After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Lai Qing is sunburnt red and is wiping sweat from her face with her sleeve. Seeing the Empress Dowager, she is delighted, but her smile falters upon noticing Princess Hongnong beside her. She quickly runs into the field to find Zhao Hanzhang, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and Princess Hongnong have arrived."

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan straighten up, and in unison, they look back to see the three being ushered forward. Zhao Hanzhang calls out to Fu Tinghan, "Let’s take a break."

Fu Tinghan agrees.

Mrs. Wang breathes a sigh of relief seeing the two come up and quickly takes a bowl from the basket held by the palace maid to serve them soup, "Come quickly, I’ve made sour plum soup for you."

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang’s face covered in sweat, Mrs. Wang is somewhat disdainful. She first serves the soup to Fu Tinghan and then wipes Zhao Hanzhang’s face with a cloth, "Are you really going to cut all the rice in this field?"

Zhao Hanzhang nods, "There isn’t much left, see, we have so many people here."

Besides the first day when she brought ministers to harvest ceremoniously and tour the field, she had personally been involved these past two days, leading the efforts from harvesting to tying the rice stalks to carrying them out.

Smiling, Zhao Hanzhang looks toward Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan, "Why have Father and Mother come?"

Princess Hongnong replies, "Upon hearing that Your Majesty was here harvesting rice, my Prince Consort and I came to help."

Zhao Hanzhang nods, not refusing, but first decides to continue after lunch.

At Zhao Hanzhang’s command, Zeng Yue brings out the Imperial Guards with sickles; soldiers carry a basket of cakes and two barrels of soup.

Each person receives two cakes and a bowl of soup, and everyone either stands or squats to eat lunch.

Zhao Hanzhang and their group eat the lunch brought by the Empress Dowager—a small basket of steamed buns, accompanied by three dishes and a soup.

Mrs. Wang knows Zhao Hanzhang has a large appetite, so she specially brought more steamed buns. Upon opening the bamboo basket, wrapped in a layer of gauze, the buns are steaming hot, enticingly appetizing.

Zhao Hanzhang first offers portions to the three elders, then pushes the bamboo basket to Fu Tinghan and walks towards the soldiers’ dining area.

Zeng Yue is gnawing on a cake on the side and, seeing her approach, wisely takes two from the large basket for her.

Upon receiving them, Zhao Hanzhang asks, "Is it enough for you?"

Zeng Yue replies, "Plenty, the kitchen always prepares extra, especially during the autumn harvest; they wouldn’t dare to deprive us of food and drink."

Zhao Hanzhang, assured, takes a bite. The cake contains minced meat, mixed with chopped green onions and grilled—she admits, it’s quite delicious.

Seeing her enjoy, Zeng Yue hands his own to her, but Zhao Hanzhang pushes it back, waving him off and sauntering away while waving to the observing Imperial Guards, "Brothers, eat your fill. When autumn harvest leave ends, I’ll treat you to a feast!"

Elated by the news, the Imperial Guards all respond joyfully.

Zhao Hanzhang returns with three meat cakes to the mat, and only then does Princess Hongnong realize that their impromptu visit has left the lunch prepared by the Empress Dowager insufficient.

Princess Hongnong puts down her bun, "We came at an inconvenient time..."

Without waiting for Zhao Hanzhang to console her, Mrs. Wang swiftly interjects, "Princess, please don’t say that; this child naturally has a big appetite and often shares meals with the soldiers. Even when you’re not here, they regularly eat together, right Ting Han?"

Fu Tinghan nods, "Yes."

He asks Princess Hongnong, "Did you come to discuss something with us?"

Princess Hongnong hesitates, clutching her bun, then says, "No, we just heard Your Majesty and you were leading by example in the autumn harvest, so we wanted to help."

Zhao Hanzhang promptly responds, "Mother, your timing is perfect. With your help, we can finish harvesting this field by tomorrow morning and then prepare to plant winter wheat."

Princess Hongnong turns to look at the golden rice field, already mostly harvested, leaving only a patch unfinished, "Are you going to plow this field to plant wheat?"

"No, the soil capacity is limited. After harvesting, this field needs to rest. Next year, we’ll grow soybeans and then transition to winter wheat. Can you see the empty field nearby? We’ll plant winter wheat there this year."

Princess Hongnong cranes her neck to look, slightly frowning, "There’s a lot of grass."

Zhao Hanzhang laughs, "It’s all new grass. After the flooding, that land has been vacant. I’ve had people apply some fertilizer; the village near the Imperial Manor lets cattle, pigs, and chickens roam there, so over six months, the grass, nourished by sporadic fertilizer, thrives. Crops planted on such land will flourish."

Princess Hongnong curiously asks, "As I traveled, I noticed half the fields in the Imperial Manor are fallow. Are the manor’s servants neglecting their duties?"

Zhao Hanzhang shakes her head, "This year’s flooding delayed replanting, leaving most land fallow. However, rotating crops naturally preserves soil fertility. Of course, it’s only our plan, still unofficial. Since scientific planting among the populace is rare, farmers can’t afford experiments, thus adhering to traditional methods while experiments are conducted by the court and the Imperial Family."

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