Dafang also lifted the curtain and looked at the palace maids and guards passing by the palace wall. They all walked with their heads down, their movements uniform and very orderly.
Er Laizi nervously held Dafang's hand and asked, "Boss, what should we do after we enter the palace and see the emperor?"
Jiang Tuantuan thought for a moment and said, "Just perform the normal greetings. When the time comes, just answer whatever you are asked. Don't worry, the emperor is very approachable."
Hearing this, the two felt relieved.
I really didn't expect that in just two years, they would have the opportunity to enter the palace. This is a great honor for a child who grew up in the village. If I have the opportunity to return to the village in the future, I must sit at the village gate and brag for three days and three nights.
They soon arrived at the Taiji Hall, where the eunuch was already waiting for them at the hall door.
Jiang Tuantuan walked in front, followed by Erlaizi and Dafang. Although there were palace maids and guards to help carry things, the most important booklet was always carried by Erlaizi himself.
When the chief eunuch saw the two people behind Jiang Tuantuan, he could tell at a glance that they were not from wealthy families from their clothes and temperament. Although the clothes they wore were relatively new, the material was obviously of poor quality.
They should be two common people.
Although he guessed their true identities, the eunuch did not treat them differently. Instead, he welcomed the three of them in and asked the palace maids to serve them tea.
He then asked politely if they wanted some snacks. Erlaizi and Dafang quickly said, "No, thank you, sir. We already had some this morning."
"His Majesty is in a meeting. I don't know how long it will take. Eat a little to fill your stomach. If you don't want to eat, just leave it alone."
Jiang Tuantuan said, "Then let's have a few dishes."
"OK."
After the eunuch left, the two people who came to the palace for the first time began to look around the room.
It's so exquisite. Although I don't know what wood this chair is made of, it feels really good to touch.
The cakes and tea were served quickly. Looking at the plates of exquisite cakes, I realized that they were something I had never seen outside.
Although I could sometimes eat pastries when delivering goods to the prince's mansion, those pastries were all bought from outside and were completely different from those in the palace.
Jiang Tuantuan nodded at him, indicating that he could eat.
Er Laizi took a piece of rose cake in the shape of petals and handed it to Dafang, "Wife, you eat first."
"Boss, you eat too."
"I won't eat anymore. I ate a lot this morning and I'm not hungry at all now."
After hearing this, Erlaizi also took a piece for himself and took a big bite. He thought it must be very delicious, but when he put it in his mouth, it felt weird.
It doesn't seem that delicious.
Jiang Tuantuan said, "The rose pastries in the palace are all made with flower petals. They're not very sweet. Not as sweet as those made outside, right?"
Dafang nodded, "Indeed, the ones outside are sweeter and taste better."
Erlaizi also nodded in agreement.
He picked up a piece of black sesame cake next to it. It was extremely delicious. Erlaizi's eyes lit up immediately after taking a bite. He didn't expect black sesame cake to be so delicious.
He quickly handed a piece to Dafang. Seeing how much relish they were eating, Jiang Tuantuan couldn't help but eat a piece as well.
Just after finishing the meal, the emperor came and Jiang Tuantuan stood up and saluted the emperor.
Erlaizi and Dafang knelt directly on the ground and kowtowed to the emperor.
Such grand ceremony was rarely performed nowadays. The emperor quickly called the two to their feet. Looking at the unfamiliar faces and attire, he curiously asked, "Sister-in-law, who are these two?"
"They are the two who are in charge of the cotton and wheat cultivation on my farm."
"This is Er Laizi, and next to him is his wife Dafang."
The emperor said, "It's Erlaizi and Dafang. Please stand up instead of kneeling."
At the same time, he said, "Grand Eunuch, please take a seat."
"yes."
The three of them walked to the chairs one by one and sat down.
The emperor noticed several large bags in the corner of the room and thought that they were placed there by the palace maids and not taken away. So he looked at the eunuch and signaled him to take away the bags that were in the way.
Jiang Tuantuan immediately understood the look and explained, "Those are the cultivated cotton and wheat, as well as the record books. I took more because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see enough."
The emperor then realized that he had misunderstood, and quickly asked the eunuch to bring it to the middle so that he could take a closer look.
Jiang Tuantuan said, "These are the seeds I gave them, and they grew them. The most important thing is that they two came to introduce them."
The emperor looked at Erlaizi and Dafang. Erlaizi walked to the middle with his head held high, opened the bag and took out the booklet.
She raised her hands in front of the emperor, her voice still trembling, "This is one of the booklets on cotton planting. It describes the growth of cotton in detail, but the handwriting is a bit ugly."
The emperor took a quick look and found it quite ugly.
Er Laizi opened a bag of cotton and gave the emperor a detailed introduction to the growth of cotton, the yield per acre, etc.
The more the emperor listened, the more he realized that this ordinary man in front of him did have his good points. He was very careful in doing things.
The emperor praised him, "You are right, Erlaizi. Keep going."
Encouraged, Erlaizi became more confident. After all, these were all grown by him and Dafang with their blood and sweat.
After listening to Erlaizi's story, the emperor suddenly felt that this cotton business was feasible and the yield could be twice as high as before.
Although the color is not very white, it is completely sufficient for making clothes on a daily basis, and can even be said to be a luxury.
He then looked at the two bags next to him and asked curiously, "What are those?"
"That's wheat."
"The average yield per acre is six stones."
When the emperor heard the word six stones, he was shocked. How could there be so many?
Some people couldn't believe it and even thought that Erlaizi had made a mistake in his calculations.
In order to prove that his calculations were correct, Er Laizi began to tell the emperor how much property he had in total, how much land he had, etc. However, the more he talked, the more confused he became, and the emperor frowned.
Er Laizi looked at Dafang helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, all these calculations were done by my humble wife. I am not as good at calculations as she is."
After hearing this, the emperor was instantly helpless and had to ask Dafang to come up and answer.
Dafang recounted all the data completely from beginning to end in a very organized and logical manner. After all, her family used to run a butcher shop, and she was the one who calculated the profits from purchasing and selling meat every day, so she had already memorized it.
The emperor looked at the two bags of wheat again. Each grain was still very full, but looking at the two bags of wheat, there was no difference in appearance.
Dafang explained: "The taste is different. One is softer and stickier, and the other is harder, but also more fragrant."
The emperor immediately became interested in wheat and asked the three of them to stay for lunch. He asked the palace chef to steam the two types of rice separately so that he could taste the difference.
The two people who entered the palace for the first time were actually invited to stay for dinner, and they were so excited that they couldn't calm down.
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