Chapter 146 Azure Phoenix Lord

Chapter 146 Azure Phoenix Lord

Without realizing it, Qiu Huanian and his family had been in the capital for almost ten days.

During these ten days, Du Yunse's work at the Hanlin Academy had settled into a rhythm, and the rest of the family had gradually adapted to their new life.

Qiu Huanian took some time to visit two estates outside the city.

The larger estate was quite far from the capital, requiring half a day's journey. Several workshops had already been constructed there according to Qiu Huanian's instructions, including a red fermented tofu workshop, an oyster sauce workshop, a floral essence workshop, and a snack workshop.

Surrounding these workshops were fields for growing and raising raw materials. In addition to basic rice cultivation, the estate also grew sugar beets, soybeans, and various flowers.

The oysters for making oyster sauce were sourced from Haijin Town, a coastal town in the capital region famous for its seafood. Wang Yinzhi was an official there, and after Qiu Huanian sent a letter, Wang Yinzhi promptly helped select a group of cooperative fishermen.

Purchasing oysters directly from the fishermen guaranteed the freshest catch and allowed the fishermen to earn more money.

In his letter, Qiu Huanian advised Wang Yinzhi to focus more on the fishermen of Haijin Town, learning practical fishing techniques from books and seasoned fishermen, and then sharing this knowledge freely with more fishermen.

In ancient times, information was limited, and most commoners were illiterate, so much valuable knowledge never reached the masses. As an official, Wang Yinzhi had the authority to promote these practices.

By enhancing the lives of Haijin Town's fishermen, Wang Yinzhi would also earn high esteem among the locals.

Of course, Qiu Huanian reminded him to record his experiences and compile them into a book.

After making sure everything was set at the larger estate, Qiu Huanian visited the smaller estate near the imperial estate.

The smaller estate needed little of his attention. The land originally belonged to the imperial estate, and the tenant farmers had once been tenants of the imperial estate. With the imperial estate's overseers checking in occasionally, no one dared to slack.

Even without Qiu Huanian's visits, the estate would operate smoothly as per his instructions.

Qiu Huanian arranged two small courtyards for Wei Li, Granny Wei, Bing Qi, and Bing Ba, and personally escorted them to the smaller estate.

Of the thirty acres on the smaller estate, twenty were devoted to cotton, three to experimental sugar beet farming, and two to the saplings Qiu Huanian had ordered before leaving.

In the sapling area, numerous high-quality grapevines, apple trees, and pomegranate trees had been transplanted, with people busily inspecting each tree.

Beside the transplanted trees was a vast field of saplings, each calf-high.

Qiu Huanian looked at the 'mud balls' wrapped in oil paper on the nearest grapevine branch and nodded, satisfied.

The benefit of imperial estate backing was that he only needed to request skilled fruit tree cultivators, and the best would be found effortlessly.

"How are the seedlings doing?" Qiu Huanian asked.

The old farmer he had selected, his face flushed with excitement, replied, "The first batch of seedlings has been cut and planted, with eight or nine out of ten surviving!"

"The second batch is nearly ready. With summer approaching, we can handle two batches this year, totaling over a thousand saplings!"

The old farmer was so excited that he forgot to use honorifics. The imperial estate overseer, Tian Ji, who was accompanying them, wanted to remind him, but Qiu Huanian waved his hand, indicating it was unnecessary.

"I remember when I first explained the seedling method to you, you didn't believe me. What about now, Uncle Lan?"

Uncle Lan chuckled sheepishly, then spoke with genuine admiration, "We're convinced now. The Township Lord is the reincarnation of the celestial grain star. Just by standing and pointing, any crop can sprout from the ground!"

"In the past, when we cultivated fruit tree saplings, we just selected the best branches, cut them, shaped the ends into a horseshoe, and planted them in moist soil. We were grateful if even five out of ten survived."

"But with the Township Lord's method—what was it called? Air layering? Just a few extra steps, and almost all the saplings survive!"

Qiu Huanian smiled and nodded. China had always been an agricultural powerhouse, with farming techniques that had been researched and practiced through the ages, leading the world in agricultural technology. Whether it was simple cutting or layering, the Yu Dynasty had already mastered these methods.

However, the air layering technique that Qiu Huanian taught these fruit farmers had not yet emerged at this time.

The air layering technique originated in China, also known as Chinese layering. It originates from the vast reservoir of wisdom accumulated by the Chinese people over thousands of years. Qiu Huanian simply introduced it to this era ahead of schedule, enabling more people to benefit sooner.

On the large fruit trees before Qiu Huanian, appropriate branches were carefully ringed at a distance of 20 to 30 centimeters from the tip, with two cuts spaced about an inch apart, removing the bark and leaving the central stem intact.

The wounds on the branches were covered with a large piece of oiled paper, securely tied at both ends with thin hemp rope, and filled in the middle with damp humus soil blended with mashed overripe bananas and apples.

Twice daily, the fruit farmers would mist the soil pack with fresh water, keeping the soil and the branch wounds highly moist.

Under the catalysis and nutritional boost of the rotten fruits, within half a month, tiny roots would sprout from the ringed wounds. At this stage, cutting the branch would produce a small fruit tree sapling.

The air layering technique promotes quicker root development, higher survival rates, and is suitable for fruit trees with less flexible branches. By using air layering to grow roots on branches before planting them, efficiency and yield are significantly higher than with traditional cutting and layering methods.

