"Ah, I used to..." Li Qing suddenly paused and said ecstatically: "So, have you really seen this kind of crop?"
"Yes." Sanbao nodded, "I'll bring some back. When the ship docks in two days, sir, you can take a look. It should be the kind you mentioned."
He added: "Can it still be cooked and eaten when it is not fully ripe?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one." Li Qing was overjoyed, "How many did you bring back?"
"This..." Sanbaoshan said with a smile, "Not much. I brought it back as a rarity. The cakes made from that thing taste good, but if you eat too much, you will get angry and have throat problems. Apart from the consumption on the road, it is just Hundreds of stones.”
Li Qing was a little regretful, but now that he has found it, he can introduce it on a large scale next time he goes to sea. This is really good news.
“Sambo, in which country did you discover this crop?”
"Folangji is the farthest place we have traveled to during these several voyages."
Sanbao said, "The people of that country are particularly fond of maritime adventures, and they have also mastered the manufacture of firearms. Although they are not as good as us, they are also powerful;
However, their shipbuilding skills were very poor, and many people died in the adventure. "
After a pause, "Originally, the treasure ship was not planning to go. It was about to return. But when the two countries were fighting, I went to break up the fight. Only then did I meet the Franji people. They were impressed by my Ming Dynasty's power and invited us. Go to their country as a guest..."
Sanbao talked about what happened at that time.
Li Qing scratched his head. He couldn't figure out which country Folangji was from, but it didn't matter. He cared about corn.
"There are many such crops in their country, right?" Li Qing asked.
"It's not too much." Sanbao said, "This kind of crop was brought back to the mainland from other countries and has not been widely cultivated."
Seeing Li Qing's expression of regret, he asked, "Sir, do you want to plant this crop widely in Ming Dynasty?"
"Well, this crop is very drought-resistant and can be planted in areas prone to drought in several mountainous and river provinces." Li Qing said, "And the yield per mu is higher than that of wheat and rice, and the wheat planting time can be staggered perfectly."
"That's it!" Sanbao laughed, "If it is used as seeds, it will definitely be more than enough."
After a pause, he said curiously: "Sir, we don't have this crop at all in Ming Dynasty. This is my first time seeing it. How do you know about it?"
"This... ahem, I read it in a book." Li Qing laughed and continued to confirm, "Is the stick half a foot long? It doesn't need to be shelled like rice, but can be ground directly into powder. cake?"
"Yes, that's it." Sanbao chuckled, "If I hadn't known that your husband has been in Beijing, I would have thought that you went to sea with the fleet."
The two were chatting passionately, but Zhu Di and his son couldn't get a word in. They listened like fools, looking like they had never seen the world.
Seeing that the two of them were chatting happily, and even he, the emperor, didn't care, Zhu Di felt a little confused on his face, "Ahem... Well, let me say a few words."
The two stopped talking and looked at Zhu Di, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Damn, what did I say...Zhu Di couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Fortunately, Xiaopang came to the rescue in time, "The water and soil support one person, and the same goes for crops. Crops grown abroad are not necessarily suitable for planting in Daming."
Li Qing smiled and said: "Now there are hundreds of stone seeds. I have missed planting them now, but next year we can try planting them across the country. If they are suitable, we will know after trying them."
Zhu Di couldn't see Li Qing being proud and hummed: "You seem to be very confident in this crop?"
"Uh...according to the description in the book, this kind of crop can indeed be grown in Ming Dynasty." Li Qing nodded.
He knows, absolutely!
"Your Majesty, there are only a few seeds in total. Even if it doesn't work, there will be no loss." Li Qing said seriously, "Once it works, it will be of great benefit to the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Di hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "Then try, but...if it doesn't work, you will bear the loss."
Then, he said: "I know you are rich!"
"..." Li Qing rolled his eyes, "What if it succeeds?"
"If it works, I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold."
"Okay, deal!" Li Qing readily agreed.
Although the bets were not equal, he knew the answer and was naturally happy about it.
Now that we have corn, we should also have potatoes and sweet potatoes... Li Qing was unwilling to give in, so he simply found a pen and paper and showed San Bao a drawing of potatoes and sweet potatoes in his impression.
This painting is really rewarding.
"This seems to be true!" Sanbao pointed at the potatoes and said with some uncertainty, "But there are still some differences from this one. The ones at Folangji will bloom."
