Dai Ting ordered his men to gather their things in the Champa settlement, preparing to set sail after all the rice seeds were stored. They would leave a few people behind as a reminder, just in case this batch of seeds didn’t succeed and they had to return the following year.
Dai Ting wanted to stay out of trouble this time, but trouble found him anyway.
Champa hadn’t been peaceful lately. Two years ago, the Champa King was assassinated. The people rallied behind his son, who ascended the throne, but then clashed with the ministers who held real power. The ministers, without hesitation, dethroned the King’s son and crowned his daughter as the new Queen.
The Queen hadn’t been able to stabilize the situation. Ever since King Cau had passed away, Champa had been in chaos. With unrest everywhere, it was hard to ignore Dai Ting, an outsider who had managed to secure a plot of land and peacefully cultivate crops.
Everyone else was struggling to survive. Why did he get to eat, drink, and sleep soundly at night? Over the past year, there had been numerous attempts, both overt and covert, to cause him trouble. Dai Ting had effortlessly fended them all off, not letting it interfere with his meticulous recording of the Champa rice varieties, their growth cycles, and their projected yields.
As Dai Ting was preparing for their departure, a special group of visitors arrived under the cover of night. They were all women, seemingly harmless. In reality, most of them were highly skilled female guards, not to be underestimated.
Dai Ting initially wanted to avoid any further complications. However, the leader of the group sent in a seal, expressing genuine intentions.
It was the seal of the Champa King.
Dai Ting reasoned that most of the rice seeds were already in storage and any incident wouldn’t significantly affect their mission. He welcomed the guests inside. The leading woman wore a completely black veil that concealed even her body. Dai Ting wasn’t curious about their appearance. He invited them to sit opposite him and calmly inquired about their purpose.
This time, Dai Ting had decided not to wear his mask on this trip to Champa. One side of his face was flawlessly white and dazzlingly handsome, while the other side bore a distinct crimson birthmark. This mark didn’t detract from his beauty but rather enhanced it, as if Heaven had bestowed an extra touch of grace, adding a vibrant bloom to his otherwise alabaster complexion.
The visitors were surprised to find that the leader of this group was such an individual. He was so young and so… beautiful. A beauty that seemed out of place in the human world. Perhaps a celestial being, descended from the heavens and transformed into human form, might possess such a face. After a brief moment of astonishment, the leading woman removed her veil and bowed deeply to Dai Ting: “Please, help me.”
Dai Ting looked at the woman kneeling before him.
He needed no further explanation. He could guess her identity. The ships they had arrived on weren’t small for a trading fleet, and they had brought with them a contingent of elite soldiers. This had allowed them to carve out a safe haven for themselves. In Champa, where chaos reigned, their conspicuous presence had drawn unwanted attention. After countless failed attacks, the displaced, desperate people had flocked to them, seeking refuge.
These events were nothing new. Dai Ting had witnessed them in Gaochang, Tubo, Goryeo, and even in Japan.
Whenever there was war or conflict, the common people were the first to suffer. Whenever possible, without jeopardizing their own mission, they would lend a helping hand. After all, gathering people around them wasn’t a bad thing. It would deter anyone with ill intentions.
He hadn’t expected the Champa Queen to come to them herself.
It seemed the Champa ministers had found a more suitable puppet, a new King who could better pacify the people. This Queen was about to become useless to them.
The relationship between a monarch and their ministers, or a monarch and their people, might appear solid, but in the vast river of history, the throne constantly changed hands, and power shifted from one dynasty to another. Yesterday, the world might have been ruled by the Yang Dynasty, and today it might belong to the Li Dynasty. In the face of death, dignity seemed less important. Pleading to an outsider for help wasn’t unheard of, especially when it involved visitors from the Celestial Empire.
Dai Ting’s expression remained calm, devoid of any emotion.
Whether a person was beautiful or ugly, of high birth or low, didn’t matter to him. He had no extra sympathy or compassion to spare for strangers. If they could offer him something of value, he might be willing to listen to their request for help.
