Chapter 457 New Ears of Rice
Just as undercurrents were swirling in the imperial court and harem due to the Empress Dowager's dying struggle, a quiet harvest was being reaped in the experimental field under He Ling's charge in a corner of the palace.
On this day, He Ling excitedly carried a heavy brocade bag and asked to see Huo Lin and Jiang Huan.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, look! The batch of jade pearl rice that I tried planting before has ripened!"
With a flushed face from her work and bright, sparkling eyes, she opened the brocade pouch as if presenting a treasure.
Inside were plump, round rice grains, white as jade, larger than ordinary rice grains, emitting a faint fragrance.
Huo Lin picked up a few grains, examined them carefully, and chewed them for a moment, a look of surprise in his eyes.
"The grains are plump and soft, and the rice has such a unique flavor."
Jiang Huan covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Sure enough, the foodies' focus was different from ordinary people. She steered the conversation back on track: "How's the production?"
He Ling then excitedly reported: "Your Majesty, this Jade Pearl Rice is drought-resistant and insect-resistant, and its yield per mu is nearly 30% higher than that of the rice varieties currently being promoted. Moreover, it can be planted on slopes and dry fields."
The system wasn't lying; exchanging for this high-yield crop was worthwhile, and the points weren't wasted.
[Hehe, now I finally have something worthwhile to show for it. I'll have more confidence to just coast along in the palace from now on.]
Upon hearing this, Huo Lin's eyes lit up. As an emperor, he knew all too well the importance of high-yield crops.
[Very good, very good. Keep shining brightly in the fields.]
With He Ling here, why worry about my granaries not being full?
[I must reward her handsomely, richly, and make sure she's completely devoted to farming for me!]
Huo Lin rarely showed his emotions, praising, "This is a great achievement. I am fair in rewarding and punishing. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
He Ling felt a little uneasy under Huo Lin's burning gaze, and her heart pounded.
[My goodness, the Emperor's gaze is so intense, it's like he's looking at gold ingots! It's quite frightening.]
[A reward? What could I possibly want? You don't even have Wi-Fi!]
[I just want to live a peaceful life in the palace, like a parasite, farming, eating melons, and incidentally clinging to the Empress's coattails, living a long and healthy life until old age.]
She quickly waved her hand and gave a well-behaved smile.
"Your Majesty is too kind. It is my duty to share the burdens of Your Majesty and the people. I dare not ask for any reward. I only wish to continue to serve Your Majesty and tend the fields in my spare time. That would be enough."
Huo Lin was even more satisfied with her sincere expression, which showed that she didn't want anything but farming.
[Excellent! He doesn't take credit for himself, doesn't crave rewards, has a pure heart, and devotes himself wholeheartedly to farming. He is simply the agricultural talent I've been dreaming of!]
[This deserves strong encouragement!]
He made the final decision, saying loudly, "Since that is the case, Consort Hui has devoted herself to agriculture and made contributions to the country. She is hereby granted ten bushels of pearls and one hundred bolts of brocade. She is permitted to freely enter and leave the royal gardens to select fertile land to continue cultivating superior seeds. All her needs will be provided by the Imperial Household Department with priority."
He Ling was overjoyed and respectfully expressed her gratitude: "This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
Amidst this festive atmosphere, the day for the first batch of imperial concubines to leave the palace gradually arrived.
A few inconspicuous blue-curtained carriages were parked by the palace gate, appearing particularly desolate compared to the vermilion walls.
A dozen or so low-ranking concubines walked out, carrying bundles and walking heavily.
Most of them were young, in the prime of their lives, but their faces showed no vitality, only bewilderment and fear.
"Home... If I go back, will I still have a home?"
Dressed in a light green palace gown, Consort Liu murmured to herself, her eyes vacant as she stared out of the palace.
Her family background was not prominent; her father was merely a minor official of the seventh rank. Being sent back like this was destined to be a disgrace to the family. The days back home would probably be even more unbearable than being a nobody in the palace.
Suppressed sobs filled the air, then suddenly, a piercing scream broke the silence.
"No, I won't leave! I'd rather die than leave the palace!"
Suddenly, Consort Zhang pushed aside the old nanny who was trying to comfort and guide her, and stumbled toward the inner palace like a madwoman. She was stopped by the guards after only a few steps.
She struggled, her hair disheveled, kicking and hitting the guards, screaming, "Let me go! Let me see the Imperial Noble Consort! I'm willing to sign a death contract, to become a slave, just to stay in the palace! I beg you!"
This cry seemed to ignite a fuse, and the other concubines, who were already filled with anxiety, instantly collapsed, their cries echoing one after another.
"I'm not leaving either. Leaving the palace means certain death."
"I would rather die of old age in the palace than go out and be gossiped about behind my back."
The scene immediately descended into chaos. When the news reached Weiyang Palace, Jiang Huan was with the children, and her brows furrowed upon hearing it.
She rushed to the vicinity of the palace gate and saw that Consort Zhang was being restrained by the palace servants but was still kneeling and kowtowing, her forehead bruised and purple. Other concubines were also kneeling on the ground, weeping.
"Your Highness, have mercy!"
"Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and grant me a way to live!"
Jiang Huan gestured for Zhang Xuanshi to be released first, then walked in front of everyone and said gently, "Stand up and speak. The Emperor has granted you permission to leave the palace and return home to marry other people. This is an act of grace. Why are you resisting so much?"
Zhang Xuanshi was released, but collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, and kept kowtowing to Jiang Huan.
"Your Majesty, please understand. My stepmother is in charge of the household, and my brother and sister-in-law are snobbish. How can I survive if I go back like this? I would rather be a slave in the palace than suffer mistreatment outside."
Another concubine, Consort Li, was also sobbing uncontrollably. She looked up at Jiang Huan with despair in her eyes.
"Once we leave the palace, we'll be like rootless duckweed, abandoned by our families. What good family can we marry into? I'm afraid we won't even be able to preserve our innocence in the end. It's better to end it all with a white silk ribbon."
At this moment, a sharp voice broke in, and Wen Yilin had also walked up to us at some point. Her face was bare of makeup, and she looked somewhat haggard, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, with a sharp, reckless edge.
"What kind of grace is this? It's just throwing someone from a gilded cage into a fire pit!"
She sneered and looked directly at Jiang Huan: "Your Majesty is currently enjoying great favor, so naturally you can't understand our suffering. Life in the palace is tough, but at least we have food to eat and a place to stay. What about outside? Your family will despise you for being an abandoned woman, and others will curse you as an unlucky person. What good family would want to marry a woman that the Emperor has rejected?"
Her eyes were red and she became more and more agitated as she spoke: "In this palace, we are all just pitiful people. The Emperor only has eyes for you. We are just decorations. Now we are not even allowed to be decorations. We are to be swept out of the palace. And they call it a grace? This grace, whoever wants it can have it!"
Wen Yilin's words were like ice water poured over Jiang Huan, waking her up slightly.
She's been too busy lately and hasn't thought much about it. She just feels that leaving the palace is a relief, forgetting the layers of shackles that this era places on women.
The honor and disgrace of the family, the gaze of the world, the hardships of survival...
Sending away the concubines was not only about getting them out of Huo Lin's possessions, but also about pushing them from a known and stable predicament into an unknown and dangerous situation.
They may not have had romantic feelings for Huo Lin, but they were unwilling to leave because they feared the cannibalistic world outside the palace walls.
The matter is far more complex than a simple dismissal order.
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