The residence of the Prince of Dongping.
More than twenty people stood together, looking at the plots of cultivated land before them.
The residence the emperor had bestowed upon Cao Xi occupied no small area, but they had turned this entire stretch of land into vegetable gardens.
The cultivated land here was divided into several different types of plots. The crops, seeds, and even the irrigation and weeding were exactly the same.
Different plots, however, used different fertilizers, and of course, some used no fertilizer at all.
They were using these experiments to see whether the fertilizers they had made actually worked.
The experiments had already been running for some time.
To see results sooner, they had applied the fertilizers directly to vegetables.
Cao Mao stood among them now, listening as the official responsible for tending these vegetables enthusiastically explained the results from the different types of plots.
"This is Plot No. Yi, and the fertilizer used here is precisely Fertilizer No. Yi, made by Your Highness. So far, its growth has been the most astonishing, better than every other plot... please, take a look."
This official had been sent by Lu Zhi and was reportedly from one of the great clans.
It was said that he had no interest in fame or rank and had never entered official service. Later, after hearing of his reputation and abilities, Lu Zhi had sent someone to summon him to serve as an official.
At the time, recommendations of this kind had not yet been completely abolished.
But the man had been unwilling to go and had fled elsewhere.
Later, however, some unrest had broken out in the realm, around the time He Zeng had just become Minister of Works. Those unwilling to serve at court were all deemed dissatisfied with His Majesty