Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

Inside the Zichen Palace, although everyone stopped discussing, the curiosity in their eyes became even stronger.

"My dear Lord Xu, what exactly are these two things?" Xiao Yan had already received the holiday gift prepared for him by Liu Xu yesterday. He naturally knew what Xu Mingli was going to do, so he asked even though he knew the answer.

Xu Mingli strode out and said in a steady tone: "Your Majesty, these two things are called potatoes and corn. Experience has proven that they can be used as both food and dishes. Not only are they incredibly productive, but they are also cold-resistant and drought-resistant. If they can be widely planted in Dongsheng, in time, the people will no longer suffer from hunger."

"Are you serious, my dear? Then where did you get these two things?" Xiao Yan asked in surprise.

Others were also surprised and happy when they heard this!

"I dare not deceive your majesty. So, is it that I am offering a gift to the Buddha?"

"Oh? Why do you say that, my dear?"

"Because these two things were obtained by my niece from a foreigner. And in order to verify that these two crops were really as the foreigner said, she spent all her savings to buy wasteland and build a greenhouse. One is to test the output value of the two things, and the other is to prepare more seeds."

"What is the verification result?" Xiao Yan asked impatiently.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Facts have proven that the yields of these two products are indeed amazing. The yield of potatoes per mu can reach 1,000 kilograms, and the yield of corn per mu is as much as 500 kilograms. Moreover, one is cold-resistant and the other is drought-resistant. They are truly treasures bestowed by God on Dongsheng."

As he spoke, Xu Mingli took out another booklet from his sleeve.

"This booklet is a detailed record of my niece's planting process. It contains the habits and yields of these crops, as well as some simple methods of making them into food. Your Majesty and the others, please take a look."

Xiao Yan couldn't wait to get down from the dragon throne, took the booklet in his own hands, quickly glanced at it, and shouted "Good!" three times.

Then he handed the booklet to Old Tutor Ge and Prime Minister Song and some others nearby.

When they saw it, they all showed great joy on their faces.

Xu Mingli said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is God's favor to Dongsheng, and I am presenting it to Your Majesty through my niece. If this can help alleviate the famine of the people, Dongsheng's national strength will be further enhanced."

Xiao Yan nodded in agreement, "Since the instructions for eating are in the booklet, would you all like to try these two things with me today?"

"We obey your majesty's orders!" civil and military officials responded in unison.

Of course, not everyone agrees, but today is Xiao Yan's first day on the throne, and no one wants to go against the emperor at this time.

As the two boxes of things were carried away, the singing in the hall resumed.

Due to the urgency of time, no envoys from other countries arrived today, but some letters of credence did arrive, indicating that gifts were on the way.

While waiting, Xiao Yan casually asked:

"Lord Xu, I remember your niece seems to be General Liu's eldest daughter, right? That child is not even ten years old, right?"

"Your Majesty, my younger sister was stranded outside. Fortunately, General Liu rescued her. Now my eldest daughter is already seven years old."

"Very good, General Liu and his wife really teach their daughter well. She has such a broad mind at such a young age. Pass on my decree that General Zhongwu's wife, Xu, is virtuous, manages the household well, and teaches her children well. She is specially conferred the title of Fourth Rank Respectful Lady. I hope she will continue to uphold her virtues and be a role model for women all over the world."

"On behalf of my wife and "sister", I would like to thank Your Majesty for his grace!"

Xu Mingli and Liu Donglai looked at each other and knelt down to express their gratitude.

"The two beauties are equal."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

During the time Liu Donglai was in the capital, although Xiao Yan gave him a general's mansion, he either lived in the temporary tent set up by the Mu family army outside the city, or lived in the Xu family!

Therefore, everyone knows the relationship between the two.

The new emperor had already bestowed rewards on the Xu family and Liu Donglai, and now even the eldest daughter of the Xu family has been granted an imperial decree. Everyone speculated that the Xu family might become the new elite in the capital.

But they had no idea that the real noble person was actually the little girl who was less than ten years old that the emperor had just mentioned.

Among these people, only Mu Lingxuan felt somewhat puzzled. He was guessing why Xiao Yan did this.

He wouldn't reward Liu Xu's family so much...

Thinking of a certain possibility, a certain prince felt very uncomfortable, as if something of his was being coveted by others.

That’s right, our young marquis is now the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion.

Mu Lingxuan hasn't figured out why he has such a feeling, but his intuition tells him that he must not let Xiao Yan succeed.

So, in the following days, a certain prince would always secretly tell Liu Donglai about the unhappiness and even misery of the concubines in the harem.

Liu Donglai might be simple-minded in other aspects, but when it comes to his wife, children and war, he is very smart. Although he is not sure why the young general said this, it does not prevent him from understanding what Mu Lingxuan wants to express.

So the father and son secretly gossiped and complained about the harems of emperors of all dynasties in the tent.

If Liu Xu knew this, she would be so disappointed. How could the flower of Gaoling in her heart become a morning glory?

Of course, this is something.

At this moment, they were still in the Jinluan Palace. Xiao Yan learned that Liu Xu was leading the people of Liujia Village to try the second batch, so he called the people from Sinong Temple:

"Master Xu, the Ministry of Agriculture will send officials to Liujia Village in Qinghe County today. If they verify that the two crops are indeed as stated in the booklet, they will report back immediately."

Lord Xu: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Remember to send someone who can do real work, don't send someone who can do nothing but talk on paper!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured that I will personally select the personnel."

Soon, everyone was attracted by the tempting fragrance.

Corn is ground into powder and used to make corn cakes and corn paste; potatoes can be made into many different ways, such as braised pork ribs with potatoes, shredded potatoes, potato chips, mashed potatoes...

There were so many people, and if the imperial kitchen manager hadn’t been smart, both boxes would have been eaten up.

However, even though there was only a little bit of each, every dish tasted delicious.

And there is a strong sense of fullness. For this reason, Lord Xu from the Sinong Temple is already thinking about who should go and how many should go.

After the meal, Xiao Yan remembered the watermelons that Xu Mingli had sent him yesterday, so he asked the butler to bring one over.

Looking at the big green melon brought by the eunuch, the ministers were very curious.

"Your Majesty, what is this? It looks about the same size as a winter melon, but the skin is different?" asked an adult from a poor family.

"This is indeed a melon. It was also sent by Lord Xu. He said it is called watermelon. It is the seed that Miss Liu got from the foreigners."

"This... Your Majesty, I know that you trust Lord Xu. Of course, Lord Xu must have good intentions, but Your Majesty should be cautious about what is entering the mouth!" The speaker was Lu Wentao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who had always been at odds with Xu Mingli.

Originally, Xu Mingli was half a level lower than him. Although they were both competing for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he always felt that the position would eventually be his.

But in the blink of an eye, Xu Mingli surpassed him and became the Minister of War, which made him very angry. In addition, the Xu family's contribution of grain seeds today made a big splash, and the strong jealousy made him hot-headed, so he said this.

Xiao Yan frowned immediately upon hearing this, and the other ministers all lowered their heads, secretly cursing him as an idiot. Not to mention that the Xu family is now favored by the emperor, is today a good day for you to jump out and find fault? You are so stupid!