Royal Gold Magistrate

Five hundred ninety-four catties – this number had already made the vast majority of people present feel dizzy.

This was truly a case of one mu being stronger than two!

However, the final result was not yet announced. Basket after basket of sweet potatoes were still being carried to the scale.

“Six hundred twenty-two catties!”

“Seven hundred eighty catties!”

“Nine hundred ninety-one catties!”

At this point, Emperor Jing’s entire body began to tremble.

Not just eight hundred catties… not just eight hundred catties! Fang Zheng had actually underestimated it!

Seeing this momentum, breaking a thousand catties was already a sure thing!

Emperor Jing held a sweet potato in each hand, rubbing them vigorously, as if cradling a newborn son.

His eyes radiated a soul-stirring brilliance.

A thousand catties per mu! A thousand catties per mu! If he had this thing, the kings of Great Jing’s history… no, the kings throughout history would all pale in comparison to him!

This was an unparalleled achievement!

From this day forward, he would be the greatest emperor in history! The sage of the ages…

Emperor Jing watched the field ridges with trembling eyes. The farmers in the field were still digging, sweating profusely. String after string of sweet potatoes were being continuously unearthed from the ground, as if in endless supply.

“One thousand one hundred twenty-three catties!!!”

Zhang Dongxiang suddenly fell to his knees in a daze, staring at the sweet potatoes still being continuously transported to the scale. He couldn’t help shedding tears, muttering to himself.

Beside him, Li Yansong and Zheng Qiao also couldn’t help but wipe their tears.

“Heaven bless our Great Jing, heaven bless our Great Jing!!” Someone couldn’t help but start wailing loudly.

This atmosphere quickly infected everyone.

What did it mean for the yield to exceed a thousand catties per mu?

One mu of land could be used as three, and the commoners throughout the land would no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold.

Everyone would have food to eat… For an agriculture-based society, was there any higher pursuit than this?

The commoners had been starving for far, far too long. This painful memory stretched and spanned over a thousand years, up until today.

The fear of hunger was deeply imprinted on everyone like a brand.

Every year, there would be countless people dying of starvation. The commoners always looked sallow and emaciated, like walking corpses.

No one understood this more deeply than Fang Zheng.

Early on, even after he had already put in a tremendous effort, he still couldn’t save the commoners around him from starving to death one by one.

Especially as the county magistrate, the hopes of the people all rested on him alone. This kind of painful memory was even more unforgettable.

“One thousand five hundred twenty-seven catties!!!”

Fang Zheng’s voice also began to turn shrill, unable to help being infected by the atmosphere around him.

This number had already exceeded his expectations, but looking at the progress of the work below, it still wasn’t finished.

This scene made him feel involuntarily moved.

Emperor Jing was completely fired up!

He felt like lightning had struck his body, followed by his blood boiling. This kind of intense experience could only be felt in the past when he unified the world. Today, he unexpectedly experienced it again in this little Taoyuan County.

Emperor Jing excitedly walked to Fang Zheng’s side, his steps a bit unsteady. He reached out and heavily slapped Fang Zheng’s shoulder.

“One thousand six hundred catties!”

The frequent announcements made Fang Zheng’s voice a bit hoarse.

The harvest in the field was entering its final stage. The farmers were still continuously searching the ground for any overlooked sweet potatoes, afraid of affecting the final weight.

But… everyone was already completely satisfied.

This was enough. This trip was not in vain, unforgettable for a lifetime.

“One thousand seven hundred thirty-three catties!”

The final result was out. What Fang Zheng said before was still conservative. When he initially told Emperor Jing, it was eight hundred catties. Now the harvest was almost a thousand catties more than that.

Li Yansong fell to his knees with a thud, choking with sobs. “Heaven bless our Great Jing… Your Majesty… May our Great Jing’s reign last ten thousand years…”

With so much food, not only would the commoners no longer have to suffer from famine, even the court’s military horses could be expanded several times over!

One mu exceeded the effect of five mu. Just based on this merit alone, it had already far surpassed the ancestors!

“From this day forward, there will be no more hunger throughout our Great Jing. This is all thanks to the protection of the heavens and Your Majesty’s great fortune!”

Fang Zheng gasped. This old thing actually stole my lines?

Before he could think of opening his mouth to add a few words…

The others all followed suit and knelt down, laughing and crying at the same time. Flattery spewed forth like a rainbow.

Fang Zheng stared blankly, then felt very indignant.

A bunch of bootlickers, I look down on you all!

Emperor Jing looked at the sea of kneeling people, raised his head, and took a deep breath with closed eyes, calming his excited mood.

He opened his eyes again and looked at the basket of sweet potatoes in front of Fang Zheng, solemnly asking, “How is this thing eaten? Can it be a staple food?”

Fang Zheng nodded. “It can! Not only can it be a staple food, but there are also various ways to eat it. Pan-fry, stir-fry, steam, deep-fry – however you make it, it’s delicious. It tastes much better than the crude grains the commoners eat!”

What staple food or not…

The starving commoners weren’t even considered human. As long as it was edible and non-toxic, it could be a staple food!

Although sweet potatoes tasted pretty good at first, eating them for a long time might not be as good as crude grains and such. Eating too much could make one feel sick…

But fortunately, starch could also be extracted to make sweet potato flour, so there was absolutely no problem using it as a staple!

Moreover, the imagination of the commoners was boundless. They would always be able to come up with various ways to match and cook up new flavors. Fang Zheng had no doubt about this at all.

Emperor Jing let out a long breath upon hearing this, his heart surging with endless joy. He nodded repeatedly. “Good! Minister Fang, you have rendered a great service by presenting this divine thing! With you, I have much less to worry about. Good! Really good!”

He picked up a sweet potato from the basket and rubbed it again, unable to resist sniffing it. “This thing is truly a supreme treasure… If I had known about it earlier, I would have been willing to exchange all my private stash for this Prosperity Potato.”

Fang Zheng got excited. “Really?”

“Hmm?!”

“……….”

Fuck! Hypocrite!

Fang Zheng suddenly felt his neck turn a bit cold. As soon as he heard ‘private stash’, he got excited. Just how much money did the emperor have in private? He didn’t even dare imagine!

Then he hurriedly said with enthusiasm, “Your Majesty! Since we’ve all witnessed the birth of this thing today, why not bring some back and let everyone taste the flavor of this Prosperity Potato together?”

Emperor Jing laughed cheerfully. “Good! Good! I can hardly wait. Take a portion of these Prosperity Potatoes and cook them. Send the rest back to the Imperial Farm! You dispatch a few more people to go back with me. All the land on the Imperial Farm should be planted with this thing!”

After saying that, he happily boarded the carriage with his hands behind his back, still holding two sweet potatoes.

Li Yuanzhao also excitedly walked over to Fang Zheng. “Old Fang! I really didn’t expect, this red…”

Before he could finish, Fang Zheng quickly covered his mouth.

Damn, if you let it slip here, wouldn’t my reputation be ruined for nothing?

Then he brushed Li Yuanzhao aside and walked straight to Li Miaohan, smiling. “Princess, this Prosperity Potato tastes especially sweet and fragrant. Later, if you like eating it, I’ll send some more to Mingluan Palace.”

Li Yuanzhao called out dissatisfiedly behind him, “I want to eat it too! Why don’t you send it to the Eastern Palace!”

Fang Zheng waved dismissively. “Fine, fine! I’ll send you a whole load to stuff your face with!”