Chapter 70 The Sky Curtain Made Me a White Moonlight in History The Sky Curtain, for publicity...

Chu Feng invited Si Qi to have breakfast together, and afterwards they went to the study together.

Chu Feng took out "Chronicles of the Sky Curtain," which he had written in advance the night before, and showed it to Si Qi, who had "missed the Sky Curtain."

Among them, Si Qi's "turbulent life experience" became an unavoidable topic. Chu Feng observed Si Qi's reaction and saw that Si Qi only raised his eyebrows slightly before turning the page without any expression. He breathed a sigh of relief and comforted him, saying, "The prophecy shown by the heavens will not come true. My dear minister, there is no need to worry."

“Your Highness is absolutely right,” Si Qi said. “I will not think about things that have not yet happened; I will only look at the present.”

Everything described in the sky that relates to Si Qi is an adaptation by Xiu Xiu, embellished and modified based on the life experiences of Si Qi (the original owner) in other worlds. The main purpose is to let the people of Qi know about the regent's disastrous policies in the original timeline and the wolfish ambitions of Liang. Secondary (?) is to properly praise their master, Si Qi.

After reading it, Si Qi didn't feel the sadness that Chu Feng and the others had imagined at all. On the contrary, he felt that Xiu Xiu's skill in flattery had improved, and she had even learned to take the roundabout route of first suppressing and then praising.

Time passed unnoticed, and the sky returned to the point where the celestial canopy had appeared the day before. The sky suddenly darkened, a reminder to those below that the canopy was about to reappear. Si Qi and Chu Feng simultaneously looked up at the sky outside the study. Outside, eunuchs and palace maids cheered with delight, filled with anticipation for the second appearance of this miracle.

Under everyone's enthusiastic gaze, the familiar, clear, youthful voice slowly rang out, continuing the story from yesterday.

"In the last episode, we mainly talked about the life experience of the Minister of Justice. In this episode, we will talk about the various impacts that the Minister of Justice has brought to our society. These can be mainly divided into several aspects, such as agriculture, medicine, humanities, mathematics and science, and natural disaster prevention."

Noticing the appearance of the celestial curtain, the emperor stopped the discussion that was halfway through, hurriedly stepped down from the dragon throne, and went outside the palace.

Upon hearing this at the start of the game, the emperor paused, almost not reacting in time.

Generally speaking, if our ancestors can leave behind deeds in any field that can benefit future generations, that is enough for them to leave a significant mark on history.

Few people can be proficient in many things across different fields and do them all very well.

But Si Qi did it. Not only did he do it, but he also left behind extraordinary achievements in different fields that people still remember him for thousands of years. This is truly...

"First, let's talk about agriculture," the young man said, continuing before the emperor could even come up with a concrete answer.

"As we all know, it was very difficult for people in ancient times to get enough to eat."

Upon hearing this, the people below wore strange expressions and couldn't help but mutter, "Isn't this just...of course it is?"

A seed planted in the soil needs at least several months of careful care from seedling cultivation and growth to harvest.

If any aspect, such as land, water, or climate, is not handled well, grain production will decrease or even result in a complete crop failure.

If a family has enough food left over after paying taxes on a season's harvest, that's considered extremely good. It's rare to have enough to eat every day and have food reserves at home.

Whenever a natural disaster or man-made calamity occurs, the people have no idea how to survive the following year. They basically have to go hungry, sometimes for every meal, until the crops grow again after several months.

They didn't understand why the gods would specifically bring up something so obvious, yet they dared not presume to comment on the gods' words, and listened attentively with their ears perked up.

"Back then, technology was underdeveloped, there were no advanced water conservancy facilities, crops lacked irrigation, and people were truly at the mercy of the weather; farm tools were not advanced enough, and people had to use ten or even dozens of times more effort to do things that could be done easily; not to mention making fertilizer, scientific planting, and multi-generation seedling cultivation... If there was a drought, flood, or insect infestation, the crop harvest would be greatly affected, and the ability to resist risks was extremely low."

At this point, images of various advanced farming tools briefly appeared in the sky. They looked somewhat similar to modern farming tools, but the details were completely different, more ingenious and reasonable.

Many farmers' eyes widened upon seeing these tools. They instinctively felt these were superior to what they currently used, and they diligently observed the differences. Unfortunately, before they could memorize everything, the scene shifted to the next tool, and they couldn't help but anxiously cry out, "Wait! Let me see again!!"

