My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 71 Your Majesty, are you kidding me?
"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Yang Siyi looked at the potatoes and sweet potatoes in the sack, wondering what Zhu Yuanzhang was planning.

"Lord Yang, these two things, the yellowish one is called potato, and the red one is called sweet potato. With these two things, the people of our Ming Dynasty will no longer have to suffer from hunger!"

Yang Siyi picked up a potato and then a sweet potato and placed them in front of him, looking at them carefully.

Potatoes? Sweet potatoes?
Although Yang Siyi came from a scholarly family, he was not completely ignorant of farming and agriculture.

Moreover, he had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for many years, responsible for agricultural affairs throughout the country. His many years of official career also made him familiar with agricultural affairs.

Otherwise, the Minister of Revenue would not be called the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

There was no crop in this world that he didn't know, but these two things were unheard of.

"Your Majesty, this is true. Please forgive my ignorance. Potatoes and sweet potatoes look plain. Can they be eaten as food?"

Seeing Yang Siyi's ignorant look, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a familiar feeling in his heart, just like when he introduced the radio handheld station to Xu Da, Li Min and others.

This feeling of "I understand, you don't, and then I will teach you" is really pleasing to the body and mind.

If Old Li is his most holy teacher, then isn't Old Zhu also the most holy teacher to all civil and military officials, the court, and even the world?
"Of course it can be eaten as food, otherwise, we wouldn't have summoned you here."

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a potato and said, "This potato is easy to keep and breed, and is very easy to plant. It is not picky about the soil. You just need to cut it into appropriate sizes and bury it in the soil. It can be harvested twice a year."

As he spoke, he picked up another sweet potato and introduced it to Yang Siyi, "It's the same with sweet potatoes. They can all be grown in dry land, but sweet potatoes are more convenient and can be harvested four times a year."

Two harvests a year or four harvests a year?
As Yang Siyi pondered, he said with a happy expression: "If we can really grow crops in four seasons a year, doesn't that mean that from now on, there will be no more days of shortage of crops?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke. "And if we don't need paddy fields, there are plenty of dry lands all over the mountains. We just need to cultivate them and plant them. Doesn't that mean that every place in our Ming Dynasty can be turned into fertile fields?"

Seeing that Yang Siyi seemed to have finally figured it out, Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied and continued:

"Not only that, Yang Aiqing, there are even more magical things about potatoes and sweet potatoes."

"Oh? Your Majesty, please tell me." Yang Siyi asked curiously.

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and repeated what Li Han said in the letter verbatim.

"For potatoes, one acre can produce about 4,000 kilograms. For sweet potatoes, it's a little more, about 5,000 kilograms."

"what?"

Yang Siyi immediately showed an incredible expression, thinking that he had heard wrongly, "Your Majesty, did you just say, four thousand or five thousand kilograms?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with a smile, but his heart was filled with joy. Yes, yes, that's it. It was the same look when I read the letter just now.

"Lord Yang, you heard me right. The yield per mu of these two kinds of grain is this high."

After confirming that Zhu Yuanzhang was not wrong, Yang Siyi was stunned.

Your Majesty, how could you say such unprofessional words?

Is there anything in this world that can produce over a thousand kilograms per mu?

But Your Majesty yourself said that he was a commoner from Huaiyou and came from a peasant family, so how could he not understand agriculture and sericulture?
Your Majesty would not lie to yourself, would you?
Yang Siyi bravely said, "Your Majesty, I don't know everything about crops, but I can't say I know nothing about them either. The yield of rice and wheat is generally only about 300 to 400 kilograms per mu. Even for millet, the yield is not much different, but..."

He took a deep breath and continued, "But to say that the yield per mu is over a thousand catties, or even four or five thousand catties, Your Majesty, this is too unbelievable."

"Hahahaha, my dear Lord Yang, so we need you to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes, and give it a try, so as to expand the territory." Having said that, Zhu Yuanzhang was very confident in potatoes and sweet potatoes. After all, Li Han had never let him down.

Just wait three months, when the potatoes and sweet potatoes are harvested, everything will become clear.

Yang Siyi’s expression at that time should be very interesting.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Sir, obey the order!"

Yang Siyi kowtowed and accepted the order. Although he had great doubts about the per-acre yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes, he dared not disobey Zhu Yuanzhang's order.

However, if potatoes and sweet potatoes are really easy to grow and mature, then it would be a blessing for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, he also fantasized that if the yield per mu was really that high, then the food supply for Dongting and Ganzhou as well as the good seeds for next year would be secured!

This matter needs to be handled with care!

He asked a group of guards to load two carts with potatoes and sweet potatoes, and then sent Yang Siyi out of the palace.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't wait to taste the potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Since it's a family dinner, there's no need to be too formal. Let's just hold it in the Imperial Garden.

It is a rare good time and beautiful scenery. In my spare time, Old Zhu enjoys the happiness of family life with my children and grandchildren.

Sweet potatoes are roasted and potatoes are cut into thin strips and slices as Lao Li said, and then fried.

He called the imperial chef and gave him orders, and then Zhu Yuanzhang began to rest in the imperial garden.

At nightfall, the eunuchs and palace maids hung lanterns all over the Imperial Garden. For a moment, the Imperial Garden was decorated with lights and was very lively.

In the imperial garden, a pavilion by the water was chosen. After a while, Empress Ma came with several grandsons, Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan.

"Chongba, why are you in such a good mood today?"

Seeing that Empress Ma had a ruddy complexion and a steady breath, she looked better than Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was suddenly filled with emotion. When his sister was critically ill, he was desperate and tried every possible means to find a doctor. That was how he met Lao Li.

As a result, not only did he save the girl, but he also brought about earth-shaking changes in the Ming Dynasty. For a moment, he even felt as if he was in another world.

Holding Empress Ma's hand, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Sisters, today we got some good things from a strange man, don't you want to taste them together?"

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Since it was given by a strange person, it must be a good thing. Chongba, since you said so, I can't wait to try it."

"Grandpa Emperor, what a delicious thing this is. I want to try it too." Zhu Yunxun said in a baby voice.

Zhu Yunhuan, who was only three years old, almost drooled when he heard that there was something delicious.

"If the Emperor says it's good, then it must be a good thing. Why are you in such a hurry? You should let the Emperor and the Empress taste it first."

Zhu Yunwen is more than one year older than Zhu Yunhuan, but he is much more sensible. At this moment, he looks like a little adult, which makes everyone laugh.

Zhu Yuanzhang also felt sad. How could such a smart and clever child be led astray by Huang Zicheng? Fortunately, all that would never happen again.

(End of this chapter)