Ci Jinzhi

Xin You brought the Sixth Master into the palace and met Emperor Xingyuan who had been waiting for him for a long time.

"I have met your Majesty."

The Sixth Master knelt down and said, "I have seen Your Majesty."

Emperor Xingyuan told Xin You not to be polite, looked at the nervous Master Liu, and said with a faint smile: "You should be fine too."

The Sixth Master got up and lowered his head without daring to express his anger.

"Ayou asked you to bring back sweet potatoes, did you bring them back?"

"Return, report back to Your Majesty, the villain has been brought back."

Emperor Xingyuan looked at Xin You.

"I have confirmed that what I brought back is sweet potato vine."

"That's right." Emperor Xingyuan's smile deepened, "Your name is Zhu Liu, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever tasted sweet potatoes overseas?" Emperor Xingyuan asked the key point.

If it doesn't taste good, it would be a pity after all.

"Reporting to your majesty, I have eaten the sweet potatoes. They are sweet and soft. They are not only delicious but also filling."

"Seriously?" Emperor Xingyuan's eyes brightened.

Xin You answered: "Your Majesty, in addition to bringing back sweet potato vines, Zhu Liu also brought back some sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, the sea is wet and the journey is long, so there are only a few left that are edible."

Emperor Xingyuan immediately asked: "Where are the sweet potatoes he brought back now?"

Xin You raised the basket in his hand: "I brought it here."

Emperor Xingyuan couldn't help but stood up: "Open it and take a look."

The fine cloth covering the basket was lifted up, and two dark red spindle-shaped fruits were placed on the soft cloth in the basket.

"Is this fruit a sweet potato?" Emperor Xingyuan looked at it carefully and thought that the fruit looked ordinary.

"I heard from my mother that sweet potato is not a fruit."

"What is it if it's not fruit?" Emperor Xingyuan didn't take his eyes off the basket.

"It's a rhizome."

"Rhizome?" Emperor Xingyuan asked with interest, "How to cook this sweet potato?"

Xin You looked at Master Six with encouraging eyes.

Although she heard her mother say it, the Sixth Master had seen it with his own eyes and tasted it with his own mouth, so it was more appropriate for him to say it.

Although the Sixth Master was nervous, he was grateful and knew that this was an opportunity for Xinyou to show his face.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the most common way to eat it locally is to steam or boil it directly after washing it. You can also make porridge or bake it..."

Emperor Xingyuan listened carefully and his eyes were filled with wonder: "There are so many ways to eat it!"

Looking at the two pitiful sweet potatoes, Emperor Xingyuan said: "The simplest thing is to steam them over water. Sun Yan——"

Sun Yan quickly arranged for someone to send the sweet potatoes for cooking.

Only two quarters of an hour later, the female official came in carrying steamed sweet potatoes.

The formal meal process was of course not conducted by Sun Yan, the eunuch, who came to test the poison, but by the food official. But no one had ever seen this sweet potato, so it was difficult for the female official to eat it.

Master Six hurriedly said: "Just peel off the skin and eat the inside. In fact, you can also eat it with the skin on."

The female official Shangshi cut off a corner of the sweet potato and ate it. When the time came, she presented the sweet potato to Emperor Xingyuan.

The ordinary-looking sweet potato was carefully peeled and divided into bite-sized pieces.

The Sixth Master saw this and quietly twitched the corner of his mouth.

Grandpa Long Live is so particular about eating!

Emperor Xingyuan couldn't wait to pick up a piece of sweet potato and taste it carefully. Sweet, soft and fine.

Emperor Xingyuan showed an expression of disbelief and ate another piece, only then was he sure that his taste had not deceived him.

"How could it be!" Emperor Xingyuan opened his eyes wide and stared at the sweet potato on the plate.

When he thought about it, it was good to have a high yield and be used as a staple food, and the taste was not rough, but how could this sweet potato be so delicate, sweet and soft?

