Chapter 1053: Helan Minyue is too shy

Lin Lang took out a few cans of pineapple from his personal space and distributed them to his wives and concubines.

Li Moli took the can and smiled sweetly at Lin Lang.

Zhou Mengyao also smiled, and when she took the can, she did not forget to secretly cast a coquettish glance at Lin Lang.

Mu Xuelan squinted her eyes and smiled sweetly.

Pan Xiaoting whispered sweetly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Chu Yiren waved her hand to decline. She never eats food with preservatives.

Then, Lin Lang took out many cans of pineapple from his personal space and ordered the eunuchs and palace maids to distribute them to the ministers present.

The eunuchs and palace maids distributed the canned pineapples skillfully. The ministers who received the canned pineapples were delighted and bowed to Lin Lang to express their gratitude.

This was a rare thing in the Tang Dynasty.

Lin Lang personally opened two cans of pineapples for Li Zhi and Empress Wu and told the eunuch to present them.

Li Zhi held the can of pineapple in his hand, scooped a piece with a silver spoon and put it into his mouth. The sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth, and he nodded repeatedly: "Hmm! This tastes sweeter than fresh pineapple, delicious!"

"My dear brother, these pineapples can be canned or eaten fresh. If they could be grown in the Tang Dynasty, the people would be in for a treat."

Lin Lang bowed and smiled, "Brother Emperor, once I have collected enough seedlings, I will send people to the Lingnan region for trial planting. If successful, we will promote it in the southern part of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi laughed heartily and said, "My dear brother, your thoughtfulness is rare. You understand how to share good things and adapt to local conditions. If this pineapple can be successfully grown in Lingnan, the people of the Tang Dynasty will have another new thing on their fruit plates. That would be a wonderful thing."

Empress Wu also tasted a piece of canned pineapple, her eyes full of smiles: "This canned pineapple tastes sweet and refreshing. This exotic fruit is truly delicious."

The ministers in the hall also echoed and praised him endlessly.

Lin Lang looked at the joyful scene in the hall, took out a box of fresh strawberries from his personal space, raised his eyebrows at Li Zhi, with a mysterious smile in his eyes.

Li Zhi saw this and laughed loudly, "My dear brother, this portable space of yours that uses the Qiankun Jue to retrieve things is really a treasure. What good things did you take out of it?"

Lin Lang took a strawberry out of the box and started eating it with big mouthfuls. He said with an exaggerated expression, "Royal brother, this is a strawberry from our Hushang country. It's a kind of fruit. It's delicious."

After hearing this, Li Zhi swallowed his saliva greedily and quickly beckoned, "Quick, bring it to me!"

The eunuch presented the strawberries to Li Zhi and Empress Wu. Li Zhi couldn't wait to pick up a strawberry, looked at the big, plump, bright red fruit, and took a big bite.

The sweet and slightly sour juice burst in his mouth instantly. The flesh was delicate and soft. The freshness rushed to his head and he couldn't help but marvel at it.

"Wow! This strawberry is so delicious! It's sweet with a hint of sourness, and so juicy. It's even more refreshing than the pineapple just now!"

As he spoke, Li Zhi immediately looked at Empress Wu and said, "Queen, please try this strawberry. It's so delicious!"

Empress Wu picked up a strawberry and took a bite. The rich and refreshing fruity aroma instantly spread across her tongue, and the delicate flesh slid across her taste buds. The balance of sour and sweet was just right, as if all the freshness of spring was melted into this small fruit.

A flash of surprise flashed in her eyes, and after savoring it carefully, she praised, "This strawberry is truly amazing. It has a tender texture and a sweet taste. It can actually reflect the freshness of the fruit so thoroughly. It's really delicious!"

At this moment, Lin Lang took out many boxes of strawberries from his personal space and ordered the eunuchs and palace maids to distribute them to the ministers so that everyone could have a taste.

The ministers were given strawberries and they picked them up to taste. For a moment, the hall was filled with exclamations.

“These strawberries are so delicious!”

“I’ve never tasted such delicious fruit!”

Changsun Wuji chewed it slowly, his eyes full of admiration.

Cheng Yaojin ate one in two or three bites, smacking his lips and saying, "I, Old Cheng, have finally opened my eyes. This red fruit looks insignificant, but it tastes so delicious!"

Minister of Personnel Chu Suiliang also nodded repeatedly: "It melts in your mouth, sour and sweet, it is truly the best fruit!"

Lin Lang learned his lesson this time. He first walked towards Chu Yiren and others, took out a few boxes of fresh strawberries, and gave them to his wives and concubines first.

Then, Lin Lang approached the table where Wu Shun and Helan Minyue were sitting, took out two boxes of strawberries from his personal space, handed them over, and said with a smile, "Mother-in-law, Miss Minyue, these strawberries are very fresh. You should try some too."

Wu Shun quickly took the strawberries with both hands, his face full of joy, and said politely: "My dear son-in-law, you are so thoughtful. These strawberries look fresh and delicious. I am really sorry for your expense."

Helan Minyue's cheeks flushed slightly, holding the strawberry box in both hands, with a bit of flattered shyness in her eyes, she said softly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. You are thinking about me so much before I even get married. I am... I am really happy."

