The Thirty-Three Houses

  "Great General, I'm certain now. What you brought back is absolutely a freak." Li Shi-ji said to Li Jing who was riding beside him.

  Li Jing smiled and said, "Hao Gong, as long as he is beneficial to the Tang Dynasty, who cares if he's a demon or not? You tell me, the things in his brain, are they better or worse than ours?"

  Li Shimin shook his head reluctantly: "Although it's hard to admit, the things in his mind seem to have opened a new door for the Tang Dynasty and pointed out another bright path. However, I'm worried that if these tasks were originally done by us military men but are now being taken over by civil officials and merchants, will there still be a place for us on the imperial court?"

  Li Jing shook his head and smiled, "You're worrying too much, Sanming is also a military man himself, and he has never denied the value of us martial artists. Don't worry, he will definitely have other better methods. And for the sake of avenging his family and hometown, he was able to set fire to Yin Mountain and kill 30,000 Turks, which shows how much he values relationships. He's a good kid, cold-blooded towards outsiders but very warm towards his own people. I believe in him."

  Li Shimin looked at Li Jing, suddenly revealing a playful smile: "General, now that it's just the two of us talking, I'll be straightforward. You're so optimistic about cultivating him, do you also have the idea of leaving a way out for yourself?"

  Li Jing smiled frankly and nodded: "I have a high position, but I'm in an awkward situation. I don't mind telling you that I'm still alive and well, but I worry about what will happen to my family after I'm gone. My son is incompetent, my grandson is too young, and I'm getting old. If I don't find a good backer for my family, things will be dire when I pass away.

  "I originally just wanted to try out Sanming on a whim, but I never expected to discover such an extraordinary talent. After spending some time with him, I'm certain that he's not inherently bad. He was probably influenced by his master and also lacked proper parental guidance from a young age, which is why he doesn't have normal human emotions and interacts with others differently than other children. He's also quite ruthless towards the Hu people, but it's precisely because of this that he values the hard-won friendship even more. This is what I'm most grateful for. After living for over 60 years, my judgment isn't entirely off."

  Li Shimin seemed to have suddenly remembered something: "Right, General, yesterday I received a message from the Emperor. Sanming's family has been brought to Chang'an and his mansion is being renovated according to the standard of a baron. The mansion in San Yuan County is also under construction. The Emperor had two mansions built for him. As for Dingfang's mansion, it is also being repaired, also in the style of a baron. However, since their hometown is far away in Wuwei, it is inconvenient to go back and forth, so Dingfang's family was brought over together. Now there are only three people left in the Su family: Sanming and Dingfang's mother, and Sanming's younger sister."

  Li Jing smiled and nodded: "The system of earls, yes, it seems that Your Majesty is planning to grant an earldom to both Sanming and Dingfang. I estimate that Dingfang's fiefdom will be in Wuyi, one at the foot of the Son of Heaven, and one in his hometown. The intention to honor the Su family is very clear, and it seems that Your Majesty values Sanming even more!"

  Li Shimin looked at Su Ning and Tang Zong who were having a heated discussion on the side, revealing an ambiguous smile.

  Surprises are like chocolates in a box, you never know what kind of flavor the next one will be or what it will look like; but now Suning knows...

  He had a mansion in Chang'an City and another one in San Yuan County, both built according to the system of earls. It seemed that Emperor Li II was planning to grant himself an earldom, which coincided with Su Ning's intention. He thought it was not good for someone too young to be granted a marquisate, as there would be little room for further advancement later on. Just like Yu Shi Nan, who remained a viscount after all, being too young and lacking a solid foundation made Su Ning worried. As the saying goes, "When birds are gone, bows are stored away." When there was nothing left to reward, killing was the only solution...

  It's not necessary to worry about this for now, Suning is a bit nervous because he found out that Emperor Li sent people to Wu County to bring his and Su Dingfang's family members to Chang'an, to the Duke of Su's mansion. Previously, Suning had already learned from Su Dingfang's mouth that Su Erlang's mother was still alive, and there was also a younger sister who was about two years younger than him, around 12 years old.

  How should I face Su Er's relatives, no, it should be said that my own relatives, what kind of way and mood should I use to treat them? Can they accept me? A chemical suit crosser from over a thousand years later and an original Tang green product from over a thousand years ago, can get along well? Li Jing and Li Shi Ji are irrelevant, won't be together every day, Su Ding Fang is also fine, he is my real ancestor, with the same blood in his body...

  Huh, so it turns out that Su Dingfang and those three women are also related by blood, then wouldn't I be related to them too?

  It seems plausible...

  So that's to say, even if it's across more than a thousand years of space and time, they still have the same blood flowing through their veins, with the same genes, they are all their own ancestors? Being brothers, mothers, sons, sisters with their ancestors, this feeling is truly wonderful! I'm also considered a freaky time-traveler, being able to travel back in time and find my old ancestors, it's also a kind of moral integrity!

  Forget it, let's take things as they come!

  Several days later, the army had entered the Guanzhong region.

