Several families in the small village came to see her, eager to give it a try. Liu Yulian brought several lotus seed rubbing tools, which she planned to give away for free. If they found them useful, they might tell others about them, or if others saw them, they might try them too.
Liu Yulian came here to deliver tools for rubbing lotus seeds and also to study the varieties of lotus seeds.
People here also want larger lotus seeds, but that's not always easy. Even if there are a few large lotus pods in a field, people just sigh and rarely mark them, hoping to plant more lotus roots there later.
This method is the most primitive one, but it is not easy.
"You can spread these potions in the fields," Liu Yulian said. "If you're afraid, try testing them on a patch of land first. These potions will slowly transform the lotus roots, and next year, the lotus seeds will be even better. However, with running water in the fields, the potion might not be as effective if there's less water. It's best to test it on several connected plots."
Liu Yulian thought it would be best to have terraced fields, one piece at a time, so that not too much potion would be wasted.
You can use more medicine on the top field so that it will flow down. Put less medicine in the back field to reduce the amount flowing into the river.
Normally, seeds are soaked in water and placed directly in a pot or tank. Lotus root can also be used, but you'll have to wait until next year. However, you can give it a try this year, as there's still plenty of time before the lotus seed harvest ends.
"However, next year when you plant lotus seeds, it would be better to dig out the lotus roots and soak them in the medicine." Liu Yulian said, "That way you can avoid wasting too much medicine and prevent it from flowing away with the water."
"Why?" Some people don't understand why we need to prevent the medicine from flowing out.
"If some of the improved varieties of medicine leak out, they might change the nature of the weeds. You don't want them to grow any better, do you?" Liu Yulian chuckled. "If that happens, your weeding will be even harder."
"Isn't it specifically for lotus seeds?" someone else asked. They knew that the culture medium sold by the court was targeted.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean it has no effect on other things." Liu Yulian said. The system also has an instruction manual. She thinks the content in the manual is correct and they really need to pay attention to this.
When Liu Yulian left the village, she had harvested quite a few lotus seeds. She gave away the ones the villagers gave her as tools, and the ones each family gave her a few lotus pods, which was quite a lot.
Lotus seeds are relatively expensive, and those who eat them are mainly wealthy families.
The villagers here plant lotus seeds in the hope of selling them at a high price and making some money. When the lotus seeds are almost harvested, they plant rice seedlings in the lotus fields, hoping to harvest some rice.
"Princess, would you like to go back and peel the lotus seeds?" When Princess Rongning got on the carriage, a maid asked.
"Go back and peel them. It's hard to do it in the carriage." Liu Yulian said, "But you can peel the lotus seeds out of the lotus pod."
"There are many lotus pods, but few lotus seeds." The maid sighed.
"That's right, but it's nothing." Liu Yulian understood what the maid meant. It was already very good that the villagers were willing to give them these things, and they couldn't say that those people gave too little.
The villagers didn't have much money, and Liu Yulian saw that their houses weren't very good. She thought it would be a good idea to give them lotus pods, which are large and look plentiful.
Gifts have to look plentiful. Even if Liu Yulian wanted to give lotus pods, it would look plentiful and people wouldn't seem so embarrassed. She didn't come here to ask for gifts.
Those villagers were very kind, they didn't give things away casually.
"Have you seen the houses they live in? And their hands," Liu Yulian said. "They have so many calluses that even the little kids have to help peel the lotus seeds."
"Yes." The maid responded.
When Liu Yulian returned, He Xiyuan saw that she had brought a lot of lotus pods. He wondered if she had come here to study salt drying, so why did she always bring back lotus pods these days?
"Lotus pods again?" He Xiyuan walked into the yard and picked up a lotus pod. "Peel it?"
"Yes." Liu Yulian said, "I peeled some when I was in the carriage, and now I've peeled them all."
"I'll do it." He Xiyuan moved his sister-in-law to sit next to Liu Yulian.
"It's not easy, right?" Liu Yulian said.
"The lotus seeds are too small..." He Xiyuan felt that he could not even catch the lotus seeds, let alone peeling them layer by layer. It was really too difficult.
