Chapter 102 The Grand Plan of Farming
After bringing back the wooden box full of "clods of earth" from Wolong Mountain, Jiang Mianmian's condition changed.
She is no longer the lazy princess who only wanted to lie on the beanbag chair and eat snacks all day, but has transformed into... a "treasure-protecting maniac".
She moved the wooden box into the warm pavilion in the main courtyard, and even Shen Jin had to wash his hands before he could touch it.
"Don't touch it! That's a bud! Can you afford to pay for it if you break it?"
"Ouch, be gentle! This is the hope for Daqian's future! He's my cash cow!"
Shen Jin looked at the woman who was completely absorbed in a pile of rotten potatoes and shook his head helplessly.
Although he trusted her judgment, but... is this thing really edible? And can it really yield a thousand catties per mu?
To verify this "miracle," Shen Jin specially approved a piece of the most fertile imperial estate in the suburbs of Beijing and assigned several of the most senior agricultural officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to be at the princess's beck and call.
...
Huangzhuang, a suburb of Beijing, is an experimental field.
Today the sun is shining brightly, which is the perfect time for spring plowing.
Several elderly agricultural officials with gray beards stood around the potatoes and sweet potatoes, looking worried and sighing.
"This is the treasure of the previous dynasty?"
"Aren't these just a few moldy clods of earth? The princess says they're edible? And that we should plant them?"
"Ridiculous! Utterly absurd! If this thing could grow grain, I'd eat this hoe!"
Just as they were whispering to each other, Jiang Mianmian, dressed in shorts and a blue headscarf, walked over menacingly, carrying a gleaming kitchen knife.
"Get out of the way! Don't block the light!"
Jiang Mianmian carefully placed the potatoes on the cutting board, her eyes focused as if she were performing a delicate operation.
【Don't be afraid, my darlings, I'll make you a 'clone spell' right now.】
[That one cut costs a hundred million!]
She picked up the cleaver and, without hesitation, chopped down one of the sprouted potatoes.
"Crack!"
The potato was cut in half.
"Ouch!"
The old farmer official beside him let out a scream, as if the knife had cut him instead. "Your Highness! You mustn't! This is...this is a seed! If you cut it to pieces, how can it live? It will die!"
"Yes, Your Highness! How can you plant seeds by cutting them into pieces? This is destroying a gift from the Emperor!"
The crowd was heartbroken, some even kneeling down to beg her to stop. In their minds, the seed had to be whole; cutting it up was a terrible waste!
Jiang Mianmian rolled her eyes, holding a knife in her hand.
[A bunch of country bumpkins.]
Never heard of tuber reproduction? Never heard of asexual reproduction?
[These potatoes will grow even if you cut them into eight pieces, as long as they have sprouts! How can I plant them if I don't cut them? There are only a few of them; if I don't cut them, how long will it take to plant this acre of land?]
"Shut up!"
Jiang Mianmian held up the chopped potato chunks and pointed to the small holes on them, "See this? This is called a bud! It's its lifeblood! As long as you leave this part and bury it in the soil, it will grow a bunch of new potato babies!"
"This is science! Do you understand?"
The old agricultural officials looked at each other in bewilderment: "Science...science? Which great Confucian scholar is it?"
Shen Jin stood on the edge of the field, dressed in casual clothes, with his hands behind his back.
Although he didn't understand what a "bud eye" was, he could hear the confidence in Jiang Mianmian's heart.
That confidence wasn't blind arrogance, but rather based on some kind of knowledge that he couldn't understand but was absolutely true...
"Do as the princess says."
Shen Jin spoke, his voice not loud, but with absolute authority, "Anyone who dares to say another word can go to the side and pick up manure."
The agricultural officials immediately fell silent. Carrying manure? They'd better keep quiet then.
Jiang Mianmian gave Shen Jin a grateful look.
My husband is still the best!
Now, the moment of truth is about to arrive!
She directed everyone to mix the chopped potato chunks with wood ash, and then bury them in the prepared furrows at specific intervals.
Next up are sweet potatoes.
This is more complicated; you need to cultivate seedlings first, and then cut the vines and propagate them by cutting.
