Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him

The wildly popular online novel, "The Great Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him," is a heartfelt work by author N6chj3, available on Cola Novels.

Zuixianlou, Lingyunge.

"Corn yields about 1,000 jin per mu. Potatoes yield about 1,500 jin per mu. Sweet potatoes yield more than 2,000 jin per mu."

After Shen Chang'an calmly stated the names and yields of the three crops, the entire private room fell silent instantly.

The wine cup in Li Shimin's hand remained suspended in mid-air, motionless.

Li Chengqian's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable.

Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

A yield of a thousand catties per mu? Even the best farmland in the Tang Dynasty could only yield two or three hundred catties of millet.

If there really were crops that could yield a thousand catties per mu...

But after the initial shock, Li Shimin quickly calmed down.

He put down his wine glass, looked directly at Shen Chang'an, and his gaze was somewhat scrutinizing.

"Dr. Shen," he said, choosing his words carefully, "it's not that I don't trust you, it's just... since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, I've never heard of such a crop. A yield of a thousand catties per mu, or even two thousand catties per mu, this..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. I think seeing the actual product is more convincing."

Shen Chang'an nodded slightly. Li Shimin's doubts were reasonable. Anyone in this era would think such a thing was a fantasy.

"What you say is right," Shen Chang'an said. "Seeing is believing."

Li Shimin then said, "Doctor Shen, if you truly possess the seeds of those high-yield crops, I will certainly report this matter to His Majesty and petition for your reward before the Emperor."

After saying this, Li Shimin felt slightly embarrassed. "To plead for your merits before His Majesty the Emperor"—how long had it been since he had referred to himself as "His Majesty the Emperor"? Usually, he would use "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I"), and today he almost let it slip.

Shen Chang'an gave him a meaningful look, then shook his head and said, "You're too kind, sir. I have no intention of becoming an official, nor do I seek any reward. As for those crops..."

He paused for a moment, quickly calculating in his mind.

"The verification method is actually very simple. Just plant the seeds yourself, weigh them when it's time to harvest, and you can naturally get the yield per acre based on the planting scale. Now is the spring planting season, so if you plant now, you'll see the results this fall."

Li Shimin nodded, secretly making plans in his heart.

There are many imperial estates around Chang'an. If you can get the seeds, plant them in the estates and try planting them. You can then verify their authenticity in the fall.

If it were true... he couldn't imagine what that would mean.

"Dr. Shen is right," Li Shimin said. "But...does Dr. Shen have those seeds now?"

Shen Chang'an pondered for a moment.

He could certainly exchange the seeds directly from the system and give them to Li Shimin, but that would be too much of a loss.

Exchanging a seed only yields a dozen or twenty merit points, but how much land can one seed plant? At most, one or two acres.

To conduct large-scale trial planting, a considerable number of seeds are needed, and a significant amount of merit points are required.

He had a better way: to cultivate them in the spiritual plant space first.

The time flow in the spiritual plant space is three times that of the outside world. With the nourishment of spiritual energy, the growth cycle of crops can be greatly shortened.

Ordinary corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes take three to four months to mature, but in this space, it only takes about a month. If you cast the Spirit Rain spell a few more times, it can be done even faster.

Thinking of this, Shen Chang'an continued, "Master Li, I've left those seeds somewhere else, and it will take a few days to retrieve them. How about this, when you bring your wife for her follow-up appointment, I'll give you the seeds and write down the planting instructions."

Li Shimin frowned slightly. Of course, he wanted to get the seeds now, but Shen Chang'an's words made sense. The seeds were not at hand and it would take time to get them.

He thought about it; Empress Zhangsun's next follow-up appointment was in four or five days, not too long. And in this time, he could think about what reward to give Shen Chang'an.

"Dr. Shen is right, I was indeed a bit too hasty." Li Shimin nodded. "Then I'll bring my wife for a follow-up appointment in five days and ask Dr. Shen for the seeds again."

He stood up and solemnly bowed to Shen Chang'an.

"Mr. Shen is very righteous. On behalf of the people of the Tang Dynasty, I thank Mr. Shen."

This bow was performed with great solemnity.

Everyone in the private room was stunned.

Li Chengqian stared wide-eyed at his father in disbelief.

He had never seen his father perform such a salute to anyone. Even when it came to the veteran officials who had made outstanding contributions to the court, it was only a verbal commendation.

Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang exchanged glances. Having followed Li Shimin for many years, they knew the emperor's pride well. Shen Chang'an was the first person to make Li Shimin willingly perform such a grand ceremony.

Shen Chang'an was also taken aback.

He never expected that Li Shimin would go to such lengths for grain.

This emperor, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, may have had many flaws: he was suspicious, distrustful, and ruthless.

But he truly cared about the people and the country.

Shen Chang'an quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Sir, you flatter me. I only did my best and am not worthy of such a great gift."

Li Shimin straightened up, looked at Shen Chang'an, and his eyes were full of approval.

"Mr. Shen, see you in five days."

See you in five days.

……

After leaving Zuixianlou, Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, Li Chunfeng, and Yuan Tiangang rode together in a carriage towards the palace.

Inside the carriage, Li Shimin leaned against the side wall, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened them.

"My two esteemed ministers," he said, turning to Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang, "what do you think of the crops Shen Chang'an mentioned...? Are they true or false?"

Li Chunfeng pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not make a rash judgment. But I believe that Doctor Shen is not the kind of person who speaks carelessly."

How do you know?

"I have observed that Doctor Shen never exaggerates. He said that the hemostatic powder could stop the bleeding, and it really could; he said that the wound medicine could promote tissue regeneration, and it really could; he said that the master and his wife's illness could be cured, and they really did improve. Such a person has no reason to lie about such things."

Yuan Tiangang nodded in agreement: "I second that. Moreover, you might consider this: although the Tang Dynasty is vast, not everything originates from China. For example, pepper comes from India; cucumbers from the Western Regions; and spinach from Persia. These crops were not originally from China, yet they are now abundant everywhere."

Li Shimin seemed to be deep in thought.

"Does the Volcano Order mean... that the crops Shen Chang'an mentioned also come from a foreign land?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, that's possible," Yuan Tiangang said. "Doctor Shen studied under a wandering physician. Perhaps his master traveled to extremely far places and brought back those seeds. Just because they're not found in the Central Plains doesn't mean they're not found anywhere else in the world."

Li Shimin nodded slowly, finding this statement quite reasonable.

He recalled that when he was conquering all directions, he had seen many things that were not found in the Central Plains.

Those things seemed unbelievable at first glance, but you get used to them after a while.

"That's enough," Li Shimin waved his hand, "We'll know the outcome in five days. Until then, don't make a fuss."

"Yes," the three replied in unison.