The girl was shocked, even thinking she had remembered the wrong place. She hurriedly tore off the sleeve of her left arm, but there were still crisscrossing bruises, and no trace of the virginity mark.
She stared at her empty arm, subconsciously recalling Su Hua's words from that day in Wuxi Prefecture: "What use is a person with a crippled arm, a broken leg, and a ruined reputation to his so-called Prime Minister father, Imperial Concubine aunt, and Prince cousin? Do you think they would still go to such lengths to avenge you at that point?"
No wonder, no wonder Xiao Jinhan's men always rescued her when the bandits were at work.
It wasn't about leaving her a way out; Su Hua had planned it all along. She wanted to make her innocent but burdened with a tainted reputation, to have her abandoned by the Wei family, and to suffer excruciating pain day and night.
Thinking of this, her hatred surged even more fiercely. "Father! I swear, I have never let the bandits succeed on this journey. It must be that little bitch Su Hua. She knows medicine and used some kind of potion to remove my virginity mark. If you don't believe me, you can ask the palace matrons to examine me..."
"Enough!" the man coldly rebuked. "In less than three days, the news that my Wei family's daughter was humiliated by a band of bandits will spread throughout the entire capital. At this time, you still want me to invite a palace matron to examine her body? Do you think my Right Prime Minister's Mansion has not lost enough face?"
He had originally thought that this daughter was both talented and intelligent, so he specially sent her to Qingshui County to befriend the Qin family and win the support of the Li family for the Third Prince.
Now, not only have they failed to secure the support of the Li family, but they've also gotten themselves into trouble.
This daughter is completely ruined.
What he needs to do now is to submit a scathing report to the Emperor before the news spreads throughout the capital.
Regardless of Xiao Jinhan's reasons for targeting Jia'er, since he dared to provoke the tiger, he will make him pay with the position of General Zhennan, which he worked so hard to earn!
Wei Jianjia watched the man storm off, tears streaming down her face, feeling wronged.
Just then, Qiu Shuang, who had been sleeping on the ground, finally woke up. When she saw the familiar courtyard and Wei Jianjia in front of her, she was so frightened that she trembled and crawled towards the courtyard gate.
However, after climbing only a few steps, a sinister voice sounded behind him, "Still trying to escape?"
Qiu Shuang was on high alert, "Miss, this servant..."
"Miss? I'm not your Miss! The Miss you recognize is in Shanghe Village, Qingshui County. Have you forgotten?" Wei Jianjia laughed sarcastically, picked up the broken teapot shards from the ground, and dragged her broken leg toward Qiu Shuang.
A faint smile played on her lips. "Tell me, should I slash your face first, or your hands, or your legs..."
As Qiu Shuang watched the broken porcelain shards being pointed at one by one, she trembled even more, begging for mercy repeatedly, "No, no! Miss, spare me! Miss, spare me! I know I was wrong, I'll never dare to do it again, I only beg you to spare my life... Ah!!!! My leg!!!"
Before his pleas for mercy had even faded, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his knee.
The sharp porcelain shards cut into her skin, and with a ripping sound, drops of blood dripped from the wound. Qiu Shuang screamed in pain, but before she could catch her breath, she saw Wei Jianjia holding the broken porcelain shards and bringing them to her wrist, her face full of madness.
"Spare you? How could I spare you?! I'll never forget how you took care of me in that bandit's den. Su Hua and Xiao Jinhan deserve to die, and you deserve to die too..."
Seeing this, Qiu Shuang knew she had no chance of survival today, so she picked up the broken pieces of porcelain from the ground and started tearing at Wei Jianjia. She used all her strength in every move, and before long, she actually managed to slash Wei Jianjia.
The maids outside the courtyard smelled the increasingly strong stench of blood, their eyes wide with fright. They dared not stand idly by any longer and quickly stepped forward to pull the people away. They then ran to the main courtyard to fetch the madam and Consort Li.
Just as chaos erupted in the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence, a broken earthenware basin was placed on the imperial desk.
The handsome emperor stared at the broken pottery basin for a long time, then raised an eyebrow at the man before him. "Minister Xiao, you traveled thousands of miles to the capital just for what's in this basin?"
"Your Majesty, this is precisely why I have come here." Xiao Jinhan cupped his hands and went straight to the point, "The plant in the earthenware pot is called sweet potato. Like rice and wheat, it is a grain crop that can feed the people."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's interest waned, and his gaze towards the earthenware basin became more serious. "Sweet potatoes? I wonder what the yield of these sweet potatoes is?"
Xiao Jinhan slowly said, "According to current findings, the yield of sweet potatoes is about six times that of rice and seven times that of wheat. Moreover, the growth cycle of sweet potatoes is much shorter than that of rice and wheat, only half that of rice and wheat."
"Six times that of rice, seven times that of wheat?" The emperor's eyes widened suddenly, then he shook his head. "Minister Xiao, are you joking with me? A mu of fertile land can only yield two shi of grain at most. If sweet potatoes can produce twelve shi per mu, wouldn't they be a divine product?"
"Your Majesty, you will know once you see it that what I said is true." Xiao Jinhan stepped forward and took the ceramic basin.
Hold your palm against the bottom of the earthenware pot and gather strength, then flip the pot over.
As soon as the emperor walked around the imperial desk, he saw fist-sized red fruits falling down with a clatter. At a rough glance, there were at least thirty of them. He was startled and quickly picked one up and weighed it in his palm.
The heavy weight made even the usually composed emperor uneasy.
This one weighs about one and a half pounds, and the thirty or so on the ground weigh about fifty or sixty pounds.
Such a small earthenware pot can produce fifty or sixty catties of sweet potatoes. How much would that yield per acre?
Xiao Jinhan raised her eyes and saw the man's expression. She said gently, "Because sweet potatoes have a very short growth cycle, they can be planted twice a year, and the yield per acre can double."
Moreover, sweet potatoes have very low requirements for growing conditions. They can be planted in mountains, fields, and sandy soil. As long as there is soil, sweet potatoes can survive.
Its cooking methods are extremely simple; it can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, or grilled.
"Can it be planted twice a year?" Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes widened in surprise. One mu of land yields twelve shi of grain per year, and if it is planted twice, it yields twenty-four shi, which means that one mu of land can produce nearly three thousand jin of grain!
Three thousand catties, compared to the original yield of two hundred and forty catties per mu, is like the difference between a floating object and a large tree.
Moreover, it can be cultivated not only in fertile fields, but also in mountainous and sandy areas. Wouldn't it be possible to make flowers bloom in every corner of Yu the Great's land?
Once these sweet potatoes are planted, how could Yu the Great's millions of people worry about not having enough to eat? How could the million soldiers in the army camps worry about military rations? How could Yu the Great fear that neighboring foreign lands would cause trouble and war?
The emperor gazed at the sweet potato in his palm as if it were a priceless treasure, and finally couldn't help but shed tears.
Xiao Jinhan lowered his eyes, and the corner of his delicate mouth twitched slightly.
He didn't make a sound again, but instead stopped breathing, minimizing his presence.
For a while, the Imperial Study was so quiet that the sound of soft wiping away tears could be heard, until a high-pitched voice rang out, "Your Majesty, this is what General Zhennan asked the Imperial Kitchen to prepare for you: diced sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes, and charcoal-roasted sweet potatoes."
The emperor paused slightly as he wiped away his tears. He raised his eyes and saw three distinct dishes laid out on the imperial table.
Then came the irresistible aroma of food.
Upon hearing this, the emperor swallowed hard.
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