34 An unexpected encounter with three beautiful women at Shanglin Garden
At this moment, she felt like crying.
Within Shanglin Garden, vast fields of golden wheat dazzle the eye.
This place was originally a villa built by the emperor of the previous dynasty, covering an area that was a third the size of Jianzhang Palace.
After the country was first settled, Emperor Yuan of Jin established his capital in Chang'an. The Shanglin Garden naturally belonged to the imperial relatives and nobles. For many years, no one took care of it, and the Shanglin Garden had long been abandoned.
Sun Shan walked ahead, explaining as he spoke.
Unlike a court official, he was an old farmer with eyes full of hope for a bountiful harvest. Pointing to the fields of golden wheat, he said, "After the Empress entered the palace and took over the affairs of the inner palace, the first thing she did was to open up imperial fields in Shanglin Garden for growing grain. At that time, the remnants of the Prince of Yan's faction had not yet been eliminated, and food was scarce at the front. The Empress's move was a win-win situation. However, due to natural disasters, the harvests have been poor in recent years. It's better than nothing, so the Empress used it all to help the disaster victims."
Looking at the wheat fields in Shanglin Garden, Li Shi noticed that they were growing much better than the wheat fields they had seen in the suburbs a few days earlier.
He nodded and said, "The wheat fields here are well-managed; it seems Lord Sun has put a lot of effort into them."
"Alas, I am fortunate to have the appreciation of the Emperor and Empress, so I can only do my best to manage this imperial field. Unfortunately, the drought and locust plagues in recent years have resulted in a low yield of millet and wheat, and the people still cannot get enough to eat."
Qi Gu thought that the drought would end soon. In her previous life, her father had not come to the capital with her, so the problem of reduced grain production had not been resolved.
She thought that with her father's planting methods, this vast imperial field would surely yield plenty of rice and millet.
As Qi Gu walked, she listened. The slightly drooping ears of wheat brushed against her skirt, making a soft rustling sound, like a shy little girl reaching out to pull her back, not letting her continue.
Qi Gu squatted down, holding the ears of wheat in both hands. She carefully pinched the ears of wheat that had ripened into rice grains, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.
Although these millet grains are golden in color, they are actually too thin and weak. They only appear to be lush and abundant because they are planted densely and the area is wide.
In fact, each plant was too weak, and the leaves were turning yellow far too early at this time of year.
Li Shi and Sun Shan noticed that Qi Gu hadn't followed. They turned around and saw her squatting by the wheat field, her hands gently stroking the ears of wheat, her eyes focused intently.
Sun Shan was about to call out to her, "Qi..." when Li Shi waved his hand to stop him.
Qi Gu then examined several more wheat stalks and found that although these millet seedlings looked golden in color, they actually had few tillers and the grains were shriveled.
Li Shi smiled slightly as he looked at Qi Gu squatting on the horizon. He felt very gratified. What a qualified agricultural student she was! If this were modern times, Qi Gu would be his student. He would be so happy. His blood pressure wouldn't spike when he read her thesis.
However, things are not bad as they are now. He has devoted all his efforts to cultivating this student. Li Shi's eyes are full of pride in having trained such an outstanding student and satisfaction with his student.
"How is Aunt Qi? What did you see?"
Qi Gu clapped her hands. "These millet and wheat seedlings are too thin." Qi Gu looked at the Taicang magistrate. "Lord Taicang magistrate, the millet and wheat you planted look beautiful with their golden color, but they are actually not nutritious enough, which will greatly affect the yield."
Sun Shan immediately said, "But the people of Taicang have regulations for managing these imperial fields. They water them every three days and fertilize them every five days. They never dare to slack off."
Qi Gu asked, "May I ask what kind of fertilizer you use?"
Sun Shandao said: "It contains plant ash, riverbed silt, and occasionally poultry droppings."
Qi Gu looked at him with suspicion, "You should know that watering with human excrement is essential."
Sun Shan's eyebrows arched downwards again, revealing a bitter expression. "This... Miss Qi, you don't know, it's not that I, from Taicang, am being lazy, it's just that..."
Sun Shan looked as if he had something difficult to say, and was about to explain when a voice came from not far away: "Giddy up!"
The three turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw a dashing figure riding a horse through the wind.
From afar, Qi Gu recognized her as an old acquaintance, her beloved Ninth Sister.
