The officials, including Emperor Mingxi, who had been pointing and discussing the greenhouse just moments before, suddenly fell silent as if under a spell upon hearing her words.
Their minds raced with the thought: It's called a potato, it's a vegetable, not a flower!
Potato, it's a vegetable!
Potato! The potato from the trio of sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes?
The potato that yields a thousand catties per mu! And here it was, growing right before their very eyes, not roasted and eaten—what a relief!
Everyone's eyes shone with fervor, nearly brimming with tears of emotion.
They gazed with intense eagerness at the several large porcelain vats before them.
Suddenly, these vats seemed utterly unworthy of housing something as precious as the potato.
As the surroundings grew quiet, how could the clever Yue Fuguang not notice the anomaly? She asked, "What? Is there a problem with these potatoes?"
Wang Shouchen, who was facing her, snapped back to reality and quickly shook his head. "No, no problem at all. It's just... it's just that we, your humble servants, were admiring how lush and green its leaves are and how lovely its little white flowers look. We never expected it to have such a... down-to-earth name."
Yue Fuguang nodded. A reasonable explanation, consider it accepted!
She explained, "When this vegetable matures, its fruit grows underground like peanuts. They're round and look like beans in the soil, hence the name 'potato' (earth bean)."
Yu Chongshan promptly stepped in to support her narrative, asking, "Fuguang, was this vegetable also a gift from that friend of yours who trades overseas?"
Yue Fuguang nodded with a smile. "Grandfather is so clever, you guessed it right away."
Emperor Mingxi pressed further, "Fuguang, did your friend bring any sweet potatoes or corn this time?"
Yue Fuguang shook her head honestly. "My friend has probably set sail again and hasn't visited recently. These potatoes were actually sent last time, along with the sweet potatoes and corn.
I stewed them with beef and found them delicious. Our household stock is running low, so I decided to plant some."
What? You stewed them with beef?
So the Junior Mentor also got her hands on the potatoes—it wasn't that they weren't cooked, but that the cooked ones weren't shared with them!
They had been naive after all!
Wait, wait, what did the Junior Mentor just say?
Oh, she said... the potatoes were delivered together with the sweet potatoes and corn. Together!
That means back then, back during that time, the potatoes were already at the Yu residence. Why weren't they told?
Oh... they... they simply hadn't asked about the equally high-yielding potato back then.
They were too preoccupied with the sweet potatoes and corn at the time; even the fabricated story didn't include a role for the potato. How infuriating!
Minister Wang swallowed hard and asked, "Are potatoes tasty?"
Yue Fuguang didn't hesitate. "Delicious. Potato stew with beef, sour and spicy shredded potatoes, potato pancakes, potato..."
Yue Fuguang rattled off over a dozen dish names in one breath, making it clear she had eaten her fair share!
Emperor Mingxi silently clutched his chest, his heart aching, but he dared not say it. Instead, he had to force a smile and coax her gently.
"Fuguang, are these potatoes as high-yielding as sweet potatoes and corn?"
Yue Fuguang thought about the modern yields she knew: sweet potatoes generally yielded four to six thousand catties per mu, while potatoes yielded four to eight thousand catties.
She said, "With careful cultivation, their yield can be a bit higher. However, like sweet potatoes, they have their drawbacks. They shouldn't be planted consecutively in the same field, as it affects yield and makes them prone to disease.
Sprouted potatoes are poisonous and can't be eaten, only planted."
The others thought: Are these drawbacks even worth mentioning compared to their high yield? Not planting consecutively? Even one season's harvest would surpass several years' output of the grains they currently grow.
The Junior Mentor said sweet potatoes can be dried into sweet potato strips for storage. Can potatoes also be dried into potato strips for storage?
If they knew about sweet potato starch and potato starch, they would likely be even more excited.
[Master, the yields you mentioned are achievable with modern fertilizers. Look at this place—no industry, backward agriculture, and even fertilizers are scarce.
The agricultural tools and related supporting facilities are even more backward than those from the Song and Yuan periods on my home planet, Aqua Blue.
'Are you saying I'm boasting? Just tell me, do the plants in these vats, nourished by your spiritual rain, have that kind of yield or not?
As for their backward farming techniques leading to low land output, these scholar-officials who never get mud on their feet probably won't pay much attention.
She glanced at Wang Shouchen, who had helped her plant vegetables many times. 'Hmm... Old Minister Wang doesn't count!'
Wang Shouchen thought: Judging by the Divine Artifact's meaning, do these two ancestors possess not only fertilizer technology but also better farming tools?
His eyes now shone brighter than the stars in the night sky outside the window.
Yue Fuguang felt unnerved by his gaze—it was as if he were looking at a piece of choice meat!
Wang Shouchen fidgeted nervously, rubbing his hands together. "Junior Mentor, may I presumptuously ask, do you have any more potato seeds here?
The Hongnong Temple would like to purchase some with silver. Rest assured, the price will be absolutely fair! We have the funds, right, Your Majesty? Minister Dong?"
The two named quickly nodded. Emperor Mingxi even added, "If Fuguang doesn't care for silver, my private treasury has many ingenious curiosities. Fuguang may choose any she likes."
Seeing their eager expressions, Yue Fuguang felt a twinge of pity for a second, but she still spread her hands. "Your Majesty, Minister Wang, all the seeds are planted here."
She added, somewhat sheepishly, "This stuff suits my palate quite well. The rest were used to make delicious food... and eaten."
Eaten?
Eaten!
Everyone held their breath, not daring to voice their frustration. Emperor Mingxi shot a glance at Yu Chongshan: 'Such a treasure was in your house, and you didn't know?'
Yu Chongshan thought: Even if I knew, could I have stopped the child from eating it?
"Then, there are one, two, three... eight pots here. Could the court purchase half from you?"
Although Wang Shouchen also felt heartache, these things belonged to the Junior Mentor. If she enjoyed eating them and finished them, who were they to stop her?
He glanced sideways at Emperor Mingxi, who was still exchanging meaningful looks with Yu Chongshan. Their Emperor might dare to think it, but if it came to speaking up, he'd surely be the first to shrink back.
Having a royal lineage to pass down was a major vulnerability! His Majesty dared not offend this ancestor. Their top priority now was securing what was available.
Their Emperor... sigh!
He had truly worn himself out worrying for the Great Yan and the Xie family's empire!
Yue Fuguang agreed quite readily. "Sure. Since you're so fond of these, Old Minister, next time my friend delivers sweet potatoes and corn, I'll save a few for you as well."
'Save a few sweet potatoes and corn for him'—upon hearing this, Wang Shouchen trembled with excitement.
The good news first made his vision darken for a moment, followed by overwhelming joy. He even straightened his back noticeably.
He even dared to cast sidelong glances at his colleagues gathered around the Emperor.
See? His frequent visits here, even if he didn't always get to see the Junior Mentor, had paid off. His diligent care of the vegetable garden hadn't gone unnoticed, and now the benefits were coming.
He automatically ignored the 'a few' part. As long as there were seeds, even one or two would give him the confidence to cultivate more.
Emperor Mingxi was first thrilled—his reputation as a timeless wise ruler seemed within reach.
Then, he felt a bit slighted. Hadn't he also sent many fine things here? Why couldn't she think of him a little?
"Fuguang, why do you only think of giving some to Old Wang? Why not save a few for me?"
