The tall man was holding a paper kite in his hand, his clothes were fluttering in the wind, and his face was so handsome that it can make all flowers eclipse.
Hearing this, Rong Xi raised his lips, smiled, and answered calmly: “I do mean it.”
Seeing him admit it so generously, Hu Yulin was slightly surprised. However, when he thought about Rong Xi’s daily behavior, which was quite free and open-minded, he felt that this was how it should be.
He asked again: “What about, Prince Qin…”
Qin Ke handed the kite to the boy, who was delighted and grateful. He heard Hu Yulin’s question and said, “Boss Hu, it’s getting late. Rong Xi and I will go home first.”
Duan Changjin raised his head and glanced at the blue sky. The sun was too bright. Why did he say “it’s getting late”?
Hu Yulin’s eyes flashed slightly.
Returning home? In the eyes of King Qin, can Rong’s mansion also be considered his home?
He glanced at Rong Xi and saw that he was apologetic but did not refute Qin Ke’s words, and he shook his head helplessly.
Brother Rong and the King of Qin had a mutual understanding. As a close friend, although he had no right to interfere, he was still worried.
Nobles often admired beauties, and it was natural that brother Rong was so gentle, elegant and smart that he could attract the attention of the King of Qin.
However, King Qin was so powerful. If it was just a whim, how would my brother end up?
Thinking of this, he didn’t know where the courage came from. He took a step forward and asked, “I dare to ask the Prince if he has any thoughts of marrying?”
These words were too rude, but Hu Yulin’s head felt hot and he blurted it out.
The people of the Wei Dynasty were relatively open, and there were not a few men couple who tight the knot. There were also some who married a lady to continue the family line.
Hu Yulin naturally hoped that Rong Xi and Qin Ke would not have the latter situation. They loved each other and would not marry to carry on the family line.
However, Qin Ke was the only son of Princess Mingyi and Marquis Changxin. If he formed a contract with a man, he may be criticized by his elders.
What should brother Rong do if he is hurt?
Jiang and Duan were both shocked by Hu Yulin’s question and looked at Qin Ke hurriedly.
Qin Ke’s expression was stern and his eyes were gloomy. He stared at Hu Yulin for a long time and then solemnly said: “Why do you marry a wife without love?”
He turned to look at Rong Xi, his expression suddenly softened, “Rong Xi, what do you think?”
Rong Xi smiled brightly and bowed to Hu Yulin to thank him.
“The friendship with brother Hu will be engraved in my heart.”
Even if Qin Ke deliberately restrained his momentum, there were very few people in the world who dared to question him. Hu Yulin was worried about Rong Xi and had the courage to ask him, which really moved Rong Xi.
“Brother Rong’s words are serious.” Hu Yulin narrowed his eyes, covering up the fleeting loneliness, and said with a smile, “Just don’t blame me for being nosy.”
He bowed and apologized to Qin Ke again, “I have offended someone just now. I hope the Prince will forgive me.”
Hu Yulin cherished Rong Xi, and Qin Ke naturally didn’t feel bad about him, and even had some appreciation for him.
“Boss Hu is a close friend of Rong Xi, there is no need to be nervous.”
He and Rong Xi stood side by side. One was tall and handsome, while the other was tall and graceful. They were extremely matched.
Hu Yulin watched quietly for a few breaths, and finally let go of the secret thoughts in his heart and smiled freely.
“The Prince has a broad mind, and Yulin admires him!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After a few chats, Rong Xi and Qin Ke left on horseback.
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Linxi Town was a small town, so if there was anything new, it would spread quickly.
Rong Xi bought Bai Diezi from a merchant and filled it with fabric as winter clothing, which was amazing.
Zhang Zhi had seen cotton-padded clothes from Liu He, and they were indeed extremely warm.
This time he heard that Rong Xi wanted to plant Bai Diezi, he was so happy.
“Young master, I heard that Bai Diezi came from the Western Regions. Can it be grown here?”
Rong Xi smiled and replied: “Whether it can be done or not, we will know after trying.”
He had previously asked the workshop blacksmith to help him build farm tools for growing cotton seedlings.
Cotton seedling cultivation was complicated and required suitable temperature. If the temperature was too low, it would be difficult to develop; if the temperature was too high, the seedlings would be burn easily.
He had no plastic film to use, but luckily he could use a glass greenhouse.
A few days later, when the farm tools were ready, Rong Xi summoned Zhang Zhi and personally showed him how to use the farm tools.
Everyone in Rong’s mansion also gathered to watch.
“Young master, this is so similar to a coal miner!” Liu Zishi sighed.
