My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Emperor Chongzhen placed the wheat ears in his palm and gently crushed them. As the fine wheat husks fell off, the tender white wheat grains inside were revealed.

Then Chongzhen put the wheat grain directly into his mouth.

In an instant, a refreshing wheat aroma filled his mouth, and the faint sweetness spread on his tongue, making him squint his eyes and reveal a satisfied expression on his face.

After a long while, Chongzhen continued walking forward.

His steps were quite light, and his eyes searched for novel things throughout the greenhouse.

Just then, his gaze suddenly fell on that patch of tomatoes.

The tomatoes stood out prominently among the lush green leaves, their bright red fruits round and plump, as if carved from rubies, and were quite adorable.

Before the Ming Dynasty, tomatoes did not exist in China.

Tomatoes were introduced to China from overseas during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and like chili peppers, they were initially only used as ornamental plants.

However, Zhu Cilang was very interested in tomatoes, so he tried every means to get the seeds and planted them here.

After careful care, they are now ripe.

Emperor Chongzhen stopped in front of the tomatoes, his eyes fixed on the bright red fruit, his gaze filled with curiosity, for he truly did not recognize what they were.

He then turned his head slightly and looked at Zhu Cilang, asking:

"What is this? How can it be so vibrant? I have never seen anything like it before."

Zhu Cilang smiled and walked over after hearing this.

He went to the tomatoes, reached out and gently picked one. The tomato felt heavy in his hand and gleamed with an enticing sheen.

Zhu Cilang, holding a tomato, explained:

"Father, this is a tomato, also called a tomato. It is a crop from overseas and can be considered both a fruit and a vegetable."

"It can be eaten raw or cooked."

After saying this, Zhu Cilang disregarded royal etiquette, casually wiped the tomato on his clothes, and then took a bite.

The next second, red juice splattered everywhere, and the sweet aroma instantly filled the air.

Seeing this, Chongzhen felt somewhat helpless. After all, the Crown Prince was the heir apparent, so how could he just pick an unknown vegetable and put it in his mouth?

This is absolutely inappropriate!
But seeing how much Zhu Cilang enjoyed his meal, Chongzhen felt a sudden urge to eat as well.

Finally, Chongzhen couldn't resist reaching out and picking a tomato, then casually wiping it on his body and putting it in his mouth, just like Zhu Cilang had done.

In an instant, a sweet aroma burst forth, its unique flavor—sweet with a hint of sourness—made Chongzhen's eyes light up.

He couldn't help but chew a few times, feeling the juice overflow in his mouth, a look of surprise and delight on his face, and he couldn't help but exclaim:

"It's really good, the taste is quite novel."

Zhu Cilang had already finished most of the tomato, and upon hearing this, he smiled and said:

"Father, this stuff would taste quite good if it were stir-fried with eggs, or it would be nice to toss it with sugar."

"Of course, the best way to eat it is stewed with beef."

Because the tomatoes were homegrown, Zhu Cilang had already eaten them all, including scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cold tomato salad, and stewed beef brisket with tomatoes.

It also allowed him to reminisce a little about his modern life in his previous life!

However, Emperor Chongzhen had never eaten these things before, and when he heard Zhu Cilang say that, his stomach was immediately filled with cravings.

He swallowed hard, then said:
"Have someone send some of these tomatoes to the palace later. Cook them according to your method. Your mother might like them too."

Emperor Chongzhen was too embarrassed to say that he wanted to eat it, so he shifted the blame to Empress Zhou.

However, Zhu Cilang didn't mind and simply nodded with a smile:

"Father, rest assured, everything here will be sent to the palace later."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction.

Afterwards, Chongzhen wandered around the greenhouse again, carefully observing each crop, and was increasingly amazed by the wonders of the greenhouse.

More than half an hour later, Chongzhen slowly walked out of the greenhouse, and Zhu Cilang followed him.

Immediately afterwards, the father and son arrived at the warm pavilion of the East Palace.

The warm pavilion was decorated in a cozy and elegant style, with exquisite porcelain and antique bookshelves all around, filled with various books, creating a classic and charming atmosphere.

