The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 179

After everyone agreed, Li Er asked Xu Tian, ​​"Grand Tutor Xu, where do you plan to plant these seeds first?"

"Your Majesty, I still need to investigate further. I had a trial planting of these wheat seeds in the Western Regions before I left, and I estimate that they should be ready to bear fruit by now," Xu Tian said, bowing.

Seeing that Xu Tian had not yet made a decision, Li Er remembered that there was a piece of wasteland in the suburbs of Chang'an City, which was about to be planted with seeds. Now it would be a good opportunity for Xu Tian to grow grain.

So he said to Xu Tian, ​​"Grand Tutor Xu, there is a piece of wasteland on the outskirts of the city that has not yet been planted with seeds. If you have not yet found a suitable place, you may go there."

Xu Tian nodded upon hearing this. He also knew about the wasteland on the outskirts of Chang'an. It was said that due to some minor reasons, no seeds had been planted there. Now, this wasteland had finally come in handy. He wasn't too far from the palace, and it was more convenient than other fields.

After Xu Tian made up his mind, he said to Li Er, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Liu glanced at Xu Tian, ​​feeling somewhat uneasy. He felt that if things continued this way, his status would definitely not be as good as before.

Li Er then gave the order, sending someone to take Xu Tian to a field on the outskirts of Chang'an.

The group set off and soon arrived near the barren fields on the outskirts of Chang'an, where everything was lush and green. Further on, there was a small stream, making irrigation easy. Xu Tian squatted down again, picked up a handful of soil, and kneaded it. Finding the soil to be of good quality, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "Not bad."

Actually, it's not just this patch of soil that has a good texture; it's soft to the touch and somewhat damp, so there might be groundwater underneath. Planting some fruit trees around it from time to time makes it a very simple matter.

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui chuckled and said, "Of course, we spent a long time choosing this piece of land."

"Then why did you stop planting it later because of some trivial matters?" Xu Tian asked curiously.

"Well, naturally, the food supply in cities other than Chang'an is somewhat insufficient, so a lot of grain has been planted in other cities and people have been sent there. Naturally, this place will be delayed for a while. I thought we wouldn't be able to use this wasteland for some time."

“If this wasteland is really put to use, the effect will be particularly good,” Xu Tian added.

Du Ruhui didn't quite understand these things, but seeing that Grand Tutor Xu said so, he figured the field must be excellent.

Xu Tian then planted some seeds in the soil, including Qi Yi's wheat seeds.

Not only this batch of wheat seeds, but he later discovered some high-yielding rice among these grains and crops. However, there were no paddy fields available at the moment, so he had to postpone the project for a while.

The next day, in the main hall of Li Er's harem.

Li Er had originally intended to read a memorial carefully and then rest for a while, when a eunuch came in to report that Prime Minister Liu had arrived.

He waved his hand and said, "Pass it on."

Prime Minister Liu walked in from outside the hall, still wearing his court robes, clearly having rushed over as soon as court was over.

"My dear minister, is there anything urgent you need to do?" Li Er asked.

"Your Majesty, I now believe that Grand Tutor Xu is incapable of successfully cultivating this batch of high-yield wheat seeds. The survival rate of these mutated seeds seems extremely low! If we were to waste funds on Grand Tutor Xu, wouldn't that be..."

Upon hearing Prime Minister Liu's words, Li Er rubbed his temples and interrupted him directly: "My dear minister, is this all you came here to say?"

"Your Majesty, I... I dare to ask, why do you value Grand Tutor Xu so much?"

"That's natural. I've said before that the Tang Dynasty is fortunate to have him and all of you ministers," Li Er said with a smile. "Moreover, he has helped me solve many problems. Such a talent should definitely be nurtured so that he can benefit the people of the Tang Dynasty in the future."