Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 308 The Blessing of the World

  Listening to Emperor Hongzhi's inquiry, Xiao Jing smiled.

   But he felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart.

  As the **** of the Chief of Rites and the owner of the Dongji Incident Factory, what he fears most is that His Majesty will order him to investigate the details of His Highness the Crown Prince.

  Why was Xiao Jing so ignorant about the potatoes? In fact, the root cause is that His Royal Highness is in Xishan.

  Therefore, Dongchang tried its best to avoid going to Xishan to investigate.

   There are so many taboos about such things!

  His Royal Highness, the future emperor. You, Dongchang, dare to spy on the prince. In the future, anyone who wants to make a secret report secretly, what will His Royal Highness, the future emperor, think?

  No matter what associations will arise in the end, Xiao Jing's troubles are not small.

Therefore, he had to pretend to be confused, and Dongchang would never dare to go to Xishan to set up any spies, because as long as His Royal Highness knows in the future, no matter whether he finds anything or not, and whether he finds it and reports it to His Majesty, it may be Xiao Jing's future. The handle of a good death.

The factory guards are pervasive, but they must be clear about who can investigate and who, you have to hide away, and you can't ask half a sentence about things that you shouldn't ask, even if someone sends the information to you. Even Xiao Jing absolutely dare not even look at the lobby of the factory.

In the past, His Majesty would at most ask what the Crown Prince was doing, but Xiao Jing's answer was very simple, there was no need for a secret visit at all, all he needed to do was to let someone blatantly go to Zhan Shifu and ask about His Highness's itinerary, isn't it? All the shady things are recorded and can be checked, but now, it is tantamount to prying into the privacy of His Royal Highness, which... it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no hidden dangers in the future.

But since His Majesty asked, and pointed out that Dongchang needs to be investigated thoroughly, if he does not go, His Majesty will not be able to explain it here. If there is any concealment in front of His Majesty today, it will be even more serious. This is failure to report. Deceive the king.

  So... Although Xiao Jing was smiling, he felt aggrieved in his heart. It's really hard to be caught between this royal father and son.

   At this time, Xiao Jing could only truthfully say: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arrived at the East Palace, wandered around, and then went to the West Mountain."

   "Oh." Emperor Hongzhi held the spoon, still ate the mashed potatoes casually, seemingly inconsequential, but under the cover of his expression, he was obviously very concerned about the matter that Xiao Jing had secretly told.

   "And then?"

  Seeing that Xiao Jing didn't continue, Emperor Hongzhi asked.

   "His Royal Highness went to Xishan to eat potatoes."

   "Really?" Emperor Hongzhi lowered his head and looked at the mashed potatoes on the plate. This kid still has this hobby?

  But... just because of this, why don't you tell me directly? And why so sneaky?

   "Is there any more?"

  Emperor Hongzhi always felt that it was not so simple, he raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Jing with a half-smile.

  He knew there must be something inside.

   What the prince looks like, if he, the father, doesn't know, then he is really a failure.

  Emperor Hongzhi looked at Xiao Jing with trepidation, and said with a bitter face: "His Royal Highness ate... what he ate... roasted beef with potatoes."

   "..."

  When Emperor Hongzhi heard it, he subconsciously looked at the mashed potatoes on the plate. His stomach smelled like potatoes, which made him hiccup...

roast potatoes and beef…

  Emperor Hongzhi frowned, and continued to ask casually, "Where did the beef come from?"

   "It died, so Fang Jifan bought it, butchered it and cooked it." Xiao Jing said.

  Hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi sullenly said in a deep voice, "The prince bought it, don't count it all as Shang Jifan. I know there are some things that you dare not say."

   "This..." Xiao Jing felt that his palms were sweating, and his heart even trembled, but he could only nod his head and said, "It seems so."

   "How did this cow die?"

The more His Majesty asked the truth, the greater the pressure on Xiao Jing, because he knew that perhaps His Majesty already had the answer in his heart, this is called insight, if he concealed something, it might make His Majesty doubt him, his good life It's really over.

  Xiao Jing bit the bullet and said: "According to the investigations of the Shuntian Mansion, the local Baojia chief and the local gentry, the cow was hit to death by a boulder falling from the sky."

   "Click, it fell from the sky?" Emperor Hongzhi smiled, but the smile was obviously mocking: "Would you walk on the street, and the sky will slap, and the boulder will fall?"

   "Slave..." Xiao Jing quickly bowed down and said: "Actually, I have also checked, and such things are not uncommon. For a hundred years, the factory guards have many records about flying stones outside the sky, for example, in the third year of Hongzhi..."

   "Stop talking about this." Emperor Hongzhi glared at Xiao Jing, and interrupted him directly.

  Xiao Jing smacked his lips, and seemed to feel that his explanation was a little pale, he tried to laugh: "Well...Your Majesty, they have a book on slaughtering cattle."

