Chapter 01: Wild Joy

The weather today was absolutely perfect. Yun Ye brought his entire household, young and old alike, to the vegetable fields to prepare ridges and transplant the pepper seedlings that had already been cultivated. Other families would simply sow pepper seeds directly into the ground, but the Yun Family was different—they first germinated the seeds in the greenhouse until seedlings sprouted before transplanting them. The result of this method was that the Yun Family’s peppers bore fruit much earlier than others’.

Every year during planting season, the entire Yun Family would mobilize. This was a rule established by the Old Matriarch—everyone in the Yun Family had to know how crops grew from the earth, and not a single person, male or female, was exempt.

Yun Ye knelt on the moist soil, using a trowel to dig a small hole. He carefully planted a seedling with its root ball intact, then pressed the soil firmly with his hands. Lingdang followed behind with a watering can to water each plant. This plot was quite large, because the Yun Family’s annual pepper consumption was staggering—to store enough peppers for an entire year, they had to plant this many.

Xinyue was planting in the adjacent ridge. Na Rimu followed behind impatiently with a watering can. Xinyue was extremely particular—Na Rimu would be scolded whether she watered too much or too little. So she looked enviously at Lingdang and her husband working together with such tender affection, while she herself had to endure this wicked woman’s temper.

Xiao Wu had never liked farm work. It wasn’t that she looked down on farmers—she simply rejected all simple, repetitive, mechanical labor. So she became the supervisor, watching over Yun Huan and Yun Mu to prevent them from slacking off.

Yun Shou worked carefully alongside Li Rongyan. Li Rongyan couldn’t carry a large watering can, so she used a tiny one. Whenever Yun Shou finished planting a pepper seedling, she would happily water the small plant. The palace had never had such interesting activities.

The air was extremely humid. With each breath, one’s chest and lungs felt refreshingly cool. White clouds drifted low overhead, and the sapphire-blue sky appeared exceptionally distant and vast.

The snow-white peak of Yushan, surrounded by white clouds, seemed particularly mysterious. A heavy snowfall seemed to have changed the entire climate of Guanzhong. The fields were full of people everywhere, and the sounds of urging oxen on carried far, though no one was singing songs. Yun Lu and Yun Xiang ran back and forth between the ridges, their large hair bows already quite disheveled, but at this time no one paid attention to such things. A year’s plan begins in spring—planting had always been the family’s top priority.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, the Yun Family’s farming was a waste. Xinyue should have been out today acquiring properties from unfortunate noble families who could no longer support them—the return rate was incomparably higher than farming. But with one order from the Old Matriarch, the entire family came to the vegetable field to plant peppers, and the reply given to others was simply that the Yun Family needed to farm and had no time.

This reason was more important than heaven itself. Even if presented in the Golden Throne Hall, no one would criticize it. Farming was no longer merely a way to make a living—for the people of the Central Plains, it was a ritual of survival. On this very day, the Emperor and Empress also needed to farm. This wasn’t that ceremonial plowing ritual, but genuine labor for a full day on the palace grounds, with no golden hoes or scallion pancakes—no different from any other common people.

This was the lifeblood of an agricultural nation, integrated into the bones and blood of every person. It was hard to believe that anyone who didn’t like planting something in the fields could truly belong to this great nation.

At noon, the sun gradually became scorching. Yun Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened his back. As the only able-bodied laborer in the family, he had much work to do. Yun Shou endured the soreness in his waist and legs and also stood up. Father and son exchanged a smile and returned to the edge of the field to drink water.

This was exactly what a half-grown farm boy looked like—Yun Shou needed to labor alongside his father. The Old Matriarch had prepared much food under the canopy at the field’s edge. The old lady hadn’t cooked in many years, but today before dawn she had personally made many scallion pancakes. Rolled up with shredded potatoes, they were simply an incomparable earthly delicacy.

People in Chang’an weren’t the least bit interested in watching a marquis farm. A white-bearded old duke crawling in the fields weeding wasn’t rare either. Xinyue leaned against a blanket, groaning from exhaustion. When the Old Matriarch glared at her, she quickly shut her mouth and laboriously grabbed a scallion pancake to stuff in her mouth. She absolutely didn’t want to leave the Old Matriarch with the impression of being a lazy daughter-in-law.

“Marquis, your family’s field has excellent soil moisture. This old man’s field is a bit worse. They’re both top-grade land—could it be that wealthy families’ soil is better than us poor folk’s?”

The adjacent land belonged to a landlord from the neighboring village. The fat landlord, with one wife, three concubines, and six children, tended over five hundred mu of farmland. Don’t think that landlords didn’t need to farm—when the livestock needed rest, he would harness himself with his sons to pull the plow, which wasn’t unusual. They’d been neighbors for many years, and the fat old man was a good person.

“Old Shen, come have a pancake. The Old Matriarch woke early to make them—they taste wonderful.” Yun Ye invited the fat landlord to rest for a bit. This was proper etiquette among country neighbors.

“Oh my, I must try this! The Old Matriarch rarely cooks—only the fortunate get to eat her food.” The fat landlord brushed the mud from his hands, took the pancake Yun Ye handed him, took a big bite, and gave a thumbs up.

