Chapter Eighty
After obtaining Emperor Kangxi's approval, the Ninth Prince Yintang and the Tenth Prince Yin'e set off for Tianjin Bay with money and people.
Consort Yi originally didn't want Yinzhen to go, thinking that there was nothing good about it and that it would be better for him to stay in the capital, especially since his wedding was coming up soon.
After experiencing so much, Yin Tang was no longer a hedonist. Both the West and the Qing Dynasty needed their efforts to develop.
My second brother said that after a while, we need to clean up a batch of corrupt officials, and my fourth brother would be a good candidate.
It has to be said that both Yinzhen and Yin'e recalled the fourth prince's expressionless and cold face. When it comes to radiating coldness, even in summer, ice wouldn't be necessary.
The fifth brother went to the Ministry of Justice; perhaps we can take him with us.
Yinzhen, thinking that his career was flourishing, could not let his fifth brother do nothing, so he specially recommended his fifth brother to Yinreng.
(Yinqi: I really thank your whole family.)
Knowing that his father intended for him to train the navy, Yinti immediately took on the task. He said, "There are still some debts to collect from some people. I'm very busy, very busy. I don't have time to deal with you. Don't come looking for me."
Looking at the full national treasury, Yinreng recalled the scene when he was providing disaster relief in the Sichuan region. Under the emperor's nose, it looked bustling and lively, and everyone seemed to be doing very well.
But what about outside of the emperor's own territory?
Are most regions like the Sichuan region? It's uncertain, so Yinreng summoned his advisors to discuss how to improve the quality of life for the people of the Qing Dynasty.
The staff still didn't understand: what does "quality of life" mean?
It means living well, having enough to eat, and being warmly dressed.
However, it is clear that most of the advisors were recruited by Songgotu. They may be able to make good demands on how to fight for power and profit, but how to make the people live better still needs more discussion.
Some people say: Reduce taxes.
Pass. Taxes aren't something you can just reduce at will; they have to be discussed by the Emperor and his ministers in court.
Many of the proposals were politically related, but none of them were about punishing corrupt officials, since they knew why they had been brought up with His Highness the Crown Prince.
What were they doing by coming to the Crown Prince's side? It wasn't so much to serve the country and the people, but rather to elevate themselves and their families to greater heights.
Most of those who could get close to the Crown Prince were scholars; scholars from poor families were not worthy of Suo'etu's attention.
Therefore, they had hardly ever come into contact with those poor people's children, so what good suggestions could they possibly offer?
But they had been sent by Suo'etu to serve as advisors to His Highness the Crown Prince for a long time... His Highness the Crown Prince had not summoned them, and the only meetings he had were about the national treasury and disaster relief. As for how to get rid of the First Prince... no, the henchmen around Prince Zhi, he had not asked them much at all.
At the time, they thought that His Highness the Crown Prince had an even more capable advisor by his side, and that he didn't care about them at all.
It has been a very, very long time since they were summoned, and it feels like His Highness the Crown Prince is about to dismiss them.
Yinreng ultimately wrote down all their suggestions, intending to consider them later.
Hongyao was taken away by his father, the Emperor, and he had reached the age for early education.
Jialu is now playing with three chubby little babies, so she doesn't feel bored at all. She rubs and pinches their chubby little hands, which are so cute.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Jialuo asked with concern when she saw Yinreng walk in, looking somewhat unhappy.
Matters of the court? That makes sense. Aside from those trivial matters of the court, what else could possibly displease Yinreng?
"It's nothing." Yinreng didn't mention this to the Crown Princess. It wasn't about the rule that the harem shouldn't interfere in politics; he simply felt that... Jialuo had been a wealthy young lady since childhood and was now living a life of luxury, so perhaps she didn't understand.
Yes, occasionally, Yinreng would forget Jialuo's origins.
He felt that this woman was a precious little darling who deserved his care, and while they were talking, the chubby babies, all over a year old, called out in their baby voices, "Ama."
"Father, Father, eat!" Hongyang, the eldest of the three children, was simple-minded and loved to eat, and he was chewing on a teething stick.
Looking at the teething stick in his second son's hand, glistening with saliva, Yinreng really had no idea what to do. "Hongyang eat, Hongyang eat, Father won't eat."
Then she put the teething stick back into her son's mouth, saying, "You eat yours, don't worry about me."
Hongyang is a straightforward person who doesn't understand subtle hints. He does exactly what others say.
