Prepare to improve farm tools 1
Chapter 7: Preparing to Improve Farm Tools 1
After a while, Jin San came back to his senses, his eyes bright and startling: "Master, can I see the young master?"
"When lunch is almost here, you squat on the road leading to the dining hall. I will pass by there with the child in my arms. Stay there and don't let the King of Zhenbei find you. Her kung fu is not much worse than Jin Yi's." Sun Mingsi ordered with a smile.
Jin San secretly lurked in the distance, waiting, his heart surging with excitement, unable to find words. He just wanted to run to a deserted place and roar to express his emotions. Here he comes, the master has appeared. The child, who was originally holding hands, was suddenly picked up and turned at an angle. Jin San's eyes widened. Oh my God, it's obviously the master's child! Look at the eyebrows, the mouth, the nose, and even the face shape - they are all carved from the same mold! The King of Zhenbei is really amazing! Wait, the King of Zhenbei! Jin San immediately hid himself. He had just lost his composure and was almost discovered by the King of Zhenbei. Tsk, he really has some skills.
When Jin San returned to his temporary residence, Jin Ba and Jin Jiu immediately gathered around to inquire about their master's condition. He reassured them that his master was fine, then, like his master, delivered a powerful blow, telling them that his master had a child. He had seen the little master, and the child looked exactly like him! Seeing their bewildered expressions, he felt incredibly happy. "See, they're just like me. It's not that I'm not steady."
Jin San wrote a secret letter and had Jin Shiyi personally deliver it to Jin Yi. He then sent a message to Jin Er, Jin Si, and Jin Wu, asking them to take some time to visit the northern border, as he had something important to share. Jin San chuckled twice and prepared to sit back and watch his colleagues' performance.
Not to mention that there were people secretly waiting on the road leading to the palace dining hall every day, and even worse, some skilled and daring guards dared to squat on the road leading to Chu Huaibei's study and bedroom. In the end, Jin Yi, who was driven to the northern border at full speed, punished him and only then did he stop.
Chu Huaibei knew about their existence on the day Jin Sanlai came. She had no control over the beauty's own subordinates. As long as they didn't show up, she would pretend not to see them. She just wanted to see Hengheng, so she let them see him. This went on for several days.
That day, the deputy general brought the Minister of Agriculture over. Chu Huaibei looked at the old man, who was probably in his seventies or eighties, and was stunned for a moment. He searched his memory and indeed had no impression of him. That was probably because he had never seen the Minister of Agriculture before. No, how could he make people work at such an old age? It was so inhumane.
After greeting, Chu Huaibei quickly asked the man to sit down and answer. He didn't dare let this skinny, slow-moving old man stand all the time. "Chen Sinong, I have something I want to ask you in person. I should have come to the barracks to find you, but I'm injured and can't move around easily. I'm sorry you took the trouble to come here in such cold weather."
"Your Highness, you shouldn't do this. You can tell me anything. It's my honor and I never feel tired." Chen Sinong was about to stand up and reply again. Seeing this, Chu Huaibei quickly waved his hand and asked the deputy general to help him sit back on the chair.
"Chen Sinong, please sit down and answer quickly. There's no need to be so polite. I want to know whether the wheat seeds in the military farms are kept locally or part of the military rations sent here are used as seeds?" Chu Huaibei asked.
Chen Sinong thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, although I will store the wheat from the northern border separately from the military rations sent here, when the military settlers distribute the grain, they generally do not distinguish between them and only record the amount received."
Chu Huaibei realized this was indeed the case. Seeds adapt to their growing environment. Modern wheat seeds in the north and south are different: northern wheat seeds are more cold-resistant and drought-resistant, while southern wheat seeds are more resistant to moisture and mildew. Southern wheat seeds generally don't grow well in the north, but people of this era don't understand the underlying principles and simply assume all wheat seeds are the same.
"How many oxen does the government have now? Are they enough during the busy farming season?" Chu Huaibei continued to ask.
"Your Highness, there are currently 2,369 oxen, which is still a little insufficient for autumn sowing. Human and animal power each account for about 50%." Chen Sinong calculated in his mind.
After Chu Huaibei continued to ask some questions about the number, output, and styles of farm tools, he decided to leave the old family member behind. "Okay, I got it. I'll come to the military camp to discuss this with you next month." It looked like it was going to snow again outside, so he asked his adjutant to send the people home first and come back to see her in the afternoon.
After lunch, Chu Huaibei continued to handle military camp affairs with his adjutant in the afternoon. Sun Mingsi took this opportunity to meet with Jin Yi, who had arrived in his dormitory. Jin Yi first reported on the progress of his recent investigation, analyzing his findings with his master one by one. His initial conclusions were already terrifying, demonstrating the extraordinary scheming and manipulative nature of one individual.
After finishing the business, Jin Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Master, are you really staying in the Zhenbei Palace?"
Sun Mingsi looked earnestly at the guard leader who had been by his side since childhood, and smiled. "Well, Jin Yi, I've made up my mind. No matter how many years I can accompany them, it will be a gift from heaven. It's not convenient for you to meet Hengheng at the moment. You can see him from a distance during dinner. After a while, I'll have everything arranged and then you can officially enter and leave the palace."
Jin Yi moved his mouth but didn't say anything in the end. He suspected that the King of Zhenbei had already known about their existence, but the master didn't say it and the prince didn't ask because he was waiting for the master to tell him. Maybe it was just a little interest between lovers, Jin Yi didn't understand, so Jin Yi kept silent.
