Chapter 224: A Happy Affair

Th… thing…

All the civil and military officials at court felt suffocated.

Fang Jifan raised his eyes and looked earnestly at Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi was completely bewildered.

He had witnessed many unbelievable things before, such as Fang Jifan praying for rain.

But there was a rational explanation for praying for rain. Fang Jifan had studied the method of observing celestial phenomena at night. Among the ancients, there were some who understood how to observe the sky. You could say that Fang Jifan learned some secret formulas or manuals, which was understandable.

Only this thirty-dan yield was unprecedented.

The ancients were different from later generations.

People in later times were baptized daily by new technologies and ideas, so they became accustomed to novel things appearing casually in life.

But the productivity of the ancients had largely stagnated since the Qin and Han dynasties. Although some new tools emerged, these tools generally didn’t stray far from what they understood within their cognitive limits.

Because of this, from the perspective of later generations, why did our ancestors consider any new thing as heretical? And in Europe, when something unusual happened, they would immediately roll up their sleeves and burn witches. This… was actually because people of this era had been stagnant for many years, with social structures and modes of production at a standstill, making them unable to believe things that were too “absurd.”

This was a gap in thinking.

Emperor Hongzhi still remained half-convinced and half-doubting. This was no longer a matter of trusting the Duke of Yingguo or Fang Jifan; it involved deeply ingrained values.

So, Fang Jifan specifically brought the things, because seeing is believing.

Fang Jifan spoke again, “Your Majesty, may I now make the arrangements?”

The civil and military officials whispered among themselves, and the hall grew somewhat lively.

Emperor Hongzhi took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his emotions, and uttered one word heavily, “Granted!”

Fang Jifan immediately said, “My Tuntian Captains are still outside the Meridian Gate. Please allow them to bring the things inside.”

A short while later, Zhang Xin and the others arrived, carrying firewood, pots, bowls, and utensils.

There were more than ten of them, and none looked particularly presentable. Their clothes were ragged, covered in mud stains. If you looked closely, you could see a big hole worn through Zhang Xin’s cloth shoes, with three adorable toes sticking out.

Actually, on the way, Zhang Mao had wanted Zhang Xin and the captains to change into cleaner clothes, since they were likely to see the emperor. It would be better to look neat and not scare the court officials.

But Fang Jifan firmly disagreed. He liked to play up their hardship. Achieving these sweet potato results had cost everyone a lot of effort. Growing sweet potatoes was a merit, and appearing before the emperor in such a state was almost like carving “I’m miserable” on each person’s face. This was what? This was proof of their toil.

As this group, so out of place in the Hall of Prudent Cultivation, entered, the ministers’ silent complaints and criticisms suddenly diminished a lot.

Were these the former Imperial Guards?

Why did they look like beggars?

It seemed military farming was truly hard work.

Even Emperor Hongzhi was moved. He liked diligent and hardworking people, which matched his own temperament. Looking at them, Emperor Hongzhi felt somewhat reassured. These people looked very reliable.

“Set up the pot.”

At Fang Jifan’s command.

Zhang Xin and the others hesitated a bit. After all, acting recklessly in the Hall of Prudent Cultivation… was something they normally wouldn’t dare think of.

But… at the Tuntian Hundred-Household Office, they had grown used to Fang Jifan’s “unreasonable” ways. Though trembling with fear, they did not disobey Fang Jifan’s order.

Thus, they piled up the firewood and lit a fire.

The Hall of Prudent Cultivation was spacious, so smoke ventilation wasn’t a concern. Even if it was a bit smoky, Fang Jifan didn’t care.

Since the emperor and his officials didn’t believe, he would make them believe.

Flames leaped up, and smoke billowed forth, enveloping those nearby. Ministers close by suffered, coughing desperately, their eyes turning red, cursing Fang Jifan’s ancestors eighteen generations in their hearts.

Fang Jifan, for his part, wasn’t idle either. He took sweet potatoes from Zhang Xin’s basket and tossed them one by one into the fire.

On the other side, a commandant had already lit a stove. An iron pot was placed on it, water was poured in, and a little rice was added.

Everyone was busy.

But such elaborate preparation made hopes gradually rise in people’s hearts.

This didn’t seem like a false report.

Otherwise… how would Fang Jifan dare to act so recklessly?

Due to time constraints, the fire was intentionally made very strong. When the iron pot started boiling, the rice inside began to churn in the hot water.

Meanwhile, another commandant used a small dagger to peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into pieces, and then dumped them all into the boiling water.

The smoke hadn’t dispersed yet, filling the Hall of Prudent Cultivation.

Fang Jifan was a bit flustered but said with determination, “It’s almost done, almost done. Just bear with it a little longer.”

The younger ministers could manage, but the older ones really struggled, holding their breath, afraid of behaving improperly before the emperor, nearly suffocating.

