Ren Baqian returned to the beast park. Her Majesty summoned him to the palace the next morning.
This time, it wasn't the guard Shi Hu. It was someone he didn't know. He asked where Ren Baqian was and Her Majesty summoned him.
Ren Baqian was playing with Gungun. Gungun kept trying to break free from his arms.
After seeing the person, Ren Baqian immediately went forward and said, "I'm Ren Baqian. May I know why Her Majesty summoned me?"
"Just go. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" the guard said in a low and muffled voice.
He entered the palace. It was the same palace as last time. Ren Baqian didn't know what the palace was for, but the empress seemed to like it very much.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Ren Baqian was brought in and saw the empress in red with her hair scattered behind her. She was leaning on the couch.
The palace was very cool. After all, there were two basins of ice.
"Come forward and talk. As for you, step down, "the empress said in a lazy voice.
Ren Baqian took a few steps forward, lowered his head slightly, and waited for the empress to speak.
"Previously, you said that you can produce five thousand catties of grain per mu? Is this true or false? "the empress asked.
Ren Baqian's heart skipped a beat. The last time he said this, the empress didn't react at all. Later on, he asked Caretaker Shi and found out that Dayao was actually very short of grain. He had been guessing what was going on all this time.
Now that the empress finally asked, he immediately told her in full detail, "This thing is called a sweet potato, also known as a sweet potato. It can produce about five thousand catties per mu, depending on the condition of the field. However, it will definitely produce five to six thousand catties per mu.
Furthermore, this thing has an advantage. It has very low requirements on the field. It can be grown on plains and mountains. Dayao doesn't have many plains. Planting this thing should solve most of the food shortage. "
The empress sat up straight when she heard this.
"Is what you said true?" the empress asked in a deep voice.
"Absolutely true, without any falsehood." Ren Baqian lowered his head and answered.
"Where can I find this sweet potato?"
"Your Majesty, give me an acre of land near the beast park. I can cultivate and plant it. I can see the results in four months." Ren Baqian didn't dare to say that he didn't have any sweet potatoes on hand. He could only get them in two days. It would be too easy for him to make a mistake. Hence, he used ambiguous words.
"I agree to this. I will wait for a few months to see if I can really produce five to six thousand to ten thousand catties per mu. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with a great merit. You can ask me for anything you want. If it doesn't work out, you should know the consequences of lying to me, "the empress said slowly.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I definitely won't risk my head," Ren Baqian said.
The empress nodded and said, "That would be for the best."
Having said that, he lay back down on the bed and said, "You said you can tell stories? Take a few steps forward and tell us. "
"Yes!" Ren Baqian took a few steps forward and got a clearer look at the empress. Her pair of phoenix eyes were slightly squinted, and the expression on her face was very calm. Her face, which was originally full of heroic spirit, looked a little softer at this moment.
The red clothes outlined her body, showing off her curves perfectly.
Ren Baqian glanced at her, lowered his head, and started to think hard about what story to tell.
Journey to the West? This was his favorite, but it seemed like he couldn't say it. The empress wouldn't like a monkey that wreaked havoc in heaven, would she?
Water Margin? A group of rebellious bandits was even more out of the question.
He had never read Dream of the Red Chamber.
It seemed like he could only tell about the Three Kingdoms? This was the only one that left a deep impression on him. He had also watched the TV series a few times. Even though he couldn't remember the original text, he could still tell it in the vernacular.
Other than the Four Great Classical Novels, he could only tell about The Legend of the White Snake and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. He couldn't remember the rest.
After deciding to tell the empress about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ren Baqian cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, then I will tell you a story that happened during the Han Dynasty in ancient China."
"The surging Yangtze River flows east, the waves wash away all heroes. Whether it's success or failure, it's all gone.
The green mountains are still there, and the sunset glow a few times.
The white-haired fisherman and woodcutter are used to watching the autumn moon and the spring breeze. A pot of muddy wine is a happy reunion.
How many things have happened since ancient times, they are all a joke. "
After reciting a poem called "Linjiang Xian," the empress said, "Even though it sounds good, it's a little lethargic."
Ren Baqian laughed dryly, then continued to tell the first chapter: The Three Heroes of the Peach Garden swore brotherhood, and beheaded the yellow-turbaned hero.
From time to time, the empress asked Ren Baqian about the names of some people, such as the Ten Imperial Attendants, Zheng Xuan, Lu Zhi, Gongsun Zan, and so on.
When Ren Baqian was explaining, the empress heard the word "eunuch" and commented, "I heard that there are eunuchs in the Great Xia Imperial Palace. However, to trample on his own people like this, he is unworthy of being the ruler of a nation. "
When talking about Empress Dowager He and Empress Dowager Dong, the empress was rather puzzled and asked, "Why can't women participate in politics?"
"Uh, in ancient China, women weren't allowed to participate in politics."
"If anyone has any objections, just behead them until no one speaks," the empress said disdainfully.
Ren Baqian thought about it and felt that what she said made sense. Moreover, there was really someone who did this and succeeded. It seemed that this person definitely had a common language with Wu Zetian.
After the empress finished her lunch, Ren Baqian drank some water and continued to tell the story.
At first, the empress would occasionally interrupt, but gradually, she stopped talking and focused on listening to Ren Baqian's story.
In one day, Ren Baqian told the story 11 times, all the way until Liu Bei saved Kong Rong and Lü Bu defeated Cao Cao.
At the end of the day, he talked until his mouth was dry, but his spirits were very high. In the past, he had always liked the Three Kingdoms, but he rarely discussed it with others. Now that he met someone who had never heard of this story, he finally had the leeway to express it. The more he talked, the more excited he became. His spirits were getting higher and higher, and he was getting more and more engrossed.
Towards the end, he even began to pace back and forth, occasionally gesturing with his hands.
The empress didn't mind. Watching his gesticulating performance was rather interesting, and the corner of her mouth curled up slightly. Unfortunately, Ren Baqian was immersed in the world of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and didn't notice.
The two palace maids at the side didn't have the empress's various thoughts and comments. They were extremely engrossed in the story. As the story progressed, they would gnash their teeth and smile happily.
When the sky turned dark, Ren Baqian noticed the color of the sky outside and stopped talking.
The empress said that it was "rather interesting" and asked Ren Baqian to go back and continue the rest of the story tomorrow.
When Ren Baqian heard this, he was going back to reality tonight. Where would he find the time to explain to the empress? He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have to prepare for planting tomorrow and clear a piece of land. After all, food is the foundation of a nation. Having sufficient food and not relying on those merchants is the top priority. "
The empress looked at him with interest and said, "What you said makes sense. The people's livelihood is an important matter. Let's leave it at that. Go back and prepare that 'sweet potato' first. Come back and tell me the rest of the story after you are done. Don't forget that you still have an appointment with my imperial kitchen. "
The two palace maids looked at Ren Baqian with some regret. They were just about to get to the part that made them anxious.
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