Chapter 1027

Because the letter was too thick and began with a detailed account of how he had fermented manure according to the recipe, the Ministry of Agriculture officials tossed it aside after reading the opening—until the spring imperial examination, when Pan Yun, bored from avoiding excessive contact with Pan Yue and other officials during her exam schedule, idly flipped through the letters and stumbled upon this precious one.

After reading the letter, Pan Yun had only one thought: this is fertilizer.

Someone actually hand-made fertilizer? This is a divine being!

Pan Yun couldn't wait until nightfall; she instantly shot off to Nanzhili, followed the address in the letter, showed her identity, and that very night brought the Licentiate and his wife to Jingcheng.

Oh, the Licentiate was over forty and had grandchildren; he had been physically and mentally shattered by the explosion, and when Pan Yun arrived, he was reduced to nothing but skin and bones.

Pan Yun feared he might die; she immediately put him and his wife into deep sleep, letting the couple sleep all the way to Jingcheng, then arranged for them to be lodged in the Ministry of Agriculture and summoned imperial physicians at the Emperor's command.

The Licentiate's name was Hou De; after drinking two doses of medicine, he still couldn't believe it, tilting his head to ask his wife: "Is this truly Jingcheng?"

"Yes, even inside the imperial city—I went out for a walk, it's truly vast."

Hou De pondered, then asked: "Is this the ninth day of the second month?"

"It is—I asked several people, all dressed in official robes, they wouldn't lie to us. In just one day, no, just one night, we traveled from Nanzhili to Beijing."

Hou De murmured: "So there truly are immortals. The State Preceptor truly possesses divine powers."

"Husband, could it be you sinned in a past life?"

Hou De slowly shook his head: "If I had sinned, the State Preceptor would never have bothered with me—he specifically brought me from Nanzhili to Jingcheng and arranged imperial physicians to treat me. This isn't punishment; it's blessing. I always said: I've never done evil in this life; how could I have been wicked in my past life?"

Hou De declared outright: "I am truly a good person."

Soon, Pan Yun's arrival confirmed his suspicion: he was good, and a good person blessed by heaven.

Pan Yun specially petitioned the Emperor to grant him an official post: a sixth-rank Ministry of Agriculture Doctor, dedicated to researching fertilizer production lines.

Pan Yun said: "Since you used fermented manure to grow a full season of grain, you must already know this substance is a national treasure. If grain yields could increase by one or two times from current levels…"

Hou De's eyes gleamed: "When granaries are full, there will be no famine under heaven."

Pan Yun: "This achievement is so great—it deserves the title of National Scholar. Isn't that worth more than a thousand imperial examinations?"

Hou De became utterly enchanted; he immediately cooperated with treatment, and within less than half a month, he was transformed—vibrant and full of life.

His wife stayed by his side, caring for him and assisting with the fermentation research.

After all, to support his studies, most of their land had been tilled by her.

If he hadn't abandoned further imperial examinations, such dirty work as fermenting manure would never have fallen to him.

Pan Yun, seeing this, simply petitioned the Emperor on her behalf as well.

The Emperor hesitated.

But Pan Yun rarely offered opinions, let alone requested official posts.

Both requests were for the state, not for herself; after thought, he granted her the rank of seventh-rank Ministry of Agriculture Doctor.

Both now received state salaries and became even more diligent.

They did not live in Jingcheng; after recovering, they moved directly outside the city to the factory prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture for their research.

The couple were highly enthusiastic, especially Hou De's wife, Zhang Zhen, who, since learning she had become an official, threw herself entirely into fertilizer research.

In reading and composing essays, she was far inferior to her husband, but in farming and fermenting manure, she was no weaker than he.

One excelled at practical approaches, the other at seeking breakthroughs in texts; together, their strengths combined, and by June, they had developed an alkali production line.