Chapter 24: The Cunning Cao Ying

  Nuclear missiles, these powerful and absolute weapons, Zhao Yan won't make. Airplanes, cars, these tools that can bring about earth-shaking changes to the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yan also won't make. But when Empress Gao asked him what he could do, Zhao Yan unexpectedly said he had learned painting, which made Zhao Shu and Zhao Xun almost spit out a mouthful of old blood at the same time. At the same time, they were even more certain that Zhao Yan was their son and brother, because only such a prodigal son would be foolish enough to enter a treasure mountain but return empty-handed.

  "Yan'er, apart from learning painting, what else have you learned?" Zhao Shu asked weakly. Originally, he was already very happy that Zhao Yan had such a rare and wonderful encounter, but thinking about those powerful weapons and tools made his heart ache secretly, and he even silently cursed Lü Dongbin and Chen Tuan in his heart. He had four sons, and apart from Zhao Yan, any of the other three would probably be much stronger if brought to that world.

  "I... I still know some medical skills, but to use the various medicines in that world, the one used by Big Brother is just one of them. It's just that I came back too hastily and only brought this kind with me!" Zhao Yan said, his voice laced with guilt. He now had a feeling of owing an apology to the Song Dynasty government and its people, thinking that someone like him, a defective product, shouldn't have crossed over.

  "Is that all?" Zhao Shu had already given up on his son Zhao Yan, such a great opportunity, he only learned a little painting skill and medical skills, it was really disappointing. However, Zhao Shu forgot that if not for Zhao Yan's medical skills and medicine, perhaps Zhao Xun would still be between life and death. People's desires are endless, when they get one thing, they always crave for something better, this is true even for Emperor Zhao Shu himself.

  Zhao Yan thought seriously for a moment, and finally shook his head in Zhao Shu's disappointed gaze, with a ashamed face: "No more."

  Zhao Shu and Zhao Gong, father and son, were truly disappointed. They had originally held high hopes that Zhao Yan could bring some new ideas to the Great Song Dynasty and change its unfavorable situation. Unfortunately, Zhao Yan was unreliable and learned useless things when he returned, which was consistent with his previous character. This made them want to get angry but couldn't.

  "Maybe... the Duke brought something else?" Just as Zhao Shu and his son were about to give up, Cao Ying, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "A few days ago, didn't the Duke plant two kinds of crops and say they could yield a thousand catties per mu? At that time, I thought the Duke was joking, but now it seems that these two crops may really be able to yield a thousand catties per mu."

  "A crop that yields a thousand catties per mu!" Zhao Shu and Zhao Xun both exclaimed, then turned to Zhao Yan at the same time and asked: "Yan'er (Third Brother), did you really bring back such a crop?"

  Zhao Yan heard this and also slapped his forehead, saying: "I almost forgot, I did bring these two crops with me. One of them has already been planted, but because the number of seeds for these two crops is too small, it will take several years to cultivate them before they can be promoted on a large scale!"

  Just now Zhao Yan was also asked by Zhao Shu and Zhao Xuan, and actually took out two important crops, corn and pumpkin. This will become the most important evidence for him to meet the immortal, with these two things, who dares to say he didn't meet the immortal!

  Zhaoyan said, and immediately called Xiaodouya to bring two servants to his room to fetch the pumpkin and corn seeds he had planted. However, Zhao Shu was still worried, so he also asked several palace guards to go together to protect them. Although Zhaoyan thought that his royal mansion was very safe, seeing Zhao Shu's concerned expression, he didn't say anything.

  Before long, Xiaodou brought over the box with the pumpkin seeds and a small bag of corn seeds. The pumpkins had already sprouted, and several green shoots were growing out of the damp sandy soil, looking very vigorous. As for the corn, it hadn't been planted yet, mainly because the rain in recent days was too heavy, and Zhao Yan was afraid that if they were planted, they would all be drowned to death.

  "Father, look, these are the two crops I brought back, they're called corn and sweet potatoes..."

  Zhao Yan gave a detailed introduction to corn and sweet potatoes, especially their yields. As a result, Zhao Shu and his wife were shocked, their mouths hanging open in amazement. The yield of just one mu of corn was more than double that of rice, while the yield of sweet potatoes was even higher, with at least 1,000 jin per mu even after drying.

  Only then did Zhao Shu listen to Zhao Yan's introduction, and he was so excited that he turned around the room a few times before finally stopping and solemnly saying to Zhao Yan: "Yan'er, you can bring these two magical grains to our Great Song Dynasty, which is already a great achievement. With them, our Great Song Dynasty will never be hungry again."

  At this point, Zhao Shu paused for a moment and showed a firm expression, saying: "It's precisely because these two crops are too important, so I must bring them into the palace to cultivate them. As for you, Yan Er, if you want any reward, just speak up, as long as it's something I can give, I won't be stingy!"

  When Zhao Xun said he wanted to take the corn and pumpkin away, Zhao Yan felt a pang of heartache. After all, these were things he had brought from his own time. However, reason told him that having high-yielding crops like corn and pumpkin in his own hands would only allow him to taste familiar flavors from his own time. But if they were put in Zhao Xun's hands, they could feed the entire population of the world.