If Ama said no, then no. Hongyang used his little hands to take the teething stick and put it back in his mouth. It tasted a little sweet and had a milky flavor, which Hongyang loved.
"Father, want to play with the rocking horse?" Hongxuan tugged at Yinreng's clothes. Every time his father came, he wanted to play with his rocking horse.
In Hongxuan's opinion, it's just that his father is craving something and wants to play but is too embarrassed to say so. Hongxuan is a good boy and he will share with his father, just like how his father shares gold and pearls with him.
"Okay." Having already refused his second son's "father-son affection" game, he couldn't refuse his third son as well. Perhaps this was his son's way of showing his love!
Sigh, she can't bear to be separated from her young father. Her desire to play with her father is so obvious, who could bear to refuse?
In any case, Yinreng couldn't bring himself to do it.
Hongxuan watched his father rock his little wooden horse and nodded in satisfaction. See, he said his father liked it.
Hongtun was a little quiet. He watched them clamoring to play with their father, while he just stood there with his little building blocks, blinking at them without saying a word.
After playing with Hongxuan for a while, Yinreng noticed that his quiet youngest son was looking at him expectantly, as if he wanted to beg him to play with him but was too embarrassed to say so.
Then, I played with Hongtun's building blocks for a while.
Then, he went to Jialuo's side, and his act of treating everyone equally amused Jialuo.
"Tell me, what methods are there to make the people's lives better?" Yinreng finally couldn't help but murmur.
He came to the main courtyard to visit the Crown Princess and the three chubby children because he couldn't think of a good way to do it, and none of the options seemed quite appropriate.
"Living better?" Jia Luo's mind was filled with a thousand thoughts. What would constitute "better"? Being well-fed and clothed, eating meat every day? Not committing crimes, and having personal safety guaranteed?
However, even though Jialuo's thoughts seemed to have been swirling for a long time, only a few seconds passed before she thought, "First, to get rich, build roads?"
Roads can connect people from different places, whether for buying and selling or transporting goods... and in times of war, they'll also make it easier to deliver food.
Perhaps the latter was more important for this dynasty?
[The prerequisite for having enough to eat and wear is having land to grow grain, and grain doesn't need to be taxed too much. Cotton is quite useful, but it's unclear whether it will actually reach the people.]
By using infrastructure development to deliver government funds to the people, the people have jobs and can receive income, thus promoting national development.
High-yield grains are essential, but this dynasty doesn't have Yuan Longping's hybrid rice. Corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes seem to be quite high-yielding, but it seems there are some methods for cultivating them?
"Your Highness, what aspect do you mean by 'living better'? What level are you aiming for? Is it having enough to eat and wear?" That should be the most basic requirement, right?
Are we well-fed and warmly clothed?
Yinreng recalled the poor people he had encountered on his journey to the Shu region. Even the most basic things were difficult to obtain. High-yield grain? How high-yield could it be?
Yinreng had never paid attention to crops. He didn't know who Yuan Longping was, but he must have been very influential in later generations. The yield of crops must have been very high.
"Jialuo, in your opinion, how many kilograms of grain can be grown per mu to be considered a high yield?" Yinreng asked softly. If others can figure it out, why not just set up a research team to study it?
If one year isn't enough, try two.
If two years isn't enough, try three.
If we don't do it, the grain yield will always remain the same. But if we do it, even a small increase of one or two kilograms will add up to a considerable amount across all the acres of land in the Qing Dynasty.
"About two or three thousand catties?" Jialuo only had a general idea. [That's roughly the amount, right? But she wasn't sure of the exact figure. At the very least, Yuan Longping's hybrid rice earned him the title of 'Father of Hybrid Rice' and worldwide renown, which shows how significant a breakthrough it was. It must have reached that amount, right?]
[As for the others... I've read quite a few time-travel and infrastructure-building novels before, and I don't know if those authors wrote anything wrong. Cabbage... I think it's watermelon, that you can grow 10,000 jin of it, and sweet potatoes and potatoes, that can yield 5,000 to 8,000?]
Jialuo racked her brains, digging into the memories in her mind. [Perhaps not that many, but definitely a thousand or two? Otherwise, why would those transmigrators treat it as a divine artifact?]
I remember it was during the Ming or Qing dynasty that a few sailors brought him back from South America. He was severely beaten, it was a terrible experience, but it did bring good to later generations.
Potatoes are probably more productive, but they can't be stored for too long; once they sprout, they become poisonous. Sweet potatoes are barely enough to fill your stomach, but it seems you can't eat them at every meal? They're not nutritious?
