Chapter 105: The Fifth Princess Consort

Chapter 105: The Fifth Princess Consort

The wind ripples through the wheat fields like waves, marking another year of bountiful harvest.

The golden wheat dances in the breeze, shimmering with the hard work of the farmers, as if the earth itself were flowing with gold.

An Qing did not rush everyone to harvest the wheat from their experimental plots but instead led them to a vast wheat field on the estate.

"Director Li and Director Wu, please assess whether these wheat stalks are ready for harvesting," she said, turning to the two officials from the Agricultural Administration Department standing beside her.

These two, Li Maosheng and Wu Daming, were the most outstanding students in An Qing's agricultural school this year.

Of course, this was largely due to the fact that they were already officials in the Agricultural Administration Department, possessing some foundational knowledge of agriculture. With An Qing's focused training over the past year, they had become capable of handling tasks independently.

Kangxi had hinted that the promotion of winter wheat and summer corn for a two-crop system in the northern regions would be entrusted to them.

Everyone seemed accustomed to An Qing's method of random questioning, and the two officials calmly walked to the edge of the wheat field to inspect it.

"Your Highness, we observe that the wheat is only nine-tenths ripe. Ideally, we should wait a few more days before harvesting," Li Maosheng bowed and replied.

Wu Daming added, "I concur with Director Li."

However, both were puzzled, noticing the laborers bustling nearby. These workers included the estate's servants and hired temporary hands, all seemingly prepared to start harvesting.

Was the Fifth Princess Consort planning to harvest the wheat now?

But it was only nine-tenths ripe, not fully matured yet.

An Qing nodded lightly. Indeed, the wheat on her estate was always harvested at nine-tenths ripeness every year.

"Today, I will teach you some wheat harvesting proverbs," she announced.

Hearing this, everyone perked up. After a year in the agricultural school, proverbs were no longer unfamiliar to them. An Qing often shared several proverbs off the cuff, and their notebooks dedicated to these proverbs were already filled with many entries.

The twenty-four solar terms, practical and easy to remember, along with the seventy-two climatic periods, were all part of nature's language, guiding agricultural activities.

However, they had never heard proverbs specifically about wheat harvesting before, so they all listened attentively, ready to take notes.

An Qing began, "For wheat harvesting, there is one important proverb to remember: 'Harvest wheat at nine-tenths ripeness; if you wait until ten-tenths, you'll lose one-tenth.' Another proverb is 'Nine-tenths ripeness means ten-tenths harvest; ten-tenths ripeness means losing one-tenth.'"

Both proverbs convey the same idea: harvesting wheat at nine-tenths ripeness yields a full crop, while waiting until ten-tenths results in a loss of one-tenth.

Everyone was taken aback, as this contradicted their previous understanding. Yet, no one doubted An Qing's words, instinctively believing her to be correct.

This was the power of authority. Having established herself as an expert, An Qing's agricultural insights were readily accepted without the need for repeated verification, as was necessary in the beginning.

This was true not only for the students in the agricultural school but also for Kangxi and the officials in the imperial court.

Recently, Shandong and Hebei provinces experienced severe storms, causing widespread lodging of wheat. In previous years, local authorities encouraged farmers to prop up the fallen wheat, but this approach was entirely wrong.

If wheat that has lodged is forcibly lifted, it can cause further damage to the stems and roots, leading to secondary harm.

When Kangxi consulted An Qing, she immediately advised against lifting the wheat, suggesting instead to let it recover naturally. She provided a series of remedial measures, such as using a 10% solution of wood ash water to promote growth and grain filling, minimizing yield losses due to lodging.

Additionally, to prevent common diseases like stripe rust and fusarium head blight in lodged wheat fields, she recommended regular spraying of traditional pesticides.

She wrote extensively on these measures, expecting Kangxi and the officials to request further evidence, but they adopted and implemented her suggestions directly.

The results proved her methods effective, salvaging many wheat crops and preventing significant yield losses or even total failure.

It was then that An Qing realized that her expertise in agriculture had been recognized by Kangxi and the officials.

While individual authority may not be ideal for scientific progress, it was beneficial for An Qing's current goals. She aimed to promote modern farming techniques across the Great Qing, and this recognition would ease her efforts.

