CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204: SEEDLING CULTIVATION

Lu Cong and Lu Xuan had a "secret conversation" in the afternoon, which soon reached the ears of Jiang Shaohua.

At that time, Jiang Shaohua was in the storage room of the field manor, watching Chief Clerk Wen register the grains being unloaded from the carriage.

Hearing about it, Jiang Shaohua chuckled and casually ordered, "Keep an eye on them, report any movements."

Qin Hu responded quietly and retreated.

Chen Jinyu, with keen ears, couldn’t help but lean in and whisper, "This Lu County Magistrate seems quite restless."

Jiang Shaohua sneered slightly, "From Fanyang County to Nanyang County, it’s several hundred miles. A round trip takes more than half a month. If he came all the way here, naturally, he has something to ask for."

That’s why he’s clinging tightly to Lu Xuan.

Since the matter involves the Commandery Princess’s biological father, Chen Jinyu refrained from saying more and only whispered, "Lu County Magistrate was disgraced and stripped of his position back then, and the court is very harsh on disgraced officials, so they won’t reinstate them. His son can’t even take the Imperial Examination anymore. He came to the Prince Mansion probably to seek a job. If Lu Junma speaks on his behalf, will the Commandery Princess employ him or not?"

Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "We’ll see then."

Chen Jinyu then fell silent.

After serving as the Commandery Princess Attendant for more than half a year, Chen Jinyu had gradually understood the Commandery Princess’s disposition and temperament. For example, at this moment, the princess surely has a plan in mind but just doesn’t want to say it aloud.

Cui Du, like a diligent bee, carefully opened the sacks of grain in the storeroom, exclaiming with joy from time to time.

Jiang Shaohua walked over with a smile, peeking to see, "What’s this?"

Cui Du, his face brimming with happiness, showed the seeds in his palm to the Commandery Princess, "Look, Commandery Princess, these are pepper seeds."

Pepper is an extremely expensive spice, with the saying in Da Liang that one tael of pepper is worth one tael of gold. Jiang Shaohua, familiar with pepper, looked at them with keen interest, "Are these pepper seeds? Can these be grown?"

Cui Du raised an eyebrow and smiled, "The environment for growing pepper is indeed demanding, so let’s try it in the greenhouse first."

Jiang Shaohua nodded, "If we succeed in the trial planting, we can promote it. Perhaps, the common people could live well by relying on pepper."

The Commandery Princess truly always has the people in her heart.

This is the responsibility and empathy of someone in a high position towards the people! With such a Commandery Princess, it’s Nanyang County’s fortune. Being able to follow the Commandery Princess is also his life’s fortune.

A warm current surged in Cui Du’s heart, and he whispered, "I’ll try my best."

Jiang Shaohua flashed a radiant smile at Cui Du, "Next, it will indeed be hard on you."

"It’s not hard," Cui Du immediately responded without hesitation, "It’s only right to serve and work hard for the Commandery Princess, who treats me with such kindness."

Such overly earnest words of loyalty might sound like sycophancy if said in public. Cui Du quietly swallowed them back.

Jiang Shaohua cast a bright glance over his face and smiled slightly.

It took half a day for the grain to be stored away.

Starting the next day, Cui Du became busy selecting seeds and nurturing seedlings. Though Jiang Shaohua was a Commandery Princess, she wasn’t aloof and joined Cui Du in his work, asking for advice from time to time.

Cui Du held nothing back, patiently and meticulously explaining the secrets of seed selection, "Seeds with a dim color and a hard embryo are mostly old seeds with a low germination rate. Choose new corn seeds that are bright in color and free of insect holes. Their germination rate will be higher."

"Yes, yes, that’s how it’s done. The Commandery Princess has an excellent understanding and understands it at once."

"For selecting sweet potato seeds, choose moderately sized ones with thin skins, and long ones are better than round ones."

Picking seeds doesn’t actually require a high level of technical skill; it mostly requires care and patience. The real challenge lies in nurturing seedlings after selection.

Corn is relatively simple, just sow it directly in the greenhouse and wait for it to sprout. Sweet potato seedlings are much more troublesome. First, cut the sweet potato into three or four pieces and place them in a warm greenhouse to sprout. When they have three or four leaves, transplant them individually. The soil temperature and humidity need to be just right, with timely fertilization and weeding required.

Cui Du was meticulous, recording each step on paper. Since no one could read his handwriting, he added illustrations to it.

The illustrations were straightforward. Even Chen Sheren and Ma Sheren, who knew nothing about farming, understood the sweet potato’s seedling cultivation method. Those who had been farming for years, like Lin Zhuangtou, grasped it immediately and led the people in the field manor to busy themselves for several days.

The newly built greenhouses were all put to use.

Jiang Shaohua stayed in the field manor and visited the greenhouse every day, observing the tender sweet potato seedlings as they emerged from the soil and slowly sprouted leaves. Watching the corn being planted, struggling to break through the soil bit by bit.

That feeling was entirely novel and wonderful. Like waiting for a newborn child, filled with keen hope, the sense of waiting was delightful.

Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng were equally delighted. Unfortunately, busy with Prince Mansion affairs, they only stayed in the field manor for a few days before returning to their duties. Chief Clerk Wen and Yang Shi were the same.

Jiang Shaohua stayed for more than half a month with no intention of returning to the mansion, spending her days wandering in the greenhouse, watching Cui Du busy at work.

"How long before we can transplant them?" Jiang Shaohua gently touched the tender new seedlings, treasuring them as if she was caressing a newborn baby.

Cui Du replied with a smile, "There’s no rush. The new seedlings need to undergo another round of screening. The better the seedlings, the higher the yield."

"This year is the first year of trial planting; all the harvested grain will be used as seeds. If all goes well, next year we can promote it throughout the county."

Jiang Shaohua responded with an "Hmm," her fingertips still gently caressing the sprouts.

Cui Du glanced at her repeatedly, suddenly feeling an itch on his back. He wished he could turn into that sprout...

"What are you thinking?" Jiang Shaohua, not hearing anything for a while, looked up in surprise.

Cui Du blushed slightly and coughed, "Nothing, I was calculating the amount of fertilizer needed per mu of land. I need to figure out a total so Lin Zhuangtou can prepare early."

Jiang Shaohua didn’t think much about it, casually joking, "Just ask if you need anything. By the way, should we build more greenhouses?"

Mentioning building greenhouses, Cui Du became enthusiastic again, "The more greenhouses, the better, of course. However, building greenhouses is expensive, and their post-construction management requires manpower."

Jiang Shaohua laughed, "Why worry about that? I may lack other things, but I never run out of silver. If we need people, we can just select some from the families of the trusted aides."

In short, there would be no shortage of silver or people.

Such living conditions were unimaginable in the past.

Cui Du was overjoyed, "Thank you, Commandery Princess. I’ll write a plan tonight and present it to you tomorrow."

Jiang Shaohua looked at Cui Du’s glowing, excited face and chuckled lightly.

The annual expenditure for maintaining the Prince Mansion’s Personal Guard Camp is an enormous and astounding figure. In comparison, the amount of silver and manpower Cui Du requires is negligible.