Jialuo's thoughts were in flux, while Yinreng's eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing this. One or two thousand jin? Two or three thousand jin?
Jialuo said she didn't remember, but it was impossible for her memory to go from two or three hundred jin to two or three thousand jin, even though she was now using 'stones' and 'dou' as units...
But he still understood the algorithm and always felt... it was so incredible, were potatoes and sweet potatoes really that powerful? You know, in most areas now the yield per mu is about two shi, one shi is 180 jin... which is about 300 to 400 jin per mu.
That guy named Yuan Longping is really that amazing?
No, their Qing Dynasty must have had such talents as well. If later generations could research this, how could our ancestors be inferior to their descendants?
However, this research may take many years. Right now, potatoes and sweet potatoes are more important. "Jialuo, do you know any grains that are high-yielding?"
He suddenly realized that Jialuo hadn't said it out loud, but was thinking to herself. Besides, he might not recognize the sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and other crops that Jialuo mentioned, so he had to let Jialuo find them first.
"Ah...yes, didn't you eat potatoes yesterday?" Jialuo looked at Yinreng with some doubt. When she saw potatoes, Jialuo didn't consider them a high-yield crop, thinking that their appearance in the Qing Dynasty meant that someone was already growing them.
Who knew that Yinreng would suddenly ask this?
"What?" He stood up in shock. Yesterday? What did he eat? He immediately grabbed Jialuo's hand and led her out to the kitchen.
The three chubby little children sitting on the ground stared blankly at their departing figures, wondering, "Father? Mother?"
Pointing at their retreating figures, Hongyang looked at his younger brothers. Where did they go? Did they abandon Hongyang and his brothers?
"Play, play, eat." Although Hongxuan couldn't express his meaning clearly, these three simple words were enough for his brothers to understand.
Mother and Father went out to play and eat, but they didn't tell us. Hmph.
There was nothing they could do. Every time the aroma of their father and mother's meals wafted over, they would get very hungry, but their father and mother wouldn't allow them to eat. At most, they would be given meat paste and fruit puree.
While squatting in the kitchen, Jialuo was still a little confused as to how she had suddenly ended up here.
However, as she rummaged through them, she actually found a few potatoes, the only ones left.
Yinreng was heartbroken; he had actually been eaten by himself?!
The sweet potatoes were also found, and they were prepared to be roasted in the fire. However, since they would turn black after roasting, the servants dared not give them to their masters to eat.
I've heard that eating too much of this food can cause flatulence. Who would dare to feed this kind of food with "side effects" to their master? What if the master farted in public while entertaining guests? Wouldn't they be beheaded when they got back?
Although Jialuo said she didn't remember the yield per acre, she could still vaguely remember how to plant them. Potatoes could be cut into four pieces, and sweet potatoes... I think they were just planted directly?
Yinreng left in a hurry to take care of his business. He didn't have time to linger here and requisitioned a certain open space in the front yard.
Anyway, the quantity is not large.
Let him write it down first. By the way, about hybrid rice... how is it hybridized? Should we ask Jialuo about that?
After finishing her work, I saw Jialuo bringing over a pot of flowers with some people. The flowers were covered with pretty little red fruits, which looked very vibrant and festive.
However, most people believe that the more brightly colored a fruit is, the more poisonous it is, such as mushrooms.
"Your Highness, do you know what this is called? It's delicious and has a high yield, but it's not a staple food. It's very, very high-yielding because it's mostly water." Jia Luo remembered hearing somewhere that things like tomatoes, watermelons, and pumpkins could yield up to 10,000 jin per mu?
It's a pity I don't have Baidu on hand, otherwise I would definitely have been able to find it.
Ten thousand catties? Yinreng was shocked and looked at Jialuo in disbelief. No, Crown Princess, are you sure you're not mistaken? How could there be so many catties of grain?
Grain might be measured in stones, but vegetables and fish were sold by the pound, and Yinreng felt that the Crown Princess wasn't talking nonsense.
He could only look at the tomato plant in her hand with suspicion. Yinreng had seen it before, but he had always regarded it as an ornamental plant with beautiful flowers. Hmm... the little fruits it produced were also pretty.
But, a grain yield of tens of thousands of kilograms?
