Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

In the Empress's palace, after hearing the eunuch's report, the Empress's years of pretense almost crumbled once again.

Her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly as she looked down at the middle-aged man sitting below her.

"Cousin, did you hear that? His Majesty invited the Crown Prince and Ying Yufu to dine together, and they had a very pleasant time, just like a family."

Duan Yuqing's expression was solemn.

"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious. No matter how much His Majesty favors the Crown Prince, he is destined not to live long. The one who will eventually ascend to the throne will definitely be His Highness the Second Prince."

The Empress sneered, "Of course I know that. Otherwise, why would I have allowed him to live until now?"

Duan Yuqing said, "Her Majesty the Empress is resourceful and shrewd, so I am not worried."

However, His Highness the Second Prince has indeed displeased His Majesty recently. He needs to achieve something significant to improve his image in His Majesty's eyes.

The Empress nodded in agreement and asked, "Does my cousin have a good idea?"

Duan Yuqing reached up and stroked the goatee he had grown on his chin, a confident look appearing in his eyes.

"Yuzhou has suffered from drought for two consecutive years, and recently bandits have been rising up everywhere. Why not send the Second Prince to Yuzhou to quell the rebellion?"

The Empress's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"

Duan Yuqing smiled and shook his head, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. If there were really danger, would I let the Second Prince take such a risk?"

The prefect of Yuzhou Prefecture, Yuan Fuhai, is one of our men. Above him, the governor, Ke Tan, is also our ally. We need not worry about the bandits in the Qinghuang Mountain area.

"These mere bandits are nothing but a bunch of peasants; they're no threat whatsoever. It's just letting the Second Prince reap the rewards."

The Empress looked relaxed and smiled, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to my cousin."

After speaking, the Empress's eyes revealed a hint of dissatisfaction. "There is one more thing, cousin. Although the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has fallen, His Majesty clearly still cherishes them."

They need to be taught a lesson.

At this point, the Empress's anger flared: "His Majesty knew that Ying Yufu and Ze'er were engaged, yet he broke off their engagement and instead bestowed Ying Yufu upon the Crown Prince. His Majesty is blatantly slapping me and Ze'er in the face."

Duan Yuqing nodded. "Your Majesty is right. His Majesty is indeed biased, not only towards the Crown Prince, but also towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

The fact that Shangguan Cheng has been imprisoned in the imperial prison for so long, yet His Majesty has not dealt with him and has been waiting, has truly chilled the hearts of the people of Yuzhou.

Your Majesty need not worry. I have already secretly traveled to Yuzhou to have Yuan Fuhai and Ke Tan submit a memorial impeaching Shangguan Cheng.

With these two working together, even if His Majesty wanted to protect Shangguan Cheng, he couldn't!

A glint of light flashed in Duan Yuqing's eyes. "Shangguan Cheng is dead!"

A hint of pleasure appeared in the Empress's eyes. "Very well, I await my cousin's good news."

……

"Crown Prince, how could you be so unfilial, actually stealing food from your own father!"

Emperor Cangxuan's furious roar echoed once again in the hall.

"Father should love his son." The crown prince didn't even look up and stuffed the last potato pancake into his mouth.

Emperor Cangxuan: "Unfilial son!"

Crown Prince: Chew, chew, chew!

Ying Yufu: "Your Majesty, I have another piece here that hasn't been touched. If you don't mind..."

Before she could finish speaking, the potato pancake in front of her disappeared.

Emperor Cangxuan finished his meal in a few bites, exclaiming, "Fu'er is still the best!"

Ying Yufu: "..."

Why was she previously wary of His Majesty, and thought that the trouble at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was his doing?

She's just blind.

His Majesty is so easy to get along with, and even his way of doing things is so similar to my grandfather's.

How bad can they be if they're capable of stealing food from younger generations?

Ying Yufu reflected for a moment, then carefully pushed the last few bites of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar onto the plate in front of Emperor Cangxuan.

