Chapter 790: The Household Department F4 Team [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"vomit--"
When Shen Tang arrived, Tu Rong was vomiting while hugging his warhorse's neck. However, after vomiting for a long time, he only managed to spew out a little sour saliva. His honest little face was slightly bluish, and his eye bags were obvious. Lin Feng stood beside him, patting his back and complaining.
"Is that all you've got?"
How could he look so exhausted after just a few days of not sleeping or resting?
Tu Rong took a sip of water, barely suppressing the nausea rising in his throat, and said with a wronged expression, "Junior sister, what do you mean 'that's all I'm capable of'? Your senior brother traveled tirelessly to deliver the message to Sibao, and then tirelessly brought you back. How many nights have you been working? Your senior brother has only eaten a few meals of dry rations in all these days, and I'm so hungry that I'm getting thin."
Just as Lin Feng was about to respond, he caught a glimpse of his lord approaching from afar and instantly forgot about Tu Rong.
He cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, my lord."
"No need for such formalities, Lingde. You must be tired from your long journey."
Looking at the graceful and capable Lin Feng, Shen Tang felt a surge of pride, like a daughter growing up. She took Lin Feng's hand and carefully examined her appearance. Thanks to her refined upbringing, Lin Feng was only about half a head shorter than herself.
"I'm not too tired, but my senior brother is having a hard time."
"Xianrong has worked hard too, go and rest first." Shen Tang sent Tu Rong to rest, and would assign him work again after he had rested.
Tu Rong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."
"Lingde, Yaohe, are you aware of the mission we're on?" After briefly inquiring about their condition, Shen Tang went straight to the point.
Shen Zhi and Lin Feng said in unison, "We know."
However, the former looked slightly troubled, which Shen Tang keenly noticed: "If there is any difficulty, Yao He, just say it."
Shen Zhi pursed her lips: "My lord, there is indeed a problem."
The few ears of corn that Shen Tang had Tu Rong bring back were useful for Lin Feng's scholarly approach, but when Shen Zhi wanted to change the corn's "multi-seed" characteristic, she found it impossible. This meant that the corn either had no flowers, or its flowers were not ornamental.
In other words, the naive scholar's way of "Springtime in the Garden" is ineffective, and she cannot help her lord this time.
Shen Zhi and Lin Feng had worked together a few times on the road.
At that moment, Shen Zhi knew she was useless this time. She wanted to turn back halfway, since there was no use for her on this trip, and reaching the front line would be a waste of time. However, she was there under orders and could not make decisions on her own. She could only apologize in person.
When Shen Zhi revealed the truth in frustration, Shen Tang showed no disappointment or blame, only remorse and self-reproach. She slapped her forehead repeatedly with her right hand: "This was my oversight, I was too hasty, I didn't consider that Yu Mai and your scholarly way are incompatible—"
How can this be blamed on Shen Zhi?
It was clearly a mistake in my own decision-making; I overlooked the details.
This major mishap completely disrupted Shen Tang's original plan—if Shen Zhi's scholarly way worked, she and Lin Feng could definitely produce corn that met their needs by the deadline for planting. The corn they found was very different from the corn in Shen Tang's memory. The corn in her memory could produce five or six hundred kernels on a single ear, and some could even produce seven or eight hundred.
Nowadays, a single ear of corn only has fifty or sixty grains.
The grains are shriveled, hard, small, and have low yield.
As for the taste?
Needless to say, it has nothing to do with the words "sweet and sticky".
If everything goes according to Shen Tang's plan, allowing Lin Feng and Shen Zhi to first develop high-yield, multi-seeded corn to help Yanzhou overcome this difficult period, then after this year, they can gradually work on improving seed characteristics such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and low-temperature resistance...
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.
I can't even take the first step!
Without Shen Zhi's help, Lin Feng would have to rely solely on himself to iterate and select the best corn, which would undoubtedly slow down the overall process considerably. Whether the goal could be achieved within the deadline was also uncertain. Shen Tang scratched his head in worry.
If only there were two Lin Fengs...
The thought had barely formed in her mind when a sudden inspiration struck her.
"Someone, summon Gongyi immediately!"
Luan Xin's way of the scholar is a complete bug!
If he were to replicate Lin Feng's scholarly ways, wouldn't the efficiency be greatly improved with the two of them working together? Shen Zhi, familiar with the selection and training work of the Household Affairs Bureau, would undoubtedly be the best candidate to assist him. The more Shen Tang thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, and his little brain started working at lightning speed.
"Wait, call Shanxiao over too!"
Extremely urgent!
The two people who were named rushed over immediately.
When Luan Xin heard that Lin Feng and Shen Zhi had arrived, he guessed why his lord had summoned him, but Cui Xiao, as a newcomer, was completely clueless. In fact, Luan Xin was quite puzzled when he learned that Cui Xiao was also among them. Could Cui Xiao's scholarly ways be of any help?
