It was already late at night, and the lights in the study were still on. Under the candlelight, Ouyang Xiu, who was over 60 years old, was reviewing official documents one after another. He is now serving as the position of deputy prime minister of the Song Dynasty. He also serves as the deputy prime minister of the Privy Councilor. He can also be said to be of high authority, but he is also plagued by government affairs and has to be busy until very late every day before he can rest.

After finally reviewing a document, Ouyang Xiu stretched out his hands and rubbed his temples that were a little swollen. Now he is old and his energy is not as good as a young man. In addition, the matters recorded by these document are also relatively messy, so every time he reviews one, he feels his brain is so strong. However, these documents are too important and will be discussed in the Political Affairs Hall tomorrow, so he must review them all tonight.

After rubbing the temple a few times, I finally felt a little clear-headed. Ouyang Xiu took another thick official document to open it. When he saw the content, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. This was the list of accounts sent by the southern military farm, which read the amount of sweet potatoes and corn planting, yield, and the distribution of these corns and sweet potatoes last year, etc. Of course, this is just a rough account. The real detailed account must be a hundred times more complicated than this. However, even so, it is not easy to figure out the rough account.

However, although he knew it was difficult, Ouyang Xiu still had to keep watching. When he was growing corn and sweet potatoes in the southern military farm, he was a little opposed because he did not believe in the yield of corn and sweet potatoes. However, when the yield in the first year came out, he was shocked and immediately dispelled his suspicion and fully supported the military farming plan.

Now the scale of military farms in the south has expanded several times compared to the initial stage, and nearly 300,000 soldiers have been mobilized. If the families of these soldiers are added, the total number of people will probably have exceeded one million. These people used to be heavy burdens on the Song Dynasty, but since the military farms, the Song Dynasty not only immediately got rid of this burden, but also received a large amount of food every year, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Although the military farming matter was important, it was not enough for Ouyang Xiu, the deputy minister, to personally inquire about it. However, since the civil strife in the Northern Liao Dynasty, the Xixia side has been ready to move. The Song Dynasty has long hated Xixia to the core. If it weren't for the defeat of Haoshuichuan, this important trouble would have been destroyed. However, it is not too late now. The Song Dynasty has also been preparing to fight against Xixia for a country to destroy the country.

As the saying goes, before the troops move. Food and grass take the lead. The population in the north is large and naturally consumes a lot of food. Therefore, the food produced by the north is not enough to eat every year. Instead, it has to mobilize grain from the south. Now a large-scale war is going to be launched, so more food is naturally needed. After the discussion of several officials from the Zhengshi Hall, most of the military rations needed for these wars will be supplied by the military farms in the south. After all, the output of two things, corn and sweet potato, is really amazing.

It is precisely because of the above reasons that the Zhengshitang attaches great importance to the military farming in the south. Ouyang Xiu even asked them to send out the accounts of last year's grain output and distribution. He wanted to understand it personally, and then infer that this year's grain output and distribution would be more likely to mobilize it. After all, the war against Xixia is likely to break out in the next year, and the grain produced this year is likely to become military rations for next year.

However, just as Ouyang Xiu looked at a few lines, he suddenly heard the door of the study room being opened, and then a light footstep came in. He knew without looking up. Only the only granddaughter Ouyang Wanling, who just came back today, came back.

Ouyang Xiu raised his head and saw Ouyang Wanling walking in with a tray. He couldn't help but smile kindly and said, "Wanling, how are your grandmother? Are you sleeping now?"

"Don't worry, grandfather. I personally served my grandmother and I have already gone to bed now. And the maid said that grandmother's spirit is much better than this morning. I guess it will be fine if I rest for a few more days." Ouyang Wanling said with a smile. After receiving the news that her grandmother was seriously ill today, she immediately rushed back as quickly as possible, but found that her grandmother's condition was not as serious as she thought, which also made her breathe a sigh of relief.

While speaking, Ouyang Wanling had already come to Ouyang Xiu, then put down the tray in his hand and smiled: "I heard from the servants in the mansion that my grandfather has been busy until midnight every day. This is the medicinal porridge I learned with Princess Bao'an, which is filled with wolfberry, almonds, etc. It is the most suitable for people like you who stay up late."

Ouyang Wanling said as she opened the lid of the porcelain basin on the tray, but an attractive fragrance immediately came from it, which made Ouyang Xiu smell it deeply, and immediately praised: "Wanling, your cooking skills are getting more and more sophisticated. I just happened to be hungry, so please help me fill my stomach with a bowl!"

Seeing her grandfather's appearance, Ouyang Wanling couldn't help but chuckled. She lost her mother since childhood and her father was an official in another place, so in her heart, her grandfather Ouyang Xiu was actually more like her own father.