When Jin Yi saw the young master from afar one night, tears welled up in his eyes. The child looked exactly like his own childhood. His master had been alone for years due to his status, with no one to talk to except his guards. Now, it was a chance encounter, a happy ending after all the hard work. Okay, Jin San, I'll give him a lighter punishment this time. Because of his mistake three years ago, he stumbled upon this opportunity, which was a blessing from heaven.
The next day, Jin San lay on the bed, his heart filled with misery. He knew that when Jin Yi came, his punishment would come. The people who had been ridiculed by him a few days ago were lining up to visit him today, and every person who came would pat his wounds. It was really hateful!
The days passed quietly and playfully until February 2nd, the day of the Dragon's Head Rising, and the weather warmed up a bit. Today, Chu Huaibei was finally allowed out of the house by Uncle Deng. Her internal injuries, after more than a month of taking bitter medicine, were no longer a problem. Only her broken right hand remained healed, after all, a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal. Aside from being unable to write properly, which her deputy general did, she had no other problems.
Today's breakfast consisted of thin, thin dragon beard noodles with a chicken broth base. A warm bowl of them was incredibly refreshing. After breakfast, Aunt Wen gave each of Yiheng and his family a dragon tail woven from colorful thread around their waists. Hengheng's was a plump, chubby one, while Chu Huaibei and Sun Mingsi's were both powerful and imposing. These dragon tails were originally worn by children, symbolizing protection from evil and safety. This year, Chu Huaibei had a near-death experience, so Aunt Wen made one for her, and of course, one for Huzhi as well.
Chu Huaibei touched the dragon's tail and, like Hengheng, grinned as he thanked Aunt Wen. Sun Mingsi took a long time to thank Aunt Wen. Aunt Wen looked at the mist slowly accumulating in the child's eyes, knowing that he must be thinking of his family. She took his hand and patted it to comfort him.
Chu Huaibei originally wanted to go to the military camp to find Chen Sinong today, but seeing this scene, he decided to stay at home with his family today and go to the military camp tomorrow.
The sun was shining brightly today, and Chu Huaibei planned to take Hu Zhi on a tour of the entire palace, and also let Heng Heng get some sun. Sun exposure is beneficial for children's calcium absorption and better bone development. After returning to the room and dressing them, he took the beauty's hand and walked out. First, he took them to see the parade grounds, pointed to a group of wooden stakes inside and said to little Yi Heng: "Heng Heng, in three months, after your birthday, those wooden stakes will be yours!" Little Yi Heng didn't know what kind of situation he would face, and replied obediently: "Okay~"
Chu Huaibei happily took them on a tour of the armory in the training grounds. If his right hand could move, he would have shown them some tricks. He introduced all the weapons in there. The father and son nodded continuously, with the same expression, so cute and adorable, which touched Chu Huaibei's heart.
Then, turning right from the parade ground, he wandered through each courtyard. The empty courtyards of the palace were uninhabited, and the palace soldiers would clean them regularly. Damaged areas were promptly repaired, making them look quite neat and tidy. After inspecting all the courtyards, Sun Mingsi discovered a problem. There wasn't a single plant in the entire palace; the ground was entirely paved with bluestone. He'd noticed this before in the main courtyard, and had assumed it was just Chu Huaibei who disliked plants. Now, it seemed it was the old prince and the concubine who disliked them. This was quite surprising. Aristocratic families have always favored luxurious courtyard layouts, with rockeries, flowing water, and precious flowers and plants, showcasing their family heritage everywhere.
Chu Huaibei had paid careful attention to his surroundings while strolling around today, and indeed, he had spotted three figures peeking around. In particular, when Hengheng accidentally tripped and fell to the ground, one of them even made a telekinetic move to rescue him. This made Chu Huaibei raise an eyebrow, and she was curious about when Hu Zhi would tell her about these people at the palace. Her family's guards had previously reported to her about the presence of experts in the palace, and Chu Huaibei had instructed him to leave them alone as long as they behaved within the rules; they were not enemies.
During dinner, Chu Huaibei noticed that after strolling around the courtyard today, Hengheng and Huzhi had both eaten an extra half bowl of rice! It seemed his previous strategy had been flawed. Persuading them to eat was too difficult; he needed to find a way to get them to eat on their own initiative. Stronger bodies were just around the corner. After finishing his dinner, Chu Huaibei checked with his mother in advance. She had an important trip to the military camp tomorrow and had notified the deputy general to pick her up at 3:30 am, so his mother could rest assured. The concubine gave him a few words of caution and nodded in agreement.
Chu Huaibei remembered a theory from his past life: it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. The sleeping position she and Hu Zhi had developed was a habit. Hu Zhi was used to sleeping with his arms around her waist, head to head. Her body had also grown accustomed to this closeness, no longer stiff, and she felt much more comfortable waking up in the morning. Whether it was physical memory or Chu Huaibei's past life habits, he had never really liked having people around him while sleeping. A cautious general, he was used to having people close to him. Even his aide-de-camp, who had served him for many years, kept a distance of half a meter. Furthermore, his mother had slept alone for over twenty years in her past life, sleeping in a large bed that allowed her to rotate clockwise from head to foot. Her sleeping position was unrestrained, and with more people around her, she felt more reserved. But Chu Huaibei, a beauty-obsessed woman, loved beautiful women, and even if it meant being reserved, he would still be close!
Sun Mingsi actually accepted it better than Chu Huaibei. After all, this was the person he had been thinking about. Now he could see and touch her, and he soon got used to it. In winter, holding a personal self-heating hot water bottle was much more convenient than a copper kettle, and his sleep quality improved dramatically.
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