Chapter 12: Days of Silence (Part 2)

To protect his own purse.

No, to retrieve those two hundred thousand taels of silver as quickly as possible, Emperor Qixuan found an excuse to leave.

As he reached the door, Consort Shu happened to be walking in, carrying a small soup bowl.

Emperor Qixuan walked over and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Wanzhi, I have already sent Zhao Jingwu to the border."

Upon hearing this, the hand Consort Shu used to hold the tray trembled slightly.

Looking at Li Wanzhi’s haggard face and red, swollen eyes, Emperor Qixuan patted her hand comfortingly and promised before leaving, "Everything will be fine."

I hope so.

Consort Shu walked inside, filled with worry.

With the "purse" gone, Chu Yaoyao turned her attention to the Crown Prince.

【Throwing the jade pendant should work too, right?】

Thinking this, she stretched out her little hand tentatively.

The Crown Prince sighed softly. *Forget it, let her be.*

With that thought, he unfastened the jade pendant from his waist. "Does Yaoyao like this?"

Chu Yaoyao grabbed the pendant with both hands, turned around, and hid it under her pillow.

【Since it’s mine now, I guess that’s that.】

Crown Prince:...

*Didn't we agree that you were going to warn us?*

Just as she finished hiding the pendant, she suddenly smelled a fragrance. Chu Yaoyao stared intensely at the soup bowl.

【So fragrant! It’s the smell of chicken soup!】

Consort Shu opened the bowl; it was chicken noodle soup.

Although the ingredients were simple, the Imperial Kitchen’s skills were no joke. An old hen, goji berries, and red dates had been simmered for a full three hours. The chicken was tender, and the noodles, cooked in the chicken broth, were incredibly flavorful.

Being fed by her beautiful mother and having her Crown Prince brother wipe her mouth, Yaoyao ate with great delight.

【Crown Prince brother is so gentle. I wonder which noble lady will be lucky enough to marry him in the future.】

Hearing this, the Crown Prince curled his lips into a faint smile. This little baby had quite the imagination. Noble ladies? He already had someone in his heart.

At the thought of his beloved, his smile faded a little. He didn't even know the girl's name or where she was...

【It would be great if it were the Zhao family’s sister. After all, the Zhao sister truly likes Crown Prince brother.】

The Zhao family?

Could it be Zhao Jingwu’s daughter?

The Crown Prince’s mind conjured an image of Zhao Jingwu—a man with a burly build, dark skin, and a voice as loud as a bell.

If the Zhao daughter took after her father’s appearance...

The Crown Prince shuddered instantly. *Don't think about it, don't think about it...*

"Little sister, Yaoyao little sister!"

Chu You and Chu Yao walked in one after the other.

Chu You had resolved his inner conflict and was now in high spirits.

In contrast, Chu Yao was listless, huddled in a corner, clutching a book to his chest.

【What is that?】

System: *The Thirty-Six Stratagems*. By the way, there’s gossip about the Third Prince. Want to hear it?

Chu Yaoyao’s eyes brightened. 【Must hear!】

System: Yesterday, after the Third Prince returned to the Chendong Quarters, he had two large chests of romance novels dragged out and burned in the courtyard.

System: He also dismissed all the palace maids serving in his sleeping quarters, keeping only a few eunuchs, and declared that from now on, any woman must stay at least a yard away from him.

【Why on earth?】

*Because he was scared by your inner voice, but I’m not telling you that.*

【Could it be... he suffered a heartbreak and developed gynophobia or something? Does it have to be this melodramatic?】

【But at this point in time, he hasn't even met the female lead yet.】

Thinking of the Third Prince’s age, Chu Yaoyao’s expression became complicated. *Ancient people really are... precocious.*

Chu Yao wanted to go up and talk to his sister, but Consort Shu, the eldest brother, and the second brother were all there. He didn't dare approach, so he just hugged his *Thirty-Six Stratagems* tightly.

Seeing Yaoyao in a daze, the others knew she was communicating with the "Immortal" again and consciously remained silent so as not to disturb her.

"Third brother, why are you standing so far away?" The Crown Prince felt something was off with Chu Yao.

"It's nothing. I just think it's cooler over here."

Noticing the item in his arms, the Crown Prince asked again, "What is that?"

