Chapter 27 Little Surprise
Compared to harvesting rice in clusters, using a farm cart is obviously much faster. The rice can be cut intact and spread in the field, and the only thing you need to consider is picking up the rice ears.
However, compared with the time-consuming and laborious harvesting in the past, integrating the cut rice ears is not a big problem.
Even though Zhu Zhanji had heard several eunuchs mention that Zhu Yuhuan's farm carts were particularly special, he still couldn't help feeling emotional when he actually saw these farm carts driving in the fields.
As Zhu Yuhuan said, the people have to work hard to make a living all year round. Not only that, they also have to participate in various types of corvee labor assigned by the government. It is extremely painful. If these farm carts can be used outside the palace, it will surely help reduce the burden on the people.
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at Zhu Zhanji's expression and saw that he didn't seem unhappy. Then he smiled and said, "Dad, besides the farm cart, there are other farm tools. Can Huanhuan ask someone to show you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Youtong puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Just now, when my sister was working, I took Daddy Huang to use them all. Daddy Huang watched them in the field for a long time and said that these were amazing."
What she meant was that she could use all these things and deserved Zhu Yuhuan's praise.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh a little, but he still followed the little girl's thoughts and said, "Tongtong is really amazing. Sister hasn't taught you many times, but you have already learned it secretly, and you even know to teach Daddy."
Zhu Youtong crossed his arms proudly and said seriously, "Because I am your elder sister's younger sister."
Seeing his daughter, who had been a little reserved at first, become particularly lively in front of Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but smile and touch her head, saying, "You two sisters have a very good relationship."
Zhu Youtong said confidently, "Of course. My sister always says brothers should be friendly and respectful to each other, so naturally sisters should also be harmonious."
Zhu Zhanji looked at his two daughters and couldn't help but sigh that Hu Shanxiang was indeed blessed.
If Zhu Yuhuan was a boy born to the imperial concubine, even if he really deposed the queen, it would be for the sake of the country and the people. Who would have said anything more?
It’s a pity that Zhu Yuhuan is a daughter.
Having said that, Zhu Zhanji had no intention of treating his daughter badly. Although Zhu Yuhuan was born to Hu Shanxiang, she was also of royal blood. What's more, his daughter did have extraordinary talents and understood loyalty, righteousness, filial piety and brotherhood. Zhu Zhanji naturally trusted his daughter very much. If a prince was born in the future, with Zhu Yuhuan as his sister to set an example, the two siblings would surely be able to live in harmony like Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Youtong.
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji felt much more relieved. He pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, "Huanhuan, leave these farm tools and craftsmen to Dad for now. I have other arrangements."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, and in his heart he vaguely guessed the specific purpose of Zhu Zhanji's request for these farm tools. However, his face remained the same as usual, and he said, "Huanhuan understands."
Zhu Zhanji was relieved to see her so obedient, and then said: "You have been tired for a long time. Ask the Shangshenjian to bring lunch. Daddy will eat here with you today."
The emperor spoke, and everyone naturally responded and got busy. Fortunately, in order to facilitate Zhu Yuhuan's temporary rest, the several rooms in the courtyard were not all used to store tools, but two separate rooms were set aside. Otherwise, even if Zhu Zhanji was here, it would be difficult to find a place to rest.
Zhu Zhanzhen and Hu Shanxiang, mother and daughter, accompanied Zhu Zhanji. Zhu Zhanji rested for a while and regained his energy. He tested Zhu Yuhuan and Zhu Zhanzhen's knowledge with great interest. Hu Shanxiang was making tea on the side. Zhu Youtong was already a little tired, and just lay on the table listening to Zhu Yuhuan's fluent answers.
Zhu Zhanji had no interest in studying during this period, so he naturally didn't review his lessons much. He could not remember most of what Zhu Zhanji asked him.
But looking at Zhu Yuhuan next to him, he did not have any hesitation when reciting the text and explaining its meaning. It was obvious that Zhu Yuhuan had already memorized all of this, which made his "little uncle" feel a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji smiled and teased, "Tenth brother, you must study hard in the future, otherwise you won't even be able to compare with Huanhuan."
Zhu Zhanzhen was a little embarrassed and said, "Huanhuan is already very smart and studies harder. I can't compare to him."
Seeing him like this, Zhu Zhanji sighed and warned him, "You are a legitimate prince after all. It is unacceptable if you can't even compare to Princess Huanhuan. I will ask some teachers to urge you to study hard. Don't fall behind in your studies."
Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but frowning slightly when she heard what Zhu Zhanji said.
The implication of the words seems to be that Princess Zhu Yuhuan is inherently inferior.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally understood Zhu Zhanji's hidden meaning, but she didn't care.
The less Zhu Zhanji took her seriously, the more advantageous it would be for her to act.
After Zhu Zhanji finished speaking, Hu Shanxiang smiled and comforted Zhu Zhanji, saying, "Tenth brother is very careful. He studies slowly in order to delve into the truth. First, take care of your health before discussing other things."
Zhu Zhanji was in a good mood today and was not displeased by Hu Shanxiang's interruption. Instead, he nodded and said, "Your sister-in-law is right. From now on, let the imperial physician check your pulse every three days. If there is anything missing, I will make up for it for you."
Zhu Zhanzhen was still young, and seeing his brother and sister-in-law care so much about him, he couldn't help but feel touched. His heart ached, and he spoke with a tearful tone as he said, "I understand, little brother. I will devote myself to studying when I recover."
Seeing this, Hu Shanxiang took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from his cheeks. She reached out and touched his head, saying softly and comfortingly, "Tenth brother, as long as you are doing well, what else does His Majesty have to worry about?"
Zhu Zhanzhen was comforted by Hu Shanxiang. Meeting her gentle gaze, he thought of his mother who was no longer alive. He fought back his tears and said with red eyes, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'm not a child anymore."
Zhu Youtong blinked, looked back and forth between the few people, and said seriously: "The little uncle is a big boy."
Zhu Yuhuan almost burst out laughing. She coughed, quickly took a sip of tea to clear her throat, and said, "I'm so thirsty..."
Seeing Zhu Zhanzhen lowering his head in shame, Zhu Zhanji shook his head helplessly and smiled unconsciously.
Since this was Zhu Yuhuan's temporary resting place, the house was simply decorated, but everyone was wearing cloth clothes, and at first glance it looked like an ordinary family having a meal together after work.
Perhaps because they had been working for too long, everyone had a big appetite. On normal days, they would only finish half of their lunch, but today they ate it all up, and they felt as if they had tasted more than enough delicacies from land and sea.
As the palace servants were clearing away the dishes, a palace servant hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, and the Virtuous Concubine are here."
Zhu Zhanji was a little surprised. After the two came in, he asked, "Why are the Imperial Concubine and the Virtuous Concubine here?"
Not to mention Zhu Zhanji's surprise, even Sun Mengqiu and Wu Miaosu were shocked when they came in. None of them could have imagined that the emperor and the empress were actually wearing coarse linen clothes, completely lacking their usual elegance and grace.
Sun Mengqiu was startled at first, then said, "I went to pay my respects to the Empress today, but upon arriving, I learned that she had left the palace. I heard she was here to inspect the Princess' rice paddies, so I decided to come over and take a look. After all, when I was in Zouping, I often saw farmers tilling their fields, so I'm sure I can help the Empress with these chores."
Seeing this, Wu Miaosu also explained: "Since the Imperial Concubine is so kind, I will naturally follow her and do my best to help the Empress and the Princess."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at her and quickly understood that the two of them had probably gone to Kunning Palace together to pay their respects to Hu Shanxiang. Logically, since the queen was not there, the two of them could just go back home, but Sun Mengqiu couldn't let her go, so she came here specially.
Since the imperial concubine had arrived, Wu Miaosu naturally had no choice but to respond actively. Otherwise, she might not even be able to get out of the palace by herself.
Zhu Yuhuan saw that the two were dressed like imperial concubines, and it was obvious that they had gone to Kunning Palace and found nothing, so he followed them out of the palace shortly afterwards. However, he did not expect Hu Shanxiang to actually be doing farm work here. What he said just now was just to save face. So he smiled and said, "The farm work is almost done. We have harvested a lot of rice ears. If the ladies like, why not take some back with you? It will be very interesting to put them in a vase."
Zhu Yuhuan took the initiative to provide the stairs, and the two naturally went down the stairs and asked the palace servants around them to take the rice ears.
Zhu Zhanji said helplessly, "Ordinary people wouldn't waste a single grain of rice, yet you're using rice ears as flower arrangements?" He glanced at Sun Mengqiu and Wu Miaosu and said, "If you have any flowers you like, just ask the palace maids to get them. These rice ears are no ordinary ears of rice; we can't let you waste them."
