"This Son merely thought it had been some time since last visiting Your Majesty. Then I heard from Fifth Sister that she had prepared a grand gift for you. Curiosity got the better of me, so I followed along."
Having been fined silver by Emperor Xuanwu on multiple occasions—amounting to tens of thousands of taels—Yun Chuhuan had long since mastered the art of putting on a smile while swallowing grievances. Though the words "wretched Father Emperor" had already filled his heart, he still managed to soften his tone, coaxing and dodging the subject with a practiced ease.
Fortunately, Emperor Xuanwu, perhaps out of some faint flicker of conscience after levying so many punishments, did not press the matter further. He simply let out a cool huff, neither warm nor cold in tone, then shifted his gaze back to Yun Shu.
"We recall that when you first crafted that special menu for Tian Waitian Restaurant, you did not trouble yourself to come report it to Us in person.Have you invented some earth-shattering new dish this time?"
"You will understand once you taste it, Your Majesty."
A gleam of pride danced across Yun Shu's face as she smiled. She turned briskly and lifted her voice slightly, signaling to the young eunuchs waiting outside.
At her gesture, the little eunuchs promptly entered with the prepared dishes. Emperor Xuanwu could not help but be intrigued by Yun Shu's smug little expression, as if she were about to be rewarded for a remarkable achievement. His curiosity piqued, he stepped closer to observe personally as the eunuchs laid out the meal.
Eight dishes and one soup, as usual.
But unlike the innovative dishes she had presented before—which, while fresh in preparation, still featured recognizable ingredients—this time, things were different.
What was this yellowish stuff?
Emperor Xuanwu stared closely, trying to identify it, then suddenly realized something.
"These eight dishes, and even this item replacing the usual rice...
Could they all be made from the same ingredient?"
"Your Majesty is most perceptive!" Yun Shu beamed as she pulled out the Emperor's chair for him with both hands. "Please try it while it's still hot. Some of the flavors will diminish once cooled."
"...Very well."
Only one ingredient, and yet she managed to transform it into a full table's worth of variety?
Would that not become cloying?
Despite his reservations, Emperor Xuanwu tasted each dish one by one. At first, his brows remained faintly furrowed. But after sampling every dish, the tension in his expression finally relaxed.
"Surprisingly good. What is this ingredient?"
"Fifth Sister named it," Yun Chuhuan said as he popped a mouthful of his favorite stir-fried Tudou slivers into his mouth. He had stuffed himself just that morning and now returned to the table with more restraint, knowing neither the Emperor nor Fifth Sister would fight him over the food. "She said it grows underground and looks like large yellow soybeans, so she called it Tudou."
He pointed at each plate with his chopsticks.
"The dishes are: sour and spicy Tudou slivers, Tudou stewed with beef brisket, cumin-flavored Tudou and pork slices, stir-fried Tudou slivers, hot pot Tudou slices, and fried Tudou sticks."
"And the others?"
Emperor Xuanwu raised a brow, gesturing toward a plain, round Tudou resting in his bowl.
"This one is... boiled?"
"Yes."
Yun Shu gave a slight nod, her tone sincere.
"This Daughter initially intended to prepare mashed Tudou, which would have tasted better. But then I considered that ordinary households likely do not have the luxury of time. If the people were to eat this as a staple food, they would probably boil it directly. Hence, I made it like this for demonstration."
"Ordinary households?"
The Emperor's gaze sharpened.
"You wish for the common people to cultivate this... Tudou as well?"
"I would wish for nothing more," Yun Shu replied. "But at present, that is not possible. This Tudou was brought back by the Liu family's trade fleet from overseas. The supply of seed tubers is still scarce.
Therefore, I hoped to discuss with Your Majesty whether the royal farms might lend me a few plots for trial cultivation. I would like to see whether Tudou can yield two harvests in a single year."
"Absolutely impossible."
Emperor Xuanwu assumed she simply did not understand agricultural cycles. He patiently explained further.
"Grain crops are vulnerable to cold. The autumns in the capital are short and the chill sets in swiftly. Once summer ends and the weather turns, no crop can survive."
"Then why not build heated greenhouses like the ones we used for underground heating?" Yun Shu countered without missing a beat.
"...What?"
The Emperor instantly recalled the outrageous cost of installing her so-called underground heating system and twitched visibly.
"You went through all that trouble just to grow a few Tudou in the middle of winter?"
The Emperor gave her a look, half exasperated, half amused.
"Do you mean to have the entire court call for your impeachment?"
'This Daughter is not doing this for a few Tudou alone," Yun Shu sat up straighter, face solemn. "This Daughter is a subject of the Tian Sheng Dynasty!"
She continued with conviction.
"Does Father Emperor know the yield per mu of Tudou?"
"How much?"
The Emperor arched a brow, clearly skeptical. Yun Shu, not expecting him to guess, raised two fingers with a confident smile.
"At least this much!"
"Two hundred jin?"
Emperor Xuanwu snorted.
"If We recall correctly, We just discussed rice yields at court this very morning."
Even rice did not exceed four hundred jin per mu. Two hundred jin of Tudou was hardly impressive enough to warrant heated greenhouses.
"What two hundred jin?"
Yun Shu huffed and withdrew her fingers.
"Two thousand!"
The Imperial Study fell utterly silent.
Even Li Dehai, the eunuch who had been standing quietly to the side, could not help but glance over at Yun Shu in disbelief.
Two thousand jin per mu!
Did she truly understand what she had just claimed?
If Princess Sheng An's words proved true, then within a few short years, there would no longer be a single subject of Tian Sheng suffering from hunger.
Li Dehai's heart pounded with excitement—and he was merely a palace eunuch.
All the more for Emperor Xuanwu.
It took considerable effort for him to maintain a calm expression. Yet he still noticed that his right hand, holding the chopsticks, was faintly trembling.
At last, he set the chopsticks down and fixed a serious gaze on Yun Shu.
"You said the Tudou brought back were few in number. How then do you know its yield could reach two thousand jin per mu?"
"Does this table seem like it required many Tudou?" Yun Shu replied easily.
Compared to the Emperor's growing seriousness, her manner remained relaxed. She gestured casually with her hand.
"All of these Tudou came from a pot no larger than this."
The Emperor silently did the mental calculation.
If such a small container could produce that many Tudou...
Then perhaps two thousand jin per mu was not a mere fantasy after all.
He took a deep breath, preparing to ask further, but Yun Shu spoke first.
"I feared Father Emperor might harbor doubts, so I had one of the pots brought here in advance.
Would Father Emperor care to see it for himself?"
"Yes!"
Two thousand jin per mu was far too astonishing. He had to see it with his own eyes.