Liu Yulian saw a lotus seed slip from He Xiyuan's hand and chuckled, "It's very small, let me do it."
"It's okay, give it a try." He Xiyuan said.
"Okay." Liu Yulian grabbed a handful of lotus seeds and handed them to He Xiyuan. "These lotus seeds have been shelled. Peel off the outer shells first."
In the palace, the emperor's health was getting worse. He had been sleeping for a long time recently, and his memory was not as good as before. The emperor simply did not attend court, staying in the palace, sometimes walking in the imperial garden.
The imperial concubine supported the emperor. The emperor made the imperial concubine's son the crown prince, but did not make the imperial concubine the queen. The imperial concubine did not think that she had to become the queen. After her son ascended the throne, she would become the queen mother, which would also be considered the queen.
"It's been a long time since it was so quiet." The emperor sighed.
"Just take a walk." The imperial concubine said. She was thinking that even if the emperor didn't have much energy, some women in the harem still wanted to be with him.
In the past, there were dynasties where concubines would give the emperor drugs, and the emperor would think he was energetic. The emperor also liked to be with those young concubines, and when his health was failing, few of them would tell him, and some might even collude to keep it a secret from him.
The imperial concubine thought that the current emperor was not so fond of young women, but the emperor had worked so hard over the years and his health was not that good.
"It'll only take a few months." The emperor felt like he couldn't hold on any longer. "You guys... when I'm not around... you guys..."
"Your Majesty is not worried about me, but about others." The imperial concubine thought that her son would be the crown prince, and she would be the empress dowager, then her life would be relatively easy, as long as she did not think too much and force her son to do various things.
"The prince is still young," the emperor said. "What will he think when he becomes emperor?"
The emperor is worried about the world, and he doesn't want the prince to lose the country.
"Many emperors are generally good when they first ascend the throne, but after a while, things change," the emperor said. "Some become very bad."
"Why not?" the imperial concubine asked with a smile.
"Small-minded and suspicious." The emperor thought he was doing a good job, so he didn't doubt others too much.
Even if other court officials thought the emperor was suspicious, the emperor himself did not feel the same way. He thought that he had allowed the people to build a shrine for Princess Rongning, so how could he be suspicious? He was actually very tolerant.
However, if it were a man, the emperor could not guarantee that he would allow the people to build a shrine for him, and he might also not allow that man to become too famous in the beginning.
As an emperor, he had many things to consider. It wasn't that he looked down on women or thought they posed no threat, but that was simply the way the world was.
Of course, it is possible that being too clever may backfire, but when there is no chaos in the world, it will not be so easy for rebels to succeed.
The emperor thought, what's the big deal? It's a problem the prince needs to consider.
At the Cen family's home, Old Man Cen lay in bed, his body stiff. Even though his friends hired someone to take care of him, he still passed away.
After the fall of the Cen family, Mr. Cen was very sad. He had a stroke, and the Cen family had long been exiled to the northwest. Mrs. Cen was no longer as attentive to him.
Originally, Mr. Cen had taken concubines, so how could the relationship between Madam Cen and Mr. Cen be so good? However, because the Cen family was still doing well at the time and Madam Cen was still enjoying wealth and glory, they turned a blind eye.
After Mr. Cen fell into poverty, Mrs. Cen was also old, so how could she possibly care much about Mr. Cen?
The most important thing was that Mr. Cen was in a bad mood, ate less, and didn't want to live anymore. This is why Mr. Cen didn't hold on any longer and passed away.
"Grandfather." Concubine Cen knelt there.
When the emperor learned that Mr. Cen had passed away, he immediately sent people to the seaside to call back the third prince. After all, Mr. Cen was the third prince's grandfather. No matter how many mistakes Mr. Cen had made, he was still kind to the third prince.
At least outsiders should not think that the royal family is too ruthless. As for whether the third prince is willing to come back, that is his business.
"He has lived long enough." The emperor thought that he would not live that long.
