Old Zhu said cheerfully, "You hold the plow; that's what an emperor should do. We used to hold the plow, and you and your father led the ox. Today we'll lead the ox, so you just need to hold the plow properly. That brat Yunhu is useless; he's always protecting our Crown Prince!"
Little Zhu ran over excitedly, pointed at the water buffalo and said, "Great-grandfather, I'll ride the buffalo!"
Old Zhu bent down and picked up little Zhu, saying, "Wait a minute, your second uncle will come over when he's done with his work. We still need to harness the oxen; without harnessing the plow, we can't plow the land. Are you going to stay here with us, or go to your mother's?"
Little Zhu was naturally watching the fun, while Old Zhu happily directed his grandsons to harness the plow. Although Old Zhu didn't hold back in criticizing his grandsons' lack of dexterity during the process, at least they managed to harness the plow.
"Your Majesty, we're leading the plow, and you can help with the sowing from behind," Zhu Yunying said with a smile to Xu Miaoqing.
Old Zhu immediately became disdainful, saying, "You've plowed the land once, but you're just going through the motions. Let me tell you, you still don't know how to farm. We'll plow it first; that's just turning the soil over. We also need to break up the soil, dig the planting holes, and then we can plant! You've seen me farm right here, and you still can't do this!"
Old Zhu then looked at Xu Miaoqing and said, "You take the small hoe and break up any large clods of soil for her. Your sister, come with her too."
The "younger sister" naturally refers to Zhu Yunying's younger sister, which is why the whole family pitched in.
Little Zhu sat happily on the ox's back, while Old Zhu shouted and led the ox along. Zhu Yunying, meanwhile, tried his best to hold the plow steady. Although he was a little unsteady, fortunately, there was a eunuch beside him to help him out. Most importantly, Old Zhu, a skilled farmer, knew his grandson's abilities and slowed down the ox's pace considerably.
There are specific techniques to personally tilling the land; each pass and each row must be done meticulously.
Zhu Yunying was drenched in sweat, and he hurriedly finished the plowing work. After a short rest, he personally planted rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, and beans, following strict rules and etiquette in every step.
"With your current state, even if you were the emperor," Old Zhu said chucklely to Zhu Yunying. "If we were really counting on you to farm, the whole family would barely have enough to eat. With your current state, this little bit of land would keep you busy for ten or fifteen days!"
Zhu Yunying took a sip of tea and said smugly, "Luckily, I'm the emperor, so I don't have to farm. I'll just rest here, and all the civil and military officials, members of the imperial family, and nobles will be farming for me. Let's see who dares to slack off!"
No one can be allowed to slack off, because Zhu Yunying's small plot of land is very important. The harvest also needs to be offered to Shennong, so it cannot be taken lightly and a harvest is essential.
Even if Zhu Yunying only held a plow and sowed a few seeds, it was still the land he cultivated. No matter how much work others did, the yield from this small plot of land was all earned by Emperor Zhu Yunying himself.
Old Zhu looked disdainfully at the busy crowd and said, "If it were up to me, none of these people would know how to farm! They've read so many books, yet they can't even hold a hoe properly! Those nobles, the older ones are alright, but the younger ones are all spoiled brats. If you ask me, they've never been hungry, so they don't know what's good for them!"
For the emperor, farming was often just a ritual, with symbolic significance far outweighing its practical value.
Zhu Yunying could slack off here, but no one would say anything. The emperor had personally overseen the plowing, and he had indeed completed his task. As for the others who were busy, it was because they also had the responsibility to assist the emperor in the plowing; it was simply their duty.
Moreover, those who could help the emperor personally plow the fields were all high-ranking officials, and those who were favored by the emperor. Such prestige was something ordinary people didn't have; even wanting to help the emperor with plowing was not an opportunity they could have!
Zhu Yunying watched with a smile, took a short rest, and then continued working on the fields. Although others could help him, he only needed to show his face.
However, Joo Yun-young didn't like that. He believed that he needed to do more things himself to be more convincing and to truly set an example.
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