As soon as I sat down, Ma Bao brought in tea.

He gently placed the tea on the table, then stood respectfully to the side, head bowed, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Emperor Chongzhen raised his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and then took a sip of tea.

The warm tea flowed down my throat, instantly bringing a sense of comfort.

He then put down his teacup and looked at Zhu Cilang, saying:

"You didn't build this greenhouse just to grow these vegetables, did you?"

Zhu Cilang nodded and said:
“Father is right. Growing vegetables is just an extra step; the main purpose is to grow some high-yield grains.”

"As Father Emperor knows, winters in the Ming Dynasty are now exceptionally cold, and sometimes they can last for more than half a year."

"In the past six months, no food could be grown in the land. The people could only stare at the cold earth and then starve to death."

"That's why I gathered some skilled craftsmen to build this greenhouse based on the existing warm room."

"In this way, even if the weather is very cold, food can be grown inside, so that the people can have food to eat."

Emperor Chongzhen stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.

He continued after a while:
"This greenhouse is really good. The temperature inside is very high, which provides a suitable growing environment for crops and they are not affected by the external environment."

"But have you considered its construction cost? Although I don't know the details, judging from the scale, it would cost at least thirty taels of silver per acre, right?"

"That's no small sum!" Zhu Cilang said, looking somewhat surprised.

Because Emperor Chongzhen's prediction was so accurate, he had previously calculated the costs with the craftsmen. Taking the capital city as an example, including the cost of land, various materials, and labor, a greenhouse with one mu of land would cost approximately thirty taels of silver!

As for places a little further away, since the land and other materials are not so expensive, they would cost around twenty-five taels.

Moreover, this isn't something you can just use once it's built. You'll need to invest in maintenance and management to ensure that the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse are suitable for crop growth.

After regaining his senses, Zhu Cilang could only say:

"Father's guess is correct, that's about the right number!"

Hey!
Emperor Chongzhen first sighed, then continued:
"You know, that's thirty taels of silver! Ordinary people in the capital only earn about ten taels of silver a year, and with the burden of supporting their families, they might not even be able to save three taels of silver a year."

"Where did they get thirty taels of silver? Not to mention those ordinary people who make a living by farming, their annual income is meager, how could they afford to build this greenhouse?"

"Moreover, honeycomb briquettes are needed continuously to provide warmth inside. Although honeycomb briquettes are already very cheap, their long-term use will still be a considerable expense that ordinary people simply cannot afford!"

It must be said that Chongzhen's concerns were entirely justified. Considering various costs and subsequent use, this greenhouse seemed unsuitable for the present Ming Dynasty.
However, it is clear that Zhu Cilang had already thought of a solution.

The next second, Zhu Cilang looked directly at Chongzhen and said solemnly:

“Father is right. Your son naturally thought of these things a long time ago. So at the beginning, your son did not intend to promote greenhouses among ordinary people. Instead, he planned for officials in various prefectures and counties to use official land to build greenhouses.”

"As for the expenses, the imperial court will allocate half of the funds, and the local county government will pay the other half. In this way, the financial pressure on the imperial court can be reduced, and the smooth construction of the greenhouse can be ensured."

"In addition, one can be built in each village of the Ming Dynasty's prefectures and counties. The village will contribute half the money and the imperial court will contribute the other half. If they don't have the money, the imperial court can lend it to them."

"Moreover, these greenhouses don't need to grow any vegetables; they're all planted with high-yield crops like potatoes or sweet potatoes."

"Potatoes and sweet potatoes are not only easy to grow, but also have extremely high yields."

"In this way, a greenhouse of one mu can produce about three thousand jin of potatoes or sweet potatoes. If more are planted, the sweet potatoes produced may be enough for the people of a village to eat in winter."

"Even if it's not enough, it's okay, because the imperial court will purchase a lot of grain from overseas and then allocate some more grain to them. Putting aside everything else, there shouldn't be any problem for them to survive."

After hearing Zhu Cilang's words, Chongzhen lowered his head slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of worry and contemplation, as if he was considering whether the matter was feasible.

