Royal Gold Magistrate

The sweet potato was undoubtedly a divine tool.

Its yield was extremely high, resistant to cold and drought. If planted for just two months, it could grow to the size of a thumb and be ready for use.

During times of famine, it could undoubtedly serve as the main staple food. If one got tired of eating it, it could also be made into starch products, and the residue could be processed into animal feed.

Even the stems and leaves were edible.

Fang Zheng had been yearning for sweet potatoes for several years, seeking but not obtaining.

If grain production didn’t explode, it would be very difficult to free up the labor force nationwide.

No matter how many high-end products Taoyuan County produced, they would be limited to the circle of the rich.

It would be impossible to draw in the majority of laborers, so there was no point in talking about prosperity…

Just like Taoyuan County’s high-end tea, wine, and mirrors, if the common people couldn’t even afford meals, how could they go and purchase these?

If they only supplied wealthy merchants and nobles, Taoyuan County’s production capacity would be sufficient. There was no way to expand production at all.

This was the core contradiction. Now with sweet potatoes, the problem could be easily solved before long!

Moreover, with sweet potatoes, Fang Zheng’s confidence was greatly boosted. He had already made up his mind to continue searching for potatoes and corn.

But looking at the mushy pile of sweet potatoes on the ground, Fang Zheng suddenly felt a bit hesitant.

He could vaguely smell the fragrance of sweet potatoes, but the ones on the ground were a bit too mushy, with some fibrous roots. No wonder Doctor Hu mistook them for ginseng.

Thinking more was not as good as directly tasting. Fang Zheng unhesitatingly picked up the sweet potatoes from the ground and stuffed them into his mouth, carefully savoring…

Seeing this, Li Yuanzhao pursed the corner of his mouth, then hesitantly pinched a handful and stuffed it into his mouth too.

Fang Zheng carefully tasted it and found there was no problem with the flavor, just that the sweetness was a bit light.

But this was not surprising. Ever since coming to Great Jing, all the melons, fruits, and vegetables he ate were far inferior to modern produce in terms of sweetness and flavor.

Obviously, things that hadn’t undergone artificial selection and domestication were all subpar. After all, no animal or plant was born to taste good for humans to eat.

Even the watermelons cultivated in Taoyuan County’s greenhouses were not very sweet, and the watermelons had huge hollow cavities inside. This was clearly a varietal issue.

But there was no doubt that this was a sweet potato!

Li Yuanzhao smacked his lips. “Not bad… But what illness does this thing treat exactly?”

“Treat illness? Right, it can indeed treat illnesses. It specializes in treating poverty and hunger!”

Fang Zheng glanced at Doctor Hu who was still playing dead. He grabbed him and yanked him up. Seeing him hanging his head, Fang Zheng pinched his crotch.

Immediately, Doctor Hu screamed as if he had been electrocuted. Then he said indignantly, “Lord Fang! A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!”

“Cut the crap! Take me to the Imperial Hospital! Find all this ginseng for me! Also explain clearly who procured it!”

With that, he dragged Doctor Hu and walked out.

Li Yuanzhao anxiously said from behind, “Old Fang, what about my sister…”

“Put it aside for now!”

“………………”

The three rushed along the way. Fang Zheng and Li Yuanzhao were full of excitement, while Doctor Hu kept shouting, attracting passersby to turn and look.

Soon the three arrived at the Imperial Hospital. Doctor Hu began flipping through the medicinal ingredients in humiliation.

Only when a box containing three sweet potatoes was brought before Fang Zheng did he finally put his mind at ease.

Pointing to the sweet potatoes in the box, he whispered to Li Yuanzhao, “This is called a sweet potato. It can yield over a thousand catties per mu! If it can be widely planted, there will be peace under heaven.”

“You hold onto it first. I’m afraid that quack will make trouble and cause more unexpected changes…”

Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao’s eyes suddenly widened. He looked at the three ordinary-looking sweet potatoes in the box in astonishment, obviously also recognizing their importance.

He took the box and tucked it inside his clothes, hugging it tightly to his chest.

Seeing Li Yuanzhao’s attentiveness, Fang Zheng also breathed a sigh of relief. He pointed at Doctor Hu and said, “Where is the person who purchased this ginseng?”

Doctor Hu pulled a long face. “I already sent someone to call for him.”

After waiting for a while, an honest and simple-looking young man walked over and bowed to the crown prince.

Fang Zheng directly asked, “You’re the one who bought ginseng from the foreign merchants? What’s your name?”