  When I first arrived, it was still cold and desolate, with no vitality; but now, nearly two to three months have passed, and it's already the end of March in the fourth year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era. The icy air has disappeared, and with a lower latitude and higher temperatures, spring has arrived, and all things are reviving. The Tang Dynasty has emerged from the suffering of locust plagues and the joy of victory, and has returned to normal.

  All the way to the Guanzhong area, the population center of the early Tang Dynasty, everywhere was full of vitality. Farmers were busy with the most important spring plowing of the year. Su Ning knew that every dynasty attached great importance to spring plowing. The Tang Dynasty would even give officials with land a month's leave for this purpose. The emperor, empress and crown prince would also personally participate in the plowing on a certain day to set an example.

  This kind of political show has been around for a long time. The emperor, empress and crown prince, the three of them can plow how many fields is not worth mentioning, being able to put on a good show is already not bad, Su Ning maliciously wondered whether the land they cultivated could have a harvest of over 100 kilograms per mu.

  Originally, looking at the hardworking laboring people working so diligently in farming, fully demonstrating the Chinese nation's spirit of being diligent, thrifty, and brave, Suning was very appreciative. However, after taking a look at the farmers' methods of farming, Suning shook his head.

  And not to mention what kind of crops are being planted, the farming method they use is doomed to have a very low yield. There are hardly any cattle and horses, basically all human labor! Such heavy farm tools, without using cattle and horses but human power, can't people be exhausted to death? This also wastes manpower and resources, a large number of young and strong people are tied up in the fields and cannot move, no wonder others say that "ten diners extract one" is a poor and brutal way. The low level of productivity has doomed this fate!

  No! The rural labor force must be liberated!

  What's more important is that the wheat they planted has a really low yield. Never mind, didn't Emperor Li give you 800 mu of permanent land? First go and plant those hybrid rice, potatoes, corn and other crops with extremely high yields that you brought back, then widely promote them throughout the Tang Dynasty. The yield of hybrid rice is impressive, let alone potatoes and corn, their yield is incredibly high!

  The emergence of these crops at least guarantees that no one will starve to death without human factors, not to mention anything else. Potatoes, for example, are not very good as a staple food, and eating them every day can be quite boring. If you don't cook them, the taste is really not great. However, in times of severe drought or flood, potatoes are a lifesaver. They can be stored for over a year, and planting them one year can guarantee that even if there's no harvest the next year, people won't starve to death. What a huge contribution!

  Yes! If all these crops were dedicated to Li Er, oh heavens! An agricultural revolution!

  Su Ning suddenly thought of the seeds of those crops in his backpack, how precious they were! There were many that wouldn't be introduced to China for hundreds of years to come. For example, corn and potatoes, oh my god! If these things were spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, as long as they were planted for a few years, the Chinese nation would achieve comprehensive food security and it wouldn't be a dream to become moderately prosperous a thousand years ahead of schedule!

  Su Ning's face suddenly lit up with a big smile, fantasizing about the wonderful life she would have after having the same status as Shennong...

  The army arrived at its destination, took a temporary rest, and the army could receive rewards from the emperor. Important generals and those who made great contributions would be summoned by the emperor to enter the Taiji Hall for a grand court meeting, where they would be rewarded by the emperor in person in front of almost all the important figures of Chang'an, showing respect and honor. Moreover, it was said that the emperor also planned to hold a banquet, a special banquet prepared for the Turkic Khan Ashina Jiesheshuai.

  Emperor Taizong of Tang should have danced himself, the retired Emperor Gaozu of Tang should have played the zither himself, all the famous ministers and generals of the Tang Dynasty should have gotten drunk together, shouting and making a scene, then acting recklessly and doing some things that shouldn't be spoken of to outsiders...

  "Sanming, Dingfang, His Majesty's kindness is profound. I have already arranged for your family members to be brought to the Earl's residence in Chang'an. Time is pressing, so you two will stay together for now. You are also granted a one-day leave to visit your families. Tomorrow, His Majesty will hold a grand court assembly and gather all meritorious officials. You two come to my residence at dawn tomorrow, wearing your military attire. As you have never attended a grand court assembly before, I will bring you along with me. Do you understand?" Li Jing said after handing over the military command, as he came before Su Ning and Su Ding.

  Su Ning and Su Dingfang didn't understand how to attend the grand court meeting, nor what to do next. They were discussing it when Li Jing arrived and solved the problem. Su Ning and Su Dingfang were overjoyed, bowed to Li Jing, and thanked him for his kindness.

  "Second brother, you were separated from your mother just a few months after birth and for over a decade, she never gave up searching for news of you. Now, you two can finally meet again. Your father's spirit in heaven will surely be delighted; when you see your mother, don't forget to call out 'mother'!" Su Dingfang reminded Su Ning with concern.

  Su Ning's heart was beating faster and faster, he really didn't know how to get along with them. He wasn't an orphan, nor had he never experienced family love. It's just that he and his real parents were now separated in two different time and space, how could they meet again? It's likely that they would not meet again in this life. However, he was about to face a strange "mother" and "little sister" again, so what should he do? How should he conduct himself?

  Can I feel at home again?

  Su Ning didn't know, really didn't know...