Chapter 34: Three Treasures Crafted Successfully at Once

As for the reactions of the marquises across Tian Xia, Liu Bian already has some conjectures, but which specific individuals harbor disloyal thoughts, he cannot know for certain at present.

Time slips by, day and night alternate, and a brief eight days pass in an instant.

Inside the Imperial Palace, on the Dragon Bed of the Sleeping Palace, Liu Bian slowly opened his eyes, his gentle gaze falling on the sleeping Diao Chan in his arms.

Her enchanting face and alluring little mouth stir a feeling of tender affection, making one want to gently bite her.

Liu Bian gently stroked Diao Chan's silky hair, feeling her breath and warmth, his heart full of tender love.

"Chan Er, it's time to get up; Si Hour is almost here."

Seeing that the hour was already late, Liu Bian reached out and gently patted Diao Chan's soft body, speaking softly.

"Hmm…"

Woken by Liu Bian's motion, Diao Chan let out a lazy soft hum, coquettishly burying her head in the quilt and murmuring, "Your Majesty, you go attend to matters first; let this humble consort sleep a bit longer… I stayed up too late last night!"

Last night the two frolicked on the bed until dawn, then fell into a deep sleep; now Diao Chan has not yet recovered from the fatigue, her whole body sore.

Moreover, Liu Bian was full of energy, keeping her up most of the night, and she now just wants to sleep lazily and replenish her strength.

So she extended a hand, gently nudging Liu Bian, indicating he should attend to state affairs first, as she wishes to continue sleeping.

Liu Bian smiled helplessly, knowing Diao Chan was indeed exhausted last night, and did not press further.

He turned over, got out of bed, dressed, and left the Sleeping Palace, leaving Diao Chan alone to continue sleeping.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto the bed, illuminating Diao Chan's beautiful face.

She turned over, a hint of a satisfied smile at the corner of her mouth, then fell back into a sweet dream.

"When Chan Er wakes, send someone to deliver some supplements."

Outside the Dian, Liu Bian instructed Diao Chan's personal palace maid.

"Understood, I will obey your command."

Then, heading toward the Imperial Study…

"Go summon someone and bring Wang Yun to me," Liu Bian said to Li Liangcheng serving beside him.

"Understood!"

…

Half an hour later, Wang Yun hurried into the Imperial Study, saluting Liu Bian who was seated, and said, "Your Majesty, I, Wang Yun, pay my respects."

"Rise, dear minister, let's sit and talk," Liu Bian said, smiling at Wang Yun.

"Minister, thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Yun quickly expressed gratitude.

"I have summoned you today, dear minister, to ask how the Sweet Potato planting is going," Liu Bian said, his face solemn as he looked at Wang Yun.

"Replying, Your Majesty, this Sweet Potato is still too scarce, not enough to distribute; I could only allocate One Hundred jin per village at most, and even that is far insufficient,"

Speaking of this, Wang Yun wore a helpless expression. The Sweet Potato yield is high, but they currently lack enough seeds, so they must wait for a batch to be successfully planted before promoting it.

"Is that so? Then how did your previous two thousand jin get divided among so many people?"

Liu Bian asked Wang Yun in puzzlement, recalling that previously he had raised the National Fortune Value by nearly one hundred thousand!

"There was no division among many; back then I only allocated a bit to a few villages around Luoyang City,"

"Then, as the Sweet Potato was a grant from Your Majesty, we merely arranged for people to spread it,"

"We told them to cultivate these seeds themselves, and after harvest they would distribute it themselves; after all, the Imperial Court does not have enough seeds for all the populace,"

"Thus, this just meets the needs of the Luoyang City populace; the other Commanderies have not yet received distribution, and now those governors are still lingering at my Prefecture, refusing to leave!"

Wang Yun looked at Liu Bian, plaintively recounting how difficult these days have been for him.

"Dear minister, you have worked hard these days; there is no good solution at present, and I can only obtain this many Sweet Potato seeds," the Emperor said.

In this regard, Liu Bian also had no good solution, unless one day his National Fortune Value becomes sufficient.

This Sweet Potato needs to be planted enough for one mu of land.

The minimum requires three hundred jin of Sweet Potato; the entire Sili region spans several million mu, even using half for planting is beyond his capacity.

Therefore, following Wang Yun's method is the best current approach.

"In that case, the previously skyrocketed one hundred thousand National Fortune Value makes sense; otherwise, if truly divided per household, it would only suffice for a few hundred families,"

"Now, as long as this batch of Sweet Potato yields abundantly, people will see such high output and there will be no need for the Imperial Court to send officials to supervise; the villagers will naturally protect them well."

"To claim someone stole Sweet Potato to eat is impossible. The common folk do not fear hunger; they fear losing hope for their lives."

"How long ago was the second batch of Sweet Potato distributed?" After pondering this, Liu Bian asked Wang Yun again.

"Your Majesty, the second batch totaling ten tons of Sweet Potato was fully distributed to the people yesterday. The earliest village that received Sweet Potato has already successfully planted it,"

Wang Yun answered without hesitation.

"Well done! I am very satisfied," Liu Bian said upon hearing Wang Yun's report, feeling greatly pleased. Thus, soon he could regain National Fortune Value.

"Alleviating Your Majesty's worries and difficulties is within my duty; I dare not claim credit," Wang Yun said modestly.

"Dear minister, you need not be courteous to me; this matter, I will credit you with a merit," Liu Bian said upon seeing Wang Yun still being modest, and immediately made a decisive decision.

"From now on, you need not worry about the Sweet Potato affairs; the village heads will handle it. In the meantime, has any Sweet Potato been obtained by other forces?"

"Thinking that the Sweet Potato has been cultivated for so long, yet there has been no response from the marquises across Tian Xia,"

"Since the first batch of Sweet Potato emerged, they sent people to purchase it, but to no avail; logically, they would never abandon this kind of food."

"As a result, after all this time, Liu Bian still has not received any news about Sweet Potato leakage."

"Your Majesty, a few villages had their Sweet Potato stolen, but the loss is minor, roughly enough for planting one mu of land."

Wang Yun looked up at Liu Bian, speaking cautiously.

"It is still acceptable; no need to worry further, even if they obtain it, it is useless,"

Hearing this, Liu Bian said something to Wang Yun, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

Honestly, he really wanted to see what expression the thieves would have after returning and realizing they cannot plant it.

"Understood!"

"Also, a month ago, the Emperor gave you the Three Treasures of the Horse; how many have been produced now?"

"Thinking that the campaign starts the day after tomorrow, it's also time to equip the Cavalry with the Three Treasures of the Horse; then the Cavalry's combat power will definitely receive a great boost."

"Report to Your Majesty, during the period at the craftsmen's workshop we have been rushing work nonstop and have already forged one hundred thousand sets; production continues without interruption," Wang Yun replied respectfully.

"Good, not bad. After you return, reward every craftsman with ten taels of silver, then go to Zhao Xian Guan and ask Lu Zhi for some craftsmen; a craftsman with good skill can play a great role in the country's development."

"Then, after returning, prepare another Thirty Thousand sets to send to Lü Bu's Xiliang Army. When the total reaches one hundred thousand sets, inform Zhang Liao to collect them."

"Soon, Liu Bian arranged the destinations for these pieces of Equipment."