Ci Jinzhi

Xin You brought the Sixth Master into the palace and met Emperor Xingyuan who had been waiting for him for a long time.

 “I have met your Majesty.”

The sixth master knelt down and said, "I have seen your majesty."

Emperor Xingyuan told Xin You not to be polite. He looked at the nervous Master Liu and said with a faint smile, "You should be fine too."

 The Sixth Master got up and lowered his head without daring to express his anger.

“Ayou asked you to bring back sweet potatoes, did you bring them back?”

 “Return, report back to Your Majesty, the villain has been brought back.”

Emperor Xingyuan looked at Xin You.

“I have confirmed that what I brought back is sweet potato vine.”

"That's right." Emperor Xingyuan's smile deepened, "Your name is Zhu Liu, right?"

"yes."

“Have you ever tasted sweet potatoes overseas?” Emperor Xingyuan asked the key point.

 It would be a pity after all if the taste is not good.

"Your Majesty, I have eaten it. The sweet potatoes are sweet and soft. Not only are they delicious, but they are also filling."

 “Seriously?” Emperor Xingyuan’s eyes brightened.

Xinyou then said: "Your Majesty, in addition to the sweet potato vines, Zhu Liu also brought back some sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, the sea is wet and the journey is long, so there are only a few left that are edible."

Emperor Xingyuan immediately asked: "Where are the sweet potatoes he brought back now?"

Xin You raised the basket in his hand and said, "I brought it here."

Emperor Xingyuan couldn't help but stood up: "Open it and take a look."

 The fine cloth covering the basket was lifted up, and there were two dark red spindle-shaped fruits placed on the soft cloth in the basket.

"Is this fruit a sweet potato?" Emperor Xingyuan looked at it carefully and thought that the fruit looked ordinary.

 “I heard my mother say that sweet potatoes are not fruits.”

“What is it if it’s not fruit?” Emperor Xingyuan didn’t take his eyes off the basket.

  “It’s a rhizome.”

“Rhizome?” Emperor Xingyuan asked with interest, “How should I cook this sweet potato?”

Xin You looked at Master Liu with encouraging eyes.

Although she heard it from her mother, the Sixth Master had seen it with his own eyes and tasted it with his own mouth, so it was more appropriate for him to say it.

 Although the Sixth Master was nervous, he was grateful, knowing that this was an opportunity for Xinyou to show his face.

“Your Majesty, the most common way to eat it locally is to wash it and eat it directly by steaming or boiling it. It can also be made into porridge or grilled..."

Emperor Xingyuan listened attentively, and his eyes were full of surprises: "There are so many ways to eat it!"

Looking at the two pitiful sweet potatoes, Emperor Xingyuan said: "The simplest way is to steam them over water. Sun Yan—"

Sun Yan quickly arranged for someone to send the sweet potatoes for cooking.

Only two-quarters of an hour later, the food official came in carrying steamed sweet potatoes.

  The formal meal process is of course not conducted by Sun Yan, the eunuch, who tests the poison, but by the female official who advises food. But no one had ever seen this sweet potato, so it was difficult for the female official to eat it.

The Sixth Master hurriedly said: "Just peel off the skin and eat the inside. In fact, you can also eat it with the skin."

The female official of Shangshi cut off a corner of the sweet potato and ate it. When the time came, she presented the sweet potato to Emperor Xingyuan.

 The ordinary-looking sweet potato was carefully peeled and divided into pieces that were just right for the mouth.

The Sixth Master saw this and quietly twitched the corner of his mouth.

Long live grandpa, you are so particular about eating!

Emperor Xingyuan couldn’t wait to pick up a piece of sweet potato and taste it carefully.    Sweet, soft, fine.

Emperor Xingyuan showed an expression of disbelief and ate another piece, only then was he sure that his taste had not deceived him.

"How could it be!" Emperor Xingyuan opened his eyes wide and stared at the sweet potato on the plate.

 In his opinion, it is good that the food has high yield and can be used as a staple food, and the taste is not rough, but why is this sweet potato so delicate, sweet and soft?