"Your Highness, I think some people must have eaten it, right? Even if high-ranking officials wouldn't dare, starving people certainly have, so they're bound to be fine. We can have someone investigate." Tomato and egg, eaten raw, dipped in sugar... sweet and sour... how come I didn't notice tomatoes when I was pregnant? But pickled cucumbers are delicious too...
Is it edible? Later generations have already verified this.
He glanced down at the tomato plant again, but he didn't know what kind of crop the Crown Princess was referring to as corn. However, it didn't matter; he had already sent people to look for it.
If the Qing Dynasty didn't have it, it must have come from the Western Regions, the Western Ocean, or other places.
"By the way, Your Highness, wasn't it said that the people should be dressed warmly? Besides cotton, there's also goose feathers! Goose feathers are very warm." [A down jacket made of goose feathers is incredibly warm; one is equivalent to two cloaks, right? And it's so light...]
I only know that cotton flowers are white and fluffy, but I don't know what the seeds look like.
"Well, I didn't specialize in this, but as for goose feathers, many farmers raise geese, right? We can hire people to collect them, turn it into a workshop, and then hire people to work. If people have wages, wouldn't they be more willing to buy food and clothes?"
After hearing Jialuo's words, Yinreng nodded to himself, thinking that one must take things one step at a time and eat one bite at a time.
"Jialuo, I've achieved something, and I'll tell you later. I'm so grateful to have you." In Yinreng's eyes, Jialuo was a match made in heaven, someone who came specifically for him.
Otherwise, Father Emperor should have chosen a member of the Guarjia clan for him.
The thought of this possibility sent a chill down his spine. He had no such inclination. He grabbed Jialuo's hand and said, "It's cold outside. Let's go back. But I might be busy for a while."
“Okay.” Although Jialuo did not agree with the saying that with great power comes great responsibility, it was only natural for someone in such a high position, as the Crown Prince of the Qing Dynasty, to do more for the people.
"Keep it up," Jialuo encouraged Yinreng. "Don't worry about Hongyang and the others, I'll take good care of them."
Yinreng didn't understand the word "cheer up," but he knew that Jialuo was encouraging him. "Yes, thank you for your hard work."
Compared to Hongyao, the three children don't spend much time with her, as they're either out doing disaster relief or busy with other things.
But, whoever loves their son, that heart is their precious darling.
Immediately afterwards, Yinreng started a farm outside the palace. The new open space he originally planned to open in front of Yuqing Palace was also shelved. In addition to sweet potatoes and potatoes, tomatoes were also planted, and someone was sent to investigate.
When Emperor Kangxi learned that Yinreng had been busy with this matter recently, he summoned Yinreng and asked him to stop focusing on trivial matters and pay more attention to the affairs of the court.
How can a crown prince be so unambitious?
"Father, I am researching the issue of grain production. When I went to provide disaster relief before, I saw how difficult it was for those people. They worked so hard but still couldn't fill their stomachs and support their families. It was truly heartbreaking."
"By the way, Father Emperor, do you think there's any possibility of reducing taxes?" Yinreng first raised a difficult question for Kangxi to consider.
Kangxi immediately rejected this possibility, saying, "Baocheng, the tax system was decided by all the ministers and the imperial relatives. How can it be changed so easily?"
Furthermore, if we raise this issue now, and there are floods or snowstorms next year, and the national treasury has no food to provide disaster relief, it could incite a rebellion.
As the crown prince, Bao Cheng hasn't even figured this out yet. That won't do. He needs more experience.
Go ahead and study your grain crops. He still has the energy to train Yinreng, but if the yield of grain crops increases...
That's a bit difficult. I heard that the grain grown in Baocheng isn't rice or wheat? Where did they get the grain crop from?
When Yinreng was doing things, he didn't forget to involve his uncle, Suo'etu. It would be such a waste to use such an outstanding talent just for the sake of factionalism.
“Uncle, this is a high-yield grain, a revolutionary crop, it’s very important.” First of all, she mentioned that what she was doing was extremely important, otherwise her uncle wouldn’t have taken it to heart.
"How high is the yield? Two shi? Three shi? Four shi?" In Suo'etu's opinion, four shi was already an extremely high yield, a full seven hundred jin.
"Uncle, you might not believe it, but this can yield ten shi per mu." Yinreng dared not say too high, for fear that Suo'etu might not believe it and therefore lose interest in managing it, or might not take it seriously, thus causing the grain to suffer.
"What? Ten shi? Impossible." Soetu immediately refuted Yinreng's words, subconsciously shouting loudly, how could there be such a high-yield crop?
