Chapter 45: The Royal Farm’s Bountiful Harvest [Jinjiang Authentic Edition, Abundant Melons]…
Hearing his grandfather's thoughtful question, Ying, the little fat boy, immediately shook his head. His physiological needs at the beginning of the morning were completely met in the bathroom, and he didn't feel like peeing or going to the toilet yet. It was just that after a long nap on the soft couch, his mouth was a little dry.
He opened his mouth and yawned again, rubbed his sleepy eyes with his little hands, opened his eyes and looked around, and saw the package that his wet nurse had carefully prepared for him under the bookshelf in the carriage. He immediately used his hands and feet to pull the package to his grandfather's legs.
Seeing this, the First Emperor reached out to help his grandson untie the package. Qin Ying hurriedly took out the infant formula she had recently bought from the system mall and the glass bottle she had found at a bargain price. She shook the plastic handle of the bottle up and down twice, then tilted her little head back and handed the bottle to her grandfather while babbling.
The First Emperor took a look at the milk bottle, then glanced at the can of milk powder in the package. He had seen his grandson's wet nurse use this strangely shaped crystal cup to make the milk powder given by the Xuanniao for his grandson many times in the Zhangtai Palace.
Now, there were only the grandfather and grandson in the car. The First Emperor carefully placed the bamboo slips and the "Wild Vegetable Atlas" on the table on the bookshelf beside him, then pushed the pen and ink aside, took the milk powder can out of the package with one hand and placed it on the table, then took the crystal milk bottle from his grandson's little hand, washed his hands with a wet towel, and then took out a black cowhide water bag, took off the lid, and washed the bottle with the boiled water inside, and poured the water into the Ji Jin trash can in the car.
After cleaning the bottle, she fumbled to open the can of milk powder. She imitated the movements of her grandson's wet nurse, scooped two spoonfuls of pale yellow milk powder with the spoon inside the can and placed them in the crystal bottle. Then she took out a thermos bag filled with hot water, added half of it to the bottle, and then half of it with boiled water. She felt the wall of the cup to feel that the water temperature was just right, then screwed the cap on the bottle, rubbed the bottle back and forth with her two big hands, and shook it back and forth. Seeing that the milk powder in the cup had bubbled up, she smiled and handed the bottle to the little one, saying, "Hey, baby, let's go!"
"Drink it quickly. If it's not enough, I'll make you another one after you finish it."
I have to say that good-looking and smart people always make everything they do look smooth and pleasing to the eye.
Seeing her grandfather's smooth movements in making milk powder, Qin Ying was a little surprised. She stretched out her two little hands with sparkling eyes, thanked her grandfather with "Aba Aba", and then held the handle of her bottle and drank it with "Tun Tun Tun" like a chubby little tiger.
Looking at his grandson's chubby cheeks as he sucked and gulped milk, the ruffles of his sun hat hanging from his forehead trembled slightly, and the gems embellished above the silk edge shone brightly under the light of the night pearls on the roof. The whole little guy was exquisite and cute, like a fairy child in the sky. The more Qin Shi Huang looked at him, the deeper the smile in his eyes became.
Compared with people outside the Great Wall, the natural environment where the Qin people lived was relatively harsh. Generations of Qin people had been fighting with the Western Rong and the Xiongnu. In the day-to-day battles, they were taller than the people of the six countries east of the Great Wall.
In such a difficult natural and social environment, it was difficult for weak people and animals to survive in the Qin State. Correspondingly, the innate aesthetic taste of the old Qin people also preferred strong people and animals. As the leader of the royal family, Qin Shihuang was naturally no exception. He knew very well that his favorite animals had always been fierce beasts like tigers, and he also looked forward to taking a boat to fight the wind and waves on the sea and shooting a big fish with his own hands when he went out in the future. But looking at the tender and soft grandson in front of him, Ying Zheng couldn't help but shook his head with a smile, thinking that the little guy was doing well. He really couldn't figure out why his eldest son, who could only find ways to anger him, could give birth to such a cute and caring little thing. Obviously, the Wang family was also a group of tough guys, right?