The sky, of course, couldn't hear their words and continued its narration. The farmers, growing anxious, quickly lay down on the ground, clearing away the pebbles and diligently carving patterns into the earth. They tried to record the shape of the farm tool, hoping that one day they might be able to recreate it.

The emperor wasn't very knowledgeable about agricultural tools, at least not like a farmer who could immediately recognize their ingenuity. The agricultural official beside him quickly said, "Your Majesty, the agricultural tools that appeared in the sky are different from the ones we have now. They seem to be much more useful."

"Of course," the emperor said without hesitation. "Listen to what people of later generations have said. These farming tools are even more advanced and can save farmers ten or even dozens of times the effort!"

He glanced quickly at the many officials who were writing furiously with brushes, and seeing that some of them were recording the appearance of farm tools, he felt relieved and continued to listen to Tianmu's narration.

"Furthermore, in ancient times, people did not understand the principles of scientific farming and relied entirely on the teachings of their elders to explore and learn, which involved a great deal of uncertainty. It was clearly unreasonable that the success of a crop depended entirely on an individual's skills!"

The people below looked completely bewildered: "...Immortal, would you like to hear what you're saying? If farming isn't related to human skill, then what is it related to?"

"Furthermore, they lack officially unified seed stations and high-quality genetically modified grain seeds. The seedlings they cultivate vary in quality, and the yield is simply not high enough. It is quite normal that sometimes the grain harvested in the fall cannot be eaten until the following summer."

The common people had a lot to say: "Let alone next summer, it would be good enough if we could even get through the winter of this year."

"As we mentioned earlier, the reason why the Minister of Agriculture was noticed by officials in Liang was because he offered suggestions to the surrounding people on agriculture." The young man's voice was tinged with a smile.

"He improved farming tools, making it much easier for farmers to cultivate the land and increasing their efficiency several times over. He summarized the farming experiences of many experienced farmers, compiled them into a book, and provided free guidance to farmers on proper planting techniques. He also developed a variety of fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop yields and eliminate concerns about pests."

The farmers were thrilled and couldn't help but discuss with their neighbors, "If only we could have this 'fertilizer' and 'pesticide' too!"

“That must be a celestial treasure that Lord Si brought down from heaven,” the old men said confidently. “How could a mortal possibly possess something so powerful!”

When talking about fertilizers and pesticides, many raw materials for making fertilizers and pesticides appeared on the sky, mostly common things such as eggshells, bellflower roots, herbs, and minerals.

Many people just watch these for the spectacle, completely unaware of the connection between the images and the text. However, some quick-thinking individuals immediately notice the key points, hurriedly memorize the content of the images, and prepare to try it out later.

The curtain of events didn't stop; after one bombshell, it was immediately followed by an even bigger bombshell.

"Most importantly, during his term, the magistrate sent people to search for crops in various places. Among them, he found sweet potatoes in Hui Province," (see the close-up, high-resolution photo of sweet potatoes), and "he found corn and potatoes in Yun Province," (see the high-resolution photos of corn and potatoes), "all of which are crops with extremely high yields and are very filling!"

The people, though not good at math, could immediately see the bright red and golden crops in the photo, hanging on the branches and buried in the ground, densely packed, large and plump.

These things grow densely in the ground, and anyone can see how high the yield is and how good the harvest is.

"Did the immortal just mention Hui Province? Was it our Hui Province?!"

The people of Hui Province and Yun Province jumped up on the spot, their faces flushed, and asked those around them, "Is this our place? Is this our place?!"

"We actually have such good crops here?!"

"Go find it quickly!!!"

The people of both provinces were incredibly excited. The emperor, far away in the palace, clenched his fist and instructed an official beside him: "Quickly inform the officials of Yun and Hui provinces that they must find these crops!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Tianmu, as if it were free, rattled off several more things related to food and people's livelihoods, such as cotton to protect people from freezing to death in winter, sugarcane, beets, kelp, and mushrooms to enhance the flavor of food, and even chili peppers, tomatoes, loaches, and crabs that many people still considered inedible at the time...

The common people were dazzled and couldn't keep up with the sights. They were dumbfounded and asked, "Is Lord Si the reincarnation of the God of Literature or Shennong?"

Not only is she a great writer, but she's also incredibly skilled at finding food!

