[Alas, if there is no kang bed heater, using barrels and grain piles will work too, and hot roasted grains can be used as a heat source for incubating eggs~]
Xiao Chuchu was still in the wet nurse's arms, checking the skill book in her mind.
She read books, always unable to resist murmuring each word and sentence in her heart.
Because this way, her memory would be more profound.
But now, her word-by-word murmurs were as clear as the spring rain, falling into Liu Runnian's mind!
Liu Runnian took a deep breath and looked at Emperor Xiao Yunzhou with a stiff neck.
"Student..."
He could not speak complete words for a moment.
The last time the Emperor brought Little Princess to the Liu family, it was the first time this uncle heard the fairy-like thoughts of Little Princess.
At that time, he was already frightened.
He didn't even know how to swallow his meal, luckily the Emperor was also absent-minded that day and didn't pay much attention to him.
After the Emperor and his sister left, his parents finally told him the horrifying news.
—His Liu family would all die!
—Jing Country would perish!
—All of the above were said in the thoughts of Little Princess, the reincarnation of a Fairy!
And he, Liu Runnian, could also hear Little Princess's thoughts!
With great difficulty, Liu Runnian finally digested this matter, but today he heard his little niece softly murmuring in her heart again, and he was so overwhelmed that his heart almost melted.
"Student, student..."
Emperor Xiao Yunzhou smiled and patted his arm forcefully, "Runnian, I know you're excited. In the past, no student who has not yet achieved fame has received my favor."
"You are the first, it's normal to be so excited that you can't speak."
"..."
The Liu family members all lowered their heads and looked at their own feet.
Liu Runnian's face turned red, and he squeezed out a word, "Uh-huh!"
"Alright, be a man and don't be nervous." Xiao Yunzhou laughed.
Liu Runnian cleared his throat, "The student is not nervous."
He was nervous not because of Your Majesty, but because his precious niece's soft and cute thoughts were so adorable that they made his face flush!
"Runnian," Xiao Yunzhou didn't have much time to stay outside, so he quickly got to the point, "Have you ever seen hens and ducks incubating eggs before?"
Liu Runnian nodded.
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes lit up, "I have also seen them, those hens and ducks hiding their own laid eggs under their bodies to incubate them, keeping them warm."
"After a while, the eggs will hatch."
"So I was wondering, if we commoners could also master the temperature that hens and ducks use to incubate eggs, would it be possible to artificially incubate eggs and breed chicks and ducklings on a large scale?"
[Woo! Oh my god!] Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but exclaim, [Emperor Dad really has an 88 IQ, he found the key point right away!]
Xiao Yunzhou smiled, "I thought of this, but with the myriad affairs of state, I had no time to practice it."
"But Runnian, you are skilled in handicrafts."
"I came here today to specifically teach you this idea I happened upon. Runnian, do you think you can make it work?"
Liu Runnian opened his mouth, his ears filled with his niece's chirping thoughts, and looked at the Emperor, barely able to resist saying the obvious truth.
What's so difficult about this!?
According to his niece, all he needed to do was find a kang bed heater, get some stir-fried grains!
As long as he could experiment to find the right temperature, and control the
stable temperature using firewood and grains, then... what's the problem?
This was too simple!
His niece had already told him the answer!
Liu Runnian's heart surged, how could he have never thought of such an interesting idea before?
"The student is willing to try!" Liu Runnian's voice boomed, and he was about to kneel.
But he was quickly helped up by Xiao Yunzhou.
"Also, have you thought about how to shorten the growth time of ducks?" Xiao Yunzhou asked another question.
[Oh, this is the force-feeding technique, isn't it?]
[How convenient, I know about it too!]
Xiao Chuchu chirped excitedly again.
[Use cooked rice, salt flowers, and form it into date pit shapes, then feed them to the ducks.]
[This way, each duck's meat can quickly gain more than two pounds in about ten days~]
What?!
The Liu family members' gazes on the ground were shaken.
Liu Runnian even gasped.
