Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Growing Vegetables In the dining hall of Kunde Hall, Liang Zhaoyi and her son, along with Yu Meiren and her daughter, and Lady Pan sat together for lunch. "I heard the ministers were arguing fiercely about adding pearls to the honors of Prince Dai, making the emperor quite angry. Even after the court session, he let them continue arguing." Lady Pan asked, "What does it mean to add pearls?" Yu Meiren was also unsure, so she turned to look at Liang Zhaoyi. Liang Zhaoyi explained to them, "Adding pearls is a rule from the previous dynasty, giving special honors to a prince who has made great contributions. The pearls range from nine to seven, with nine representing the emperor, eight representing the Crown Prince, and seven symbolizing the highest rank of a prince." Yu Meiren and Lady Pan had a look of realization, "So that's what it means. But what's the use of Prince Dai getting pearls?" "Whether it's useful or not has nothing to do with us," Liang Zhaoyi didn't want to discuss the matter. Besides, it wasn't a topic they could talk about. "You shouldn't concern yourselves with it, just enjoy your meal." Zhao Yao nodded in agreement, "Exactly, it has nothing to do with us, whether he gets pearls or not." The Fifth Princess chimed in, "Exactly, Prince Dai getting pearls brings us no benefit." Yu Meiren frowned and said, "I'm just afraid it might drag us down in the end." Being without power in the palace, they might end up as scapegoats, as such things had happened before. Liang Zhaoyi reassured Yu Meiren, "It won't happen, this matter doesn't concern us." Yu Meiren looked at Liang Zhaoyi and then nodded slightly, "Yes, it doesn't concern us." "Second Mother," Zhao Yao said, offering his chicken leg from his bowl to Yu Meiren, "if you eat the chicken leg, you won't be afraid anymore." Second Mother was easily frightened, especially by any disturbance in the palace. Yu Meiren's bit of unease was dispelled by Zhao Yao's words, so she teased him, "Second Mother will really eat it then." "Go ahead." Zhao Yao said generously, "It's very delicious." "Second Mother doesn't like chicken legs, so Yao Yao can have it," Yu Meiren returned the chicken leg to Zhao Yao, then asked, "Yao Yao, what did you learn at Wende Hall this morning?" "Second Mother, can we not talk about things that affect the appetite while eating?" Yu Meiren was amused by Zhao Yao's comment and laughed, "Alright, alright, Second Mother won't ask then." Next, Yu Meiren and the others discussed gardening, talking about what vegetables to plant this year. Soon it would be time to dig and plant vegetables. Lady Pan said, "It rained heavily yesterday, the soil in the vegetable patch should be loose now. Why don't we dig now? Otherwise, once it clears up, the soil will harden and be difficult to dig." Liang Zhaoyi nodded, "Then we'll start digging this afternoon." The concubines in the harem usually had nothing to do and were very idle. Without something to occupy their time, the deep palace life would be unbearably boring. Liang Zhaoyi and Yu Meiren, besides embroidery, reading, and painting, also liked to garden. Gardening not only occupied their time but also provided food. They planted vegetables year-round and did quite well. They produced enough to feed everyone at Kunde Hall, with some left over to give to others. In the entire palace, only they grew vegetables. For this, they were often mocked by others in the palace. However, they didn't mind. Hearing them talk about gardening, Zhao Yao couldn't help but think of the delicacies in his dream, like strawberries. Not only were strawberries delicious on their own, but they could also be made into many tasty things. However, he wondered where they could be obtained. In the dream, besides strawberries, there were many things not found in Great Zhou, like potatoes and corn. In the dream, Zhao Yao loved potatoes and corn; they were not only delicious but also had high yields. The most important thing was that they were easy to grow, even in sandy soil. If they could get these things, many people could be fed. But where could they come from? Could it be across the sea? Qingzhou is by the sea, and there are Foreigners there. Zhao Yao wondered if their countries had these things. Zhao Yao thought it over and decided to write a letter to his uncle, asking him to inquire about potatoes and corn in Qingzhou. Seeing her son eating while distracted, with oil stains all over his mouth, Liang Zhaoyi took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped his mouth personally. "What are you thinking about so intently?" "Thinking about delicious food." Yu Meiren and the others were amused by Zhao Yao's words and all laughed, asking him, "What delicious food are you thinking about, Yao Yao?" "Peaches. In a few months, we'll be able to eat peaches." In the courtyard of Kunde Hall, there were a few peach trees that bore many peaches every year. The peaches were large, juicy, and very sweet. Zhao Yao always looked forward to eating peaches early every year. "You still have to wait more than three months," Yu Meiren laughed. "That's okay, I can wait," Zhao Yao said with a cheerful grin, "And besides, I still have dried peaches to eat." Every year, there were so many peaches that they couldn't finish eating them, so Liang Zhaoyi and Yu Meiren turned them into dried peaches. "Every year we make quite a lot of dried peaches, so if there are still many peaches this year, we should make something else." "Alright." Zhao Yao suggested, "We could make peach jam." "Peach jam, that's a