As for future agricultural research, it was a long-term goal for the Great Qing.

Currently, there was a lack of standardized practices in farming. For example, the proverb "harvest wheat at nine-tenths ripeness; if you wait until ten-tenths, you'll lose one-tenth" was known to experienced farmers who had observed this phenomenon over generations.

However, such knowledge was limited geographically, making it essential to standardize basic agricultural knowledge throughout the Great Qing.

An Qing knew that several officials from the Agricultural Administration Department had been systematically compiling the proverbs she shared, intending to disseminate them widely. She found this approach commendable.

Even though everyone easily accepted the proverb, An Qing still explained the rationale behind harvesting wheat at nine-tenths ripeness.

Waiting until the wheat is fully mature leads to "dropping ears." This phenomenon occurs in two ways: first, when the straw turns yellow and becomes brittle, the heavy ears can cause the plants to topple, resulting in "dropping ears." Second, during manual harvesting, human error can also lead to "dropping ears."

This "dropping ears" accounts for the one-tenth loss.

Analyzing the wheat's growth stages also supports this. Wheat maturity is divided into three phases: milk stage, dough stage, and complete maturity. Harvesting during the dough stage is optimal, aligning with the proverb "nine-tenths ripeness means ten-tenths harvest; ten-tenths ripeness means losing one-tenth."

After explaining this, An Qing led everyone back to their experimental plots. As with the previous corn harvest, each person was responsible for their own plot, focusing on both harvesting wheat and planting the next crop of corn. The urgency here was the timing of the agricultural season.

Everyone worked enthusiastically. Although An Qing did not personally cut the wheat, she was busy grafting fruit trees in the orchard. It was summer, the perfect time for grafting, and she started with grape cuttings and then moved on to walnut buds. Over the past two years, she had spent much of her free time improving the orchard, making its fruits tastier than those elsewhere.

Despite the heat, which usually made people less inclined to move, An Qing was particularly active when it came to farm work.

This noon, after the rest period, she put on a hat and went to the orchard. She worked for more than two hours before finishing. However, she returned early, as everyone else was still busy in the fields.

An Qing came out after bathing, her hair half-dry, draped loosely over her shoulders as she lay on a bamboo chair. The evening breeze brought a coolness with it.

Chunxiao had started bustling about with the kitchen maids to prepare dinner. Just like last year, during the farming season, her students from the agricultural school mostly stayed at the manor, with both meals and lodging provided by the manor.

An Qing watched from a distance as they carried baskets of ingredients past the courtyard. Suddenly, she realized something: staying was fine, as the manor had enough space, and they always stayed in the front yard, which didn't cause much trouble. But all their food expenses were covered by the manor, right?

Although this Royal Manor was given to her by Kangxi, it was earned through her merits, so naturally, it belonged to her. That meant she was footing the bill!

This agricultural school was to cultivate talent for Lao Kang. Why should she pay? There's no such logic in the world.

An Qing suddenly felt like a fool, spending both money and effort.

No, she had to find a way to get some funds from Kangxi, perhaps as a special fund for the agricultural school.

As An Qing pondered how to secure the funds, a carriage suddenly stopped at the courtyard gate.

Hmm, where did this carriage come from, and why is it entering the manor?

An Qing couldn't help but get up to investigate. To her surprise, when she reached the gate, she saw Yinqi getting off the carriage.

When did he return?!

Wait, why did he come by carriage instead of riding a horse?

Yinqi also saw An Qing, but he didn't rush over. Instead, he turned around and lifted the carriage curtain, then carried a child out.

It was Xiao Bao!

An Qing was stunned and quickly approached, "Why did you bring him here?"

Xiao Bao was still asleep, so she spoke softly, afraid of waking him.

Yinqi showed a hint of helplessness and nodded towards the child, "Look at his eyes."

An Qing was puzzled; what was wrong with his eyes?

Oh, they're swollen like walnuts. Could he have been bitten by an insect?

Yinqi explained, "He wasn't bitten by an insect; he cried himself into this state."

An Qing exclaimed, "How could that be possible?"

The child was already four months old, and she had never seen him cry much. How could he have cried so much that his eyes were swollen?

At this moment, Xizhu also got off the carriage. She had been ordered by Concubine Yi to accompany the Fifth Beile and bring the child over.