This year marked the first trial of this method, and Qiu Huanian chose fruit trees that are more likely to thrive and produce fruit, such as grapes, pomegranates, and apples.

Once the technique is perfected in the future, in theory, this method can propagate any tree.

Fruit trees are cash crops; beyond direct fruit sales, they can also be processed into various products, like dried fruits, fruit leather, and canned goods.

If a typical farming family owns a high-quality fruit tree, they can secure a steady income with minimal time and financial investment, greatly improving their quality of life.

Qiu Huanian strolled through the small saplings, which reached only to his calves, explaining the air layering technique to Wei Li along the way, instructing him on what to observe and document next.

These saplings would spend a year growing in the nursery, and once they matured, they could be transplanted the following year.

Out of the roughly one thousand saplings, Qiu Huanian intended to transfer over two hundred to his large estate, and the remaining saplings would be given free to farmers in need.

Owning a vast continuous orchard could earn him more money, but allowing hundreds of farming families to each have one or two fruit trees could give more people the hope of a better life.

After roughly surveying the estate, Qiu Huanian, as expected, received an invitation from the Crown Prince residing in the neighboring imperial estate. This time, it was not Sixteen who came to invite him.

Considering Qiu Huanian's current pregnancy, the palace servants even brought a sedan chair, smoothly carrying Qiu Huanian all the way into the palace.

Sitting inside the sedan chair, Qiu Huanian asked the people outside, "How did you come up with this sedan chair?"

The young eunuch outside did not hide the truth, "Reporting to Township Lord, this was ordered by Sixteen."

In fact, unless specially approved by the Crown Prince, almost no one is qualified to enter the palace in a sedan chair. But the palace servants knew well that in such matters, what Sixteen said was almost equivalent to what the Crown Prince said, and it was best to just follow orders.

Insisting on asking the Crown Prince for instructions would not change the command in the slightest but would only result in a severe reprimand for themselves.

Hearing that Sixteen was in the palace, Qiu Huanian quietly sighed in relief, though he felt somewhat helpless thinking that Sixteen was obviously avoiding him.

With Sixteen unwilling to cooperate, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse could only cautiously investigate the old affairs of the Mei family on their own, planning the next steps only after understanding the full story.

As Qiu Huanian arrived in front of the main hall of the palace, the palace servants set down the sedan chair, and Xing Mi, who was beside him, helped him down.

The old maid waiting by the main hall made a gesture of invitation, and just as Qiu Huanian was about to step forward, he suddenly heard the sound of urgent horse hooves behind him.

Qiu Huanian felt a flash of surprise in his heart; the person who could ride a horse in the palace was probably even rarer than those who could ride in a sedan chair.

He instinctively turned around, and a figure of great audacity entered his view.

The person rode a large white horse, adorned with a bridle tied with colorful ropes, and his own clothes were also colorful, complex yet not chaotic, with countless pearls and colored jades jingling crisply with every movement.

In the blink of an eye, the horse was near, and the person on the horse pulled the reins with one hand, leaped off the horse, and smiled at Qiu Huanian.

"Didn't expect to have a guest, my apologies."

His features had a touch of exotic allure, with deeply defined facial features and large, intense peach-blossom eyes. His smile was bold and carefree, and a red mole between his eyebrows stood out strikingly in the sunlight.

The elderly matron stepped forward to bow, and the other palace attendants also paid their respects.

"Azure Phoenix Lord."

Qiu Huanian quickly understood that the young man before him was the youngest brother of the Yuanhua Emperor, the sole Azure Phoenix Lord of the Yu Dynasty.

The mother of the Azure Phoenix Lord was a low-ranking tribute woman from a foreign land. She died shortly after his birth, and later, the old emperor also passed away.

The mother of the Azure Phoenix Lord had once looked after the Yuanhua Emperor when he lost his mother as a child. After ascending the throne, the Yuanhua Emperor, in gratitude, granted him a title and placed him under the care of the late empress.

Although the Azure Phoenix Lord was the biological uncle of the crown prince, they had grown up together as if they were brothers and naturally stood on the prince's side. His presence at the crown prince's usual residence, the imperial estate, was completely normal.

Qiu Huanian quickly went over these relationships in his mind and, like the others, bowed to the Azure Phoenix Lord.

The Azure Phoenix Lord enjoyed traveling to scenic places and seeking immortals and sages. If it weren't for the upcoming birthday of the Yuanhua Emperor, he wouldn't have returned to the capital at this time.

The mix of foreign and Central Plains heritage often resulted in strikingly beautiful individuals, and the Azure Phoenix Lord was one such example. His beauty was aggressive, like the scorching midday sun that one could not escape.

He looked at Qiu Huanian and smiled, "So you are Lady Qishu?"

Qiu Huanian replied normally, "Yes, you can call me by my name, Qiu Huanian."

The Azure Phoenix Lord nodded, "Then you can call me Qiwu."

The names of royal family members were not to be used casually; once they had a title, they were almost always referred to by that title. In fact, to show respect, Qiu Huanian's title should have been Qishu rather than his original name.

However, Qiu Huanian was still more accustomed to using his own name.

As they spoke, the door of the main hall suddenly opened a crack, and a masked figure emerged, standing still before clasping his hands and saying.

"Azure Phoenix Lord, Township Lord, His Highness has been waiting for you for some time. He has asked me to invite you in for a brief chat."

The Azure Phoenix Lord turned and threw the gold-threaded whip back into the saddlebag, clapping his hands twice.

"My little nephew sent Sixteen personally to greet me? I am truly flattered."