Chapter 180
Zhu Ci led Fu all the way to the inner palace.
This was Fu's first time stepping into the inner palace area; even during the previous renovations of the Imperial Palace, he had never come to visit.
Perhaps because there were so few people, the harem was somewhat desolate.
For a moment, Fu even wondered if the Little Emperor, living in such a desolate palace every day with so few people by his side, would feel afraid.
However, Zhu Ci quickly showed him through his actions that he had no time to be afraid.
Fu followed Zhu Ci all the way to Dashan Hall, after glancing up at the plaque, he nearly lost his composure.
If he hadn't guessed wrong, this was originally a grand hall used by the Emperor for Buddhist worship.
However, when the Qing Army arrived, they moved the Buddha statues away because those statues were made of gold.
Later, when Fu was renovating, he did not reinstall the Buddha statue. At that time, there were no suitable statues available, those made in haste were not exquisite enough, so he thought he would wait until he could find better craftsmen to craft a new statue in the future.
However, everyone was very busy after the Little Emperor returned, he did not seem like a person who believed in Buddhism, so Fu was in no hurry to attend to this matter.
Looking at it now.. it wasn't just a lack of faith; he didn't care for it at all.
The smell in Dashan Hall was a bit strange now.
Whether it was fragrant or stinky, it certainly wasn't pleasant.
Seeing him frown slightly, Zhu Ci said, "Bear with it. Farming is never a clean job."
Even if it's just improving breeding, if you want crops to grow quickly, you have to provide water and fertilizer, right? Since there is no chemical fertilizer now, then it has to be.. right?
Moreover, since the weather is still quite cold now, the windows cannot be opened to maintain the temperature inside the greenhouse, so the smell is naturally not very pleasant.
However, Fu had no time to dwell on these matters, as he could already see the lush, green crops.
At this time, the Dashan Hall had already been divided into several different areas.
Zhu Ci said while walking, "I previously thought about going to the manor outside to cultivate them, but then I realized I'd have to find ways to put earthworms in the fields there. It's better to stay in the palace. It's just that the rooms in the Six Palaces are all too fragmented; it's quite lucky to have a space like this."
Fu's expression instantly became complicated. This place was naturally large, as it was an entire hall dedicated to enshrining Buddha statues.
He said softly, "Does Your Majesty know what this place used to be used for?"
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "That's not important. As for the Harem, as long as the Fengxian Hall remains untouched, there is nothing else that cannot be moved."
Hmm, it seems he knows what this place used to be used for.
That was true; if the Emperor wanted to find a place to stir up trouble, the Eunuchs would certainly present him with maps, so it would be difficult for Zhu Ci not to find out what this place was used for.
Fu said no more, he did not believe it either.
If there truly were gods and Buddhas in the sky, they wouldn't have seen any retribution back when the Fu Family was committing sins.
He followed Zhu Ci to a patch of land, looked at it closely, said, "This is rice?"
Zhu Ci nodded and said, "Not bad, you recognize rice."
Fu felt helpless; after all, he had grown up in the countryside since he was a child, so how could he not recognize rice?
Immediately after, he heard the Little Emperor say, "Sigh, I didn't know about them before, I couldn't tell the difference between wheat sprouts and leeks."
One could only say that fortunately he had never considered the option of living in seclusion to farm, otherwise he probably would have starved to death.
Fu couldn't help but feel a sense of longing; the Little Emperor had once said that his background was very ordinary, just a commoner.
To live without having to farm.. that must be a very special world.
Zhu Ci spoke again, "What is planted here is Han Zhancheng, which is a relatively cold-resistant variety, but its weakness is that it cannot withstand lodging. This side is Short-Legged Support, which is very resistant to lodging, but it is not cold-resistant."
A flash of inspiration struck Fu's mind: "Does Your Majesty wish to combine the two?"
Zhu Ci nodded: "Yes, but whether it will work depends on luck."
Doing scientific research without the assistance of various high-end instruments means one can only rely on luck.
However, even with a computer or something similar, luck might still be required.
After all, even in later generations, things like genetic inheritance could not be fully decoded.
Fu followed him for a tour of Dashan Hall, where the area was mostly planted with rice.
After leaving Dashan Hall, Zhu Ci pointed to the side and said, "I originally intended to cordone off this entire area for these purposes, but Liu Wu said it would be inappropriate to place such an institution within the palace."
Zhu Ci said as he walked, "I thought about it and you're right. Choosing the palace for now is only because there are earthworms in the palace, but it's only a temporary measure; we will have to move out in the future. Where do you think would be a better location?"
Fu's mind rapidly scanned the areas around Nanjing as he said, "This is a plan for a thousand years; it cannot be done hastily. Why not let the Imperial Observatory see where would be most suitable?"
Hmm, the Imperial Observatory is also responsible for feng shui and geomancy; it would be perfect to let them handle this task.
