The sudden push caught Lin Yi completely off guard, although he could easily have used his deep Inner Strength to block it.
However, facing the several farrs who were weak and defenseless, he ultimately did not do so.
The old man pointed at Lin Yi with his hoe and scolded.
"We were wrong just now, we shouldn’t have said that Great General Lin Yi is a Castrated Man, we cannot say it, and you, a chicken-stealing sneaky thief, definitely cannot say it either!"
A nearby old woman also stepped forward, speaking with heartfelt emotion.
"That’s right, Great General Lin Yi is a national hero of our You Country, leading the troops to repel the Xiongnu, protecting our You Country’s divine might. Although his body has so defects, he is more manly than many n in our You Country!"
What an example of being more manly than a man!
Lin Yi listened with great pleasure, accustod to the sycophantic flattery at court, now hearing the genuine words of the common people was indeed uplifting.
Indeed, the eyes of the people are clear!
"Our subjects of You Country truly are hard-working, honest, and kind."
Unable to contain his excitent, Lin Yi wanted to stand up, but was still stopped by them; in their words, they were waiting for the Governnt officials to co and arrest Lin Yi.
"You all outnumber , I can’t run away, so let’s wait for the Governnt officials to co. Right, you said I stole your sorghum and millet, so where did you plant your crops?"
Never had they seen such a composed thief, and after discussing amongst themselves, the farrs decided to have a talk with Lin Yi.
It turned out that sparse rows of sorghum and millet were planted among the tall wild grass, but the weeds had absorbed all the nutrients from the soil, resulting in a very ager harvest of sorghum and millet.
And it was precisely this scant sorghum and millet that constituted a month’s ration for these farrs.
Looking at the sorghum and millet knocked into the soil by his mistake, Lin Yi instantly felt compassion.
"With such poor harvests of sorghum and millet, how can you feed your whole family? How much sorghum and millet have you all planted?"
Seeing that Lin Yi was different from other thieves, the farrs were half-doubtful but still honestly admitted to having planted three acres.
And the area that Lin Yi had earlier pushed over was just over three acres. If it could all be harvested, even if sparse, there would be about 100 catties of sorghum and millet.
"Hmph, you better not lie to us, or else we will accuse you of deceiving the people!"
Hearing this, Lin Yi was extrely embarrassed; as the noble Great General who defends the country, was this really necessary?
Soon, Liang Mao from the Ministry of Revenue, along with a group of people and Governnt officials, hastened over.
The Governnt officials, having heard that soone was stealing, had already been restrained by the farrs.
So they went ahead, stepping forward to directly seize Lin Yi.
"What audacity, to dare to steal sorghum and millet, seize him!"
Lin Yi, seeing Liang Mao about to hurry over, simply smiled faintly, too lazy even to explain.
This confused the old woman, "That thief just claid he was Great General Lin, how co he has nothing to say when faced with the Governnt officials?"
"Hmph, turns out to be an imposter, honored Governnt Officials. He posed as Great General Lin and also stole our sorghum and millet, you must seek justice for us."
In the eyes of the farrs, that 100 catties of sorghum and millet was their lifeline.
"Audacity! Release Great General Lin at once!"
Hastily arriving, Liang Mao commanded, and two Governnt Officials released Lin Yi.
Not only that, but Liang Mao also carefully stepped forward to help Lin Yi dust off his clothes, asking with fear and trepidation.
"You dared to bind Great General Lin, it seems like you’ve grown tired of living!"
Following Liang Mao’s command, a dozen Imperial Guards unsheathed their swords and stepped forward, ready to capture the two Governnt Officials and the farrs as well.
The farrs were terrified, never expecting that the person before them was truly Great General Lin, so they imdiately knelt and begged for rcy.
"Great General Lin, spare our lives!"
Lin Yi quickly waved his hand, smiling and saying.
"The ignorant are not guilty, don’t scare them. All of you, get back ho quickly, co wait for tomorrow night outside the Heavenly Balance Grain Shop by the Imperial City, I will keep my promise."
After sending off the farrs, Liang Mao explained his presence.
"Ordered by His Majesty, 49 blocks of dry land have been especially allotted to the Nanshan Institute to experint with new crops, General, what do you plan to plant?"
’Heh, I definitely cannot reveal that I plan to plant rice; otherwise, our great granary would be exposed to the Eighth Prince.’
After pondering for a mont, Lin Yi said earnestly.
"These are all newly cultivated improved species, planting things like chili peppers, peanuts, cabbages, etc."
"Chili peppers?"
Liang Mao was puzzled.
While on his way here, Lin Yi had noticed many rotting cabbages on the wasteland.
If the cabbage was paired with chili peppers to make kimchi, would it not be a refreshing delicacy? And if this delicacy sold well, he could earn another tidy profit.
"Ahem, it’s a new cultivar similar to the Cornelian, with a spicy flavor for seasoning."
Thus, it could be seen that what Lin Yi was planting had no bearing on the National Treasury’s food security, and Liang Mao believed it to be true and duly recorded everything.
