Chapter Eleven: The Lü Family Takes a Beating
“Hmm! This tastes quite good!”
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao quickly devoured the large sweet potatoes, nodding repeatedly in approval.
“This is sweet without being cloying. Our little sister will surely like it...!”
After swallowing a big sweet potato, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly remembered Empress Ma in the harem.
She was his married wife.
At present, Empress Ma was not in good health and had a poor appetite.
With this novel delicacy, she would definitely be able to eat more!
“Dashun, do you still have some by the fire? Give me one more to take back for your Empress Grandmother to try!”
“No more...!”
The little one shrugged and gave him a big eye-roll. “What were you thinking just now? Couldn’t you save half for Empress Grandmother?”
“I... well... ah!”
Zhu Yuanzhang regretted it too.
But since it was already eaten, regret was useless now!
“Sweet potatoes yield a thousand jin per mu; it’s already great that Old Whitebeard let me try!” the little one said with arms crossed and a smile.
“Wh-what... how much?”
Upon hearing that figure, Zhu Yuanzhang almost thought his ears had deceived him.
No matter the crop, a yield of two or three hundred jin per mu was already abundant; where could it reach a thousand jin?
“A thousand jin...!”
Zhu Xiongying remained calm and explained, “Old Whitebeard said a thousand jin is for years struck by droughts or floods. When the weather is favorable, the yield per mu is at least three thousand jin, sometimes even five thousand jin!”
“Five thousand jin...?”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s jaw nearly dropped in shock. “Such a wonderful thing—if only we could cultivate it in our Great Ming!”
“Of course! Old Whitebeard said it can grow wherever there is soil!”
“That’s fantastic! What about the seeds? Dashun, do you have seeds?”
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became excited.
Henan Prefecture was currently ravaged by floods, with no grain harvest; they were desperately short of food.
If they had seeds that could yield a thousand jin per mu, surviving this year would mean the entire Great Ming would never have to worry about food again!
The people would be well-clothed and fed, and the Great Ming would surely prosper!
“The seeds you just ate are the seeds! You even praised those seeds for being sweet and glutinous!”
“Cough cough cough...”
Father and son Zhu turned red in the face at this, choking on their words.
They wished they could cough out the sweet potatoes they had just eaten!
A sudden wave of guilt washed over them.
***
“Xiongying, you too! Such a fine thing—couldn’t you save some seeds? Why roast them all?”
Zhu Biao, as Crown Prince, had been assisting Zhu Yuanzhang in state affairs since his early teens.
He deeply understood the hardships of the people.
Finally, here was a chance to change the lives of the people—and they just ate it all?
“I did save seeds!”
“Where?”
At Zhu Xiongying’s words, father and son’s eyes lit up with hope.
They stared wide-eyed, barely daring to breathe.
“They were just taken away by Young Lady...!”
The little one tilted his head and said, “It seems she’s going to roast them for Yuwen to eat!”
“This is bad! Hurry, go...!”
With a command from Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, Yunqi, and the guards behind them sprinted toward Lady Lü’s residence.
***
Lady Lü returned with the potatoes and sweet potatoes and immediately sent them to the small kitchen to be roasted.
Just as the cook lit the fire, the kitchen door was kicked open forcefully.
Before anyone could react, the small bags of potatoes and sweet potatoes were all taken away!
Hearing the commotion, Lady Lü and Zhu Yuwen came to investigate.
But Zhu Biao slapped Lady Lü hard.
She spun around twice on the spot before stopping.
Her cheeks swelled and reddened instantly.
Even a thick layer of rouge couldn’t conceal the marks!
“Your Highness, you... you...” Lady Lü, stunned and seeing stars, was utterly bewildered.
“Father! Why did you hit me and Mother?” Zhu Yuwen, clutching his burning cheek, stiffened his neck in defiance.
Zhu Biao pointed at the rescued potatoes and sweet potatoes and said angrily, “Do you know what this is?”
Lady Lü and Zhu Yuwen glanced and finally understood; it was all about these items. They felt even more wronged. “Your Highness, just because we took some food, you treat us like this? Are we really less important than a few pieces of food?”
“You really are less important...!”
Zhu Biao spoke without mercy. “If these things are lost, the entire Crown Prince’s Mansion will be forever cursed!”
“That’s too much...!”
Lady Lü protested, “If Xiongying and Yilun ate them, why can’t Yuwen?”
“This thing yields a thousand jin per mu! It was given by the immortals to Xiongying, so of course he can eat it! What you took are the seeds Xiongying saved!”
Zhu Biao bit his teeth as he said this.
Fortunately, they had arrived in time.
***
Had they been later, and the seeds roasted, they wouldn’t have minded even if they had to kill both of them!
“What? Immortals? A thousand jin per mu?”
Lady Lü understood even less.
What on earth was going on?
“Father has arrived too. You’d better go apologize to him!”
Zhu Biao took a deep breath and headed back to the garden with the items.
Upon hearing this, Lady Lü grabbed her son and hurried after them, disregarding all propriety.
If these really were seeds that could yield a thousand jin per mu, they had truly committed a grave mistake.
If they angered the old man, forget about their son ascending the throne.
She wasn’t even sure if she could keep her position as Crown Princess!
***
【Ding! Congratulations, host. Because Lady Lü took the potatoes, causing her and Zhu Yuwen to be punished, you are rewarded with an extension of six months to your lifespan!】
Receiving the system reward, Zhu Xiongying’s cherubic face broke into a smile.
After a moment, a small bag of potatoes and sweet potatoes returned to his side.
The little one gave Yilun and the others a knowing look and whispered with some pride, “See? I told you they’d have to return these things, right?”
With Zhu Yuanzhang present, Yilun dared not be impudent and only smiled quietly, giving him a thumbs-up.
“Father! I already scolded the Crown Princess and Yuwen just now! They didn’t know and almost made a huge mistake!”
After all, they still slept under the same roof.
Zhu Biao came forward immediately to plead for Lady Lü.
At that moment, Lady Lü and Zhu Yuwen hurried over and knelt with a thud.
“Father, I was wrong! I truly didn’t know these were seed crops!”
“Grandfather, your grandson was wrong too!”
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the items on the ground, then glanced at the two kneeling figures. He took a deep breath and said, “Those two holes beneath your eyebrows aren’t there for you to vent your anger! Can you be more careful in the future?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I swear I won’t make this mistake again!”
“Grandfather, your grandson understands!”
One after another, they kowtowed, begging for forgiveness.
“Enough! You may get up now!”
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, hastening them to leave.
Better to get them away before he changes his mind!