inspire-indiana Chapter 242 Extra 8
Chapter 242 Extra 8
Jin'er: "Great-Grandpa, I did an experiment these past two years and found that after topping, it won't grow any taller. This way, the branches will grow better, more cotton will be produced, and the yield will increase significantly. The best time to top is in June!"
Upon hearing this, the old clan chief was overjoyed: "Really? You're such a lucky star! Your great-grandfather will listen to you and have someone top the cotton plants tomorrow!"
Now, it's June, the perfect time for topping.
That evening, the old clan chief summoned the entire village and announced the cotton topping project. Upon hearing that it was Jin'er's idea, most people enthusiastically responded, saying they would topping the cotton plants the next day.
Of course, there were also some who didn't respond. These people harbored resentment towards the Zisu family and didn't have a good relationship with the old clan leader's family. In other words, they were some narrow-minded and petty people.
Several months later, the cotton was ready for harvest. As a result, the cotton that had been topped yielded a much higher yield than in previous years, while the cotton from those who hadn't topped yielded the same amount as in previous years.
The old clan chief convened a village meeting to celebrate the bumper cotton harvest. He smiled broadly at the villagers and said, "This year, our cotton harvest is bountiful, all thanks to Princess Yongfu. It's a pity that some petty people still didn't prune the cotton plants, and the yield is still so low. They really have only themselves to blame!"
One villager chimed in, "Exactly! Some people have filthy minds and take other people's kindness for granted. It's utterly ridiculous! Now look at the result: such a low cotton yield, not even half of what's expected. Hahaha, they brought this on themselves!"
Several people, their faces flushed, quietly left.
Alas, I should never have mistaken Princess Yongfu's kindness for ill intentions. Now, my family has suffered such a great loss; we've truly lost all face and dignity!
When the magistrate of Zhangshu County heard that the cotton harvest in Wuliping had been bountiful, he immediately led a group of his men to Wuliping to pay respects to the old clan chief: "Old clan chief, please give us some guidance so that people in other villages can follow suit and increase the output of their cotton mills!"
The old clan chief chuckled and waved his hand: "There's not much to say. Princess Yongfu told me that she conducted an experiment over the past two years and found that cotton that has been topped yields much higher yields. So, I led the villagers to do it this way! By the way, topping cotton is best done in June! As for the rest, there's really nothing else to say."
The county magistrate was greatly surprised: "Princess Yongfu, is she the daughter of Princess Yulin?"
The old clan chief said, "That's exactly right."
The magistrate asked in surprise, "If I remember correctly, Princess Yongfu is only twelve years old this year, isn't she?"
The old clan chief said, "That's right, this child is only twelve years old, but like her mother, she is very interested in farming. She has cultivated a small plot of land in Xiaoshitan and planted several kinds of crops as an experimental field. The fact that topping cotton increases yield is the result of her experiment. This child is both intelligent and kind; she is a very lovely and good child!"
The magistrate was very excited. Upon returning to the county office, he immediately wrote a memorial and personally sent it to his mentor in the capital, the Minister of Works, asking him to present it to the Emperor for his perusal.
The emperor was both surprised and delighted after reading the magistrate's report.
The daughter of the Princess of Yulin is also so extraordinary! He is very willing to see new discoveries and innovations in agriculture, and he has no doubts about the pioneer.
Increased crop yields, especially cotton, meant that the people and soldiers of the Western Liang Kingdom were not far from having warm clothes to wear! In the past, cotton yields were extremely low; the harvest from one acre of cotton was far less than that from rice or wheat. Therefore, very few people were willing to cultivate cotton on a large scale. Consequently, cotton prices were extremely high, and ordinary people could not afford cotton coats.
The common people's thick coats were stuffed with straw, scraps of cloth, or willow catkins. Although they were called thick coats, they were not warm at all. In the extremely cold winter, the elderly and children with weaker constitutions often could not survive the harsh winter.
Furthermore, the soldiers on the other side of the border, both in the northwest and northeast, suffered greatly every winter. Often, they had to fight the enemy in the snow wearing only thin coats. Many of them didn't actually die from the enemy, but from the cold.
Now, Yongfu has brought immense blessings to the Western Liang Kingdom! Such a great achievement must be rewarded, and rewarded handsomely.
The Emperor said to the Empress, "Empress, you say that Yongfu has made such a great contribution, what kind of reward should I give her?"
The Empress thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yongfu lacks neither money nor jewels; she lacks nothing. Why not bestow upon her a pardon from death?"