At that moment, Ouyang Wanling served Ouyang Xiu a bowl of medicinal porridge, and there were a few side dishes on the tray. Ouyang Xiu was indeed hungry, and the bowl of porridge was very sweet. Ouyang Wanling served her grandfather to have dinner. When she was bored, her eyes just glanced at the accounts and documents in front of Ouyang Xiu. However, after a few glances, she shook her head slightly. Whether it was an ordinary family or a court, she used such accounts. The accounts were recorded in words, and just looking at them was a headache.

Ouyang Xiu just finished drinking a bowl of porridge and was about to ask Ouyang Wanling to help him serve another bowl, but he saw her shaking her head at the accounts in front of her, and there seemed to be a little contempt and disdain in her eyes. This made Ouyang Xiu ask curiously: "Wanling, why are you shaking your head when you look at these accounts?"

"Ah~" Ouyang Wanling was startled when she heard his grandfather's words and hurriedly turned her eyes to it. Because according to the rules, no one except him could take a look at the official documents that Ouyang Xiu brought back. Just now, she accidentally saw that she had made a mistake, so she hurriedly defended herself, "No... nothing!"

"No, you were shaking your head just now, looking at the official document in front of me, and you seemed to be a little disdainful. Why is this?" Ouyang Xiu asked again. He always felt that Ouyang Wanling's expression was very strange just now.

Ouyang Wanling would not lie, let alone to her beloved grandfather. She turned red at this moment and finally decided to tell the truth: "Qi...Qi reported to grandfather, the granddaughter accidentally saw the account in front of you. Although it seemed to be very clear, it was very difficult to understand all the accounts. I just knew a way to make these accounts clear at a glance, so I shook my head at these accounts."

Hearing Ouyang Wanling's words, Ouyang Xiu looked at his granddaughter in surprise, and asked with some suspicion: "Wanling, do you really have a way to make these accounts clear at a glance?"

Ouyang Wanling also heard the suspicion in her grandfather's tone, which also aroused her a little competitive. She immediately took the pen on the table and wrote ten Arabic numerals on a piece of paper and said, "Grandfather, please look, these ten numbers represent ten numbers from zero to nine, and the arrangement between them represents the corresponding numbers..."

Ouyang Wanling first explained the meaning and usage of Arabic numerals. With Ouyang Xiu's talent, he naturally understood it at first glance. Then Ouyang Wanling drew a table according to the accounts and filled in the numbers of each account into the table. As a result, Ouyang Xiu suddenly felt enlightened when he saw this. He slapped the table and shouted: "It's amazing, why didn't I think of such a simple way? With these things, it would be much easier to record accounts in the future!"

Seeing her grandfather's surprise look, Ouyang Wanling couldn't help but smile. The Arabic numerals were learned from Zhao Yan. As for the method of accounting for form, she learned from Cao Ying. Now the entire county prince's mansion has begun to use this new accounting method, so anyone with a certain identity in the royal palace must learn this accounting method.

"Wan Ling, where did you learn these numbers and accounting methods?" Ouyang Xiu was excited for a long time before he remembered to ask this key question. He knew his granddaughter, and these things were definitely not something she could think of.

"I have learned these from the princes. In addition, the princes in the school also talked about many interesting things. In the future, when my grandfather is free and my grandmother's illness is cured, I can tell you one by one." When Ouyang Wanling said about Zhao Yan, her face was filled with a happy expression. Although Zhao Yan had never written poems for her during this period, she broadened her horizons when she heard the knowledge Zhao Yan talked about at school, and she also admired Zhao Yan even more.

"What, these are actually written by Zhao Yan?" Ouyang Xiu also showed an incredible expression when he heard this. After a while, he woke up and then asked, "Wanling, what's going on in the school you are talking about? Could it be that Zhao Yan could teach himself?"

"Yes, grandfather, you may not know that the prince is not only talented, but also has a rare kindness. He built a school next to the villa outside the city and recruited many students, many of which were poor children from tenants. In addition, what the prince said was novel and profound, and I couldn't understand many of them. Even the old immortal Cao invited him to give lectures in the Taoist temple." Ouyang Wanling said proudly again. The man he liked was indeed different. Even she was willing to be a concubine for such a man.

"Even Cao Qi invited Zhao Yan to give lectures. It seems that Zhao Yan is really not simple!" Ouyang Xiu couldn't help but say shocked again when he heard his granddaughter's words. Although he knew that Cao Qi was not a real god, he was proficient in Confucianism and Taoist sects, and even himself might not be able to compare with the other party. Even such a person had to ask Zhao Yan to give lectures, which made Ouyang Xiu suddenly become very interested in what Zhao Yan said. (To be continued, please search for astronomy, novels are better and faster!
Chapter completed!