Chương 446: Sightseeing outside Luoyang City

Liu Ce, unusually in high spirits, took his wives and children to visit and inspect the area outside Luoyang.

Sixteen wives, eleven older children, plus maids—a grand procession.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu, along with their personal guards from the Longxiang Camp, followed them in layers upon layers.

But Liu Ce told them to wear civilian clothes so as not to frighten the common people.

So Dian Wei put on an oversized cloth robe, which stretched so tight around his stomach that it looked like it was about to burst.

Xu Chu fared even worse; after searching for a long time, he couldn't find a suitable garment and ended up wearing an open-fronted mandarin jacket, looking like a butcher.

"Brother, is this outfit okay for me?" Dian Wei tugged at his clothes, looking embarrassed.

Liu Ce glanced at it, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Alright, he looks like a rich old man."

"A rich man? Do I look like a rich man?" Dian Wei scratched his head.

"I think I look like a thug."

Xu Chu added insult to injury from the side: "You're just a henchman."

It was called a trip, but it was actually an inspection tour.

Liu Ce wanted to see for himself how this year's harvest was.

After all, once the "Good Weather and Abundant Harvests Card" has been used, it's not enough to just look at the ledgers; you have to see it for yourself to know how effective it is.

Not long after leaving the city, the scene before him stunned Liu Ce.

As far as the eye can see, the golden waves of wheat stretch as far as the eye can see, and the heavy ears of wheat bend their backs.

In the adjacent rice paddies, the rice grains were also plump and golden, glistening in the sunlight.

Further away in the fields, farmers were digging sweet potatoes. Each sweet potato was as big and round as a baby's head, and they could dig out several with one stroke of their hoe.

"Goodness..." Liu Ce couldn't help but mutter, "This harvest is even better than I expected."

The fields were bustling with activity.

Farmers were harvesting rice, wheat, and digging sweet potatoes... They were packing them into baskets and carrying them away, working with great enthusiasm.

Some families mobilized the entire household, with even six- or seven-year-old children helping to pick up the wheat ears.

Sweat streamed down his face, but his face was full of smiles.

The men were shirtless, sweat dripping down their backs, but their faces were full of smiles.

The women boiled water and cooked in the fields, while the children ran around on the ridges, occasionally picking up a few fallen ears of wheat to feed the chickens.

Liu Ce, along with his wife and children, got off the carriage and walked slowly along the ridge of the field.

The children were incredibly excited to see such a large farmland for the first time.

Liu Chen pointed to the wheat field being harvested in the distance and asked:

"Father, what is that?"

"That's wheat." Liu Ce smiled and patted his head.

"Grind it into flour, and you can make steamed buns and noodles."

"Wow!" Liu Chen's eyes lit up.

"I love steamed buns the most!"

Cai Yan, standing nearby, chuckled and chimed in, "Then you should thank these uncles; it was their hard work in growing them."

Liu Chen nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Several farmers were resting in the fields; some were drinking water, some were eating dry food, and some were tidying up their farm tools.

An old man was holding a freshly dug sweet potato, showing it off to the person next to him:

"Look at this sweet potato! It's huge! More than twice the size of any I've ever seen before!"

Those around him nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's right! And rice... we never even dared to dream of it before!"

As they were talking, someone looked up and saw Liu Ce and the others. They were stunned for a moment, then their eyes widened, and they almost dropped the sweet potato in their hand.

"Your Highness... Prince Yan?!"

"It's His Highness Prince Yan! His Highness Prince Yan has arrived!"

This shout startled everyone.

The people all looked up and saw the young man in plain clothes with a smile on his face. Wasn't that Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan?

"It really is His Highness Prince Yan!"

......

"Long live Your Highness!"

The men put down their work, the women wiped their hands clean, and the children ran off on their feet.

The scene looked like a battle was about to begin, and Dian Wei and Xu Chu instinctively tried to block it, but Liu Ce glared at them and stopped them.

Before long, more than a dozen households gathered around, each carrying a basket filled with freshly harvested grains, including rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, and corn, all bulging.

Upon approaching, the people all knelt down, their voices filled with excitement:

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yan!"

Several elderly men kowtowed tremblingly, muttering, "Heaven has opened its eyes."

Liu Ce quickly stepped forward, bent down, and helped the old man at the front to his feet:

"Get up, get up! Stop kneeling. I just came out to see how your harvest is going, not to collect taxes. Why are you kneeling?"

The old man was helped up, tears streaming down his face, and he held onto Liu Ce's hand tightly.

"Your Highness, look at these sweet potatoes, they're so big! The ones we used to grow were only as thick as a fist, but these are..."

He gestured with his fingers, too excited to speak.

The people refused to get up, and started talking all at once:

"Your Highness! Look at this rice! The grains are so plump, the ears of rice are bending under the weight!"

"Your Highness! This corn is thicker than my arm!"

"Your Highness! I've lived most of my life and never seen such a big sweet potato!"

The old man took a sweet potato out of the basket and handed it to Liu Ce with both hands:

"Your Highness, please try some! These are sweet potatoes from my family's harvest this year, they're incredibly sweet!"

Liu Ce took the sweet potato and peeled it with a smile.

The sweet potato skin was so thin it was almost transparent, and the flesh inside was golden yellow and still steaming hot; it looked like it had just been dug up from the ground and cooked.

He took a bite; it was soft, sweet, and melted in his mouth, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Sweet! So sweet! Delicious! Grandpa, I'm relieved that you're all doing well this year."

Upon hearing this, the old man was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, his wrinkles turning into a flower-like grin.

The local people also crowded around, offering their treasures all at once:

"Your Highness, please try my family's rice! The steamed rice is so fragrant and soft!"

"Your Highness, the corn at my house is sweet too! One bite after boiling it, and your mouth is bursting with juice!"

"Your Highness, this is wheat from my family. When ground into flour, it makes incredibly white steamed buns!"

The people rushed to give Liu Ce their best things.

Liu Ce didn't stand on ceremony. He took a bite of this and a bite of that, his mouth full of food, and he didn't forget to share with the ladies around him.

Cai Yan took a sweet potato, ate it in small bites, and said to the farmer with a smile:

"Uncle, these sweet potatoes are really sweet. You've grown them very well."

The farmer was so flattered that he rubbed his hands together and chuckled:

"Your Highness is too kind! Heaven has been kind, bringing favorable weather and a bountiful harvest!"

Zhang Ning, munching on corn beside him, mumbled something indistinctly:

"The corn is delicious too! It's sweet and sticky!"

Zhen Jiang took a handful of rice, squeezed the rice ears, and nodded:

"The grains are plump; it's definitely a good harvest."

He Lian stood aside, watching the lively scene, her eyes slightly red.

In the past, when she was in the Luoyang Imperial Palace, all she had seen were palace walls and power struggles; she had never seen the people so happy.