Shen Mu nodded.
She also knew this batch of sweet potato seedlings would definitely be offered as tribute.
"These are the sweet potato seedlings?"
Looking at several carts of lush green seedlings, the Jingyuan Emperor couldn't help but inquire.
Soon, Shen Changyuan wrote down all the planting methods and maintenance precautions he had heard and handed them to Grand Eunuch Wang Defu.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
The Jingyuan Emperor reviewed the memorial and nodded with satisfaction.
"Attendants! Clear a section of the Imperial Garden. I shall personally plant and tend to them. No one is permitted to damage them, on pain of death."
"As you command!"
Soon, the batch of sweet potato seedlings provided by Shen Mingzhu were planted in the Imperial Manor by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, who tended to them day and night with utmost care.
This was crucial for determining whether the people of the Great Yan Dynasty would have enough to eat in the future.
At the Hanlin Academy, Shen Mingzhu enjoyed a delightful lunch.
Upon hearing that this winter would be exceptionally cold, Shen Mu calculated the timing and immediately prepared to return home to make arrangements.
Charcoal, leather and fur clothing, thick quilts, as well as food and medicine, among other supplies.
She had to ensure everything was perfectly arranged for the vast Marquis Estate.
Not to mention her maternal family in Jiangnan and her father, brothers, and children in the Northern Territory…
"Mingzhu, I've left pastries from Delicious Pavilion here for you. Help yourself whenever you want them. I'll make you something delicious when we return home this evening."
"Alright, Mother."
Shen Mu gave Shen Mingzhu a few more reminders before finally leaving the Hanlin Academy.
As the various colleagues in the Hanlin Academy watched Shen Mu depart, they prepared to acquaint themselves with the newly arrived Shen Mingzhu. However, Shaoyao once again stood guard at the door.
Compiler Shen was taking her lunch break!
Everyone: …
"Grand Scholar Su?"
A colleague who disapproved of Shen Mingzhu went directly to Grand Scholar Su Huaiyuan, intending to sow discord.
But Su Huaiyuan glanced at the adjacent room and smiled indulgently.
"Alright, besides being our colleague at the Hanlin Academy, Compiler Shen is also the young lady of the Marquis Estate, and moreover, she is the Crown Princess of our Great Yan Dynasty. If she wishes to be more casual, we should accommodate her."
That's it?
And she's the Crown Princess?
The future mother of the nation?
Seeing Grand Scholar Su's expression that suggested he believed his reasoning was sound, the person awkwardly withdrew.
Shen Mingzhu had a wonderful beauty nap. After waking, she drank a cup of tea and enjoyed Peach Blossom Pastry from Delicious Pavilion, feeling extremely pleased.
[Host, someone went to Grand Scholar Su to speak against you!]
Su Huaiyuan, hearing the commotion, immediately pricked up his ears to listen.
At noon, he had already submitted a memorial to the palace regarding the exceptionally cold winter and the approaching mini ice age for Great Yan. The Jingyuan Emperor had even rewarded him for it!
Hehe
[Gua Gua, who was it that went to speak against me, gossiping like a busybody?]
Pfft—
Su Huaiyuan nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.
A certain colleague's face flushed bright red. With a flick of his sleeve, he directly retreated to the corner farthest from Shen Mingzhu.
He wasn't a busybody.
He merely believed that one should fulfill their duties in their position. Since she had entered the Hanlin Academy, she ought to achieve something here.
Compiler Shen arrived at the Hanlin Academy, took a nap, woke up and went out shopping, and then took a beauty nap at noon. This wasn't coming to work at all; it was practically continuing her life as a pampered young lady.
He was just a bit unable to stand it.
He had hoped Grand Scholar Su would remind her.
Baby feels wronged, but baby won't say it.
A certain colleague was already feeling down.
[Host, the colleague who's been badmouthing you is named Zhou Qingci, nicknamed Zhou the Stubborn Mule. He was the second-place scholar in the Imperial Examinations during the twelfth year of Jingyuan Emperor's reign. Despite six years at the Hanlin Academy, his stubborn temperament has kept him obscure, remaining a mere seventh-rank official to this day.]
[Hmph, I bet he's just jealous of me! I'm still a sixth-rank official!]
[Host, that's not it at all! Zhou Qingci is actually quite talented, but his mule-headed nature has offended so many people that even when opportunities arise, they're never given to him! He still thinks he's just unrecognized genius!]
[Ugh… How blind can he be!]
[Host, he's so focused on doing his own work properly that he never notices anything else. Besides, the Great Yan Dynasty is vast and rich in resources—there are too many talented people. Just think, during Jingyuan Emperor's eighteen-year reign, how many top scholars, second-place scholars, third-place scholars, and imperial examination graduates have there been? Many of them are from noble families. Even with talent, one needs chances to showcase it!]
[Gua Gua, I think you're being very fair.]
Zhou Qingci: ……… Feeling even worse now!
He didn't even know he was being excluded!
Devastated
Su Huaiyuan listened to Zhou Qingci's gossip with great relish.
[Host, actually, this isn't even the worst of Zhou Qingci's situation!]
[Oh? What other juicy stories does he have?]
Shen Mingzhu peeked outside the door, confirming no one was around—especially not Zhou Qingci—before asking.
[What else about Official Zhou Qingci? Is it exciting? Tell me quickly!]
Zhou Qingci: … Compiler Shen, such a gentle-looking young woman, actually finds joy in my suffering.
He glanced at his colleagues, only to see their eyes suddenly light up, all staring intently at Shen Mingzhu's room.
[Zhou Qingci isn't his father's biological son!]
Zhou Qingci: What?!
Then his mother would have committed adultery, making him an illegitimate child—completely ineligible for official service.
Wuwuwu…
Zhou Qingci's mind went blank.
Finally, he broke down crying!
Over a decade of arduous study, all wiped out in an instant.
But his mother had died of illness a few years ago—he couldn't even ask her for confirmation!
Wuwuwu…… ……
Zhou Qingci wept bitterly!
At this moment, all his colleagues looked at him with pity, unsure how to comfort his wounded heart.
They say men don't shed tears easily, only when truly heartbroken!
Today, Zhou Qingci was genuinely heartbroken!
His dreams shattered!
His family gone!
Every word Shen Mingzhu said made sense individually, but put together—he wished he couldn't understand!
What sin had he committed in a past life?!
Then Shen Mingzhu's mental voice came through again:
[Oh. Oh! Oh!!!]
[So that's it, that explains everything!]
What is it?!
Hurry up and say it!
The entire Hanlin Academy was nearly dying of anticipation!
Could you please finish your sentences properly?!
[Zhou Qingci's adoptive father couldn't have children due to a physical condition. One day he rescued a man from the river and brought him home. While the man was recovering, to conceal this hidden flaw, one night he drugged both the man and his own wife… leading to the conception of Zhou Qingci.]
[Ahhh! Zhou Qingci's dad is something else—actively cuckolding himself!]
Never pick up random men from the roadside!
Especially never pick up men from rivers!
[Gua Gua, Zhou Qingci's biological father wouldn't happen to be someone important, would he?]
[Host, you're so clever!]
Zhou Qingci: ?
Zhou Qingci's brain finally started working again, though he felt completely numb!
All colleagues: Compiler Shen and her dramatic pauses!
Now everyone was unsure whether to be more shocked that Zhou Qingci wasn't his father's biological son, or that his biological father turned out to be someone of great importance.
Just who exactly was his biological father?
As for his adoptive father being unable to have children—that detail had already been automatically overlooked.
Come on, tell us! Who exactly is his biological father?