The little fat boy Ying, who was busy drinking milk, naturally did not see the love and appreciation in his grandfather's eyes. After quickly finishing the bottle of milk, the little guy handed the bottle to his grandfather with a circle of white beard on his mouth and sparkling eyes, saying "ahhh".
When the First Emperor heard that his grandson had eaten his fill, he reached out to take the bottle. Seeing that the little guy drank it quite well, he rinsed off the remaining milk in the cup with boiled water, then poured a bottle of clean water mixed with hot water and boiled water, screwed on the lid, and the fast-moving Golden Root Cart slowly stopped.
The voice of the soldiers reporting soon rang out from outside the door:
"Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Imperial Farm."
"Um."
The First Emperor responded in a low voice, wiped the white beard around his grandson's mouth with a silk handkerchief, handed the bottle to the little guy, and then put his arm around the chubby boy and walked slowly down from the carriage door opened by the soldiers, stepping on the horse stool.
Ying, the little fat boy, was like a primary school student on a spring outing. He shook off the string of the bottle in his little hand, hung the bottle around his neck, and looked at the extremely tall stone gate of the imperial village in front of him with his eyes wide open. He could see layers of mountains in the distance by tilting his little head up.
At this time, the civil officials and military officers who followed behind also got off their cars and horses, and rushed to the grandfather and grandson, and hurriedly bowed and saluted:
"Your Majesty, your Highness, and I pay our respects to His Majesty, Your Highness, the Grand Prince!"
"Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing the large group of middle-aged men and old men of different heights, weights, and beards with different shapes gathered around, Qin Ying looked at them curiously.
In the crowd, he saw his grandfather and Old Li at a glance. The former was conspicuous because of his tanned skin, and the latter was conspicuous simply because he was standing close to the front.
A single white moon amidst the darkness.
Seeing the little baby in His Majesty's arms, dressed in light blue from head to toe, with a strangely shaped transparent crystal cup hanging around its neck, and looking at them with a pair of clear and bright eyes, all the civil and military officials were curiously looking at this third generation of the royal family who was now the most popular in the court.
I didn’t dare look directly at Jun Yan, but I could still stare at the little baby carefully.
Seeing the eldest grandson of the emperor glance at them with his phoenix eyes that resembled His Majesty's, he grinned at them and waved his hands "Yiyaya" as if to greet them. The officials were stunned for a moment, and then immediately smiled and bowed to return the greeting. It was as if a switch had been triggered, and they all rushed to praise His Majesty the Emperor:
"Your Majesty, you are truly blessed! Your eldest grandson is so handsome, intelligent, and worthy of being the Holy Grandson of the Great Qin!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Grandson truly lives up to his name. He looks nothing like an ordinary baby!"
"The Emperor's eldest grandson has been brought up so well. He looks chubby yet lively and adorable. I imagine that this is what a fairy child in heaven would look like. No wonder His Highness the eldest grandson was chosen by the Black Bird and is so beloved by heaven!"
“…”
“…”
Listening to the civil officials praising the emperor's eldest grandson one after another, the military officers standing by were scratching their heads anxiously. They wanted to step forward and praise the emperor's eldest grandson, but they regretted not having enough knowledge when it was needed. They could only follow General Wang Ben's words and echo the civil officials' praise - "Yes, yes, that's right, we all think so too!"
This was the first time that Qin Ying saw so many officials. Hearing a group of white-bearded old men flattering each other without repeating themselves, he couldn't help but look at these eloquent civil servants in surprise.
In the past, when the First Emperor heard the civil servants in the court praising his eldest son's gentleness and bright appearance, he always felt that the praise was a bit pretentious, and he understood that it was mostly to please him. But now, listening to the civil servants praising his grandson, the emperor smiled and nodded repeatedly. For the first time, he felt that the literary talent of these civil servants was indeed very good.