Behind them followed two horses, the riders of which were also acquaintances: the Second Princess and Li Qiao, who had been bestowed the title of "Princess Jiaolu".
Sun Shan explained awkwardly, "Shanglin Garden was a former imperial residence, built with unparalleled extravagance. Although Her Majesty the Empress designated a plot for planting millet and wheat to avoid waste, the rest was still used for the enjoyment of the imperial relatives and nobles."
Qi Gu roughly understood why the imperial fields always yielded poor harvests. "So, because nobles often traveled there, to avoid the stench of human excrement that would spoil their refined tastes, irrigation was abandoned. Despite being meticulously tended year after year, these imperial fields, like the fields outside, still failed to produce a good harvest."
Sun Shan squinted in the sunlight, sighed, and nodded, "That's right."
"This matter has already been reported to Her Majesty the Empress," Qi Gu thought. If her mother knew about this, she would surely order the Taicang Bureau to prioritize grain production.
"Alas~ I was going to say that, but it just so happened that the Emperor and Lady Guo came here to hunt and play. Lady Guo said that Shanglin Garden is not an ordinary farmland, so why should we irrigate it with such stinky and dirty stuff? It would be the same to irrigate other things. Since the Emperor has spoken, we dare not go to the Empress about such matters."
No wonder, the words of the Taicang magistrate made Qi Gu and Li Shi feel as if they were witnessing a naked power struggle in the harem.
Qi Gu seemed to see a favored concubine, relying on the emperor's favor, looking at the empress with a seductive gaze, provocatively glancing at the empress from within the emperor's arms.
At this time, the empress was not her mother; she was the mother of the nation, striving to ensure that the people had enough to eat, to win the hearts of the people, and to do her best to assist the emperor.
She was the mistress of the harem who ascended to the position of empress after experiencing countless hardships, and whose goals were not based on men's love, affection, or likes and dislikes.
Her gaze was so far-reaching, not confined to the small world within the emperor's embrace, but encompassing the vast and majestic land.
However, the people standing on the opposite side of her were her husband and his favorite concubine, and a complex and indescribable feeling welled up in Qi Gu's heart.
"Qi Gu?" Li Shi called to her, noticing her lost in thought, "Have you come up with any solutions?"
Qi Gu shook her head, "No, this problem can't be solved in the short term."
Li Shi leaned closer to Qi Gu and said, "Actually, I do have a way."
Qi Gu's eyes lit up. "Ah... Master, have you thought of another way to make the 'nitrogen fertilizer' you mentioned earlier that is found in human excrement?"
Li Shi tapped her little head, "What are you dreaming about? If I could build that thing..." I would have dominated the world long ago.
Do you really think he's the protagonist in those time-travel novels who can synthesize nitrogen fertilizer using modern technology? Besides, he studied agriculture, not chemistry; his major is completely unrelated!
“What I mean is, you can ask the Empress for help,” Li Shi nudged Qi Gu with his shoulder. “Why not take advantage of this readily available power?”
Qi Gu was about to speak when she said, "Hey! Who are you people, and what are you doing here!"
Riding a black steed with a tuft of white hair on its forehead, the Ninth Princess held a short red whip, looking majestic and aloof, and asked with her pointed chin raised.
Behind her, two horses, one white and one brown, slowly followed one after the other. The rider on the white horse spurred his horse forward and rode alongside the Ninth Princess.
The woman on horseback was dressed in a light green riding outfit. She had fair skin and a beautiful face. Her eyes and brows showed some of the charm of Madam Guo, but she was even more aloof than Madam Guo.
“Ninth Sister, you must not be rude. This is the yellow field opened up by Her Majesty the Empress. They must be people from Taicang who are ordered to cultivate the land.”
The second princess, standing on the back of a eunuch and with the help of two palace maids, dismounted and said to Sun Shan, "This must be the magistrate of Taicang. My ninth sister is ignorant, please forgive her."
Behind her, the princess dismounted, looking indignant, and pointed at Qi Gu and Li Shidao: "Hey, why don't you two bow to me and my elder sister?"
Sun Shan hurriedly stepped forward and awkwardly explained, "Your Highness, these two were specially invited by Lord Sima to cultivate millet. It is their first time entering the palace, and they do not know the rules. Please forgive them." Sun Shan saw that there was another princess behind them and quickly changed his words, "Please forgive us, Your Highnesses."