Zhu Ci originally wanted to ask why this thing required feng shui, but after thinking it over, since it was related to luck, he figured it was better to believe in it than to dismiss it.
He nodded and said, "We need a larger location, there are wheat seeds and other crops that need to be improved. Hmm, for now, let's gather them all together; they will certainly need to be separated later. Oh, right, besides Nanjing, we should also pick locations in Fuzhou and Wuchang."
The climates are different, so the required properties of the grain crops will certainly be different as well. In the future, these places will definitely need to conduct their own research on crop seeds.
However, there are not enough talents at present. Even within the palace, Zhu Ci must give the orders and have the subordinates carry them out; it wouldn't work to let them handle these things on their own.
Fu also understood this principle and said, "I will have people set aside some space."
Zhu Ci stood with his hands behind his back, sighed, said, "There is a shortage of talent. I'll have to find some people who know how to farm later."
Many of those currently tending to this land were selected from the Jinyi Guard.
Most of the Jinyi Guard come from ordinary backgrounds, many of them have been working in the fields with their parents since they were children.
If it weren't for them, relying on those eunuchs.. whether this rice could even grow would be another matter entirely.
After all, when the eunuchs were originally selected, they were chosen from among the scholars; how could these people possibly know how to farm?
However, one couldn't rely solely on the Jinyi Guard; they had finally earned the merit of following the dragon and had become the Emperor's personal guards, only to be exiled to farm.
Anyone would have to wonder if they had offended the Emperor.
Fu also knew about this matter and said with a frown, "It is not easy to find someone who is both literate and a skilled farmer."
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "They don't necessarily need to be literate, but they must be skilled farmers."
In the current situation, there is no need to demand literacy; as long as they can grow crops well, that will suffice.
In any case, when the need arises, they will naturally learn to read.
Once they realize that researching grain seeds can lead to success, they will naturally find the motivation.
In the past, those people from the Jinyi Guard were illiterate, but now every one of them can recite a poem or two.
Upon hearing this, Fu immediately said, "I shall go and attend to it at once."
As soon as he finished speaking, before Zhu Ci could say anything, he heard someone shouting from behind, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, great news, great news! Jiahe, it's Jiahe!"
Hmm?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Jiahe what? What Jiahe? What Jia-he? A cat hugging dried fish, shocked. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 181
Zhu Ci did not react at first when he heard the words Jiahe, but Fu immediately turned back and asked, "Is it true?"
Zhu Ci saw his agitated emotions and was confused for a moment.
The Eunuch who had come to report the good news clasped his hands in front of him and said with his head bowed, "This official does not dare to deceive the Emperor."
Fu looked at Zhu Ci and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Although he was already quite aware that Zhu Ci might possess some mystical qualities, he never expected them to be quite this mystical.
Seeing that the Little Emperor was still a bit dazed, he steadied his mind and said, "Your Majesty, let's go back and take a look."
They had only taken a cursory glance just now and had not observed closely.
After all, Fu only needed to know that this was the situation; even if he had observed closely, he wouldn't have been able to make out anything.
I never expected Jiahe to appear.
Zhu Ci did not realize anything at this moment, merely saying, "Fine then, let's go back and take a look."
When he saw the so-called Jiahe, he nearly jumped out of his skin: "Good heavens, there are more than a dozen ears on a single stalk!"
Zhu Ci did not dare to step inside, leaning his body forward to ask, "How many ears are on this?"
The eunuch had clearly counted them carefully: "Reporting to Your Majesty, there are nine tassels in total, which perfectly correspond to Your Majesty's supreme status of nine-five."
Zhu Ci took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his emotions.
Before, he had also thought that once the cold-resistant rice was bred, he would start working on hybrid rice with even higher yields.
However, this was not an easy task; it would first be necessary to find a high-yielding mutant mother plant.
This is also a matter of luck.
He really didn't expect that before he could even go looking for it, the high-yield mutant plant would come crashing into him.
"Good, good, good." Zhu Ci's face was beaming with joy.
Beside him, Fu also had a beaming smile on his face; it was rare for him to be so visibly joyful. He turned to bow to Zhu Ci and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
The eunuchs within Dashan Hall all bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
The Eunuch who had just arrived with the good news said with a beaming smile, "I shall have the Jiahe collected immediately so that it may be framed and carefully preserved."
“Stop!”
Zhu Ci was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body; he hurriedly stepped forward two paces and shouted, "No one is allowed to touch it!"
The Eunuch was startled before he could even make a move. He was somewhat confused, but he still instinctively knelt and kowtowed, saying, "This servant is guilty."
Zhu Ci also felt that he had let his emotions show a little. Taking a deep breath, he said, "It's fine. You don't understand these things. Who is responsible for this delivery?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I am responsible for this," a dark-skinned Jinyi Guard who looked honest and dull stepped forward, bowing with some restraint.