Quick Transmigration: Drama Queen's Daily Life-Chapter 218 - 213: The Carefree Young Master

"What is this?" Thinking that Ye Qiu had finally returned from the Imperial Mansion, where he was having too much fun to leave, Ye Ling took advantage of a quiet moment in his official duties to check on him. To his surprise, he found him roasting something to eat with his two sons.

The thing appeared black on the surface, but to his astonishment, when the outer skin was peeled off, it was golden yellow inside, and it emitted a strange and enticing fragrance.

Ye Ling had been busy with numerous official matters today and had taken a casual lunch, so the peculiar aroma successfully aroused his appetite.

"Father Emperor." The Crown Prince, Ye Shu, politely bowed and then handed the thing his Imperial Uncle called ’sweet potato’ to Ye Ling.

The Second Prince felt a moment of fear upon seeing Ye Ling, but observing Ye Qiu sitting on the ground without any pretense, he too started to munch on the sweet potato in his hands without any care.

So delicious! The Second Prince narrowed his eyes with satisfaction. Since the Imperial Uncle had brought him such a tasty treat, he generously forgave him for not taking him out of the palace to play.

"Where did you bring this back from?" Ye Ling skeptically took a bite of the roasted sweet potato, and the soft, sticky texture immediately filled his mouth, tasting even better than he imagined.

"On the mountain at the Imperial Mansion, a vine can bear several of them!" Ye Qiu replied nonchalantly.

But Ye Ling could not overlook this revelation; food as delicious as this could be grown on the mountains? A single sweet potato could fill the stomach of a child and a woman, while two would suffice for a grown man. And with several sweet potatoes growing on one vine, this clearly indicated that it is a high-yield crop that does not require strict cultivation conditions.

With his insight, Ye Ling had already foreseen the importance of the so-called "sweet potato." If it could be popularized across the country, it could greatly improve the lives of the common people. With it, more people could be guaranteed not to go hungry.

"How many more sweet potatoes are there?" Ye Ling anxiously asked Ye Qiu.

"I don’t know, there’s quite a lot growing on the mountain."

Hearing this, Ye Ling immediately sent someone to inform the Left and Right Chancellors and the Minister of Revenue — he wanted to go there personally.

The mountains included within the Imperial Mansion were mostly fertile lands brimming with natural essence, but the mountain in Ye Qiu’s Imperial Mansion was a rocky one, abundant in peculiar stones. When the guards dug out that small patch of sweet potatoes, it was hard for Ye Ling and the courtiers to believe that a rocky mountain with less fertile soil could produce so many sweet potatoes.

Just as Ye Qiu said, each vine bore several plump sweet potatoes, enough to sustain a family of three for a day.

"Heaven blesses Dachen, heaven blesses our Emperor!" The two Chancellors and Minister of Revenue knelt on the ground, crying in unison, "Our Emperor is wise."

Ye Ling laughed heartily, feeling even he was blessed by the heavens. Otherwise, why would such an important crop as the ’sweet potato’ be discovered in the Imperial Mansion?

"Your Majesty, we have also found this kind of crop." A guard presented a vine with a string of round fruits hanging from it, slightly smaller than sweet potatoes and in an earthy yellow color.

Ye Ling and the courtiers realized that this might be yet another crop. Later, after being verified by the Imperial Chef, not only was the fruit edible, but it also tasted excellent. Since it grew from the earth, Ye Ling later named it "potato."

Seeing how Ye Ling tirelessly invested sweet potatoes and potatoes into the experimental planting, Ye Qiu nodded with satisfaction, not having transplanted these things from his space in vain. To make them grow faster, he also watered them generously with Spiritual Spring Water.

Because the Imperial Mansion belonged to Ye Qiu, and he was the first to discover the sweet potatoes, to compensate his Imperial Brother, Ye Ling expanded Ye Qiu’s territory by a margin.

This dynasty continued the late Emperor’s tradition; once princes came of age, they would go to their fiefs. Ye Qiu’s fief was by the sea, with a warm and moist climate and rich resources—it was already an excellent area. Now that Ye Ling had expanded it further, it was clear how much he favored his youngest brother.

However, what Ye Qiu thought about was not this. The expansion of his territory meant that it now bordered Prince Nan.

Prince Nan was the late Emperor’s youngest brother and was also the beloved Imperial Uncle of Ye Ling and Ye Qiu. Emperor Wen, their grandfather, was extremely fond of his youngest son and there were rumors that, had Emperor Wen not died when Prince Nan was too young, the throne might not have passed to the late Emperor.

Prince Nan, perhaps believing these rumors, always thought that the throne should rightfully be his, hence he persistently plotted rebellions. He planted his people around Ye Qiu to stir up trouble with Ye Ling, and the rumors that defamed Ye Ling as unworthy of being Emperor after the drought were his masterpieces.

"Your Highness, has the Imperial Mansion been requisitioned by the Emperor just like that?" After two months, Li Xiaolian, having been trained by the nannies and managing to stay by Ye Qiu’s side due to her diligent studies, expressed her indignation upon hearing that the Imperial Mansion was used for experimental planting.

"Mm." Ye Qiu answered indifferently, taking great interest in teasing a tiger cub brought to him by the servants.

Li Xiaolian, observing Ye Qiu’s dissipated manner, felt somewhat contemptuous, but being trained, she hid her thoughts, still focused on the task given to her. It was just a cub; how could it possibly escape her grasp?

"Then where will we go to have fun outside the palace in the future? His Majesty should have compensated with another place since he requisitioned Your Highness’s mansion. And this little tiger cub, it needs a place to run around as well. I’ve heard that a tiger can only truly grow in the forest. When it grows up, Your Highness riding it would be so imposing!" Li Xiaolian implied through her words that she was thinking of Ye Qiu’s best interests. Perhaps a simple-minded child might truly be coaxed by her—surely every boy dreams of riding a majestic tiger!

"How audacious!" Ye Qiu suddenly exclaimed in anger. Not only did Li Xiaolian kneel in fright, but even Eunuch Gui and the guards outside also knelt down.

"You dare to slander my elder brother." Ye Qiu glared at Li Xiaolian. "Slap yourself twenty times."

Li Xiaolian complied without hesitation, not having expected that a child of six or seven years, like Ye Qiu, would feel so deeply for the Emperor. As she slapped herself, she admitted her faults, "This servant knows her crime, I beg for Your Highness’s forgiveness."

After this incident, Ye Qiu distanced himself from Li Xiaolian for several days, but later, he reemployed her due to the little animals she skillfully weaved from grass.

From the beginning, Ye Qiu had never intended to kill Li Xiaolian outright, for that would be a disservice to her and those behind her.

Afterward, Li Xiaolian became even more cautious with her words and actions, continuing to pass messages outside the palace while subtly attempting to drive a wedge between Ye Qiu and the Emperor’s good feelings. Although not markedly effective, it successfully boosted Li Xiaolian’s confidence.

She thought to herself, how could a mischievous child like Prince An possibly escape from her grip?

What she did not know was that all this was a show put on by Ye Qiu, and in her ignorance, he was still that playful Imperial Brother who could act spoiled on his elder brother’s lap.

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