The cruel little princess

When Shen Youyou brought Chuntao back to the tent, Liu Bin had already brought back the roasted sweet potatoes. But Shen Youyou was already full from Chuntao, so how could she eat any more roasted sweet potatoes? Chuntao also forced herself to eat another half of the roasted sweet potato. While eating, she contentedly circled around her mistress, "Miss, Miss, you must find someone to plant the sweet potatoes quickly!"

At this time, Shen Youyou had no idea how much of an impact her unintentional action would have on the future. And it was precisely because of her decision that the military camp was able to escape the food shortage a few months later! Of course, this is all a story for later.

On the other side, An Er went back to report to the prince, saying that Miss Shen wanted to dig sweet potatoes from the mountain and plant them on the wasteland next to the military camp, saying that she wanted to plant some to keep as a snack occasionally in the future.

By this time, His Royal Highness Prince Jin had already tasted the candied sweet potatoes and sweet potato cakes that Shen Youyou had sent. While he found them delicious, he had a limited fondness for sweets, which didn't stop him from liking Shen Youyou. However, Shen Youyou wanted to grow these sweet potatoes, so he had to help her! So he ordered An Er to lead a dozen secret guards to dig up all the sweet potatoes, roots and leaves included. He also ordered all his farms in the suburbs of Beijing and elsewhere to plant these sweet potatoes. Follow the instructions exactly as described.

After An Er finished digging the sweet potatoes, he immediately went to Shen Youyou to inquire about her method for raising seedlings and cuttings. Shen Youyou assumed An Er had just dug up some sweet potatoes and planted them casually, but she wasn't expecting him to be so serious. Without hesitation, she explained in detail the importance of selecting evenly sized sweet potatoes with no blemishes on the skin. Then, she chose loose soil and used some dry horse manure as a base fertilizer. After mixing it with the soil, she cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces, ensuring they had a small indentation; this small indentation is crucial for germination. After cutting, she rolled the pieces in completely cooled wood ash to disinfect the cuts. Then, she shallowly buried the small pieces in the prepared soil. Keeping the soil moist, she waited for them to sprout. Once they sprouted, she carefully dug them out and planted them in the prepared ground.

"Hmm..." Shen Youyou paused, thought for a moment, and added, "It's best to cover it with something. This will increase the temperature a bit and promote germination."

An Er wrote down everything she said. After Shen Youyou finished speaking, he asked doubtfully, "Can these sweet potatoes really grow so many?"

"Of course! As long as you follow the method I said, you will definitely grow a lot of sweet potatoes." Shen Youyou nodded affirmatively, her eyes shining.

An Er was bewildered, half understanding what he was saying, but he always prided himself on being the best Dark Guard. Although he currently held the position of Under Dark, the best Dark Guards were known for their courage, facing challenges head-on and even creating and overcoming them even when none existed. Therefore, upon hearing Miss Shen's idea, he acted without hesitation. Furthermore, An Er, hoping that his fellow Dark Guards would appreciate and recognize Miss Shen's talent, summoned all the off-duty Dark Guards, from Dark Three to Dark Ninety-Ninth, and had them take turns cultivating the seedlings. As a result, thanks to their concerted efforts, they cultivated an astonishing amount of seedlings, reaching over a hundred acres! All thanks to An Er's dedication and determination. However, this also led to the stables running out of horse manure, posing an emergency situation! Ultimately, the sheer number of seedlings produced was truly astonishing!

After Shen Youyou explained this to An Er, she didn't take it seriously. She figured planting two mu of sweet potatoes would be enough, at most. After all, they were just starting to promote it, and planting too much at once would easily cause trouble. Besides, sweet potatoes weren't a staple food these days, just an occasional addition to the flavor palette. So, she focused on preparing the materials for the upcoming class. Although she had asked Prince Jin to bring back a few dead enemy soldiers for autopsies, she didn't know when he would find suitable ones, and she couldn't just sit there and wait.

However, Shen Youyou also knew that His Royal Highness Prince Jin would definitely do his best to help her find it. After all, this was the first time she had taken the initiative to ask him to do something. Thinking of this, Shen Youyou couldn't help but smile.

But no matter what, she still had to find a way to solve the current problem. If she couldn't find suitable enemy corpses, she would have to use something else as a substitute. For example, animals like pigs, cows, and sheep, or some simple models. In short, she couldn't let the students learn empty-handed. As for the specific substitutes, she had to think about it carefully...

Finally, she hit upon an idea. She summoned Liu Bin and had Chuntao tailor-make three life-size humanoid puppets, each tailored to his frame and filled with cotton. Then, on the first puppet, Shen Youyou used willow charcoal to meticulously draw a diagram of the internal organs, based on the structure of the human abdominal and thoracic cavities. This included the large intestine, small intestine, duodenum, cecum, as well as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys, all positioned with pinpoint accuracy. She then repeated the same process on the second puppet, creating a diagram of the human skeleton, with every bone clearly visible and even the smallest joints rendered with lifelike detail. The third puppet featured a diagram of the basic vascular shunt patterns. Although she suspected this third puppet might be less commonly used, considering that military doctors here lacked modern surgical equipment like microscopes, which allow for simultaneous observation and manipulation during surgery, she felt it was best to be prepared, and the drawings would also help her continually review her medical knowledge.

By the time Shen Youyou finished her painting, it was already past midnight. She thought to herself, "I better get everything arranged quickly. After all, I have to get up early for training tomorrow, and I still need to learn horseback riding. Also, I need to find out how many physically agile people have been selected; that's crucial for the class!" She hated trouble and absolutely refused to repeat something she could get done the first time. In a few days, once she was ready, she could start teaching.

Early in the morning, before the sun had even begun to shine, the sky still dimmed. It was the usual 1:15 AM when Shen Youyou quickly washed and got up. Arriving at the appointed location, she took Taxue from An'er and leaped onto the horse, sitting firmly on its back. She gently stroked Taxue's head a few times before urging him forward.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they followed the same plan as yesterday: running up and down the mountain five times, then doing horse stance for half an hour, then five more times, and then another half an hour. It was still His Royal Highness Prince Jin who accompanied Shen Youyou all the way up and down the mountain.

Shen Youyou watched as His Royal Highness Prince Jin started to prepare for a run, and she didn't dare to slack off, so she quickly followed His Royal Highness Prince Jin and started running together. Because of His Royal Highness Prince Jin's company and guidance, Shen Youyou was able to persevere and complete the five round trips, which made her feel very happy and proud.

After running five times, Shen Youyou resumed her horse stance as instructed, while His Royal Highness Prince Jin supervised and instructed her. After her daily morning jogging at the training ground, Shen Youyou's physical fitness had significantly improved. She could now hold the horse stance for longer periods of time, and her movements were becoming more and more accurate.

Just like that, a morning passed, and Shen Youyou had completed all her training tasks. Although her body was a little tired, her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. She knew that only by continuous effort could she become stronger and realize her dreams. So, even though the training was hard, she would persevere and continue.

Back at the tent, Chuntao had already prepared warm water for her daughter to wash up, then had dinner. Afterward, she visited her father and brother, checking on them to see if they were following her prescriptions. Shen Youyou knew that the most common and abundant herbs at this border were for wounds, so she didn't prescribe any expensive ones. Instead, she prescribed a selection of common herbs based on their specific needs, but combined they offered the most effective results, treating hidden injuries and restoring their health. Doctor Feng and the others exclaimed, "I've learned a lot!"