The fire grew stronger and stronger, and Fang Jifan could almost smell the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

He instinctively felt his mouth watering. In his previous life, he had loved eating roasted sweet potatoes too. But once the price rose to three coins each, he couldn’t afford them anymore. After all, he had to save money to buy a house and get a girlfriend, though in the end, he still didn’t have one.

“It’s done!” A strange fragrance drifted through the air.

It was already evening, time for dinner. The emperor and his officials were a bit hungry, and now they seemed to detect an unusual scent.

Pop! Just then, a sweet potato with charred skin in the fire seemed to burst open.

Fang Jifan, worried it might be undercooked, had hoped to let it cook a bit longer. But seeing this, he panicked, afraid it would burn, and quickly said, “Quick, quick, put out the fire!”

At his words, the commandants scrambled into action again.

“…”

A group of ragged, beggar-like people shuffling about was really an eyesore.

But… at least… the ordeal would pass.

One by one, the charred sweet potatoes were retrieved from the fire—more than twenty in total. They looked very ugly. Fang Jifan ordered someone to put them on a plate and set them aside to cool.

On the other side, the sweet potato congee was almost ready.

Actually, not much rice had been put into this large pot. The reason for making sweet potato congee was merely to dilute the greasiness of the sweet potatoes with the porridge water, and besides, it was more filling this way.

Originally, with so little rice in such a large pot of water, the resulting congee would be too thin to stand a chopstick in. Expecting it to satisfy hunger was simply a fantasy.

Bowls of sweet potato congee were finally served amid everyone’s anticipation. Then Fang Jifan loudly asked, “Who would like to give it a try?”

“Me…”

The ancients were always wary of new things, and very few were willing to be the first to step forward.

Yet, there were still some benevolent and courageous individuals with an innovative spirit, willing to be the first to eat crabs.

From a corner, two people raised their hands, their eyes gleaming with eagerness, competing to volunteer.

Oh, it was Shouning Hou and the Earl of Jianchang.

Immediately, the emperor and his officials felt both amused and exasperated, yet not surprised. If this pair of imperial uncles didn’t seize such an opportunity, it would be strange.

Fang Jifan immediately smiled, giving a thumbs-up and saying, “These two uncles are truly extraordinary.”

Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling eagerly stepped forward. Zhang Xin handed each a bowl of sweet potato congee and gave them each a roasted sweet potato.

“So fragrant.” The aroma wafted over, making Zhang Heling drool. He was hungry…

Zhang Heling, however, frowned and said angrily, “Only one bowl? I want three bowls. I’m risking my life here; even if I die from eating, it shouldn’t be over just one bowl!”

What a brave soul!

Fang Jifan was quite moved. In this era overflowing with the Doctrine of the Mean, where everyone shied away from new things, our ancestors still had those who dared to be the first in the world, breaking new ground and creating new possibilities for humanity.

Zhang Heling was given three bowls of congee. Holding the bowls, he first pursed his lips to blow on the congee, then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, took a bite of the sweet potato congee…

He froze.

The emperor and his officials all watched him. The hall was so quiet you could hardly breathe.

Zhang Heling carefully smacked his lips, his tongue moving around in his mouth. After a long while, he let out a cry, “Not tasty! No flavor! Not much different from pig slop.”

“…”

Instantly, everyone’s hearts sank to the bottom.

Fang Jifan was also stunned. Huh… this evaluation wasn’t right. Was it the sweet potato’s fault or the cooking?

But Zhang Heling, not minding the heat, lowered his head, waved his chopsticks, and began eating heartily again.

In just a short while, one bowl of sweet potato congee was completely finished.

Zhang Heling patted his stomach. Seeing the emperor and his officials still watching him, he flushed and said seriously, “Really not tasty…”

Beside him, Zhang Yanling peeled the skin off a roasted sweet potato. The golden sweet potato flesh inside was revealed, and a rich fragrance immediately spread. He ate bite by bite, nodding, “Yeah, really not tasty. Even the fodder for my donkey has more flavor than this. Fang Jifan, your character is lacking! You boast so loudly, I… I must criticize you.”

As he spoke, he finished the roasted sweet potato, threw away the skin, and picked up another to peel.

Zhang Heling ate two more bowls, burped, then glared at Fang Jifan and said, “Out of a sense of responsibility for my worthy nephew and to help His Majesty check this, I’ll try another two bowls. Though it tastes like chewing wax, maybe it’ll have some flavor later.”

With that, he picked up the third bowl. By now, the congee had cooled a bit, so he ate even faster. In no time, the congee was in his stomach. Zhang Heling’s belly visibly swelled, and he kept burping, “Huh, so strange. Why is it so bad? Let me try again…”

“I’ll try the congee too, brother. You have this roasted one. This roasted thing is unbearable; how can something in the world be so awful? Truly, young people are unreliable—no beard on their chin means no dependability!”

With that, he snatched the remaining half bowl of congee from Zhang Heling and ate with great delight.