The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 125 Meat Delivered to One's Mouth
After awkwardly chatting with Shi Jingzhong for more than twenty minutes, Shen Ye was already a little tired.

Just as he was about to let Shi Jingzhong go to rest, he suddenly heard Shi Jingzhong mention that he had a cousin who was working in Fujian and had sent some sweet potatoes over a few days ago.

"Your Highness, these sweet potatoes taste really good when boiled and dipped in white sugar!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye's heart stirred.

He has been dealing with disaster relief efforts lately and has met many disaster victims, so he knows about their living conditions.

His desire to simply lie down meant he only wanted to offer suggestions and didn't want to get involved in anything else.

But at this moment, Shi Jingzhong's words made him realize that sweet potatoes, a food that could save lives on ordinary days, had not been promoted in the north.

If there were sweet potatoes, most people, while not necessarily able to eat their fill during famine years, would at least not starve to death.

Hey!
I don't want to do anything, but how can I bear not to eat the meat that's already been delivered to my mouth!

Besides, I'm about to have a child myself, and even if it's just to pray for this future little life, I still want to promote this sweet potato.

He then said to Shi Jingzhong, "Jingzhong, I've heard about sweet potatoes before, let's go take a look."

Shi Jingzhong was surprised that the Crown Prince would ask to see the sweet potatoes. He was about to order the servants to bring up the cooked sweet potatoes when he saw that Shen Ye had already stood up.

Left with no other choice, Shi Jingzhong had to follow Shen Ye to the Shi family's storeroom where sweet potatoes were stored.

It was called a warehouse, but it was actually just three somewhat dilapidated rooms. A huge pile of sweet potatoes, weighing several thousand kilograms, was haphazardly stacked in one corner of the room.

However, what made Shi Jingzhong's face turn black was that most of these sweet potatoes had sprouted.

Some of them have even started to grow leaves.

Although he was a young master, he knew that once a plant sprouts, it is basically no longer edible.

To actually invite the Crown Prince to eat this is utterly outrageous!

He was filled with fear and quickly knelt down: "Your Highness, I truly did not know that the sweet potatoes had sprouted."

"If I had known, I would never have invited Your Highness to eat it. I beg Your Highness to understand!"

Looking at Shi Jingzhong, who seemed to have no such intentions, Shen Ye patted him on the shoulder and said, "Get up. We're all family. Of course you wouldn't harm me."

"It's good that these sweet potatoes have sprouted."

At this point, he said in a deep voice, "I remember reading Xu Guangqi's 'Complete Treatise on Agriculture' some time ago, which talked about the planting methods and yield of sweet potatoes."

"Since these sweet potatoes can sprout here, it means that they should be able to be grown here as well."

At this point, Shen Ye said in a deep voice, "Someone, call Nian Dongliang over here."

Seeing that the Crown Prince did not intend to punish him, Shi Jingzhong breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a gaunt servant was led in and knelt down, saying, "Master, the sweet potatoes sprouted because the weather is too hot."

"This servant has truly done his best!"

Shi Jingzhong ignored the kneeling servant and said to Shen Ye, "Your Highness, this is a servant sent by my cousin from Fujian. He is very familiar with the habits of sweet potatoes."

"I brought him here to preserve these sweet potatoes."

Upon hearing Shi Jingzhong's words, Shen Ye was overjoyed, thinking to herself that the Crown Princess was indeed a blessed person. It was one thing for her cousin to give her a gift, but he also gave her a planting instructor.

Giving a man a fish and teaching him how to fish—what a kind person!
Thinking this to himself, he said to the servant, "Get up. I'm asking you, how are these sweet potatoes grown?"

The servant didn't know who Shen Ye was. He was very scared because the sweet potatoes had sprouted. When he heard Shen Ye's question, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"The Crown Prince is asking you a question, answer honestly." Shi Jingzhong couldn't stand it anymore and reprimanded him in a stern voice.

“Jingzhong, it’s understandable that he was nervous for a moment.” Shen Ye waved his hand at Shi Jingzhong, and then said calmly, “Tell me what happened.” The servant then calmed down and began to stammer about planting sweet potatoes.

Shen Ye had never grown sweet potatoes in his previous life, but what the servant was saying about seedling cultivation and transplanting seemed to make a lot of sense to him.

Just as he was asking questions, Nian Dongliang rushed over.

Nian Dongliang had long suspected Shen Ye's identity, especially since Shen Ye had made a special trip to the Nian family before Nian Xinyue entered the palace.

Knowing Shen Ye's identity and thinking that his cousin had actually entered the Crown Prince's residence because of his words, Nian Dongliang felt a strange sensation in his heart.

He knew in his heart that, although he was unwilling to admit it, in everyone's eyes, the Nian family was already the Crown Prince's people.

After all, the Crown Prince was observing the administration in Daxing County.

The Crown Prince also married the beauty Nian Xinyue!

If we don't acknowledge the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Nian family at this point, we'll definitely be laughed at.

Therefore, Nian Dongliang now had a clear understanding of his own identity.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness!" Nian Dongliang said respectfully upon seeing Shen Ye.

Shen Ye casually said, "No need for formalities, old man. Get up."

At this point, he turned to Shi Jingzhong and said, "Dongliang is the head of Daxing County. In a way, we're all relatives. Haha, let's have a good drink later."

At this point, he pointed to the pile of sweet potatoes and said, "Dongliang, find me some wasteland in Daxing County and plant these sweet potatoes."

Shen Ye hesitated for a moment, then looked at the servant who was still kneeling on the ground and asked, "What's your name?"

"This humble servant is Shi Fu." Knowing Shen Ye's identity, the servant replied even more cautiously.

If Shi Jingzhong, the patriarch of this household, could make him die without a burial place, let alone the crown prince.

On the contrary, as long as the crown prince wants to protect him, he will live a peaceful life.

"If these sweet potatoes are used for seedling cultivation, how many acres of land can be planted?" Shen Ye asked casually.

Shi Fu hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Highness, it should be possible to cultivate about one hundred acres."

"In the old age, there are about a hundred acres of wasteland. Then we will allocate some manpower and put Shi Fu in charge to plant these sweet potatoes as soon as possible."

At this point, Shen Ye carefully calculated the time. Although he was a little nervous, he should be able to harvest the fruit by the time the weather turned freezing cold.

Therefore, this matter cannot wait.

Finding a hundred acres of wasteland to plant these sprouting, blocky plants is not a big deal.

Moreover, this was the Crown Prince's order.

Even if the Crown Prince, who was in charge of the country, asked him to grow sweet potatoes, he would have to listen to him even if he asked him to do something even more outrageous.

If told to go east, they won't go west; if told to beat a dog, they won't chase a chicken. Their main principle is to be completely obedient and trusting without question.

Therefore, Nian Dongliang said in a deep voice, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will make the arrangements immediately. I guarantee that the sweet potatoes will be planted as quickly as possible."

Shen Ye said, "Since you are so confident, then I will entrust this matter to you."

"As long as you can have a good harvest on time, I'll move you to a better location."

Although Shen Ye has now been laid down, he is still the Crown Prince. Promoting a Vice Minister or Minister might take some effort, but promoting a nobody like Nian Dongliang is a piece of cake.

With Shen Ye's assurance, the first thing the Crown Prince Regent would do was settled.

　Hey everyone, here's the first update of the day! Please support me! If you have any votes, give me a couple! Thanks!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)