Chapter 42: CH 33.2

-廖青青(Liào qīngqīng)- Liao Qing Qing, the female lead. 

–曦昭容(xī zhāo róng)- Lady Xi of Bright Countenance, Liao Qing Qing’s current designation.

-景礼帝(jǐng lǐ ​​dì)- Emperor Jing Li, the male lead.

–梁贵妃(liáng guìfēi)- Noble Consort Liang

–贤妃(xián fēi)- Worthy Consort, Noble Consort Liang’s maternal cousin

–太后(tàihòu)- Empress Dowager, Emperor Jing Li’s birth mother

–常嬷嬷(cháng mómo)- Chang Momo, the Empress Dowager’s senior palace maid

-梨声阁(lí shēng gé)-Lisheng Pavillion, the place where the female lead resides. 

–寿禧宫(shòu xǐ gōng)- Shouxi Palace, the palace the Empress Dowager resides.

Current Ranking: Empress Dowager → Noble Consort Liang → Worthy Consort + Virtuous Consort → Lady Xi of Bright Countenance →  Lady Li of Graceful Ceremony → Ye Liangyi + Wu Liangyi → Noble Lady Liao + Noble Lady Jiang

After lunch, the Empress Dowager needed to rest and didn’t let Emperor Jing Li and Liao Qing Qing stay here. The two of them, Emperor Jing Li and Liao Qing Qing, departed from Shouxi Palace. On their way back, Emperor Jing Li noticed the corners of Liao Qing Qing’s mouth kept rising. He asked curiously, “Qing Qing is very happy?”

Liao Qing Qing raised her head slightly, and her eyes shimmered. She nodded. “Mm.”

“Why?”

“Guess, Your Majesty.”

“….” A very childish statement. But Emperor Jing Li still guessed it anyway. He said, “Because of the promotion in rank?”

“No.” Liao Qing Qing shook her head.

Emperor Jing Li said again, “Because I rewarded you with a thousand gold taels?”

Liao Qing Qing shook her head again. “No.”

“Because of the change in the way the Empress Dowager thinks of you?”

“It’s also not because of that.”

“Then it’s….”

Liao Qing Qing said smugly, “Because this imperial concubine’s vegetable plant yielded results.”

An astonished expression appeared on Emperor Jing Li’s face.

“Your Majesty, this imperial concubine will bring you to have a look.”

“….” When Emperor Jing Li thought of the patch after patch of greens that Liao Qing Qing had planted, he was really not interested.

Liao Qing Qing raised her eyes and asked, “Your Majesty, don’t you want to see it?”

“I do!” Emperor Jing Li said insincerely, “Let’s go. Let’s go and take a look.”

Liao Qing Qing held Emperor Jing Li’s hand. Once they entered Lisheng Pavilion, she hurriedly walked towards her experimental field.

It appeared to be a pale green plant with flowers that had almost fallen off from a distance. It was unknown what kind of vegetables they were.

Liao Qing Qing pointed at the experimental field and said, “Your Majesty, look.”

“Look at what?” Emperor Jing Li asked.

“The potato plant.”

“Potato plant?” Emperor Jing Li had not heard of this plant.

Liao Qing Qing squatted down and raked the soil against the potato plant. In a short while, an egg-sized object appeared. She yanked one out, showed it to Emperor Jing Li and said, “Your Majesty, look. This is a potato.”

“A potato?” Emperor Jing Li’s eyes fell on the potatoes in Liao Qing Qing’s hand.

“Yeah, it’s edible!”

“Edible?” Emperor Jing Li didn’t quite believe it.

“It’s edible.” Liao Qing Qing nodded.

Emperor Jing Li looked at the potato plant unconvincingly. Why does it look familiar? He suddenly remembered and said, “Isn’t this the umbrella flower tribute from the northwest? It was meant to block the wind and avoid disasters.”

“Yes.” Liao Qing Qing nodded her head.

“How did it become like this?”

“This imperial concubine made some changes to it.”

Potatoes weren’t unfamiliar to the people in the twenty-first century; however, they were extremely foreign to people in this era. She didn’t know if it was because of the climate and environment, but the current potatoes only had flowers, and the stolons couldn’t develop and grow.

People in the Northwest have not discovered the edible value of potatoes.

They had only treated the potatoes as ornamental flowers.

They gave an auspicious meaning of “blocking wind and avoiding disasters” as a tribute to Emperor Jing Li.

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Emperor Jing Li happened to send it to Lisheng Pavilion.

Luckily, Liao Qing Qing grew up in the countryside. When she was young, she went to the fields with her paternal grandparents to dig potatoes, pull radishes, pick cotton, etc. and knew a lot about some crops.

