"At my home, when we eat sliced raw fish, we use mountain scallions for the sauce in spring, and mustard in autumn." As he spoke, Wei Yang began to miss the fresh fish of Cloud Dream Marsh. He still could not get used to sea fish.

After Wei Yang had named them all, Heifu scolded him: "Boy, your grandmother still grows these vegetables at home to this day. How could you not recognize them? Stand down!"

He then apologized to Xu Sheng: "This is my worthless nephew, just arrived from Nan Commandery. He doesn't understand proper manners. Elder Xu, please do not take offense."

"No offense, no offense."

Xu Sheng, however, rather liked the blunt and outspoken Wei Yang, and sighed: "The Commandery Governor's household truly raises its children well — though wealthy and honored now, the younger generation has not forgotten the field and garden work of humbler times…"

Heifu said: "Lord Xu speaks rightly. In asking you and the Agriculturalists to stay in Jiaodong, besides delving into intensive and meticulous farming methods so the land may yield more grain, I also wish for more people to be able to eat palatable vegetables."

Just as Wei Yang enumerated one by one a moment ago, all kinds of vegetables have already become an indispensable part of people's daily diet. Not only the nobility — commoners and slaves rely on them even more to supplement insufficient grain. There is a saying in Jiaodong: "Grain failing is called famine; vegetables failing is called dearth."

Growing more vegetables not only adjusts the common people's monotonous diet, but also improves their quality of life — chewing plain millet alone is very hard to swallow.

But in this age, many of the high-yield vegetables of later times have yet to appear. Scallions and leeks exist, but garlic does not yet; other vegetables can only serve as seasoning — no one can stomach eating them at every meal.

It was only after winter mallow was introduced from the Mountain Rong by Guan Zhong that it firmly secured its place as the king of all vegetables in this era.

Heifu has eaten plenty of mallow over these ten years, and found that it naturally contains mucilage — once cooked, its texture is rich, tender, smooth, and slick. In this age, people rarely use oil when boiling vegetables; animal fat is hard to come by, and ordinary households simply cannot use it regularly. The mallow, with its own mucilage, perfectly compensates for this deficiency.

Moreover, mallow has another advantage: it can be planted in all four seasons. Sown in summer and harvested in autumn, it is autumn mallow; sown in autumn and harvested in winter, it is winter mallow; replanted in the first month, it is spring mallow. In ancient times, lacking preservation and refrigeration techniques, mallow's advantage in this regard was extremely obvious.

Yet even so, Heifu still cannot bring himself to praise the taste and yield of mallow.

The Chinese cabbage of later ages surpasses mallow by miles in taste, yield, cold tolerance, and ease of storage. If it could be cultivated, it would be a great boon to agriculture.

The crux of the matter is, Heifu really wants to eat a plate of plain stir-fried cabbage or lamb stewed with cabbage…

Thus, Heifu proposed to Xu Sheng using the ancestor of cabbage, the wild "sung," to cultivate the common Chinese cabbage of later times — this is the Agriculturalists' key breakthrough project for the coming months!

After inspecting the vegetable garden, Heifu was about to depart. Xu Sheng, seeing his formation, knew he was going on a county tour, and teased:

"When this old man was in Guanzhong, I often heard that a Commandery Governor tours the counties in the fourth month, encouraging farming and urging the people not to miss the season. Now it is already mid-fifth month — the Governor's county tour is late indeed…"

Heifu laughed, pointed at the vegetables in the garden, and said:

"This official's governance is just like an old gardener planting vegetables — it can be done in any season. Why must one fixate solely on the third and fourth months?"

The first cohort of disciples from the Study Hall had already completed their training; the assassination case in Chunyu County had been solved; the gold mine in Huang County was about to be opened; the corruption situation in each county had been thoroughly investigated; and for the deepest waters — the salt trade and banditry — Heifu had also devised solutions…

After arriving in Jiaodong, he had endured and bided his time for several months, going from having nothing at all to slowly gathering a hand of cards — it was time to play them!

"This county tour of mine is precisely to sow vegetable seeds across the entire commandery, so they may sprout and grow. By autumn and winter, every garden shall be full of edible green mallow and white sung!"

PS: This is the second chapter for the 27th.

The Book of Rites, "Inner Regulations": "Sliced raw fish with mustard sauce," "For sliced meat in spring, use scallions; in autumn, use mustard."

The Rites of Zhou, "Officers of Heaven - The Pickle Maker": "The Pickle Maker oversees the contents of the four dou-vessels. For the morning service dou-vessels, their contents are leek pickles."

Scallions and leeks are both native vegetables, already present in the Qin period.

(End of chapter)