Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The people Hu Bugui sent to the neighboring fiefdoms soon brought back the news. As he expected, the harvests in the neighboring fiefdoms were not ideal this year. At most, they could only allocate a small amount of grain, which was enough to solve the immediate problem, but could not fundamentally solve the problem. After Wu Tao learned the news, he knew that if he wanted to get through the current difficulties, he could only rely on self-help.

The next morning, Wu Tao got up early and took Chun Tao to the fields. The fields in early spring were still cold, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil. The people had already started their day's work. They bent over and worked hard on the land, preparing for the upcoming sowing. Wu Tao looked at the scene in front of him, and a feeling of admiration welled up in his heart. These simple people, with their sweat and hard work, nurtured the land and supported the country.

Wu Tao walked up to an old lady who was working on the land and asked her kindly, "Auntie, can I learn from you how to farm the land?"

The lady was called Aunt Zhao, and she was a famous farmer in the area. Seeing Wu Tao dressed gorgeously and had an extraordinary temperament, she was a little confused, but still greeted her warmly: "Princess, how can you do such rough and tiring work?"

"Auntie, you can just call me Taotao. I'm free anyway and want to experience farm work. Please teach me." Wu Tao said, then rolled up his sleeves, picked up the hoe beside him, and began to learn in an orderly manner.

Seeing Wu Tao's sincerity, Aunt Zhao stopped refusing and patiently taught her how to hold the hoe, how to turn the soil, and how to sow. Although it was Wu Tao's first time to do farm work, she was smart and understood everything quickly, and soon mastered the basic essentials.

When the people working in the fields saw this scene, they all stopped what they were doing and gathered around curiously. They had never seen the princess so approachable, and they had never thought that she would work in the fields herself. For a moment, they were talking about it and were full of praise.

"The princess is so approachable, she doesn't put on airs at all."

"Yes, it's rare for him to work in the fields himself."

"I think the princess really wants to do something practical for us ordinary people."

Listening to the people's discussions, Wu Tao showed a gratified smile on her face. She knew that if she wanted to truly integrate into the life here and gain the trust of the people, she had to humble herself and start from the little things.

In the following days, Wu Tao insisted on working in the fields every day and humbly learned planting experience from the local people. She also used her modern knowledge to put forward some suggestions for improving agricultural production, such as crop rotation, rational fertilization, and water conservancy construction. These suggestions were recognized by the people, and they all expressed their willingness to try them out.

Chuntao saw this and admired Wu Tao even more. She knew that everything Wu Tao did was not only to help the people get through the difficult times, but also to better integrate into this land and become a part of it. As night fell, Chuntao helped Wu Tao massage her sore shoulders while enthusiastically talking about the new things she heard in the village today. Wu Tao's heart moved, and an idea gradually became clear...

Chun Tao observed Wu Tao's expression while she was talking. Seeing that Wu Tao was listening attentively, she asked tentatively: "Princess, do you think we should also organize some activities to have fun with everyone?"

Wu Tao put down the book in his hand and said with a smile: "Great minds think alike! That's exactly what I was thinking!"

Therefore, under the organization of Wu Tao and Chun Tao, some new activities began to appear on the fiefdom. They first set up a stage in the village and invited a troupe to perform, which attracted people from surrounding villages to watch. The gongs and drums were loud and lively, and the laughter and joy dispelled the haze of the past and also brought Wu Tao closer to the people.

Then, they set up a "storytelling session" at the entrance of the village and invited the elders in the village to tell local historical stories and folk legends. Wu Tao listened with great interest and gained a deeper understanding of the history and culture of this land. She found that these stories contain rich wisdom and spiritual power, which is the root of the endless vitality of this land and its people.

Wu Tao also encouraged the women in the village to organize themselves and learn traditional crafts such as embroidery and weaving. She invited skilled craftsmen from the city to teach them the skills for free. Soon, the exquisite embroidery and weaving products became popular in the village. Wu Tao also helped them sell these handicrafts in the city, which increased their income.

Chuntao looked at Wu Tao's busy figure with admiration in her heart. She knew that everything Wu Tao did was to make people's lives better and to fill this land with hope.

Hu Bugui also made some progress in government affairs. He went deep into the grassroots, understood the people's sentiments, and formulated a series of policies that benefited the people. He reduced taxes, encouraged farming, built water conservancy projects, and developed commerce, which gradually revived the economy of the fiefdom. At the same time, he also strengthened public security management, cracked down on bandits, and protected the lives and property of the people. The public security situation in the fiefdom also improved significantly.

The people all felt the changes. They were full of hope for the future and loved Hu Bugui and Wu Tao even more.

One day, when Wu Tao was working in the fields, Aunt Zhao came over and watched Wu Tao turning the soil and sowing seeds skillfully, her eyes full of admiration. She smiled and said, "Princess, you are really becoming more and more like a farmer here!"

Wu Tao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile: "Aunt Zhao, please don't laugh at me. I'm still far from it! By the way, how come you have time to come here today?"

Aunt Zhao smiled mysteriously and said, "I'm here to give you something good today!"

Aunt Zhao took out a bundle from the basket behind her and opened it, revealing a bunch of hand-sewn clothes. "Look, this is made by me. I thought it would be cooler, so I made a set for you and the prince." Aunt Zhao said with a smile, "Don't look down on my crude craftsmanship."

