A meal at noon, Granny Gu and Gu Jian had almost eaten with stiff faces. They neither dared to talk much with the Emperor nor appeared too eager, fearing that Daohua would detect something and then investigate the Emperor’s identity.
The Emperor also found the meal quite disagreeable. In the palace, he mostly dined alone, accustomed to the silence during meals. Faced with the enthusiastic and chatty Daohua, who incessantly engaged him in mundane conversation, he really felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Especially since this girl was playing mind games in front of him. During idle chatter, she occasionally beat around the bush to inquire about his identity, which made him both amused and exasperated, reminiscent of the mental fatigue of matching wits with the officials at court.
Daohua, on the other hand, was eating quite well. Although Gu strongly dodged her when she asked key questions, she wasn’t disappointed. Through their conversation, she could sense that Gu truly respected her master and granny, and knowing that was enough for her.
Seeing that Granny Gu and Gu Jian were almost done eating, Daohua smiled at the Emperor, noticing that he had barely touched the dishes in his plate, and couldn’t help but ask, "Your Highness, do our home-cooked meals not suit your taste?"
The Emperor, who had only taken a few bites, forced a smile, "No, they’re quite delicious." It was just that he didn’t have the time to eat properly.
Daohua breathed a sigh of relief: "So it seems that Your Highness doesn’t eat much."
The Emperor, feeling indescribable, glanced at Daohua. Didn’t this girl have any idea why he ate so little? If she hadn’t been constantly bombarding him with questions, would he not have dined properly?
Gu Jian didn’t want to see his apprentice dangerously probing further, so he glanced at Caiju, signaling her to clean up the table.
Seeing that Daohua stayed seated, ready to continue playing host, the Emperor silently took a deep breath and, using convenience as an excuse, took the opportunity to slip out of the main room.
As soon as he left, Daohua looked disapprovingly at Granny Gu and Gu Jian: "Master, granny, I know you’re hospitable, but even hospitality should have limits, right? The millennium ginseng is precious, and master, you never indulge in it yourself. Why did you serve it to a stranger today?"
Outside the house, the Emperor referred to as a stranger: "..."
Gu Jian’s mouth twitched: "... Well, I thought, since we didn’t have much to offer..."
Daohua glared: "The meal we just had was abundantly rich, wasn’t it? Caiju even served potatoes."
Granny Gu fell silent: "Well... Didn’t you say potatoes weren’t anything special?"
Daohua: "Potatoes may not be rare, but the thing is, haven’t they just been cultivated recently? Even the Emperor hasn’t had them yet, which makes them rare."
Granny Gu stopped talking then.
Outside, Eunuch An looked at the Emperor and whispered softly, "My lord, should I get Caiju to prepare something else for you to eat?"
The Emperor shook his head: "Forget it, I’ll just end up being lectured by that girl again. Better not trouble ourselves." After saying this, he turned and went into Xiao Yeyang’s room.
Later, when Daohua went back to her room to rest at noon, Gu Jian came over with a bowl of medicinal cuisine.
The Emperor, upon knowing the ingredients of the medicinal cuisine, shook his head, "Uncle, keep this for mother. The palace has plenty of good medicinal herbs, I don’t lack medicinal cuisine."
Gu Jian set the medicinal cuisine in front of him: "I know you’re not short of medicinal herbs, but can you provide those over a thousand years old? Come on, eat up. This medicinal cuisine is very nourishing, and don’t worry about sister, I’ve saved some for her too."
Hearing this, the Emperor no longer resisted. He had been there for a few days now, eating medicinal cuisine every day, and the results were truly good. He had always had trouble sleeping, often waking up during the night, but after taking the medicinal cuisine, he had slept soundly each night until morning, waking up feeling refreshed and invigorated. freewёbnoνel.com
"By the way, uncle, what’s the story with the potatoes? I heard from Dongli that the yield seems to be very high."
Gu Jian smiled and nodded: "Yes, it’s quite high. The estate down the mountain is growing them. I personally went to see their harvest, and one acre yielded about 20 bushels."
The Emperor’s expression brightened, asking eagerly, "The yield is that high?"
Gu Jian nodded: "However, this is also because Daohua takes good care of the fields. Others might not get such high yields."
The Emperor calmed himself: "Even if the yield is halved, it would still be a high-yielding crop." He frowned slightly, "Why hasn’t Yan Zhigao reported this?"
Gu Jian helped explain: "The potatoes have only been harvested recently, and since it’s the first cultivation, many of the conditions are still unclear. Yan Zhigao, being cautious by nature, collected all the potatoes. They are currently being tested throughout Ningmen Prefecture. Probably by the time the next crop is harvested, he’ll report to the Imperial Court."
The Emperor nodded: "Yan Zhigao is still very practical and serious in his work."
Seeing the Emperor’s interest in the potatoes, Gu Jian continued: "Daohua says that potatoes can be planted in two seasons. Her estate is currently planting the next crop; you can go take a look later."
The Emperor was intrigued: "Sure, I’ll go down the mountain to have a look in a while."
...
When Daohua woke up from her nap, Wang Manman went to the kitchen to heat up some water for her to wash her face. That’s when she noticed the medicinal cuisine was missing from the porcelain jar, so she immediately ran to tell Daohua.
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