Rebirth: The Fourth Lady Wants to Lie Down

The morning sun shone on the golden bricks and jade tiles of the Forbidden City, making them sparkle. Yinzhen woke up early from his sleep, thinking about the special crops he brought back yesterday. He knew the importance of these crops and the significance of presenting them to Emperor Kangxi.

So, he whispered to Su Peisheng who was standing beside him, "When you go to court today, take the sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, tomatoes and peppers you brought back yesterday."

Su Peisheng was a close confidant of Yinzhen, so he naturally obeyed his orders. He nodded in agreement and turned to arrange the transportation of the crops. Yinzhen looked at his back and couldn't help but feel deeply moved. These crops were dug up from the fields by him and Fuchang yesterday. He knew their value and believed that they would bring new hope to the Qing Dynasty.

When the bell for court rang, Yinzhen straightened his clothes and walked towards the palace. After the morning court ended, he did not leave immediately, but asked Su Peisheng to take the crops with him and then went to Emperor Kangxi's Qianqing Palace.

The palace of Qianqing Palace was majestic and magnificent, and the golden glazed tiles sparkled in the sun. Li Dequan was a little surprised to see Yinzhen coming. He hurried forward to ask, and Yinzhen said: "Eunuch, Yinzhen has something to report to the emperor, please inform him."

Li Dequan quickly entered the palace, bowed to Emperor Kangxi, and reported: "Your Majesty, the fourth prince Yinzhen requests an audience." He hurriedly went in to report to Emperor Kangxi, and soon came out to order Yinzhen to come in. Yinzhen walked into the Palace of Heavenly Purity and saw Emperor Kangxi sitting on the dragon chair reviewing memorials. He hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects: "Your son Yinzhen pays respects to the Emperor, and wishes the Emperor good health and happiness." Then he stood aside respectfully.

Emperor Kangxi looked up and saw Yinzhen. He put down the memorial in his hand and asked curiously, "Why did you come here today?"

Yinzhen replied respectfully, "I got something special yesterday, and I came to present it to you, Father."

Emperor Kangxi could not help but become curious when he heard this. If Yinzhen could call it something special, then he would definitely want to take a good look at it. So he said, "Oh? Show it to me."

Yinzhen turned to Su Peisheng and said, "Bring the things up." Su Peisheng responded, and then brought several eunuchs to present the baskets of crops to Emperor Kangxi and Yinzhen.

Emperor Kangxi frowned as he looked at the crops of various shapes and colors. He asked in confusion, "What are these?"

Yinzhen quickly explained, "These are the high-yield crops that my third brother Fuchang, my wife Yiya, brought back from overseas. They are now ripe. Yesterday, I personally followed him to the place where they were planted, dug these crops myself, and then sent them to the emperor."

When Emperor Kangxi heard the words "high-yield crops", his eyes lit up. He asked curiously, "Oh? High-yield crops? What is the yield?"

Yinzhen answered truthfully: "Judging from the small area we dug yesterday, the yield is quite impressive."

After knowing the approximate yield, Kangxi pointed to the crops nearby and asked curiously, "Yinzhen, what are these? What are they used for?"

Yinzhen replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, these are new and exotic crops that I got from Fuchang. Among them, the sweet potatoes, not only can the tender leaves be used as vegetables, but also the fruits are sweet when ripe, and can be used as coarse grains, which are very filling." After hearing this, Kangxi's eyes flashed with surprise. For the people, this was undoubtedly a gift from God.

Yinzhen continued, "Father, please look at this potato. It can be used for cooking and made into potato flour. It is also durable in storage and very suitable for carrying during marches. If it can be widely planted, the army of our Qing Dynasty will no longer worry about food shortages." After hearing this, Kangxi nodded repeatedly and gave high praise to Yinzhen's insight and wisdom.

Then, Yinzhen introduced the uses of corn to Kangxi. He said that corn can be used as a vegetable when it is tender, and can be ground into powder when it is mature, and can even be used to feed chickens. After hearing this, Kangxi secretly admired that if these crops could be promoted, the lives of the people would be greatly improved.

At this moment, Kangxi's eyes were attracted by another basket of red tomatoes and peppers. He curiously asked Yinzhen: "What are the magical uses of these two crops?"

Yinzhen picked up a bright red fruit and explained, "Father, this is a tomato. Tomatoes can be eaten as fruit or used in cooking. They are sweet and juicy." Then he pointed to another one and said, "This is a chili pepper. Although chili peppers are spicy, they can be eaten in the cold winter to keep away the cold and warm the body."

Kangxi was deeply moved after hearing this. He knew very well that the soldiers on the frontier suffered from the cold. If they had these crops, they would be able to better withstand the severe cold.

Kangxi asked: "Yinzhen, what is the harvest of Fuchang's fields outside Beijing? How much of it can be used as grain reserves?"

Yinzhen replied respectfully: "My dear father, according to Fuchang's report, it will take about a month for the crops in the fields to be fully harvested. He plans to use a small part of the harvest for daily consumption and keep the rest for planting crops."

After hearing this, Kangxi's eyes flashed with approval. He nodded and said, "Yes, Fei Yanggu has raised a good son. Fuchang's move is very good. He can take the overall situation into consideration and leave the crops to be planted in case of emergency."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Yinzhen, are these crops enough to support the people near the capital?"

Yinzhen thought for a moment and replied, "Father, I think we need to wait until all crops are harvested before we can accurately calculate the amount of grain and determine whether it can meet the people's planting needs."

Kangxi nodded and thought Yinzhen's words made sense. He continued, "In that case, I will go with you to Fuchang's fields tomorrow to personally check the growth of these crops." He believed that with these crops, the people of the Qing Dynasty would no longer have to worry about food and clothing.

Yinzhen agreed respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty. I will make proper arrangements tomorrow to ensure a smooth trip."

……

After the father and son finished their conversation about high-yield crops, the study was now filled with a faint scent of ink and agarwood.

Seeing this, Yinzhen said softly, "Father, Fucun gave Yiya many recipes for these crops, and they all tasted very good. I thought, maybe we can ask the imperial kitchen to try their skills and serve you a few new dishes for you to try."

Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at Yinzhen, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Oh? Yinzhen, you are always so thoughtful and considerate. I am indeed curious about the taste of these new crops. Then let the imperial kitchen prepare them as you say."

Li Dequan immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I will go and arrange the imperial kitchen right away, and I will make sure that Your Majesty and the Fourth Prince are satisfied."

Kangxi nodded and said to Yinzhen, "In that case, you should stay and have dinner with me."

Yinzhen felt warm in his heart and agreed respectfully.

Soon, the imperial kitchen sent over the carefully prepared delicacies. Each dish was attractive in color and fragrant. Kangxi and Yinzhen sat opposite each other, tasting and talking. Kangxi nodded and praised from time to time, expressing his satisfaction with the cooking skills of the imperial kitchen, while Yinzhen introduced the cooking methods and characteristics of each dish in due course.

The lunch ended in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Kangxi looked at Yinzhen with his eyes full of satisfaction and admiration: "Yinzhen, you not only handle government affairs in an orderly manner, but also care about my taste. It's really rare."

Yinzhen was grateful and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am praising you. I am just doing my filial duty."

After lunch, Yinzhen said goodbye to Kangxi and prepared to leave the palace and return to his own residence. Kangxi nodded in agreement and told him to be careful on the road.

Yinzhen bowed deeply, then turned and left. His figure gradually disappeared in the sunlight, while Kangxi looked in the direction of his departure with a satisfied smile on his face.