The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree had just left when the head of the imperial kitchen came over with a crying face.
There was nothing he could do. He sent almost everyone from the imperial kitchen out to inquire about what a sweet potato was, but still no one knew. He even considered finding a rat, painting it red, and roasting it for the envoy.
But because of a meal, Xin neglected the envoy and lost his job, so he had no choice but to come to Emperor Beichen.
It must be said that he arrived at the perfect time. If he had come earlier, before Nangong Ling and the others arrived, he would have definitely been scolded by Emperor Beichen.
However, Emperor Beichen already knew that the sweet potatoes were created by Han Yiyi, so he was no longer worried. Therefore, when he heard that the envoy wanted to eat sweet potatoes, he immediately spoke up.
"Alright, alright, I understand. I will definitely let him have a good taste of our sweet potatoes later. You may go now. The sweet potatoes will be sent to the Imperial Kitchen for you shortly!"
Upon hearing Emperor Beichen's words, the head chef of the imperial kitchen breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed and withdrew.
In less than half an hour, Han Yiyi followed the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree into the palace. Yun Xiao also came along, mainly to carry sweet potatoes.
The two entered the imperial study and were about to pay their respects when Emperor Beichen excitedly rose from his seat and hurried over to greet them, saying...
"Alright, enough with the formalities," he said, pulling a sweet potato from the sack and asking excitedly.
"This is a sweet potato?"
"Yes, this is a sweet potato. It tastes great and has a high yield!" Upon hearing Emperor Beichen's question, Han Yiyi hurriedly and respectfully replied. She was using this sweet potato to "get" some good things from the person in front of her, so her attitude naturally had to be more attentive.
"How do you want to eat this?" Emperor Beichen asked, tossing the hard object in his hand.
"There are many ways to eat it: steam it, boil it, bake it, make it into porridge, or make it into sweet potato noodles to make hot and sour noodles. Even if you wash it clean, you can eat it raw."
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Emperor Beichen subconsciously swallowed. Remembering what the people in the imperial kitchen had said earlier—that the envoy wanted to eat sweet potatoes—he hurriedly ordered some to be sent to the imperial kitchen first. Worried that the people in the imperial kitchen might not know how to cook them, he directly asked Han Yiyi to go with him.
After Han Yiyi left, Emperor Beichen seemed to only then notice Yun Xiao, who had been standing silently. Seeing Yun Xiao's jade-like face, Emperor Beichen raised his eyebrows and asked, pretending not to know.
"Are you the eldest son of the Yun family that Changning rescued from prison?"
Upon hearing Emperor Beichen's question, Yun Xiao immediately knelt down.
"This humble subject, Yun Xiao, greets Your Majesty!"
Looking at Yun Xiao kneeling before him, Emperor Beichen only gave a soft "hmm," but no one told him to get up.
Since Emperor Beichen did not speak, Yun Xiao naturally dared not get up. In Yun Xiao's opinion, Emperor Beichen was still angry about the Yun family's malicious raising of grain prices and his grandmother's beating of Han Yiyi in the street, and was therefore trying to teach him a lesson.
At this moment, Emperor Beichen looked at the person in front of him, whose jade-like temperament could not be concealed even when kneeling, and thought to himself, "Nangong Yuan, this is the only way I can help you vent your anger in a simple way."
Inside the Imperial Study, in order to let the envoy have a good meal and broaden his horizons, Han Yiyi not only made steamed sweet potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes, but also made candied sweet potatoes for him.
Qiu Jin stared wide-eyed as plates of sweet potatoes were brought in.
The palace servants originally wanted to serve him a meal, but he politely asked them to leave.
After everyone left, he couldn't wait to grab a roasted sweet potato and put it in his mouth. The sweet potato's skin was roasted to a golden brown and crispy, emitting an enticing aroma. He took a bite and squinted his eyes in enjoyment.
After finishing a roasted sweet potato, Qiu Jin's eyes fell on the candied sweet potato. Qiu Jin didn't know what the dish was called, but he thought its golden color and the crystal-clear sugar strands made his mouth water.
He couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks and taking a piece. To his surprise, when he gently pulled, the sugar threads were cut into thin, long strands like silkworm silk, which amazed him.
I couldn't resist putting it in my mouth, and instantly felt the sweet taste. The soft and chewy sweet potato and the crispy sugar strands combined perfectly, making it an unforgettable experience.
Qiu Jin closed his eyes slightly, savoring the candied sweet potato, experiencing a sweetness and deliciousness he had never tasted before. At this moment, he wished he were a princess sent here for a political marriage, so that he could eat such delicious food all the time.
Suddenly remembering that his purpose in coming here was to introduce sweet potatoes to his country, he became anxious and hoped that Emperor Beichen would agree to sign a treaty with their Nan Jing as soon as possible.
In order to let Emperor Beichen also taste the flavor of sweet potatoes, an extra portion was made for Qiu Jin earlier.
Upon hearing from the chief eunuch that Han Yiyi had returned, Emperor Beichen glanced at Yun Xiao, who was still kneeling on the ground, and spoke as if he had just remembered her.
"Oh dear! Look at my brain, I completely forgot to tell you to get up! Quick, get up, the ground is cold, don't catch a cold!"
Yun Xiao: ...He shouldn't have come along on this trip.
Emperor Beichen elegantly picked up a peeled roasted sweet potato with his chopsticks, and his eyes lit up as soon as he put it in his mouth.
"This, this is sweet potato, the taste is truly extraordinary," he said, then picked up another bite of candied sweet potato and praised it highly, eating several bites in a row before reluctantly putting down his chopsticks.
Then he gave a look to the chief eunuch beside him. The chief eunuch understood and led everyone in the imperial study away, including Yun Xiao, who had just been allowed to get up.
As for Nangong Ling and his wife, along with their two children, Emperor Beichen had already ordered someone to take them for a stroll around the courtyard.
After everyone had left, Emperor Beichen straightened his expression and asked Han Yiyi.
"Changning, do you know why I let you enter the palace?"
Upon hearing Emperor Beichen's question, Han Yi instinctively replied.
"Isn't it because of these sweet potatoes?" However, Han Yiyi was still a little puzzled as to why the envoy from Nanjing knew about sweet potatoes and even specifically asked for them.
"It's all because of this sweet potato. Now I know that you're the one who produced this sweet potato. But do you know how I found out about this sweet potato? And is the yield of this sweet potato really over a thousand catties?"
Han Yiyi originally thought that Emperor Beichen had learned about it from the two little ones or from the Nangong couple. Now that she heard him ask this question, she figured there must be something she didn't know. Nevertheless, she replied first.
"These sweet potatoes were indeed obtained from my system by the commoner, but the yield is far more than a thousand catties. As long as you carefully fertilize and turn the seedlings during planting, the yield per mu will be at least eight thousand catties!"
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