"Fifth Lady, you don't know, the little prince was fine during the day when you left, but when he didn't see you by nightfall, he became upset and cried terribly. No one could soothe him, and he even refused to eat from the wet nurse that night..."

Concubine Yi was worried and held him for most of the night until he finally fell asleep, exhausted from crying. But when he woke up the next day, he was upset again.

Fortunately, Yinqi returned today, and Concubine Yi thought he might be able to calm him down. However, it didn't work, so they had to bring him over.

"Her Highness knew you had important matters to attend to, thinking the little prince might just need time to adjust. But three days have passed, and he still hasn't improved. He cries all day except when sleeping or eating. Her Highness is truly worried about him."

An Qing knew Xizhu wouldn't lie, but she still found it hard to believe.

She looked down at Xiao Bao, who was not sleeping soundly in Yinqi's arms. Was this child really so attached to her?

Ever since Xiao Bao was born, he had been very well-behaved. During the day, she would take care of him if she had time, but at night, he usually slept with the wet nurse.

When she visited the Guoja family, leaving him with Empress Dowager for a day didn't cause any issues. When she picked him up, Wu Lan said he was the most well-behaved child, not crying or fussing, and easy to soothe.

But this time, he had surprised her by crying so much that he was in this state.

Yinqi held him, but the child's brows were still slightly furrowed. An Qing felt heartbroken seeing his swollen eyes and tried to smooth his forehead.

Suddenly, the child woke up.

He opened his eyes drowsily and, upon seeing his father holding him, pouted and prepared to cry again.

An Qing quickly soothed him, "Xiao Bao, be good, don't cry. Mama is here."

She took the child from Yinqi and gently coaxed him.

Upon hearing her familiar voice, the child turned his head and, upon seeing An Qing, seemed momentarily confused. Then, once she held him, he suddenly burst into tears.

It was as if he was crying out all the hurt and resentment of the past few days, or perhaps accusing An Qing for leaving him.

An Qing panicked and looked at Yinqi for help.

What should they do now?

Yinqi was also at a loss. This was the first time he realized how much the child could cry. The journey had been exhausting due to his constant crying.

He tried to take the child, but the little one clung tightly to An Qing's clothes, refusing to let go.

An Qing had no choice but to awkwardly carry him around the courtyard, soothing him. After a while, he finally stopped crying.

Seeing the child's long lashes wet with tears, she felt guilty as a mother. If she had known he was so attached to her, she would have brought him to the manor earlier.

Xizhu saw that the little prince was finally calm and felt relieved enough to return and report back.

An Qing knew Concubine Yi was waiting for news, so she didn't keep Xizhu. She asked Perilla to pick some fresh fruits and vegetables from the manor for Concubine Yi to enjoy and to comfort her after these two stressful days.

Since arriving in An Qing's arms, Xiao Bao refused to let anyone else hold him. Even when Perilla thought the mistress might be tired and offered to take over, he wouldn't let go.

She held him all night long. It was only after much persuasion from Yinqi that she let him hold the baby for a while, but on the condition that An Qing couldn't leave his sight; otherwise, he would cry again.

While feeling honored and surprised, An Qing gradually realized the issue at hand.

This was probably about a child's sense of security.

Although Xiao Bao wasn't a clingy child, he had been in her womb for ten months and hadn't been separated from her for such a long time since birth. Xizhu also mentioned that when she left during the day, he didn't react much, but started crying when he didn't see her by evening.

Perhaps, in his understanding, there was a threshold for how long her absence was acceptable, and exceeding that duration was not okay.

It was her oversight. No matter how well-behaved or worry-free he usually was, he was still just a child.

After finally getting Xiao Bao to sleep at night, An Qing finally had a chance to talk with Yinqi.

"Weren't you supposed to return a few days later?" she asked.

Yinqi had just come out of the bath, relieved to see his son asleep.

"The mission went smoothly, so my fourth brother and I didn't stay longer and returned a few days early."

An Qing responded with an "oh," then added, "By the way, did you receive the letter I wrote to you?"

Yinqi nodded slightly, "Yes, I received it. I was preparing to return, so I didn't reply, thinking it would be clearer to explain in person."