Old Master Cen also had quite a few disciples back then, but after the Cen family fell, they no longer had much contact with the Cen family.
This time, Mr. Cen's death was different. It was fine for them to come and pay their respects after someone died.
At the beach, when the Third Prince learned that Master Cen had passed away, he was stunned. He had originally thought that if he had someone to serve Master Cen, then Master Cen would not die so easily.
The third prince told Liu Yulian that he was going back to Beijing, and Mr. Cen went there.
"Go." There was no way Liu Yulian could stop the third prince from returning to the capital. After Mr. Cen passed away, the third prince should indeed go back.
However, those members of the Cen family who were exiled could not return to Beijing.
The Third Prince also knew this. There were only a few members of the Cen family in the capital. Old Madam Cen was old, and they couldn't expect her to do anything. Concubine Cen was also a delicate young lady in the past, so they were afraid that these people might not be able to handle those matters well.
The third prince rushed back to the capital overnight. It took Liu Yulian and others more than two days to get to the beach, so the third prince could travel faster on horseback.
When the Third Prince returned, the Third Prince's wife had already arrived at the Cen family. The Third Prince's wife knew that the death of Mr. Cen was a big deal. As the Third Prince's wife, she had to come and see him before he returned to the capital.
The Third Prince's wife had tea and cakes brought over; there had to be something to entertain the guests. There were also monks chanting sutras for the deceased, and other things that needed to be prepared.
"Master." Seeing the Third Prince coming in exhausted, the Third Prince's wife hurried forward.
"Grandfather." The third prince knelt directly in front of the mourning hall.
No matter how much the Third Prince didn't want the Cen family to compete for the throne, and no matter how much he disliked Old Man Cen, at this moment, the Third Prince still felt a little sad.
Old Master Cen is gone just like that, which means that those who know Old Master Cen in the future will be even less likely to give face to the Cen family and take good care of the Third Prince.
Those people are not fools, they would never get involved in those things.
This time, the third prince followed the people from the research institute to the seaside to study salt drying. Regardless of whether the third prince did anything or not, he could always get some credit by following them.
Unfortunately, since Mr. Cen passed away at this time, the Third Prince could not think about whether he had made any contribution or not.
Not to mention those people, even the Third Prince and his wife felt that Mr. Cen's death was not timely.
It was only because Mr. Cen himself was a criminal, and it was only because of the emperor's grace that Mr. Cen was able to continue staying in the capital. After Mr. Cen passed away, his funeral was not too grand, and everything was kept simple.
This was done with the permission of the Third Prince, otherwise, how could the Third Prince's wife dare to do so?
After Mr. Cen's funeral was over, Concubine Cen wanted to return to the Third Prince's Mansion.
"You just stay here and take care of your grandmother." The Third Prince still had no intention of bringing Concubine Cen back to the Third Prince's Mansion.
"Master, can't we let grandpa live in the mansion?" Concubine Cen said.
"No." The third prince frowned. What was Concubine Cen doing? Did she want him to be criticized by the emperor?
The emperor allowed Old Madam Cen to stay in the capital, but he didn't want her to live a good life in the Third Prince's mansion.
"Just stay here and serve your grandmother." The Third Prince said again, "Don't think about anything else."
Concubine Cen stared at the Third Prince, and she couldn't help but wonder if she could only go back after her grandmother died?
"Since my master has said so, you should stay here and fulfill your filial duties." The Third Prince's wife said, "If Grandmother is well and lives longer, you can gain a better reputation."
The Third Prince's wife reminded Concubine Cen not to think about letting Old Lady Cen die early. Even if Old Lady Cen died early, Concubine Cen would not be able to return to the Third Prince's Mansion.
"Don't wait until the end and go to the manor again." said the third prince's wife.
Concubine Cen's fingertips dug into her flesh, but she didn't feel any pain. She just felt that the Third Prince's wife was threatening her. When she looked at the Third Prince again, he didn't say anything bad about the Third Prince's wife.
This made Concubine Cen understand that these people had never thought of asking her to return to the Third Prince's Mansion.
