The sun sets over the western mountains, and the birds return to the woods tiredly.
The Qinhuai River, which is full of boat boats, is becoming lively instead.
There are many people coming and going, including literati and dignitaries, all of whom admire this kind of style.
However, a group of people took a small path from the main road to a small village by the Qinhuai River.
The summer evening was still very bright, reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun, as the group walked into Fangjiazhuang.
One old man and one young man walked in front.
"Grandpa, I've heard people say for a long time that Mr. Fang, who moved from outside Jinling City, is a strange man. Look at those crops... they are really strange."
"It's really interesting." The old man, who was nearly 60 years old, looked at the crops on both sides of the canal with surprise in his eyes.
Even with his experience of seeing all over the world, he couldn't recognize most of the crops here.
"These things look good, but I don't know what they are used for. It's a pity not to grow food in such a good land," the young man said regretfully.
The old man nodded in agreement, and suddenly he saw someone digging in the ground beside him.
A few hoe digs down, bringing up fresh red mud and a few fist-sized roots, which should be the harvest of this crop.
He gestured to his grandson.
The young man stepped forward and asked politely: "Uncle, may I ask what you are digging for?"
"Potatoes?" Fang Fu, who was dressed in simple clothes, replied, and then he started working hard.
"Potato?" The grandfather and grandson looked at each other, both confused.
The young man had no choice but to ask: "What are potatoes? Can they be eaten?"
The old man chuckled. He looked at the potatoes and could dig out several of them with a hoe. Each one was huge.
If this thing is edible, and based on this yield... then a rough estimate would be that the yield per mu is at least over 3,000 kilograms.
However, for the current mainstream rice, in good years, the yield per mu is only four to five hundred kilograms.
"How is it possible..." The old man shook his head and laughed at himself, thinking that he was crazy, how could he dare to have such an idea.
If this thing could be eaten, it would be a magical weapon that could feed the people of the entire Daxia Kingdom, and no one would starve to death easily.
Thinking of the current situation where food is in short supply due to various natural disasters all over the world... Anxiety appeared on the old man's brow.
The old man was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear clearly what the working man said.
"Grandpa, did you hear that!?" The young man walked back quickly and stared at the old man excitedly, not caring about any etiquette.
The old man wondered: "What?"
"He said the potatoes are edible! They can also be used as staple food!" The young man felt that his hands were trembling.
The old man suddenly froze, and the jade token he was playing with accidentally dropped and shattered on the bluestone on the roadside.
But the grandfather and grandson didn't care about this gem. Even if it was priceless, in their eyes, it couldn't be as valuable as the round potatoes!
…
Fangjiazhuang, on the roof of the main house.
Fang Jue held up a simple telescope and stared at the area on the edge of Zhuangzi. He saw the visits of the old man and the young man.
Beside him was a man dressed in red, Xun Xie, and Ye Hongyi stood to one side.
"Huh, here we are..." Fang Jue smiled.
He asked his butler Fang Fu to pretend to be an ordinary farmer and dig potatoes in that area. He had been digging for three days.
If you don't come again, the potatoes will be dug out and you will have to plant them back and do it again... The traces will be too heavy.
"Master Chief Assistant is leaving..." Ye Hongyi raised the lens tube and reminded.
Fang Jue smiled: "There should be a big shot coming tomorrow."
The emperor will definitely not enter Zhuangzi. Even if the potato is real, the guards around him will dissuade him. Who knows if this is a trap set by Fangjiazhuang.
So, Zhuge Qingshan came.
The emperor sent this, the most capable and trustworthy minister, which shows that he attaches great importance to potatoes and corn.
However, Zhuge Qingshan was also a little too excited and went back before he saw the corn, which made another scene prepared by Fang Jue useless.
But enough is enough. The importance of potatoes is self-evident. After Zhuge Qingshan returns, the emperor will surely soon realize...whether he, a genius, deserves his reputation.
"Are everything you told Fang Fu to say true?" Ye Hongyi was far away, but she had the unique skill of lip reading and roughly knew what Fang Fu and Zhuge Qingshan said.
"If you don't believe it, go dig in the ground and weigh it again."
It is impossible to fake things like output, otherwise the emperor will be excited and disappointed, and the crime of deceiving the emperor will be covered.
Ye Hongyi no longer questioned, but the look in her eyes towards the young man gradually changed.
…
"I am guilty."
In the imperial study room, Zhuge Qingshan came to see the emperor, and his first sentence was to accuse him.
