No wonder, no wonder the Second Prince dared to act this way.
She seemed to understand the Second Prince's plan. Consort Liang and the First Prince conspired to poison and frame the Emperor. As long as the Second Prince found the right moment to expose this, the Emperor, whose health was already failing, would be greatly affected by such news and might even collapse. At that time, the palace would definitely be in chaos.
At this point, the second prince could seize the opportunity to launch a rebellion, storm the palace while everyone was off guard, and take the throne. However, the throne he seized would inevitably be illegitimate and subject to criticism. But if he introduced measures that would benefit the people and strengthen the country after taking the throne, he could change the tide and gain the support of the people and the court.
Thinking of this, Song Anxin returned to the courtyard where she had started. Instead of going back to her room, she sat in the courtyard, looking at the surrounding mountains and dense forests. There were also guards patrolling back and forth outside. It was impossible for her to escape on her own. How could she let the news of her being here get out?
Suddenly she caught sight of a vegetable delivery truck heading into the kitchen, and an idea immediately came to her.
"You call this sweet potato? The yield is at least 5,000 catties per mu, and the highest yield can reach 10,000 catties per mu. It can also be used as a staple food?!"
The second prince looked at the object on the drawing paper in his hand, which was pointed at both ends and round in the middle. His eyes showed confusion, shock, and a hint of excitement upon closer inspection.
“Yes,” Song Anxin replied. “You know about the potatoes I found, right? These are even more filling than potatoes, and they can be produced in much larger quantities. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine.”
The second prince looked at the woman before him. Her face was calm and her eyes were serene. He knew that this virtuous woman had not lied to him.
He then laughed heartily, "Hui Shuren, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly, "However, even if what you say is true, the land is so vast, and we don't know when we'll be able to find sweet potatoes. I don't like things that are uncertain. I hope Hui Shuren can think of something that can produce immediate results, something that can benefit the people like sweet potatoes, and something that will amaze the officials in the court like gunpowder."
Song Anxin: "......"
This kid is shrewd; it seems we can't hold him off.
She said, "I know, I'm not some kind of genius who can come up with something so amazing right away. You go find the sweet potato first."
She should delay as long as possible; her immediate priority is to reveal her whereabouts here.
The second prince acted swiftly, and within two days he brought Song Anxin a cartload of something that looked like a sweet potato.
Song Anxin carefully examined the unidentified crops on the truck, but none of them turned out to be real sweet potatoes.
However, she still had to make it look real, so she said, "Bring me a small knife. This looks somewhat similar. Let me cut it open and take a look."
Immediately, a servant presented a small dagger.
Song Anxin sliced one after another, sighing and shaking his head with each slice.
"Aren't these the case? Could you please elaborate, Madam Hui, so that I can search more comprehensively?"
The one who said this was Steward Xu, whom the Second Prince had sent to be in charge of the search for sweet potatoes.
Song Anxin concealed the dagger beneath her wide sleeves, leaning against the carriage as she spoke to Steward Xu: "The skin of sweet potatoes is purplish-red or pale yellow, and the surface is rather rough with bumps. Some even have a white, milky sap oozing out..."
Manager Xu and the others listened attentively, carefully memorizing every word Song Anxin said, completely unaware of Song Anxin's subtle actions.
Here in Kyoto.
Yan Shuping was listening to the news reported by the undercover agents below.
"The First Prince went to Consort Liang's place in the palace as usual today. The First Prince and his cronies are all acting normally. As for the Second Prince, he still returns to his residence after court every day, and there is nothing unusual about him."
Yan Shuping rubbed his temples. His eyes were bloodshot, and stubble had appeared on his jawline. His robes were wrinkled, and his face no longer had the calm and composed look it had before.
In the past few days, he led his soldiers to search every possible place inside and outside the capital, and also checked the people around the eldest and second princes, but still found no trace of Hui Shuren.
He waved his hand, his voice a little hoarse: "Continue to keep a close watch on them."
"Yes!" The spy replied and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
"Is there anything else?" Yan Shuping asked.
"Yes, Master." The spy voiced his doubts. "The people secretly monitoring the Second Prince say that after each court session, he goes to a teahouse to listen to storytelling or opera before returning home, and he does this every day. I think the Second Prince is being a bit too normal."
"Have you investigated this teahouse?" Lin Fenghe asked from the side.
He had been following General Yan to find his mother for several days in a row, and his complexion was not good, with some faint dark circles under his handsome eyes.
“We’ve already checked; it’s just an ordinary teahouse,” the guard replied.
Yan Shuping immediately stood up. "Let's go, Fenghe, let's go check out that teahouse."
Lin Fenghe nodded; they couldn't let any unusual occurrence go unnoticed.
As soon as the two went out, they encountered Yan Ping'er and Song Anbang, who had returned with their troops after the search. Upon hearing the news, the two also expressed their willingness to go with them.
The group arrived at the teahouse but did not bring any soldiers to search it. Since the scouts said that everything was normal inside, they figured that even if they brought soldiers to search, they wouldn't find anything.
If anything seems amiss, it might alert the enemy.
This teahouse has two floors and is shaped like a well. Three sides are occupied by tea drinkers, and the middle is a stage where operas can be performed. However, there is no opera today, but a storyteller is sitting there telling stories.
Yan Shuping and his three companions went up to a private room on the second floor. The room had a large window facing inwards, which was prepared for distinguished guests to watch plays and listen to storytelling. It also offered a panoramic view of the entire first-floor hall.
As soon as they entered the private room, they split up. Yan Ping'er and Lin Fenghe went out to investigate. Yan Shuping and Song Anbang, one a general and the other this year's third-place scholar, were too conspicuous, so they stayed inside to check the situation in the lobby on the first floor.
Yan Ping'er and Lin Fenghe secretly found their way to the backyard of the teahouse, where they saw the teahouse owner and a middle-aged man walking in through the back gate. Behind them was a carriage pulled by people, carrying various strange fruit-like things.
The two immediately crouched down and hid under a thatched shed on one side of the yard.
"Do you think we can find those sweet potatoes this time? We've already sent several cartloads, and I've searched everywhere in and around Kyoto. If we keep looking, I'll really have to leave Kyoto. This job is really not easy. It's hard to find them anywhere in the country. I don't know why my master gave me this task. Sigh."
The middle-aged man complained somewhat; this man was none other than Manager Xu.
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