The hall fell silent for a moment, making the sound of someone gulping exceptionally distinct.
The Minister of Revenue glared sideways behind him, and the Vice Minister of Revenue sitting right behind him immediately held his breath, not daring to move.
He was craving a bite. Judging by the Emperor's expression, His Majesty seemed quite pleased with that bowl of potato noodles. He wondered how it tasted.
Xiao Chengjing picked up a potato noodle to examine it carefully. Potato noodles? He had never heard of it.
"Song Jinzhao has come to the capital?"
Ye Liangyu nodded, "She just arrived a few days ago, traveling through the night just to present a birthday gift to Your Majesty."
Xiao Chengjing really wanted to meet this extraordinary woman with high martial arts skills who invented the waterwheel and winter vegetable greenhouses, but...
Prince Qi picked up his wine cup and chuckled, saying in a mocking tone, "Lady Linghui truly lives up to her peasant origins. For Imperial Father's fiftieth birthday, traveling overnight to deliver food as a birthday gift is truly unconventional."
The ministers of Prince Qi's faction shook their heads and echoed, "Our Dongzhao Kingdom spans thousands of miles, with vast lands and abundant resources. There are many unseen foods; this potato noodle is nothing rare."
Princess Yongjia subconsciously looked at Chu Liuyun. Seeing that he was sitting on his cushion with no reaction, her suspended heart relaxed a little.
Facing the ministers' ridicule, Ye Liangyu calmly looked at the Emperor sitting upright on the dragon throne. "To reply to Your Majesty, what if this humble minister tells you that these potatoes can yield a thousand catties per mu?"
The noisy hall became terrifyingly quiet at this moment. All sounds died away, and even the music of strings and bamboo stopped.
Prince Qi hastily put down the wine cup in his hand. The porcelain bumped against the table with a clatter, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony instantly erupted into an uproar.
"How is that possible!"
"A thousand catties per mu, is there really such a divine object?"
"What on earth do potatoes look like? I want to see them right now."
...
Whether it was rice or wheat, the best paddy fields could only reach a yield of two hundred catties per mu. Medium paddy fields only yielded one hundred and twenty catties, and dry land couldn't even reach one hundred.
A yield of a thousand catties per mu was something they didn't even dare to imagine.
If it were true, it would be equivalent to the arable land of Dongzhao Kingdom instantly multiplying five or six times. The common people of the world would no longer have to worry about running out of food and starving to death.
The surrounding noisy sounds gave people a headache, like a swarm of flies buzzing around their ears, but Ye Liangyu found these sounds incredibly pleasant at this moment.
The Emperor staggered up from the resplendent dragon throne. "Beloved Subject Ye, is this true? Can these potatoes really yield a thousand catties per mu?"
Ye Liangyu answered sonorously, "To reply to Your Majesty, Lady Linghui has already test-planted a crop. With ten catties of potato seeds on two and a half fen of land, a total of two hundred and seventy catties of potatoes were harvested."
Everyone now had an abacus in their heads, and the beads were clicking loudly.
If two and a half fen of land could yield two hundred and seventy catties, then one mu would be one thousand and eighty catties. How could it be so high-yielding? It was truly a divine crop.
Xiao Chengjing had also figured it out. He paced back and forth in excitement. Suddenly thinking of something, he quickly turned around to look at Ye Liangyu.
"Where is Lady Linghui? Have her bring the potatoes to see me immediately."
Looking again at the potato noodles in the clay pot, Xiao Chengjing's eyes were shining.
Ye Liangyu cupped his hands and said, "To reply to Your Majesty, Lady Linghui is currently waiting outside the palace walls to be summoned."
Xiao Chengjing waved his large hand and shouted impatiently, "Hurry and let her in. Have the Imperial Guards drive a carriage to invite her, the faster the better."
The sound of horse hooves at night was exceptionally clear. Qingshuang lifted the carriage curtain and whispered, "Eldest Miss, someone has come out."
Song Jinzhao turned her head slightly. Through the gap in the door curtain, she could see the armored Imperial Guards sitting on the carriage frame, the bright lanterns reflecting off the adjacent city wall.
The carriage stopped in front of Qingshuang. Meeting Song Jinzhao's calm pupils, the Imperial Guard jumped off the carriage frame and asked, "May I ask if you are Lady Linghui?"
Even though he had never seen Song Jinzhao before, with just one glance, the man could confirm that the young girl before him was Lady Linghui.
His first impression of this woman was that she was completely unfathomable, especially those eyes. They were clearly beautiful, but they always felt a bit dangerous.
Song Jinzhao emerged from the carriage cabin, nodded, and replied, "I am."
The Imperial Guard cupped his hands and said, "The Emperor invites you. Please bring the potatoes, My Lady, and follow me into the palace."
"Here, Sister. I will wait for you outside." Song Qiming took a deep breath and hurriedly handed the box containing the potatoes to Song Jinzhao.
Inside were three catties of potatoes, all carefully selected from the one hundred and fifty catties they had brought this time.
Both their shape and skin were impeccable. Additionally, there was one catty of potato starch.
The carriage passed through the palace gates and continued forward. Song Jinzhao lifted the window curtain and looked around at the palace buildings shrouded in darkness.
The imperial palace was vast and majestic, but at night, it revealed a hint of danger, empty and seemingly endless at a glance.
This was the place with the most concentrated power in the world, a place countless people yearned for.
But when they actually walked inside, under the majesty of the Son of Heaven, there was more apprehension than awe.
Song Jinzhao lowered the carriage curtain and looked down at the wooden box in her hands. Personally bringing some positive changes to this world felt wonderful, making one unable to resist wanting to change even more.