The accompanying historian was from the "Sima" clan, whose members had been historians for generations.
Sima the historian was stunned when he saw the harmonious look of the emperor and his ministers in front of him. He had thought that today's grand ceremony would not begin until they entered the imperial farm, but he didn't expect it to start before they even entered the imperial farm?
As a professional historical recorder who was good at capturing key points and describing grand scenes, Sima the historian hurriedly took out a brush and bamboo slips from his bag. After quickly dipping the brush in ink, he quickly wrote down the blank bamboo slips:
In the seventh month of the autumn of the twenty-sixth year, the First Emperor led his eldest grandson and a number of his ministers to the imperial estate. Upon reaching the estate gate, the ministers paid their first respects to the sage heir, all praising him with the words, "Heaven has blessed our great grandson, shining as brightly as the sun and the moon." The whole court was filled with joy, and the emperor smiled and nodded, deeply pleased. People of the time said that the blessing of a virtuous grandson to a sage ruler was like Mount Tai receiving clouds and rainbows.
Seeing the red sun rising in the east, Qin Ying estimated that it was already past noon. He was a little dizzy from the flattery of the officials. Then he saw the tanned and thin old man Xu Wang approaching hesitantly, leaning towards the grandfather and grandson, and asking expectantly:
"Your Majesty, everything is ready at the Imperial Manor. Would you and His Royal Highness Changsun like to first view the abundant harvest of celestial seeds? Or would you like to move on to the menagerie to see the two newly born auspicious animals?"
Aside from Li Si and Zhao Gao, two people who had seen the seeds from outer space, the other officials who had accompanied the emperor to the imperial farm were stunned when they heard the grain official say, "The seeds from outer space have been harvested." They had originally thought that the crops on the imperial farm had seen an exceptionally good harvest this year, which was why the emperor had so happily suspended court for a day and brought them along to inspect it. Who could have imagined it was actually seeds from outer space?!
This secret mission was incredibly well-kept, wasn't it?! They hadn't even heard a whiff of it beforehand. What exactly was this alien seed? And what did it look like?
The eyes of all the officials instantly became hot because of novelty and surprise.
The First Emperor also turned his head to look at the officials and said with a gentle smile:
"My lords, I think you may not be aware that in April, Changsun Ying unexpectedly obtained a bag of high-quality, unique celestial seeds from the black bird. I gave it to the Minister of Grain and asked Mr. Xu to cultivate it secretly at the imperial farm."
"Xu Qing has lived up to my expectations. For the past three months, he has diligently cultivated crops on the imperial farm, working diligently and conscientiously until he has become tanned and thin. He has truly made an incredible contribution to the agricultural production of our Great Qin! Now, all the nobles will follow me and Xu Qing to see the abundant harvest of the alien seeds!"
Hearing the emperor's unreserved praise for him, Xu Wang's happy smile was brighter than a blooming chrysanthemum. He hurriedly leaned over and made a "please" gesture, and was about to lead the emperor and the eldest grandson to the manor to check the results of his work.
Seeing the brilliant smile of Zhisui Nei Shi, which showed so brightly that even his teeth were exposed, all the officials who followed the emperor into the imperial farm were really envious, jealous and hateful!
When they followed the First Emperor into the farm, Xu Wang took them to the neatly arranged farmlands. They saw the high and low racks in the fields, all hung with crops of various shapes, some green, some red. When they heard Xu Wang's introduction, not only did their eyes widen in shock, but their envy, jealousy, and hatred for Xu Wang also reached the peak in an instant!
Xu Wang, a thin, dark-skinned old man, like an old farmer in the fields, walked to the edge of the field, pointed at a plant covered with red fruits, and smiled at His Majesty the Emperor:
"Your Majesty, these two acres of land are planted with tomatoes. The original seeds have grown into one acre of seedlings. I followed the planting method recorded in the book of the gods. After the seedlings grew, I topped them and pinched off strong stems for cuttings. I then planted another acre of seedlings from these cuttings. Fortunately, the weather was favorable, with just the right amount of rain this summer, so these two acres of tomato seedlings are growing lush and green!"