After a brief exchange, the Champa Queen understood. This man had no lack of wealth. He didn’t want to become a feudal lord in Champa. His goal was simply to secure a piece of land, cultivate it for a year, and leave. He was forced to fight back only because others were relentlessly causing trouble.
As for beauty, the Champa Queen was not lacking in confidence. But when Dai Ting sat there, everyone present felt a pang of self-consciousness. Could someone like him be swayed by beauty? The very idea seemed impossible. To send him beautiful women would feel like taking advantage of him!
The Champa Queen proposed her terms of repayment based on Dai Ting’s needs. If they could help her secure her throne, she would mobilize everyone she could to cultivate the land, assist the Tang Dynasty in seed selection and breeding, and offer them the best rice varieties as soon as they were available. Champa enjoyed a favorable climate and abundant resources, and their rice could even yield three harvests a year! They could not only provide Champa’s agricultural varieties but also help the Tang Dynasty test varieties from neighboring countries.
Dai Ting finally showed some interest.
He paused and corrected the Queen’s intended recipient: “Present them to Prince Tang.”
There was a difference between presenting something to Li Yuanying and presenting it to the Tang Dynasty.
Everything must be presented to Li Yuanying first. Whether Li Yuanying wanted it or not, they would secure as much as they could for him. They would ensure everyone knew that Li Yuanying was the one who had brought them these rice seeds, that he was constantly thinking of their well-being.
Li Yuanying only desired a carefree life as a feudal lord and had never considered anything else. But his carefree lifestyle was bound to arouse envy.
Dai Ting wanted to make Li Yuanying so powerful that even the Emperor would hesitate to move against him.
Even if Li Yuanying eventually presented everything to the court, it would be different if it passed through his hands first.
Dai Ting didn’t pledge allegiance to the court or the Emperor. He only pledged allegiance to Li Yuanying.
For the Champa Queen, there was no significant difference between offering something to the Tang Dynasty court or to Prince Tang of the Tang Dynasty. She was simply amazed by the power of this Prince Tang. What kind of person could command such loyalty from someone like Dai Ting? With Dai Ting’s abilities, he could have easily conquered Champa and established his own kingdom!
Champa had once been a county under the Han Dynasty, until the locals killed the county magistrate and declared their independence. Now, with Champa in turmoil, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone who could quell the unrest emerged and was crowned the new King of Champa. But this man had no interest in such things. All he wanted was to return home with his Champa rice.
Curiosity piqued, the Champa Queen didn’t ask any further questions, afraid of provoking a change of heart.
She reached an agreement with Dai Ting and then left as silently as she had arrived.
Dai Ting didn’t want to miss Li Yuanying’s wedding, so he took a decisive approach, swift and ruthless, eliminating all opposition to the Champa Queen.
Only then did many realize that this wasn’t a meek, herbivorous sheep but a deadly viper! Yet, this viper was surprisingly popular. The refugees who worked on his farm, one by one, dropped their hoes, grabbed their weapons, and declared their intent to reclaim their homeland!
How dare these lowly, wretched people dare to resist?!
The Champa officials and nobles were enraged. They sent troops to wipe out these audacious rebels. The blood of their comrades stained the eyes of the “commoners” red. They had farmed peacefully, lived their lives peacefully. Why had they been robbed of everything, why were even their lives being taken? These people treated them worse than animals!
With the sudden outbreak of popular bloodshed, almost half of the nobility and officials were killed within days. Once opulent mansions were stained crimson overnight.
All their wealth, their power, their influence – dissipated with their death like a puff of smoke.
The Queen, clad in red, ascended the city walls and issued a decree to the people. She declared that she would follow the Tang Dynasty’s example and implement the “Equal Field System,” dividing land among each citizen, ensuring that everyone had land to cultivate and a home to rest.
The remaining officials and nobles were all supporters of the Queen. Seeing that those with opposing views had met their demise, they couldn’t help but develop a sense of awe for her. They wholeheartedly cooperated with her arrangements and enthusiastically promoted her virtues.
As for the land distribution, with so many officials and nobles dead, their land could simply be redistributed. It wouldn’t affect them. They had no reason to hesitate. The most urgent task was to stabilize the situation.
