The group hurried along, and it wasn't until 3:15 PM on the third day that they finally reached the crossroads in Xinliang, where a winding path could be vaguely seen.

The road inside was overgrown with weeds, making it almost impossible to see the path into Xinliang. The horse stopped and, after being whipped twice by the coachman, let out a painful neigh. Then the carriage wobbled forward, and Gu Yuzhi, sitting inside, felt like he was about to fall apart.

He lifted the curtain somewhat dejectedly: "Chief Secretary Xie, I don't want to ride in the carriage anymore."

Upon hearing this, Qi Chenglang hurriedly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and looked at Gu Yuzhi at eye level: "Would Your Highness like to come down and take a look?"

Gu Yuzhi nodded his little head, reached out to Qi Chenglang, and the next second, his gaze became very high.

He put his arm around Qi Chenglang's neck and couldn't help but whisper "Wow!"

She had been carried by guards before, but none of them were as tall as Guard Qi.

After getting used to his height, Gu Yuzhi looked around before smiling and saying, "So this is what it feels like to see things when you're this tall."

The first time he met Guard Qi was when his elder brother introduced him to the members of the entourage. At that time, he thought that this guard with a sword was really tall, and even when he was standing at the back of the crowd, his head was still sticking out.

After he returned, he secretly inquired about it and learned that Guard Qi was said to be eight feet tall.

Gu Yuzhi secretly imagined how happy his mother would be if he could grow that tall in the future...

Just as Gu Yuzhi was lost in thought, Shu Xiaohan suddenly called out, "Your Highness, let's stop here for a moment. Could you please have someone dig up the soil so I can take a look?"

The overgrown weeds on the border of Xinliang indicated that as long as suitable crops were found, survival was assured. However, after walking for about an hour, the weeds gradually disappeared, and only a few uneven low trees came into view. The soil was exposed, with many gullies and ravines, likely caused by rainwater erosion.

Gu Yuzhi quickly said, "Stop for a moment."

He patted Qi Chenglang on the shoulder: "Guard Qi, please put me down first." Then he pointed to the ground and said: "Dig here, let me see how the soil here is different from that in Changzhou."

No one thought much of it, assuming he was just curious.

Qi Chenglang took the hoe and dug down, finding that he had already dug up a layer of soil without much effort. An old man squatted down next to him, occasionally squeezing the soil with his hands, his face full of regret: "This soil can't retain water, so even if you plant crops, they won't survive."

This man was recommended by Prefect Qi. He was said to be a famous agricultural expert in Changzhou Prefecture, and his crops yielded the highest output and the most fertile land every year.

Gu Yuzhi didn't speak, but squatted down, supporting his chin with his small hand, blinking as he looked at the soil, silently asking, "Teacher Shu, will we be able to see it more clearly this way?"

Shu Xiaohan hummed in agreement, her gaze fixed on the soil in the old man's hand. Then she smiled and said, "This soil can be defined as sandy soil, but it's more sandy in nature, so it's suitable for growing things."

Watermelons, sweet potatoes, and potatoes are all crops that can survive in sandy soil, but it seems that the Great Sang Kingdom does not yet have these things.

Watermelons were introduced to China relatively early in history, while sweet potatoes and potatoes were introduced later, around the same time.

She needs to get the young prince to find out about these things; if he does, the land won't be wasted next year.

As for the trees, Shu Xiaohan looked around through Gu Yuzhi's eyes, and then her eyes lit up: "Your Highness, walk forward a bit and look at that tree ahead."

Gu Yuzhi obediently took two steps forward, looked up at the fruit hanging on the tree, which looked somewhat like pears, and turned to ask the farmer, "Old man, what kind of fruit is this? Can we eat it?"

The farmer's dark face flushed red. He had never seen such a handsome young master before. He bent over and said timidly, "It should be a kind of pear. It used to be quite common around here. But its skin is too thick, there is almost no flesh, and it tastes terribly sour and astringent. Nobody eats it, so it has been cut down to almost nothing."

Gu Yuzhi said "Oh," and then heard Teacher Shu in his mind start laughing, looking very happy. Gu Yuzhi blinked and waited for Teacher Shu to stop laughing before asking, "Teacher Shu, is this a pear? Can it be grown?"

He pouted: "But the farmer said these pears don't taste good."

"It doesn't taste good because no one takes care of it." Shu Xiaohan looked around. "It's true that the pear tree has a thick bark, but the flesh shouldn't be so little. Although pear trees are drought-resistant, you still need to pay attention to watering them in time and make sure they get plenty of sunshine so that the pears will be juicy and the flesh will be sweet and sour."

These pear trees are probably native to this area of ​​northern desert, but because they don't taste good, the locals haven't paid much attention to them.

Gu Yuzhi's mouth watered at the thought, and he couldn't help but smack his lips; he wanted to eat a pear...

Shu Xiaohan moved her gaze further ahead and found that although the land here was relatively barren, vegetation appeared further ahead, indicating that the soil in that area must be quite good.

"Has Your Highness ever heard of watermelon, sweet potato, or potato?"

Gu Yuzhi frowned slightly: "Never heard of these. What are they? Are they edible?"

"Yes." Shu Xiaohan suddenly slapped her forehead. "I've never heard of watermelon, what about cold melon?"

She seems to have forgotten that for a long time in ancient times, watermelons were called "cold melons".

Gu Yuzhi answered quickly this time, "Of course there is. But I only ate it once this year. My mother said that the cold melon comes from the Jiangnan region. It has a low yield, but it is easy to preserve, which is why it became a tribute item."

He really liked eating cold melon, but his mother said that cold melon was too cold in nature and that he was too young to eat too much of it.

His eyes darted around, and then he suddenly realized: "Does Teacher Shu mean that this kind of land can grow winter melons?"

"Of course it's possible, and the taste will definitely be better than what you've eaten."

Alright, Gu Yuzhi is even more tempted now...

After digging for a while without hearing Gu Yuzhi say to stop, Qi Chenglang pondered for a moment and asked, "Your Highness, shall we continue digging?"

What kind of crop needs to be planted so deep?

Oh dear, he forgot about it while talking to Teacher Shu!

Under Qi Chenglang's suspicious gaze, Gu Yuzhi looked left and right but refused to look at him, appearing very guilty.

Seeing Gu Yuzhi like this, Qi Chenglang understood everything. He filled the excavated soil back up, presenting himself as someone who was focused on getting things done.

As dusk settled, Xie Changshi stepped up to a higher vantage point, squinted at the setting sun, then looked around at the open surroundings. He walked over to Gu Yuzhi and whispered, "Your Highness, it's already late afternoon. Why don't we set up camp here for today and venture deeper tomorrow?"

Gu Yuzhi nodded his head: "Okay, I'll stay here tonight."

Keep things simple when you're traveling.