“Yes, Uncle, I didn’t believe it at first either, but if it’s true, it would be a great achievement for us. Imagine if the people knew that you were the one who planted and discovered such high-yield crops…”
Yinreng felt that if his uncle had nothing to do, he would easily tinker with things, and he might even tinker with things in the opposite direction. Perhaps this was his uncle's special ability.
Soetu stared wide-eyed, truly incredulous at those few broken things—no, they were good things…
"Really?" Perhaps the previous events hadn't satisfied the Emperor. Indeed, he had only discovered the cannons, but hadn't been able to research them, and even the issue of whether to lift the sea ban was still under debate...
The credit for the disaster relief has already gone to His Highness the Crown Prince; I still need to keep working hard. If I can really grow this much…
"Your Highness, rest assured, leave it to this servant." Soetu nodded very seriously and took full responsibility for the matter.
“Uncle, I heard that you have been educating the children of Hesheli at home for so long. Gerfen is already working in the Ministry of Works, but it seems that Algishan has not yet been assigned any tasks? Why don’t you take Algishan with you to do this? The child is growing up and it’s time for him to gain some experience. What do you say?”
He holds a high position, yet he remains a spoiled brat, harming others instead of serving the country and its people. It would be better to take a knife and fork and trim him straight. He cannot serve the country or its people, nor can he bring disaster to the country and its people.
"Bring disaster to the country and the people"... Perhaps this phrase is not well used, but it's because I've spent too much time with the Crown Princess and have picked up this little flaw of hers.
Gerfen is Songgotu's eldest son, and Arjishan is Songgotu's youngest son. They are not young anymore, so shouldn't they get some experience... Hmm, how about we let him go to the fields to farm?
Thinking about this, Yinreng felt... this was also a good idea?
"Uncle, what do you think?" It's not like the Emperor is so diligent in educating his sons, while the ministers spoil their own sons. Isn't that a bit odd?
"Your Highness is right." Soetu thought of his eldest son, who was now working in the Ministry of Works, responsible for building residences for the princes, and how diligent he was.
The youngest son, however, remains as irresponsible and unemployed as ever. It seems that His Highness intends for him to properly train Argishan.
"Uncle, don't spoil the child too much. He won't amount to anything without discipline, and he won't see the rainbow without experiencing the storms." Yinreng was worried that Suo'etu wouldn't be able to discipline his son harshly, so he gave him some special advice.
They are, after all, Hesheli's people, even if they don't end up in that position themselves.
But if the children of officials are capable, why worry about not having a discerning eye to appreciate them?
"Your Highness is right." When we get back, I'll give Algishan a good beating first, then send him to work in the fields!
Yinreng: I'm glad you like it...
After finishing that, I started thinking about the cotton and goose feathers that Jialuo mentioned. Cotton is white and fluffy, but unfortunately I don't think I've ever seen it before. I'll have someone look for it...
Well, Suo'etu is currently busy preparing new food for himself and has also sent a message to the Uya tribe. After all, he is in charge of some affairs of the Internal Affairs Department and has a relatively large network of connections. Perhaps they have met him?
At the same time, he also sent people to buy some goose feathers and duck feathers.
He asked the embroiderer to make two lining woolen garments. He wanted to see if they were as warm as Jialuo had said. Besides goose feathers, duck feathers seemed to be similar to goose feathers. Couldn't duck feathers be used?
In a busy life, the days always seem to fly by.
In the warm spring of March, the three chubby little ones, who couldn't stay at home all the time, also longed to go out and play in the world.
"Father, looking for Father." Hongyang had been confined to the house all winter, not allowed to go out no matter how much he crawled or walked around. He had only a little curiosity to begin with, but it grew stronger and stronger over time.
Knowing that Ama hasn't come for a long time, Hongyang's little round plate wobbles back and forth. Ama hasn't come to play with Hongyang and his brothers in a long time. Does he not like the rocking horse anymore? Or does he not like Hongyang anymore?
"Alright, alright, let's find Father." Jia Luo looked at the other two beside her who were also staring at her expectantly, their chubby little faces full of cuteness. How could Jia Luo, as a mother, bear to refuse them?
"Come on, get in the car, let's go find Father." Although there are no small cars like those in later generations (four-wheeled cars) now, there are still those that are pushed by people. With a long line of people accompanying them, there is no need to worry about any accidents.
"Yay! Let's find Father and play with it!" Hongxuan immediately got up to find his abacus. He hadn't seen his father in a long time, and he allowed his father to play with his abacus, but, but, but he had to return it.