Dai Ting didn’t involve himself in any of this. He simply left a contingent of men to guard the estate in Champa and set sail north with the rice seeds.
When they first boarded, the weather was still scorching. As they sailed northward, the sea conditions gradually worsened. Even in winter, they occasionally encountered snowstorms that blocked their way. One ship ran aground and was damaged. Luckily, they had many ships and managed to rescue everyone and their cargo, ensuring a relatively safe journey.
After months of navigating the endless ocean, sailing and stopping, stopping and sailing again, the fleet finally returned safely. The harbor was bustling with ships, and the docks were crowded. Upon hearing that the fleet belonged to Prince Tang’s estate, everyone was filled with anticipation, eager to see if they had brought back a fortune in gold and jewels.
To their disappointment, the ships unloaded sacks of ordinary hemp cloth, the kind used for storing grain. Judging by their shape and weight, they seemed to be filled with grain, not the rare treasures they had expected.
Only on the last ship was there something worth looking at. The first things to come ashore were two brightly colored parrots. They looked identical, and as soon as they landed, they started chattering: “Big!” “Really big!” “So big!” The dockworkers were both amazed and proud. Their harbor was indeed huge, and they had heard that harbors in the south were nothing compared to theirs.
Aside from the talking birds, the rest of the cargo consisted of sandalwood chests filled with treasures. No one knew exactly what was inside, but the chests themselves indicated that their contents were valuable.
Dai Ting had not given a return date. Li Yuanying hadn’t come to the harbor to greet them. Dai Ting organized his men to transport the goods to Tengzhou. Along the way, their wagons loaded with grain seeds attracted countless curious eyes: Tengzhou had started stockpiling grain from the sea? Was the rice from the sea better?
It wasn’t until Dai Ting was nearing Tengzhou that Li Yuanying learned the fleet had returned. It was still January, and the weather was chilly. Luckily, there were no visits to make for the New Year that day. Li Yuanying was lounging by the fire, listening to stories, when he received the news. He abandoned the story and set off to greet Dai Ting and his men.
Upon meeting, they naturally engaged in conversation over warmed wine. Dai Ting informed Li Yuanying of the changes in Champa. This time, he was truly keeping a low profile, with no grand plans. But since the Champa Queen had offered to be their breeding base, there was no reason to refuse.
Li Yuanying had never ventured that far and didn’t know the Champa climate. Hearing Dai Ting mention that rice could sometimes yield three harvests a year in Champa, and that some varieties were extremely drought-resistant and had low soil requirements, he felt Dai Ting had done the right thing. This was the ideal breeding base!
Since the Queen was willing to mobilize her people to help with their breeding work and even collect agricultural varieties from surrounding countries, even if it meant more trouble, it was worth it!
Li Yuanying said, “Truly, the world is vast and full of wonders. Who would have thought that rice could be planted three times a year?” He had gained some experience in cultivation himself. “Of course, the soil fertility might not keep up. We need to come up with some more methods for fertilizing the land.”
Dai Ting nodded.
Regardless, finding good grain was a good thing. Li Yuanying instructed Huang Ying to inform everyone to steam a bowl of this Champa rice for dinner. If it tasted acceptable, they would focus on testing these Champa rice varieties this year. Once they had finished discussing business matters, Li Yuanying excitedly said, “My wedding clothes are ready and I need to try them on. You and Luo Binwang should come and help me see if they fit!”
**Author’s Note:**
Dai Ting: Even though I was trying to be low-key, I ended up accidentally getting involved in their domestic politics. It’s not my fault. I don’t want to do anything.
Little Prince’s wedding countdown!
Update is here!
First update!
There will be another update tonight! This story will reach 200 chapters! The Little Prince can get married! This joyous occasion deserves some nutrient solution, right? (Not really)
A reader said in the last chapter that they wanted to see a story with Dai Ting as the main character! Impossible! That would require too high an IQ! (Wait, did I just reveal something?)
**Note:** The glossary was used to translate the relevant Chinese terms, and the remaining text was translated to convey the original tone and style of the web novel.
Previous Chapter | TOC |