"Does justice know why our lord has summoned us?"
Luan Xin said, "It's probably for the sake of corn."
Cui Xiao paused in fanning himself: "Yu Mai?"
What does this have to do with me?
The answer will be revealed soon.
"These formalities can be set aside for now. I've summoned you here for something very important." Shen Tangpan and the other woman had been waiting with wide eyes. Before they could even bow to her, she interrupted them and presented them with a string of jade wheat.
Time is of the essence, so let's keep it brief.
Shen Tang: "Gongyi, hand over the matters at hand to others for now. Focus on using the [Essential Techniques for the Common People] to cultivate high-quality corn seeds with Lingde. This concerns this year's autumn harvest in Yanzhou and the lives of millions of ordinary people!"
She did not reveal Luan Xin's secrets of the scholar's way in public, but only told him to use the "Essential Techniques for the Common People," which Luan Xin understood.
Only Cui Xiao remained bewildered.
He vaguely guessed that the lord had gathered them here for the so-called "jade wheat," which needed to be planted before the deadline. It could be harvested in March or April, just in time for the autumn harvest. If the yield was astonishing, it could successfully curb the famine.
Even if he lacked confidence in the strange plant before him, his understanding of Shen Tang was certainly reliable. Moreover, Cui Xiao knew the horrific scenes that a widespread famine would create. So—how could he possibly help with something so crucial?
Cui Xiao carefully examined his own abilities.
The conclusion was that he couldn't be of any help.
Cui Xiao was knowledgeable about six out of seven things about farming, but completely clueless about the other one.
Unexpectedly, his lord always manages to give him a big surprise!
She grasped Cui Xiao's hand as if grasping at a fragile hope, her gaze burning so intensely it almost scalded him: "My lord?"
"Shanxiao, in principle, this matter should be resolved naturally, openly and honestly, with both parties being willing..."
Cui Xiao's smile seemed somewhat forced.
"Please speak freely, my lord."
Just don't say things that could be misunderstood.
Shen Tang then said, "There is something I need to apologize to Shanxiao for. I am actually aware of your scholarly ways."
Cui Xiaobo's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously tried to pull his hand back, but he misjudged Shen Tang's strength and the hand remained completely still.
Shen Tang said, "Shanxiao, don't be nervous. I only learned about the drawbacks of your scholar's way later. Actually, it's not a big problem, really not a big problem. Go out and take a walk, ask other people about their scholar's way. Aren't they all like soul-snatching knives and death-reaping ghosts? Ever since they came along, the King of Hell has been stationed at my door! I'm only alive now because of my strong destiny! So, you don't need to panic!"
If she were to die from this curse, her head might not even belong to Choi Hyo.
If it weren't for this trouble, Shen Tang wouldn't have wanted to expose this. She was patient enough to wait for Cui Xiao to come and confess to her himself.
Cui Xiao: "...How much does our lord know?"
Shen Tang's main point was sincerity: "I know everything."
Cui Xiao: "..."
Shen Tang asked, "Are you sure it's 'ignoring'?"
Cui Xiao, in a fit of despair, replied, "Yes."
Shen Tang slapped his thigh and laughed heartily under Cui Xiao's complicated gaze: "Shanxiao, that's fantastic! Could you make the scholar's way applied to this string of corn? To be more specific, make this string of grains ignore the inheritance of inferior genes?"
Chen Zhi's "Springtime in the Garden" technique allows ornamental flowering plants to be improved according to her wishes, so Cui Xiao's scholarly approach of "ignoring everything" can achieve a similar effect. Simply ignore unwanted plant characteristics, right?
Cui Xiao: "???"
Luan Xin and the others were also completely confused.
Suppressing his excitement, Shen Tang gestured wildly to the group, explaining his intentions until his throat was dry.
After a long while, she gulped down the large bowl of water.
He asked the group, "Did you understand?"
Cui Xiao's expression was so complex that Shen Tang could hardly discern it, but none of that mattered. What mattered was that after a struggle between his conscience and his own, Cui Xiao slowly nodded under Shen Tang's expectant gaze: "Since my lord trusts me so much, I—am willing to give it a try."
He said it like that, but he had no confidence at all.
How could he not know that his scholarly way could be used in this way? How did his lord come up with this idea? Why was his lord better at developing the uses of the scholarly way than he was? Cui Xiao felt that something was inexplicably wrong…
Shen Tang patted his shoulder: "Shanxiao, don't be too nervous. I'm just giving you this suggestion. Although it's theoretically feasible, the actual implementation depends on the real situation. It's okay if it fails."
Although his lord said it didn't matter if they failed, Shanxiao knew that this matter was of great importance, concerning the lives of millions of ordinary people.
Privately, Luan Xin did not quite agree with this.
He said, "My lord is too reckless."
Shen Tang asked him, "Why?"
