Chapter 454: Bumper Harvest of Vegetables

Chapter 454: Bumper Harvest of Vegetables

"I once said before that I have no interest in that position whatsoever.

I just want to spend my whole life with my mother in this peaceful, strife-free existence.

The main purpose of my trip to the Imperial City is to deal with the Empress's faction, as they pose the greatest threat to your Mo Family.

Once the Empress's faction is thoroughly overthrown, I won't be competing with Nan Qi for anything. Besides, Nan Qi has been close to you since childhood. If he succeeds in ascending to that position, your Mo Family would likely see a brighter future.

Once that happens, I will step down for good."

Nan Rui said this because he was unaware that Mo Jiuya's relationship with Nan Qi had already soured.

Nan Qi hasn't taken action against the Mo Family, probably because he still valued the brotherhood they once shared.

As for whether Nan Qi would pardon the Mo Family, Mo Jiuya never gave it a thought.

He could only hope that during the short time Nan Qi reigns, he wouldn't target the Mo Family like Emperor Shunwu did.

However, the reason behind his falling out with Nan Qi involved a significant secret, which Mo Jiuya wouldn't have revealed if not for Nan Rui's great display of goodwill by leaving De Fei in the Northwest.

Considering that Nan Rui was taking this risk for the Mo Family's sake, Mo Jiuya felt it necessary to offer a word of caution.

"Once you're in the Imperial City, you can secretly contact an advisor under Nan Qi. His name is Fei Nanyu; he might be able to assist you."

As for Fei Nanyu's actual status, Mo Jiuya intended to keep it confidential for the time being.

After Nan Rui left the Northwest, he would send Xiao Bai to deliver a message to Fei Nanyu, explaining Nan Rui's situation in the Imperial City.

If the two of them could stand on the same side, they would each gain an additional advantage in the struggle.

As for whether Fei Nanyu would choose to reveal his true identity to Nan Rui, that would depend on his own decision.

Since Nan Rui had no intention of competing for the throne, if the two of them cooperated smoothly, they could become a great asset to each other.

Nan Rui nodded. "When necessary, I will give him a message." Afterward, he looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late; I should go and prepare. I'll set off early tomorrow morning."

Mo Jiuya also returned to his parents' courtyard and informed them about Nan Rui's trip to the Imperial City.

Mo Qing sighed.

"Unexpectedly, Prince Rui is the most loyal and righteous person."

He wasn't a fool; Nan Rui had left De Fei in the Northwest because he feared the Mo Family wouldn't trust him.

Now that Nan Rui had taken such measures, doubting him would mean there was no one trustworthy left in the world.

Although everyone understood that Nan Rui had left De Fei behind for a reason, Madam Mo still planned to take good care of her.

If anything, they had grown so close that they were like sisters.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll visit De Fei every day. She will surely be the most concerned about Nan Rui's journey to the Imperial City, so I'll keep her company no matter what."

"Yes, thank you, Mother."

Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran, this couple, shared everything, so naturally, he told his wife about Nan Rui's journey to the capital.

He Zhiran believed that Nan Rui was indeed a trustworthy person for the Mo Family.

She even thought it would be better if Nan Rui ascended the throne, so the Mo Family would no longer have to worry about being targeted.

However, such matters cannot be forced. Neither she nor Mo Jiuye wished to involve themselves in court politics. Nor did they want to change history because of their interference.

Therefore, they could only let things take their natural course.

As long as no one harbored any ill intentions towards the Mo Family, they could care less about fame and fortune.

As dusk fell, Mo Jiuye wrote a letter to Fei Nan Rui, which Xiao Bai delivered to the capital.

Recently, He Zhiran had not been sleeping well. The twins she was carrying were becoming more active, often waking her up shortly after falling asleep.

Moreover, her advanced pregnancy made it uncomfortable to lie on her side or back, forcing her to get up multiple times each night.

Mo Jiuye, who also slept lightly, would always wake up and ask whenever she stirred.

This routine continued for over ten days, and time moved into early July.

Many of the vegetables in the Mo Family's fields had already ripened.

While He Zhiran didn't consider these vegetables especially fresh, having brought them here herself and watching the process of planting, watering, and fertilizing was a unique experience for her.

She was eagerly anticipating the first year of vegetable and grain harvests in the Northwest.

Indeed, it was a great harvest.

Mrs. He accompanied her daughter to the fields to watch everyone harvest the vegetables, which was quite enlightening.

There were many types of vegetables placed in baskets in the fields, some of which she had never seen before.

Mrs. He carefully helped He Zhiran approach these vegetables, constantly asking about the different types.

To satisfy her mother’s curiosity, He Zhiran not only patiently explained the names of the various vegetables but also specially asked Yu'er to prepare a lunch using these vegetables.

Many of the villagers from Xiling Village were helping with the vegetable harvest.

One person saw a bell pepper that had fallen to the ground, half of it rotten, and felt it was a waste, so she picked it up and asked He Zhiran.

"Ninth Brother's wife, this one's rotten on one side. May I taste it?"

He Zhiran was not a petty person.

"If you want to eat it, pick a fresh one. Just throw this rotten one away!"

The woman quickly waved her hands.

"No, no, no, these valuable vegetables must not be wasted. I'm just curious about the taste, so I'll just try this one."

As she spoke, she peeled off the rotten half of the bell pepper and took a bite immediately.

The bell pepper was thick and lacked the spicy taste of other peppers.

Especially since the seeds came from He Zhiran's space, the vegetables grown from these seeds were exceptionally delicious.

After taking a bite, the woman couldn't stop praising it.

"These vegetables are really tasty, with a hint of sweetness," she said.

Noticing that the auntie enjoyed them, He Zhiran took a few from the bamboo basket beside her and handed the vegetables to her.

"If you enjoy them, Auntie, you can take a few home. The sweet peppers are great when sliced and stir-fried with meat or eggs," she said.

The auntie was indeed convinced by the taste of the sweet peppers, but she didn’t want to accept things from them while being paid by them. When He Zhiran offered her a few sweet peppers, she quickly turned to her work in the field, saying, "Thank you, Mrs. Ninth, but these good vegetables should be sold."

As the auntie walked away, He Zhiran reluctantly placed the sweet peppers back into the bamboo basket.

At that moment, Liang Hao returned with Tang Mingrui.

Tang Mingrui had made a considerable profit from his watermelon business and was now waiting for the Mo family to have more produce to sell so he could do business again. He had seen the strange vegetables in the Mo family’s fields during earlier visits.

Today, when Liang Hao mentioned that the vegetables were ripe, he assigned other tasks to his subordinates and came to Xiling Village in person.