"What's the crime of the chief assistant?" Xiao Pingsi smiled and personally helped the old man up.
After Zhuge Qingshan stood up, he said: "I accidentally broke the yellow brocade jade gifted by your majesty..."
Wang Feng, who was waiting nearby, was shocked when he heard this.
That yellow brocade jade was given by His Majesty when he conferred the title of First Assistant to Zhuge Qingshan. It would be a great sin for the First Assistant to break such a treasure.
However, I heard His Majesty say:
"It's just a piece of jade. Don't worry about it, Chief Minister. I'll give you another piece someday."
Xiao Pingsi smiled and waved. He was in a good mood recently, especially about Fangjiazhuang.
One after another, they are all happy events that benefit the country and the people.
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness!"
Seeing that he had passed the test so easily, Zhuge Qingshan burst into tears of gratitude and became even more devoted to His Majesty.
Xiao Pingsi helped the old chief assistant up again, who wanted to kneel down, and quickly said:
"Sir, let's talk about the gains from this trip first."
Zhuge Qingshan nodded and glanced at Wang Feng. Seeing that His Majesty did not rebuke Wang Feng, he told what he saw in Fangjiazhuang.
"...Your Majesty, if the potatoes are really produced in such a quantity, they will probably be even more precious than the corn!"
Xiao Pingsi was sitting next to the royal desk. He could no longer calm down. It was a good thing he sat down, otherwise he would have lost his etiquette again.
"Chief Assistant... Mr. Zhuge, you... you will definitely not lie to me. In that case, Fang Jue is indeed well prepared... showing off his miraculous abilities to me."
Xiao Pingsi thought for a while, and at this moment he already understood that Fang Jue came from Taihuang Mountain and did not come to the capital for fun.
He must have had a purpose in bringing such a treasure and deliberately exposing its flaws.
"I'm afraid that he already knew that the old minister would come to Zhuangzi, so he ordered someone to dig those potatoes on the roadside..." Zhuge Qingshan had also noticed it a long time ago.
They are all the foxes they were the year before last. This method is no different from being fair and aboveboard.
"The yield per mu can reach three thousand catties..."
Xiao Pingsi couldn't control himself. He had tasted potatoes. The potatoes as big as a fist were less than half a catty. A person would be full after eating one or two at a meal.
The yield per mu is more than 3,000 kilograms, enough to feed a family of three for three years!
Even if you pay half the tax, you can still feed a family of three for more than a year...
Although there are more than three people in a family, a family also has more than one acre of land!
Nowadays, the Xia Kingdom has a vast land and few people. Although the cultivated land area is a secret, the emperor naturally knows it... After just a rough mental calculation, Xiao Pingsi realized how precious this potato is.
Daxia must get such a treasure!
At this moment, Xiao Pingsi's eyes were extremely determined. Even if he started a war for this, he would not hesitate!
Zhuge Qingshan had the same thoughts as the emperor, and even said bluntly:
"Your Majesty, these treasures must be controlled by our country, Daxia. Even if Fang Jue is from Emperor Zun Pavilion, if necessary... we have to do whatever it takes!"
Wang Feng shivered.
Oh my God, I heard something.
The king of a country, discussing with his chief minister in the royal study, actually said that he could use any means necessary... Although this is true, shouldn't such words be concealed?
I won't be silenced...
"What the boss said is absolutely true!" Xiao Pingsi said categorically, "Whether it's corn or potatoes, Daxia must get it!"
"However, it's not that unscrupulous..."
Xiao Pingsi would not blame the chief minister for speaking straightforwardly, because he also thought so in his heart. Unlike those civil servants who were bookish but full of men and women stealing and prostitution, they knew better what Daxia needed.
As long as something is beneficial to the country, as the emperor, you have to do whatever it takes to get it!
Zhuge Qingshan nodded: "Your Majesty is right, Fang Jue deliberately leaked the corn and potatoes through Mo Yuan and Xiao Chaoguo, presumably to let Your Majesty know..."
"He wants me to know that the reputation given to him by Emperor Zun Pavilion as a genius is well-deserved..." Xiao Pingsi had calmed down and began to think about a question.
"Sir... Fang Jue holds such a magical weapon. Why does he come to our country, Daxia, instead of surrendering to other countries?"
Xiao Pingsi looked at Zhuge Qingshan. As an emperor, for the first time, he felt guilty...and inferior.
