Ch 115 (Extra 1): The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Two Years Later

Two years later, in the height of summer, it was once again time for the winter wheat harvest.

The weather was clear that day, with not a cloud in the sky.

Early in the morning, imperial guards had already sealed off the roads from Zuque Avenue outside the palace gates all the way to the southern districts of the capital. Archers were hidden on the second floors and rooftops of many inns and teahouses along the route.

When the common people saw such an imposing display, they immediately knew something important was happening.

“Officer, what’s going on today?” an older man asked anxiously, carrying two baskets suspended from a shoulder pole. “I need to get through.”

The guard holding a spear glanced at him.

“Don’t ask questions. The roads will reopen later.”

“When will that be?” the man protested. “I still need to get to the market to do business!”

“I don’t know. Just wait for now,” the guard replied.

Many people who heard that the area was under lockdown came over out of curiosity. Unable to find out what was happening, they could only wait expectantly.

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Outside the palace gates, the commander of the Imperial Guards rode at the front atop a magnificent horse, leading the procession.

Behind him marched rows upon rows of Imperial Guards clad in armor, carrying spears and bows, escorting the bright yellow imperial carriage as it slowly exited the palace.

Following the emperor’s carriage were the carriages of civil and military officials, led by Prime Minister Shen.

Today was the emperor’s day to inspect the realm.

This activity had been proposed by Regent Lu Huaizhou, who wanted the young emperor to witness the flourishing prosperity of Great Sheng with his own eyes, observe the lives of the common people, and gain a better understanding of their circumstances.

Initially, many officials had opposed the idea out of concern for the emperor’s safety. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. However, Lu Huaizhou had overcome all objections, and since the young emperor himself had been eager to leave the palace and see the world outside, the proposal was ultimately approved.

They wouldn’t be traveling far today, only touring the areas surrounding the capital.

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This was the first time the young emperor had left the palace since he was old enough to remember, and he was extremely excited.

At fourteen years old, traces of childishness still lingered on his face, but he had already cultivated a steady and composed demeanor. His performance in court had also become increasingly capable and mature.

Yet this was still his very first trip outside the palace.

No matter how hard he tried to remain dignified, the bright excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide. At this moment, the youthful spirit within him was fully exposed.

From the instant they passed through the palace gates, his gaze had remained fixed on the carriage window.

Whenever the curtains fluttered in the breeze, he would peer through the gaps to take in everything outside.

The roads.

The buildings lining both sides of the street.

The commoners kneeling as soldiers held them back.

Tilting his head slightly, he curiously observed the scenery, so utterly different from the world inside the palace.

Everything fascinated him.

If Regent Lu Huaizhou hadn’t been sitting right beside him, he would probably have pressed himself against the window to look outside.

The imperial carriage was pulled by six horses, making the ride remarkably stable.

The spacious interior contained seating on three sides, with a small tea table placed in the center.

Eunuch Wu knelt nearby, attentively preparing tea.

The young emperor glanced at Lu Huaizhou.

Seeing that the Regent was quietly reading a book, the emperor cautiously stretched his neck a little farther, hoping to glimpse more of the outside world.

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After some time, the carriage came to a stop.

The curtains fell back into place, blocking the emperor’s curious gaze.

“We’ve arrived at the Regent’s residence,” Lu Huaizhou said after lifting the curtain to take a look outside.

At that moment, a voice sounded from beyond the carriage.

“Your subject, Jiang Ji, respectfully greets Your Majesty.”

The emperor’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Beloved minister, please come aboard!”

The front curtain was drawn aside.

Jiang Ji entered with a smile, dressed in simple blue robes. He bowed with clasped hands.

“Your Majesty.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Jiang Ji sat down opposite them and exchanged a glance with Lu Huaizhou.

The two smiled at each other.

The emperor noticed keenly that after Duke Chang boarded the carriage, the Regent set aside the book he had been reading.

From that moment on, all of Lu Huaizhou’s attention was fixed entirely on Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji noticed how curious the emperor was about the outside world, constantly peeking toward the carriage window. Reaching over, he simply pushed the curtain aside and hooked it onto the fastening hook, opening up a broad view outside.