Wu Tao took the dress. The fabric was soft and comfortable, and the stitches were fine. It was obvious that the tailor had put a lot of effort into it. She felt warm in her heart. This was not disgust at all, but full of love. "Aunt Zhao, you are so polite. This dress is really beautiful. The prince and I like it very much."

"That's good, that's good." Aunt Zhao looked at Wu Tao, her eyes full of love, "Princess, don't look at me as an old woman with no vision. We all remember what you have done for us. You sincerely want us to live a good life, we can all feel it."

"Aunt Zhao, you are too kind. I have not done enough." Wu Tao said modestly, "I still need to learn more from old people like you."

Aunt Zhao held Wu Tao's hand and said earnestly, "Princess, you are from the city and don't understand many things. Here, the most important thing is to be a 'native'. If you want to truly integrate into us, you must learn our way of life and understand our customs and habits."

Wu Tao listened carefully. She knew that Aunt Zhao was right. Only by truly integrating into the community could she help the people here better. So she humbly asked Aunt Zhao for advice on various life skills, from identifying herbs to pickling pickles, from weaving and spinning to brewing and making sauce. She studied everything carefully. Aunt Zhao was not shy about sharing her life's knowledge with her.

Under the guidance of Aunt Zhao, Wu Tao learned many traditional life skills. She found that behind these seemingly simple skills, there is the wisdom of the working people and their love for life. She began to try to use these skills to improve her life and also tried to use these skills to help people around her.

One afternoon, Wu Tao and Aunt Zhao were sitting in the yard chatting, and Chun Tao hurried in from outside with a hint of excitement on her face. "Princess, I found a good thing!"

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

 Chapter 96: Integration into the fiefdom

"What good stuff?" Wu Tao put down the straw basket she was weaving and looked at Chun Tao curiously. Aunt Zhao also raised her head with a kind smile on her face.

Chun Tao calmed down her breathing and said excitedly, "Princess, do you remember a few days ago when you asked me to go to the neighboring town to ask if there was anything new? When I went there today, I found that they were growing a kind of crop that we have never seen here. It is growing very well. I heard that it was brought from the Western Regions. It has a high yield and is particularly drought-resistant!"

"Oh? There is such a thing?" Wu Tao became interested. "What kind of crop is that? What does it look like? Please tell me in detail."

Chun Tao then described in detail what she had seen and heard, and took out a small bag of seeds from her bosom and handed it to Wu Tao as if offering a treasure, "Princess, look, these are the seeds of that crop. I specially asked for some back."

Wu Tao took the seeds and looked at them carefully. The seeds were full and dark red in color, which was indeed different from common crop seeds. A glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. If this crop was really as good as Chun Tao said, it would be of great help in improving the lives of the people in the fiefdom.

"Chun Tao, you did a great job!" Wu Tao looked at Chun Tao with appreciation, then turned to Aunt Zhao and said, "Aunt Zhao, you are very knowledgeable. Please help me see what kind of crop this is?"

Aunt Zhao took the seed, put it in her palm and carefully identified it for a while, then shook her head and said, "I have lived for most of my life, and I have never seen such a seed."

"What should we do?" Chun Tao was a little anxious. "Princess, how about we ask someone?"

"Don't worry, we can try first." Wu Tao said calmly, "Chun Tao, go find some experienced farmers tomorrow and plant these seeds to see if they can grow."

Chuntao took the order and left. Wu Tao and Aunt Zhao discussed the details of planting, from site selection, fertilization to watering, and made careful arrangements for everything.

In the following days, Wu Tao went to the fields almost every day to check on the growth of crops. Under her careful care, these exotic seeds gradually broke through the soil, grew green leaves, and showed vitality.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, several months have passed. The seeds that were sown have grown into a green crop, and the heavy ears of corn bend the branches, foreshadowing the joy of a good harvest.

The local people were very curious to see this crop that they had never seen before, and they came to watch. When they learned that this crop had high yield and strong drought resistance, they were overjoyed and asked Wu Tao to teach them how to grow it.

Wu Tao patiently explained the planting techniques to the people and demonstrated them in person. Under her leadership, more and more people began to plant this new crop, and the grain output of the fiefdom was significantly improved. The living standards of the people also improved, and their faces were filled with happy smiles.

However, just when everything seemed to be on track, a secret letter from Chang'an broke the peace. After receiving the letter, Hu Bugui's face suddenly changed, his brows knitted, and a trace of uneasiness flashed in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Wu Tao noticed that Hu Bugui was acting strangely and asked with concern.

Hu Bugui was silent for a moment, then handed the letter to Wu Tao, "Read it yourself."

Wu Tao took the letter, opened it, and his expression changed...

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

Wu Tao took the letter, opened it, and his face changed. The letter was sent by Hu Bugui's hidden spy in the palace. There was only one sentence in the letter: "The crown prince has passed away, the emperor is critically ill, return quickly."

This short sentence was like a bolt from the blue, shocking Wu Tao for a long time. The death of the crown prince and the critical illness of the emperor, what this means is self-evident. What kind of earth-shaking changes will this sudden change bring to their lives? Wu Tao's heart was filled with anxiety and fear. She raised her head and looked at Hu Bugui, but found that in addition to shock, there was also a trace of unspeakable sadness on his face.