Could they gain that much weight?
An ordinary duck only weighs three or four pounds, but with this rapid feeding method, they could directly gain two pounds, reaching five or six pounds?
That's a lot more meat!
And the speed was so fast, it took only ten days to gain that much meat!
Was this force-feeding method from the Fairy realm?
Liu Runnian listened with shining eyes, eager to immediately try it according to his precious Little Princess's words!
But he couldn't leave.
The Xiao Yunzhou in front of him was still pondering and pretending, "Runnian, I do have a little idea that I hope can inspire you."
"Children grow slowly, definitely because they don't eat enough."
"What do you think, are ducks the same as humans? How about it, is this little inspiration of mine useful to you?"
"..."
In the silence of the room, Liu Runnian raised his head and looked at the Emperor in front of him—this shameless Emperor.
His parents had told him after the Emperor's previous visit that the Emperor could also hear Little Princess's thoughts.
Xiao Yunzhou must have eavesdropped on Little Princess's thoughts about the Fairy method of raising ducks, which was how he knew about the force-feeding strategy!
Saying it was his own little idea... and inspiring Liu Runnian himself?
How shameless!
Liu Runnian's eyes twitched, barely able to resist looking at Xiao Yunzhou's thick face.
He nodded with difficulty, "It seems... to make some sense, Your Majesty... wise insight."
Xiao Yunzhou immediately smiled, "It's good if it can enlighten you. Runnian, I'll leave this matter to you then."
Xiao Yunzhou had calculated very carefully.
The Liu family was quite intelligent, and even the Fifth Prince Cheng Qian had decent intelligence.
Anyway, just let them figure it out.
If they really couldn't figure it out, he, the Emperor, would reluctantly give them another 'little idea to guide them' again!
Xiao Yunzhou pretentiously tossed out the duck issue, very pleased, and stood up.
"Alright, this was the purpose of my visit. There are still many state affairs waiting for me in the palace, so I shall return first."
The Liu family hurriedly tried to see him off.
Xiao Yunzhou waved his hand, "Focus on your research and give me a reply as soon as possible."
He boarded the palanquin, and only then did the Liu family members look at each other in bewilderment.
Give a reply as soon as possible?
How soon?
"I feel that I may be able to figure it out within three days," Liu Runnian took a deep breath.
Since they already knew the answer, failing to come up with it would make them utter fools!
The old Madam Liu nodded heavily, "I'll go prepare the kang bed heater and grains."
"Oh my, how clever I am, to have thought of a method so quickly."
"All thanks to Your Majesty's guidance today!"
"..."
Liu Runnian raised his hand to cover his eyes.
*
The three-day deadline for the pork issue had arrived.
Hong Xing, with dark circles under his eyes, finally came with two county magistrates and assistants of the Imperial Censor to report back to Emperor Xiao Yunzhou.
"Your Majesty, this minister has visited many villages. Apart from the issue of poor harvests leading to insufficient income for farmers and heavy taxes, there is another major problem--"
"Sows are dying in large numbers after giving birth."
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned around.
Here it comes!
The bluffing--no, the 'Postpartum Care Manual for Sows' that Little Princess told him could improve the lives of the people was finally about to be unveiled!
"Oh? Can you think of a way to solve this?" Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes at Hong Xing.
Hong Xing's mouth twitched, "This minister is still studying it, Your Majesty, the time has been too short--"
"Incompetent!" Xiao Yunzhou slammed the table. "Three days is still not enough time?"
"And you bathe only once every five days, how is that not enough time?"
Hong Xing's brows furrowed as he trembled, the Emperor truly was unreasonable!
Is there no justice left in this world?
Tyrant!
"Your Majesty, this minister has read the books of sages, but none of them mention how to ensure sows give birth safely!"
"You dare talk back?"
Xiao Yunzhou slammed the table repeatedly. "In the time it took you to speak those two sentences, I've already figured out how to care for the sows!"
Hong Xing: "??"
What?
Hong Xing looked up in disbelief.
