Thanks to his sister-in-law in the palace, Sun Zhuhe rose from a fifth-rank official in Suzhou textile manufacturing to a second-rank governor in just a few years, gaining control of a region.
She was also granted the title of Second-Rank Imperial Lady at a young age, receiving great honor.
In just a few years, she was about to become the Duchess of the First Rank, which naturally made Lady Zhao extremely happy.
Marrying Sun Zhuhe was truly the greatest fortune of her life.
*
As Sun Zhuhe had predicted, he was still en route to the capital to report on his duties, carrying rice. Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a secret report, along with details of the rice yield, was already laid out before the chubby orange tree.
Sun Miaoqing stood to the side, continuing the task of grinding ink. Mi Zhe, the big fat orange, never let her read aloud; he read everything himself.
Every day, after he finished dealing with these matters, she would also be able to grind the ink and then read the remaining memorials to him.
Big Fat Orange opened the secret report sent from Zhejiang, and after reading only the beginning, his eyes crinkled with laughter.
Suppressing his overwhelming joy, Da Pang Ju finished reading the secret report, then sat back in his chair and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Sun Miaoqing was completely bewildered, not knowing what joyous occasion had befallen him.
"Your Majesty, have you acquired some treasure that makes you so suddenly happy?"
The chubby orange cat didn't answer her question; as if it hadn't had enough of laughing, it continued to laugh hysterically.
[The chubby orange cat suddenly started laughing like that and isn't answering. Could it be suffering from some kind of hysteria? Or maybe it's having an epileptic seizure!]
[I have no idea what was written in that report; he wasn't this happy when the shipping fleet returned.]
Big Fat Orange laughed for a long time, until he was so out of breath that he coughed violently several times before he could catch his breath.
Sun Miaoqing patted his chest to help him catch his breath, but she didn't hold back her words.
"What good thing have you seen that makes you grin like a lamb licking its paw? Don't you know how old you are? You still think you're a young man."
"Don't you even look at how badly you're coughing? All you do is give me things to do."
The chubby orange cat gave her an unhappy look. "I'm just wondering, you've been in the palace for so many years, how come you still can't learn to speak properly?"
"Is this the attitude one should have towards the emperor?!"
Sun Miaoqing's eyes were alluring as she said in a sweet voice, "This is not how you treat the emperor, but how you treat your husband. We've been married for so many years, how old is Hongzhou now? What's wrong with me saying a few words to you?"
The slightest bit of displeasure from the chubby orange cat was immediately forgotten. This fairy knew exactly what he wanted to hear; she was naturally alluring and knew how to manipulate people.
"I am so happy, of course it is a great thing. The superior seeds that your brother cultivated on the estate have been successful. One mu of top-quality paddy field can yield five shi of rice without pesticides or fertilizers."
"If pesticides and fertilizers are used, six bushels should be no problem. If all the fertile land in the world could be like this, no one in the world would starve to death anymore."
Big Orange felt a pang of sympathy. Every year, the local government reported that even in years with good weather and abundant harvests, many people still starved to death. And that was after the local government had embellished the results.
If a famine occurs, the numbers are even more appalling; hundreds of thousands of deaths would barely amount to a fraction of the total. (During the Great Famine of the late Qing Dynasty under Emperor Guangxu, over ten million people starved to death in four years.)
Sun Miaoqing did the math in her head: one shi of rice was about 140 jin, so five shi would be a little over 700 jin. Although that was less than what one mu of land in later generations could produce, which could yield 2,000 jin of grain.
However, the simplified pesticides have limited potency, and while fertilizers are healthier, they are not as potent as chemical fertilizers. Seven hundred kilograms is a good start, at least.
"Really? If that's the case, then brother will be going to the capital soon."
"How does the Emperor plan to reward him? Such a joyous occasion cannot be too meager."
The chubby orange cat smiled and said, "I've been thinking about this too. Since you brought it up, why don't you think about it with me?"
Sun Miaoqing went around behind the big fat orange and massaged his shoulders attentively. "After His Majesty ascended the throne, he was diligent in his duties, appointed virtuous and capable officials, reformed the government, and paid attention to the people's conditions. He has made many achievements and won the hearts of the people."
"Now that we have encountered such excellent seeds, there will be no more famine in the world, and the Qing Dynasty will prosper. My brother just happened to be born at this time and has a bit of good fortune."
"His Majesty has only granted him a minor title; what do you think of the title of Duke?"
[You big jerk, have the sense to agree quickly. It's just a demoted duke's title, a bargain for you compared to hybrid rice.]
[Let's start with the first generation, and then gradually introduce the second and third generations of hybrid rice. Sooner or later, we'll achieve a yield of 2,000 jin per mu.]
Such a great contribution wouldn't even warrant a hereditary title. It's a pity he hasn't been granted a hereditary peerage over the years, let alone become a relative of the imperial family.
Big Fat Orange scoffed inwardly, thinking, "You think you can inherit the throne forever? Dream on."
He and the late emperor, and the late emperor's late emperor, wanted to abolish those few hereditary princes every day, so how could they possibly grant them titles again?
Even if they were to impose a ban, they could only ban his son.
Big Fat Orange said, "The title of Duke is not out of the question, but there's no rush. Let's plant a crop on the royal estate first and see how it goes."
Sun Miaoqing frowned. "Does the Emperor not trust my brother and think this matter is false?"
"I never said that. But words are not enough. To convince the world, I need to show it to all the officials in front of me."
"Besides, this rice is a hybrid variety, so we need to verify it to know if it is harmful to the human body."
"What if we get food poisoning later?"
Big Fat Orange, of course, wouldn't doubt the truth of the matter, since he had also placed people there to report to him regularly.
He even had others try the rice he had made, and he secretly ate a small bowl himself.
Production has increased, but the taste has deteriorated. But compared to starving to death, what does it matter if the taste is a little worse?
"In short, don't worry. We're all family. I wouldn't be stingy with a title."
Sun Miaoqing nodded. Didn't she already know if there was a problem? Good things come to those who wait; if they wanted to get tested, they should.
Big Fat Orange rubbed its eyes, feeling already exhausted after sitting for only a short while. The Golden Elixir and that medicine were being used more and more frequently, and in increasingly larger doses.
Over the past year or two, he has become increasingly thin, as if his life force has been drained away, looking even worse than the late emperor in his later years. His ankles are not as thick as his wrists, but his face has not changed much.
However, the imperial physician said that weight loss was a normal phenomenon after using that medicine and would not affect anything else.
I'll go to Consort Yun's place for dinner to replenish what I've lost during this period.
Sun Miaoqing picked up a memorial and said, "Your Majesty is tired, so I will continue reading to you. You can just listen."
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