"Lord Lin, His Majesty agreed in one go to develop so much wasteland, yet with the conscription by the court imminent, the labor force available for mobilization is limited, I fear—"
Liang Mao had already been inford by the Fourth Prince not to provide labor support to Lin Yi.
Thus, even if Lin Yi had many wastelands, without help to develop them, he could not establish a Nanshan City.
Lin Yi fully understood the underlying aning of Liang Mao’s words and responded with a faint smile.
"Hahaha, no worries, my plan is to develop these wastelands over 10 years, given the limited labor. After all, training new troops throughout the nation is the top priority."
Liang Mao needed to file a record with the Ministry of Revenue, and Lin Yi didn’t put him in a difficult position. Little did he know, a much bigger plan was already in motion.
According to Lin Yi’s plan, starting tonight, an elite team of 100 n would be dispatched from the Nanshan Army, split into four groups to find the eight most suitable great plains for planting super-rice, and to make hidden assorted plantations around for camouflage.
In three months, when the super-rice was ready to harvest, huge granaries would be built directly beneath the plains for integrated managent, creating invisible food reserves.
As for what to plant around the area, Lin Yi thought it best to consider the little Emperor’s tastes.
’Hehe, whatever my wife craves, that’s what I’ll plant.’
Nanshan City.
After selecting the elite with high comprehension, Lin Yi imdiately started training them, even tilling the land overnight; as for water sources, Lin Yi followed a principle of proximity.
It was another night Lin Yi couldn’t return to accompany the little Emperor. As dusk fell, he figured the little Emperor was probably still reviewing docunts.
’Hehe, if it’s a craving for sour and spicy, I’ll prepare so pickles for my precious darling!’
[Ding ding ding, host has successfully purchased 5 bottles of top-grade pickles, 5000 Heavenly Bead Coins paid, the product has been placed under the table in the Imperial Study Room.]
Then, Lin Yi tried to update the little Emperor on the situation, only to find there was no signal.
’Damn, I forgot to install a signal tower in Nanshan City!’
[Ding ding ding, host has successfully purchased a signal tower, 2 million Heavenly Bead Coins paid.]
Thinking to communicate with the little Emperor as soon as possible, Lin Yi called over so hands to imdiately install the signal tower.
On the other side, the little Emperor’s walkie-talkie in his pocket began to vibrate, causing him to smirk with joy.
’His Majesty finally rembers , hehe.’
So the little Emperor, who was dining with the Empress, had to excuse himself and found a secluded corner to answer Lin Yi’s call.
Listening to Lin Yi’s familiar and calming voice, the little Emperor’s fatigue from the day vanished in an instant, and he was quite happy about the food Lin Yi had prepared for him.
It feels so good to be thought of.
After hanging up the walkie-talkie, the little Emperor took out the five bottles of pickles from under the table.
The little Emperor and the Empress looked at the strange bottles, hesitant to believe that the contents were edible.
Thankfully, Ying Yi, who had spent ti in Lin Yi’s General Mansion, had seen such jars before.
"Your Majesty, allow to try it first."
The pickle bottles were about the size of a small rubber ball; Ying Yi twisted off the lid strongly, releasing a pleasant sour and spicy aroma.
"Wow, this sour is powerful yet the spice is not overpowering, just one whiff and it makes you hungry." The Empress, who was used to delicacies, couldn’t help but exclaim.
As Ying Yi used chopsticks to take out the pickles, all three were again shocked.
"This, this is just Cabbage stem, how has it been dyed with red yeast rice?"
Red yeast rice is an ancient dye that turns food red.
The Empress, slling the pickles, felt her appetite rising drastically for so reason.
Truth be told, seeing such a colorful and fragrant dish, the little Emperor also couldn’t resist salivating.
Even she, in the middle of pregnancy, couldn’t resist the temptation of the pickles.
"Empress, I’ve heard this is a top-tier appetizer, let’s try it together."
Subsequently, two palace maids brought over dishes, and both the little Emperor and Empress tasted it.
It must be said, the taste of the top-grade pickles was sour, refreshing, crisp, and sweet; just one bite could make you thoroughly addicted.
"Who would have thought these Cabbage stems could be turned into such a fine dish, tastes good, Empress, what do you think?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, I find the Cornelian flavor a bit light; it would be even better with a bit more Cornelian."
The little Emperor was eating satisfactorily, a long-lost appetite awakened, so he couldn’t help but eat a few more bites.
’This dish, I like it, I wouldn’t have expected this rascal to actually know my current appetite.’
Ying Yi, seeing the little Emperor eat a considerable amount, softly reminded,
"Your Majesty, although appetizing, such dishes should not be eaten in excess."
The little Emperor was pregnant, after all; overeating and upsetting the stomach could lead to serious problems.
Caught up in the enjoynt of eating, the little Emperor retracted the chopsticks that had just reached out, reminded by Ying Yi.
Noticing this, the Empress could only reluctantly pull back her chopsticks. But it had to be admitted, the taste of the pickles was truly tempting.
"Your Majesty, may I co to the Imperial Study Room to dine with you tomorrow evening?"
...End of Chapter...
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