From cute to empress

Chapter 260: Warmth and Determination on the Farmland

"It's okay, it's okay. I just twisted it accidentally. It doesn't hurt anymore." I gently pushed him away, trying to hide my inner panic and said casually, "Why did you come back so suddenly? How's the war going at the border?"

Zhen Youcai looked at me deeply, as if he saw through my disguise. He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his tone: "The border has been stabilized for the time being. I heard that the disaster here was serious, and I was worried about you, so I rushed back."

My heart felt like it was gently touched, and a warm feeling surged through me. I lowered my head, not daring to meet his burning gaze, and whispered, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Although the disaster is serious, we have already begun organizing disaster relief efforts. I believe we will overcome the difficulties soon."

"Silly boy, how could you be alright?" Zhen Youcai held up my ankle with a distressed look, kneading it gently. "Look how swollen it is! How could you be so careless?"

I was a bit overwhelmed by his sudden affection, and my cheeks couldn't help but feel slightly hot. At this moment, Xiaolian brought a basin of hot water. I quickly pulled my foot away and said, "Xiaolian, please help Brother Zhen prepare some hot water and clean clothes. He must be exhausted after rushing all the way back."

Zhen Youcai wanted to say something, but I winked at him, signaling him to calm down. He sighed helplessly and gave up.

That night, a torrential downpour poured down. The huge raindrops slammed against the window frames, making a crackling sound. I lay in bed, but I couldn't sleep. This sudden downpour exacerbated the already severe disaster situation.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something bad has happened!" Xiaolian's hurried voice sounded outside the door, breaking the tranquility of the night.

I sat up suddenly and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"The crops in the fields...are all flooded!" Xiaolian's voice was tinged with tears.

My heart sank, and I quickly put on my clothes and rushed out the door.

The rain was still falling, and the big raindrops blurred my vision. I didn't care about anything else and rushed straight to the fields.

On the ridge of the field, old farmer Tian paced back and forth anxiously, looking at the vast ocean in front of him, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty, why are you here? It's raining so heavily, you should go back quickly!" When Old Farmer Tian saw me, he hurried forward to dissuade me.

"Uncle Tian, ​​don't worry, we will definitely find a way." I comforted him, my eyes sweeping across the messy farmland in front of me, feeling a little unsure.

"Your Majesty, look at the rain. It won't stop anytime soon. The water..." Old Farmer Tian pointed at the knee-deep water in the field and said in a heavy tone, "I'm afraid..."

"Your Majesty, look!" The agronomist beside him suddenly pointed at several towering water wheels in the distance and said excitedly, "Our new irrigation system can be put to use!"

I followed his gaze, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart...

"But... Your Majesty, even if the water can be drained, it's not a solution if the rain keeps falling..." Old Farmer Tian said worriedly, his cloudy eyes full of anxiety and helplessness.

I turned to look at him and said firmly, "Uncle Tian, ​​don't worry, we will definitely get through this!"

I held Mr. Tian's hand tightly, my eyes determined. "Mr. Tian, ​​your experience is a valuable asset for us in the fight against natural disasters! I believe that as long as we work together, we can minimize the losses!"

Old Farmer Tian looked at me with his cloudy eyes. My determination seemed to infect him. He nodded vigorously, his deep voice particularly clear in the wind and rain: "Your Majesty is right! When have we farmers ever been afraid of this Mr. Tian?"

He turned to look at the surrounding farmers and shouted, "Fellow villagers, don't just stand there! Follow me!"

Tian Laonong's words were like a shot of adrenaline. The farmers, who were originally a little panicked, immediately calmed down, picked up their tools, followed Tian Laonong's footsteps, and rushed to their respective fields.

"Your Majesty, look!" the agronomist said excitedly, pointing to several towering water wheels in the distance. "Our new irrigation system is ready to be used!"

I followed his gaze, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart. These waterwheels were a new type of irrigation system that the agronomy doctor and I had developed earlier. They could not only irrigate but also drain water.

"Quick! Organize people, start the water truck, and drain the accumulated water in the fields first!" I gave the order decisively.

"Yes!" The doctor of agronomy took the order and left. Soon, several huge water wheels began to turn slowly, draining the accumulated water in the fields bit by bit.

Seeing the water gradually recede, I felt a little relieved. But I knew this was just the first step. We didn't know when this torrential rain would stop, so we had to be fully prepared.

"Uncle Tian, ​​do you think there is anything else we need to do now?" I turned to look at Mr. Tian and asked humbly.

Old Farmer Tian thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent thing now is to protect the remaining crops, especially the newly planted seedlings, which cannot withstand the ravages of wind and rain!"

"You're right!" I nodded in agreement. "What do you think we should do?"

Old Farmer Tian pointed to the straw piled up by the field and said, "We can use the straw to cover the seedlings. This will provide some protection from wind and rain."

"Good idea!" I immediately ordered Xiaolian, "Go quickly, find more people, and move all the straw to the field!"

"Yes!" Xiaolian took the order and left.

I turned to the doctor of agronomy and asked, "Doctor, do you have anything else to add?"

The doctor of agronomy pushed his glasses up, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, after this rainstorm, the soil in the fields may be affected. We need to adjust our planting plans in a timely manner and introduce some crop varieties with strong disaster resistance."

"You've thought this through very carefully." I nodded approvingly. "I'll leave this matter to you. Please let me know if you need anything. I will fully support your work."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best!" The doctor of agronomy bowed.