The Emperor smiled and nodded: "Very well. She invented the waterwheel last time, and this time she has made such an innovation, bringing great benefits to the Western Liang Kingdom. Giving her a pardon is not an exaggeration!"
The Emperor had already investigated the waterwheel incident and found out that it was Princess Yongfu who had orchestrated it. However, neither Prince Duan nor Princess Yulin wanted their daughter to steal the limelight, so they attributed the credit to Prince Duan.
The angel, carrying a large quantity of jewelry, cloth, and a pardon, arrived at Wuliping and Xiaoshitan.
Jin'er knelt down respectfully: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"
He accepted the pardon with utmost respect.
The angel exclaimed sincerely, "Princess Yongfu is intelligent and wise, and has made such great contributions to the country and its people, bringing immense benefits to the vast majority of the people of Xiliang. His Majesty has decreed that Princess Yongfu should continue her efforts and strive to bring even greater benefits to the country and its people!"
Dozens of villagers poured into the small stone pool.
The old clan chief led everyone to kneel down, shouting, "Long live the princess! Thank you, princess! Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!"
The old clan chief understood that only if the Emperor himself expressed his hope that Jin'er would continue her efforts would Jin'er be able to act without too many reservations and strive to bring greater benefits to the people.
Jin'er took charge and gave the angel three hundred taels of silver, and also allowed him to take away over a hundred bananas. Some of these bananas were already yellow, some were ninety percent yellow, and some were seventy percent yellow.
The angel was overjoyed: "Thank you, Princess! This old servant is in for a treat!"
This was the first time he had ever had the chance to eat a banana that had turned yellow on the tree.
The pardon granted to Jin'er can be used three times. That is, she has three chances to escape death. This type of pardon is the most valuable among all pardons. Ordinary pardons only offer one chance to escape death.
Prince Duan and Zisu exchanged a glance, both seeing relief and joy in each other's eyes.
This means that the Emperor's wariness of the Prince Duan's residence is gradually fading.
That's excellent! All those years of cutting so many shops haven't been in vain. "Money gone, life at peace"—that saying seems quite true and makes a lot of sense.
In an instant, Princess Yongfu became famous throughout the land.
However, it was just a discovery that the cotton needed to be topped; it wasn't anything major. So, apart from the farmers being extremely grateful to Princess Yongfu, there wasn't much of a strong reaction from the others.
Conversely, the ladies who wanted to marry her as their daughter-in-law suddenly lost interest in her. A girl who always thought about crops, no matter how noble her status, was not good enough for their precious sons.
Zisu was a little impatient: "This is really bad! Jin'er's pool of potential husbands has been greatly reduced! Many ladies who used to be interested in her no longer send invitations to her door, and they no longer personally come to Wuliping to invite her to any flower festivals!"
In the past, every month, a dozen or so ladies and young women would travel from the capital. Ostensibly, they would go to the scenic garden for sightseeing, but in reality, they would come to Xiaoshitan to curry favor with Zisu's family. Their most important purpose was to ask for Jin'er's hand in marriage for their sons.
Jin'er is twelve years old. At this age, there are many people who are engaged.
Prince Duan waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, how could my daughter not be able to get married? I wouldn't even look at those families who aren't interested! This is just right, like gold being sifted from sand, the bad ones are gone, and those who remain are almost all good ones!"
Back then, weren't you also considered a country girl and looked down upon by those noble ladies? Yet, countless fine men admired you and wanted to marry you. If I had returned from the Northwest a few years later, you might have already been married to a very good man!
Zisu couldn't help but roll her eyes at him: "Where is that? Back then, not many people wanted to marry me. I remember that you were the only one who stayed with me all along."
Prince Duan couldn't help but burst into laughter: "That's because I declared that I would marry no one but you, and those people dared not compete with me because of my power and status. Otherwise, the threshold of the Protector General's Mansion would have been worn down by matchmakers!"
After hearing what he said, Zisu thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true. With this thought, her heart felt a little more at ease.
That's right, Shangguan Zisu's daughter is excellent in every way, how could she not get married? There will always be a good man with good taste who will take a liking to her.
In the blink of an eye, several years have passed. Jin'er turned fifteen and grew up to be incredibly graceful and beautiful, like a delicate and ethereal water lily or a vibrant wild azalea. Wherever she went, she always turned heads!
---The new story will be updated tonight, but it will be a little late. I apologize.