Some people were even more surprised: "So the black snakes (loaches) in those ditches are edible? They're actually quite nutritious!"

"Ah, so the thing that gave me diarrhea last time was called chili pepper, and it can be used in cooking!"

"Tsk tsk, this crab looks like a spider, so terrifying, but it tastes incredibly delicious."

With divine intervention as their guarantee, the people's diet suddenly became much richer. Many people went out that very day to find foods they had previously ignored, adding them to their family's lunch and enjoying a delicious meal they had never tasted before.

It can be said that this short five-minute narration before and after the curtain of heaven brought great help to the world—otherwise, Si Qi would not have agreed to let Xiu Xiu make a video in this style so that the whole world could see it.

Whether it was a farming tool or a crop, anything that found its way into the hands of ordinary people could save countless lives thereafter.

As everyone rejoiced and gave thanks for Heaven's mercy, the heavenly deity couldn't help but shift the topic back to Si Qi, proudly recounting his achievements with utmost admiration: "Because of Prime Minister Si, society has become incredibly prosperous. Every household has surplus grain, and the grain delivered from all over the country is so abundant that the granaries in the capital can't hold it all! Even with the construction of numerous granaries, some eventually began to rot, so taxes were reduced time and time again until finally, taxes were completely exempted!"

Fearing that the common people wouldn't believe her if she went too far, Xiu Xiu even omitted the fact that because the country's economy was developed, the common people were unwilling to work hard in the fields, and the imperial court had to pay farmers to do the farming.

Even so, the people of Qi were so shocked by what the sky had described that they were speechless.

Is it really possible that there was a time when there was so much grain that it rotted? Is it really possible that there was a time when taxes were so high that the imperial court simply exempted the people from taxes?!

If that day ever comes, they'll be laughing in their sleep!

The people were so excited they could hardly breathe. Tianmu, considering that it couldn't release too much content at once and that everyone would be overwhelmed, left a preview for the next episode and then disappeared.

Countless people, moved to tears of excitement, kept chanting Si Qi's name, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to the sky, praying that Si Qi would live a long and healthy life, and that one day they could truly live such a good life under Si Qi's leadership.

Zhao Ren, in the Zhao family mansion, was so angry that he smashed his cup, pointed to the sky and cursed the heavens for talking nonsense. He said that Si Qi could not possibly be so powerful, and that it was all utter rubbish!

The servants beside them were bowing and scraping, their heads being pulled by Zhao Ren so they wouldn't look at the sky. They had no idea what he was cursing about and were extremely anxious.

However, there were many people in the Marquis's mansion who were unwilling to obey Zhao Ren's orders. They secretly went to see and listen, and were captivated by the content described in the sky, and admired Si Qi immensely.

The more they respected and loved Si Qi, the more they hated Zhao Ren, who almost killed Si Qi.

Although this hatred wouldn't lead them to do anything to avenge Si Qi, the seed had been sown nonetheless.

Inside the palace, the emperor and his loyal and patriotic ministers were as content as if they had drunk a warm bowl of bird's nest soup in winter or a refreshing cold drink in summer—they were incredibly comfortable.

The emperor, beaming, beckoned to the chief eunuch beside him, "Has Minister Si already risen?"

He knew that Chu Feng had kept Si Qi at the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace overnight, and he wholeheartedly approved of it. He wished that his Crown Prince and the pillar of the country could be together day and night, and that their relationship could be as close as possible.

The chief eunuch bowed and said, "Your Majesty, he has already risen and was just looking at the sky with His Highness the Crown Prince."

Considering that the emperor might need to summon Si Qi for some reason, Chu Feng sent someone to inform the emperor after the sky appeared that Si Qi had woken up.

However, considering Si Qi's leg problems, the emperor did not intend to summon Si Qi unless absolutely necessary.

He cherishes Si Qi more and more now. If there's anything, just take it slow. Why bother Si Qi, the patient, to walk around so much?

At worst, he could go to the Eastern Palace to see Si Qi in person, or send a sedan chair to invite Si Qi over.

In the face of truly capable and virtuous people, any wise ruler with a good character is willing to treat them with respect and humility.

However, he did not want to trouble Si Qi unnecessarily and wanted Si Qi, who had just been released from prison, to rest properly. But the officials who were overwhelmed by the chaos caused by the Heavenly Curtain came to the emperor, hoping to see Si Qi.