"Go back." The Third Prince said, "Take good care of your grandmother."
"Yes." Concubine Cen could only respond.
Old Madam Cen could see that Concubine Cen didn't want to serve an old woman like her. She was originally worried that Concubine Cen might kill her in order to return to the Third Prince's Mansion, but after hearing what the Third Prince's wife said, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She was just an old woman with her body half buried in the ground. How could she prevent Concubine Cen from taking cruel action against her?
Old Madam Cen was indeed worried that Concubine Cen would kill her. If there was a Third Prince's wife, Concubine Cen would have to take good care of Old Madam Cen and let her live longer in order to stay outside and not be sent to the manor.
"Okay, stay here for now," said Madam Cen. "When the time comes, you'll have a reputation for filial piety, and after I leave, you might actually be able to return. If I leave early and your reputation hasn't risen, I'm afraid..."
"Reputation, reputation, and more reputation." Concubine Cen thought that the Cen family talked about reputation every day.
About half a month later, the Cen family in the northwest received a letter from the capital, informing them that Old Master Cen had passed away. They were not surprised at all. Old Master Cen was already very old, and he had also suffered a stroke, so it was difficult for him to live long.
After the Cen family came to the northwest, they couldn't expect anyone to rescue them. This was unrealistic.
When Miss Cen learned that her grandfather had passed away, she was stunned for a moment. Her life was not easy now, although on the surface she had enough food and clothing. Her husband was having an affair with the maidservant around her, and her mother-in-law didn't say much about the maidservant and her son. She just said, "Aren't the women of the Cen family very tolerant and generous?"
At that moment, Miss Cen didn't know what to say.
The Cen family girls have a bad reputation, and their former good reputation has now become a weapon to hurt them.
Some of the Cen family's daughters who married out had better luck, some even divorced themselves to make way for their husbands' new wives, and some even committed suicide.
This shows how attached the girls of the Cen family are to the education they have received.
Some families didn't even want to do anything, but the Cen family girl took the lead. This made them very unhappy, as it seemed mean.
At the Zhen family, Liu Fang received gifts from the capital. The gifts from the Jingning Marquisate were small, and even smaller still from Liu Yanyuan's family.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? Did anyone steal anything?" Liu Fang asked.
"That's all," Zhen Wenze said. "That's about it. They confiscated everything we sent to the Marquis of Jingning's mansion. It's good that they can give you something."
Zhen Wenze believed that the people in Jingning Marquis's Mansion did that to remind the Zhen family that Liu Fang was from Jingning Marquis's Mansion. He thought that Liu Fang had no ability, and he had no way to gain any benefits from her, and he had to be warned.
"The people from the fourth room were too much. They just sent a basket of eggs and a chicken, and that was it." Liu Fang said.
"Our family just gave them these little things." Zhen Wen Ze was speechless. Giving gifts to each other was just the way it was.
"But I am their sister." Liu Fang said.
"Same for my younger sisters," Zhen Wenze said. "Speaking of younger sisters, your youngest sister is truly amazing. I heard that the Rongning Temple is very popular, and many people come to donate money."
"I'm not a god, how can I possibly protect them?" Liu Fang curled her lips.
"The people have harvested a lot of grain, and with the cement, the roads have been built, and riding bicycles has become much more convenient." Zhen Wenze thought that the people were not asking for Princess Rongning's blessing, they were just grateful. "You should also not always be like this. If you say that outside, you will be spitted on."
"I'm talking about my own little sister, why can't I do that?" Liu Fang thought those people just liked to meddle in other people's affairs.
"..." Zhen Wen Ze's mouth curled up slightly. It was true that Liu Fang was Princess Rongning's sister, but Princess Rongning didn't eat or live at Liu Fang's house, so how could Liu Fang have the right to say so much.
In Shiyuan Village, Liu Yanqing was in a good mood. He rented out the house they used to live in at a fairly good price.
"Those people really like coming here." Liu Yanqing sighed, "Then our daughter won't have to go to town to study in the future. She can just study here. Who knows, there might be a lot of people here."
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