Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

The third year of the Hongxi reign, in the winter month.

Shuntian Prefecture experienced its first heavy snowfall of the winter.

The swirling snowflakes, like torn cotton wool, covered the city of Beijing completely.

It was freezing cold, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the streets.

Even the vendors who usually love to sell large bowls of tea at the alley entrance packed up their stalls early today and went home to guard their braziers.

Inside the office of the Ministry of Revenue, the underground heating system was burning brightly.

Gu Yannian sat upright behind the desk, wearing a bright red official robe of a third-rank official, which made his face look handsome and gentle.

He picked up a purple-tipped brush and steadily wrote a stroke on the attendance roster.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

"Add to strength."

In an instant, a warm and profound aura emanated from his dantian, continuously nourishing his limbs and bones.

After more than twenty years of changing seasons, his body has been polished to resemble a rare piece of warm jade.

Such power lay dormant beneath the seemingly weak exterior of a scholar; even uprooting the load-bearing bronze pillars of the Ministry of Revenue's main hall would be a simple matter for him.

The cold wind was biting outside the window, howling and whistling against the window paper.

Gu Yannian picked up the hot tea on the table and took a small sip.

I felt warm all over and couldn't feel the slightest bit of cold.

"Minister Gu, the snow is really heavy."

"A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest; what a good omen!"

Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, lifted the heavy cotton curtain and walked in from outside.

He brushed the snow off his shoulders and rubbed his hands together as he approached the charcoal stove.

"I just went to check on Taicang. The first batch of silver that Zheng He's fleet brought back from the Western Ocean a few days ago has all been deposited into the treasury. A full three million taels of silver—this was something we wouldn't have dared to dream of in previous years!"

The old minister was beaming, his smile smoothing out even the wrinkles around his eyes.

Gu Yannian placed the purple brush on the brush holder, his expression serene and calm.

"With trade routes now open, this is just the beginning. Once the regulations of the Maritime Trade Office are fully established next year, it is expected that the annual revenue of merchant ships from coastal ports will double."

Xia Yuanji nodded repeatedly, sat down on the chair next to him, and sighed.

"Back then, when you offered that method of reopening the sea trade and collecting tariffs, many people in the court criticized you for being greedy. Now that you've brought back real money, those officials who used to spout benevolence and morality have all shut their mouths."

"With you here to oversee things, my job as Minister is becoming easier every day."

As we were chatting, we suddenly heard a series of light footsteps outside the door.

A young eunuch from the inner court lifted the curtain and entered, flicking his whisk and bowing respectfully.

"Lord Gu, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict summoning you to the Imperial Estate in the south of the city to accompany him immediately."

Gu Yannian looked out the window at the sky, which was covered with thick, leaden clouds and was blanketed in snow.

He frowned slightly. On such a snowy day, why was Emperor Hongxi not warming himself by the fire in the Qianqing Palace, but instead went to the farm in the south of the city?

"Does Your Majesty know why His Majesty has summoned me here?"

Gu Yannian got up and straightened his clothes.

The eunuch lowered his voice and replied:

"In reply to your question, Your Majesty, it is those foreign seeds that you presented during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture have been planting them in the warm pavilion of the Imperial Estate for several months, and today they say it is time for them to sprout. His Majesty was delighted and specially ordered me to invite you to come and see them in person."

Gu Yannian suddenly realized.

Judging by the timeline, it is indeed time to harvest the sweet potatoes.

Without further delay, he followed the eunuch out of the Ministry of Revenue, boarded a prepared blue felt carriage, and braved the wind and snow to head south of the city.

The Imperial Estate is located in the suburbs of Beijing and covers a vast area.

In order to test the cultivation of the foreign crops mentioned in Gu Yannian's memorial, Zhu Gaochi specifically ordered the Ministry of Works to build more than a dozen spacious heated pavilions according to the drawings in the memorial.

Thick firewalls were built around the perimeter, burning smokeless silver charcoal day and night, and the walls were covered with glazed tiles and thick oiled paper.

In the frigid winter of this northern land where even a drop of water freezes, a field as warm as spring has been created.

The carriage stopped outside the warm pavilion.

Gu Yannian lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, and a cold wind mixed with snowflakes hit his face.

He walked steadily to the front of the warm pavilion, and the guards at the door quickly pushed open the wooden door for him.

As soon as you step into the warm room, a wave of heat mixed with the earthy smell hits you, a stark contrast to the icy and snowy world outside.

Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Gaochi, was dressed in a light, bright yellow casual robe and stood in front of a field.

Although he was plump, he walked much more briskly because he had given up sweet and oily foods for many years.

At this moment, he was staring at the intertwined green leaves in the ground with great curiosity, and even a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Following behind Zhu Gaochi were several senior agricultural officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Your humble servant Gu Yannian greets Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince." Gu Yannian stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Yan Nian has arrived! Quickly rise."

Zhu Gaochi turned around, his face full of barely suppressed excitement, and pointed to the ridge of the field tunnel.

"The strange thing you mentioned in your folded book, called sweet potato, was carefully tended to by the people of the Ministry of Agriculture for three months using sand and wood ash, following your method."

"These vines are growing quite nicely, but... where is the fruit?"

A junior official from the Ministry of Agriculture stepped forward, bowing with a hesitant expression, and said:

"Your Majesty, we have been engaged in agriculture for generations. These foreign plants only grow vines and never flower or bear fruit. Judging from their growth, they look more like weeds used to feed pigs."

"The yield of several dozen shi per mu mentioned in Minister Gu's memorial is probably an exaggeration by foreign merchants and cannot be taken seriously."

This junior official was a conservative old scholar who always believed that grains were the foundation of life.

They already held a certain disdain for these strange and unusual things from overseas.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Yannian: "Lord Gu, can this really fill our stomachs?"

Gu Yannian remained calm and did not argue with the Vice Minister of Agriculture.

He walked slowly to the edge of the field, squatted down, and stretched out his long fingers to gently dig a couple of times in the soil at the base of the plant.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness. The grains bearing ears on the branches, braving the wind and rain, are naturally a gift from heaven—the bounty of fertile land."

Gu Yannian spoke in a calm and measured tone, recounting his story in a gentle and detailed manner.

"However, fertile land in the world is limited, while barren slopes are vast and boundless. This plant does not compete with the five grains for land; it hides its fruit underground to avoid the cold wind and scorching sun. The more sandy and arid the soil, the more promising its growth."

He turned to look at Zhu Gaochi and smiled slightly.

"Since Your Majesty is in such a hurry, why not have someone dig up the soil and find out what's going on?"

Zhu Gaochi had been waiting for these words, and immediately waved his hand to give the order.

"Someone, get the hoe! Be careful not to damage the roots!"