The honest youth said, “Replying to my lord, this commoner is Song You. That ginseng was indeed purchased by me from foreign merchants some days ago.”

“Where are those foreign merchants now? Do they have other things you haven’t seen before?”

Song You hesitated. “Those foreign merchants had a very rare appearance. They probably arrived in Great Jing by accident. We couldn’t communicate with each other. At that time, besides this ginseng, they also sold me many long, rotten radishes. But… many were rotten, so I didn’t take them. Afterwards, those foreign merchants left.”

Long, rotten radishes? Fang Zheng was a bit puzzled. What the hell was this thing?

“What did those radishes look like?”

“They were a bit like radishes, with little bumps on top and tassels…”

Fang Zheng froze. Wasn’t this fucking corn!? What dog fart radish?

The people in the Imperial Hospital were all blind. Damn things! Corn was actually missed like this?

After a long silence, Fang Zheng asked, “Where did you discover those foreign merchants?”

“Jiangling Port.”

“You’re in the palace. Why did you go to Jiangling Port to purchase medicinal ingredients?”

“Replying to my lord, many medicinal ingredients are afraid of spoiling, so they need to be transported by water to be faster.”

Fang Zheng then asked a few more questions, which Song You answered one by one.

In any case, those foreign merchants probably couldn’t be chased back… Meeting them again, who knows when that would be. But obtaining this information was already a huge gain.

If they didn’t come, he could still actively go out and search. At least he could be certain that corn indeed existed in this world.

But Fang Zheng still felt irritated…

He put his arm around Song You and started walking towards the door, saying, “Little Song, you spoke very well. This official appreciates you very much.”

“How many silver taels did you spend on that red… ginseng?”

Song You was a bit scared by his sudden change in attitude and said softly, “Replying to my lord, two thousand taels.”

Two thousand taels to buy three catties of sweet potatoes from a stranger, and he didn’t even recognize what sweet potatoes were. This thing wasn’t worth much in the hands of foreign merchants.

So the claim of two thousand taels was purely to fool idiots. As the purchaser for the palace pharmacy, he was naturally very familiar with prices. Fang Zheng didn’t believe he could do such a foolish thing.

So he said sinisterly, “Is it really two thousand taels? People who lie have to swallow a thousand needles, oh?”

“It’s… it’s true.”

Fang Zheng secretly pointed at the crown prince with one hand. “You see, do you know what the crown prince is holding in his arms?”

“Just now, a palace maid lied in front of the crown prince, so the crown prince cut off her head and was preparing to take it back to plant flowers…”

Song You looked at the crown prince and saw that his arms were indeed bulging. His whole body started shaking, his teeth clenched…

Fang Zheng said sternly, “The reason for finding you today is because the crown prince has already discovered the clue. This official sees that you’re not a bad person and wants to save your life. Don’t be ungrateful. Speak! How much money did you really spend?!”

“T- t- two… taels…”

Fang Zheng snorted disdainfully. Two taels of silver to buy three catties of sweet potatoes. A true fucking sucker!

“Where’s the money?”

Song You tremblingly took out two silver banknotes from his bosom and said in a quavering voice, “My lord, this money… I didn’t dare to spend a single coin!! My lord… save me…”

Fang Zheng collected the two silver banknotes into his sleeve without any change in expression.

“Alright, no need to be afraid. You can go back!”

“My lord’s great kindness and virtue! This commoner will never forget it!”

Hearing this, Song You felt like he had been granted amnesty. He trotted out of the Imperial Hospital.

Then Fang Zheng waved his hand and called Li Yuanzhao over. He took out the two thousand taels of silver banknotes he had just swindled.

He gave one to Li Yuanzhao.

Li Yuanzhao looked at the thousand-tael silver banknote in his hand and blinked. “Old Fang, what do you mean by this? Giving me money again?”

Fang Zheng smiled. “The palace purchaser underreported expenses. These sweet potatoes only cost two taels! But the reported expenditure was two thousand taels. This is the silver I just recovered.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao immediately gnashed his teeth. “These dog-day ones, they even dare to swindle the palace’s money! When I have time, I’ll pull them out one by one!”

“Huh? Didn’t you say two thousand taels? How come there’s only a thousand here? Where’s the remaining thousand taels?”

Fang Zheng put on a serious face and stuffed the remaining thousand taels back into his sleeve. He said solemnly, “I’m saving it for Your Highness!”