good idea. We'll try it then," they said. Liang Zhaoyi and Yu Meiren discussed how to make the peach jam. The atmosphere at lunch in Kunde Hall was joyful and harmonious. However, the atmosphere at lunch in the Eastern Palace was somewhat somber. The Eighth Prince, having finished his studies, went to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects to the Crown Prince. Now that he was well, it was only proper to pay respects to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was pleased to see the Eighth Prince recovered and invited him to stay for lunch. The events of the morning court session had left the Crown Prince with little appetite. "Big Brother, are you feeling unwell?" the Eighth Prince asked with concern. "Or is it about Second Brother wanting pearls?" The Crown Prince, hearing this, put down his chopsticks, "So you've heard about Prince Dai wanting pearls?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 "Ninth Brother mentioned it. He even asked the teacher about the significance of adding pearls to a prince, and said that Second Brother wanted eight pearls..." Before he could finish, he saw the Crown Prince's expression darken and heard him say, "Adding eight pearls, does Prince Dai intend to become the Crown Prince?" "Ninth Brother said Second Brother's military achievements are greater than any of the previous dynasty's pearl-honored princes, so he wants to surpass them and become an eight-pearl prince." The Eighth Prince reported to the Crown Prince, "The teacher scolded Ninth Brother, saying that only the Crown Prince can have eight pearls, and Second Brother, being just a prince, cannot have eight pearls. Third Brother and the others said the same." The Crown Prince smirked, "With the great victory in Liangzhou, Prince Dai can't wait to replace me." "Big Brother, on my way to the Eastern Palace, I heard the eunuchs and palace maids saying that many ministers proposed the idea during the morning court session. Did Father agree?" "Father said nothing," the Crown Prince replied, furrowing his brows. Although Father hadn't spoken, he felt that Father might agree to add pearls to Prince Dai, as Father had always been fond of Prince Dai. "Big Brother, you needn't worry. Even if Second Brother accomplishes more, Father will never let him replace you." The Eighth Prince tried to comfort the Crown Prince, "You are Father's appointed Crown Prince." "Compared to me, Father prefers Prince Dai." From a young age, the Crown Prince had been envious of Prince Dai because he always received the emperor's praise, while the Crown Prince rarely did. In the Crown Prince's mind, the emperor favored Prince Dai more. "I'm afraid Father will eventually agree to add pearls to Prince Dai. When that happens, I'll be..." "Big Brother, even if Father agrees to add pearls to Prince Dai, you needn't worry too much." The Eighth Prince continued to reassure him, "At that point, Third Brother and the others will also want pearls. If Father adds pearls only to Prince Dai and not to Third Brother and the others, do you think the Wang Family and the Yuan Family will agree?" "Of course not." "Prince Dai adding pearls on his own is impossible." The Eighth Prince continued, "When the princes come of age, they will all want pearls, reducing the importance of being a pearl-honored prince. Don't you think so, Big Brother?" "My concern isn't about that, it's about how many pearls Father will give to Prince Dai. Will it be seven pearls or eight pearls?" As the Crown Prince spoke, his expression turned very dour, "If it's seven pearls, Prince Dai will become the highest-ranking prince, equal to me. If it's eight pearls..." Here, the Crown Prince let out a bitter smile, "Then my time as Crown Prince is over." "Big Brother, although Father favors Second Brother, he won't let him surpass you." "This time is different, with the great victory in Liangzhou..." The Crown Prince, trailing off his sentence, changed the subject, "Ninth Brother wasn't bullying you, was he?" "No, he just kept boasting about Second Brother's achievements." Noticing that the Crown Prince did not want to discuss Prince Dai and the pearls, the Eighth Prince went along, telling the Crown Prince how Ninth Brother had been showing off all morning. "Tenth Brother couldn't stand his bragging and ran out as soon as school was over, afraid Ninth Brother would catch up." The Crown Prince imagined the scene and couldn't help but smile, "How is Tenth Brother doing in his studies?" In recent days, the Crown Prince's thoughts had been entirely occupied with Prince Dai due to the Liangzhou victory, and he hadn't visited Wende Hall to see his younger brothers. Normally, he would go to Wende Hall regularly to check on his younger brothers and their studies. He didn't particularly like Prince Dai, but he was quite fond of his other younger brothers, especially the younger ones. Once, he saw the Eighth Prince being bullied by eunuchs and, in a rare moment of anger, had them beaten to death on the spot. The Crown Prince was usually mild-mannered, rarely punishing eunuchs or palace maids, much less executing them. Later, upon learning that the Eighth Prince had been bullied by eunuchs and palace maids, he took extra care of him. The palace people were opportunists, and seeing the Eighth Prince favored by the Crown Prince, they no longer dared to bully him. From then on, the Eighth Prince's previously miserable existence improved gradually. The Eighth Prince was particularly grateful to the Crown Prince and always stayed by his side, being the most considerate among the brothers.