Hongtun held up the latest model of building blocks, which his mother had recently asked him to make.
Ama hasn't visited them in a long time. It must be because the building blocks aren't fun anymore, which is why he doesn't want to play with Hongtun.
Little did they know that every night when Yinreng returned home, he would first go to check on the three sleeping little pigs. There was no way around it; the adult world was just that busy.
They sat in the newly made little carriage, which was made by the Imperial Household Department. Jialuo had the three of them sit side by side on small seats, with handles in their hands, but they were not responsible for controlling the direction; it was purely for them to play with.
"If you want to go that way, just point your hand that way, and the car will drive that way." Jialuo coaxed the three chubby kids. In fact, there were people walking in front, watching them, and responsible for gesturing to tell the people behind which way the car should go.
Perhaps it could be described as a little game played with chubby babies.
Hongyang, Hongxuan, and Hongtun, the three chubby babies, were overjoyed. This was the first time they had the chance to be in charge. The babies, sitting side by side, looked soft and round from behind. Jialuo couldn't help but want to pick them up, kiss them, hug them, and lift them up high.
My baby, the cutest in the world.
"Alright, let's go! Charge towards where Ama is!" Jialuo's words, full of fighting spirit, were incredibly inspiring, instantly igniting the passion in the three chubby little ones.
Two tiny, short hands nervously rested on the small handles, one light green, one light blue, and one light brown, but they were very useful because they weren't actually controlling the direction of the tires underneath.
Especially when the car started to move slowly forward, those sitting at the front were a little nervous and a little excited.
The servants pushing the cart behind were not putting any effort into it. The Crown Princess had told them to go slowly so as not to frighten the three young princes.
The person in charge of pushing the cart was a large, upright chair, so there was no need to bend over to push it. They walked slowly, with their hands placed where the young princes couldn't see them when they turned their heads, pretending that the three young princes were driving the cart.
"Hoo hoo, over there, over there."
"No, this is the right way."
When they arrived at the crossroads, the three princes started arguing. Xiaoqing and the others looked to the Crown Princess for help. What should they do if the princes are fighting?
Jialuo glanced at the fork in the road, said nothing, and let them do whatever they wanted. One way led to the front courtyard, and the other led out of Yuqing Palace.
The sun shone warmly on the earth, and a clean towel was stuffed under the backs of the three chubby little ones. If they got sweaty, they would quickly change to another towel.
It's also because it's not appropriate to change clothes outside. The outer garment is fine, but the inner one... well, that's another story.
In the end, Hongtun and Hongxuan won the left-hand direction with a score of two to one.
While the three of them were arguing, they did turn around and ask Jialuo whether her father was on the left or the right.
Jialuo shook her head. "Even I don't know. Let's see if Hongyang, Hongxuan, and Hongtun are destined to be with Father, and whether they can guess whether Father is on the left or the right."
In this scene, the three chubby little kids wrinkled their cute little faces and then pointed out the differences.
Then, after a series of arguments that no one else could understand, they finally found the right path.
The carriage slowly drove to the front yard. None of the eunuchs who passed by dared to stop it. They bowed to the Crown Princess and the young princes from a distance. Unexpectedly, the Crown Princess had brought the young princes to see His Highness the Crown Prince.
As soon as we arrived at the front yard and the car stopped, we heard the chubby little boy call out into the yard in a sweet, yet strong voice, "Father, Father."
In his study, Yinreng was considering the construction of workshops for goose and duck feathers. If it was for embroidering clothes, then women would definitely be more suitable.
However, what is even more obvious is that if it were embroidery, choosing women to enter the workshop would definitely face great resistance... and there would certainly be a lot of gossip.
The three chubby babies, carried off the car, stumbled around on their short legs before turning back to look for their mother, "Mother, Mother, where's Father?"
"Call him! How can he come out if you don't call for his father?" Jialuo chuckled, patting her chubby baby's head. "If you want to find your father, then go ahead and look. Finding him will be a pleasant surprise."
“Father.”
“Father.”
“Father.”
Hearing them running around and shouting outside, Xiao Shunzi, who was guarding outside the study, quickly went to report to His Highness the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, the three young princes have come looking for you; they're outside."
"Why don't you let them in?" he said, getting up and walking out.
A dignified and mature man walked out, and the three chubby babies ran happily towards him as soon as they saw him, calling out, "Father, Father."