“Marquis, this old man has seen with his own eyes the benefits of your family’s pepper-planting method. I’ve calculated—your family’s pepper field produces peppers a full ten-plus days earlier than mine. As you know, one unique skill can take you far. Being ten-plus days early means selling at good prices for ten-plus days.”

“This old man also wants to build a greenhouse at home next year. I don’t seek to grow any rare flowers or exotic plants—just peppers. I want to learn your family’s method, first cultivating pepper seedlings, then transplanting them to the main field. I beg the Marquis to send someone knowledgeable to give guidance at my home.”

The two men chatted enthusiastically. Once in the fields, the talk turned to farming. The fat landlord’s goal achieved, he bowed his farewell and continued to busy himself in his own field.

Yun Ye glanced at the remaining seedlings—not many left. He loaded them all into a basket and continued planting. He now greatly enjoyed the feeling of farming. Although it was somewhat laborious, his heart also seemed planted full of crops, becoming heavy and substantial.

A thin mist rose from the fields—actually not mist, but light rain. A large cloud drifted over, and light rain began to fall. This was perfect—it even saved the watering step. Yun Ye and Yun Shou stood in the rain and continued planting. The apricot-blossom spring rain couldn’t harm anyone. Li Rongyan wanted to run out from under the canopy, but Yun Shou shouted her back. Yun Ye smiled with pursed lips. Right here in this farmland, men grew generation after generation—oh, perhaps with some spring rain added in.

A little rain couldn’t obstruct the farming household’s enthusiasm for continued cultivation. Raincoats weren’t even needed. The oxen lowered their heads and walked forward, calves following behind their mothers to learn. Wang Cai followed the old ox for two circuits, found it boring, and returned to Yun Ye’s side. His teeth couldn’t reach the tender grass just emerging from the soil. Frustrated, he snorted twice through his nostrils and went to beg Xiao Wu for wild vegetables from her basket.

Early spring wild vegetables were prized for their plump, tender stems. Bitter vegetables, topped with two yellowing tender leaves, had just pushed through the soil, their long stems below growing plump and juicy. Brought home and blanched in boiling water to remove the bitterness, then dressed with sesame oil, Yun Ye could eat quite a lot at once.

Xiao Wu had no way to deal with the shameless Wang Cai. This fellow had recently developed a bad habit—pulling on girls’ flower-print skirts. To protect her own skirt, Xiao Wu had no choice but to give him wild vegetables from her basket.

Having finished planting the peppers, Yun Ye began patrolling his own land. Looking at the pepper seedlings in the misty rain, Yun Ye felt at this moment like an emperor inspecting his kingdom.

Actually, farming for a lifetime wouldn’t be bad. This thought had just arisen when a fast horse arrived at the field’s edge. A palace guard in red clothes loudly announced: “Reporting to the Great General, His Majesty commands the Great General to enter the palace with utmost speed.”

No time to change clothes—this was a red-plumed urgent messenger. Yun Ye called Wang Cai over, mounted him, pointed toward Chang’an, and Wang Cai called out as he galloped off.

Halfway there, he discovered he wasn’t the only one rushing to Chang’an. The great generals of the Sixteen Guards rode their horses at a gallop, dressed just like Yun Ye in hemp clothes covered with mud, looking as if they’d all just been busy in the fields.

“Old Jiang, do you know why His Majesty has urgently summoned us?” Wang Cai was fast and caught up with Old Jiang of the Xiaowei Guard. This fellow was always well-informed.

“Old Yun, I don’t know either! I was just planting beans in the field when I received the summons. Couldn’t even change clothes. Damn it, I hope it’s war—I’ve been so idle I’ve only had farm work to pass the time.”

“Who says otherwise? Peaceful days lasting too long isn’t good for the nation. Once soldiers’ morale slackens, it’s too difficult to hone that edge again. Those damn Koreans escaped calamity—could this be news from Nanzhao? What has Old Li been doing in Nanzhao? He couldn’t even bring back the head of a small Meng Shezhao chief.”

Another fast horse caught up—it was Pei Du, the Great General of the Right Weiwei Guard. His spirits were high, seeming full of hope about this emergency summons. Any great general hoped for war to break out.

The three great generals had not a single guard with them. Their fast horses charged through the city gate, where a city guard’s horse was already clearing the way ahead. By now, the great generals’ group had grown to eighteen men—all military commanders from the capital.

“It looks like something big has happened! Hahaha!” Pei Du laughed heartily and said to the other generals: “Brothers, this Old Pei will go ahead first. If there’s a military campaign, would you elder brothers yield to this younger brother?”

Having spoken, his warhorse neighed and suddenly shot forward. How could anyone yield in such matters? Now that the Great Tang’s army was invincible and victorious in every battle, any military campaign meant military merit would surely fall into one’s palm. Who would pass that up?

The residents of Chang’an market watched as over a dozen warhorses thundered past on Zhuque Avenue like a sweeping wind, all utterly baffled. They never believed the Great Tang would have any military affairs—that was too ridiculous.

Zhuque Gate was just ahead. The palace guards opened the imperial city gates, indicating the great generals could ride directly in. Seeing this scene, wild joy appeared on these men’s faces. There really was military action afoot…