She recognised that the so-called umbrella flower was a potato flower at a glance.

However, she was afraid it was a different type of potato flower, so she remained silent. From last year, she silently observed, cultivated, transplanted, watered, fertilised, picked the flowers and buds and so on of the “umbrella flower”. She was extremely careful and tried to save all the nutrients and send them to the stolon.

She didn’t expect to see that potatoes were actually growing this morning.

She immediately called He Xiang to cook a few and eat them.

The potatoes were exactly the same as those in the twenty-first century.

She was thrilled.

When Chang Momo came to summon her to Shouxi Palace, she suppressed this joy and only now did she let it out. She continued, “Your Majesty, this is very delicious.”

Emperor Jing Li asked, “Have you eaten it?”

“Mm. Do you want to try it, Your Majesty?”

“Alright.” Emperor Jing Li became interested in this potato.

There was no kitchenette in Lisheng Pavilion, so she had to go to the imperial kitchen to steam and cook and so on.

Liao Qing Qing instructed He Xiang to throw a few more potatoes into the charcoal stove.

Soon after, a faint aroma wafted from the charcoal stove.

A sweet aroma permeated the air when the potatoes were taken out, and the burnt potato skins were peeled off.

Emperor Jing Li looked at Liao Qing Qing in awe.

Liao Qing Qing poked the potatoes with a chopstick and passed them to Emperor Jing Li. She said, “Your Majesty, try it.”

Emperor Jing Li took it and saw that Liao Qing Qing had already started to eat the potatoes in small bites.

He carefully took a bite. Instantly, a soft sensation and sweetness spread in his mouth.

This was a taste he had never eaten before.

But he did not dislike it. Instead, he liked it very much.

He looked at Liao Qing Qing in shock.

Liao Qing Qing asked expectantly, “Your Majesty, is it delicious?”

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This potato gave him so many surprises. He replied, “It’s delicious.”

Liao Qing Qing said, “Not only is it delicious, but it also prevents one from being hungry.”

“Prevents one from being hungry?”

These words immediately poked Emperor Jing Li’s sensitive spot.

He was a good Emperor who cared about the people and had his heart set on making sure the common people were well fed and clothed, encouraging them to cultivate the land for farming, and even giving tax reductions to some areas.

Even so, it would be good if they encountered a good harvest year since the common people could eat to their fill and feel warm with their clothes; however, if the weather were unsuitable for farming, a year of hard work would still be wasted.

Death by starvation would happen from time to time.

Hence, he was very concerned about the words “prevent one from being hungry”.

“Yeah. This imperial concubine ate two in the morning and was not hungry all morning.”

Emperor Jing Li looked at the potatoes in his hand. He was no longer indifferent like he was previously. His gaze was filled with seriousness, and he asked, “How many potatoes can this umbrella flower plant produce?”

“This imperial concubine doesn’t know. But—”

“But what?”

“But this imperial concubine feels that it can bear a lot. Your Majesty, come with this imperial concubine.”

“Okay.”

Emperor Jing Li followed Liao Qing Qing to her experimental field again. She scraped off a potato plant, pointed the roots of the potatoes to Emperor Jing Li and said, “Look, Your Majesty. These small potatoes can grow very big, bigger than what we ate.”

“How do you know?”

“Because this imperial concubine ate the biggest today.”

“Can all these small potatoes grow bigger?”

“Your Majesty, all of these small potatoes don’t have to grow bigger. As long as it is half-grown, it would be quite a harvest isn’t it?” Liao Qing Qing asked in response.

One must know that the yield of wheat and rice was only about two hundred jin (100 kg/220.46 pounds) per mu,[1]while the yield of potatoes could be between one thousand to four thousand jin (500 kg/1102.31 pounds – 2000 kg/4409.25 pounds).

That was why potatoes saved one country, followed by another in her world, creating one myth after another.

Emperor Jing Li also clearly saw the immense potential of potatoes.

He looked at Liao Qing Qing with shock in his eyes.

It took a while before he spoke, “Qing Qing, you have made a great achievement.”

About this point, Liao Qing Qing was aware!

Emperor Jing Li then said, “Come with me to the Ministry of Revenue.”

Liao Qing Qing didn’t know about this point. She asked in confusion, “What are we going to do at the Ministry of Revenue?”

“To file a report to the Ministry of Revenue.”

“File what report?”

“I have opened a Department of Agricultural Products in the Ministry of Revenue, specialising in the cultivation of crops and increasing yields. This potato of yours has great potential. Go and file it with the Bureau Chief of the Department of Agriculture Products, so that it can be easily assimilated between the common people for the benefit of the people.”