"Father." One by one they went over and hugged Yinreng's legs, some even complaining to their father with aggrieved expressions, "Father, it's been so long since you've come to visit Hongyang."
"Father, I, I, I also brought an abacus, for you to play with..."
"Hongtun also brought..." As he spoke, he let go of Yinreng, turned around, and took his short legs to go to his car to get the latest small building blocks. They were packed very well, but they were a bit heavy.
Yinreng looked at the three chubby babies who depended on him. The only pity was that he only had two hands. Holding two of them while ignoring one would only make the child feel abandoned.
"Alright, alright, your father missed you all too. Knowing you were coming today, he specially prepared some delicious food for you." As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Shunzi beside him and told him to hurry up and prepare the food.
"What did Hongtun bring for his father?" When Hongtun ran to the little car and whined as he tried to take something out, the other two chubby babies also let go of his legs and ran back to find what they had brought.
Ama loves to play, and he must miss them terribly since he hasn't come to play with them for so long.
Yinreng turned his gaze to Jialuo, trying to find something on her face, but unfortunately, Jialuo wasn't thinking about anything at the moment, and was looking at them with a big smile.
Oh, it wasn't that I didn't think of anything; I just praised my son for being cute, praised him for being cute...
Yinreng disagreed, saying it was impossible and that such a thing was not true. How could he say he was cute? He was not like Hongyang and the others.
Then, I saw the second son carrying a small wooden bow and arrow, the second son carrying a golden abacus, and the third son carrying small building blocks, stumbling but happily walking towards me.
Yinreng also realized that he had been very busy lately, so busy that he had forgotten to play with his three sons and missed his father.
Filled with guilt, Yinreng grabbed the three items and carried them inside. "Come on, Father hasn't played in a long time. Let's play together, okay?"
Hongyang, Hongxuan, Hongtun: Sure enough, Father has wanted to play for a long time.
"Okay." The three little cuties nodded in their childish voices, tugging at Yinreng's clothes and following behind him into the study.
My babies are all so cute, I love them.
Even after many years of marriage, the Crown Princess, who still loves to be infatuated with her son, is still deeply in love with her son. Hearing this, the Crown Prince's ears turned red, but he tried his best to pretend to be calm.
Because she was ridiculed for being 'infertile' at a palace banquet, the Eighth Prince's wife tried many fertility remedies. Fortunately, she managed to obtain an 'easy-to-conceive remedy' from Yuqing Palace from someone else.
However, she tried for a long time, took medicine, tried secret recipes, and followed the instructions regarding the timing of her menstrual cycle, but why did she still not get pregnant?
Could it be that the Crown Princess deliberately gave out some fake fertility secrets?
But I've heard that many of the other wives are pregnant, and quite a few of them are boys! Surely it's not like others can have sons while she can't?
Or did someone deliberately send me a fake one?
It's possible that someone was jealous of her and deliberately gave her a fake one. The Eighth Prince's wife always thought she was exceptionally outstanding in every way, whether it was her appearance or her temperament. In addition, she was favored, came from a good family, and was a royal consort... She had no flaws whatsoever!
Perhaps there is still a slight drawback: she hasn't conceived a child for her grandfather yet, and it's even a bit difficult for her to have a legitimate son.
After thinking for a long time, she finally decided to have someone prepare a generous gift and go to Yuqing Palace to find the Crown Princess.
Following the instructions of the Fujin, she went to the storeroom to find a generous gift, which was beautifully packaged. The Eighth Fujin got up, and the maid carrying the gift followed behind her, heading towards Yuqing Palace.
When Jialuo heard that the Eighth Prince's wife had come, she was a little surprised and turned to ask Xiaoqing, "I don't think I've had much interaction with the Eighth Prince's wife, have I?"
I'm afraid I've forgotten; could it be that my memory is playing tricks on me?
"Perhaps, the Eighth Prince's wife came to see you for something?" The Eighth Prince's wife usually looked down on people, despising this and that, as arrogant as a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
"Please let her in." Jialuo's expression remained calm; she wanted to see what the girl wanted.
Then, when Jialuo saw the Eighth Prince's wife enter, her smile was so radiant that she wondered if she had taken the wrong medicine today. That seemingly ingratiating expression...
She remembered that before, no matter who the Eighth Princess Consort looked at, her expression was always a bit arrogant, as if no one was as good as her.
"Princess Consort... Second Sister-in-law, sigh, since I married into this family, there are always so many people around you at every palace banquet. It's so hard to even have a word with you." The Eighth Princess Consort said, taking the generous gift from the maid behind her.
