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

Chapter 207 Father, stop fooling around; a pie in the sky won't satisfy hunger.
In this world, the emperor's words are generally considered law and order, and they are all counted!

Only one counts!

That is to share the world!
Leaving aside distant examples, let's just talk about Zhu Yuanzhang. One by one, his old brothers who wanted to share wealth and power with him were sent away by him.

As for the succession to the throne, that is the emperor's Achilles' heel!

Now, Emperor Qianxi suddenly announced his intention to abdicate, which... made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

Even the Empress Dowager found this topic difficult to respond to.

She wanted to mediate, but didn't know how to say it!
Consort Yi and Consort Hui, among others, dared not utter a sound.

They all have sons, especially Consort Hui's son, who is the eldest prince. Under these circumstances, if she were to speak rashly, who knows what Emperor Qianxi would think!

So they all kept their mouths tightly shut.

I'm terrified that I might say something wrong and bring trouble upon myself.

The person who was most nervous at this moment was Cao Min.

She was the Crown Prince's concubine. Because Shi Jingrong was pregnant, it was her turn to accompany the Empress Dowager on her outings.

Although she didn't show it on the surface, she was secretly very pleased with herself.

After all, Nian Xinyue didn't have this kind of job.

Nian Xinyue is still one level away from being himself.

Unexpectedly, the moment they were all being affectionate, they turned into a tense standoff, which made her feel very uneasy.

I also understand the saying, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger!"

She stared intently at Shen Ye, afraid that the Crown Prince might accidentally say something inappropriate.

That would be the end of the world!
The tense atmosphere in the entire carriage also affected Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi, who had just casually uttered a remark, now realized that he had made a mistake.

The emperor's words are always law and weighty, so how could I casually utter words of abdication?

Wouldn't this give the Crown Prince other ideas?

However, if he did not abdicate, it might cause other troubles. For a moment, Emperor Qianxi secretly regretted that he had spoken out of turn.

This time, it really slipped out without thinking; I wasn't careful at all!

"Hahaha……"

A burst of laughter broke the silence.

Seeing the Crown Prince laughing, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but touch her forehead.

This child is so unreliable!

How could he be laughing at a time like this?
Isn't he just eagerly anticipating the emperor's abdication?

Because Emperor Qianxi was not her biological son, the Empress Dowager always maintained a principle in her interactions with him: never to challenge his bottom line.

In other words, she would never meddle in imperial power!
But now, the Crown Prince actually...

Is he ecstatic or...?

Just as various thoughts were swirling in the Empress Dowager's mind, she heard Shen Ye say with a smile, "Father, your joke is not funny at all."

"Let alone building a fast passage from here to Chengdu, I think it would be impossible in less than a hundred years!"

"Not to mention Kunming, which is even further away!"

"If you're going to draw a picture of a cake for your child in the future, it's best to draw one that can be seen and touched, one that can actually fill their stomach."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi immediately laughed.

He said to Shen Ye, "Although the construction of the expressway requires a large investment, this matter concerns the foundation of the country and is extremely important."

"You must keep this in mind and urge Yu Chenglong to speed up the process."

"We'll try to build another road this year."

The conversation between the father and son managed to cover up the awkwardness, and the tense atmosphere in the carriage began to ease.

"Your Highness, I heard that you made a big bet with Yarjianga this time. Are you confident that you will win?" The Empress Dowager asked with feigned concern, but actually wanted to change the subject.

Shen Ye smiled at the Empress Dowager and said, "Grandmother, please rest assured, your grandson will never fight a battle unprepared."

"This time, I invited the Empress Dowager to leave the palace not only to help you relax, but also to let you see for yourself the grain that can yield two thousand catties per mu."

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Then I have learned something new. I will see what this grain with a yield of two thousand catties per mu looks like."

Emperor Qianxi snorted and said, "Don't speak so confidently, lest you accidentally give away the garden you worked so hard to build to someone else."

Shen Ye smiled and did not offer any explanation.

In other words, they had already arrived at the place where sweet potatoes were grown while they were laughing.

At this moment, this hundred acres of land was not only surrounded by layers of imperial guards, but also by elite troops of the Xishan Ruijian Camp, who were ready for battle in the distance!
It can be said that Emperor Qianxi attached great importance to his own safety.

Anyone who tries to assassinate him while he's away is in an extremely difficult situation.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Empress Dowager!" The assembled civil and military officials bowed respectfully upon the arrival of Emperor Qianxi and the Empress Dowager.

Although Emperor Qianxi did not explicitly require all his ministers to participate, this gambling game attracted considerable attention, resulting in the presence of almost all the prominent ministers and princes.

Not to mention those like Orondai who spend lavishly.

Emperor Qianxi waved his sleeve and said, "All of you, rise above the formalities!" As he spoke, he pointed to the lush sweet potato vines on the ground and asked, "Crown Prince, your two thousand catties of harvest, you won't have these sweet potato vines with you, will you?"

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Orondai's expression immediately changed.