Despite the fact that the imperial court has reformed the tax system, the total annual tax revenue is about 60 million taels.

While 60 million taels of silver may sound like a lot, the imperial court's expenditures were also enormous.

The Ministry of Revenue had previously calculated that the court's annual military expenditure was currently around 30 million taels of silver.
Look, military spending alone accounts for half of the total tax revenue in a year, and this money cannot be saved, otherwise there is a risk of the country being destroyed.

As for the remaining 30 million taels, it's not enough to pay the salaries of civil and military officials, maintain the expenses of the palace, repair roads, provide relief to disaster victims, and carry out water conservancy projects.

It's really laughable when you think about it. In the past, the country's annual revenue was only ten or twenty million taels of silver, which was not enough to cover expenses at all!
But even now, with the price suddenly increased to 60 million taels, it's still not enough!
However, there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, the Ming Dynasty had long been plagued by problems, much like a person suffering from a serious illness who needed to spend a lot of time and money to treat it. Without spending a lot of money, it simply wouldn't get better.

But when he thought about the approximately 200 million taels of silver still in the imperial treasury, Chongzhen suddenly felt relieved.

The two hundred million taels of silver acted as a reassurance, giving him confidence.

The next second, Chongzhen said directly:

"I think your idea is very good. When you have time, go and speak with the Ministry of Revenue, and then discuss it with the Cabinet. Let them study it carefully and see if there are any problems."

"If there are no problems, then we should promote it all over the country. These greenhouses are related to people's livelihoods, so we must treat them with utmost care."

Zhu Cilang nodded:
"Please rest assured, Father, I have already given the order for this matter and have had the relevant personnel begin preparations. It will be fully implemented soon."

Emperor Chongzhen was speechless for a moment.

Ok!

He almost forgot that he, the emperor, had been effectively sidelined by his son.

He no longer has the authority to manage the nation's affairs!
For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Of course, only Emperor Chongzhen was embarrassed; Zhu Cilang was not embarrassed at all!

To ease the awkwardness, Chongzhen quickly changed the subject and asked:

"By the way, has anything major happened in Liaodong recently?"

Zhu Cilang shook his head and said:
"No, but Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou did send over a few memorials, but they didn't say anything major had happened. They only said that everything was fine in Liaodong."

Zhu Cilang said this with a hint of helplessness.

Because he had always believed that Huang Taiji was about to die, and that was also the case in the original history!
He just couldn't quite remember which year Huang Taiji died.

According to a secret report from the Liaodong Imperial Guard, Huang Taiji is still stubbornly clinging to life.

Fortunately, just like in the original history, Huang Taiji seems to have not yet decided on a successor, which has relieved Zhu Cilang!

Because at this moment, his biggest worry is that Huang Taiji will determine his successor.

If that's the case, then things will become difficult to handle.

After all, once the Jurchens have a clear successor, they will likely become more united internally, which would be detrimental to his future plans.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Emperor Chongzhen, feeling a bit bored, decided to return to the palace.

Zhu Cilang, naturally, led everyone to the gate of the Eastern Palace to bid farewell to Chongzhen.

After Chongzhen left, Zhu Cilang immediately instructed Ma Bao to take some people to pick all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables from the greenhouse and send them to the palace.

Ma Bao accepted the order and soon returned with a group of people to the greenhouse. They carefully picked various fruits and vegetables and then personally handed them over to Wang Chengen.

In addition, Zhu Cilang also sent a homemade recipe, which included dishes such as stir-fried chicken with tomatoes and braised beef brisket with tomatoes, so that Empress Zhou, Emperor Chongzhen, and their younger siblings could try some of the new dishes.

The next morning, as dawn broke and a light mist still hung over the streets of the capital, Zhu Cilang got up early.

Having nothing to do today, he decided to go and check on the current situation of the 'Ming Military Academy'.

Accompanying him was Prince Zhu Yujian of Tang.

Um.
That is, the historical Emperor Longwu of the Southern Ming Dynasty!
However, with Zhu Cilang's time travel, Zhu Yujian is destined to be the Prince of Tang for the rest of his life! (End of Chapter)