"It's pure idleness. Go to the fields and work, experience the hardships of the common people, and taste what it's like to go hungry."
Zhao Jiaqi had spoken, and she wasn't just saying it. She immediately had Shi He and Feng Xiao escort the person to the fields, with the two of them watching over them.
Seeing the prince suffer, Fan Mingyue let out a chuckle. The person who feared nothing was finally under someone's control.
Her laughter caught Zhao Jiaqi's attention. Looking at the person with a flat stomach, she curled her lips, "You've been married for so many years, why is there no movement in your belly!"
Fan Mingyue paused slightly, then gave a wry smile, "With the official consort not yet married, how could the prince allow me to give birth to an eldest son or daughter outside of wedlock."
"So stupid!" Zhao Jiaqi tossed this remark and went to the kitchen.
Clever, ruthless person, how could she not even handle a half-baked prince? If she wasn't stupid, what was she?
But none of that mattered. Her daughter was back, and she wanted to cook a few of her daughter's favorite dishes herself.
The thought of her daughter made her mood soar. As for any cats or dogs, she couldn't be bothered.
Fan Mingyue felt scorned and sat on a small stool, resting his chin on his hands and pondering the meaning of his sister-in-law's words. The guards and maids they brought were busy finding places to stay.
The dinner that night was very lavish. The person who hadn't cooked in a long time was a bit rusty, but the taste was still excellent.
Yu Meng took a bite of the boiled fish and praised repeatedly, "It's delicious, it tastes like Mom's cooking. I haven't had Mom's cooking in so long, I've lost weight from hunger! I need to eat more."
Fan Zehao pinched her cheek and nodded seriously, "You have indeed lost some weight, you need to build yourself up."
One was diligently serving food, the other was burying their head in eating. Both father and daughter were very focused.
Zhao Jiaqi surveyed her daughter at the table. Thin?
She looked like she had gained ten pounds, not lost any. Where did she see thinness?
Her husband's eyesight must be bad now, it needs to be treated!
On the side, Huangfu Xu and Huangfu Xian were too tired to correct Yu Meng's words. Both were starving, their backs and chests almost touching, and they were tired. Their waists ached, their arms hurt, and their legs were weak. They truly had no energy to bicker.
Thus, the dinner table lacked much laughter.
The group gathered together, not encountering much good fortune, but plenty of trouble.
In a blink of an eye, over a thousand mu of land had been plowed and improved for salinity as per her method. All that remained was to apply a layer of base fertilizer.
In mid-October, Zhao Jiaqi led over a hundred and sixty people to the mountains for practical instruction.
Zhao Jiaqi held a sea buckthorn fruit, its vibrant red color beautiful. She first explained its medicinal and edible value.
Sea buckthorn was a treasure from root to tip. Even its leaves, when fed to pigs, were an excellent fattening feed.
Over a hundred people listened to her lecture attentively. Even the usually playful and boisterous Pinging was listening carefully.
She had never known her sister-in-law to know so much. She suddenly realized that despite being a princess, she had learned nothing useful. If she were to be abandoned alone in the countryside, she would either starve to death or die of poverty.
"After these more than half a month of practical transplanting, you have all learned quite a bit. From tomorrow onwards, begin transplanting sea buckthorn at a spacing of two meters wide and two meters long!"
A murmur spread through the crowd. They rubbed their hands, eager to show off their skills after learning so much, and see the results of their studies.
As they were discussing, they heard her calling out names from a list.
Ten people formed a group, responsible for a plot of land. This way, those with high survival rates would be rewarded, and those with low survival rates would be punished.
Zhao Jiaqi also wanted to gauge how well these people had learned. Based on their performance, she could decide whether to send them back to carry out land improvement.
The next morning, after breakfast, everyone gathered on the mountain.
Forming groups of ten, they began transplanting. During this crucial time, Zhao Jiaqi stood by them, correcting any mistakes she saw in a timely manner.
Being a teacher was truly tiring.
At lunch, Yu Meng obediently placed a few pieces of meat, with both fat and lean parts, into Zhao Jiaqi's bowl, and instructed her, "Mom is too thin, eat more meat to get stronger!"
Her daughter proactively serving her food warmed her heart immensely, making it bubble with joy. She then served her daughter a few bites of food as well, "Mengmeng, you eat too!"
Fan Zehao secretly winked at his wife, his eyes narrowing into a happy slit. He was so pleased with himself that he could barely find his way.
People always said his daughter was mischievous and ignorant, but in reality, the child understood everything, she was just stubborn. The more you told her off, the less she would cooperate. If you didn't say anything, she would follow you.
After transplanting the sea buckthorn, the next plant was Scrophularia.
Scrophularia was different from sea buckthorn.
Scrophularia required propagation from buds. After a morning of lectures, they were allowed to experiment in the afternoon. To prevent excessive damage to the wild Scrophularia on the mountain, she repeatedly and sternly instructed everyone to learn the technique well.
Although it was bud propagation, the practice hands-on was not done on Scrophularia herbs but on the surrounding wild vegetables.
The next day, the over a hundred people began. The ground, which had been barren, now seemed to have a sense of life after the modifications.
The villagers of Qingshan Village felt that by the time spring arrived next year, the land would present a different scene.
After they finished planting, they covered the ground with a layer of wild grass for warmth.
The work in the fields for this year was finally completed. All that remained was to wait for spring to plant the Apocrynum venetum, and then everything would await flowering and fruition.
In mid-December, snowflakes began to fall. A heated kang bed was lit in the house, and the walls were heated, making the room warm and cozy.
Qiao Chuan, when he had nothing to do, liked to come here to chat. Now that his life was better, his face was ruddy, his body had gained weight, and his hair was neatly combed.
An urgent imperial report, sent eight hundred li from the capital, reached Fan Zehao.
Seeing the memorial submitted by the Prime Minister, his heart pounded rapidly. He thought something had happened in the capital, but it turned out that the vassal state was preparing to send envoys to the capital.
Along with the memorial came a personal letter from the Prime Minister.
It stated that the Crown Prince of the vassal state was coming with the princess, primarily to open up border trade, and secondarily, depending on the situation, they were likely seeking a political marriage.
The Prime Minister had written down his speculations to inform him in advance. Song Xin knew the Emperor best; although he appeared majestic, he was actually most afraid of the Empress.
After reading the letter, Fan Zehao's scalp was damp, and his forehead was covered in sweat. He cautiously glanced at his wife.
Seeing that she was not angry, but merely looked impassive, he sarcastically said, "Quite the romantic fortune, aren't you? I heard the legitimate princess of the Wei kingdom is renowned for her beauty, a peerless beauty whose smile can topple cities and whose second smile can bring down nations!"
"My dear wife, haven't you heard the saying, 'Beauty leads to the downfall of a nation'? I don't want to be a foolish ruler. Besides, having you here is more than enough. Come, let's go wash up and sleep!"
Without further ado, he swept her into his arms and went to bathe. As for the crown prince and princess, he simply cast them out of his mind.
It was almost New Year. Why would they come to Yun country instead of spending the holiday at home!
The next day, after a night of contemplation, Fan Zehao returned to the capital, while Zhao Jiaqi remained to oversee the work in the fields.
"My dear wife, please reconsider. Prince Xian and Prince Xiaoyao are keeping an eye on things here, so nothing will go wrong!"
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. After a night of deep thought, she still couldn't leave. "My husband, although the work in the fields is done, if any problems arise later, all the previous efforts will be in vain. We are on the verge of success, we cannot give up halfway."