Chapter 317: Thereโs News from the Chu State
After hearing Shen Xingnong’s words, the Jin Kingdom Crown Prince glanced at the Third Prince and Fifth Prince, hinting with his eyes: You’re better with words, you guys talk!
They couldn’t possibly say that they were here on their Father Emperor’s orders to keep an eye on the Chu Kingdom Crown Prince, could they?!
The Third Prince calmly said, “I came with Big Brother.”
The Fifth Prince: “Big Brother asked me to come!”
Jin Kingdom Crown Prince: “…”
Shen Xingnong looked at her eldest brother.
The Jin Kingdom Crown Prince looked down and saw some lotus flowers and leaves on the small boat, smiling, “I was tired of reviewing memorials, so I thought of coming to the Imperial Garden to admire the lotus.”
The Third Prince nodded: “That’s right, we came to accompany Big Brother to admire the lotus! Is Imperial Sister planning to pick some lotus flowers to take back for a vase? We’ll help you pick them.”
Shen Xingnong shook her head: “There are enough lotus flowers, I’m just missing a lotus seedpod. Since you’re here to admire the lotus, if you see any seedpods, please pick one or two for me!!”
When arranging lotus flowers in a vase, besides the flowers, you also need to add one or two small lotus leaves and one or two seedpods to make it look good.
The three brothers immediately assured her: “Leave it to us!”
The three of them immediately looked around, searching for lotus seedpods.
Shen Xingnong felt that the sun was too strong, and it was too hot in this airtight lotus pond, so she said, “Then you brothers slowly admire the lotus, the sun is too strong! I’ll go back first!”
Then Shen Xingnong said to Chu Tiankuo, “Senior Martial Brother, I’ll escort you out of the palace!”
Chu Tiankuo nodded and said to the three princes, “Farewell!”
Then, with a push of the long bamboo pole, he rowed the small boat away.
The three brothers: “…”
Chu Tiankuo couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. He naturally knew why they suddenly appeared, it was just to keep an eye on him.
He knew that since he came to Jin Kingdom, besides inside the space, he definitely wouldn’t have a chance to be alone with Shen Xingnong.
Whenever she went out, her brothers would always accompany her.
The Jin Kingdom Crown Prince decisively said to his two brothers, “You two help Imperial Sister find lotus seedpods, I’ll go see the Chu Kingdom Crown Prince off!”
After saying that, he jumped onto the small boat where Shen Xingnong was.
The small boat could only accommodate three people, so the Third Prince and Fifth Prince could only watch helplessly as their brother left them behind.
After the small boat rowed away, the Third Prince said to the Fifth Prince, “Third Brother still has matters to attend to, so the task of finding lotus seedpods for Imperial Sister is entrusted to you!”
After saying that, he patted the Fifth Prince’s shoulder and then used his Light Body Skill to leave!
As a result, the Fifth Prince was left alone on the lake, searching all afternoon, but couldn’t find any lotus seedpods.
The only one had already been picked by Shen Xingnong!
~
With several princes escorting Chu Tiankuo out of the palace, Shen Xingnong didn’t bother with them. She returned to her small kitchen to tinker with food, planning to put it in the space for Chu Tiankuo and Old Master Tang to eat on the road tomorrow. She had previously promised Old Master Tang on the boat to make him Beggar’s Chicken. She had been busy lately and just happened to have free time today, so she decided to make it today.
Chu Tiankuo exited the Imperial Palace and had just boarded the carriage when Fang Zheng called out to him.
Seeing him, Chu Tiankuo was not surprised: “Minister Fang hasn’t left yet?”
“I was moved by Your Highness’s astounding betrothal gifts! Your Highness is so generous! These gifts are unprecedented!” Fang Zheng waved his hand and familiarly gestured to climb onto Chu Tiankuo’s carriage.
He had important matters to discuss with Chu Tiankuo.
He felt that the Chu State should not be selling rice and wheat seeds in the future, but rather seeds like corn, cotton, and pest-free fruits and vegetables!
Chu Tiankuo stopped him, saying indifferently, “Minister Fang, do you have something to say? I still have matters to attend to and must leave immediately, so I won’t invite Minister Fang to join me.”
