Fields of Gold

Official Wu wasn't one of those people who only knew how to study. Prior to passing the court examinations, he had been with his family's tenant farmers and personally helped his family manage their rice paddies. On the year he turned forty, he gave himself a goal. If he was unable to pass the exams again, then he would completely renounce his studies and spend the rest of his life experimenting with the rice paddy fields to get higher yields. After becoming a court official, he was also very interested in agricultural management and often traveled to farming villages, living and eating with these people, and becoming more experienced in the ways of farming. Because of that, the experimental paddies in Jinling had been put under his jurisdiction and he had also been promoted two levels.

When he saw the methods that Xiaocao gave him, he was struck silly. He even struck the table in amazement when he reached the main point. Many things that had puzzled him in the past were now completely clear to him after he read the great imperial envoy's writings on the topic. It was no wonder that the emperor had placed so much importance on a mere woman. She really was more knowledgeable and talented than others! The emperor truly was a wise and capable ruler!

If Yu Xiaocao had known that Official Wu saw her in this way, she would have felt quite embarrassed. The things she had written down were all stuff she had put together piecemeal from the stuff she had learned in her past life about farming. She was only a little dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants! How could she possibly be that impressive?

Other than going out to try some delicacies from time to time, Xiaocao spent most of her time after she arrived at Jinling on the 'hybrid rice paddies'. In her previous life, the hybrid rice paddies were able to produce a thousand and five hundred catties of rice per mu. Even the rice paddies watered with mystic stone water in this era could only get up to six hundred catties per mu.

It was said that hybrid rice paddies were the result of Yuan Longping's, the father of hybrid rice, research and he had discovered a type of hybrid rice one day in a field somewhere. Yu Xiaocao decided that, in order to deceive others on the true process, she also needed to find a naturally occurring hybrid rice paddy somewhere. Following that, then they could begin research on it.

Following Xiaocao's proposal, the emperor had already sent down an imperial order to have Jiangnan begin to try to grow two seasons of rice in one year. Because Jinling had experimental paddies, some of them were planted on the early side. Official Wu was originally afraid that the temperatures at the start of spring would be too cold and affect the seedlings' growth progress. However, he didn't expect that the rice seeds brought over from the capital grew very well despite the lower temperatures. The ordinary rice seeds, on the other hand, only had so-so germination and survival rates.

After Official Wu finished transcribing a copy of the great imperial envoy's 'Rice Growth Strategy Guide', he immediately began his work in the fields and didn't even bother returning home to visit. His entire mind was preoccupied on getting the fields up and running. He had to admit the rice seedlings grown by the methods provided by the great imperial envoy truly did better than the ones planted with traditional methods. When he felt the panicles of these rice plants, he could tell that they were at least a factor larger than the regular ones and were also more plump. The rice paddies grown with the new methods also had a shorter growth cycle, so it was likely that they'd be able to harvest them in the sixth month.

As it got closer to harvest time, Yu Xiaocao came by more frequently to the experimental rice paddies. In the past, she would go over every three to five days to supervise the work there. Now she came by every other day to inspect things. There were many plants in the experimental fields, so she couldn't possibly look every single one over. However, she had her cheat item on hand and it'd be a waste for her to not use it.

She had the little divine stone emit its spiritual energy to make the young plants become more vigorous and strong. Then, she had Official Wu and his assistant come over to record them. Within the rice paddies, she ended up finding a real 'crane within a flock of chickens' rice patch. It had thick and tall stalks with plump kernels of rice. She carefully counted the number of rice seeds within the panicle and found that it contained around two hundred grains. It truly exceeded the number of grains found in other plants.

Alright ah, she now had the opportunity to give an experimental direction for Official Wu and his subordinates to look at. The most important part of hybridized rice was the 'hybridization' portion. In her past life, Xiaocao had been a little fan of the father of hybridized rice and looked over many things in regards to hybridized rice. However, since she was merely a layman, she only knew the foundations of breeding hybridized rice.

She knew that in order to make hybridized rice paddies, she needed three types of rice. One type had to have sterile pollen, and one type had fertile pollen. When the sterile type was fertilized with the pollen from the fertile type, they created hybridized rice, which was the third type. Although this type of hybridized rice had a higher yield, the amount it produced was around the same as the rice that was grown with mystic-stone water. Furthermore, it only lasted for one season and couldn't be used for the next. They needed to continue to pollinate the sterile type with the fertile type to make more seed.

Based on that, they needed to have one set of fields devoted to breeding and the other set for harvesting. In the breeding fields, they needed to grow and plant the ones with sterile pollen before being fertilized with regular pollen while the other fields were the ones used to grow the hybridized rice plants for harvest.

In the fields, she found all of the rice plants with sterile pollen and marked them. They were set aside to be used in the breeding fields. When she got back to her personal courtyard, she concentrated solely on writing down all of the methods she could remember about 'hybridizing rice paddies' into a little pamphlet in preparation of giving it to Official Wu, so he could have other people investigate it. In terms of growing rice, she was merely an amateur dabbler and couldn't compare to Official Wu, who had spent decades in the fields working with the farmers.

His hard working wife had completely forgotten Imperial Prince Xu, who was quite heartbroken by the matter. They had previously agreed upon traveling and seeing the sights here, right? Weren't they going to try all of the delicacies to be had in the Jinling area? Hadn't they agreed on journeying around Jiangnan to experience the saying: 'the skies have the Heavens and the earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou'? Zhu Junyang stared at the back of his princess consort as she steadily worked through the night, ignoring him. Why did he have to marry a wife who was a workaholic ah?

