hen Zhi gritted his teeth, anger surging through him. His body trembled slightly, his hand clutching the hilt of the knife so tightly that the veins on his arm stood out, a clear sign of his extreme f...Chapter 464: Sweet Potato Harvest

Zheng Baorong never expected that the Crown Prince would personally come out of the palace to greet him.

But then, Zheng Baorong understood.

No matter how you look at it, I don't seem to have the qualifications.

Therefore, this must have been another intention of the Crown Prince.

"Get up."

Li Chen helped Zheng Baorong up and said, "You're here quickly."

Zheng Bao Rong hurriedly replied: "Your humble servant dares not delay. I went back to make some arrangements, and then came straight to the capital. Later, my family and relatives will come one after another."

"Well, not bad, at least the attitude is decent." Li Chen nodded and said, "Let's go, follow this palace out for a while."

Zheng Baorong was full of doubts, wondering where the Crown Prince was taking him.

Ke Li Chen didn't speak. Even if he had the courage, he wouldn't dare to ask. He could only keep his mouth shut and carefully follow behind Li Chen.

Li Chen got into the carriage. Zheng Baorong naturally wasn't qualified to ride with him, so another carriage was arranged for him.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the royal hunting ground.

Li Chen got out of the car and called Zheng Baorong to follow him. As they walked towards the sweet potato experimental field, Li Chen casually asked Zheng Baorong: "In your opinion, if you were to promote a new crop that people in your jurisdiction had never seen before, how would you go about it"

When it comes to national affairs, policy guidelines, and overall strategic control, Li Chen believes he is no less capable than anyone else.

But based on his grassroots experience, he had to admit that he was not as good as Zheng Baorong and Zhao Heshan, those veteran officials who had been deeply rooted in the grassroots for many years.

Therefore, this question involves both a test and a request for guidance.

Of course, to ensure the dignity of those in authority, it goes without saying that one must never reveal such inquiries.

Zheng Bao-rong certainly took this as a test from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince before his inauguration. After careful consideration, he replied: “It depends on where the benefit of such a crop lies, with the imperial court or the people.”

"If within the Imperial Court, then one must resort to bribes; if amongst the populace, one can enforce through administrative orders."

Li Chen chuckled lightly and said, "You're quite sly. Let me tell you, the benefit lies not just in the court but also in the people. Can a single administrative order truly solve everything"

"There's a saying: 'When there's a policy at the top, there's a countermeasure at the bottom.' You must have heard this before."

"There are many talented people hidden among the common folk, and they are not easily deceived, especially when it comes to matters concerning their land."

"For the common people, that's a huge deal, a matter of great importance."

"You exploit the people with taxes, and that's bad enough. But if you dare to force them to give up their grain from their fields, don't be surprised if a rebellion erupts!"

Zheng Bao Rong broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "Your Highness is wise, but this administrative order does not directly command ordinary people. It commands those landlords who own large tracts of fertile land. Many people are actually just their tenants, the true owners of the land are the landlords. These people are more timid than the commoners."

Li Chen was taken aback. He gave Zheng Bao Rong a deep look, saying meaningfully: "With your kind of person becoming the magistrate of the capital city, this palace is truly afraid that you will be assassinated in office."

Zheng Baorong smiled humbly: "My humble self is not afraid, with Your Highness's support, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, my humble self dares to go."

Li Chen remained noncommittal.

There are plenty of people who profess loyalty on the surface, but it's hard to tell who is genuine and who is not. The real challenge for Li Chen is figuring out who deserves his trust among all the pretenders.

By the time he spoke, Li Chen had already brought Zheng Baorong to the experimental field.

"Your humble servant, Li Ke Shou, pays his respects to His Royal Highness the Prince!" Li Ke Shou, who was in charge of the hunting grounds, rushed over with some mud still on his clothes and respectfully bowed to Li Chen.ghness!"Throughout history, the pursuit of profit has driven people's hearts. What's more, leading a department as crucial as the Ministry of Revenue, responsible for managing the nation's finances a...