Chapter 33: The Great King

The Great King didn't need to worry about farming, so Baili Jing had Zhao Bao copy down the planting methods for these ten vegetables and fruits overnight—no note of how they'd be eaten—and the next day he solemnly handed the notes to Tong Hui.

The first five types are to be learned and put into practice right away, while the last five should be thoroughly studied in preparation for next year.

The Great King wasn't too worried about whether the crops would grow; the notes clearly explained how to raise seedlings, how to sow, and how many days to fertilize, and he even had the Garden Foundation, a divine tool.

With only five mu of land, plus planting cabbages and white radishes, they would sow these five types this autumn. The remaining work would no longer require Baili Jing's involvement; Zhao Bao would tirelessly remind his apprentices how precious these seeds were, and after they matured, their main task would be to collect as many seeds as possible.

According to him, these seeds would let Secluded Prefecture turn its fortunes around, and Tong Hui became so eager he practically wanted to sleep clutching them, even adding several locks to his room.

The next morning the Great King was taken by Grand Tutor Xu to study; in the afternoon he rode Little Date to the vegetable field and found that the five mu of land had been cleared down to the last weed, with Zhao Chuan leading the retired soldiers in building a fence.

Baili Jing grabbed a handful of ground soil and examined it closely—amazingly, up close it was reddish-brown!

If all of Secluded Prefecture's land were like this, wheat would grow splendidly, and the Great King couldn't help thinking greedily.

It was a pity his thoughts were useless; everyone just watched the Little Prince grab a handful of soil, stare at it for a while, and then sigh repeatedly. Tong Shun, following behind, assumed he had guessed the Great King's mind and said, "Your Highness, is this soil good for making mud? Shall I fetch some for you?"

"Tong Shun."

"I'm here."

"You're not wrong to be beaten a little by your master every day." Am I really that boring a person? Humph! I've grown up already!

"I… deserve death ten thousand times."

Baili Jing decided that the soil would dry for a day, then they'd start planting vegetables tomorrow, since his time at the manor was limited; he wanted to see all the vegetables planted before he could relax.

After giving his orders, he took White Marsh and rode Little Date around the manor, and whenever they found an open space where they could run, they'd frolic about. The manor was larger than the prince's residence, and the Great King was so happy he didn't want to leave.

Here, aside from the crude food and lodging, everything seemed highly interesting to the Great King; he enjoyed whatever he did, except studying.

On the third day the vegetable field was officially sown, but he had only just begun to watch when Grand Tutor Xu snatched him back.

After finishing his morning lessons, the Great King perked up again; Grand Tutor Xu watched His Highness cling to his ever‑present wildcat, bounding out to frolic, and couldn't help shaking his head.

No matter his status, he was still just a child.

Not long after, the tutor discovered His Highness hadn't left; he didn't know what new plaything His Highness had found in the courtyard, but there he was, squatting on the ground with his bottom in the air, playing with the wildcat, though he didn't know what they were doing.

The tutor didn't pay it any mind.

After a while, Grand Tutor Xu looked up from his reading and saw the two still sitting there, earnestly playing with something.

Heck, His Highness is actually quite well‑behaved!

With his back to the window, the tutor couldn't see clearly and chuckled, shaking his head. "What good could be on the ground? He's probably just playing with ants—his nephew used to catch a single ant and play with it for half a day. The Great King of Secluded Prefecture is no different from an ordinary child!"

Before he could finish his remark, he saw a wisp of white smoke rising before His Highness; the tutor paused, thinking, "Playing with fire? That's advanced."

Outrageous! Who gave His Highness a firestarter?

How dangerous this is!

There's no guessing what the Great King was playing with—it was his prized military sword, which has a magnifying glass inside. Bai Yang had casually mentioned roasting ants, and today the Great King remembered that.

Aren't there plenty of ants around the manor!

He easily caught a few in the yard, grinning as he watched sunlight converge through the magnifying glass into a brilliant beam that struck the ants; soon the ants writhed in pain, and the Great King watched eagerly for a moment before realizing that if he continued, the ants would be roasted to death. He instantly lost interest—what's fun about that?

"Hmph! Do you think I'm a three‑year‑old? Only Baili Hu enjoys this kind of game!"

White Marsh remained silent: …If you say so, then it is.

The Great King felt a bit disappointed, released the writhing ants, and, bored, pointed the focused light at the fallen leaves on the ground.

Autumn had arrived in Secluded Prefecture, and the fallen leaves would dry out in just a couple of days under the sun. These past two days everyone in the manor had been busy with the harvest, so no one came to sweep, and a thick layer of leaves had built up in the courtyard.

At noon, with the sun blazing, the Great King focused intently on the leaves and saw that the thin foliage was beginning to turn black!

"Wow~ oh~"

It blackened, smoked, a tiny hole burned through, a flame sparked, and it caught fire!

Secluded Prefecture was dry, and these leaves were eager to burn, quickly going through the process. While the Great King was still marveling, they spontaneously ignited and set fire to the surrounding leaves.

White Marsh was about to warn of the danger when he saw Grand Tutor Xu rushing out of the house, and he immediately fell silent.

Grand Tutor Xu saw smoke rising from the courtyard and ran outside, but by the time he got there he still couldn't stop it—just then a gust of wind blew the burning leaves onto the nearby woodshed……

With the weather dry and everything parched, the old firewood stored from last year, upon seeing the open flame, eagerly burst into fierce blaze.

The Great King was stunned!

It just caught fire like that?!

The guards stationed outside the courtyard gate immediately noticed, rushed in panic to pull the Great King out, and then turned to join the firefighting effort.

Grand Tutor Xu: "Your Highness, don't you know children aren't allowed to play with fire? Hand over the firestarter!"

The Great King stood beside the tutor, hesitating, then said, "If… if I say I just wanted to roast some ants, not play with fire, would you believe me?"

Grand Tutor Xu: "Do you take me for a fool?! Does it matter whether you're roasting ants or leaves?"

The Great King: "…sigh."

White Marsh: "…sigh." Sure enough, it's a bear—its life is truly hard.

Great King's Diary:

【October 3, Secluded Prefecture Manor.

White Brother's gift of the military sword to the Great King truly is a treasure—although it isn't a battlefield‑ready sword, it's really impressive!

Today's record for the sword: burned down one woodshed.

Sigh!

It's a pity the tutor doesn't believe me, insisting I hand over the firestarter; to keep my precious sword from being confiscated, I spent the afternoon pretending to be a little kid scared by fire……

Ah~ This king is having a tough time!】