Seeing that Shen Mingzhu had woken up, Shaoyao quickly brought in the food box and filled the desk with it.
"Miss."
"Hmm, the dried peonies are quite good."
After speaking, Shen Mingzhu glanced at her colleagues.
"Shall we all eat something together?"
"No, no, no~~~"
They still have a lot to do.
Compiling historical records, drafting imperial edicts, and organizing documents—none of these tasks were easy, and they could not afford to slack off for even a moment.
Soon, Shen Mingzhu's cheerful voice came from inside the house.
[Delicious! Delicious! This osmanthus cake is delicious! The plum blossom cake is delicious too! The red bean cake is even better!]
Red beans grow in the south; in spring, they sprout many branches. I urge you to gather more, for this is the most poignant symbol of longing!
Su Huaiyuan: What a wonderful poem!
After saying that, he picked up the purple jade wolf brush next to him and quickly wrote down the poem that Shen Mingzhu had just recited.
The scholars of the Hanlin Academy: ...It seems that Shen Xiuzuan is exceptionally talented; a poem she composed on the spot can be remembered for generations!
We underestimated her just now!
It seems she's hiding her true abilities!
Well, the joke is on her!
They had discovered her secret!
Their attitude towards Shen Mingzhu changed dramatically in an instant.
After eating and drinking to her heart's content, Shen Mingzhu decided to go out for a walk—and take the opportunity to bring out the sweet potatoes.
She dusted off her robes and headed to the office next door.
"Scholar Su, I think that's enough work for today. I'd like to go out for a stroll."
Su Huaiyuan looked at her with a gentle smile.
"Shen Xiuzuan, feel free to do as you wish."
Shen Mingzhu smiled back at him as she walked away, chatting with the system in her mind.
[Guagua, this Scholar Su is quite nice.]
[Host, not bad, just average, third in the country!]
Hahaha~~~
A clear and melodious laugh reached everyone's ears.
The entire Hanlin Academy was stunned!
Was that Shen Mingzhu laughing just now?
But she didn't open her mouth!
Could this be Shen Xiuzuan's true inner thoughts?
Shock rippled through the hall.
We can hear Shen Xiuzuan's inner voice?!
Indeed, those who are granted official positions by Emperor Jingyuan are truly remarkable.
Shen Mingzhu looked at her online store; she had accumulated a total of 666 points over the past few days.
[Guagua, 666 points, that's quite auspicious!]
[Host, 666 points can buy 66,660 sweet potato seedlings!]
Shen Mingzhu calculated that planting sweet potatoes on one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) requires 4,000 to 5,000 sweet potato seedlings, which can be planted on about 13 to 17 mu of land.
She can accumulate points by watching the gossip, and then she can grow more.
After making up her mind, Shen Mingzhu went to the market without letting Shaoyao follow her. She went in and wandered around for a while before coming back with a bunch of sweet potato seedlings and sweet potatoes in her hands.
"Peony, I bought some things and hired a carriage for you. Take them back to the Marquis's residence. Give this piece of paper to my mother; she'll know what to do."
"Yes, Miss!"
Soon, the carriage took Shen Mingzhu back to the Hanlin Academy, while Shaoyao escorted the sweet potato seedlings and sweet potatoes back to the Marquis's residence.
Emperor Jingyuan received the news the moment Shen Mingzhu bought the sweet potatoes.
"Minister Shen, the Crown Princess has found the sweet potatoes and sweet potato seedlings!"
Ministers: ...
So fast!
"Hehe, the Crown Princess is truly remarkable. She is indeed His Majesty's good daughter-in-law. This is a blessing for our Great Yan!"
Su Qingshan knelt down extremely quickly, his flattery was both swift and precise!
Clearly, this pleased Emperor Jingyuan.
Shen Changyuan inwardly despised Su Qingshan and quickly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I will return to my residence and deliver all the sweet potatoes to the palace!"