  Thinking of this, Zhao Yan solemnly bowed to Zhao Shu and said: "Father, these two crops are related to the livelihoods of all people under heaven. Although I am not talented, I also know what is important and what is not. I don't want to use these things to gain rewards, but they have special meaning to me. Can you leave some seeds for me, so I can plant them at home? In the future, when I think of my dream life, I will have something to hold onto."

  "Haha, no problem, corn and pumpkin were originally brought by you, leaving some for you is reasonable. Moreover, for these two crops, probably only you know their habits in the entire Song Dynasty. So today I will send someone to ask for your advice on how to plant them!" Zhao Shu said with a big laugh. Although Zhao Yan couldn't manufacture nuclear bombs and airplanes, which was a bit disappointing, but these two things that could feed the people were absolutely not inferior to nuclear bombs and airplanes in Zhao Shu's eyes.

  But just then, unexpectedly to everyone, Cao Ying suddenly spoke up: "Father, if it weren't for my daughter-in-law reminding me just now, I'm afraid the Duke would not have thought of corn and pumpkin either. So I also want some rewards!"

  "Oh? What reward do you want?" Zhao Shu was in a good mood now, and although Cao Ying's initiative to offer a reward was somewhat presumptuous, as long as it wasn't an excessive demand, he wouldn't be stingy.

  "It's not really a reward, it's just that the county king's daughter-in-law was ignorant before and made a bet with these two crops. If the daughter-in-law loses, she has to listen to everything the county king says. At the time, the daughter-in-law agreed carelessly, but now it seems that this gamble is doomed to lose, so the daughter-in-law wants to ask her father to take charge and cancel this bet!" Cao Ying said with a smile.

  Just now, after Cao Ying finished listening to Zhao Yan's "strange encounter", she immediately thought of her previous bet with Zhao Yan. According to the original bet, if the corn and pumpkin reached the yield that Zhao Yan said, then no matter what Zhao Yan asked her to do in the future, she would have to do it without any refusal. However, now it seems that Zhao Yan did not lie, and even these two crops are related to the gods. In this case, Cao Ying has lost for sure, but she is not willing to give up, so she took the initiative to remind Zhao Yan, wanting to let Zhao Shu take charge of canceling this bet.

  Zhao Yan understood what Cao Ying meant, no wonder she was so kind just now, it turned out that she wanted to go back on her previous bet, which made him very angry. He immediately turned his head and glared at Cao Ying, but unfortunately, the other party didn't even look at him.

  "Haha, what was I thinking? It turns out it's this kind of thing. Yan'er is really reckless, knowing the yield of corn and pumpkin, yet still using them to bully your newlywed wife. It's not right, and you should have some self-control. Luckily, Cao Shi is from a good family and has guts, so she can't just listen to everything you say. As your father, I'm taking charge now. The bet you made last time is cancelled!" Zhao Shu didn't even wait for Zhao Yan to speak before agreeing, it seems he still doesn't trust his son and thinks that with Cao Ying's management, he can prevent Zhao Yan from reverting back to his old ways.

  Zhao Yan wanted to object, but unfortunately Zhao Shu didn't listen at all. Instead, he let Cao Ying instruct someone to bring over breakfast. With a good mood and a good appetite, his hunger from earlier was alleviated. This made Zhao Yan shut her mouth in frustration. When Zhao Shu wasn't paying attention, Zhao Yan leaned into Cao Ying's ear and said with hatred: "You think you're clever, dodging this bullet, but don't be too pleased with yourself. Sooner or later, I'll make you know who the real master of the Wang Fu is!"

  After breakfast, Zhao Shu unexpectedly gathered a three-thousand-strong imperial guard to arrive at the Duke's mansion. This army was not there to protect Zhao Shu and his wife, but rather to protect the corn seeds and pumpkin seedlings. Accompanying them were several experienced agricultural technical officials who asked Zhao Yan in detail about the habits of corn and pumpkins, as well as their cultivation methods. In fact, Zhao Yan didn't have much experience with this either, but having taught in a village before, he had heard some things, which he now told them all about. Those officials carefully recorded everything down.

  In the afternoon, Zhao Yan gave another injection to Zhao Xun who was still in the Wang Fu. At this time, Zhao Xun had basically no major problems, so after the injection, he was sent back to his Yingwang Fu. Before leaving, Zhao Xun made an appointment with Zhao Yan to invite him to dinner at his residence, and they would have a good chat as brothers, also to thank Zhao Yan for saving his life.

  The imperial court of the Great Song Dynasty has no secrets to speak of. The discussions among several officials in the imperial court yesterday were spread all over the streets today. Zhao Heng, the future emperor, is the focus of everyone's attention. When he fell ill and was on the verge of death, many imperial physicians were at a loss, but he was eventually cured by Zhao Yan, a young nobleman. The news spread quickly, and ordinary people were delighted to hear about it. However, scholars, who are the main force behind public opinion, did not pay attention to this matter. They do not believe that someone like Zhao Yan would understand any medical skills, and some even regarded this as a joke. Moreover, they soon forgot about this incident because another strange rumor emerged among the literati.