Luan Xin said, “Although Cui Shanxio has submitted to our lord, he is not completely loyal and still harbors some wariness. He has never revealed his literary skills under Wu Xian for so many years, which shows how wary he is. Now that our lord has suddenly brought this up, we don’t know what he is thinking. However, for the sake of his literary skills, I can use them privately without affecting the overall situation.”
Even when you break the ice, you need to choose the right time.
Shen Tang sighed, “How could I not know? It’s just that simply copying and using Lingde’s ‘Essential Techniques for the Common People’ is already a heavy burden for you. If you add Shanxiao’s ‘ignorance’ to it, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it. Actually, it’s better to be frank. Shanxiao chose me on his own initiative. He must have done a thorough investigation and understanding before coming to me. He wouldn’t refuse to give me this much trust.”
Luan Xin felt comforted upon hearing this.
Shen Tang continued, "Besides, what's the big deal if you have too many lice? I don't care about the side effects of being a virtuous and filial scholar."
Those with a strong destiny according to the Eight Characters of Birth have no taboos!
Luan Xin: "..."
My lord, isn't this what you call "throwing all the baby out with the bathwater"?
He sighed and took the initiative to get close to Cui Xiao, "casually" pulling down the underwear of the other people under Shen Tang's command.
Lord Ke, they are all professionals.
Cui Xiao: "..."
Oh right, he almost forgot that Qi Shan, Qin Gongsu's long-time enemy, was also under his lord's command.
Who is Qi Yuanliang?
His wicked schemes led to the downfall of seven rulers in succession.
A lord who can't be killed by such a scourge of humanity and can still sincerely accept him certainly won't care about this little side effect.
After Luan Xin's words of encouragement, Cui Xiao calmed down.
However, he really didn't understand farming, and the scholarly knowledge he used to possess seemed newly acquired and difficult to apply. But a clever man is a clever man after all. After a few failures, he got a general idea of what was going on and soon achieved success.
Shen Tang was overjoyed upon hearing the news!
"It actually works!"
Cui Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "Congratulations, my lord."
If it weren't for his lord, he wouldn't have known that his scholarly ways could be used in this way; it truly broadened his horizons. It was also through working with Lin Feng and the others that Cui Xiaocai understood the source of his lord's confidence in solving the famine, and also uncovered the secret to the bountiful harvests wherever his lord went! With seeds and good weather, it would be strange if there wasn't a good harvest. The common people living under his lord's rule are truly blessed.
Before Cui Xiao got the hang of it, Shen Zhi could help out. As their division of labor became more reasonable and their cooperation became more seamless, the number of grains on a corn cob gradually increased, and the grains changed from shriveled to plump. Shen Zhi then had some free time. Her daily work consisted only of recording the growth and harvest of each generation of corn, and archiving and preserving each generation of grains for future reference.
Once the busy work is over, I'll have some free time.
This guy gets into trouble whenever he has free time.
Chen Zhi was used to the leisurely life in Sibao County. After her shift, she liked to stroll around and relax, eat and drink her fill, then go home to play with her daughter, talk to the maids and wet nurses about the child's day, and then wash up and go to bed. Chaoli Pass was bitterly cold, and obviously did not have such bourgeois conditions.
Even the lord prefers to go to the temporary logistics canteen, so it's not appropriate for Chen Zhi to have special meals prepared for him or have them deliver food to him.
We arrived a bit early that day, and there weren't many people.
Chen Zhi took the food, got some soup, and found a corner to sit down.
Before I even picked up my chopsticks, I heard a hesitant call.
"Ah, A-Zhi? You are A-Zhi?"
Chen Zhi hadn't heard anyone call her that in a long time, so she didn't react for a moment. She looked up and met a pair of eyes.
Emmm...does this look familiar?
When the other person saw Chen Zhi's face clearly, there was joy and hesitation in his eyes. After a while, he asked again, "Are you called Chen Zhi?"
Shen Zhi asked calmly, "Who are you?"
The other person's expression turned strange for a moment: "You've forgotten me?"
Chen Zhi tilted her head, looking at the dark-skinned, slender man before her, trying hard to recall who he was. The more she looked, the more familiar his features seemed. If only that thin face were a little fuller, his skin a little fairer, his eyes a little bigger…
Slowly, a long-forgotten name emerged.
Chen Zhi: "..."
The man was accompanied by two friends.
The two women were a few years older than the man.
Whispering: "...Do you know her?"
The man said in a low voice, "It's a girl from the Shen family."
The two looked at the man, then at Shen Zhi: "A girl from the Shen family? Which Shen family? Could it be the Shen family's daughter...?"
The man said, "No, no."
It's just a coincidence that the two of them share the same surname, Shen.
He never expected to see Shen Zhi here, especially since her father had pushed her out to be made a princess and sent to marry into the Ten Crows. He had heard that the Ten Crows were in turmoil and engulfed in war, and he wondered how a woman like her had survived and ended up here.
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(End of this chapter)
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