Hearing Emperor Yongkang's question, Huo Xi hurriedly saluted.
"Back to the emperor, my wife did not dare to practice it herself after learning this secret method. She discussed it with her husband and was willing to offer it to the imperial court. After I and my wife learned that the imperial court wanted to move the capital, they admired the emperor's talent and strategy and deeply regretted not being able to share the emperor's worries.
I may have obtained this secret method as a result of instructions from heaven, entrusting my hand to present it to the emperor."
Emperor Yongkang stared at Huo Xi and didn't know whether he believed it or not.
Concubine Zhang Guifei looked aside and remained calm.
Huo Xi's heart was raised high, and she was in a state of confusion. This sense of oppression made her so nervous that she broke into a thin sweat.
"Bought from a foreigner?"
"Yes. The other party said that instead of taking advantage of others, it is better to sell it to me in exchange for money. If you sell me a vast Eastern country, maybe if he is in trouble in the future, we can still protect him."
There was a moment of silence.
Huo Xi had never felt that Zhongcui Palace was so quiet that it made people nervous.
After a long while, I heard Emperor Yongkang say calmly: "What do you want?"
Huo Xi knelt down with a plop: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I do have something to ask for. Please forgive me, My Majesty, for my selfishness."
"You are innocent."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Sweat broke out on Huo Xi's forehead. She stood up and found the book on the method of high-yielding crops written by her grandfather. She lowered her head and handed it over: "This is the method of high-yielding crops written by Li Shimian, the wife's maternal grandfather and the former imperial concubine.
"
Raise it above your eyebrows, hold it with your hands, and hand it to Emperor Yongkang.
Emperor Yongkang took it and looked through it in his hand. Huo Xi couldn't raise his head, but Concubine Zhang was watching the emperor and saw some movement on his face, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Li Shimian..."
As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, Huo Xi suddenly felt something in his heart, and his heart rose in his throat.
"I still remember him. He is a good writer, has excellent painting skills, and has an upright character..."
In the Imperial College, he held wine ceremonies, was in charge of the administration of the school, and occasionally gave lectures to the prince.
When he first ascended the throne, the old ministers of the previous dynasty called him a traitor who had usurped the throne. In anger, he killed many people and exiled many officials.
He knew that many people were just implicated. But he didn't want to use any of the former ministers.
Looking at the booklet in his hand, he remembered the investigation he asked Jin Yiwei to investigate Li Shimian a few years ago.
In these years, Li Shimian stayed peacefully in Shangyong, and he was not seen contacting anyone or making connections to exonerate himself.
Now this sugar making method is indeed a good thing. If it is handed over to the imperial court, it can increase a lot of revenue for the national treasury. The construction speed of the palace in Yanjing may be faster.
There is no need for the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to come to him every day to cry about his poverty. The noise will give him a headache.
Li Shimian, even though he has many peaches and plums all over the world, cannot make any trouble.
"Are you trying to exonerate your grandfather's family?" Emperor Yongkang looked at the objects in the basket next to him. What kind of potato, sweet potato, melon or pumpkin is this? Is the yield per mu really so high?
Also, delicious?
Huo Xi saw Emperor Yongkang's actions and hurriedly replied: "Back to the emperor, this is indeed my wife's selfish intention. I witnessed my mother's death when I was a child. I often dream about her and tell my wife that I miss my old parents."
.My wife often has trouble sleeping at night..."
Emperor Yongkang then remembered what happened to Zhang Fuyuan's wife and couldn't help but sigh.
"Your grandfather was exiled to an inaccessible place in the southwest. He never resented the imperial court. He also led the people in the exiled village and nearby villages to plant such high-yielding crops. His heart is toward the imperial court. I am very relieved."
Huo Xi felt happy.
"My grandfather received the seeds sent by his wife and worked hard with his family for several years. He was afraid that these extra seeds would not be suitable for the soil and water, so he took care of them day and night. My grandmother often wrote letters saying that my grandfather almost moved his bedding to the ground and slept. .”
Concubine Zhang Guifei was also on the side to help intercede: "Your Majesty, just with the sugar making method presented by Sister Ning, the national treasury can be filled a lot. I know that the Emperor wants to build the Forbidden City now, and money is needed everywhere. She and her husband are together After getting this method, she rushed to present it to the emperor, which shows her sincerity. She only wanted to relieve the emperor's worries, which is really rare."
"My beloved concubine is absolutely right."
"Your Majesty also thinks that what I say makes sense?"
Concubine Zhang looked happy.
"Then your Majesty, take a look at this thick book on cultivation techniques. From how to select seeds, to when and what climate the fields are planted, and how to manage them, it is clearly written. Even people like me, who don't know how to plant, can read it. I feel like I can grow two to three thousand kilograms of grain per mu."
"What's even more rare is that it's not just about taking credit for being planted, but after several years of polishing, after the seeds have become accustomed to the soil and water, and can be bred on the land of our dynasty, and the seeds are obtained, we will be very cautious. Report it to the emperor. It shows your sincerity."
"Hearing what the noble concubine said, if I can't exonerate the Li family, I will become an ignorant and foolish king."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Huo Xi hurriedly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, you have scared my niece again. Seeing that I am lonely in the palace, she often brings her little fisher to see me, which saves me from staying alone in this palace with nowhere to spend my time. .”
Emperor Yongkang heard what Concubine Zhang said and thought about how he had entrusted the palace affairs to her after the queen's death in recent years, but he rarely set foot in Zhongcui Palace.
Thinking that she had entered the palace to serve him when she was only ten years old, and now that she was no longer in her prime and had no children... he had indeed treated her badly.
He patted Concubine Zhang's hand and said, "I was the one who scared your niece. I apologize to my beloved concubine."
Concubine Zhang refused, "Your Majesty, you just rely on your words."
"Haha, you two aunts and nephews. Well, I agree to this. Not to mention this sugar making method, just because Li Shimian and his family work diligently for the court and the people to study methods of high crop yields, which will benefit the country. In order to benefit the people of Sheji, I should also pardon his family."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness! Long live, long live, long live!" Huo Xi, with tears in her eyes, knocked her head heavily on the floor tiles of Zhongcui Palace.
Southwest Shangyong.
Li Shimian was working in the fields with a hoe cat. He wore a straw hat on his head, a pair of straw sandals on his feet, and his trouser legs rolled up high. He looked like a long-time farmer.
Mrs. Ma held the hand of her great-grandson Li Sheng and walked on the ramp.
"Old man, old man!"
After shouting for a few times, Li Shimian didn't hear her answer, so he couldn't help but mutter: "This old man, as soon as he got to the field, he fell into samadhi."
When they reached the ridge of the field, they shouted again: "Old man!"
When Li Shimian heard the call, he looked up from the field ditch and saw that it was the old woman holding his great-grandson. He said angrily: "It's cold, what are you doing with Sheng'er in the field?"
"You old man, you know it's cold. It's so cold at the end of December that your bones hurt. You're still standing barefoot in the ice water. Do you think you're still young? You're in bad shape, and you're still young.
Aren’t you going to harm your children and grandchildren?”
Li Shimian raised his leg and signaled, "I'm wearing shoes."
Are those straw sandals windproof or waterproof?
Ma glared at him and said, "You should come up quickly and warm yourself up at home. Don't get sick from the cold. You will be frightened by them if you lie in bed without eating or drinking."
"Taizu, we have gone home." Li Sheng called him in a sweet voice.