If the Crown Prince includes the sweet potato vines scattered all over the ground, then there must be at least two thousand catties.

Looking at the still lush sweet potato vines, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, I've heard that these sweet potato vines are much tastier than tree bark and leaves!"

"Moreover, using them to make soup can also help many disaster victims."

Upon hearing this, Yarjan felt his heart tremble.

If the Crown Prince is this shameless, wouldn't he win easily? Then there's no need to even compete; he could just admit defeat!
"However, if I were to say that they are grain, it might be difficult to convince everyone. Therefore, in order to make everyone accept their defeat wholeheartedly, these sweet potato vines will not be counted at all!"

At this point, Shen Ye turned to the farmers who were already waiting around and said, "Father, let them cut the sweet potato vines first."

Emperor Qianxi picked up a sweet potato vine, tore it open, and gently smelled it. He nodded and said, "These sweet potato vines can indeed serve as food in years of great famine."

At this point, he nodded and said, "Let's begin."

Cutting sweet potato vines is quick to begin with, and with Shen Ye having prepared enough workers, the hundreds of acres of sweet potato fields were completely bare in just a quarter of an hour.

Around the camp, there were more than a dozen stacks of sweet potato vines.

Shen Ye pointed to the small mounds of earth in the field and said to the Empress Dowager, "Father, Grandmother, the sweet potatoes are in this soil."

“The taste is even more different when we dig it out ourselves. Why don’t you try it yourself, Grandmother?”

When Emperor Qianxi heard that Shen Ye was actually encouraging the Empress Dowager to dig sweet potatoes, he glared at her and was about to refuse when he heard the Empress Dowager say, "I'm in this inner palace, and I can't move around much all day long."

"Since this opportunity has arisen, I will give it a try."

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, palace maids naturally helped her change her shoes, and Consort Hui and the other concubines quickly followed her when they saw that the Empress Dowager was about to get out of bed.

Even if they don't necessarily like it, you still have to show your attitude.

After all, this is something the Empress Dowager has to do.

However, Emperor Qianxi did not go to the fields. He simply stood quietly not far away watching the farmers swing their rakes and dig open the small, bulging mounds.

The moment the first mound of earth was dug up, four or five sweet potatoes of different sizes were revealed.

These sweet potatoes come in all shapes and sizes. The small ones are delicate and cute, like a baby's fist, while the large ones are plump and round, like two adult fists joined together. Four or five of them are huddled together, their bright red color making them look very festive.

"Bring it here!" Emperor Qianxi ordered Liang Jiugong beside him.

Liang Jiugong was very efficient, and in just half a minute, he brought over several heavy sweet potatoes. Emperor Qianxi took the sweet potatoes, weighed them in his hand, and then looked at Shen Ye and asked, "Crown Prince, can each of these sweet potatoes bear four or five fruits?"

Shen Ye also had a good understanding of sweet potatoes, and confidently replied, "Usually there are four or five, and sometimes there are seven or eight."

Just as he was speaking, the farmer who was digging sweet potatoes dug out two or three more sweet potatoes the size of fists from the side.

"Your Majesty, this one of my stalks has six sweet potatoes!"

"Your Majesty, the sweet potato you dug up is really big. I think it must weigh more than half a pound."

"I think it's almost a pound!"

……

In contrast to the solemn atmosphere on Emperor Qianxi's side, the Empress Dowager's side was quite lively.

They weren't carrying rakes or hoes; each of them held only a delicate little shovel.

However, this did not diminish their enthusiasm for the game.

Emperor Qianxi tossed the sweet potato in his hand lightly, then turned to Shen Ye and asked, "Crown Prince, how do you eat this kind of sweet potato?"

"Father, as far as I know, these sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, or even cooked with rice, which makes them taste even better."

"Of course, it can also be cut into pieces, dried, and then ground into flour."

"However, this makes the taste much worse."

For Emperor Qianxi and the other officials present, they didn't care at all about how the sweet potatoes tasted.

What they care about is the yield of these sweet potatoes!
Increased production means that more food can be provided to ordinary people on limited land.

As for the taste, well, they don't eat it every day!
As Emperor Qianxi watched the sweet potatoes being dug out, he gradually calmed down. At that moment, he thought about how such a high yield of sweet potatoes could be planted all over the world.

Then the number of people who are hungry and have not enough to eat will decrease significantly.

When the people have enough to eat, the country will naturally be stable.

After all, there aren't many people in this world who would risk their lives to rebel even when they're well-fed.

This can be said to have solved his biggest problem.

At this moment, he appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

Tong Guowei and several other scholars watched all of this quietly.

If they had viewed it as a minor farce before they arrived, now they felt only one thing: shock!

As they watched the sweet potatoes being dug out, their hearts had already drifted to the vast lands beyond.

"There are seven or eight in this bunch, each weighing at least four or five pounds. The fields are planted so densely, how many sweet potatoes can one acre produce!" Prince Gong muttered to himself as he stood to the side.

　The second update of the day is here, totaling 6,000 words. Thank you all for your support! It's the first day of the month, so please vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)