Emperor Hongzhi raised his eyes, thoughtful, and was silent for a moment, then said: "Let's pay attention again, from now on, whether there are any missing or abnormal things about the cattle raised by farmers near Xishan, how many have died, and how many have been lost?" How many, all reported."

   "This...Your Majesty, isn't it..."

  Emperor Hongzhi shook his head and said: "You don't understand, if there is one, there will be two, and if there is two, there will be three, let me keep an eye on it."

"yes."

  Xiao Jing really didn't want to keep an eye on Emperor Hongzhi. He...was afraid of death, but he had no choice but to salute and say he obeyed the order.

  ...

  The whole capital is already raging, and countless people want to see what this potato is.

  In fact, near the capital, some land prices have begun to fluctuate, and more people went to Xishan to find out.

  Like playing monkeys, in the densely planted potato field, the greenhouse has been dismantled, with three floors inside and three floors outside, surrounded by scholars and local gentry.

  The captains and warriors were all in high spirits. Today they changed into new clothes and surrounded the potato field, and then the captains started digging potatoes.

  One stone, two stones...ten stones, the people excitedly reported one amazing number after another. There was an old man, although his beard and hair were white, but at this moment he burst into tears.

   "God has mercy on us people..." the old man said with tears streaming down his face.

   In this life, seeing such a scene is not in vain.

  Actually, this old gentry also owns some fields near Gyeonggi.

  When the land price fell, it was a bit painful for him.

   It's strange to say that he himself doesn't know whether to cry or laugh. After studying all his life, what he wants is to have enough groceries, but don't the people know how to be polite? Isn't what you want, is there no hunger in the world?

Seeing the potatoes being dug out one by one, and people reporting the numbers one by one, the heart of the old scholar was trembling. After it was over, the land must be worthless, but... a family like them had an oil-pressing workshop and also raised some Beast, life can still maintain the dignity of the past.

  In fact, the land is still these lands. More food can be grown in this land, and life will only be richer. The falling land price is only the amount on paper after all.

  The old scholar burst into tears, as if in a dream, and when he reported thirty shi, he took a long breath and his eyes lit up.

"Okay, it's very good, there's nothing wrong with it in a peaceful and prosperous age." The old scholar shook his head excitedly, or his face was a little ugly, or excited, or his heart hurt a little, but in the end, he was still humane with joy : "We used to have food to eat, but some people were hungry, but now everyone is not short of food, what's so bad? The potatoes are grown well. We are disciples of saints. Isn't that what we want? Some people , Ye Gong loves dragons, usually, he has plausible words, and he pretends to be a saint every day, but because the potatoes came out, the land price fluctuated a little, so he stomped his feet and scolded NIANG. It is no longer scarce, and it is only natural to lose a little silver, such people are shameless, and I am ashamed to be with such people!"

  The cursing made many people feel the same and nodded.

  The sage's book is still beneficial. The gentry have read the book. After all, the appearance of this potato will not completely destroy their family business, but they will lose some interests compared to ordinary people. Therefore, the old scholar's righteous words aroused everyone's interest again.

Among the crowd, someone said: "Let's go and taste the potatoes. I think it's good. The grain seeds issued by Tuntian Qianhu. Whoever wants to plant them can take them back and sow them. The deputy Qianhu Zhang's letter has been published." His sweet potatoes, how to sow and eat potatoes..."

   "Go, try it."

  In the dining hall, there was a lot of voices.

   A cow has been skinned in the back kitchen.

  Zhu Houzhao is so happy towards this cow, what luck. Recently, for some reason, there are always cows who don’t have eyes, and they don’t even look at the almanac when they go out to graze. Unexpected disasters always happen suddenly.

  Fang Jifan was drenched in cold sweat. Seeing the cooks peeling off the cowhide with knives, Fang Jifan knew in his heart that the beef cattle breeding plan was imminent, otherwise... he would be killed sooner or later.

  In the canteen, a group of people first sang yellow rice porridge, and everyone complained, and then half a bowl of mashed potatoes was served, and everyone tasted it, so they all shouted happily.

  But immediately, a signboard hung up 'Potato beef: one tael', 'Hot and sour potato shreds, three hundred dollars'.

   "..."

   Everyone chewed the mashed potatoes in their mouths... Suddenly, there was a feeling of being forcibly slaughtered.

   "Come on, let's try it." The old scholar slapped the table and said proudly, "Give me a piece of roast beef and a piece of shredded potato."

  Beef is a luxury, and beef with potatoes is a delicacy that everyone has never tried in their entire lives. After finally coming to Xishan, how can they return empty-handed?

  Silver…It is trifle!

  The land price has lost so much, do you still care about being slaughtered for another one or two taels of silver?

  …

  Sorry, the situation is special today, the update is relatively late, I hope everyone understands!

  (end of this chapter)