When Jiang Mianmian buried the sweet potatoes in the warm bed and told everyone, "When the vines grow, we need to cut them off and put them back in the soil," the old agricultural officials were already numb.
shear?
That means you're killing the seedlings, isn't it?
But the princess seemed so confident, and with the regent backing them up, they could only do as she said with tears in their eyes, while silently mourning the ruined fertile land.
I've been busy all day.
Jiang Mianmian was so tired that her back ached, her hands were covered in mud, and her face was covered in mud.
But looking at the rows of land where hope was planted, she smiled more happily than anyone else.
【Done!】
[Next comes watering, fertilizing, and waiting for it to sprout.]
Based on the seed activity of the seeds produced in this space, they should sprout in three days and be ready for harvest in three months!
[Hehe, I'm going to treat everyone in Beijing to French fries! I'm going to open a huge McDonald's chain!]
Shen Jin walked over and took out a handkerchief to wipe her face.
“Your Highness,” Shen Jin looked at the barren land, “this thing…can it really yield a thousand catties per mu?”
"Absolutely!"
Jiang Mianmian confidently declared, "Not only is the yield high, but it's also very filling! You'll see when the time comes; it's practically the biggest cheat code left behind by that former crown prince!"
"Cheat code?" Shen Jin heard a new term again.
"It's... a magical treasure bestowed by the gods!" Jiang Mianmian made up a story.
"good."
Shen Jin grasped her dirty hand. "Then I'll wait to eat your... French fries."
Although he didn't know what fries were, he would dare to try anything she grew, even if it was poisonous.
...
Days passed by.
The experimental field in Huangzhuang became a laughing stock in the entire capital.
I heard that the Regent's wife ruined perfectly good land and planted some chopped rotten twigs and withered branches. Everyone says the princess has gone mad, and some even say she's possessed.
Some officials even began writing memorials impeaching the princess for "ruining agriculture and failing to uphold the virtues of womanhood."
Jiang Mianmian turned a deaf ear to this and went to Huangzhuang every day without fail, serving the land as if it were her ancestors.
It wasn't until half a month later.
After a spring rain.
Suddenly, tender green shoots sprouted from the once bare furrows.
The potato seedlings are strong and cute, while the sweet potato vines are growing wildly, a lush green expanse full of vitality.
"It's growing! It's really growing!"
The old agricultural official who had previously been so desperate was now kneeling on the ground, holding a sweet potato vine, tears streaming down his face. "This...this growth is even more vigorous than weeds! I've farmed all my life and have never seen such a robust crop!"
"It survived being chopped up? That's a miracle!"
Jiang Mianmian stood at the edge of the field, looking at the sea of green, hands on her hips, and burst into three loud laughs:
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"See that? This is what they call—knowledge changes destiny!"
Tremble, you foolish ancients!
[Once this stuff matures, I'm going to smash those sarcastic officials with potatoes!]
Shen Jin stood behind her, looking at the lush green field, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.
Although no results have been achieved yet, this vigorous vitality is truly extraordinary.
Maybe……
Her statement that "there will be no more famine" was not just empty talk.
"princess."
Shen Jin stepped forward, hugged her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It seems your 'farming plan' has succeeded."
"Of course!"
Jiang Mianmian turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a muddy mark. "Don't you even know who planted this!"
"Since it's done..."
Shen Jin pointed to a vacant lot next to him, "Shouldn't we consider planting something else?"
"What to plant? Corn? Chili peppers?" Jiang Mianmian asked.
"kind……"
His calm gaze became somewhat meaningful, and he gently placed his palm on her lower abdomen.
"To cultivate...a true heir?"
Jiang Mianmian blushed.
【rogue! 】
[Driving in the fields in broad daylight!]
However… considering how well the potatoes are growing… it might not be a bad idea?
A spring breeze blows, and green waves roll.
On this hopeful field, a food revolution aimed at building a better future has quietly taken root. Meanwhile, the Regent's Palace's "human creation plan" seems to be on the agenda as well.
However, what Jiang Mianmian didn't know was...
Although the news of this high-yield crop was kept secret, nothing stays hidden forever.
The rats hiding in the dark corners had already smelled the "fragrance" that was enough to change the world's landscape.
Farming?
It might not be that easy.
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