met free Page 2349
Page 2349
Qin Hui smiled and said to Qin Zi:
"Brother, please excuse me."
"This means we have to go out of the city to farm."
“I also want to learn farming,” Qin Zi said.
"Let's go together over there."
Qin Hui was very generous.
The two brothers rode their inferior horses at a trot.
In the blink of an eye, they left the city and arrived in the western suburbs.
Here is a farmhouse courtyard that Qin Hui furnished.
There are ten acres of land not far from the Agricultural Promotion Office.
They were all bought with money by obeying the law.
They changed into their work clothes.
He picked up his hoe and went to the fields.
Tenants are weeding the vegetables.
Qin Hui immediately brought his brother to join them.
Moreover, this guy is quite skilled at using a hoe.
The two were weeding,
While waiting for the emperor to return to the city,
There's a chance you'll see it when you pass by.
.....
The Agricultural Promotion Office, the experimental field.
The empress and concubines are leading a group of children on a spring outing.
Wen Huanzhang squatted by the experimental field.
Pointing to the melon seedlings being transplanted:
"It was sent by the King of Gaochang Uyghur."
"They went to Beijing with Sogdian scholars and books from the Black Khanate."
"I had someone plant them a few days ago,"
"It is now time to transplant them."
Although Zhao Yuan spent his childhood in the countryside,
But he couldn't distinguish between the five grains.
He stared at the melon seedlings for a long time:
"It's a day off today, and you brought me out so excitedly,"
"Just to see this thing?"
"Your Majesty, guess what it is?" Wen Huanzhang asked with a smile.
"cucumber?"
Zhao Yuan said in a daze,
"Cucumbers must have been introduced to China a long time ago."
Wen Huanzhang said, "Watermelon!"
Zhao Yuan asked, "How did you know there were watermelons in Gaochang?"
Wen Huanzhang said, "Ma Kuo served as an envoy to both the Liao and Jin dynasties multiple times."
"The focus was on gathering intelligence on the courts and armies of both countries."
“I described what the watermelon looked like to him,”
He said that watermelons were considered military supplies in both the Liao and Jin dynasties.
"Military supplies?"
Zhao Yuan failed to connect watermelons with war.
Wen Huanzhang explained, "Watermelons aren't sweet at this time of year."
"And it also has a bitter taste."
"Marching across the vast grasslands,"
"It's possible that a water source won't be found,"
"Bring watermelons for emergency hydration."
"Both the Liao and Jin dynasties specifically grew watermelons near horse stables,"
"Horse manure is a natural nutrient for watermelons."
Zhao Yuan immediately took it seriously:
"From now on, we will conquer the grasslands and the Western Regions,"
"We should also bring watermelons for logistical support."
Chapter 365 Watermelon
"Watermelons were introduced to Xinjiang from West Asia."
"It was brought here by merchants who used it as a water source,"
"It was also regarded as a water source when it reached the Liao and Jin dynasties,"
Wen Huanzhang said,
"When Ma Kuo borrowed a route through Gaochang to make his mission to the grasslands,"
“I told him to order the King of Gaochang to send seeds.”
"We waited for over a year,"
"I've finally met him."
Zhao Yuan asked, "Can you cultivate sweet watermelons?"
Wen Huanzhang muttered, "That depends on luck."
"Sweet watermelons are a result of genetic mutation,"
“The breeders simply cannot control it.”
"The only way is to find watermelons that aren't so bitter,"
"Or a slightly sweet watermelon,"
“Selection and breeding have been carried out generation after generation.”
Zhao Yuan squatted by the field.
He looked at the watermelon seedlings with delight.
It doesn't matter if it's sweet or not.
It would be useful if it could be used as military supplies.
Especially in the Gobi and desert regions,
This thing is extremely useful for marching.
Prepare for temporary, short-term water shortages.
The Liao and Jin dynasties were not fools.
They kept the watermelon a secret.
It certainly has enormous military value.
The emperor and his minister chatted for a while.
He then went to accompany his wives, concubines, and children on a spring outing to enjoy the scenery.
In the late afternoon,
They were under the protection of guards.
They began their journey back to the palace by carriage.
Wen Huanzhang laughed and said, "Believe it or not?"
"On the way back, you might see Qin Hui doing farm work."
"Do you encounter this often?" Zhao Yuan asked.
Wen Huanzhang said, "It's not like we can see each other every time."
"That would be too deliberate."
"I've come to persuade the agricultural commissioner three or four times,"
"There will probably be one chance to see Qin Hui."
Zhao Yuan chuckled, "They've been scheming to curry favor with the emperor."
We need to cheer him on!
"I'll go and talk to him this time."
The royal carriage stopped.
Zhao Yuan lifted the curtain and jumped down, shouting at Qin Hui:
"What about this kind of vegetable?"
Qin Hui and his brother deliberately turned their backs to the emperor.
At this moment, it seemed as if he had come to his senses.
He quickly turned around, grasped the hoe, and bowed:
"Your subject Qin Hui (Qin Zi) pays respects to Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Zhao Yuan glanced at the nearby vegetable gardens.
Pointing to a patch of newly sprouted vegetables,
Since I couldn't identify what it was, I just made something up:
"These chives are grown quite well."
Qin Hui hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
He wanted to show off his skills in growing vegetables.
But the emperor mistook spinach for chives.
Qin Hui was instantly rendered speechless.
To correct it would be like slapping the emperor in the face.
If I don't correct it, I'll seem like I'm being obsequious.
Even when the emperor makes a mistake, no one dares to offer advice.
Fortunately, Li Shishi got out of the carriage and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty is ignorant of grains! Those are spinach sprouts!"
Zhao Yuan leaned closer to examine it more closely:
"Does this look like a spinach seedling?"
"I've only ever seen spinach when it's grown up."