"good!"
The First Emperor looked at the half-man-high wooden racks in front of him, with red and green tomatoes hanging close together, filling the racks in festive style, and nodded in praise with a smile.
Ying, the little chubby boy in his grandfather's arms, looked up at the small-hole fishing nets hanging above and around the tomato field, and understood that this was an ingenious way that Old Man Xu came up with to prevent the birds on the farm from pecking at the red tomatoes. Smelling the sour and sweet tomato scent in the air, he couldn't help but grip the handle of his glass bottle and drank two gulps of warm water.
Before the officials could take their eyes away from the tomato field, Xu Wang led them to see the cucumber field next door, which was also covered with wooden racks.
Although the appearance of cucumbers is not as pleasing and eye-catching as ripe tomatoes, the unique fragrance that fills the air still makes people stretch their necks to smell it. They wish they could rush into the cucumber field and pick a cucumber with fresh thorns on the surface to taste it and see if it really has that refreshing fragrance.
After crossing the one-acre cucumber field, everyone followed Xu Wang to visit the two-acre sesame field, the one-acre bean field, and the six-acre alfalfa field. These novel seeds, either hanging on wooden racks or growing lushly, made the Qin emperor and his ministers' eyes light up again and again.
When we arrived at the adjacent four-acre melon field, we saw the winter melons and pumpkins hanging on the wooden racks, some long, some round, but without exception, each one looked so big and so solid!
Not only were all the officials completely unable to stay there any longer, even the First Emperor couldn't help but tremble slightly when he saw the true appearance of these two big melons with his own eyes.
Although the four crops and one kind of forage grass mentioned above seemed to be growing very lush in the eyes of everyone, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and sesame seeds were not considered big fruits, and just looking at the fruits would not make people think of a yield of a thousand kilograms. However, pumpkins and winter melons were big melons. A melon that fell from the wooden rack was estimated to weigh dozens of kilograms, which was still shocking to see. Looking at the countless large melons on the racks in the field, the yield had already exceeded "a thousand kilograms" without weighing!
Among those present, aside from Ying Xiaopangdun's entire afterlife soul, who had ever witnessed, or even anticipated, what crops capable of yielding thousands of kilograms in a field would actually look like?!
However, the appearance of these four mu of melon fields laden with melons today suddenly makes the four words "yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu" meaningful!
An old minister couldn't help but squint at the melons in the field, then turned his head to look at the little grandson who was sitting in the emperor's arms, sucking water from a strange pacifier. Then he excitedly shouted to the First Emperor with tears in his eyes:
"Your Majesty! This is truly a fairy melon! It's a fairy melon that can only be grown in outer space!"
"In my entire life, I've never seen fruits this big and this abundant! If pumpkins and winter melons were cultivated in large quantities, and every household planted a couple of seeds in front of or behind their houses, wouldn't that provide enough food for half a year?"
Hearing the old minister's tearful praise, the other officials, regardless of their affiliation, all with difficulty turned their gazes away from the melon field. Their eyes gleamed as they looked at the little grandson chosen by the black bird in His Majesty's arms, then at the emperor with his piercing eyes. They wanted to follow the old minister's lead and say something flattering, but as the words reached their lips, they realized that no flattering words could compare to the plump melons in the field! They could only grin and nod frantically, expressing their approval of the old minister's words.
The officials were all so happy, and the Emperor's happiness was beyond words.
What's growing in this field isn't just melons; it's clearly the stability of the Qin Empire! It's the growing population of the Qin Empire!
The Emperor, who remained calm even in the face of a mountain collapse, took two deep breaths, suppressed the immense joy in his heart, and calmly hugged his grandson again. He then gave Xu Wang an order:
"Xu Qing, you've taken good care of the pumpkins and winter melons. Take me to see the potatoes and sweet potatoes."
"promise!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