"This is unreasonable." Emperor Xingyuan felt it was untrue, "Ayou, try it."

Xin You was also very curious about the taste of sweet potato. She took the silver chopsticks handed over by the female officer Shang Shi, picked up a piece of sweet potato and put it into her mouth.

It is sweet and soft and makes people feel sweet when eating it, just like what her mother described to her.

Xinyou couldn't help but wet his eyes after eating the sweet potato.

Even though her mother was gone, she felt her mother's presence when she tasted the sweet potato.

The books her mother read to her, the stories she told her, and the bits and pieces of teachings she gave her, these precious things will never disappear in her life.

"How is it?" Emperor Xingyuan asked.

Xin You nodded: "It's delicious."

"Sun Yan, you should try it too."

Sun Yan thanked him and ate the sweet potato out of curiosity. Under Emperor Xingyuan's expectant eyes, he said hurriedly: "It's sweet and fragrant, and tastes very good."

Emperor Xingyuan laughed.

Xin You felt that Emperor Xingyuan's reaction was a bit strange, as he seemed eager to share it with everyone. When I thought about it, I realized that this person had regarded the sweet potato as his property, a treasure that the owner could show off to others, which was perfectly normal.

"How to cultivate these sweet potatoes?" Emperor Xingyuan smiled and immediately asked more important questions.

Head Six glanced at Xin You.

"Your Majesty is asking you, just tell me what you have learned."

Emperor Xingyuan nodded: "Yes, you don't have to be nervous, I don't eat people."

The sixth master laughed and spoke cautiously: "It seems that there is only spring and summer there, and there is a lot of rain. The common people quietly inquired, and it is said that these sweet potatoes can be grown in all seasons and can be harvested in about four months... too many common people will not inquire. , for fear of alerting the locals.”

After hearing this, Emperor Xingyuan looked at the sweet potatoes on the plate and hesitated: "The climates of the two countries are different."

It is said that Huainan is called orange and Huaibei is called tangerine. Can these sweet potatoes from across the ocean really take root, sprout and multiply in Daxia and feed the people of Daxia?

In the past six months, Emperor Xingyuan had not mentioned a word to the Minister of Hubu and others about the Sixth Master going out to sea to search for sweet potatoes, because he did not want to have a joyful occasion in vain and make the old ministers laugh.

The sixth master didn't dare to answer the call.

He is just a rough guy. When he went overseas, he was taught how to contact the locals and how to find sweet potatoes. He was taught by girls. He didn't know what to do in different climates.

"I know a thing or two," Xin You said.

"Ayou, tell me quickly."

"My mother said that sweet potatoes can be grown in both north and south. If they are grown in the north, they will be planted in spring and harvested in autumn like most crops. The vine seedlings obtained now can be preserved through the winter using special methods..."

Emperor Xingyuan shook his head after hearing this.

Let’s not talk about how to preserve this precious sweet potato vine for the winter. It’s only September now. When it comes to planting and harvesting next spring, why don’t we have to wait a year to confirm the sweet potato yield?

"If you are in the south, you can plant it in autumn and you can harvest it next spring."

Emperor Xingyuan was overjoyed: "Go to the south and plant it. If the yield of this sweet potato is really that big and the soil is not limited, it can be popularized early and many people will not go hungry."

Xinyou nodded.

In her opinion, it is better to plant the sweet potatoes sooner rather than later.

"Who should go to the south to take charge of this matter?" Emperor Xingyuan began to think seriously.

"Your Majesty, let me go. I know some of the key points of growing sweet potatoes. Although it is just an arm's length exercise, it should be no problem to hire a few experienced farmers when we get there."

Emperor Xingyuan hesitated for a while at Xin You's offer, and finally gained the upper hand in order for Daxia to truly obtain the sweet potato treasure: "Okay, I agree."

Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, it has been more than a year, and the story of Little Yuzi has also entered the later stage.