"Yes, this thing will bloom." Li Qing was ecstatic, "Are there khaki, fist-sized seeds underneath the flowers?"
Sanbao shook his head: "I don't know about that. I thought this thing was tweed at the time."
"..." Li Qing was helpless and couldn't get the answer he wanted. He was scratching his head.
Potatoes are different from corn in that their yield is very high. If it can be introduced to the Ming Dynasty, it can greatly improve people's lives.
With enough food, the population will surge.
Li Qing wished he could let Sanbao go to sea now, but he finally held back.
Whether what Sanbao saw was a potato is still a matter of debate. Sanbao has been drifting for more than two years, and it would be too much to not let people rest.
Li Qing said seriously: "Three Treasures, you must take a good look at this thing next time you go to sea. If it is really it, it will be of unparalleled benefit to the Ming Dynasty."
Xiaopang asked curiously: "Can this thing be eaten?"
"Eat, eat, eat, you know how to eat." Zhu Di scolded.
"Your Majesty, calm down, this thing is really edible, and the yield per mu is extremely high." Li Qing made an estimate and said conservatively: "The yield per mu is at least four times that of rice, or even more."
"What? Four times as much as rice?"
"Yeah." Li Qing said seriously, "And it's not as delicate as rice, so it's very easy to take care of."
Zhu Di looked suspicious, "I don't study well, don't lie to me!"
"If the emperor doesn't believe it, how about making another bet?"
"It's a bet," Zhu Di said, "I bet on your family property before, now let's bet on your salary!"
The fourth child's calculations were very serious.
"No problem." Li Qing accepted readily, "What if the Emperor loses...?"
"One thousand taels of gold!"
"make a deal!"
…
…
Two days later, the treasure ship returned.
As soon as he learned the news, Li Qing followed Sanbao and couldn't wait to go to the Yangtze River port.
Arriving at the cabin where the corn was stored, Sanbao untied the sack, took out a handful of corn, and said with a smile: "Sir, is this it?"
"It's it, it's it, it's it..."
Li Qing was so excited that he was a little incoherent. He stepped forward and held out a handful of corn, his eyes shining.
He opened his fingers slightly, and the corn kernels fell into the sack, and there was a clear and crisp sound. Li Qing looked intoxicated. It seemed that the sound was more pleasant to the ear than the melodious sound of the piano.
"Good stuff, good stuff." Li Qing said with a smile on his face, "Although it only has a hundred stones, it is enough to be planted in various provinces of the Ming Dynasty."
Sanbao smiled and said: "It seems that the biggest gain from this trip to sea is not the eight million taels of wealth, but the golden rice seeds."
"Golden rice?"
"Uh... I just said it casually." Sanbao said sarcastically.
"Very good." Li Qing didn't correct him. After all, the name was just a code name.
Besides, this was discovered and brought back by Sanbao, and he has the right to name it.
Li Qing smiled and said: "From now on, when people talk about Golden Rice, they have to mention you, the Three Treasures."
"Haha..." Sanbao smiled reservedly, his face full of joy.
No one can resist the temptation of leaving a name in history.
At this time, Zhu Di, who had finished inspecting the gold and silver, walked in accompanied by Jin Yiwei.
"Your Majesty, please see, this is the golden rice brought back by Sanbao." Li Qing grabbed a handful and showed him.
Sanbao explained on the side, "After grinding this stuff into powder, you can make pancakes like wheat, but it's not as delicate as wheat..."
"It looks really good." Zhu Di nodded frequently.
It doesn't matter what the taste is, as long as you can eat enough to satisfy yourself. After all, there are still people who don't have enough to eat.
"These grains are really big!" Zhu Di picked up one and marveled, "If it could be grown like rice, this acre of land would not yield more than seven or eight kilograms!"
Sanbao smiled bitterly and said, "You can't plant these things too densely, otherwise they won't produce sticks."
Then, he added: "The measurement method of Franji is different from that of the Ming Dynasty. I don't know the specific yield per mu, but it should be no less than that of rice."
Zhu Di nodded: "Does this thing have a name?"
Didn't we just talk about golden rice... Li Qinggang was about to remind him, but Sanbao said first, "Please give me a name from the emperor."
"Haha..." Zhu Di smiled faintly, "Just call it Yongle Rice!"