“Hold on.” Liao Qing Qing stopped Emperor Jing Li.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your Majesty, this potato was discovered unintentionally by this imperial concubine and the name was also unintentionally given by this imperial concubine. I temporarily can’t figure out its nature at all.” For example, moulded potato sprouts contain poison. She couldn’t disclose this for the time being and could only say, “For the time being, it should not be assimilated to the common people. It requires discussion and research again before that.”

Emperor Jing Li laughed.

Liao Qing Qing asked, “Your Majesty, what are you laughing at?”

“My Department of Agriculture and Materials does not work for nothing. They understand that it concerns lives. They would repeatedly experiment before making decisions. They are more cautious than us.” Emperor Jing Li said.

Only then did Liao Qing Qing nod reassuringly.

“Come with me.”

Liao Qing Qing said with a smile, “Okay.”

Emperor Jing Li held Liao Qing Qing’s hand and went to the Ministry of Revenue.

Before they reached the Ministry of Revenue, their whereabouts spread in the imperial harem. In Linhua Palace, Noble Consort Liang asked in surprise, “His Majesty took Lady Xi of Bright Countenance to meet the Minister of Revenue and the Bureau Chief of the Department of Agriculture and Materials?”

Worthy Consort nodded.

“Why?”

Worthy Consort furrowed her brows.

Noble Consort Liang asked, “Worthy Consort, what did you think of? Don’t hesitate to say it.”

“Your Highness, Noble Consort, I wonder if you still remember the incident at the Half Mountain Temple during the Double Ninth Festival last year?” Worthy Consort asked.

Noble Consort Liang somewhat recalled it and said, “Bengong[2] remembers. At that time, Xie Yi went to the backyard of the Half Mountain Temple to patrol. Lady Xi of Bright Countenance jumped into the ravine in order to avoid suspicion.”

“Mm. That jump also elevated Lady Xi of Bright Countenance from Imperial Concubine Xi to Lady Xi of Refined Countenance.”

That’s right!

Noble Consort Liang clasped her hands tightly.

The Half Mountain Temple at Wansui Mountain was supposed to be a good opportunity.

As long as Liao Qing Qing and Xie Yi were involved, Liao Qing Qing would be consigned to eternal damnation. How would it have the current Lady Xi of Bright Countenance?!

As she thought of that, she became angry.

She was angry at the incompetence of the two people, Noble Lady Liao and Noble Lady Jiang!

Worthy Consort asked, “Then does Your Highness Noble Consort remember what His Majesty said to the officials when Lady Xi of Bright Countenance was promoted?”

“Said what?” Noble Consort Liang could not recall for a moment.

Worthy Consort said, “His Majesty said, ‘I think this is the ordeal given to Imperial Concubine Xi by Wansui Mountain. I believe that Imperial Concubine Xi will successfully grow vegetables in the future and also benefit the common people. Therefore, for the sake of Imperial Concubine Xi’s loyalty, Imperial Concubine Xi will be promoted to Lady Xi of Refined Countenance.’ “

Noble Consort Liang was stunned upon hearing that.

“In terms of being successful in planting vegetables and benefiting the common people, having loyalty….” Worthy Consort deliberately picked out these keywords and said, “The Department of Agriculture is in charge of planting vegetables. His Majesty took Lady Xi of Bright Countenance to the Department of Agriculture….”

When Noble Consort Liang heard that, she quivered.

She stared straight at Worthy Consort.

Worthy Consort remained silent.

Noble Consort Liang said, “Could it be that His Majesty is paving the way for Liao Qing Qing’s future?”

The author has something to say: ——

Emperor Jing Li: I am paving the way so that Qing Qing can walk to my side more smoothly.

Liao Qing Qing: No need!

Emperor Jing Li: ??

Liao Qing Qing: As a salted fish,[3] I can go over there by turning over!

Emperor Jing Li: ….

[1] 亩(mǔ)- Classifier for fields. Unit of area equal to one fifteenth of a hectare. 1 mu= 0.0667 hectare/666.67 sqm

[2] 本宮 (Běngōng) – I, the one who owns this palace. Such as the queen will call herself ‘the palace’, and the princess with the official title can also call herself ‘the palace’.

[3] 咸鱼(xiányú)- Salted fish. There are several meanings. Firstly, it is a Cantonese metaphor for “dead”. Secondly, it is a Cantonese metaphor for “people who don’t want to move.” Thirdly, it is an internet slang for “people without dreams.” Fourthly, it is an online game term for “a player who does not or rarely spends energy and time participating in activities to improve oneself”. Lastly, it is a self-deprecating phrase on the internet “I’m a salted fish”.

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