A thought stirred in everyone's hearts as they watched Emperor Mingxi personally throw the sacrificial tablet into the cauldron to burn, their devotion growing ever stronger.
Those who have a shrine at home thought they must instruct their family members to be respectful and devout when offering incense to the Little Immortal.
Then came Emperor Mingxi's oral edict to his civil and military officials and the common people.
At 9:00 AM, the exciting moment of digging potatoes finally arrived.
As sixteen strongmen carried eight large vats of potatoes onto the high platform, some people in the crowd began to stir.
The common people, in particular, were instantly awakened from their drowsy state after listening to the sacrificial rites and edicts. They all craned their necks, wishing they could lean forward a few more meters.
A cacophony of sounds rose and fell; if you listened closely, you could hear words like "the digging has begun" and "so many pots."
The officials, though aware of the situation, were excited but their faces flushed, yet they managed to remain composed, thinking that they should receive thirty bushels of grain.
Those who had no idea what was going on, upon seeing the large vats being brought up, behaved somewhat better than the common people.
They remembered that Yu Chongshan had said with certainty in the main hall that this thing called potato could yield at least twenty or thirty shi per mu.
Compared to the yield of rice and wheat per mu of two or three shi, if these potatoes are really edible, even if they taste a little worse, the Junior Tutor is worthy of being offered food by thousands of families.
Some people in the crowd had burning gazes, while others had shifty eyes, staring at the potato bowls on the platform and the tiny figure in the moonlight below, lost in thought...
Sixteen strongmen stepped aside, and from behind, led by Wang Shouchun, followed by two officials from Hongnong Temple and more than twenty people dressed as old farmers and gentry.
Is this a witness that Emperor Mingxi found among the common people? You know what, it's a good idea.
The potato yield is far below the existing grain yield per mu in Dayan. If we don't find some influential local people and gentry, some people might not believe it.
Yue Fuguang was invited onto the stage, where Zhang Zhongping handed a tool resembling an entrenching tool to Emperor Mingxi and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please strike the first blow for my Dayan!"
In front of Emperor Mingxi was a pot of the best-growing potatoes. Although the leaves were yellowing, the plant was very large, and everyone guessed that it must have produced a lot of potatoes.
Emperor Mingxi gripped the entrenching tool that Yue Fuguang called an entrenching tool tightly. Even someone as used to weathering storms as he was now somewhat nervous.
My palms were slightly sweaty as I gripped the entrenching tool, and my heart was beating a few beats faster than usual.
Just as Emperor Mingxi's shovel was about to touch the potato vines, he reflexively glanced at Yue Fuguang, who had a calm expression and was also holding a shovel, watching him dig.
Yue Fuguang said, “Your Majesty, rest assured, there are at least three pounds of potatoes in this jar. It won’t embarrass you. Go ahead and dig!”
[Exactly! It's just digging potatoes, why are you dawdling like that! If he saw rice yielding fifteen or sixteen bushels per mu, wouldn't he be afraid to harvest it?]
Fifteen or sixteen shi? And that's for rice, such a precious grain!
It seems that the rice from Dayan can yield six or seven shi per mu, which is already very good. As for rice yielding fifteen or sixteen shi, they... they are not... envious, really!
Moonlight: If your eyes weren't so red, I'd believe you!
Hybrid rice is not suitable for seed saving, and the high-yield rice varieties she deliberately selected from the system store yielded less than half the yield of native rice in Dayan the following year.
So she only planted some rice in her own Sanchadi, far away on the border, which could solve the problem of feeding the garrison and also cheat those who dared to steal her rice.
[Host, what if someone steals your rice and plants it after you harvest? Wouldn't you regret it to death?]
Its host is too cunning. It knows that the rice plants will still grow very well the following year, but they just won't produce any rice.
The greater the hope given in the early stages, the greater the despair will be in the later stages.
"You took it without asking, is that my fault?"
Meanwhile, Emperor Mingxi, who had been feeling tense and uneasy, instantly felt refreshed and became the calm and dignified emperor again after these two ancestors stirred things up.
Moonlight: The emperor is showing a tendency to become more shameless; a scolding will rouse him!
With Yue Fuguang's endorsement, Emperor Mingxi was very reassured. He smiled and said, "Fuguang is right. Then I will begin the excavation!"
Aside from Zhang Zhongping and Wang Shoushen, who were used to it and didn't think much of it, the others on the stage noticed the Grand Tutor's casual way of speaking to their emperor.
His Majesty not only didn't find it offensive, but also responded with a smile, causing everyone to be shocked and quickly lower their heads to hide their expressions.
There are many rumors circulating about this legendary young master who descended by divine decree, and seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary.
Although they couldn't quite put their finger on it, they always felt that she was different from ordinary people, especially the lotus mark on her forehead that shone brightly in the sunlight.
It gave these people an urge to worship it.
Incense offering: I'm putting in the effort, that's for sure!
Emperor Mingxi had clearly practiced beforehand. He first loosened the soil along the edge with an entrenching tool, then grabbed the potato vine with his left hand and pulled hard.
In an instant, six or seven yellowish-brown potatoes, ranging in size from an adult man's fist to a child's fist, were pulled out from the roots of the plant.
ah!
hiss!
Hmm!
Upon seeing what was under the rice seedlings, various gasps rose and fell around the moonlit scene.
The old farmers were in tears, but they didn't cry out loud; they just wept silently, occasionally wiping their eyes with the hem of their ill-fitting clothes.
But their eyes were glued to the potato in Emperor Mingxi's hand.
This scene made Yue Fuguang, who was most afraid of seeing people cry, feel a pang of sadness. No matter where you are, life is not easy for ordinary people.
Those here are especially pitiful; their only wish all year round is to avoid going hungry.
The officials, including Wang Shoushen, were no better off. Although they had expected it, they still couldn't help but tear up when they saw the potatoes being dug out of the ground.
"Your Majesty, weigh them quickly!" After Wang Shoushen's reminder, Emperor Mingxi's hands, which had been trembling slightly, immediately picked the potatoes one by one and wiped the dirt off them.
He gently placed it on the exquisite scale pan beside him and immediately weighed it without hesitation.
His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he only managed to complete the weighing process with Zhang Zhongping's help.
Three catties and two ounces!
“Three jin and two liang!” Zhang Zhongping immediately shouted in a hoarse voice.
"Three pounds and two ounces!" Someone started relaying the message, passing on the weight of the first potato plant.
The people knelt down to thank Heaven, and some of the officials also kowtowed to Heaven. Some grinned and stared blankly at the sky, as if there were potatoes in the sky too.
Those who were more normal started gesticulating wildly, such as Wu Yuanjing and Ling Yinghua.
Her grandfather, father, and uncles grinned at her, showing off their white teeth, looking at her with obvious pride.
Yue Fuguang frowned as she looked at the crowd laughing hysterically on and off the stage.
If these were potatoes from my hometown, they would weigh quite a bit, but these are products from the system, selected from the best of the best, with a higher yield than those from my hometown.
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