Rong Xi smiled and nodded. It was indeed similar to the coal miner.
He didn’t get much cottonseed, and even if he eliminated the damaged ones, not all the remaining ones could successfully germinate.
In later generations, cotton seeds were protected and treated, but now the Wei Dynasty did not have such conditions and could only leave it to fate.
Everyone in the Zhang family and everyone in the Rong family worked together to finally put the seed bed in order.
The so-called seed bed was a cylindrical soil block made by agricultural tools, it was used for placing cotton seeds.
Everyone put in cotton seeds and waited for them to grow seedlings.
Liu He followed Rong Xi’s instructions and opened the small door of the glass house every morning to ventilate and dissipate heat for the cotton seeds. When the sun went down, he closed the small door and covered it with a straw mat to maintain the temperature at night.
After half a month, Liu He arrived excitedly.
“Young master! The seedlings have emerged! The seedlings have emerged!”
Everyone in Rong’s mansion gathered in the glass house and looked inside. They saw that some seed beds were indeed bright green.
Rong Xi glanced at it and felt calm.
The germination rate was not low, six to seven out of ten, within the range he expected.
When the cotton seedlings grew a little more, they could be transplanted into the field.
He asked Liu He to continue to take good care of it, and called Zhang Zhi to hand over a new farm tool to him.
This was digging the ground. When transplanting the seed bed into the field, it needed to be levelled and placed into the soil pit.
Zhang Zhi knew it as soon as he heard it and immediately took his family to dig a hole in the field.
Some neighbors were not sure what he was doing and couldn’t help but ask.
Zhang Zhi smiled and replied: “I just followed young master Rong’s instructions.”
The neighbors had no choice but to stop asking. No one could guess young master Rong’s actions. A few months ago, when the potatoes were planted, everyone waited and watched in confusion. Later, the potatoes caused a heated discussion, and everyone developed a sense of blind trust in Rong Xi.
Since it was young master Rong’s order, it would definitely be of great use!
Suddenly someone asked in surprise: “Zhang Zhi, how come the seedlings in your field grow so strong?”
The man was pointing to the seedlings that had been planted not long ago.
Zhang Zhi had already noticed this and said with a smile: “After sowing, young master Rong asked me to spread new fertilizer. It should be that the new fertilizer has taken effect.”
The seedlings in his field were indeed a little taller than those in other families’ fields. They all looked healthy and strong.
When everyone heard this, they all gathered around and asked: “What’s new fertilizer?”
Zhang Zhi answered patiently: “The method that the young master came up with himself is called phosphate fertilizer.”
Someone asked eagerly: “Is there any new fertilizer left?”
Farmers were not stupid. They had been farming for decades and was already familiar with field’s affairs. Seeing that Zhang Zhi’s seedlings were growing well, they naturally wanted new fertilizer.
Zhang Zhi said blankly: “I don’t know.”
“Go back and ask young master Rong!” The neighbor shouted, “The seedlings will grow well, and this year’s harvest will be good!”
Everyone agreed.
Zhang Zhi had no choice but to agree.
The next day, he bravely came to see Rong Xi and explained his purpose.
Rong Xi felt very relieved when he heard this. He was worried about how to promote phosphate fertilizer widely, now his strong seedlings had attracted the attention of his neighbors, which was exactly what he hoped for.
“Tell your neighbors that there is still a surplus of phosphate fertilizer, but the cost is not low and it needs to be traded with money and silk. Moreover, once the phosphate fertilizer is applied to the soil, it will remain effective for five years.”
Generally speaking, crops could only absorb half of the nutrients in the first year. If fertilizers were applied properly, phosphorus would not be easily lost and could be retained for about five years.
Zhang Zhi was shocked and happy.
In this way, it was worthwhile to purchase phosphate fertilizer once every five years, even if the price was not low.
He excitedly went back to tell his neighbors. Some of the neighbors shook their heads and lamented when they heard the price. Some bold ones wanted to buy an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer to ensure the healthy growth of the seedlings.
The issue of phosphate fertilizer first started in the small town of Linxi, and then spread to Mengshan County. Some people came here specifically to compare the Zhang family’s seedlings with other seedlings, and they were all excited.
If they could get a enormous harvest in five years, there was no problem of spending more money.
Phosphate fertilizers made waves in Mengshan and gradually spread outside Mengshan County.
The county magistrate Shen Yi had always concern about farming. After hearing about it, he personally led the county officials to conduct an in-depth inspection of the fields. After comparing the seedlings, he looked very excited and had some plans in mind. He went to the office specifically to look for Rong Xi.
