Chapter 91 The Prince

If the fact that he managed to grow winter vegetables was a stroke of luck for Prince Yong, then Yinzhen's achievements in "farming" over the next two years made people wonder if he was the reincarnation of the "God of Agriculture".

In fact, Emperor Kangxi himself attached great importance to grain cultivation. Starting in the twenty-first year of his reign, he began to experiment with planting high-yield rice. After its successful cultivation in Fengzeyuan, he began to promote it to various regions, completely breaking the historical notion that rice could not be grown north of the Great Wall.

In the 44th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Prince Yong presented a new type of rice, which improved and optimized the rice promoted by the Kangxi Emperor, increasing the yield of medium-sized paddy fields by 3 dou (a unit of dry measure) per mu (another unit of dry measure).

Three dou (a unit of dry measure) is only 37.5 jin (another unit of weight), but for rice cultivation, even just one extra jin can make them feel a little fuller.

Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed and not only bestowed many treasures upon Yinzhen, granting him the privileges of a prince, but also, knowing Yinzhen's fondness for Honghui, specially bestowed upon Honghui the title of heir apparent. The fourteenth prince also benefited from this and was appointed to a position in the Ministry of War.

Of course, at this time, some people still believed that Yinzhen had just gotten lucky. In their view, Kangxi's research over the past few decades was ahead of the curve, and Prince Yong was merely picking up scraps from others' work.

Unfortunately, this idea was completely shattered after Yinzhen unleashed his "ultimate weapon".

In the early summer of the forty-fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Kangxi led a group of court officials and princes to Yinzhen's estate.

"Tsk, making such a fuss, what good stuff has the fourth prince grown this time?" Yin Tang observed the defenses around the estate, with guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps, and seeing the undisguised joy on his father's face, he couldn't help but be curious.

"It looks even better than last year's rice!" Yin stroked his chin, judging from his father's attitude, it must be something good.

"You'll know when we get there." Yinzhi smiled and followed the main group with his two younger brothers.

The courtiers' gazes swept over the three men. As three key figures in the well-known Eighth Prince's faction, the fact that the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince were inseparable like conjoined twins was something everyone was used to.

Soon, the group arrived at the edge of the field, where Yinzhen, dressed in casual clothes, was already waiting.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Get up," Kangxi gently helped Yinzhen up, and asked with a smile, "How are you? Are you able to pick them?"

Yinzhen nodded and replied, "They are all ripe and ready to be harvested by Father Emperor."

"Good!" Kangxi turned and called for people. Under the supervision and inspection of the Ministry of Revenue officials, the clerks began to harvest the "strange fruits" from the ground.

The others were puzzled. They looked at the green leaves in the field and tried to identify what kind of plant it was, but they couldn't figure it out.

"Father, what is this?" Yinreng was the first to step forward and ask, feeling uneasy about being excluded because he knew nothing. So he looked at Yinzhen with suppressed anger.

"This is a new grain variety that the fourth prince found. It's just reached maturity. Let's see how much it can yield," Kangxi replied to Yinreng's question with a smile, his gaze never leaving the fields.

Yinreng pursed his lips, knowing there were many things he didn't know. His father wasn't one to boast or seek glory; he wouldn't have brought so many people to see this if he wasn't absolutely certain.

So, in private, have the Emperor and the Fourth Prince always maintained close contact?

“If the new grain variety yields a high harvest, it will surely be a blessing for the nation. Fourth brother, you have a kind heart.”

"Well said, your fourth brother is a man of action." Kangxi nodded in agreement, not noticing the Crown Prince's face darken instantly.

"This! This!"

A gasp suddenly rose from the crowd; many had spotted a cluster of plump grains carefully unearthed by the minor official in the field. Having overheard the Emperor and Crown Prince's conversation, they realized this was the new grain variety!

Seeing such a large bunch of fruit unearthed from under a single leaf, the courtiers' eyes gleamed as they looked at the vast expanse of green leaves in the ground. Those officials who had risen through the ranks, in particular, lost their composure, rushing forward to take the place of the lower-ranking officials and carefully digging away the soil, unearthing yet another bunch of fruit.

Seeing this, more and more ministers rushed into the fields and began to do farm work clumsily and carefully.

"There is..."

"I have some too, I dug out seven..."

"I have nine here..."

One by one, the officials set aside their usual airs and immersed themselves in the joy of their harvest. Kangxi understood their feelings and let them dig freely. In any case, given their careful and cautious manner, although it would take a little longer, they wouldn't miss a single potato.

Yes, potatoes. They were a new type of grain that Yinzhen reported last year along with increased rice production. Because the quantity was small and it was a completely new variety, Kangxi didn't promote it further and allowed Yinzhen to continue planting and experimenting. Currently, the yield seems to be quite good.

The three acres were eventually harvested, and the yield was not only good, but far exceeded Kangxi's expectations.

“Lower-grade land, 21 shi; medium-grade land, 32 shi; upper-grade land, 46 shi.”

How many?

Everyone present thought they had misheard. Last year, the high-yield rice planted by Prince Yong only yielded two and three bushels per mu. How much of this grain called "potato" was harvested?

Even the lowest grade rice paddies yielded 21 shi (a unit of dry measure), more than nine times that of rice. Such a high yield...

"Heaven bless our Great Qing! Heaven bless our Great Qing!"

Many ministers from farming backgrounds knelt down in emotion, tears streaming down their faces. Other ministers, while not entirely sharing the same sentiment, knew the importance of potatoes to the Qing Dynasty's rule and also knelt down in unison, shouting their sympathies.

Emperor Kangxi held a pitted potato still covered in mud, but laughed loudly as if he had found a rare treasure.

"With such excellent seeds, how could the Qing Dynasty not prosper!" Kangxi's eyes gleamed. The appearance of potatoes during his reign was surely an affirmation of his achievements. With potatoes around, how could he not be remembered in history?

The more he thought about it, the happier and more satisfied he became. So Kangxi glanced at Yinzhen, turned to the court officials, and said, "Prince Yong, Yinzhen, cares about the people, has made great contributions to agriculture, is exceptionally intelligent, and has won my heart. From today onwards, he shall be promoted to the rank of Prince."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Not only did Yinzhen kneel to express his gratitude, but the other court officials also echoed the emperor's wisdom. After all, with the potato as a powerful weapon, no one would be so tactless as to object at this time. Even those who frowned could only silently endure it.

Everyone knew that with Tudou (the prince's nickname) around, Prince Yong's position was now unshakeable. No matter which prince ascended the throne in the future, they would have to support him, or they would be going against the people.

No one expected that in just two years, Prince Yong would find a new path and break through the impasse in such an unexpected way. He cultivated a bright future through farming.