"Get up! Aren't you all supposed to stay out of the courtyard? Why are you here today, all of you, at Guanhe Pavilion?"
“My injuries have healed. Seeing that Sister Borjigit was bored, I suggested we go for a walk. As we walked, I noticed that the rice harvest was finished. Are we preparing to return to the capital?” Wanyi asked in confusion.
"Not so fast, we need to plant more rice before we go back."
"Fortunately, I haven't even gone to the horse farm yet, and I have to go back soon. I'll feel uneasy about that."
Because Consort Borjigit was used to being wild with Consort Wan, she did not notice that Emperor Kangxi's expression was solemn.
"Sister Borjigit has been taking care of me, and I must be so bored. Now that Your Majesty has come, why don't you give a few people and an acre of land to me and Sister Borjigit, so that we can do our part for the people?" Wanyi quickly interrupted Consort Borjigit, who was about to say something.
"This is a matter of great importance to the people's livelihood, and we cannot tolerate your nonsense."
Kangxi spoke with displeasure, and even picked up the tea on the table and took a couple of sips, but Wanyi could tell that Kangxi was not angry.
"Your Majesty, I've heard that only two-thirds of the rice paddies are used in the second half of the year, just to spread the rice evenly. What if I accidentally grow a new variety?"
Wanyi spoke half-jokingly and half-coquettishly, and the concubine Borjigit, thinking it was something amusing, chimed in to help.
"Yes! Your Majesty, it's just sitting there anyway. When Sister Wanyi grows something good, we can't let her steal the credit. This humble servant should also get a share." She wanted the good stuff too; Wanyi said that anything good would never be bad.
"Alright! Wei Jia's wife, arrange some manpower and an acre of land for the two young masters. I'd like to see what kind of mess you two can make."
Emperor Kangxi's lips twitched as he looked at the two enthusiastic concubines, unable to refuse them.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. With Sister Wanyi here, everything is within our grasp." Consort Borjigit subtly praised Wanyi.
"This humble servant only wanted to experience it; I know nothing about farming." Borjigit Guozhen, thank you!
"Here, those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who do not will be punished. So if your acre of land does not yield three bushels of grain, I will punish you!"
"Then, may I leave? I have no heart for myself, hehe."
When Consort Borjigit saw that both Emperor Kangxi and Consort Wanyi were looking at her, she added the last sentence, feeling embarrassed.
“Your Majesty, I am here to experience the lives of ordinary people. I cannot punish you too severely, otherwise who will dare to work hard for you!” Wanyi broke the awkwardness created by the concubine of Borjigit.
Since the incident at Guanhe Pavilion, in order to avoid punishment, Wanyi and Consort Borjigit have been going to the one mu of land they were allocated every day, and they have even stopped going to the horse farm.
Will this work?
Wanyi ordered people to spread the harvested rice straw in the field and burn it, and then spread another layer for people to step on. This action made the concubine Borjigit ask her questions with some doubt.
"I don't know."
When Wanyi saw the Borjigit concubine, who was as curious as a baby, she was driven crazy by her. She had a million questions about everything the concubine did.
"Sister Wanyi, why do you always say you don't know when I ask you anything? Then why did you do so much foreshadowing?"
She was worried about what would happen if the Emperor grew tired of them. Although the Emperor sometimes summoned Wanyi to serve him in bed, his word was law. If he didn't have three bushels of grain, he would be punished. If the Emperor was in a bad mood, that would be a sure way of being rejected. She didn't really care.
"Didn't you hear what the experienced servants said a couple of days ago? Isn't doing these things the same thing now?" Wanyi said without even looking up.
"Isn't that for growing peanuts? You're growing rice!" Wanyi's words only made her more agitated; this was utter nonsense.
"Okay, same here, same here."
Wan Yi gave a perfunctory answer. Did she mean she had a cheat code, that she could just soak the rice seeds in the spiritual spring?
"You're hopeless. Forget it, I'd better go to the horse farm to relax!" Consort Borjigit gave up and said, "Whatever."
"Okay, go ahead! Be careful, we'll have dinner together when you get back."
"Understood," Consort Borjigit replied, then skipped away.
"Consort Suozhuolun, the paddy fields have been prepared. Is it necessary to sow the rice seeds so soon?" Not long after Consort Borjigit left, a farm servant came carrying a winnowing basket of rice seeds.
"No need, give this rice seed to the original owner first. It was just lit a short while ago, it needs to settle for two days."
In the past two days, Wanyi has learned about their rice planting process, which is very simple. First, the field is plowed, then the rice is planted, and then when the rice grows bigger, the dense rice is separated and planted in other places where there is no rice. Moreover, they only plant one type of rice, and now they are also trying two types of rice, but the harvest in the second half of the year is not good.
“Yes, then this servant will take his leave.” Hongxiu took the winnowing basket from his hand.
"Go!" Wanyi waved her hand, signaling him to leave.
"Let's go! Let's go back too!"
These past few days, Wanyi has been adjusting some of the rice seeds soaked in spiritual spring water, and also using ordinary water to soak them to achieve the same growth rate as ordinary water in the outside world. Don't ask her how she knows these things; she also went to summer camp in modern times, so she has some understanding of rice.
Yonghe Palace
"Your Highness, Consort Zhang of Yanxi Palace seems to be pregnant. She hasn't changed her clothes this month." Gu Cui found out by chance, but Consort Zhang had a miscarriage once, and her menstrual cycle was irregular.
"Is this confirmed?"
"Probably! But Consort Zhang's menstrual cycles aren't very accurate." Gu Cui wasn't entirely sure either.
"Let's investigate first. If there's something, then when Lady Suo Zhuolun returns, I'll give her a big gift." Consort Wuya plotted in her mind, and a plan slowly took shape.
By the time the rice paddies were planted, it was already the end of June. Kangxi ordered a return to the capital. Upon arriving in the capital, Wanyi first went to Yongshou Palace for a good bath, and then had a long sleep.
"Your Highness, news has spread from Yanxi Palace that Consort Zhang is pregnant, and she is already three months along." Hongxiu immediately informed Wanyi upon hearing the news.
"Send something that's not easy to tamper with, and I won't go."
Wanyi continued eating her breakfast, knowing that Consort Zhang's pregnancy was doomed to fail.
"Alright, I'll go to the storeroom and pick out some things."
Yanxi Palace
"How is Physician He?"
Consort Zhang didn't initially act this way. She only discovered she was pregnant when her period hadn't started in the second month. After that, she tried to hide it, but when she learned that Emperor Kangxi had returned, she casually made up an excuse to reveal it.
"Your Highness is a little weak. You didn't fully recover from your previous miscarriage, and now that you're pregnant again, even though you're past the first trimester, you still need to be careful." Doctor He put the small pillow away.
"Then I'll trouble Physician He to prescribe some medicine to prevent miscarriage."
Consort Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that something might go wrong with the child. She had previously suffered an accidental miscarriage, and she was determined to protect this pregnancy.
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