Sun Mengqiu's eyes stayed on Zhu Zhanji since she entered the room. After hearing what he said, and seeing that Zhu Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang were dressed like an ordinary couple at first glance, she couldn't help feeling a little aggrieved.
It was just a bunch of rice ears. Even if they weren't given them, how could Princess Shunde's two acres of land feed the people? It wasn't even as good as the disaster relief she and Hu Shanxiang had come up with. A princess who spent all day either practicing horseback riding and archery or hiding in the fields might be deliberately trying to gain fame, just like that charity.
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "It's just an ordinary ear of rice. How can it be as special as Daddy said?"
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but chuckle at this and asked, "I heard from the craftsmen that you divided the fields repeatedly, irrigating and cultivating each area differently, and even had the palace servants record it from time to time. It seems you have a special purpose." A gleam flashed in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was confident. He said, "Father, you can see it all. The colors of the different fields are also different. It shows that the soil comes from different places."
Zhu Yuhuan immediately showed his admiration in a proper way and said, "Daddy is really amazing. Mother and Tongtong didn't even notice."
Zhu Zhanji was very pleased and said with a smile: "Who would notice the difference between these soils on ordinary days? If I hadn't been with you as an idle person today, even I wouldn't have noticed it."
Wu Miaosu suddenly understood what she said and said, "Princess, you are not only improving the farm tools, but you are also making some changes to the rice?"
Zhu Yuhuan waved his hand and said, "I saw this while browsing a book and thought I'd try it out to see if it really works. Today, Dad and I harvested rice together. Some of it is still lying in the fields. The fullness of the rice ears in each field is different. This way, we can know how to fertilize and water the rice fields. We can also preserve the better seeds we cultivate, so that we can sow with better seeds next spring."
Although Zhu Youtong didn't quite understand, he still admired her as always, "Sister, you're amazing..."
Sun Mengqiu's heart sank when she saw Zhu Zhanji's admiring expression. She knew better than the other concubines that Zhu Zhanji, who had grown up with Zhu Di, was an extremely confident man. The only person he admired must be someone as gifted and confident as him.
In addition, Zhu Zhanji has been very scheming since he was a child, and he is always cautious about everyone and everything. However, he can trust the eccentric Princess Shunde so much. It can be seen that her talent is indeed extraordinary, so much so that Zhu Zhanji can ignore the fact that she is just a princess.
Even if Zhu Yuhuan was not a prince, based on her character and abilities, sooner or later there would be no place for her, Sun Mengqiu, in this palace.
Sun Mengqiu forced a smile and perfunctorily praised, "Princess, you are indeed very talented. An ordinary person really can't think of such a method."
Zhu Yuhuan tacitly accepted that this was just an ordinary compliment, and said with a smile: "These are not the efforts of me alone. They are the work of these craftsmen, ancient books, and even ordinary people in the outer city. Therefore, Huanhuan dare not take credit for it."
Zhu Zhanji was even more pleased to see her so humble. He reached out and patted Zhu Yuhuan on the shoulder, saying softly, "Daddy will not let Huanhuan's hard work go to waste. I will definitely make full use of these farm tools and seeds."
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes sparkled as he looked up at Zhu Zhanji and said seriously, "Huanhuan believes in Daddy."
Seeing that all the emperor's concubines were present, Hu Shanxiang stood up and said, "Your Majesty probably still has some government affairs to attend to. Why not change your clothes and return to the palace early to rest for a while so that you can fully recuperate?"
After working on the farm for so long, Zhu Zhanji was indeed a little tired. Upon hearing this, he replied, "Changqiu is right."
Seeing this, Sun Mengqiu said, "I will assist Your Majesty in changing his clothes."
Zhu Zhanji saw the three children all looking at him, so he waved his hand and said, "There are eunuchs to serve you, so please rest. Besides, these clothes are made for working, so they are covered in dust. It would be bad if they get dirty by mistake."
Sun Mengqiu had wanted to ask Zhu Zhanji indirectly what he meant by "making the best use of everything", but when he heard Zhu Zhanji say this, although he was unwilling, he still endured it and just responded.
Before Zhu Zhanji left the house, a palace attendant hurried in. The eunuch knelt down and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, there is urgent military information."
Hearing this, everyone tactfully withdrew, leaving only Zhu Zhanji and the palace maids serving him inside.
Hearing the words "urgent military intelligence", Zhu Yuhuan lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, and soon understood.
Now that we have military intelligence just after the autumn harvest, it is probably that the King of Han Zhu Gaoxu, who is far away in Le'an, has saved up some food and finally rebelled.
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