Jia Yuanchun truly dared not make decisions for herself anymore, for she was no longer the Virtuous Consort Xian De, but Yang Hong's woman.
Some matters required her to consult Yang Hong, even though he granted her and her sisters considerable freedom.
"Baoqin, take my identity token and return to consult him on this matter."
"Yes."
She was not joking. She directly produced a token in front of the Jia family members and handed it to her maid, Baoqin.
Baoqin understood who she was to consult. Taking the token, she left without another word.
"Sister, spare my life, sister?"
"Your Highness, for the sake of family, please spare us."
Jia Zhen and Jia Lian knelt before Jia Yuanchun, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Hmph! You two beasts, what were you thinking before? To harbor such lewd thoughts about your own sisters? Truly unforgivable."
Old Madam Shi knew her grandson's general character and guessed that things were not as simple as Jia Zhen described, but they were her descendants after all, and she had to defend them to some extent.
"Eldest girl, you have changed so much in this past year. You look like a young woman in her early twenties now. No wonder they..."
"Old Ancestor, I have brought some good things. Let me introduce them to you. Qin Yun, bring the items forward."
Jia Yuanchun understood Old Madam Shi's intentions, but she did not wish to agree.
She did not want to lose Yang Hong's favor over a few lecherous men.
Her transformation from a middle-aged appearance in her thirties to that of a young maiden had actually taken only three days.
Yang Hong had cultivated with her for three days, advancing her cultivation to the fourth level of Qi Refining, and also helping her undergo a complete transformation.
Otherwise, even with her Qi Refining cultivation, she would have retained her appearance as a mature woman in her thirties.
No woman dislikes beauty, especially a concubine who came from the deep palace.
However, she believed that with Yang Hong's character, he would not go on a killing spree.
"Old Ancestor, let me tell you about these items."
"Firstly, these are three types of seeds: high-yield rice, high-yield wheat, and high-yield millet seeds."
"These are even better seeds than the high-yield varieties currently being promoted by the imperial family, with yields about thirty percent higher."
"Thirty percent! Thirty percent higher than the current high-yield seeds?"
Jia Zheng, who had been silent since Jia Yuanchun's arrival, suddenly asked in surprise.
"Yes, Father. It's at least a thirty percent increase."
Jia Yuanchun nodded seriously.
She knew Jia Zheng might know some things, so she hadn't deliberately discussed them too much with him after returning.
"The current high-yield rice yields seven hundred jin per mu. An additional thirty percent would be over nine hundred jin. High-yield wheat yields eight hundred jin per mu. With a thirty percent increase, this... this means yields will exceed a thousand jin per mu! Millet yields are slightly lower, but still six hundred jin. A thirty percent increase would bring it to about eight hundred jin."
"Heavens, a thousand jin per mu!"
"Nine hundred jin per mu for rice is also astounding!"
"Millet currently yields at most three hundred jin per mu. An increase to eight hundred jin? Is this true?"
Exclamations continuously arose within the Rongxi Hall.
Even if the Jia family members were not accustomed to physical labor, they were aware of basic farmland yields.
After all, in the feudal era, farmland was the foundation of everyone's survival, whether they were peasants, slaves, landlords, or nobles.
"Your Highness, does His Majesty know that you brought these seeds back?"
Jia Zheng asked with a slight tremor in his voice.
He had been to the pavilion of Ignored Warnings and knew that Jia Yuanchun still resided in the Cold Palace, and she lived with Prince Yang Hong, the prince of the Cold Palace.
"Father, rest assured. His Majesty will not begrudge these seeds at all."
"Moreover, this time, all seven of us have been released to visit our families again, and we have all received these three types of seeds as rewards."
Jia Yuanchun spoke half-truthfully and half-deceptively, then changed the subject, not wanting Jia Zheng to reveal too much.
"Oh, and this seed. This is a special reward for our Jia family."
As she spoke, Jia Yuanchun opened another smaller cloth bag, revealing the seeds within.
"Is this... are these watermelon seeds?"
Old Madam Shi curiously picked up a seed and asked uncertainly.
"They are indeed watermelon seeds. However, these are not ordinary watermelon seeds. These watermelons can weigh as little as thirty jin and as much as a hundred jin."
"What! A hundred jin?"
Old Madam Shi gasped.
This was astonishing. Watermelons existed in this world, but they typically weighed only around ten jin. Those exceeding fifteen jin were considered giant watermelons. How astonishing would a hundred-jin watermelon be?
"Old Ancestor, this watermelon is my sole exclusive reward, and it is also His Majesty's reward for the Jia family."
"Exclusive? Reward?"
Jia She, standing nearby, suddenly asked, his eyes gleaming. Exclusive meant a lot of money.
"It's exactly as Eldest Uncle thinks."
Jia Yuanchun nodded at Jia She, understanding his small thoughts.
"Here are a hundred seeds. I will entrust them to Eldest Uncle for cultivation. In the future, such giant watermelons, apart from the imperial family, will only be possessed and sold by our Jia family. If anyone dares to steal these seeds, they will die!"
Jia Yuanchun's tone was calm, but her words held a chilling implication.
"Good, good, good! This will be a stable source of income for our Jia family. I will protect it well, even at the cost of my life!"
Jia She suddenly stood up, displaying an unusual assertiveness.
"Good, Eldest Uncle. I am pleased you have such resolve. I believe His Majesty will also be pleased."
Jia Yuanchun smiled faintly. This was the kind of person she needed.
"Eldest girl, let me cultivate these three high-yield crops."
Jia Zheng quickly offered, having understood some of Jia Yuanchun's implied meaning.
Jia Yuanchun was indeed sent out of the palace with a mission, and there was even a certain degree of competition among the seven of them.
"Father, your temperament is likely unsuitable. You should find an honest and diligent family disciple to be responsible."
Jia Yuanchun shook her head and did not agree, having some understanding of her father's capabilities.
"This... all right."
Jia Zheng sighed dejectedly. Although he felt a bit resentful, he dared not argue.
"Eldest girl, who do you think is suitable to cultivate these high-yield crops?"
Old Madam Shi asked curiously.
"Jia Yun from the second aunt's family on the back street is an honest child. Let him be in charge. Also, Jia Cong and Jia Huan should go too. Consider it as experience."
Although Jia Yuanchun could not leave the Cold Palace, she could have Eunuch Old Wang help her gather information from the Pavilion of Ignored Warnings. Therefore, she knew roughly about some matters concerning the Jia family.
"Very well. I will summon these three children to see you later."
Seeing that Jia Yuanchun had a plan, Old Madam Shi no longer pressed.
Instead, she held Jia Yuanchun's hand and spoke intimately, hoping Jia Yuanchun would forget about Jia Zhen and Jia Lian.
However, her intentions were in vain.
As the sun began to set, nearing dinnertime, the maid Baoqin returned, bringing Yang Hong's opinion.
"Your Highness, His Majesty's intention is that these individuals are at your disposal, as they are members of the Jia family. However, as a price for offending him, he wants You Shi and Feng Jie."
"What? How can he do this?"
"Shameless tyrant!"
You Shi and Wang Xifeng, who had been summoned to attend the discussion, simultaneously cursed. Everyone else wore expressions of anger.
Yang Hong's condition was truly outrageous.
"Heh heh, His Majesty anticipated your reaction. Therefore, he also offered another solution."
"What solution?"
Everyone asked in unison.
Even Jia Yuanchun was somewhat curious.