"This is unreasonable." Emperor Xingyuan felt it was untrue, "Ayou, try it."

Xinyou was also very curious about the taste of sweet potato. She took the silver chopsticks handed over by the female officer Shang Shi, picked up a piece of sweet potato and put it into her mouth.

　　It is sweet and soft and makes people feel sweet when eating it, just like what her mother described to her.

Xin You couldn’t help but wet his eyes after eating the sweet potato.

Even though her mother was gone, she felt her presence when she tasted the sweet potato.

The books her mother read to her, the stories she told her, and the bits and pieces of teachings she gave her, these precious things will never disappear in her life.

"How is it?" Emperor Xingyuan asked.

Xinyou nodded: "It's delicious."

 “Sun Yan, you should try it too.”

Sun Yan thanked him and ate the sweet potato out of curiosity. Under Emperor Xingyuan’s expectant eyes, he said hurriedly: “It’s sweet and fragrant, and tastes very good.”

Emperor Xingyuan laughed.

Xin You felt that Emperor Xingyuan's reaction was a bit strange, as he seemed eager to share it with everyone. When I thought about it, I realized that this person had regarded the sweet potato as his property, a treasure that the owner could show off to others, which was perfectly normal.

"How should we cultivate these sweet potatoes?" Emperor Xingyuan smiled and immediately asked more important questions.

 The Sixth Master glanced at Xin You.

“Your Majesty asks you, just tell me what you have learned.”

Emperor Xingyuan nodded: "Yes, you don't have to be nervous, I don't eat people."

The sixth master laughed and spoke carefully: "It seems that there is only spring and summer there, and there is a lot of rain. The common people quietly inquired, and it is said that these sweet potatoes can be grown in all seasons, and can be harvested in about four months... Too many common people will not inquire, Afraid of alerting the locals.”

After hearing this, Emperor Xingyuan looked at the sweet potatoes on the plate and hesitated: "The climates of the two countries are different."

It is said that Huainan is called orange and Huaibei is called tangerine. Can these sweet potatoes that have traveled across the ocean really take root, sprout and multiply in Daxia and feed the people of Daxia?

In the past six months, Emperor Xingyuan has not mentioned a word to the Minister of the Ministry of Finance and others about the Liu family going out to sea to search for sweet potatoes, just because he did not want to be happy in vain and make the old ministers laugh.

 The Sixth Master did not dare to answer the call.

He is just a rough guy. When he went overseas, he was taught how to contact the locals and how to find sweet potatoes. He was taught by girls. He didn't know what to do in different climates.

“I know a thing or two,” Xin You said.

 “Ayou, please tell me.”

“My mother said that sweet potatoes can be grown in both the north and the south. If they are planted in the north, they are planted in the spring and harvested in the autumn like most crops. The vine seedlings obtained now can be preserved through the winter using special methods..."

Emperor Xingyuan shook his head after hearing this.

Let’s not talk about how to preserve this precious sweet potato vine for the winter. It is only September now. When planting and harvesting next spring, don’t we have to wait a year to confirm the sweet potato yield?

“If you are in the south, you can plant it in autumn and you can harvest it next spring.”

Emperor Xingyuan was overjoyed: "Go to the south and plant it. If the yield of this sweet potato is really that big and the soil is not affected, it can be popularized early and many people will not go hungry."

Xinyou nodded.

In her opinion, it is better to plant the sweet potatoes sooner rather than later.

 “The person to take charge of this matter in the south—” Emperor Xingyuan thought seriously.

"Your Majesty, please let me go. I know some key points of growing sweet potatoes. Although it is only on paper, it should be no problem to hire a few experienced farmers when we get there."

Emperor Xingyuan hesitated for a long time in response to Xin You's offer, and finally gained the upper hand in order for Daxia to truly obtain the sweet potato treasure: "Okay, I agreed."

Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, it has been more than a year, and the story of Little Yuzi has also entered the later stage.