After a while, Li Shimin burst into laughter and said:
"What did I think was the reason? It turns out that's the case. This isn't a problem, isn't it just land? The most important thing our Tang Dynasty lacks is land!"
After saying that, Li Shimin stopped eating. He stood up and started spinning around in the restaurant, muttering to himself as he did so:
"Twenty stones per mu, twenty stones per mu..."
Fang Xuanling seemed much more stable. He thought for a while and asked a key question:
"My dear nephew, I wonder if the vendor has told me how to store these yams? If they are stored properly, how long can they last?"
As soon as Fang Xuanling said these words, Li Shimin also stopped and looked at Qin Ming with piercing eyes.
Qin Ming pretended to be thoughtful when he heard this, and after thinking for a while he said:
"The vendor said that if the yam is not peeled, it can be stored for about three to six months. If the yam is dried and ground into powder, it can be stored for about two years."
Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up when he heard this, then he stood up and bowed to Li Shimin:
"My lord, congratulations to your majesty. This yam is so easy to store and can indeed be used as a fine seed. The question now is whether the yield of this yam can reach twenty dan per mu."
Hearing this, Li Shimin stroked his short beard and said excitedly:
"Don't say that the yield per mu is twenty dan. If the yield per mu is eight or six dan, then I will be satisfied."
After speaking, Li Shimin looked at Qin Ming and said:
"My dear nephew, have you bought yam seeds from the vendor?"
Qin Ming nodded and said:
"Well, of course I bought it."
Li Shimin nodded happily after hearing this, then waved his hand and said with a proud look:
"That's very good. Since this thing was discovered by my nephew, let him be responsible for planting it. When the autumn harvest comes, if the yield per mu can reach eight stones, then I will make you a marquis. If it can exceed ten stones, I will There is nothing wrong with marrying your most beloved princess to you."
Qin Ming was overjoyed when he heard this. After all, with the title, his safety would be more guaranteed. But then he thought about it carefully and felt something was wrong. Wasn't he already engaged to Princess Yuzhang?
"Do you have to make meritorious service before marrying the princess? This Li Er is different from the one in the TV series. He is not very open about his work. Yu Zhang is already engaged to me, how can you still return the favor? Can you take this as a reward again?"
Fang Xuanling on the side saw Qin Ming in a daze, tugged on Qin Ming's clothes and whispered:
"My dear nephew, what are you doing standing still? Why don't you thank me quickly?"
Qin Ming came to his senses after hearing this, and then bowed to Li Shimin:
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Li Shimin nodded slightly when he heard this, pointed to the dishes on the table and said:
"Come sit down, let's eat first, wait a while, I want to take a look at your cement."
.....
After the three of them had had their fill of wine and food, it was already late.
Qin Ming exchanged a few words with the maid in the mansion, and then took Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling to the cement workshop on Zhuangzi under the protection of a group of guards.
As soon as everyone entered the workshop, Li Chun walked up to them after receiving the news.
Li Chun saluted Qin Ming and said:
"Son."
Qin Ming nodded, then pointed at Li Chun and introduced:
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, this is Master Li Chunli, the steward of my mansion."
When Li Chun heard this, he doubted for a moment that his ears had heard it wrong. If he hadn't known that his young master was not an innocent person, it would be difficult for Li Chun to believe that the people standing in front of him were His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Prime Minister of the current dynasty.
He never thought that he would have the opportunity to be so close to the holy face in this life.
Seeing that Li Chun was stunned, Qin Ming hurriedly patted Li Chun on the shoulder and said: "Steward Li, don't be stunned, why don't you come and pay homage to His Majesty."
Li Chun was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly saluted the two of them:
"Chen (common people in the Tang Dynasty called themselves ministers when talking to the emperor, not ordinary people), Li Chun paid homage to the saint."
"Meet the Prime Minister."
Li Shimin nodded slightly and said:
"Manager Li, please get up. I am visiting incognito this time, so don't disturb others."
After speaking, Li Shimin glared at Qin Ming.
A few moments
Li Chun led a few people to the backyard of the workshop. As soon as they entered the backyard, Li Shimin and Li Shimin saw the neatly stacked red bricks in the middle of the backyard, as well as the gray dirt pile next to the red bricks.
Li Shimin pointed to the neatly arranged red bricks and cement and asked:
"My dear nephew, why are your bricks red? And what's with that gray mound?"
Qin Ming looked at this construction scene that would be very familiar to future generations, his eyes were dazed for a moment, and he felt an inexplicable feeling of homesickness in his heart.
With a look of nostalgia on his face, he slowly walked to the cement and red bricks, grabbed a handful of cement and held it in his hand, and then said:
"Your Majesty, this is not a mound of earth. This is the cement that my nephew said. And these red bricks were fired in the brick kiln in the mansion."
Li Shimin was not very interested in red bricks. He walked quickly to the cement and asked doubtfully:
"This is obviously dust, why is it called cement? What does this have to do with water and mud?"
In this moment, Qin Ming had returned to his usual demeanor. He turned to look at Li Chun and said:
"Manager Li, please find a few people to come over and show His Majesty how to use this cement."
Li Chun heard the words and hurriedly agreed. After a while, several strong men came over.
Then Li Shimin saw several people using shovels (iron shovels) to separate a small pile of cement. Then someone started pouring water on the cement, and then poured water back and forth with the shovels. Soon the pile of dirt turned into a pile of plaster.
Seeing this, Li Shimin finally understood why Qin Ming called this thing cement.
Seeing that the cement work was done, Li Chun ordered a few craftsmen to start building walls in the yard. In a short time, a red wall one foot long and half a foot high was built, and there were specially designed walls on both sides of the red wall. A layer of cement was applied.
After Qin Ming asked the craftsmen to retreat, he pointed at the wall and said:
"Your Majesty, please see that this is a brick wall built with cement. After the cement dries, this wall will become extremely strong."
Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling circled the brick wall several times. During the process, Fang Xuanling even reached out and pushed the brick wall. Since the cement was not dry yet, a large fingerprint was left on the brick wall.
Fang Xuanling looked at the cement in her hands, frowned and asked:
"My dear nephew, how long will it take for this cement to dry?"
Qin Ming thought about it and said:
"It's cold now, so we have to wait until tomorrow at least."
Fang Xuanling frowned even more when he heard this. After thinking for a while, he asked:
"My dear nephew, do you have a brick wall in your village with completely dry cement?"
When Qin Ming heard this, he looked at Li Chun who was standing aside. Li Chun quickly saluted Fang Xuanling and said:
"If you go back to the house, there will be one in the workshop. If you want to see the house, someone can take you there."
Li Shimin, who had been silent all this time, his eyes lit up when he heard these words, he stroked his sleeves and said:
"Then what are you waiting for? Take us there quickly."
