Gu Yuzhi rushed out without even putting on his coat properly, his big, round eyes shining: "Chen Dianyi, what did you just say? Among the exiled people from the iron mine, there are some who can weave cloth?"
He immediately felt the sky had cleared up, and he walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, saying, "Wow, can we use the hemp stalks we stored before?"
No cotton was planted this year, so there won't be much produce. He will definitely send the woven cotton cloth to the capital, to his mother, his brother, and his sisters-in-law.
The guard who went to question them brought them back, his face full of smiles: "Your Highness, these women said they can weave cloth..."
Gu Yuzhi grinned broadly, clearly delighted. The weaver had been found; all that was missing was the loom!
Entrusted with great expectations, Vice Minister Su rode at breakneck speed all the way back to the capital at the end of September. He didn't even go home, but went straight to the palace with sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Kneeling in the Imperial Study, Vice Minister Su pointed to two large sacks beside him, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Majesty! The young prince has truly had a difficult time."
He wiped away his tears and continued, "Xinliang is such a remote place, the official road isn't even finished. When I first went there, I felt my heart sink."
Gu Yuchen's forehead veins throbbed: "Get to the point!"
So he was really impatient with meeting these ministers one by one, because they would talk for a long time without getting to the point and wasting time!
Minister Su made two "oh" sounds and opened the sack in front of Gu Yuchen. Sweet potatoes and potatoes rolled in, instantly covering the once clean ground with mud.
Zhao Xi's brow twitched, and she glanced at Gu Yuchen without making it obvious. She saw that he was still relaxed, and his body, which was originally sitting upright, had even tilted slightly.
Minister Su chuckled: "Your Majesty, this is a new grain discovered by His Highness Prince Wen!"
He pointed to the two items and explained, "Both of these can be eaten as staple foods. This is a potato, which can also be eaten as a side dish. Sweet potatoes can be added to porridge. Your Majesty, the best news is that these two are very filling and also highly productive!"
High yield means that it can replace other expensive and low-yield grain crops, allowing ordinary people to have more to eat!
Gu Yuchen sat up straight, his nonchalant expression vanishing. He gave Zhao Xi a wink, and Zhao Xi quickly brought over the sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Gu Yuchen no longer cared about the dirt. He picked up the two items and examined them over and over, even bringing them to his nose to smell them.
He frowned slightly; to be honest, there was no flavor in it.
After putting the potatoes and sweet potatoes back, Zhao Xi hurriedly brought over a basin for Gu Yuchen to wash his hands.
He didn't speak, but Minister Su couldn't help but continue, "His Highness Prince Wen gave a lot of these. Apart from the ones he gave you to try, he said the rest were for me to take back and plant."
It doesn't matter if there are few seeds this year; once they've been planted next year, these seeds can be distributed to various places.
He dared to guarantee that sweet potatoes and potatoes would be able to be grown in many parts of Sangguo the year after next!
Gu Yuchen smiled slightly: "You mean, Xiao Liu found all these things?"
Minister Su nodded repeatedly: "Yes! When I went to the northern desert and saw these things, I was wondering if Your Highness would give them to me. I didn't expect that Your Highness would bring it up before I even asked."
He glanced cautiously at the Emperor, thinking that it would be fine for the Emperor to have a taste, and that he could use the rest for research and cultivation.
Next year, production will be higher, so you can eat your fill!
But these words were too disrespectful, and Minister Su dared not speak, so he could only look at the Emperor with longing.
Gu Yuzhi knew Su Shilang's personality very well. After asking how much stuff he had brought back, he asked for a sack of each of the two items, and let Su Shilang take everything else.
Minister Su came with great excitement and left with great excitement. After returning to his residence and comfortably lying on his bed, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't mentioned to the Emperor that he wanted to send a loom to His Highness.
But it's okay, he can deliver it himself!
That very night, two new things appeared in the palace: sweet potatoes and potatoes.
The concubines in the imperial harem had a deeper fondness for sweet potatoes, since they were sweet.
Upon receiving Gu Yuzhi's letter, the concubines of the harem learned that sweet potatoes and potatoes were actually new species grown in Xiao Liu's fiefdom, species that no one else had ever tasted before.
In an instant, the concubines in the harem were even more moved.
Everyone understands the principle that scarcity makes things valuable. Xiao Liu is poor. If he sells all these things, how much money can he get back?
Xiao Liu is too honest, he's getting taken advantage of.
The concubines went back and rummaged through their private treasuries, trying to think of something to make amends to the poor child.
Among them, Consort Liang was the most moved, because she learned that Xiao Liu had given these seeds to her father for free.
So the next day, when Consort Liang learned from Minister Su that Xiao Liu wanted a spinning machine, she generously took out her personal funds and said, "Buy it! Buy a lot of them and send them to Xinliang."
As soon as Consort Liang makes a move, the other consorts follow suit. We also want to participate in sending looms!
Only Consort Shu was unhappy.
Previously, she thought that Consort Liang was just the daughter of an agricultural official, and that she could only send some seeds and not help Xiao Liu in any way.
Looking back now, she was so naive. Xiao Liu did her a huge favor!
If Vice Minister Su can develop the cultivation methods for these two crops and promote them throughout the entire Sang Dynasty, the position of Minister of Revenue might very well belong to him in the future!
No, no, I have to find a way to help Xiao Liu.
In order to help Gu Yuzhi, Consort Shu racked her brains and finally learned some information from Consort Taixian.
Xiao Liu wants to open an inn, but Granny Xu is a female official and cannot be the head chef...
After much thought, Consort Shu finally came up with a good idea. She turned around, cooked a pot of soup, and sent it to Gu Yuchen.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." She smiled and handed the soup to Zhao Xi. "This is something I specially prepared; it took me all afternoon to cook."
She held up her hand and said, "Look, my hands are all red."
Consort Shu blinked her eyes, looking both cute and innocent.
Gu Yuchen exclaimed "Ouch!" and beckoned, pulling Consort Shu down to sit with him. "I'm truly heartbroken. Zhao Xi, go and have someone from the Imperial Hospital come and examine Consort Shu."
Consort Shu's beautiful eyes sparkled as she playfully said, "Your Majesty, shouldn't you give me a little reward?"
Gu Yuchen's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was perfectly clear.
Gu Yuchen knew perfectly well what Consort Shu had been doing these past few days.
However, having her do this would indeed save me a lot of trouble.
Gu Yuchen suppressed his inner scheming and asked with a smile, "What reward would my beloved consort like?"
Consort Shu sat up straight instantly, her beautiful eyes shining, and pouted, saying coquettishly, "It's all because of Consort Liang that I was provoked. Xiao Liu gave Minister Su such a wonderful gift, and I want one too. Your Highness, why don't you send Granny Xu's family to Xinliang? I heard from Consort Tai Xian that Xiao Liu wants to open an inn."
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