Chapter 82

Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Wang Li—the three generations of the Wang family—had all arrived.

Along with Prince Fu Su, Shangqing Meng Yi, Li Xin, and Ying Ying Zi Ye, they sat around a large round table, staring at one another with wide eyes.

These few individuals were figures who could make the Great Qin Empire tremble with a mere stomp of their feet.

Yet at this moment, they were like curious children, filled with immense wonder at the table and chairs.

Old General Wang Jian was particularly fond of the grandmaster chair; it rocked when he sat on it, and it was incredibly comfortable.

Had Ying Ying Zi Ye not promised to have one delivered to his residence later, he would not have wanted to get up at all.

Furthermore, the tea they were drinking was top-grade Da Hong Pao.

Having never tasted such tea before, the group was absolutely enamored with the tea leaves.

It took much pestering and cajoling before Ying Ying Zi Ye agreed to send each of them a little bit later.

They truly had not expected Ying Ying Zi Ye's residence to contain so many things they had never seen before.

Otherwise, they would have come to the residence to snatch them up long ago; why would they have waited until now to discover them?

Wang Jian sat leaning back in the chair quite contentedly, his eyes narrowed, looking as if he were about to fall asleep.

Originally, he had not wanted to come to the Ninth Prince's residence; the Ninth Prince had just become Regent and was already summoning their three generations to an audience—what a bold tone to take.

Their Wang family never participated in the infighting between the princes.

If he came here, he feared being used by those with ulterior motives to spread rumors, causing unnecessary trouble.

Even if the Ninth Prince was now Regent, if he did not want to come, the Ninth Prince would have no way to force him.

Moreover, he was advanced in years, infirm, and had only a few years left to live.

Even if he did not come, the Ninth Prince could do nothing about it.

However, when he learned that the Ninth Prince had invited more than just the three of them—

that Prince Fu Su, Shangqing Meng Yi, Li Xin, and others were also coming, all of whom were key ministers of the empire—

with so many key ministers present, and even the Eldest Prince there,

the significance of many people being present versus just his family being present was entirely different.

Driven by curiosity, he decided to come and see what the Ninth Prince wanted to do.

Who would have thought that upon arriving at the Ninth Prince's residence, he would be captivated by the table and tea before him.

And after enjoying himself for a while, he slowly narrowed his eyes and began to ponder.

The people before him were all young; there was no need for an old man like him to join in the excitement.

"Ninth Brother, I wonder what your intention is in having us come here?"

At this moment, Fu Su finally could not help but speak up.

Although this tea tasted clear, sweet, and mellow, they had been drinking it for nearly the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

Now his stomach was full of water, and he was even starting to hiccup.

He was very busy; just a moment ago, he had been counting the six million coins sent by his teacher Chunyu Yue and Feng Quji into the treasury.

Seeing that he was almost finished counting, he had not even had time to rest before being notified to come here.

Originally, he had not wanted to come, as the work in his hands was not yet finished.

But the person who notified him insisted he must come, so he had no choice but to put down his work and rush over.

Yet upon arriving, all they had done was drink tea for such a long time.

The others were all shrewd individuals; seeing Prince Fu Su speak, they all pricked up their ears.

They were also very curious about what the Ninth Prince had brought them here to do tonight.

"Imperial Brother, you must temper your temperament. Look at these others—they sit as steady as if fishing from a platform, without a hint of impatience."

Ying Ying Zi Ye chuckled; Prince Fu Su's temperament still needed tempering.

Fu Su rolled his eyes and said with some reproach, "Ninth Brother, I am very busy."

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's prepare for the real business."

"But before the real business begins, I will show you all something good."

After Ying Ying Zi Ye finished speaking, he signaled to the steward at the side to bring the items up.

The steward was very tactful and went down; after a short while, several servants brought up a tray.

They placed the tray on the table in front of the group and then bowed and retreated.

The tray was covered with silk, so one could not see what was inside.

"Is this food?"

"But we have already dined."

"Ninth Prince, I wonder what this means?"

Wang Li, Li Xin, and the others were confused.

"Everyone present here is a key minister or a prince of our Great Qin Empire."

"I called you all here today because there is an important matter to discuss."

"Let me keep you in suspense for a moment; we will discuss it in detail later. First, take a look at what this is."

As Ying Ying Zi Ye spoke, he stood up and lifted the silk covering from in front of them.

Inside each tray were two round, plump items.

One was red, round and long; the other was yellow and round.

The red one was a palm's length, too large to be gripped by one hand, and estimated to weigh at least two jin.

The yellow one was the size of a fist, estimated to weigh about half a jin.

These were none other than sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Ying Ying Zi Ye's purpose was very simple: to first communicate with these key ministers here.

He hoped to implement the planting of these as soon as possible.

After all, if he asked them to plant them extensively without them having tried them, many would not take it seriously.

They might even pay lip service while acting differently; it would be better to find a key minister to try them first before promoting them.

This would achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"What is this?"

"Why have I never seen it before?"

"It looks so strange."

Seeing the items before them, the group sitting at the table immediately became interested.

Even in the cloudy eyes of Old General Wang Jian, a strange light shone through.

"This red one is called a sweet potato, and the yellow one is called a potato."

"This is a brand-new type of food. Would you all like to taste it?"

After Ying Ying Zi Ye finished speaking, he picked up the sweet potato on the tray right in front of them and began to peel it.

After peeling it, the tender purple flesh inside was revealed.

A faint, fresh fragrance drifted into their nostrils, and Ying Ying Zi Ye took a bite.

Watching Ying Ying Zi Ye eat with such relish, the group became even more curious.

Brand-new ingredients?

Sweet potato? Potato?

What were these?

Driven by curiosity, they also learned from Ying Ying Zi Ye's actions and began to do the same.

Even Old Master Wang Jian could not be an exception; he was simply too curious.

The moment they took a bite, they were instantly shocked.

Was this not too fresh and tender?

Sweet and delicious, with a soft and glutinous texture!

It was their first time eating this sweet potato.

"Is this the new ingredient, sweet potato? This taste is too delicious!"

"Hmm, the texture is good; this old man is eating with great satisfaction!"

"I have never eaten this before. Hmm, truly fragrant!"

"Eating just one makes me feel somewhat full; it is heavy and has the effect of satisfying hunger!"

The group felt it was super delicious, the texture was top-notch, and in a few bites, they finished the sweet potato in their hands.

After finishing, they did not forget to glance at the golden-yellow potatoes on the tray. ===== CHAPTER 84 =====