Guan Zhiyue sneezed several times in a row while she was in the cold palace.
I wondered who was talking about me behind my back this time.
When Li Qishang arrived, he still climbed over the wall to enter the Cold Palace. Guan Zhiyue stood in the courtyard and looked at Li Qishang as he came down from the wall, saying, "Why did you climb over the wall again? Didn't your brother agree?"
"They should agree by now!" Li Qishang said after landing.
Shang Yao followed closely behind, climbing over the wall and entering. Seeing the two standing in the courtyard, she scratched her head, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and called out to Guan Zhiyue, "Your Majesty~"
Guan Zhiyue looked at the two of them and then said, "So, you didn't open the door for me?"
Li Qishang laughed and said, "No way, don't talk nonsense! They told the Emperor brother the whole story, your back mountain had a bumper harvest."
Guan Zhiyue: "......" I'll worship your ancestors!
Just as Guan Zhiyue was about to find a broom to beat Li Qishang to death, the sound of a lock being opened came from the doorway.
“Sister-in-law, listen, listen! Someone is unlocking the door! See? I told you my brother couldn’t be that heartless!” Li Qishang said.
Guan Zhiyue didn't speak. The vermilion gate was pushed open with a sway, and standing in the doorway were Li Qiji and his group.
Among those accompanying him were the Grand Preceptor and the Grand Secretary, two men who shone brightly in the court. Why were they with Li Qiji?
"Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty be blessed!" Guan Zhiyue slightly curtsied, and before the Emperor could speak, she stood up.
"Your Majesty, I heard you had a great harvest today?" Before Li Qiji could speak, the Grand Secretary Su Xu spoke up.
Shan Liuxian simply nodded slightly at Guan Zhiyue to indicate that she had already greeted her.
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue looked at the man in red official robes standing behind the Emperor and then smiled, "How did Chief Minister Su find out?"
Su Xu pursed his lips and looked at Li Qiji, "Naturally, it was His Majesty who told me."
"Oh, I see!"
"Now that everyone is here, Your Majesty, may these men from outside the palace accompany you to the back mountain?" Guan Zhiyue glanced at Li Qiji.
The Li Qiji of today has lost his former radiance. He looks tired and worn out, with dark circles under his eyes that are frighteningly dark, sunken eye sockets, and thin, protruding cheeks.
This person looks like he has hardly any flesh left on his body; he's practically just skin and bones.
"Holy crap, did she go to do drugs? How come she's gotten so thin?" Guan Zhiyue muttered.
Li Qiji, walking beside him, replied softly, "Handling court affairs!"
Guan Zhiyue nodded, but didn't say anything, and directly distanced herself from him as they walked side by side.
The group walked through the courtyard and, after many twists and turns, arrived at the back of Guan Zhiyue's wasteland. Looking out, the golden ears of wheat standing tall in the middle were heavy with plump grains, welcoming their arrival.
"I had long heard that Her Majesty the Empress had managed the desolate land and hills behind the Cold Palace in an orderly manner. Seeing it today, it is indeed extraordinary. I suppose the rice plants that are bending over in the middle are the rice plants."
"Lord Su, you are truly learned and talented! You even know about rice!" Guan Zhiyue said.
Su Xu smiled and then said, "I myself have worked in the fields back in the day."
Guan Zhiyue looked Su Xu up and down, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
Su Xu felt a chill run down his spine; something terrifying was about to happen to him.
"Old Liu, hurry up and get everything ready. Take advantage of the strong sun and quickly harvest the rice and catch the rice-fish." Guan Zhiyue looked at Liu Debao.
After receiving the order, Liu Debao headed back to the courtyard of the Cold Palace, where those who had brought sickles took sickles and those who had brought baskets took baskets.
Guan Zhiyue also sent Bilian to her room to get six or seven sets of aprons that she had prepared beforehand. It was impossible for someone to come and not work; there was no reason for them to just stand by and watch.
Li Qiji heard Guan Zhiyue instruct Bilian to fetch some kind of outer garment, and then looked at Guan Zhiyue with a puzzled expression, asking, "Empress, what is it for?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue tidied her hair again, wrapped it all up with a headscarf, secured it, and shook her trouser legs.
"Go down to the fields to harvest rice, you all have to go down!"
"What? Sister-in-law, are you sure?"
"Empress, isn't this too absurd? You want me to work in the fields?" Li Qiji looked at Guan Zhiyue with disbelief.
Guan Zhiyue replied seriously, "Do I look like I'm joking with you?"
After saying that, he pointed to himself, then raised an eyebrow and looked at the others.
The group, led by Li Qiji, were almost petrified. What on earth was going on?
A moment later, Bilian brought over a robe. Guan Zhiyue reached out, grabbed one, and put it on. She then turned to look at the group of men, who looked wilted and listless.
"Sister-in-law, look at my clothes, they're not suitable for going to the fields. Please skip me and let my brother go instead!"
"Only by understanding the lives of ordinary people can we provide them with a better life!"
"As the saying goes, practice makes perfect! This theoretical talk is no substitute for letting my brother go to the fields and reform himself!" Li Qishang tugged at Guan Zhiyue's sleeve, swaying it from side to side, just like a child begging for candy.
Guan Zhiyue flung Li Qishang's hand away and tossed the straps to the others. "Come on, tie them up first, then put on your blouses. I guarantee your clothes will be spotless today."
It's this strap~
Li Qishang: What a tragedy!!!
Seonryu-seon: Who am I? Where am I?! I shouldn't have come!
Su Xu: You little rascal, still as mischievous as ever!
Li Qiji: Did I offend her? Did I? I guess so!
After considering all their own options, they still reluctantly put on the aprons prepared by Guan Zhiyue, took off their shoes, and went down to the fields.
A little while later, a group of people were busy working in the terraced fields with the palace servants from the Cold Palace, some harvesting rice, some catching fish, and some threshing grain.
Here, the rice is harvested first and then carried to an open space. In the countryside, there are threshing grounds, but Guan Zhiyue is in the palace, so there are no threshing grounds or anything like that. She can only use an old item from before.
The tool called "doufang" is used to harvest rice on the spot and thresh it. Then, the harvested rice can be directly put into the cold palace.
Doufang (called "bantong" in Sichuan)
As for the straw, they simply tied it up and stood it aside!
In no time, the men found their tasks, and Guan Zhiyue joined in for a while. Then, taking advantage of their inattention, she had someone carry a bucket of fish back to the Cold Palace.
The group was still chatting loudly in the terraced fields, completely unaware that Guan Zhiyue had been gone for quite some time.
The hill behind the house was filled with laughter and cheerful voices—the sounds of a bountiful harvest.
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