Today is a good day. Don’t ask why. The answer is what the national master said.
Today we are going to collect auspicious signs, and the scene is quite grand. It is no exaggeration to say that there are loud drums and gongs and firecrackers.
People from the Jade Buddha Temple, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a group of dignitaries, their children, and their servants stood in the fields, ready for battle.
After lighting incense for Shennong and completing the entire process, Lu Chen waved his hand and said, "Begin!"
Looking at the pumpkins all over the ground, Lu Chen felt a little excited.
In fact, the pumpkins here should have been harvested a long time ago, but they were delayed because of too many things.
But good things come to those who wait, and it’s not too late to harvest them now.
These huge golden pumpkins make people feel festive just by looking at them.
Compared with sweet potatoes and potatoes, the advantages of harvesting pumpkins are obvious. They are not buried in the soil, so harvesting them is not difficult.
The key is to keep it free from dirt, which makes it easier to estimate the yield per acre.
But after giving the order, Lu Chen found that everyone was looking at him and had no intention of taking action.
Lu Chen frowned and wondered what was going on.
At this time, Mou Ping came up to him very flatteringly and said, "Master Imperial Master, since this is the auspicious sign you have obtained, then you must harvest it yourself first. You can also set an example for us and let us see how to harvest an auspicious sign."
Everyone nodded, thinking that this was true. This was something from the immortals, and they couldn't just take it away casually.
I heard that ginseng needs to be wrapped in red cloth. I don’t know if these auspicious signs have such requirements.
Lu Chen's mouth twitched twice, and he thought to himself, it's just picking pumpkins, how complicated can it be?
Without saying a word, he walked up and grabbed the pumpkin's stem, and with a very rough swing, the pumpkin was broken off.
Lu Chen tossed the fist-sized pumpkin to Mou Ping and said, "Throw it into the basket. We'll collect it like this. You can break it directly or use scissors. This way it will be more efficient."
Since Lu Chen had set an example for them, everyone started to work. The ten acres of land in front of them was their task today.
Looking at the bustling scene, many dignitaries stood on the ground and whispered to each other.
"Brother Nian, do you think this is reliable? Is it really an auspicious sign? Could it be fake? It's not that I don't trust the Imperial Master, but there have been so many auspicious signs reported from local authorities in the past few years that none of them are reliable."
"I think there's no problem. The Imperial Master isn't the type to rely on auspicious signs to attract attention, and this matter has been delayed for a long time."
"That's right. With the current status and level of the Imperial Master, he no longer needs to rely on auspicious signs to win the trust of His Majesty."
"Yes, and we are among those who are collecting the auspicious signs this time. We will know whether it is true or not after we see it. They dare to display their carriages and horses so openly, so they must be sure of it!"
Just as this group of people were chatting, the prefect of the capital city came running over with his men.
As soon as he arrived, he quickly moved closer to Lu Chen and said, "Master Imperial Master, why didn't you inform me of such a grand event? I'm late. I'll send someone to help!"
It is not easy to be an official in the capital, especially to be an official who manages local affairs in the capital.
In a place like this, if you pull out a person, there must be certain connections behind him. Anyone who can sit in the position of the chief official in the capital must be very capable.
This Zhang Fuyin had been keeping an eye on these experimental fields for a long time. When others were still doubting whether there was really an auspicious sign, Zhang Fuyin had already regarded it as his own political achievement, a sure thing.
Others did not believe Lu Chen, but he did, because he had had people keeping an eye on the experimental fields during this period of time, and they often reported to him on the growth of Xiangrui.
As time went on, he became more and more certain that there was nothing fishy about it.
"I originally thought I would first come up with a result, and then ask Zhang Fuyin to report it to me, but I didn't expect you to come."
"Master, this is really too formal. For such a grand occasion, of course we have to participate from the beginning!"
Lu Chen and his companions didn't have to stand in the fields all the time. Soon someone set up a shed and invited these dignitaries to go in and rest.
By around three o'clock in the afternoon, all ten acres of land were finally harvested.
Looking at the pumpkins piled up in the distance, many people were silent even when sitting in the arbour.
Although the total data has not yet been counted, everyone has a rough idea in mind.
Because every family has servants downstairs, they would occasionally come up to report some data, and at this moment everyone's face was a little flushed.
Everyone realized that they were not just here to watch the fun today, they might very well witness a miracle!
It felt like there was a nail sitting under Zhang Fuyin's butt. He kept twisting his body and stretching his neck as hard as he could, wishing he could pounce on them and count them himself.
Seeing this, Lu Chen chuckled and said, "Prefect Zhang, please be patient. The accountants at the Chinese Academy of Sciences are currently doing the statistics."
Not only were the accountants from the Chinese Academy of Sciences doing the counting, but when half of the things had been received, everyone realized that something was wrong, so they dragged their own accountants over as well. Now it's almost turning into a business exchange meeting for the accountants in Beijing.
Zhang Fuyin smiled awkwardly and said, "Excuse me, Master Imperial Master, but I really need to practice my Qi cultivation skills more."
Not long after, the accountants finally came up with an exact figure, and someone from the Chinese Academy of Sciences came to Lu Chen holding a booklet.
Lu Chen shook his head and said to Zhang Fuyin beside him: "Master Zhang, you should come."
With an excited heart and trembling hands, even when he first entered the bridal chamber, Zhang Fuyin was not as excited as he is now.
He said that this was inappropriate, but his hand was already on the notebook.
When he opened the cover and saw the number on it, his eyes almost popped out.
"Fifty...fifty-nine stones!?"
Bang, crash, ah!
The dignitaries who were waiting for the result with their ears perked up suddenly changed their expressions and dropped the teacups in their hands to the ground.
Fifty-nine koku! Converted to kilograms, that's 3,500 kilograms!
What does it mean that one acre of land can produce 3,500 kilograms?! It's simply incredible!
You should know that the rice yield is about 400-1000 kilograms per mu of land, and the wheat yield is about 700-1000 kilograms per mu of land.
3,500 kilograms, this is simply crushing!
This is a fucking auspicious sign, a definite auspicious sign. If this thing can be promoted, it will definitely save a lot of people.
When the nobles thought of their own fields, their hearts were filled with excitement. What a great opportunity to make a fortune! They must seize it before pumpkins become popular!
However, before everyone could celebrate, Lu Chen's words completely shut down their brains.
"Are you only harvesting pumpkins? You can eat the leaves, too! You have to include that in your production too!"
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