The prince screamed in agony, "Fu'er!"

Ying Yufu silently picked up the last boiled corn, broke it in two, and shared it with the Crown Prince and herself.

The crown prince was appeased, and Cang Xuan glanced at him disdainfully.

Then, in response to Yu Fu, he said, "Fu'er, you just talked about the characteristics of potatoes and sweet potatoes, now it's time to talk about corn."

"Hmm, corn. It yields a high harvest, and most importantly, it's not afraid of drought. Plus, it's low-cost. One acre of corn yields the equivalent of 300 catties of chestnuts. And... corn can also fertilize the fields!"

"Such a crop exists! Heaven blesses my Northern Mystery! Heaven blesses my Northern Mystery!"

Emperor Cangxuan excitedly picked up the plate and shoveled all the shredded potatoes into his mouth.

He chewed and swallowed, then said, "What's the difference between this and a free lunch?"

"Yuzhou has suffered from drought for two consecutive years. If it continues for another year, the people will likely be unable to survive. Bandits are already rising up everywhere..."

Emperor Cangxuan said, "We must promote corn to Yuzhou as soon as possible. Let Yuzhou take the lead. Once the people of Yuzhou have tasted the benefits, these three crops will surely be promoted throughout the country."

Emperor Cangxuan smiled and said, "Not only corn, but sweet potatoes and potatoes also need to be promoted. But, Fu'er, how many seeds do you have left?"

Ying Yufu immediately looked at the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, do you remember how many seeds the immortals gave me?"

Emperor Cangxuan's expression froze.

The crown prince pretended to ponder for a while, then said, "Father, it seems to weigh a thousand catties."

Ying Yufu: "Yes, yes, it weighs a thousand jin."

Emperor Cangxuan glared at them with a dark expression. "Are you two full? If you are, get out of here. Just looking at you makes me angry!"

Ying Yufu glanced at him guiltily, then stood up, bowed, and took her leave.

The crown prince also stood up and bowed, then grabbed Ying Yufu and ran off.

"You two little bastards, blatantly deceiving me! Why should I pay them back? Tell me, how can I trick them into revealing the origin of those seeds?"

Eunuch He covered his mouth and chuckled: "Why does Your Majesty need to deceive them? If Your Majesty keeps asking, His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Ying will definitely confess."

However, Miss Ying clearly had no intention of hiding it; otherwise, she wouldn't have brought it up so openly before His Majesty.

Emperor Cangxuan waved his hand, "Never mind, I won't stoop to the level of a child."

That very day, Emperor Cangxuan issued an edict ordering the people of the Tuntian Division to begin trial planting of three new crops.

The next morning at court, Emperor Cangxuan brought three new crops directly to the main hall and presented cooked food made from these crops.

"These are potato pancakes, very delicious and fragrant. There are also roasted sweet potatoes, soft, sweet, and fragrant, and the corn too..."

"The key is that potatoes can not only be eaten as a staple food, but they are also not picky about the land and have a high yield per acre."

"And then there are sweet potatoes, which have the same yield as potatoes, and can be rotated with rice, wheat, and millet. Most importantly, they are not afraid of locust plagues!"

Officials: "!"

Could there really be such a good thing in the world?

Has Your Majesty lost your mind?

Are you just showing them three new gadgets to amuse them?

The Minister of Works said, "Your Majesty, I know you are worried about the drought in Yuzhou, but..."

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue also said, "Your Majesty, once the Earl of Weiyuan returns the silver to Lady Shangguan, we will have money. The Ministry of Revenue will immediately allocate silver and grain to Yuzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty. We are willing to share your burdens and serve you faithfully. Your Majesty must not worry too much, lest it harm your health."

Emperor Cangxuan: "..."

You don't believe it, do you?

"I'm not joking!" He glanced down at the crowd, his gaze finally settling on the Crown Prince. "Crown Prince, you speak."