“Is this Your Majesty’s first time leaving the palace?” Jiang Ji asked.

The emperor’s eyes immediately lit up. He looked gratefully at Jiang Ji and nodded.

“Yes. This is my first time leaving the palace.”

“Then this humble official will boldly serve as Your Majesty’s tour guide today.”

“I’ll have to trouble Duke Chang then.”

Smiling, Jiang Ji began introducing everything to him.

“Right now we’re traveling along Zuque Avenue. Most of the residences along this stretch belong to princes and high-ranking officials. This one here is Duke Chang’s residence. Across from it is the former Prince Xin’s Manor, which is currently vacant…”

“…That building just now was Jubao Pavilion, the capital’s finest jewelry store. Because security is tight today, there aren’t many people around. Normally, it’s much busier.

See that uncle over there? He sells sugar figurines. The person beside him sells small toys…”

The emperor asked curiously, “What does that shop sell?”

“That’s a cosmetics shop.”

“And that one?”

“That one sells the Four Treasures of the Study.”

Along the way, Jiang Ji introduced the various things sold on the streets, the shops, and the people they passed. The emperor listened with great interest. Everything outside was novel and fascinating to him, and every now and then, he would ask another question.

Lu Huaizhou watched Jiang Ji with a gentle expression as he patiently explained everything to the emperor.

Once they passed through the southern city gate, Jiang Ji began talking about the daily lives of ordinary people and the seasonal vegetables and fruits grown in the fields.

This time, they were heading to inspect a village south of the capital. After traveling by carriage for nearly an hour, they finally arrived.

It was a small village Lu Huaizhou had selected at random.

Jiang Ji stepped down from the carriage first, followed by the young emperor, with Lu Huaizhou descending last.

The village had already been notified of their visit, and government soldiers had conducted security inspections beforehand.

The emperor himself had arrived, accompanied by the Regent, Duke Chang, and numerous high officials. The villagers were understandably terrified. The village chief led the entire village in kneeling by the roadside to welcome the imperial procession.

The emperor instructed them to rise, looking curiously at the villagers.

Lu Huaizhou addressed the village chief.

“Go attend to your work. This is precisely the season for harvesting wheat, so make good use of your time. We’ll only look around for a while and then leave. You don’t need to concern yourselves with us.”

The village chief nodded repeatedly and led the villagers away to fetch their farming tools and continue harvesting the wheat.

The emperor curiously surveyed everything before him.

An endless sea of golden stalks stretched across the landscape. As the wind swept through, the wheat swayed like waves upon the ocean.

The entire field seemed to be planted with a single crop.

The emperor guessed that this must be wheat. Farther away, he noticed patches of lush green fields that he assumed contained various vegetables.

He had never seen anything like it before.

Filled with curiosity, he asked Jiang Ji,

“Duke Chang, is this wheat?”

Standing beside the emperor, Jiang Ji nodded.

“Yes. This is winter wheat. It was planted last September and is now ready for harvest.”

Pleased that he had guessed correctly, the emperor climbed down from the road and hopped onto the raised field ridge. Moving closer to inspect the wheat, he saw golden heads of grain, full and heavy with kernels, their tips crowned with long awns.

“When is spring wheat harvested?” the emperor asked again.

Jiang Ji replied,

“Spring wheat is generally planted around March and can be harvested a little over a month later.”

The emperor looked puzzled.

“If winter wheat takes so long to grow, why don’t people just plant spring wheat instead?”

Jiang Ji smiled as he explained,

“Your Majesty, although winter wheat has a longer growing cycle, its yields are generally much higher than those of spring wheat, and its quality is better as well. In other words, it tastes better.

Spring wheat is more suitable for colder northern regions, where winters are too harsh to grow anything at the moment.

Here, after winter wheat is harvested, farmers can plant another crop before sowing again, such as sweet potatoes, corn, beans, and other crops. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. This allows them to make more efficient use of their land and increase household income.”

“I see.” The emperor finally understood and began walking deeper into the fields.