As for that fellow, Su Ran, as soon as they arrived in Jiangnan, he had disappeared. It was said that the famous mountains around Jinling had all been toured by him. Furthermore, he would come back from time to time to brag and boast about the sights he had seen and the foods he had eaten. The most annoying part was that this fellow would always bring some snacks back from his travels, which would always take his wife's attention away. Every day, when she wasn't talking about work to him, she would be complimenting that loathsome fellow, Sir Su. It was truly too infuriating. Just who was her husband here?

When his wife ate some dried persimmons that the stinky fellow Su Ran brought back and began complimenting him again, Zhu Junyang seriously couldn't take it anymore! He shot himself towards his wife and seriously let her know just how jealous he was. He especially made her experience just how a jealous and thirsty man could be once he lost his control! Alright ah, he was just looking for an excuse for his own advantage!

The next day, Yu Xiaocao only managed to crawl out of bed at noon while rubbing at her sore waist. She had finally finished writing her pamphlet on 'the strategy to breed hybrid rice' and brought it along to find Official Wu. After giving it to him, she spent another long stretch of time explaining the contents to him. Her task was now off her shoulders, so it was time for her to placate her ignored husband.

Official Wu acted as if he had received the most precious treasure. In the seventh month, he had completely organized the breeding fields and hybridizing fields. As for the great imperial envoy, she had gone off with her husband and left Jinling. They had just arrived at the border of Yangzhou Prefecture. They were eating sweet and tender lotus seed heads and seated in a small sailboat on the West Lake picking lotus flowers!

In the seventh month, the Jinling experimental rice paddies had obtained their first harvest. Currently, they were at eight hundred catties of rice per mu. Such a large crop yield made Official Wu, as the person in charge, cry tears of pure joy. In the past half year, he had put all of his energy and hopes on the experimental fields. His hard work hadn't gone to waste. He had also succeeded in raising high-yield rice paddies. The yields from this experiment were even higher than the one in the capital. It was truly extremely good news!

Official Wu wanted to give the good news to the great imperial envoy, but he didn't know where she was at the moment. She could be in Suzhou, Hangzhou, or even more south...who knew ah!

Official Wu quickly pivoted his energies on the problem of developing hybridized rice. The great imperial envoy had told him that if he were able to develop hybridized rice then the yield would likely be higher than the current experimental fields by a whole factor. What was a whole factor? That was to say, the yield could get up to a thousand and five hundred catties per mu. Heavens! Wouldn't he be dreaming then? Or was the great imperial envoy crazy and spouting nonsense?

No! How could he possibly not believe in the great imperial envoy's words? If it weren't for her, the rice paddies would still be stuck at two to three hundred catties per mu. In the past, if anyone had told him that the rice paddy harvest could reach six hundred catties per mu, Official Wu would have definitely slapped them for impertinence. But now, wasn't that fact true ah? The great imperial envoy had said that hybridized rice paddies could go over a thousand and five hundred catties per mu, so that meant it was possible! If it weren't, then it meant that he hadn't worked hard enough and didn't reach the goals of the great imperial envoy.

Official Wu, who was in his sixties, had become Yu Xiaocao's loyal die-hard fan at this moment!

By the time the breeding paddies and hybridization paddies were in full swing, Yu Xiaocao and her husband had already traveled all around Jiangnan. On their way back, they had encountered the merchant caravan train that was in charge of bringing back raw jadeite ores to 'Wisdom Jade Pavillion'. Yu Xiaocao expressed that she was very interested in seeing where the ores were mined in person. As a man who doted upon his wife to no end, Imperial Prince Xu naturally wouldn't disappoint her. Thus, the loving couple headed out with the merchant caravan to go to the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province.

The land in that area was surrounded by mountains and was heavily forested. The locals there were tough and intrepid. Fortunately, the merchant caravan from Imperial Prince Xu's Estate had already made a name for itself. No matter whether it was the small tribes in the area or the chiefs in Myanmar, none of them dared to look down upon them. Furthermore, with the southwestern army of the Great Ming Empire stationed there, they would have to think very hard before deciding to attack them.

Zhu Junxi and Han Xiaomu had gone back to their military post in the southwest after attending Xiaocao's wedding and getting swiftly engaged themselves. Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang had especially taken a trip to the Rui Province's military station and stayed there overnight. They went there to see General Han and also came with many snacks for their second older brother and future second sister-in-law. The vast majority of what they gave to them were snacks that Yu Xiaocao made herself along with some candied fruits and dried meats. It took up an entire large basket.

Han Xiaomu was very touched by all of this and hugged...the large basket full of goods with an excited expression on her face. She almost didn't want to let it go. Ever since she had tried the food that came out of Xiaocao's hands, this tough and fierce female general had prostrated herself in front of Xiaocao's culinary skills. Xiaocao's position in her heart had gone straight up and she was now even more admired than her own fiance, Zhu Junxi. Zhu Junxi could only shake his head and sigh——there was nothing he could do with such a gluttonous future wife on hand!

They had been back in the southwest for over three months now. Thus, it was impossible for them to have any of the food they brought back with them no matter how hard they tried to scrimp and save. Every time she had to eat the 'pig's swill' in the cafeteria, Han Xiaomu thought longingly of Yu XIaocao. She only spoke of the other girl and thought of her constantly. Zhu Junxi was now even jealous of his own younger sister-in-law!

Fortunately, when they left the capital, his lady mother had prepared a bunch of spices and condiments for barbecuing meats for him. He may not be good at other cooking methods, but at least he was good at barbecuing. With the addition of these special spice blends, he had conquered the female general's stomach and got his fiancee's attention back on him and not his younger sister-in-law.