With the commencement of writing historical records, Ding Yun’s daily idle time was finally put to good use, no longer feeling as bored and restless as before.
When busy, both mind and body were heavily taxed.
She could even eat two extra bowls of rice.
And as the answering insects she bred multiplied and their radiation range widened, so too did the information they gathered.
It became so extensive that she was too lazy to record minor matters.
Only major scandals involving prominent families would prompt Ding Yun to spend a few days investigating, followed by several hours meticulously documenting them to ensure authenticity.
Occasionally, when encountering inhumane beings or forces, Ding Yun would use her puppet insects to eliminate them.
If the matter could be reported to officials and resolved, she would report it. If it couldn't, or if officials couldn't resolve it, she would directly use puppet insects to control more people to act. Generally, those who were reported and dealt with by officials would have better outcomes.
Most were punished according to the law.
Many were exiled, few were beheaded.
Those who couldn't be handled by officials naturally met more tragic ends, especially since Ding Yun herself was involved.
Wasn't she allowed to vent her anger?
The emperor himself could kill someone on a whim, let alone those whose actions were inherently wicked. In any case, none of the deserving of death were spared.
Even those who, by law, might not have deserved death, were dispatched if they displeased her.
She considered it charity, helping them reach paradise sooner.
However, her actions were clandestine and long-term, with no immediate visible effects.
The only major task requiring immediate attention was the offering of grain seeds on the Harvest Festival.
The Harvest Festival was not a day that required Ding Yun, the ancestor, to attend, but she could. There was no prohibition against her presence. In previous years, due to her poor health, she rarely attended. This time, Ding Yun had something to present to the young emperor, so she specifically participated.
She appeared before the Harvest Thanksgiving Ceremony, had her attendant female officials carry two potted plants before the assembled ministers, and then explained to Emperor Rong Hua:
"Your Majesty, I wish to present two new crops for this year's Harvest Thanksgiving Ceremony. These two crops were obtained from overseas merchants and I have spent decades cultivating them, improving their taste, increasing their size and yield, and detoxifying them.
The potato on the left is estimated to yield about six thousand catties per mu, while the sweet potato on the right yields about eight thousand catties per mu. Approximately two thousand plants can be grown per mu, with each plant yielding no less than three catties, and some exceeding ten catties.
For the past few decades, due to unresolved issues such as the toxicity of improperly handled potatoes, the excessive fiber and poor taste of sweet potatoes, and their high fertilizer requirements, this information has not been disclosed.
It was only last year that these issues were largely resolved. After a trial planting this year confirmed no problems, I dared to bring them here for this year's Harvest Thanksgiving Ceremony.
Besides the few plants cultivated in pots, I have also planted some in my backyard. Your Majesty and all officials can personally try digging them up and calculating.
I do not undertake matters without certainty."
In reality, by the time Ding Yun announced the per-mu yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes, the officials present were already stunned. Even if they didn't farm themselves, their households certainly owned land, with many possessing thousands or tens of thousands of mu, some measured in hectares.
Their estates reported yields and harvests annually, so they were well aware of normal per-mu yields. Even on the best land, with optimal fertilizer and the most diligent cultivation, the per-mu yield was around four hundred catties. In poorer fields with insufficient fertilizer, it could be less than a hundred catties. Therefore, the figures of six thousand and eight thousand catties left them speechless and bewildered.
Upon regaining their senses, none of them believed it.
Most expressed doubt.
Emperor Rong Hua, however, being unaware of normal per-mu yields, was not entirely skeptical despite his disbelief. He even felt that it wasn't entirely strange for someone with divine blood to achieve miracles.
He then casually took the whisk from the chief eunuch and began digging in the two pots before him.
Amidst the murmurs of doubt from the ministers, he soon unearthed over ten catties of potatoes.
These were all grown from a single potato vine. Even those detached from the vines could be seen as having been dug up by Emperor Rong Hua, not secretly buried.
The sweet potatoes that followed were similar. Though fewer in number, they were significantly larger than the potatoes.
The officials present performed quick mental calculations.
Most of them fell silent.
Even with poor arithmetic, they could manage simple multiplication. A single potato or sweet potato vine yielding over ten catties of produce, with thousands of plants per mu, was entirely feasible. This calculation indicated yields of over ten thousand catties, suggesting that the noble consort had been modest.
Especially when several officials from the Ministry of Agriculture personally stepped forward and confirmed that there was no deception, that the produce was indeed grown from the plants and not attached to them.
Their demeanor changed, and they began offering congratulations, calling it auspicious, a divine omen, or the descent of Shen Nong, a blessing from heaven.
With several hours still remaining before the auspicious time for the Thanksgiving Ceremony, Emperor Rong Hua excitedly announced his return to the palace, specially permitting many officials to accompany him into Noble Consort Ding Yun's Ci'an Palace to dig for potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Ding Yun had no objections.
She was delighted to have help with the farm work.
What followed was quite normal, simple, and straightforward. Emperor Rong Hua, along with a group of officials and nobles, entered Ci'an Palace to dig potatoes and sweet potatoes for Ding Yun. After digging and weighing them, they cheered again.
Then, they took the produce to the altar of heaven for the ceremony.
After the thanksgiving, Emperor Rong Hua first announced the good news to the public, and then invited Ding Yun to the court to inquire about how to plant these two crops, any taboos, storage instructions, and other related matters.
Ding Yun answered truthfully and even presented a "Potato Cultivation Manual" and a "Sweet Potato Cultivation Manual."
These manuals contained techniques for cultivating potatoes and sweet potatoes, pest control, preservation, and even methods for further breeding.
Furthermore, they clearly indicated which areas were suitable and which were not for planting potatoes and sweet potatoes.
In essence, they were comprehensive, and anyone could succeed by following them.
However, despite the joy, the matter of how to reward Ding Yun, the ancestor, became a problem.
If she were a man, her merit would warrant being enfeoffed as a prince of a different surname. But being a woman, and a concubine of their ancestor at that, she couldn't be made a princess. Even enfeoffing her as a Grand Princess would be inappropriate, as it would disrupt the generational order.
But she had no room for further promotion.
If she had sons and daughters, her rewards could be bestowed upon them, and she likely wouldn't be dissatisfied.
But she was childless.
This presented a genuine dilemma.
To continue bestowing favors upon her distant relatives, whose lineage was anyone's guess, made Emperor Rong Hua feel stifled and unhappy even just contemplating it.
After all, no one wants to perform a great service only to have the benefits reaped by relatives several generations removed.
Therefore, Emperor Rong Hua could only send Ding Yun back first and secretly inquire what benefits she desired.
As long as it was reasonable, he would agree.
Ding Yun was not polite and stated directly that she wished to experience what it felt like to be a principal wife.