"Your Majesty, the drawing of these farm tools is too hastily done; I can't understand it at all!" the agricultural official complained. "Could I possibly meet with the Minister of Agriculture and ask him for the specific details?"

The records of what the celestial canopy said were written by fast-writing civil officials who were ignorant of farming. Their drawings were particularly eccentric, and looking at the strange, withered tree branches on it, who could understand what they were?

The emperor ordered them to make a copy, but what could they possibly make based on this broken thing?

The emperor took the drawings presented by his ministers and looked at them; his expression was indescribable.

He never expected that the civil official he had placed such high hopes on would present him with such a terrible, illegible result, and for a moment his heart ached as if it were bleeding.

He would be so upset that he wouldn't be able to eat if he missed out on such a powerful farming tool!

Meanwhile, the officials responsible for recording the events were also complaining bitterly: "Your Majesty, we don't understand what these so-called fertilizers and pesticides are. We only remember that there were eggshells and green leaves in them..."

"Your Majesty, I also cannot see any difference between those farming tools and the ones we have now..."

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty!"

A group of people surrounded the emperor, chattering away. They had no idea where to begin with the task the emperor had given them, and were completely at a loss. They could only place their hopes on Si Qi, hoping that Si Qi, who had made these things in the prophecy, could reproduce them once again.

The emperor said unhappily, "Minister Si is in poor health, yet you still put all the burden on his shoulders!"

The ministers awkwardly replied, "We were just asking for your opinions."

The actual work of running errands to find materials and reproducing the blueprints is, of course, done by them.

It's just that Si Qi is in charge, he just has to give orders and talk, it should be fine, right?

Thinking this, the ministers blinked their large, dark eyes and gazed eagerly at the emperor.

The emperor, unable to bear the gaze, hesitated for a long time before finally saying helplessly, "In that case, please come with me."

Actually, he really wanted to see Si Qi again, whom Tianmu had described as incredibly powerful. It felt like he had unexpectedly struck gold and met a legendary figure.

That person is still alive, yet has become a historical legend!

Even he, the emperor, did not enjoy such treatment.

A large group of people, along with the eunuchs and guards standing by them, headed towards the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

After inquiring with the eunuchs in the Eastern Palace and learning that Si Qi and the Crown Prince were in the study, the Emperor led his men directly to the study instead of summoning Si Qi and Chu Feng to the main hall to see him.

The details clearly show the emperor's care and high regard for Si Qi.

In the study, Si Qi was sitting in a chair, writing something, while Chu Feng stood beside him.

Hearing the greetings from the eunuchs and palace maids outside, Si Qi and Chu Feng looked up and quickly got up to greet them.

The emperor quickly took a few steps forward and directly helped Si Qi, who was about to bow, saying with concern, "Si Aiqing is not feeling well, so there is no need for you to bow."

As he spoke, he glanced at Si Qi's complexion and saw that he looked much better than yesterday, which pleased him greatly.

It seems the Crown Prince is indeed taking good care of his Minister Si.

Then, the emperor noticed what Si Qi had been doing. Upon seeing the painting on the table, he paused, walked over, picked it up, and said, "This is..."

Si Qi's painting style differs from the mainstream freehand style of painting today; it is more like a design draft or sketch. He paints in a way that allows people to clearly see the assembled parts and specific details of an object.

It's like a 2D object suddenly becoming 3D. The emperor subconsciously touched the paper to see if the object had really grown out of the paper. He only realized what was happening when he touched the still wet ink and quickly let go of the drawing, afraid of ruining it.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Minister Si's painting skills are truly exquisite."

Si Qi: "Your Majesty flatters me."

He admitted that he was a good painter, after all, he had lived for so long and had been a master painter in many parts of the world.

But the emperor was praising his painting style, which was essentially sketching. This wasn't Si Qi's original work, so Si Qi had nothing to say in return.

The emperor handed the draft to several eager ministers, and then looked at the other papers on the table.

It contained a lot of drawings of farm tools and flowers, seemingly copied directly from the sky.

The emperor was increasingly shocked as he looked at the drawing, and couldn't help but say to Si Qi, "My dear minister, you actually drew everything that was shown on the sky screen?"

