Chapter 61: Prime Minister Yang, Whom He Had Always Adored

Regarding the matter of self-introduction, Yang Chuan was not particularly interested to begin with.

Since his subordinate officer volunteered, he simply handed over the floor directly to him.

The officer looked at the old man with a mysterious expression and began to pose a rhetorical question.

"In the old gentleman's opinion, which official within the current Great Qi realm is truly working for the country and genuinely seeking the welfare of the common people?"

"This..."

When it came to stereotypes about the officials in the imperial court, the old man stroked his beard, and several names immediately surfaced in his mind.

However, discussing court officials in private was a capital crime for ordinary citizens.

Even when offering praise, one had to choose an official widely recognized by everyone.

"Sigh, I don't know much about the other officials, but I've heard that an official recently transferred from the Great Kang Kingdom, named Yang Chuan, was appointed as Prime Minister right after taking office. That lord is truly a breath of fresh air in officialdom!"

"Oh? This old gentleman even knows Lord Yang Chuan? However, because this Lord Yang offended too many officials recently, he was long ago removed from the post of Prime Minister!"

Realizing that the person the old man was discussing was none other than the Grand Coordinator Yang who was running a stall in the market today, the soldier instantly grew interested.

Yet, before speaking with the old man about Lord Yang, the soldier was mindful of etiquette and glanced at Yang Chuan's expression first.

Confirming that Yang Chuan was not angered by this, he continued, "However, even though our Lord Yang is no longer Prime Minister, Her Majesty still leaves many major state affairs in his hands. Do you know what earth-shattering deeds Lord Yang has accomplished recently?"

"Ha! If you asked me about other officials, this old man might not be able to say much, but as for this Lord Yang, every single commoner in our imperial capital knows him inside and out!"

With that, the old man proudly raised his chin and began recounting in detail the major feats Lord Yang had accomplished over the past month.

From fighting corruption in Xiaocheng to the various events after returning to the imperial capital, the old man described everything as if he had experienced it personally, bringing a smile to Yang Chuan's face as he listened from the side.

Having finished recounting Lord Yang's exploits, the old man noticed the handsome young scholar beside him suddenly smiling, and could not help frowning.

"I say, official, you wouldn't happen to be unaware of this Prime Minister Yang, would you? Ever since he came to Great Qi to serve as an official, a prophecy has spread among us common people: within five years, everyone will be able to live a prosperous and well-fed life under the leadership of this Lord Yang."

Having said that, the old man burst into a hearty laugh.

Despite knowing Yang Chuan so well, after talking at length here, he still had not recognized that the young man standing right across from him was none other than the Prime Minister Yang he so deeply admired.

"Who Yang Chuan is, I naturally know. The reason I smiled is simply because you, old gentleman, seem to know more about my affairs than I do myself."

Hearing this, the old man was completely bewildered and could not help asking back, "What yours and mine? Could it be that you actually want to impersonate Lord Yang?"

"Heh, old gentleman, he is the very Lord Yang you spoke of. Why would he need to impersonate anyone?"

"However, although Lord Yang's position as Prime Minister was stripped from him, he remains the Prince of Equal Rank, and is the only prince who sits on equal footing with the current reigning monarch."

Fearing that the commoners might not believe it, the soldier thought for a moment and added another detail.

When Yang Chuan first assumed office, the Empress had also arranged for soldiers to post notices in every corner of the imperial capital.

It was proclaimed to the entire world that from then on, a high-ranking official would be fully empowered to act on the Emperor's behalf.

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly slapped his forehead, realization dawning on him as he pointed toward Yang Chuan's chest.

Yet, overcome by intense excitement, he stammered for a long time without being able to form a complete sentence.

Instead, the commoners gathered behind them, upon confirming that the person before them was indeed the Prince of Equal Rank, Yang Chuan, immediately dropped to their knees in unison and hailed the Prince for a thousand years.

While these ordinary people knew very little about palace affairs, they well understood the immense weight carried by the title of Prince of Equal Rank.

True to the characters of his title, a prince bestowed with this rank was viewed by the common people outside as if they were seeing the reigning sovereign in person.

The only distinction was that the Emperor was hailed for ten thousand years, while the Prince was hailed for a thousand years.

Seeing that his identity had been exposed and noticing a trace of awe mixed with apprehension in the eyes of the commoners, Yang Chuan could not help casting a sideways glance of reproach at the soldier.

"I repeatedly reminded you not to carelessly expose my identity outside unless absolutely necessary. Look, now the common people have a sense of distance from me, how are we supposed to discuss the matters that follow?"

Having reprimanded the soldier, Yang Chuan hurriedly turned back to the old man.

"Old gentleman, just now you mentioned that you could build this curved-share plow according to my blueprints. I wonder how many days it would take?"

As for manufacturing the curved-share plow, he was not all that pressed for time.

After all, the Academy of Sciences had only just been established, and the curved-share plow was merely a stepping stone used to raise the reputation of the imperial capital's Academy of Sciences and thereby recruit more talented individuals among the populace.

Therefore, as long as the old man could give a timeframe, he could rightfully invite the old man and his apprentices to a hearty meal.

And incidentally, have them report to the Academy of Sciences to officially become members of the imperial court.

Never in his wildest dreams had the old man imagined that while desperately seeking a reliable patron, he would stumble by sheer coincidence into meeting Prince Yang, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor!

Calming his previously agitated emotions, he immediately raised three fingers.

A young apprentice behind him, seeing that his master could not recover his composure for a moment, hastily took over the conversation, "Reporting to the Prince, our master says the curved-share plow can be manufactured within three days!"

"Mhm."

Yang Chuan nodded, then clasped his hands behind his back and said to the two of them, "Building the curved-share plow is a minor matter. Aside from that, this official has one more requirement."

"Whether it is the two of you or any commoner present, if anyone can further innovate upon this technology based on this prototype of the curved-share plow, this official will reward them with twenty taels of silver!"

Given the current tight budget, this was the utmost the welfare Yang Chuan could offer.

Today, he was eager to unearth genuine talents specializing in agricultural reform from among the crowd.

Once they could be arranged to enter the Academy of Sciences, the task for the next few days would be to coordinate with Li Yunshan, the Prefect of Xiaocheng.

When he last returned from Xiaocheng, he had instructed Li Yunshan that once the first batch of wooden oxen and flowing horses was successfully developed, fifty of them must be transported to the imperial capital.

Additionally, the commercial street in Xiaocheng had been developing for over a month now, and he was quite curious about the trade revenue generated by this street.

Down below, upon hearing that rewards would be given just for innovation, the commoners eagerly signed up one after another.

The entire street instantly became bustling and extraordinary, with the surging crowds completely packing the thoroughfare.