The land-based Silk Road returned three years early due to the impact of wars involving Kang Kingdom and Fuci and the officials who completed their mission entrusted by the Emperor and returned were all duly rewarded.
The three leading officials were promoted and ennobled. Xue Yuan was appointed as Qianshu of the Grand Council and conferred the title of Marquis Boyuan, second rank.
The position of Qianshu of the Grand Council was the deputy’s deputy in the Grand Council, a candidate for the future Grand Chancellor, responsible for military affairs, and ideally suited to fully assist the emperor.
Although Xue Yuan had no previous experience with external assignments, his leap to a third-rank official was due to his significant contributions to the Silk Road and his formidable capabilities and the emperor’s high expectations and regard for him.
The Grand Council and the Ministry of State Affairs reported directly to the emperor, not under any minister’s control. Their power was entirely in Gu Yuanbai’s hands, given and taken as he saw fit. This was something Xue Yuan would have found intolerable in the past, but now he relished it.
Compared to the overland Silk Road, the maritime Silk Road took five years. Five years later, Lin Zhicheng and his group returned, accompanied by ships flying the Great Heng flag.
They brought back immense wealth, not just millions of taels of gold, silver, and copper, but also goods exchanged with other countries. More important than the wealth was the information about the current state of overseas countries.
Lin Zhicheng presented a thick report detailing the geography and observations of each country. He mentioned some unclaimed islands and urgently suggested to the emperor, “Your Majesty, we can claim these islands.”
Gu Yuanbai, equally eager, nodded affirmatively, “You are right.”
He asked Lin Zhicheng many questions, and Lin Zhicheng answered each one. “Some countries outside are wealthy but politically complex. In some places, people eat raw meat and drink blood. We followed the old routes, and some countries that were not well-known during the Tang dynasty now have significant power, but none compare to our Great Heng. This voyage has spread Great Heng’s fame far and wide. Many small countries admire and respect us, not only offering tributes but also seeking to establish stable trade fleets with us.”
Lin Zhicheng also brought back people from various countries who were curious about Great Heng. They wanted to see this distant land that produced tea, silk, and porcelain, to experience its prosperity and civilization.
Gu Yuanbai thought, in this era, there were no maritime hegemonies yet. European countries were still in the chaotic medieval period, unaware of the ocean’s importance. At this time, China was still the world’s leader. Great Heng had the capability and formidable ships to impress the world.
Lin Zhicheng’s voyage alone would astonish the entire Great Heng dynasty with the wealth it brought.
Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, the seas would be filled with Great Heng’s flags.
Gu Yuanbai smiled and asked about some seeds he had been particularly interested in. The old routes did not reach America or Europe, so they couldn’t bring back high-yield crops like corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.
But to his surprise, Lin Zhicheng had indeed brought back a surprise!
Gu Yuanbai suddenly stood up from the dragon throne.
Lin Zhicheng was startled, “Your Majesty?”
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t take his eyes off the three small bags of seeds on the table, stunned and dizzy with surprise. “Where did these crop seeds come from?”
“Among the countries I visited, there was a person claiming to be from a place called Spain,” Lin Zhicheng explained. “This country seems to be very far from us. According to this person, their country is currently fighting to expel invaders. During the battle, he ended up drifting alone to a foreign land by accident. He exchanged these seeds with me, asking me to bring him to Great Heng. When I saw the seeds in the yellow bag, I thought they resembled the ‘corn’ you mentioned, with their golden, tooth-like grains. The other two types, however, I couldn’t identify.”
Gu Yuanbai’s heart was racing. He examined the corn kernels repeatedly, then opened the other two bags. The seeds, one yellow and one dark, were clearly dried out and looked like potato and sweet potato seeds.
These unassuming seeds seemed like priceless treasures to Gu Yuanbai. Amidst his joy, he also felt a sense of gravity. The seeds looked quite unhealthy—who knew if they could still grow?
The opportunity was right before him. If the seeds couldn’t grow, it would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Gu Yuanbai made a decisive decision: “Summon the people!”
To find out if they could grow, they had to try. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Gu Yuanbai would do everything he could to cultivate these crops on Great Heng’s land.
***
While the Emperor was planting the seeds with great enthusiasm, the country was shaken by Lin Zhicheng’s recent maritime expedition, just as Gu Yuanbai had anticipated.
Many well-connected merchants and officials had invested some money in this voyage. After five years of waiting, their investments had multiplied several times over. Stunned by such huge profits, people began to view maritime trade in a new light.
Petitions flooded Gu Yuanbai’s desk, all asking when the next voyage would be.
Without strong military and naval protection, their merchant fleets dared not venture far on the ocean.
