Chapter 651: Bestowing the Title of a Prince (1/2)
At the entrance of the city, the imperial guards wore armors and stood upright in two rows on both sides of the gate. The imperial symbol was stitched onto the bright yellow imperial canopy, and the canopy was followed by feather fans that were embedded with precious jewels as the procession led them into the city. Music was playing, people were singing, and the sound of a drum could be heard. The emperor donned a bright yellow dragon robe and sat on the luxurious carriage. The officials of the court crowded around the carriage, escorting the emperor as they headed for the imperial city.
The commoners that were standing on the two sides of the procession held their breath as they watched. Marching orderly behind the officials was a row of black-armored guards with their armored horses. Among all the guards, one man was clad in silver armor, carrying an épée on his waist. He sat upright on an ink-colored warhorse. The man exuded a dense and austere aura. Next to him, was a lean and competent man, carrying a unique bow. The black flag fluttered in the wind; the words “Great Ming” were written flawlessly and powerfully on the flag!
Royal Prince Yang took the lead in the procession. He lifted the reins of the horse, urging it to move forward. The armored horses followed after him unanimously in order. The warhorses’ hooves hit against the ground in a neat and orderly fashion, which resonated within the people’s inner hearts...
It took awhile for the commoners to snap out of their trance after the army passed by. They began to gossip in low whispers.
“The man clad in silver armor, leading the procession, has such an imposing aura that I didn’t even dare to look straight at him. I heard that he is the famous ‘God of War’ of our Great Ming Dynasty. As soon as he led the soldiers to the northwestern border, they managed to defeat the different tribes to the point where they didn’t even dare to raise their heads anymore!!”
“I just wanted to see how our great general, who is always victorious, looked like. However, when he glanced back at me with his ice-cold and murderous gaze, I immediately lowered my head and almost fell to the ground in fear. Even now, my legs are still trembling from the shock! He was so scary!!”
“The man next to him is Old General Zhao. Although both his hair and beard has turned white, he is still strong despite his age. He isn’t weaker than any of the young men following behind him. If it were not for Old General Zhao, who was stationed in the northwest for a long period of time, how would we have been able to live such a stable and peaceful life?”
“Look at General Zhao! He has a tall and sturdy build. He is the best of the best of all the men on the battlefield. It doesn’t matter whether he is leading his soldiers or slaughtering the enemy, he always does a great job. Unfortunately, he fell into the foreign tribes’ devious traps; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Royal Prince Yang for help.”
“Although General Zhao is brave, he is not as skilled as Royal Prince Yang. The father and sons of the Zhao Family have been stationed in the northwest border for many years now, but they have never managed to defeat the different tribes occupying the borders. However, Royal Prince Yang was stationed by the border for merely a little over a year yet he managed to drive the tribes far away like he was herding a group of chickens. The tribes don’t even have the courage to bother us again!!”
“Did you see the young girl next to the emperor’s carriage? Is that Royal Princess Jinan? I’ve heard that Royal Princess Jinan managed to cultivate rice fields in the Imperial Plantation that produce up to four to five hundred catties per mu this spring! It has only been five years since she’s taken office, and she already has produced cornfields that yield more than a thousand catties of corn per mu and high yielding winter wheat. She also grows fruits and vegetables in greenhouses, which allows the people of the capital to continue to be able to eat fresh vegetables in the winter...all the meritorious deeds she has contributed helped the country immensely! Now, her experiment of creating high yielding rice fields has also succeeded. Who could’ve imagined that a young girl would be able to make such major achievements?”
“Yes, that’s right! I have a distant relative who is married to someone from the northeast. When I went to visit them, I heard that the northeast could only plant one type of crop in a year due to the climate and the yield from the crops was always low. As a result, they have a famine every year. However, ever since they started planting the corn and high yielding winter wheat, the family could finally eat without fear of having another famine!”
“I’ve heard that the important officials from Jiangnan requested Royal Princess Jinan to help them improve the rice seeds a few days ago. Royal Princess Jinan has a kind heart. She planted dozens of rice fields on the Imperial Plantation at the beginning of spring to improve the yields of the rice seed. It was unexpected that she managed to succeed in such a short time frame. Each field managed to produce over five hundred catties, which is more than double the original output. Reportedly, Royal Princess Jinan isn’t satisfied and is determined to improve the rice seeds until it yields a thousand catties per mu!
“Rice seeds that yield a thousand catties per mu? Stop joking around! Aren’t you worried that your tongue might be cut off? A mu of rice yielding five hundred catties is already quite high. Rice seeds are not like sweet potatoes and corn, it’s impossible for one mu of field to yield a thousand catties of rice!”
“Why would I lie to you? My younger cousin is a tenant farmer at the Imperial Plantation. He told me that he heard Royal Princess Jinan say this to the Imperial Plantation’s steward!”
“You didn’t make it up? Royal Princess Jinan actually said that? If that’s the case, then it’s us, the commoners, who will benefit in the end. If she succeeds, then everyone will be able to afford to eat white rice and white noodles. Every family will have a surplus amount of food. We won’t have to worry even if there’s a disaster!”
“Do you think Royal Princess Jinan is the Child of Fortune sent by the Heavens? No matter what she grows or raises, the crop will always produce high yields; it seems like she’s able to communicate with the spirits. She’s definitely not an ordinary person since she’s able to grow vegetables in seasons where vegetables aren’t supposed to grow.”
“It must be because of the emperor’s concern for the country and the commoners that moved the Heavens. The Heavens have sent an immortal girl to assist the emperor and establish a foundation for this country that will last throughout the ages. The heavens protect the Great Ming Dynasty and the commoners!
...
The commoners that were watching the procession were originally talking about the army stationed in the west. But now, the topic changed to ‘the Child of Fortune’, Royal Princess Jinan.