Chu Tiankuo knew what Fang Zheng was looking for him for, it was nothing more than the matter of corn, cotton, and other seeds. However, the more he wanted to know, the more Chu Tiankuo wanted to keep him in suspense.
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Only after the autumn harvest, when selling seeds, could he get a high price!
Of course Fang Zheng had something to say! He didn’t waste any words and immediately said, “Your Highness, what’s the yield per mu of that corn and cotton, and what are their uses? Also, are those pest-free fruits and vegetables, and various high-yielding fruits real?”
Chu Tiankuo nodded: “Naturally, they are real! Welcome Inn and Welcome Guest Restaurant both have dishes made with corn. As for cotton, Four Seasons Fabric Shop has cotton clothing, quilts, and cotton cloth. With cotton, the common people will no longer have to worry about the cold winter! A thick cotton coat and a thick cotton quilt can withstand the icy and snowy weather. Moreover, cotton has a high yield, much easier to harvest than silkworms. I believe that with cotton, during the harsh winters, there will definitely be no more commoners freezing to death.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng’s heart surged with excitement, his body trembling slightly. After the emergence of high-yielding grains, the common people no longer had to worry about starving to death! But every year, during the harsh winter, many poor commoners still worried about freezing to death. If it was as the Chu Kingdom Crown Prince said, both hunger and cold would be solved!
This was practically solving the biggest survival problem for most of the common people in the world!
“Your Highness, what is the yield per mu of cotton?” he eagerly asked.
Chu Tiankuo: “The yield per mu of cotton is currently unknown, but the cotton our Chu State has developed is also a high-yielding crop. Minister Fang, I still have matters to attend to, so I must bid you farewell! Until next time!”
After he finished speaking, the carriage started moving.
Fang Zheng gasped, another high-yielding crop? He still wanted to ask if cotton was also a high-yielding crop with a yield of a thousand jin per mu, but the carriage had already left.
Why did the Chu Kingdom Crown Prince run away so fast?
He still had many questions he wanted to clarify!
For example, about corn, about pest-free fruits and vegetables, and so on.
Then, he remembered that Chu Tiankuo had just said that Four Seasons Fabric Shop had cotton, so he hurriedly ran back to his carriage. “Quickly! Go to Four Seasons Fabric Shop, Welcome Guest Restaurant, and Welcome Inn!”
Many people had overheard their conversation, and they all rushed to Four Seasons Fabric Shop, Welcome Guest Restaurant, and Welcome Inn.
Then, within half a day, rumors about corn and cotton were flying everywhere!
Chu Tiankuo had Songbai spread the word, saying that Shen Xingnong was the one who discovered corn and cotton.
This was all her credit, and he wanted the whole world to know and remember her.
The next day, when Chu Tiankuo left the city, most of the topics discussed by the commoners on the streets were about corn and cotton.
“That corn is so delicious! It can be made into dishes, noodles, juice, and even popcorn! I just don’t know where to get corn seeds! I really want to plant a few mu! It’s much more delicious than rice!”
“I heard that corn is even more high-yielding than rice! The corn planted in the Chu State has a yield of up to 1,800 jin per mu!”
“So cotton is as white and soft as clouds in the sky, it feels so comfortable to touch! The cotton clothes made from it are really warm! I tried it on, and I immediately started sweating! And it’s thick, so I feel secure wearing it!”
“I heard that cotton is also a crop with a yield of a thousand jin per mu! If that’s the case, I’ll plant a small plot of land at home, harvest dozens of jin of cotton, and my whole family won’t have to worry about winter!”
“Princess Xingnong is truly amazing! How did she discover corn and cotton!”
~
After seeing corn and cotton these past two days, Zhao Luran’s mood was also unusually agitated~!
She said to Tan Pan, “Did the Yan State envoy come to see you today?”
Tan Pan shook his head: “No.”
These past two days, he was either busy learning about those corn, cotton, and pest-free vegetable seeds, or entering the palace to request seeds from the Jin Kingdom Emperor. How could he have time to meet with her?
At this moment, Zhao Luran’s maid rushed in, holding a pigeon: “Princess, there’s news from the Chu State!”
Zhao Luran suddenly had a bad feeling. She quickly opened the letter and her face turned pale after reading it.
Tan Pan’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing this: “Princess, what does the letter say?”