Seeing that she had deliberately placed the things in front of her, Jialuo ignored the pile of things and asked, "Eighth sister-in-law, is there something you need this time?"
The fact that Guoluo could say such nice things shows that she had something to ask of her.
"Second Sister-in-law, I've been married to our master for so long, but I haven't gotten pregnant yet. I heard you have a secret formula for getting pregnant easily. I wonder if... I could take a look at it too?"
The Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo, was not a tactful person, and given the nature of the matter, there was no point in being tactful.
Given the Crown Princess's virtuous character, grace, and generosity, surely she wouldn't be so stingy as to refuse to give it to her?
"Eighth sister-in-law, when you heard that I had a secret formula for fertility, didn't you ask someone else for it?" Jialuo looked at the Eighth Princess Consort with a puzzled expression. She didn't think that, given the Eighth Princess Consort's personality, she would not have asked someone else for it immediately.
When Consort Guo Luoluo heard Jialuo's question, she felt that the Crown Princess was deliberately embarrassing her. "I've given you the secret formula for getting pregnant, and you still haven't gotten pregnant?"
"No, I heard that the secret to fertility originated from you, so I didn't ask anyone else for it and came to you immediately." I've never used any so-called secret to fertility. I came here the first time I heard about it, and I definitely didn't ask anyone else first.
“Oh…” Jialuo nodded, without saying whether she believed it or not, “Then I’ll go get it for you.”
When I wrote the recipe before, I did write a few extra pages and just casually put them on the dressing table. However, the box seems to be pressed down, and I'll have to go and check to find out where it is.
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, Your Highness." She knew it! The Crown Princess was absolutely tolerant, generous, and kind; how could she possibly refuse her?
She waited there with a smile, seemingly picturing herself carrying her grandfather's child.
Seeing the Crown Princess come out with a wooden box, filled with anticipation, she then took the 'Easy Fertility Formula' from Jia Luo's hand.
But after just one look, I froze. Isn't this... exactly the same as what I got from someone else?
Is the Crown Princess... fooling herself?
Seeing that the Eighth Princess Consort was staring blankly at the so-called secret recipe for fertility, Jialuo assumed that she was embarrassed, since it was about when to have intercourse. "Eighth Sister-in-law," she said, "this can only increase the chances of getting pregnant, it is not 100% guaranteed."
First, let's lay the groundwork for the Eighth Prince's wife, so we won't blame her if she doesn't conceive later.
Some people who are infertile... well, she wasn't targeting the Eighth Prince or his wife, she was just reminding them, "But it's not certain whether it will be a boy or a girl, it's possible, after all, the seed planted in the womb has already been decided whether it will be a melon or a bean."
Don't blame me for having a daughter; I bear no responsibility.
"Understood." Her tone lacked the previous excitement and anticipation, replaced by a calm and indifferent response. She knew it! How could the Crown Princess be so kind? Would she really hand over the so-called secret formula for fertility so easily?
It turns out, these were all fake.
My generous gift was wasted. If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't forbidden, I would have spat at Jialuo and taken my gift with me when I left.
Jialuo was unaware of what Guoluo was thinking. In her view, it was nothing more than a transaction of "you buy, I sell," and besides, if the Eighth Prince's wife wanted to ask outside, she could.
When she handed over the first menstrual cycle chart, Jialuo had already anticipated that it would spread everywhere. For example, on the modern internet, you could find tons of information by simply searching on Baidu or Sogou with your phone.
They are sisters-in-law after all. If they make a fool of themselves over something that everyone knows about, it will be difficult to explain to the Emperor.
However, completely different from what Jialuo thought was 'shyness', the Eighth Prince's wife, Guoluo, was angered by Jialuo and believed that the Crown Princess looked down on her and their Eighth Prince.
Guo Luoluo never thought, "I used so many secret formulas, and others can give birth, so why can't I... Is it because I can't give birth?" She only thought, "You've lied to me and harmed me."
However, he didn't confront the Crown Princess in front of her, since their positions were naturally on opposite sides.
"Second sister-in-law, thank you..." When our Eighth Master pulls the Crown Prince off his horse, let's see if I'll give you a good kick.
Are you trying to fool me?
She suspected that the 'fertility secret recipe' that someone gave her might have been sent by the Crown Princess, just to prevent their Eighth Prince from conceiving a legitimate son soon?
(End of this chapter)
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