Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The pungent, bitter smell from before lingered even more intensely in the soil.

This is azadirachtin.

Gu Mingli's heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He once met a friend who was developing plant-derived pesticides at an academic conference in the modern era.

The subject that person was teaching was azadirachtin.

I was also invited to visit the laboratory.

At that time, a clumsy student accidentally knocked over a bottle of concentrate.

That extremely pungent and bitter smell lingered on his clothes for a whole week, and couldn't be washed off, leaving a deep impression on him.

The problem is, how could such a modern, synthetic medicine exist in ancient times?!

Gu Mingli frowned as he stared at the soil in his palm, his thoughts churning wildly like boiling water.

He thought of someone, and a chill ran down his spine.

The Central Plains have never had a native tree like the chinaberry tree, which prefers a tropical climate, grow there since ancient times.

Even assuming, hypothetically, that someone accidentally obtained the seed...

However, to extract a stable emulsifiable concentrate that can perfectly adhere to the plant surface, an extremely sophisticated modern industrial chemical extraction system is required!

By controlling constant temperature and humidity, complex organic solvent separation and purification processes are performed...

This could never be the kind of ordinary medicine that could be concocted in ancient times by simply boiling a few pots of herbs in a broken alchemy furnace.

Gu Mingli pursed his lips tightly and vigorously rubbed the dirt off his palms with his fingers.

The presence of such an industrial product, completely ahead of its time, here evokes a sense of dread.

That absurd yet perfectly reasonable conjecture resurfaced uncontrollably from the depths of my heart once again.

The previous emperor was known for his bold and decisive style, employing talented individuals to create strange and unusual formulas, and even implementing many forward-thinking policies...

Could he also be a modern person who traveled from the same time and space as him?!

If so, then who has now fallen into the hands of the batch of potions left behind by that person during his reign, which can be described as a "dimensional reduction attack" in this era?

What kind of shady business is it being used for?

Xiao Ye stood quietly behind Gu Mingli.

He looked down at Gu Mingli, who was squatting on the ground for a long time without moving.

He could sense the other person's slightly stiff back and shocked, panicked expression.

"Mingli? What's wrong?"

Xiao Ye stepped forward and patted Gu Mingli on the shoulder.

There was a hint of soothing in his voice.

Gu Mingli suddenly came to his senses and took a deep breath.

"No...it's nothing."

He stood up and wiped his hands haphazardly on his trouser leg.

Look around.

The shadow guards stood watch by the roadside, hidden in the darkness of the night. All was quiet, and there was no one else around.

He leaned closer to Xiao Ye and lowered his voice.

"Your Majesty, there's something strange about this farmland."

"But I cannot be completely certain yet. The things involved behind this may be deeper than we think."

"We need to go to Anyang County tomorrow to get a firsthand look at the situation before making any decisions."

The two exchanged a glance, then turned together to look once more at the strangely lush field that had flourished during the year of disaster.

The night wind blew, and the wheat fields rippled and rustled.

Xiao Ye withdrew his gaze and patted Gu Mingli on the back.

"Walk."

He turned and strode toward the horse parked by the roadside.

"Let's go to Anyang and see what it's really like there."

The group remounted their horses and galloped into the night.

Half an hour later, the group finally rode into Anyang County before the city gate guards could bolt the gate shut.

In contrast to the prosperity of Jizhou City, Anyang County appeared exceptionally desolate and bleak.

The streets were almost deserted at night.

The shops on both sides closed early, and there were hardly any shops with red lanterns hanging.

Occasionally, a dog barked once or twice.

The group found a reasonably clean inn.

Gu Mingli was initially worried that Xiao Ye's germaphobia would flare up and he wouldn't be able to adapt to the somewhat harsh living conditions.

As a result, Xiao Ye just kept a gloomy face, didn't say a word, and went to sleep fully clothed.

I made do and stayed there for one night.

The next morning, as soon as it was light, Xiao Ye got up.

A faint aroma of rice porridge wafted through the quiet, deserted lobby.

The two sat at an old wooden table by the window, staring at the breakfast on the table.

Two bowls of clear rice porridge, a few slightly yellow coarse steamed buns, a plate of casually cut pickled radish strips, and a few pieces of soft, yellowish fermented bean curd.

Gu Mingli was not surprised at all. He simply grabbed a hot steamed bun and handed it to Xiao Ye.

"When you're traveling, conditions are basic, so you just have to make do with whatever you can find."

Xiao Ye took the steamed bun without any disgust, and took a small bite.

He already had little appetite, and now he was even less interested in eating.

He didn't even want to touch the side dishes on the table or the small dish of fermented bean curd that had a peculiar smell.

Being able to swallow a few mouthfuls of steamed buns and plain porridge is the limit.

Gu Mingli glanced at the emperor.

He roughly broke the steamed bun in his hand in half, picked up his chopsticks, put a large piece of off-white fermented bean curd in it, and spread it evenly.

Gu Mingli closed the steamed bun, opened his mouth wide, and took a big bite.

"Mmm~~~~Smells good!"

His eyes lit up, and he let out a heartfelt exclamation.

Then, he started chewing the steamed bun with gusto in front of Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye raised his eyes and gave him a long, detached look.

Although I was so preoccupied with the disaster that I had no appetite.

But Gu Mingli was eating with great relish, wolfing it down.

He even had a delusion.

It seemed like they weren't even eating at the same table; Gu Mingli was holding some kind of delicacy.

Xiao Ye lowered his head, looked at the dry steamed bun in his hand, and took another bite.

It still doesn't taste very good.

Gu Mingli couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the emperor's slightly furrowed brows.

"Don't just eat steamed buns, try this one."

As he spoke, he broke off a small piece from the other half of the "sandwich" he hadn't yet bitten into and handed it directly to Xiao Ye.

"This stuffed steamed bun is especially delicious, savory and perfect with rice!"

Xiao Ye looked at the steamed bun with fermented bean curd in front of him and hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he reached out and took it.

He held it to his nose and took a slight sniff, and his brows furrowed instantly.

"What's that smell? It's stinky."

Gu Mingli grinned.

"It's homemade fermented tofu. It smells pungent but tastes delicious; you'll know once you try it. It only has a slight fermented tofu flavor, but it's a real treat!"

Xiao Ye looked at Gu Mingli's bright eyes and watched him devour the remaining steamed bun in a few bites.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally brought the "stinky" steamed bun to his mouth and tentatively took a small bite.

The soft fermented bean curd melts on the tip of the tongue.

The subtle saltiness, fermented freshness, and smooth texture assault the taste buds, and combined with the wheat aroma of the steamed bun, unexpectedly suppress the sourness of the coarse grains.

Xiao Ye chewed twice, and his slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"Um……"

He swallowed the food in his mouth and picked up the rough porcelain bowl to drink a sip of rice soup.

"The taste is indeed strange, but... it's acceptable."

Although it was only "acceptable," the two of them, while eating plain porridge, each showed off a large steamed bun with fermented bean curd.