A wave of enthusiasm for overseas exploration swept through the populace. Travelogues about foreign lands sprang up overnight like a hundred flowers blooming. Not only travelogues, but also detailed autobiographies written by the voyagers themselves.
The more such accounts appeared, the more people learned. When officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice transported the gold, silver, copper, and goods from the ships to the national treasury, many realized one fact: overseas was a treasure trove.
Eager to act, Gu Yuanbai, however, had no time for them.
It was the farming season, and he had summoned hundreds of the most knowledgeable farmers in cultivation. He handed them the three small bags containing less than a hundred seeds, his expression solemn. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of these seeds and promised wealth and honor to those who succeeded in growing them.
The farmers exchanged glances, slowly opening their mouths in surprise. Once they grasped the situation, their eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
The farmers enthusiastically set to work, and Gu Yuanbai paid close attention to the matter. He remembered that these three crops should be sown in April. Corn, being drought-resistant, had a good chance of succeeding.
Even at night, he thought about it, “Sweet potatoes are also drought-resistant, though not as much as corn. Potatoes, however, require a lot of water. I’ll think more about it and see what else I can come up with…”
Xue Yuan couldn’t resist scratching his foot, making Gu Yuanbai shiver. He laughed and scolded, “What are you doing!”
Xue Yuan slowly moved up from his calf, sniffing the scent of the emperor fresh from his bath, and complained, “Your Majesty, your mind and heart are full of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. It’s been days; can’t you spare me a glance today?”
Gu Yuanbai stretched his leg onto Xue Yuan’s lap, “Massage me. Xue Jiuyao, you’re a grown man, yet you act like a jealous husband.”
Xue Yuan massaged his leg, his expression stiffening at the words. He forced a smile, trying not to appear jealous, “Your Majesty, how could I be a jealous husband?”
His tall figure embraced the comfortable Gu Yuanbai, occasionally kissing his ear, “If I were a jealous husband, wouldn’t I be dying of jealousy every time you talk to someone else?”
Gu Yuanbai asked calmly, “How many times did I laugh with the Hanlin Academy compiler today?”
Xue Yuan’s eyes darkened, his knuckles cracking, “Twice.”
After speaking, he stiffened completely.
Gu Yuanbai hummed internally. Jealous husband.
Xue Yuan suddenly said, “I saw it by chance. When you laugh, I can’t help but watch. Was it really twice?” He pretended to think, “Or was it three times?”
Gu Yuanbai played along, “My mistake, Minister Xue. But today’s compiler had a dignified appearance, much like you in your younger days.”
Xue Yuan’s smile froze. After a long while, he licked Gu Yuanbai’s earlobe and murmured, “Your Majesty, I’m right here. Just look at me. Why look at someone who resembles my younger self? Am I not better than my past self?”
He held Gu Yuanbai close, guiding his hand to his neck and slowly downwards, “The younger me wouldn’t stand a chance against me now.”
His chest was warm, muscular, and firm, a testament to his dedication to maintaining his physique.
Xue Yuan valued his physical strength and appearance, priding himself on being able to serve the emperor with his looks. Even at thirty, he did not relax his efforts. He trained hard daily, his sweat flowing down his chiseled jaw. He liked to practice push-ups with the emperor on his back, doing over three hundred daily, making Gu Yuanbai wobble atop him, surrounded by his scent and soaked in his sweat.
At first, Gu Yuanbai found it off-putting, but eventually, he made it a daily routine to serve as a human weight.
The intensity of Xue Yuan’s sweat sometimes left Gu Yuanbai dizzy and exhilarated, sweating alongside him.
Sometimes Gu Yuanbai marveled inwardly, wondering what this guy had been eating to become so strong.
The long-term, relentless training had given Xue Yuan’s tight, powerful arms and legs the strength to kill a person with a single punch. Lifting heavy objects, which were difficult for others, was not a challenge for him. But to say that ten of his younger self couldn’t beat his current self? Gu Yuanbai truly didn’t believe it. “You were already formidable when you were younger.”
Seeing Gu Yuanbai’s serious expression, Xue Yuan actually felt a deep sense of jealousy towards his past self. A shadow passed over his face as he wondered if the emperor thought he was getting too old.
But every time, it was the emperor who couldn’t keep up with his stamina—how could that be called getting old?
Xue Yuan blamed today’s Hanlin Academy compiler for these thoughts, laughing coldly in his heart before regaining his composure. Holding the emperor’s hand seriously, he said, “Your Majesty, please continue talking about sweet potatoes and potatoes.”
Please, don’t say things that fuel a jealous husband’s anger.
Gu Yuanbai: “…”
Men.
