Chapter 137

Everyone in the Donggong watched Zhu Yuanzhang standing dazed in the main hall, and all of them were so frightened their faces changed color.

Zhu Yunwen asked nervously

"Grand Imperial Grandfather, you, are you okay?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, having come to his senses, glanced at Su Qiao in confusion.

"I am tired; let this matter be discussed later! I have matters to attend to now; you all go about your business."

"Jiang Huan, come with me."

"Yes!"

Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the main hall quickly, leaving everyone in the Donggong staring at one another in silence.

Outside the Donggong.

Zhu Yuanzhang, seated on the dragon carriage, had a gloomy expression and ordered in a low voice

"Go now and find a merchant for me throughout the entire city."

"That merchant sells seeds, things called potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, chili peppers, and so on."

"Once found, bring both the person and the seeds directly into the palace for me."

"Do not delay for even a moment, understand?"

"Your subordinate obeys the decree!"

Having spoken, Jiang Huan immediately ran out of the palace.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Su Qiao was walking toward the exit of the palace in near despair.

The suspended death sentence was gone.

This fellow Zhu Yunwen, for some reason, had possessed the spirit of a war god and returned.

Old Zhu was acting like he had a mental illness day after day.

Was I really going to meet my end here in this life?

Just as Su Qiao was preparing to go home.

He saw a merchant wearing a felt hat sitting on a small stool by a roadside stall, silently sizing him up.

The merchant neither called out his wares nor solicited customers.

He seemed to exist in a world entirely separate from the bustling Qianmen Street.

But when he clearly saw the goods displayed before this merchant.

Su Qiao completely lost his composure.

"Corn?!"

"Potatoes?!"

"Chili peppers?!"

"..."

Hearing Su Qiao name these things, the corners of the merchant's mouth involuntarily curled upward slightly.

"A destined one?"

Su Qiao lunged forward in a single stride to stand before the merchant, staring at him fiercely and asking

"Where did you get these things?"

The merchant looked at Su Qiao and smiled

"From a foreign merchant."

"Where is that foreign merchant?!"

"Dead; I buried him with my own hands."

The corners of Su Qiao's mouth twitched slightly.

These things were all genuine crops from the Americas.

It must be remembered that Columbus did not discover the New World until 1476.

During the Hongwu reign of Great Ming, let alone Columbus.

Even Columbus's grandfather had not yet been born at this time!

Could it be that Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas?

Thinking of this, Su Qiao's originally excited mood finally calmed down slightly.

Indeed, in later generations, there was controversy over whether Columbus was the first to discover the New World.

Even quite a few scholars believed that Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty was the first to reach the American continent.

It is undeniable that long before Columbus, humanity already possessed the ability to discover the New World.

Before that, perhaps someone quietly went to South America and brought back some things?

Regardless of whether this theory is scientific.

It was enough to convince Su Qiao.

Looking at these crops before him.

Su Qiao's eyes inevitably grew brighter and brighter.

Damn Old Zhu.

You won't kill me, right?

Today, I will eat the very things that will make your name immortal in history!

Looking at these complete, intact plants before him.

Su Qiao asked with great interest

"Boss, how much are these things?"

"Ten taels of silver, no bargaining."

"I'll take them all!"

"Good!"

Having spoken, Su Qiao produced a small purse, weighed it in his hand, and immediately tossed it to the merchant.

Two full hemp sacks.

Su Qiao lifted the sacks and walked toward his home.

He had not taken two steps before Su Qiao turned his head, intending to ask the merchant how many more of these items he had.

But he found that the merchant had already vanished into thin air on Qianmen Street.

As if he had never appeared at all.

Su Qiao sighed helplessly.

After all, there was no need for him to truly eradicate the source.

It was enough that Old Zhu believed he had eradicated the source.

The sooner these items entered the Great Ming, the better it would be for the common people.

With this thought, Su Qiao did not ponder further.

He immediately quickened his pace toward his home.

Not long after Su Qiao returned home.

The entire Embroidered Uniform Guard of Jin Ling poured out.

They frantically began scouring the city of Jin Ling.

Not a single merchant on the streets escaped the Embroidered Uniform Guard's search.

Jiang Huan, riding his horse with a solemn expression, shouted in a low voice,

"If you cannot find those few items, none of you shall return to eat today!"

"Yes!"

Just as Jiang Huan was searching the streets for potatoes.

He spotted Su Qiao buying beef on the street corner.

Like other dynasties, the Ming Dynasty strictly prohibited slaughtering draft cattle.

But this did not mean the Ming Dynasty banned eating beef.

Moreover, unlike other dynasties, because the Yuan people had the habit of eating beef, and the early Ming achieved continuous victories in campaigns against the grasslands.

They captured large quantities of Sanhe cattle and Grassland Red cattle.

Since draft cattle required training from their youth, the early Ming thus had many adult cattle that could no longer plow fields.

These cattle were naturally sold by the court, flowing in large quantities into the hands of the common people.