Looking at the busy crowds, my heart is filled with hope. I believe that as long as we all unite as one, we will be able to overcome this natural disaster!

At this moment, a young eunuch hurried up to me and said breathlessly, "Your Majesty...rich businessman...rich businessman..."

"What's wrong with the rich businessman? Tell me slowly." I supported the young eunuch and helped him calm down.

The young eunuch took a deep breath and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, Merchant A heard about the disaster in various places and is concerned about the people. He has urgently allocated a large amount of food and warm clothing. They are being shipped here and are expected to arrive tomorrow!"

Hearing this news warmed my heart. Merchant A is a well-known local businessman, owning thousands of acres of fertile land. Despite his wealth, he never forgot his roots and often generously donated money to help the poor. He once again stepped forward during this natural disaster, which is truly admirable.

"Great! That's great!" I said excitedly. "Xiao Lian, you go and greet Merchant A in person. Be sure to express my gratitude to him and tell him that the court will purchase the food and supplies he brings at market price and will not let him suffer any loss!"

At this time, County Magistrate B also hurried over. He was sweating profusely, obviously having rushed all the way from the city on horseback.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" County Magistrate B bowed respectfully.

"No need to be polite, get up!" I quickly helped him up and asked with concern, "How's the situation in the city?"

"Your Majesty, I have followed your instructions and urgently allocated disaster relief supplies in the city. I have also organized a medical team and am ready to provide support to various places at any time." County Magistrate B replied respectfully.

"Very good!" I nodded with satisfaction. Although County Magistrate B had some bureaucratic style before, he was very proactive in this disaster relief, which made me look at him with admiration.

"You're doing great," I patted his shoulder and encouraged him. "Now is the time when we need your help. You must coordinate well and ensure that the disaster relief work proceeds in an orderly manner!"

"I obey your order!" County Magistrate B looked firm, his eyes full of responsibility.

I looked around and saw busy figures everywhere in the farmland. Water wheels were rumbling, draining the accumulated water bit by bit, and farmers were running around in the fields, saving every crop.

Seeing this scene, my heart is filled with hope. I believe that as long as we are united as one, we will be able to overcome this natural disaster!

However, after a long period of running around and working hard, my body began to feel tired and my vision became dark.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What's wrong with you?" Xiaolian's voice cried out from a distance, but I felt increasingly powerless. My vision went dark, and I knew nothing...

In a daze, I seemed to hear someone anxiously calling my name. The voice was so familiar and so reassuring...

"Mengmeng! Mengmeng! Wake up!"

"Someone come! Quickly call the imperial physician..."

As consciousness gradually returned, I felt aches all over my body and my head felt dizzy. I struggled to open my heavy eyelids and vaguely saw Xiaolian's anxious face.

"Your Majesty! You finally woke up! You scared me to death!" Xiaolian cried with joy and quickly helped me sit up.

I looked around and found myself lying in a makeshift tent. There were bursts of rain outside. It seemed that this damn heavy rain had not stopped yet.

"What's wrong with me?" I supported my head and tried hard to recall what happened before I fell into a coma.

"Your Majesty, you fainted on the ridge of the field. The imperial physician said you were overworked and needed to rest." Xiaolian said as she brought a bowl of hot ginger soup. "Hurry, drink it while it's hot."

I took the ginger soup, and a pungent aroma rushed into my nose, dispelling the chill. After drinking it, I felt much better and asked, "How are things going now?"

A trace of worry flashed across Xiaolian's face. "Your Majesty, this rain is heavier than expected. The water in the farmland hasn't receded yet, and the agronomist's new irrigation system is still being debugged..."

"What?!" I was startled and struggled to get out of bed. "No, I want to go check it out!"

"Your Majesty! You can't go! The imperial physician said you need to rest..." Xiaolian held me tightly, not letting me get out of bed.

"The situation is urgent now. I don't have time to rest!" I pulled Xiaolian's hand away, lifted the quilt and was about to get out of bed.

Just then, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and a tall and familiar figure appeared at the door. I was stunned.

"Zhen...Zhen Youcai? Why are you back?!"

Zhen Youcai was dusty and had a tired look on his face, but when he saw me wake up, his eyes were full of surprise and worry. He walked quickly to my side and hugged me in his arms.

"Silly boy, you're in this state, and you still want to go to the fields? Do you know how worried I was about you when I received the news?"

I leaned on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and a warm feeling surged in my heart.

"Why did you come back? The border war is tense, aren't you..."

"Your safety is more important than anything else!" Zhen Youcai said firmly, "I have arranged everything, and I am needed here now."

I raised my head and looked at the man in front of me. He rushed back regardless of everything for me, and my eyes couldn't help but get wet.

"It's great to have you here." I said softly.

Zhen Youcai gently wiped the tears from my eyes, then turned to look at Xiaolian and asked seriously, "How's the new irrigation system going?"

Xiaolian didn't dare to neglect it and quickly replied, "General, the doctor of agronomy said that the new system has been debugged and can be started at any time."

"Okay!" Zhen Youcai's eyes flashed with a gleam, "Let's go and take a look!"

As he spoke, he took my hand and strode out of the tent. I looked back at the anxious Xiaolian, gave her a reassuring look, and then resolutely followed Zhen Youcai's footsteps and walked towards the wind-swept fields...

The rain is still falling and the wind is still blowing, but my heart is extremely firm because I know that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we will face them together!

"Are you ready?" Zhen Youcai stood in front of the sluice gate and turned around to ask me.