vrcanaries Chapter 219 The Suffering and the Fortune of Surname
Chapter 219 The Suffering and the Fortune of Surname
Ye Yuwu smiled as she looked at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces.
A sense of smugness welled up within him.
This is grain carefully selected by our ancestors in modern times! How could it not be good!
However, potatoes in ancient times did not reach the astonishing yields of today, but even this yield was quite remarkable in ancient times.
Moreover, its cold-resistant and drought-resistant characteristics would indeed give these ancient people a little shock.
The emperor held the potato tightly, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Meanwhile, the ministers below were already brimming with curiosity, all craning their necks to look into His Majesty's hands.
No one knows what kind of turmoil the emperor or this potato were experiencing!
The emperor thought to himself: If all the people of my Jin Kingdom could eat these potatoes, how many people would be free from hunger?
In that instant, he seemed to see himself becoming famous throughout history.
Thinking of this, his eyes and neck turned red with excitement.
Fortunately, the emperor seemed to remember them and had Fude and several eunuchs distribute the potatoes to the ministers for everyone to see.
That's when they discovered that there were actually clean potatoes underneath.
Only then can everyone clearly see the true appearance of this potato.
The officials who were lucky enough to receive the washed potatoes held them so tightly they were practically worshipping them.
The news of the official obtaining the clean potatoes naturally did not escape the notice of the emperor and other civil and military officials at the head of the table.
The emperor immediately frowned.
"This is how the same thing?!"
He glanced sideways at a corner.
Yuan Hua, who had been hiding in the dark corner, was so frightened by His Majesty's solemn question that his legs went weak and he knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me!" He kept bowing to the emperor at the head of the table.
"Do you know the consequences of outwardly complying while inwardly opposing?"
An official next to him pointed at the little eunuch on the ground with a potato still covered in soil. Although the potato was covered in mud, he dared not throw it away, after all, this potato was a rare commodity.
That damned eunuch! He actually deliberately sent potatoes covered in mud directly into the palace. The thought of the official holding the mud-covered potatoes made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
It's so filthy!
The ministers nearby remained silent, clearly acknowledging the statement made by the minister earlier.
Ye Yuwu, who was standing not far from the little eunuch, pursed her lips and looked at him with complicated feelings.
In such a hierarchical ancient society, if these servants made even the slightest mistake and displeased their masters, they would be severely punished.
Although Ye Yuwu didn't see this as a minor mistake, these officials magnified it, fearing it could cost them their lives.
At this moment, she truly felt as if she were caught in the vortex of fame and fortune in officialdom, and that she couldn't afford to make any mistakes, otherwise she would end up like this little eunuch.
"This potato is covered in mud, it's filthy! You lowly slave, you brought it up without washing it properly, do you know that this is an offense to His Majesty?"
Perhaps it was these words that angered Yuan Hua on the ground, for he stopped kowtowing, his red forehead pale in comparison to the redness in his eyes.
“These potatoes may have mud on them, but they are not dirty at all! They were grown by farmers with great effort! Without these farmers, the country would have no food!” Perhaps Yuan Hua’s loud rebuttal slapped the official in the face, and the official became angry and embarrassed.
"How dare you, a mere eunuch, contradict me! Your Majesty, I request that you drag this eunuch out and severely punish him!"
Indeed, in the eyes of these ministers, their ranks were high and their official positions were great. How could a mere ignorant eunuch like him dare to stand up and refute them? It was simply an act of insubordination!
Yuanhua knew that what he was doing was wrong, and he knew that he would be dragged away and punished. So, while he was still in the Imperial Study, he said what he had always wanted to say.
"Your Majesty, I have a selfish motive in what I did today. I am lowly and only wish to give these farmers a chance to survive!"
At this moment, the imperial guards outside had arrived in front of him and were about to lift him up and drag him out when the emperor on the dragon throne suddenly waved his hand, signaling the imperial guards to stop for the time being.
Upon seeing the emperor's instruction, the imperial guards immediately stopped what they were doing.
The emperor looked at Yuanhua on the ground and said, "Continue."
Yuanhua thought he would be taken away and punished, but to his surprise, the emperor ordered the imperial guards to stop and even asked him to continue saying what he hadn't finished saying.
He couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed, but he knew that this was not a good time to shed tears, because he knew this was an opportunity.
But with the opportunity right in front of him, he didn't know how to bring it up.
He knew the opportunity was fleeting, so after a moment's consideration, he finally spoke his mind.
"Your Majesty, I was born into a farming family, so I naturally know a bit about farming. Today, I visited Lord Ye's estate and was greatly astonished. The potatoes are indeed as Lord Ye said, with a huge yield, and the farmers don't need to put in much effort to cultivate them. It's truly worry-free and labor-saving. I also met the farmers on Lord Ye's estate, and they were all very happy when they talked about potatoes! They said that if every household in our Jin family could grow potatoes, then everyone would be able to eat their fill..."
At this point, Yuanhua, who had been holding back all the way, finally shed tears.
The Imperial Study was eerily quiet. Everyone seemed to be affected by the words in the original quote, and each person had a solemn expression on their face.
Yuan Hua did not reveal his background to gain the sympathy of these superiors, and as it turned out, he did the right thing.
"I placed the potatoes with soil still on top today not to deceive you, but simply to show Your Majesty and the officials that the food the people eat comes from this land we love, and that it is not dirty... I only hope that Your Majesty can have pity on these poor farmers..."
Yuanhua couldn't say any more heartfelt words.
He suddenly remembered his little sister, who had starved to death because there was no food at home. She was only three years old, even though his family had just planted crops, large fields of them.
He thought his family could finally have a good meal, but when the landlord came, half of their newly harvested grain was taken to pay the land rent. Before they could even celebrate, the government officials came and took the other half. In less than a day, the fields yielded nothing.
There was no food at home, so the youngest and weakest sister was the first to collapse.
He felt so angry thinking about it! But there was nothing he could do about it in reality.
Therefore, he was fortunate enough to serve in the Imperial Study today.
Upon suddenly learning about potatoes from Lord Ye, the blood flowing through his body suddenly felt scalding hot.
Just hearing about the production volume mentioned by Lord Ye made him unable to contain his excitement.