The civil and military officials also dismounted from their carriages and followed behind the emperor, touring the farmland while listening to Jiang Ji’s explanations.

After passing through a vast expanse of wheat fields, they arrived at a watermelon patch, where numerous large watermelons could be seen hidden among the vines.

The emperor exclaimed in delight, “I know this one! This is watermelon!”

“That’s right.” Jiang Ji nodded with a smile. “This variety is called Qilin melon. It has a very thin rind.”

The emperor crouched down to inspect them carefully.

“So this is what watermelon vines look like.”

Jiang Ji crouched beside him and pointed to two flowers on the vines.

“Your Majesty, can you tell what the difference is between these two flowers?”

The emperor examined them closely and noticed the distinction.

“This flower has a stalk in the center, but this one doesn’t.”

“Correct. The flower with the pistil is the female flower, while the other is the male flower.” Jiang Ji plucked the male flower, removed its petals, and gently brushed it against the female flower’s pistil several times. “This is called pollination. Most watermelons require manual pollination.”

The emperor curiously tried it himself.

“But aren’t there bees that do pollination?”

“Manual pollination can increase the fruit-setting rate,” Jiang Ji explained. “If you rely solely on bees and butterflies, some flowers may be missed.”

The emperor understood, and so did the officials gathered around them.

Most of these ministers had never seen such things before either, and they felt their horizons expanding.

Next, the emperor examined many different vegetables and fruits. When they reached the sweet potato field, Jiang Ji dug into the soil around the roots so the emperor could see the small sweet potatoes growing underground. Then they visited the cornfield. The corn had already formed ears, though they were not yet ready to eat…

The emperor was fascinated by everything he saw and deeply impressed by Jiang Ji’s vast knowledge.

When he saw villagers harvesting wheat, he even tried doing it himself and chatted with some of the villagers. Before long, he was sweating profusely and his lower back had begun to ache.

“So farming truly is hard work,” the emperor remarked with emotion.

Jiang Ji nodded.

“Farmers have difficult lives. They work with their faces toward the yellow earth and their backs toward the sky. When the weather is favorable, things are manageable. But if extreme weather strikes, they may lose their entire harvest, and several months of labor will have been for nothing.”

Looking across the land and at the villagers toiling in the fields, the emperor felt a subtle stirring in his heart. At last, he began to understand some of the hardships endured by ordinary people.

And this was already after grain yields had doubled.

A few years ago, before Jiang Ji had introduced new crop varieties, farmers harvested even less. Many people could not even eat their fill, and every winter, countless people starved to death.

The emperor had heard that many of the young eunuchs serving around him had originally come from families that simply could not afford to feed them. Sending them into the palace as eunuchs had at least given them a chance to survive.

Soon afterward, the group climbed a nearby hill.

Standing atop the mountain, gazing into the distance, everyone felt a sense of awe.

Below them stretched thousands of acres of fertile farmland. Golden wheat swayed like ocean waves beneath the breeze. In the fields, fruits hung heavily from branches, while vegetables and melons flourished abundantly.

As they looked out over the land, they felt an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

Over the past two years, new rice varieties, new wheat varieties, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and many other new crops, along with all kinds of novel vegetables, had spread throughout the entire Great Sheng Dynasty.

Farmers’ grain production had doubled. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn had become staple foods on ordinary dining tables. Granaries across the empire were full. The people no longer went hungry, and meals now featured an increasing variety of vegetables. During winter, people could even wear cotton clothing made from harvested cotton.

In just a few short years, Great Sheng had undergone earth-shaking transformation.

And all of it had been brought about by Jiang Ji.

Everyone could not help but turn their eyes toward Jiang Ji, who stood before them dressed in simple blue cloth robes.

The young emperor thought to himself:

Jiang Ji truly is a man of extraordinary talent.

The officials all shared the same sentiment:

Duke Chang is indeed worthy of such honor!

Then their gazes shifted to Lu Huaizhou, who stood beside Jiang Ji dressed in a black qilin robe.

The Regent truly deserves his reputation. His foresight was exceptional. He really did choose the very best person.

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