Perhaps it was because Chief Secretary Xie had taken on an important task, or perhaps it was because the carriage was too comfortable, but Chen Dianyi felt exceptionally relaxed after getting in. He became drowsy after the carriage had only moved a few steps.
Upon hearing His Highness mention Minister Su, it took Chen Dianyi a while to recall who that person was. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Minister Su is an agricultural official. He heard that there were some skilled farmers among the people of Xinliang, so he went to the fields. Who knew he would find sweet potatoes and potatoes? Now he's practically sleeping in the fields."
Gu Yuzhi exclaimed, "If Vice Minister Su finds sweet potatoes and potatoes, he'll definitely tell the Emperor! Then there won't be any surprises!"
He pouted and hummed softly.
If I had known, I would have left Minister Su in Changzhou. Once he had eaten, drunk, and rested well, he could have gone straight back from Changzhou.
Chen Dianyi did not reply, because he had already fallen asleep.
Gu Yuzhi leaned forward for a look, and deliberately touched his ears. Seeing that there were no rabbit ears, he patted his chest lightly and said, "You scared me to death. I thought Chen Dianyi would really turn into a rabbit."
Since entering Xinliang, Shu Xiaohan has been extremely excited, watching all the changes in Xinliang without blinking. The corn that used to grow on both sides of the official road has been harvested, and the corn stalks are all neatly piled up in the fields, just waiting to be taken away after all the crops have been harvested.
The harvesting of crops does not mean that the year's agricultural work is over. Corn, for example, still needs to be dried and hulled. In this era without mechanization, hulling corn is purely manual labor. It is somewhat unrealistic to expect all crops to be harvested and processed in less than two months.
However, Shu Xiaohan's worries disappeared after the Sang Dynasty emperor sent several thousand people. Several thousand laborers! Even if some of them were workers, ordinary farmers still made up the majority.
Her good mood lasted for several days, and she was able to ignore even the occasional unpleasant things Wen Xiuzhu said.
Hearing Gu Yuzhi bring this up again, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Young Prince, eating rabbit meat won't turn you into a rabbit. Chen Dianyi's eyes are red because he's been working non-stop these past two days and hasn't had a proper rest."
“Look, he fell asleep almost as soon as he got into the carriage. He must be exhausted these past two days.”
Gu Yuzhi then glanced at Chen Dianyi again and saw a bruise under his eyes, as if he had been beaten.
He puffed out his cheeks and slowly sat back down, resting his chin on his hands. After a while, he sighed and said, "Last time I thought that Chen Dianyi had worked hard, so I was going to give him an extra six months' worth of monthly pay for the New Year. But now that I think about it, it seems like it was still a bit too little."
Or, how about we increase Chen Dianyi's monthly allowance a little each month?
His gaze fell on Chen Dianyi again: "Last time, Judge Qin specially found a few more medicine apprentices, but he was still too busy. Otherwise, he should have come with Judge Qin and let him take a look at Chen Dianyi."
Compared to last time, Chen Dianyi seems to have lost a little weight; you can even see the bones in her cheeks.
Granny Xu was not there either, and Consort Chen did not eat very well.
Gu Yuzhi felt more and more sorry for Chen Dianyi, but the reclamation of Xinliang still needed Chen Dianyi: "Let's stay in Xinliang for a couple more days this time."
With Chief Secretary Xie around, Attendant Chen can finally get some rest.
As the carriage moved forward, Gu Yuzhi realized that although the original narrow path had not yet been converted into an official road, it had become much wider and smoother due to the increased traffic during this period, making the carriage ride much less bumpy.
Wen Xiuzhu suddenly said, "Your Highness, I think that since sweet potatoes and potatoes are already ripe, and Vice Minister Su is particularly interested in these two crops, why don't you let Vice Minister Su wait in Xinliang for a while until both crops are fully harvested, and then let him take them back to the capital?"
Is it okay to watch something like this?
Gu Yuzhi frowned slightly: "But there are rules for Vice Minister Su's outings, right? If he doesn't return for too long, won't the Emperor punish him?"
Minister Su is a good man, and he doesn't want Minister Su to be punished.
"With His Highness's sweet potatoes and potatoes as compensation, His Majesty will not punish Minister Su."
When Wen Xiuzhu was a royal merchant, he had a lot of dealings with members of the royal family, and he claimed that he could guess a thing or two about their thoughts.
The Emperor sent Vice Minister Su here this time, probably with the intention of helping the young prince.
Otherwise, why would such an important task as escorting disaster relief funds and grain fall on the shoulders of Vice Minister Su, an exceptionally pure agricultural official?
Indeed, after hearing that Vice Minister Su almost fell asleep on the floor as soon as he arrived, Wen Xiuzhu knew what kind of person Vice Minister Su was.
An exceptionally simple-minded agricultural official who was also obsessed with farming.
Gu Yuzhi tilted his head and thought for a moment: "You're right. However, we can only decide on this matter after we meet with Minister Su."
From the moment Xu Mama refused to serve any chef, Gu Yuzhi understood that even as a prince, he had to consider others and not force them to do things against their will; otherwise, no one would be willing to treat him sincerely in the end.
The carriage continued forward, and by the time it reached the sweet potato field, it was nearly dusk. The driver stopped the carriage, and Chen Dianyi fell down with a thud, startling Gu Yuzhi. But Chen Dianyi frowned, rolled over, and fell into a deep sleep again.
Gu Yuzhi patted his chest and quietly jumped off the carriage.
He glanced at the roadside and saw that there were still many people working in the sweet potato field. The sweet potatoes that had been pulled out were placed on the edge of the field. Someone was cleaning the soil off them and putting them in baskets. Then someone else came to collect them and put them on the wheelbarrows lined up on the side, and then they were sent to the cellar for storage.
Gu Yuzhi watched with great interest for a while, when Minister Su was summoned over. Upon seeing Gu Yuzhi, Minister Su knelt down excitedly and wept bitterly on the ground.
Gu Yuzhi stood frozen in place, looking completely bewildered. What was wrong with Minister Su?
Qi Chenglang was the first to react and quickly helped Minister Su up: "Minister Su, what are you doing?"
He knelt down as soon as he saw His Highness, which terrified His Highness.
Minister Su wiped away his tears: "I am so moved! On behalf of the Emperor and the people of the world, I sincerely thank Your Highness."
As an agricultural official, Vice Minister Su knew all too well the enormous impact and the substantial increase in the national treasury that would result from the nationwide promotion and cultivation of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Before Gu Yuzhi could speak, he continued, "I've heard that these things are planted in sections. This vast sweet potato field, did it start with just a few sweet potatoes?"
"Furthermore, I've heard that potatoes are also grown in chunks. An old farmer said it was your idea. How did Your Highness come up with that? And how did Your Highness know that potatoes and sweet potatoes are edible?"
Vice Minister Su looked at Gu Yuzhi with an eager expression...
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