the next
day , the emperor called Shen Hong to the imperial study and expressed his gratitude to him.
"Your Majesty, this corn was accidentally discovered by Wei Chen when he met foreign merchants on the border. I heard that this crop has a yield of four to five thousand kilograms per mu. In addition to high yield, it is also resistant to drought, diseases and insect pests. It is also simple to care for and does not require too much time.
Wei Chen then He spent a lot of money to buy 100 kilograms of corn seeds and planted them in March this year. They were harvested in about 100 days, thinking that after harvesting, he would give the seeds to the emperor so that the people in the world could have enough
to eat.
He emphasized that he spent a lot of money to buy one hundred pounds of corn seeds.
"The yield per mu is four to five thousand catties? Have you planted all the seeds?" The emperor looked shocked, but he was also overjoyed.
Shen Hong nodded, but his face was solemn.
"How many kilograms of grain can be harvested from one hundred kilograms of seeds?" The emperor began to think about this issue.
"One acre of land requires four kilograms of seeds. One hundred kilograms is twenty-five acres of land, which can harvest approximately one hundred thousand kilograms of grain." Shen Hong has already calculated this data.
If all 100,000 jins of corn are planted in the second half of the year, 100 million jins of grain will be harvested in early November.
The emperor also calculated this data and was extremely shocked.
Just being able to harvest four thousand kilograms of grain from a single acre of land was enough to surprise and delight him.
You must know that the rice yield in Dai Viet is only four to five hundred kilograms per mu.
If people have corn, are they still afraid of starving to death?
"My dear, can you take me to see the corn grown now?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I have a few good things to tell you. Please read these data first." Shen Hong said from his sleeve Take out a few pieces of rice paper and put them on the table made of golden nan.
The emperor took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Shen Hong said there were a few good things and he had to take a closer look.
Turning over several pieces of rice paper, the first one showed corn data. The emperor took a quick look at it.
When I turned to the second page, I saw "sweet potatoes" with a yield of 11,000 kilograms per mu.
This number made his pupils shrink.
Turning to the third page, the first thing that catches the eye is "potatoes", with a yield of 10,000 kilograms per mu.
The pupils constricted again.
Turning to the fourth page, what caught my eye was "super rice" with a yield of 3,000 kilograms per mu.
Turning to the fifth page, what catches the eye is "peanuts". The yield per mu is 1,500 kilograms, which can be used for oil extraction.
Turning to the sixth page, the first thing that catches the eye is "cotton". The yield per mu is 1,300 kilograms, which can be used to make cotton clothes and quilts.
After reading these data, the emperor was speechless, dumbfounded, and his hands trembled slightly.
"Your Majesty, you have to stay calm. As you wish, the prosperous age will definitely come." Seeing this, Shen Hong comforted him, worried that something would happen to the Emperor.
"..." The emperor still had no reaction, his eyes glued to several pieces of paper.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Shen Hong was worried that something might happen to him, so he walked over and pressed him hard.
The emperor immediately screamed in pain and covered his head. "My dear, you are too strong."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm worried that something might happen to you." Shen Hong didn't feel guilty at all. The Emperor often "bullied" him, so why not take the opportunity to return it? This is the chance.
"My dear, when will you take me out of the palace to have a look?" The emperor had a flattering smile on his face.
Shen Hong did not answer, but hesitated and thought for a while: "In a few days, the emperor will leave the palace. It will be a big event. It is better in the capital. The crops are planted on the minister's village."
"..." The emperor said with a straight face, but in his heart I was very unhappy, but I also knew that what Shen Hong said was the truth and I couldn't refute it.
I'm just afraid that he won't be able to sleep or eat in the past few days.
...
Five days later
, after the emperor urged him for the thirty-first time, Shen Hong finally arranged the important matter of the emperor leaving the palace.
"You don't recognize me now!" The emperor took off his dragon robe, put on the most ordinary clothes, put a dog skin plaster on his face, and drew a big tumor under his eyes. Shen Hong nodded, "Okay, your Majesty, pretend to be my follower, lower your head as much as possible and don't speak."
"Okay." The Emperor compromised, doing everything for the sake of the people.
...
Waiting until the next court, Shen Hong successfully took the emperor out of the palace, changed into an ordinary carriage halfway, and immediately left the city.
An hour later, we finally arrived at the first farm and entered through the back door.
Shen Hong was wearing a gray-blue shorts and a straw hat, looking like a farmer.
"Brother Xuan, it's safe." He helped the emperor, who was dressed similarly, get out of the car.
He cannot be called Emperor outside, but is called Brother Xuan instead.
"Is this here?" The emperor looked around curiously.
"Brother Xuan, I've finally come to see you." Cheng Er, who was standing nearby, said hello.
The emperor looked back, surprised and happy. "Cheng Er? Is it you? Are you here..."
"Exactly, Brother Xuan, I've been here since February and haven't left for a day." Cheng Er worked hard for more than four months and finally reaped the rewards. , and also looking forward to the arrival of the person I most want to see.
"Shen Hong, you actually kept it from me for so long with Cheng Laoer." The emperor was a little angry.
"Brother Xuan, we didn't hide it from you on purpose. Aren't we afraid that the crops would not grow well and make you unhappy?" Shen Hong looked innocent and almost swore.
Cheng Er also explained: "Brother Xuan, don't be angry. I'm really worried that the seeds won't be good. After all, it's our first time to plant. If the seeds are of poor quality or the goods are wrong, wouldn't we be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor?"
Shen Hong nodded quickly: "Yes, yes." The
emperor waved his sleeves, but he didn't wave anything. When he looked at his clothes, it looked like ordinary people's clothes, but there were no wide sleeves.
so awkward.
"Take me to the fields quickly." He pretended that nothing happened.
Cheng Er led the way, and Shen Hong walked at the back.
The emperor observed Zhuangzi all the way and found that Zhuangzi was very clean and everything was in order. It was obvious that Cheng Er had worked hard and diligently in the past few months.
First we came to the cornfield. Twenty-five acres of cornfield were all connected together, green and yellow. The scene was very spectacular.
The emperor was stunned, walked into the field, and touched the seven leaves and whiskers of the corn.
"Brother Xuan, you can try to pick one. It's quite fun." Cheng Er suggested.
Playing right into the emperor's arms, he held a piece of corn with both hands and broke it off with all his strength.
Shen Hong and Cheng Er suddenly applauded and said with a smile: "Brother Xuan, congratulations to you for a peaceful and prosperous age, a prosperous country and a peaceful people."
The two flattered each other so well that the emperor couldn't help laughing.
Next stop was the sweet potato field.
Cheng Er squatted on the ground and pushed away the soil, revealing the red roots. He broke off a sweet potato with force.
"Brother Xuan, this is a sweet potato. It will take another month to mature."
"I heard that it can be eaten raw?" The emperor observed the sweet potato in Cheng Er's hand because he wanted to taste it.
"Yes, you can eat it if it's not ripe, but the sweetness and taste are not that good."
Cheng Er took a sweet potato and washed it in the ditch, wiped it clean with a handkerchief, and broke it in half.
"Brother Xuan, please try it." The other half was given to Shen Hong.
The emperor hesitated for a moment, then put it in his mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly.
A hint of sweetness spreads out, and the crisp taste also brings him enjoyment.
"It's very good. I didn't expect it to be so delicious when eaten raw. I heard that roasted sweet potatoes are the most fragrant, and they can also be made into sweet potato soup."
Shen Hong and Cheng Er nodded, but did not speak, lest the emperor think they had eaten sweet potatoes.