The ministers clutched the blueprints with obvious delight, marveling at Si Qi's superb drawing skills—truly a masterpiece. Then, glancing at the numerous, varied items spread out on the table, they were as astonished as when they first saw the celestial canopy.

So many complex things, and Si Qi actually memorized them all at a glance?!

They even know exactly how many edges and corners a rock has, or how many petals a flower has!

Is this something a human could do?!

Si Qi: "Your Majesty, if we could add pigments to enhance the color, the painting would be even more accurate."

—It even remembered the colors?!

The ministers were dumbfounded, their mouths agape enough to fit an entire egg.

No wonder even the gods in heaven couldn't bear to see Lord Si suffer, and specially sent down a miracle to tell the world about Si Qi's prowess. This, this really should be told in detail!

The emperor laughed heartily, almost wanting to slap Si Qi on the shoulder and shout, "Heaven bless my Great Qi!"

But of course he couldn't bear to slap Si Qi, so he could only hit Chu Feng. The sound of slaps landed on Chu Feng's back, making Chu Feng deeply feel what it meant for a father's love to be as solid as a mountain. The slaps made Chu Feng's body sway violently a few times before he could barely stand up.

The emperor waved his hand and ordered the chief eunuch, "Quickly! Bring all the pigments from the palace for your use, my dear minister!"

In those days, some pigments were more expensive than gold, and even with money, it was often impossible to obtain them. But as long as Si Qi asked, the emperor would not hesitate to grant them. It was an honor for those pigments to be given to Si Qi to add color to those precious farm tools and crops!

"This is more precious than any masterpiece!" The emperor looked at the paintings spread across the table with great affection, as if afraid to even touch them for fear of damaging them. He instructed the officials beside him, "After they are copied, you must frame them properly for me! I want to store them in the royal treasury!"

A hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, future generations will surely regard these works as national treasures and pass them down through generations.

After all, even the most expensive antique paintings and calligraphy could not surpass the value of Si Qi's works, which are truly valuable and could save countless lives and influence generations.

The emperor was overjoyed. He never expected that when he came to Si Qi, before he could even voice his worries, Si Qi had already solved the problem for him.

He truly was his perfect prime minister, his capable statesman!

Upon hearing this, the ministers enthusiastically crowded around Si Qi. Despite their much higher official ranks, they all maintained a courteous attitude without the slightest arrogance: "Lord Si, do you recognize this plant? What is its name? Where does it grow?"

"Lord Si, could you please tell me what this place means and how to assemble it?"

As the emperor listened, he grew somewhat displeased that these people were bothering Si Qi with such trivial matters, even though Si Qi had already given them the blueprints. Just as he was about to speak up to stop them, he heard Si Qi reply, "You see, this is the joint between two parts. This is the small assembly part. Just snap it in here, and the other two large parts will be joined together very securely."

Si Qi was very familiar with this thing; it was the all-rounder of tools. Whether it was for clearing mountains and digging roads or building bridges and houses, it was extremely useful. Moreover, it could be easily disassembled into several small, portable parts. It was a graduation project that Si Qi had designed on a whim when he was a college student in the previous interstellar plane, combining engineering and mechanics. It was more than enough for use by planetary pioneers, and in ancient times, it would be an absolute game-changer.

"I see!" After a little guidance from Si Qi, the official quickly understood the meaning of the blueprint and suddenly realized the truth.

Si Qi then said to another person, "This plant is called Xuanhe, also known as Chipu. It is a common medicinal herb in the mountains. Its roots can be used as medicine after being dried, but Tianmu focuses on its leaves, so the main material for making pesticides should be Chipu leaves."

"As for the formulas for fertilizers and pesticides, Tianmu didn't mention them, and I don't know them either. I'll need you gentlemen to figure out the proportions. They're all common and inexpensive ingredients. If they can be widely adopted, they will greatly help the people's farming."

Si Qi answered the ministers' questions one by one. After listening, the ministers all showed expressions of realization or deep thought, clearly having gained something.

So the emperor, who had just opened his mouth to try and stop them, closed it again. Since these questions hadn't troubled Si Qi, let Si Qi answer them, lest these people rack their brains for a long time only to find that the result was less than a casual remark from Si Qi.

He stood there, watching Si Qi discuss with the others with a smile. It seemed to be the first time he had ever been a mere background figure in the crowd, but he was willing to be one and even enjoyed it.

Si Qi was indeed a national treasure of Qi and a blessing to all people.