Three days later.
Xianyang Palace, study room.
Qinglong knelt on one knee, his voice as emotionless as ever.
“Reporting to Young Master.”
“Through the Jinyiwei’s ‘oversight,’ the news of Xiang Zhuang’s humiliation at the city gate—his sword broken by two fingers and his miserable escape—has already spread into the ears of every spy from the Six Kingdoms within Xianyang.”
Li Si stepped forward right after him, bowing deeply, his face unable to hide his excitement.
“Reporting to Young Master! Everything is progressing smoothly in the three hundred mu of experimental fields outside the city!”
“The common people guard them day and night. The first batch of divine crops has already… already sprouted from the soil!”
Sitting in the main seat while swinging his two short legs, Ying Ziye nodded in satisfaction.
Looking at Li Si’s face—both excited and slightly haggard—he spoke in his childish voice:
“Chancellor, you’ve worked hard.”
Li Si shuddered and hurriedly replied:
“To ease Your Young Master’s burdens and seek blessings for the millions of Qin’s people, this minister would not hesitate even unto death!”
Ying Ziye giggled and jumped down from his chair.
“Chancellor, don’t be so nervous.”
“The surprise this Young Master promised you before can now be shown.”
Li Si’s heart skipped a beat.
Another surprise!
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.
Ying Ziye instructed the young eunuch standing by the door:
“Go summon the Assistant Minister of Agriculture.”
The Assistant Minister of Agriculture?
Li Si froze for a moment.
That stubborn old man who had spent his entire life dealing with farmland?
Why did the Young Master want him here?
Not long afterward—
A thin old man in official robes, his face covered in wrinkles, was led inside trembling.
“This… this minister, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Li Ji, pays respects to the Regent Young Master!”
He knelt on the floor without daring to raise his head.
Ying Ziye waved casually.
“Get up.”
“Come with this Young Master to see something good.”
Half an hour later.
Deep within the imperial palace, inside a royal experimental field heavily sealed off by layers of Jinyiwei guards—
Li Si and the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Li Ji, followed the tiny figure standing before a patch of land less than a single mu in size, both utterly bewildered.
Ying Ziye pointed toward a strange plant in the field that had already grown to half a man’s height.
Its stalk was thick and sturdy, its leaves broad and wide. In the center hung a rod-shaped object wrapped in layers of husk, revealing golden-yellow kernels beneath.
“Old man.”
Tilting his little head, Ying Ziye looked at Li Ji.
“You oversee all agricultural affairs in Great Qin. Do you recognize this thing?”
Li Ji’s eyes widened like bronze bells.
He hurried to the edge of the field and crouched down, examining the plant carefully, even reaching out to touch its broad leaves.
Moments later, he abruptly turned around and repeatedly kowtowed toward Ying Ziye.
“Forgive me, Young Master! This old minister… this old minister is ignorant!”
“I have never heard of nor seen such a thing before!”
Li Si’s heart tightened again.
Even the official overseeing all agriculture in the empire did not recognize it—what exactly was this thing?
Ying Ziye smiled.
“Someone.”
“Pick one and roast it.”
A Jinyiwei guard stepped forward, decisively snapped off the golden ear, peeled away its outer husk, and tossed it directly into a fire that had already been prepared.
Sizzle—
A strange fragrance carrying a hint of sweetness instantly spread through the air.
Li Ji’s nose twitched sharply several times, and his throat bobbed uncontrollably.
It smelled incredible!
Very soon, the corn was roasted until golden and fragrant.
The Jinyiwei removed it from the fire and presented it to Ying Ziye.
Ying Ziye grabbed it and took a huge bite without hesitation.
“Mmm, delicious!”
Then he handed the rest to Li Si.
“Chancellor, you should try some too.”
Li Si accepted it nervously and copied Ying Ziye, taking a bite.
A rich sweetness exploded instantly inside his mouth!
His entire body froze on the spot.
There actually existed such delicious grain in this world?!
Ying Ziye pointed again at the Assistant Minister of Agriculture.
“Let him try some too.”
Li Ji accepted a small piece and carefully placed it into his mouth.
In the very next moment, the wrinkled old man’s face completely relaxed, his eyes filling with shock.
Watching the reactions of the two men, Ying Ziye smiled even more happily.
“This thing is called corn.”
He paused, then used the most innocent tone to say the most terrifying words.
“A yield of several thousand jin per mu shouldn’t be difficult.”
Thud!
Assistant Minister Li Ji’s legs gave out, and he collapsed straight onto his knees.
Sev… several thousand jin?
Another crop yielding several thousand jin per mu?!
Li Si had to grab onto a nearby wooden post just to remain standing.
His brain had completely stopped functioning.
Ying Ziye gave them no time to recover.
Pulling Li Si along, he walked toward another section of the field.
“Come on, there’s more.”
A Jinyiwei guard stepped forward and dug into the soil with a tool.
A large cluster of smooth-skinned, reddish tubers was unearthed.
“This is called a sweet potato.”
Ying Ziye picked one up and handed it to Li Ji.
“It’s even sweeter than potatoes.”
Li Ji accepted it with trembling hands, no longer knowing what to say.
Divine objects!
These were all divine objects capable of saving countless lives!
Then Ying Ziye pointed at the flourishing green vines covering the ground and delivered an even deadlier blow.
“Most importantly…”
“The vines make excellent pig feed and horse fodder!”
Boom!
The words “pig feed” and “horse fodder” struck Assistant Minister Li Ji like heavenly thunder exploding atop his skull!
Like a madman—or rather, even more excited than a madman—he threw himself forward!
He did not rush toward the sweet potatoes.
Instead, he wrapped both arms around the emerald-green vines on the ground!
“Ah… ah…”
His mouth hung open, but no sound came out. Muddy old tears burst forth like a collapsing flood.
“Divine object… a divine object indeed!”
Clutching the vines, he cried like a three-hundred-jin child.
“Young Master! Do you know what this means?!”
He suddenly raised his head and roared at Ying Ziye.
“It means Great Qin’s warhorses will never again lack fodder!”
“It means Great Qin’s iron cavalry can trample the royal court of the Xiongnu flat!”
“This… this is the true divine object capable of allowing Great Qin to sweep across the world and prosper for ten thousand generations!”
At this moment, he completely transformed from a fearful and passive official into Ying Ziye’s most fanatical and loyal believer.
He slammed his forehead heavily into the dirt before Ying Ziye.
Ying Ziye looked upon all this with satisfaction.
Then his gaze shifted toward the farthest corner of the experimental field.
There, several plants bore small bright-red fruits.
He walked over and picked one.
“This is called a chili pepper. You can’t use it as staple food.”
Turning around, he handed the bright-red chili to Qinglong behind him.
A mysterious, childishly mischievous smile appeared on his face.
“Uncle Qinglong, try it.”
“This flavor is very… refreshing.”
Qinglong never questioned Ying Ziye’s orders.
Expressionless, he accepted the tiny chili.
Without even looking at it—
He shoved it directly into his mouth and took a huge bite.
The next second—
For the first time ever, an extremely twisted and pained expression appeared on Qinglong’s eternally icy face.
His eyes instantly filled with blood vessels.
Veins bulged from his forehead like writhing earthworms.
His entire body began trembling violently beyond his control!
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