An Qing didn't mind whether he replied or not, "Did you find out what happened?"

Yinqi patted her hand, "Don't worry, I found out. The gambling den is backed by someone from Elder Brother Prince's camp, who serves in the military. However, the incident with the Guojia family was just a coincidence; no one orchestrated it."

Hearing this, An Qing felt relieved. When Ma Xiang mentioned that most loan sharks in the Imperial City were military officers, she guessed that the gambling den must be connected to Elder Brother Prince.

After all, this was the Imperial City, where even a random strike could hit several royal relatives. If it were ordinary officers, they wouldn't dare do such things without significant backing.

Elder Brother Prince's influence has always been within the military, making it easy to guess.

However, this was also something An Qing had been worried about. Recently, the Crown Prince had removed many of Elder Brother Prince's people over this issue. So, she suspected if the Crown Prince might be using them as pawns against Elder Brother Prince.

If that were true, it would be troublesome, indicating that the Crown Prince was targeting them too, which wasn't good for their current stance of self-preservation.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

"You mentioned in your letter that you gave a job to the Guojia family's younger brother at the estate?" Yinqi asked.

An Qing nodded. She briefly mentioned it in the letter but didn't go into detail, "I saw that he had a talent for farming, so I let him try working at the estate."

She didn't hide her intentions from Yinqi, telling him that if Buyantai truly had talent, she planned to personally mentor him.

Yinqi was somewhat surprised, "Are you planning to take him as a disciple?"

The students at the agricultural school were merely considered students, not disciples.

An Qing paused, taking him as a disciple?

She hadn't thought that far. At most, it was about recognizing talent.

"Whether he becomes a disciple or not doesn't matter. Farming isn't some secret martial art passed down only to disciples. My goal has never been to preserve a lineage."

Of course, if she ever found someone with potential in agricultural research, she might consider taking a disciple. But she wasn't sure if Buyantai had that kind of talent.

An Qing suddenly laughed, "By the way, I made a promise on your behalf, so don't forget to keep it."

Yinqi raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "What promise?"

An Qing repeated what she said at the Guojia family's home, "So, if Buyantai does well, you must give him a job."

Otherwise, she would lose face.

Yinqi wouldn't deny her, "Don't worry, your promise is mine. I won't let you lose face."

An Qing thought that was fair enough. She had boasted once, and it would be embarrassing if it weren't fulfilled.

If Yinqi didn't help, she would find another way, even going to Kangxi if necessary. As a respected teacher at the agricultural school, he should give her that much face.

They chatted casually, but somehow, the conversation took a different turn.

Well... this probably started when Yinqi climbed into bed.

He had been away on a mission for two months, and as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, it was natural for there to be some excitement.

However, just as Yinqi's hand touched An Qing's waist, she stopped him urgently.

"No, Xiao Bao is here."

Yinqi froze, turning to look at their son sleeping soundly, a hint of frustration crossing his face.

Seeing the slightly swollen eyes of the little one, he pondered for a moment, his voice hoarse, "Let's have him sleep in the next room."

That last bit of paternal love didn't stand a chance against his desires.

An Qing licked her lips, hesitating, "But... that's not right, is it?"

He'll cry.

Yinqi said seriously, "It's fine. He's a boy, and suddenly sleeping with us might make him uncomfortable."

An Qing: "..."

How could he say that? Did his conscience not hurt?!

"Alright, then go get someone."

It turned out that her meager maternal love wasn’t much better, and indeed, her conscience didn’t hurt at all!

Thus, the pitiful Little Prince Hong Zhi was left in the care of their heartless parents, who dumped him next door while he was still asleep.

Yinqi went quickly and returned just as swiftly. After leaving their son with the wet nurse, he came back to the room.

The candlelight flickered, igniting passion, enveloping the room in a seductive atmosphere.

After tossing and turning for half the night, An Qing barely felt she had slept when she was suddenly awakened by cries growing louder from afar.

After two seconds of confusion, she realized it was her own son’s crying.

Yinqi was clearly woken up too.

An Qing looked at him with a face full of grievance. "Is this what you meant by... no problem?"

Yinqi couldn’t help but rub his forehead. Amidst the escalating cries, he had no choice but to awkwardly put on his robe and go outside to fetch their suddenly clingy little one.