Emperor Jingyuan nodded.
Soon, the small assembly also came to an end!
Meanwhile, General Tian's mansion was bustling with activity today.
Many officials sent their servants to General Tian's mansion to deliver fruits, vegetables, rice, flour, cooking oil, and a lot of fabrics.
Looking at the room full of supplies, Tian Xuezhou said happily,
"This time we've really struck it rich!"
Mrs. Tian was somewhat worried.
"Husband, what's going on? Why are so many colleagues sending gifts today?"
That's so much, we can't possibly repay it!
Tian Xuezhou looked at his wife and said,
"Xiujuan, don't worry. These are gifts from my colleagues. We'll accept them. Besides, His Majesty knows about it too. You won't have to stay up all night embroidering handkerchiefs to support the family anymore."
Mrs. Tian felt like she was dreaming!
Not long after, more gifts arrived. In addition to fruits, vegetables, clothes, and fabrics, the Marquis of Changping's residence also sent a large quantity of rouge, face powder, and jewelry.
"General…?"
"It's fine."
Tian Xuezhou comforted his wife.
Xiujuan had suffered a great deal because of him.
In the early years, they had lived in the harsh northern frontier. Later, after he took a position in the capital, he had always been busy, leaving her to shoulder everything at home without complaint.
She had endured it all quietly and faithfully.
For the first time, Tian Xuezhou suddenly felt a pang of guilt toward the woman who had stood beside him all these years.
"Xiujuan, things will get better."
"Yes, I know, General."
The young couple had married with sincere affection, and they had walked hand in hand through the years, growing old together.
At noon, Mother Shen arrived at the Hanlin Academy.
On Shen Mingzhu's first day at work, her mother came to visit her and bring her lunch.
Before long, the entire Hanlin Academy knew that Shen Mingzhu was her mother's little darling!
After Shen Mingzhu finished eating, Xie looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
"Mother, what's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong."
"Did Shen Jiaojiao cause trouble for you again?"
Xie Qinghuan waved her hand and smiled.
"No really!"
Although Shen Jiaojiao was intelligent, she was the mistress of the household in the Marquis's mansion, and she was the one who made the decisions.
Shen Mingzhu patted her chest, "That's good!"
She was terrified! She thought her mother had been bullied because she hadn't been with her all morning!
"That's good, Mother. What's wrong?"
Xie Qinghuan: "It's nothing, it's just that the sweet potato seedlings you asked Shaoyao to bring back were taken away by your father!"
"Why did Father take them away?"
Shen Mingzhu frowned.
[Host, host, your father presented all the sweet potato seedlings you brought back to the emperor!]
[What! ]
[This dad is so unreliable! How could he give away my things without my permission? I spent all my points to buy them!]
Shen's mother took Shen Mingzhu's hand and quickly helped her to calm down.
"Mingzhu, the world is vast and all land belongs to the emperor. Our family is loyal to the Great Yan, so we should naturally offer good things to the emperor first."
"ah!"
Shen Mingzhu was very frustrated.
[Guagua, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bothered at all! My beautiful mother probably doesn't even know that I was saving up this year's military rations for my grandfather in the north!]
She sighed inwardly after saying that.
This year, the Great Yan will be exceptionally cold, with temperatures reaching those of the Little Ice Age in history. The northern lands are already bitterly cold, and without enough food, clothing, and medicine, many civilians and soldiers will freeze to death. What should my grandfather do?
When the barbarians attack, they will burn, kill, loot, and commit all sorts of atrocities. How can the soldiers fight if they don't have enough to eat?
Xie Qinghuan turned pale upon hearing this.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Mother Shen's mind was in a daze, and she said,
"I'm just a little worried."
"By the way, my dear daughter, what did your father presented to the emperor?"
"Mother, that's a high-yield grain called sweet potato! But don't worry, Mother, I'll get another batch of seedlings later, and we'll plant them ourselves then."