The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

The items were delivered, but the Li family grandfather and granddaughter remained uneasy. Li Qingge couldn't sit still, glancing at her phone every now and then, even though she knew there was no way she would receive any news from the other side. Her grandfather, Li Minghua, went about his business as usual, but he was flipping through the book "Zhenguan Zhengyao" in his study even more frequently.

"There's no use in rushing." The old man slowly brewed his tea. "The letter has arrived, the goods have arrived, and everything that needed to be said has been said. They need time too. Let's just wait."

Meanwhile, in the Tang Dynasty, the commotion caused by that "special package" was a bit bigger than expected.

After that day, Li Chengqian seemed like a different person, burying himself in his books and writing rapidly. He first secretly arranged for trial planting, entrusting the "future generation japonica rice" and "drought-resistant" seeds to the most reliable old farmers on the imperial estate, giving them detailed instructions. Then, he revisited the disaster relief proposal, incorporating all the methods from Qingge's letter and the booklet that could be used, filling the document to the brim.

Not long after the memorial was submitted, someone from the palace came to deliver a message that the Emperor had summoned the Crown Prince and several important ministers to the Liangyi Hall for a meeting.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat somber. Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue, spoke first, his brow furrowed as he meticulously calculated the meager resources in the granaries, finding them insufficient no matter how he looked at them. Yan Lide, the Minister of Works, chimed in to echo his sentiments.

When it was Li Chengqian's turn to speak, the hall fell silent for a moment. He composed himself and laid out his proposal, point by point, clearly and explicitly. He didn't mention anything about overseas or anything like that, only saying that it was something that the people of the Eastern Palace had discussed and considered.

But when he mentioned "work in exchange for grain"—specifically how many people dug how much earth to exchange for how much grain, how to divide into teams, and how to record work; and when he mentioned "emphasizing both epidemic prevention and control"—and took out those clearly drawn "shack construction diagrams," "sewage disposal diagrams," and even two simple herbal prescriptions for heatstroke prevention and epidemic control, the expressions of the ministers in the hall changed subtly.

This is... incredibly detailed. It's not something a prince who has lived in the palace for so long could have come up with out of thin air. Especially those few diagrams, the lines are clear, the annotations are well-defined, it's obvious that they were drawn with care, and they seem to be drawn by someone with real-world experience.

Tang Jian stroked his beard, his gaze towards the Crown Prince now filled with scrutiny. Yan Lide couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, this drawing... I wonder which official in the Eastern Palace drew it? It's quite detailed."

Li Chengqian remained unfazed: "It was drafted by several subordinates who consulted ancient books and visited elderly farmers." This answer was flawless; with ancient books and elderly farmers, no one could find fault with it.

But when he finally proposed that "taxes and corvée labor on disaster-stricken lands should be appropriately reduced or exempted to allow the people to rest," even Li Shimin, who had been resting with his eyes closed, lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.

"Pardon them?" The emperor's voice was devoid of emotion. "Has the Crown Prince considered how the national treasury will be filled if this proposal is adopted?"

Li Chengqian was well-prepared and slowly revealed his thoughts, the core of which was the principle of "releasing water to raise fish." He spoke unhurriedly, explaining both the immediate crisis and the recovery in the coming year, and even quoting two lines from Xunzi about the people's welfare.

While he spoke, Changsun Wuji remained mostly silent, his gaze shifting between the Crown Prince's face and the unusual blueprints beside him. After the Crown Prince finished speaking, Li Shimin called on him, asking, "Fuji, what do you think?"

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and pondered, "What the Crown Prince has presented is detailed, thorough, and practical. In particular, his policies of using work as a form of relief and preventing epidemics and ensuring the safety of the people are quite well-organized. This old minister believes... they are feasible." He paused, then subtly changed the subject, "However, it is quite commendable that the officials of the Eastern Palace were able to plan so meticulously in such a short time." The last few words were spoken with great meaning.

Upon hearing this, the other ministers in the hall exchanged glances. Indeed, the Crown Prince's recent actions seemed more composed and thorough than usual. His strategy for dealing with the disaster was far more sophisticated and detailed than one would expect from someone his age and experience. Could it be… that the Eastern Palace has recently recruited some exceptionally talented individual? Or has His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly had a breakthrough, with a master advisor guiding him?

These speculations, like invisible spider silk, drifted quietly through the hall.

Li Shimin took in the reactions of his ministers. His gaze towards his son held a mixture of satisfaction and a deeper scrutiny. The Crown Prince had made progress, which was a good thing. But where did this progress come from? Those unique diagrams, those meticulously detailed notes, and the occasional, inexplicable calmness and confidence the Crown Prince had recently displayed… all of these things stirred a strange curiosity in him, as a father, and a primal imperial curiosity.

Ultimately, the discussion largely followed the Crown Prince's proposal. As Li Chengqian stepped out of the Liangyi Hall, the summer heat hit him, yet he felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that from today onward, the gazes upon him would likely be more numerous and complex than ever before.

He didn't return to the East Palace immediately; his steps unconsciously led him to the warm pavilion. Just as he reached the door, he heard Xiao Qingyi's giggles and Si Zi's weak reply from inside.

Inside the warm pavilion, Xiao Qingyi was idly waving a round fan around, trying to fan the little ox, but she herself was exhausted and her face was flushed. Li Zhi was lying on a small table to the side, with several agricultural books spread out in front of him. Li Lizhi sat beside him, and the two siblings were talking in hushed tones.

Upon seeing Li Chengqian enter, Xiao Qingyi immediately dropped her fan and ran over, her eyes sparkling. Li Chengqian bent down and patted her head, then walked to the bedside, looked at Sizi, and then at the book in front of Li Zhi.

"Brother," Li Lizhi said gently, "Zhi Nu and I have read the booklet you sent. It contains many methods of farming and sericulture, which are truly... innovative." She chose a neutral word.

Li Zhi looked up, his young eyes shining: "Brother, where did you get this book? The layout of this 'Field Management Method' and the layers of this composting are completely different from what I've seen before. It seems... to make perfect sense!"

Watching his younger siblings earnestly discussing the "Book of the Future" he had brought back, the warm pavilion was filled with a simple atmosphere of learning, which somewhat eased the gloom in Li Chengqian's heart caused by the suspicions in the court. His gaze fell on Xiao Qingyi, who was tiptoeing to reach for the candied fruit on the table, and he reached out to take it down for her.

The little one grinned from ear to ear, but instead of eating it herself, she ran over and offered it to Sizi. Sizi shook her head and refused, so she happily stuffed it into her own mouth and chewed with her cheeks puffed out.

As Li Chengqian watched, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

He walked to the window, where the lush greenery outside was so dense it seemed to melt away. He thought of the bag of rice from the future in the hidden compartment, the unknown seeds that had just been planted in the royal estate, and the inquisitive and suspicious gazes he had just received in the hall.

The road ahead was indeed long, and seemed even more winding than he had imagined. But he had tangible things in his hands, the light shining in his younger siblings' eyes from new knowledge, and in the shadows, a line connecting to an incredible distance.

This feeling is a bit heavy, but also a bit... reassuring.

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

Let's take it one step at a time.