“Young master Rong, phosphate fertilizer is very effective. Wouldn’t it be great if it could be used on all farmland in the Wei Dynasty?”
Rong Xi took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and said with a smile: “What Magistrate Shen said is absolutely true. However, my power is limited, and the phosphate fertilizer I make is scarce. The people cannot afford the price, and it is extremely difficult to promote it.”
“If you are willing, I can set up a special workshop and recruit people to make it. At least all the farmland under Mengshan’s jurisdiction can get phosphate fertilizer.”
Rong Xi knew why he took this matter so seriously. The three-year term was approaching. If Mengshan’s grain output this year far exceeds previous years, as a county chief, he would naturally have made great contributions and was expected to be promoted. Rong Xi originally planned to promote phosphate fertilizer. Since Shen Yi was willing to contribute money and effort, why wouldn’t he? Then he agreed.
Time flied in the midst of complicated official duties. In the glass house, cotton seedlings had grown. Rong Xi asked Zhang Zhi to carry the seedlings to the fields, plant them and apply phosphorus fertilizer. Nowadays, the county government had mobilized people to make fertilizer, and the output of phosphate fertilizer had increased. The price was several percent lower, and people used it more on their farmlands.
The weather was getting hotter, so Rong Xi put on thin clothes and tied a belt, which showed off his slim waist. For more than half a year, he got up every morning to exercise. After Qin Ke patiently taught him how to do martial art, Rong Xi’s figure became more and more slender. No matter what kind of clothes he wore, he looked pleasing to the eye.
Liu Zishi felt very proud every time he saw him.
Rong Lian also praised him to Liang Siwen in private: “Brother’s appearance is becoming more and more extraordinary.”
But as far as Qin Ke was concerned, Rong Xi was getting thinner and thinner, which made him feel a little distressed.
“Young master!” Jin Jili rushed to Rong Xi and asked excitedly, “Can I go fishing?”
“Why fish?” Rong Xi asked gently.
After staying for few months, Jin Jili’s hair had grown a little longer and was tied back with a hairband, revealing his entire face, which looked extremely handsome.
Although he had an out-of-touch temperament, at a certain moments he was quite elegant and it were extremely contradictory.
Jin Jili replied fluently: “I have nothing to do, I just want to fish.”
He was not bullied in Rong’s house, and Rong Xi always tolerated him, so he was quite courageous.
“How do you catch fish if you don’t have fishing gear or a boat?” Rong Xi asked deliberately.
Jin Jili’s expression wilted, and after thinking for a few moments, he solemnly said: “I can make it myself!”
Seeing that he was extremely serious and did not seem to be lying, Rong Xi couldn’t help but feel a little interested, “Can you make fishing boats and fishing gear?”
Jinjili nodded hesitantly.
Considering that he was very good at swimming, Rong Xi believed him.
“If you need raw materials, you can tell Zishi and ask him to buy them for you.” Rong Xi said with a smile.
He was not stingy, he just wanted to see how capable Jin Jili was.
Jin Jili left happily.
“I have sent people to investigate him. Before he was captured by the Western Regions’s caravan, he was was rescued by other caravans on the coast.” Qin Ke’s eyes were light, “He may have come across the sea.”
Across the sea? Rong Xi suddenly raised his lips and smiled, and just as he was about to speak, he saw a thin figure wandering outside the door.
“Third brother, are you looking for me?
Rong Mo walked in slowly and handed the paper in his hand to Rong Xi.
Since the last time he ran out of the study in panic, Rong Mo never took the initiative to look for Rong Xi again. Rong Xi heard Liu Zishi say that Rong Mo often led the carriage out of the house for experiments.
Everyone in Rong’s mansion was dumbfounded and praised him for his perseverance.
What was written on the paper in hand should be Rong Mo’s answer.
Rong Xi lowered his head and looked over. For a moment, his expression suddenly changed, and he was extremely surprised.
The theory on paper seems simple, but in terms of thinking, it has surpassed countless people.
The author has something to say:
In fact, I don’t know what the name of the lump with cotton seeds is. The dialect calls it very strange. I didn’t find the scientific name, so I made one myself. Please correct me if I’m wrong!
PS: Cotton seedling cultivation is not that simple, so I won’t write it in detail. Basically, it is quite exaggerated. Please forgive me~
❤Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter!
Duan changjin…
The sun was stoo too bright
I did as asked
Good friend
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Hu Yulin is such a caring and loyal bestie! Qin Ke should appreciate him more, esp. considering Rong Xi’s past – he had never had any allies before, let alone friends who would genuinely care