A hint of relief and amusement flashed in the Elder Princess's eyes. Just as she was about to inquire about the potato harvest, suddenly, the sound of children squabbling came from outside.
"I'm not a bastard! You're the bastards!"
"Little bastard, your mother ran away and abandoned you!"
"Nyah nyah, you've always been a motherless bastard!"
The Storyteller's face darkened as he walked outside.
The Village Chief also prepared to call the children to play elsewhere, not wanting to interfere with the Elder Princess's important business.
"Whose ill-mannered children are these?"
The Elder Princess abruptly stood up. "No need to chase them away. I'll go take a look myself."
When the Elder Princess, Village Chief, and others came outside, they saw five or six children fighting in a tangle.
Among them, a thin little boy was particularly fierce. Though he appeared scrawnier than the other children, he was the strongest, pinning the others down and beating them.
"If you dare call me a bastard again, I'll knock your teeth out!"
The other children wailed as they were beaten.
Seeing the Village Chief emerge, they immediately burst into tears and begged for help: "Waaah, Uncle Village Chief, Dashu is hitting us again!"
"Uncle Village Chief, save us! Dashu has gone crazy!"
Seeing this, the Village Chief didn't even pause to consult the Elder Princess before rushing over to separate the children.
But as soon as Dashu was pulled away, he charged back in, giving the other children another thrashing before finally stopping, satisfied.
The children's cries quickly drew their parents, and the Village Chief hurriedly told the parents to take their children home.
Only Dashu remained, standing there with clenched fists, glaring angrily at the departing children. No parent came to collect him.
Seeing the child standing there defiantly, the Elder Princess couldn't help but take a closer look.
This child seemed unusually strong?
The Elder Princess noticed his clothes were far too short, exposing skinny calves, and they weren't very clean either, as if no one had helped him wash them.
It was clear this child was not living well.
"What's the story with this child?" she asked.
The Village Chief explained with pity in his eyes, "This child's mother ran off with another man from the village after giving birth to him."
"My mother didn't run away! I'm not a bastard!" the boy suddenly raised his head, biting his lip as he forcefully contradicted the Village Chief.
The Village Chief paused, then decided to omit the part about the child's mother eloping, and continued:
"This child has been living with his father since he was little, but his father is a rough man. Without a woman in the house, how could he properly care for a child like this?"
"The child's father has a lame leg and a child to care for, so he can't easily find work outside the village. He can only occasionally pick up odd jobs within the village."
"Sometimes, when villagers see how pitiful the father and son are, they send them some food."
"Both father and son have had hard lives. The father crippled his leg when he was young, and the son... But both father and son work very hard. This little fellow is probably so strong because he's been helping with chores since he was small. He even fills their water vat himself."
"When we go to the mountains to chop firewood, we have to rest halfway through carrying a load, but this little guy carries firewood and walks as if he's flying..."
The advisor standing next to the Elder Princess glanced at the child and said meaningfully to the Elder Princess, "Your Highness, this child is so strong at such a young age. If properly nurtured, he will surely become a valuable asset in the future."
The Elder Princess nodded in agreement, also recognizing the child's potential.
If she took him under her wing and cultivated him well, he might prove greatly useful in the future.
With this in mind, she instructed, "Later, go with them to this child's home and ask if he's willing to follow me."
At the Elder Princess's signal, a guard accompanied the Village Chief to take the child home.
Meanwhile, the Elder Princess found a secluded spot and began to establish a connection with Gu Sang for confirmation.
"Ding!"
"Connection established!"
As soon as the video connected, the Elder Princess held up the now-cooled potato for Gu Sang to see. "Sang Sang, is this the potato you mentioned?"
Gu Sang had just returned from Chen Yun's house.
Upon hearing about the potato, she immediately peered carefully at the video, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Yes, that's it. It's definitely a potato."
The Elder Princess smiled, feeling more confident.
She placed the potato on the table and analyzed for Gu Sang, "Before coming here, I had initially planned to monopolize the potatoes, like we did last time in Lingnan."
"However, from what I understand, the people in this village already know that potatoes are a food that can fill their stomachs."
"They can sell us some seedlings, but it's impossible to completely monopolize them now!"
By this time, Gu Sang had settled onto the sofa.
Hearing the Elder Princess's words, she propped her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. "As long as Pei Changying doesn't know there are potato seedlings in Fujian, it should be fine."
"Besides, after the imperial army's major defeat last time, he's probably frantically searching for craftsmen to make cannons."
"He won't have time to send people to look for potatoes."
That made sense.
What a pity!
Without Gu Sang's help, there was no way the ancients could have developed cannons in such a short time!
Thinking about Pei Changying's actions, a worried expression flashed across the Elder Princess's face. "Sang Sang, when you spoke up for me in Liujiang City last time, did Pei Changying suspect you?"
"Now with the cannons and potatoes, Pei Changying is naturally suspicious. This time, he might suspect and take his anger out on you."
"I'm afraid he'll become enraged and use Consort Li's life to threaten you."
"This time, we must come up with a foolproof plan to rescue Consort Li."
Gu Sang nodded solemnly. Just thinking about Consort Li being humiliated made her want to stab Pei Changying to death. "Consort Li is being monitored by Pei Changying, so it's not easy for me to connect with her privately. But we'll find a way."
"I absolutely won't let what happened to Consort Zhao happen again."
Last time, the officials in Liujiang City hadn't told Pei Changying the actual situation.
As a result, Pei Changying hadn't suspected her.
But this time, with the cannons and potatoes, she needed to think of a way to deceive him.
However, there was no rush. As long as she didn't initiate contact with Pei Changying, even if he wanted to contact her, he couldn't do so at any time.
Gu Sang's attention returned to the potato on the table. Seeing that they were eating the potato as a staple food, she couldn't help but suggest to the Elder Princess.
Gu Sang: "Wei Qi, actually, potatoes can not only be eaten directly but can also be used as a side dish."
"Let me show you some recipes."
Gu Sang returned to her room, opened her computer, and searched for several potato recipes to show the Elder Princess.
The Elder Princess gazed at the computer, feeling a sense of wonder: "The computers in your future world are truly convenient. If you want to know something, you don't even need to leave your home. You can simply search for it on the computer."
"Here in our time, if we need to find any information, we practically have to turn the entire library upside down," she added with a sigh.
Gu Sang casually remarked, "After your coronation ceremony, you could commission the compilation of an encyclopedia that encompasses all knowledge in the realm. Then you'd be able to look up and use information whenever you need it."
The Elder Princess's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent idea!"