She looked up at Lin Lang, then quickly lowered her head, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly, thinking to herself: The Emperor of Shanghai treats me so well, he will definitely cherish me in the future.

Lin Lang looked at Helan Minyue's shy appearance, smiled, and took out more than a dozen cans of strawberries from his personal space and placed them on the table of the mother and daughter.

"These are canned strawberries. Take them home after the party and enjoy them slowly. It doesn't matter if you finish them. I'll prepare some more for you when you get married."

Helan Minyue felt a sweet feeling in her heart after hearing this, as if it were filled with honey. However, she was too embarrassed to show it. She just lowered her head shyly, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito's hum: "Thank you... Thank you, Your Majesty. I will remember this."

Afterwards, Lin Lang took out another 10 boxes of canned strawberries from his personal space and ordered, "Come, unpack three boxes and distribute them to the adults, and store the remaining seven boxes in the internal food warehouse for my brother and his wife."

After hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs did as they were told.

The ministers took the cans and expressed their gratitude. They were grateful for the kindness they received. At this moment, they praised Lin Lang highly, "The Emperor of Shanghai is truly generous. We are so grateful!"

"It is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to have the Emperor of Shanghai to help us!"

Li Zhi looked at the seven boxes of canned strawberries piled up in the hall, feeling overjoyed. He laughed heartily and said, "I appreciate your kindness, my dear brother! I, the Queen, and all the ministers are grateful for your thoughtfulness."

Empress Wu also nodded with a smile: "My dear brother, you have thought of everything very carefully. Your Majesty and I will always remember this friendship."

The hall was suddenly filled with laughter and the atmosphere became more harmonious and warm.

Lin Lang looked at Li Zhi and said loudly, "Brother Emperor, after the banquet, I will deliver the strawberry seeds and relevant planting books to the Shanglin Bureau and start a trial planting in the royal vegetable garden."

"This strawberry isn't too delicate. If you take good care of it after planting, it will bear fruit in about three or four months."

"They will be ripe in less than half a year. My brother and I will be able to enjoy strawberries grown right here in the Tang Dynasty. When they are picked fresh, they will taste even better than today."

Li Zhi was overjoyed upon hearing this and clapped his hands, saying, "Great! Great! We'll be able to eat strawberries in just six months! That's fantastic! With your arrangements, I'm looking forward to the days passing quickly."

Empress Wu nodded and smiled, saying, "If strawberries, such a delicious food, could take root in the Tang Dynasty, it would be a wonderful thing for the common people to be able to enjoy them in the future."

The ministers all flattered him and echoed, "The Emperor of Shanghai has calculated even the planting season so clearly. How thoughtful!"

"These strawberries will be ripe in half a year. By then, perhaps we can also enjoy the royal honor and taste this delicacy again."

There was jubilation in the hall again. Everyone looked at the canned strawberries on the table and looked forward to the day when local cultivation would be successful.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Lang took out a set of detailed drawings of the waterwheel improvement from his personal space and instructed the eunuch to present them to Li Zhi.

"Royal brother, this is my method of improving the Tang Dynasty's outdated waterwheels."

"A waterwheel built according to this blueprint will significantly improve irrigation efficiency, benefiting more farmland and making life easier for the people. This will undoubtedly significantly increase grain production."

Li Zhi stared at the improved design drawing of the new waterwheel, stroking his fingers on the drawing carefully, and the light in his eyes became brighter and brighter.

He seemed to see the scene of water rushing along the ingenious structure and irrigating thousands of acres of fertile fields.

Li Zhi suddenly looked up and called out, "Lord Yan! Come quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Minister of Works Yan Lide quickly responded, trotting forward and bowing, "Your Majesty, what are your instructions?"

Li Zhi pushed the blueprint over, his tone unable to conceal his excitement: "Minister Yan, take a look at this improved waterwheel blueprint. What do you think?"

The eunuch presented the blueprint to Yan Lide, who took it with some caution at first. However, after his eyes fell on the map for a while, his originally calm face instantly tensed, his eyes widened, and his breathing became faster.

As the Minister of Works, Yan Lide was a famous engineer and painter in the Tang Dynasty. He saw the tricks in the drawings at a glance.

Those improved gears mesh more tightly, the water flow utilization efficiency is greatly increased, and even the adjustment devices to cope with different water levels are taken into consideration. They are several times more sophisticated than the current waterwheels.

"Great! Great!" Yan Lide slapped his thigh hard, his voice trembling.

His hands trembled slightly as he held the blueprint. "Your Majesty, look here! This modified transmission structure not only saves energy but also expands the water diversion range by at least 30%! And this adaptive water level design is simply a stroke of genius!"

"In all the years I've been in charge of this project, I never imagined that the waterwheel could be improved so much. It's truly... truly amazing!"

After hearing this, Li Zhi clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes full of approval and joy.

"My dear brother, you are truly the lucky star of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Not only have you brought many new and unique products to benefit the people, but you have also come up with such ingenious ideas to help our Tang Dynasty develop agriculture and strengthen the country. I truly admire your talent."

"With your generous support, the Tang Dynasty will surely prosper, and the people will surely be rich!"