Chu Yao revealed the title of the book.

The Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction. "Third brother has grown up; you know how to study hard now. Keep it up, big brother believes in you."

Saying this, he prepared to step forward to share some insights.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step forward, Chu Yao took a step back. He moved forward again...

Chu Yao let out a yelp, turned, and ran. "I still have to go back and study! I'll come visit little sister another day!"

The Crown Prince looked at Chu You in confusion. Chu You shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.

Only Consort Shu looked at Chu Yao’s retreating back, lost in thought.

【Why did he run away again?】

【Forget it, never mind him. Let’s do a draw! Ten consecutive draws first!】

System: Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Glass manufacturing process and formula x1; Braised beef instant noodles (5-pack) x3; "Thanks for playing" x3; Potatoes (10kg) x1; Sweet potatoes (10kg) x1.

System: Congratulations to the host for drawing a special item: Favorability Monitor. You can see the favorability rating of each person toward the host above their heads.

【Favorability?】

The system didn't answer; it had probably gone offline again.

Chu Yaoyao looked at everyone one by one. Above her beautiful mother’s head was a red heart, showing 100 points.

【Hehe, beautiful mother, Yaoyao loves you too. Love you, mwah!】

Hearing this sudden declaration of love, Consort Shu froze for a moment, then her face flushed slightly. *What did the Immortal tell Yaoyao this time?*

*A young girl, how can she just say those words so casually?*

*It’s really... so embarrassing...*

Chu Yaoyao turned her gaze to her Crown Prince brother. Hmm, one-third of a red heart, 85 points.

The second brother had a quarter of a red heart, a bit lower than the Crown Prince.

Sister Chunshi actually had 100 points. To have such high favorability toward her showed just how loyal she was to her mother.

After testing her new "cheat" on the people in the room, Chu Yaoyao continued to look down the list.

【Glass?】

【Second brother is in the Ministry of Works; this formula is perfect for him to research.】

Looking at the other familiar red packaging, Yaoyao couldn't stop her saliva from flowing. 【Slurp, slurp, instant noodles!】

Rubbing her full little belly, Yaoyao sighed. *If I had known, I wouldn't have eaten so much.*

Glass?

Instant noodles?

The three people who heard Yaoyao’s inner voice were all curious, but before they could think deeply, they heard

【Potatoes? Are they trying to add a dish for me? And roasted sweet potatoes, those are my absolute favorite!】

System:...

*Still thinking about food! Did this one forget she came here because of a roasted sweet potato?*

System: A reminder: the potatoes and sweet potatoes are high-quality varieties. Potatoes can yield up to 3,000 catties per mu, and sweet potatoes can yield up to 4,000 catties per mu.

After saying this, the system went offline again.

【3,000 to 4,000 catties per mu?】

What?!

The pupils of the three people who heard her inner voice dilated sharply.

The main crops of Great Qi were rice, millet, broomcorn millet, and wheat. The highest yield was only 400 catties per mu, and that was only during years with perfect weather and good harvests.

3,000 catties!

That "potato" thing could actually produce that much?

If they had such a superior crop, the people of Great Qi would never go hungry again.

They all wanted to ask but hesitated. Remembering Yaoyao’s fainting spell, they couldn't ask directly... they couldn't...

"Your Majesty, watch your step."

Head Eunuch Su supported Emperor Qixuan nervously, looking at the threshold under his feet in confusion.

This... it wasn't even high?

Emperor Qixuan had already forgotten how he walked in, only repeating one sentence in his mind: *3,000 catties, 3,000 catties per mu...*

He picked up Yaoyao, his voice trembling slightly from excitement. "I am planning to go to the villa in the suburbs to take a look recently. Does Yaoyao want to leave the palace to play?"

【Leave the palace?】

Emperor Qixuan sighed and continued to speak to himself: "Last year’s floods were severe, and grain production dropped by a full 30 percent. I don't know what the situation will be like this year."

Chu Yaoyao nodded.

【Going out of the palace to take a look is fine, but...】

Emperor Qixuan felt a bit nervous. *Did she discover something?*

【Why is cheap father’s voice trembling? He sounds a bit weak.】

Emperor Qixuan:...

*I am excited! Excited, I tell you!!!*

(End of chapter)