Li Shi leaned against Qi Gu and asked, "Qi Gu, how many good sisters do you have?"
Qi Gu looked at her father, who remained calm, and said, "Father, how can you still have the leisure to joke around at a time like this?"
Li Shi deliberately laughed sarcastically: "What are you afraid of? With you here, the worst that can happen is that arrogant princess whips you a few times. Then you'll be recognized as a member of her clan, which will scare her to death."
Qi Gu sneered inwardly. Heh heh, even if she really acknowledged her ancestors and returned to the clan, her ninth sister probably wouldn't have any respect for her.
In her past life, after she married Sima Hong, this Ninth Sister didn't let her off the hook either, and often went to her princess residence to mock her.
However, compared to her ninth sister, who wore her heart on her sleeve and did everything openly, her second sister was the more difficult one to deal with.
Back then, she secretly plotted against her several times, making her look bad in public, laugh at her, lose all dignity as a princess, and even bring shame to her mother.
In her past life, the plan to trick her into entering the palace was likely partly orchestrated by the Second Princess, who was also the daughter of Madam Guo and the younger sister of the Third Prince Chu Xiaocheng.
"It's you! How could you be here!" The owner of the third horse refused the eunuch's carry and dismounted in an extremely ungraceful manner, sticking out his buttocks.
Once she stood still, through the figures of the two people in front of her, she saw someone who shouldn't be there at this time and place—Li Qigu!
How did she get here? When did she arrive? The Empress has found her! She knows the truth!
Li Qiao's heart was pounding faster than it had been when she was on the horse, which was out of her control.
Her voice successfully made the second and ninth princesses turn around and look at her.
The Ninth Princess raised her striking eyebrows. "Hey! You know her?"
Li Qiao swallowed hard, her legs feeling weak. "I...I don't recognize him..."
The second princess sized up the pale-faced Li Qiao, then looked back at the woman who had made her pale. Interesting, it seems that Li Qiao, the "eldest princess," has run into an acquaintance.
She stepped forward and, feigning sisterly affection, took Li Qiao's hand. "Elder sister, what are you so timid about? You've returned to the palace and are now the 'Banana Deer' Princess, personally bestowed upon you by the Emperor. You should discard those petty manners you developed while living among the common people." She pulled Li Qiao in front of Qi Gu, who was distracted and stumbled as she was pulled.
"Hurry up and pay your respects to the 'Banana Deer' Princess, personally bestowed by the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager's own daughter."
Qi Gu reached out and supported Li Qiao, preventing her from falling forward.
Looking calmly at Li Qiao, he thought to himself: Li Qiao, where did your smugness towards me go when we were in Li Family Village?
Li Qiao felt a pair of warm hands with thin calluses supporting her. She knew who it was, and lowered her head, not daring to look the person in front of her in the eye.
Half of it was guilt, and the other half was... At this moment, she felt like crying.
"Princess Banana Deer, are you alright?" Qi Gu asked, bending down with a calm expression.
Then she looked at the palace maids standing next to Li Qiaoma behind them, "Your princess is unsteady on her feet, why don't you come and help her?"
The Ninth Princess pulled Li Qiao away. Fortunately, Hong Yu and Hong Shu, after hearing Qi Gu's words, realized what was happening, lowered their heads, ignored the Second Princess's cold gaze, and stepped forward to support Li Qiao on either side.
The Ninth Princess looked at the poor woman in front of her, dressed in coarse linen clothes, her cloth shoes covered in dirt, her skin the same color as the wheat, and pointed her whip at her nose, "You're just a nobody, daring to show off in front of this princess!"
Qi Gu looked up at the Ninth Princess, who had a youthful face. She was dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, with her eyes upturned and her brows full of arrogance.
She was the daughter of Lady Jiang, whose family was one of the meritorious officials who followed Emperor Jin to the Great Jiang Mountain. Lady Jiang's father was the Marquis of Pingjiang, so she naturally had the right to be arrogant and domineering.
[Author's Note]
Qi Gu: Li Qiao, where is your righteous indignation towards me? Where is your courage to hire someone to kill? You're such a coward!
Li Qiao: If you're so capable, then you do it!
Qi Gu: Step back behind me, I'll go first!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
