CHAPTER 583: CHAPTER 488: THE FIRST GAME, CRUSHING_3

This does not mean she supports Lu Qi.

She will still make things difficult for Consort Hu and the Jin Prince Mansion as needed.

She simply won’t go against Silver.

"I’d rather he couldn’t answer that."

Lu Zhaoyan murmured softly.

"Second Brother, what are you... what nonsense are you saying?"

Prince Ming was shaken by the flash of sorrow in his Second Brother’s gaze.

His Second Brother had always been calm and reserved, rarely bothered by worldly concerns.

Yet moments ago, his Second Brother seemed consumed by immense grief.

He dared not speak further for a while.

All nine bags of grain — Lu Qi had guessed them all correctly.

But when it came to the last bag, Lu Qi paused briefly.

At that very moment, Lu Yuan spoke up: "Rice seeds."

Eunuch Yu asked, "How much is this bag of rice seeds worth?"

Lu Qi stared at the bag of rice seeds intently. Roughly estimating, it weighed about a hundred pounds, and rice seeds were indeed more valuable than regular rice.

However, he truly had never paid attention to the price of rice seeds.

This was the only question today about which he wasn’t certain.

He could only rely on his guesswork.

He glanced over at Lu Yuan.

Seeing Lu Yuan remain silent, merely fiddling with the rice seeds between his fingers — Lu Yuan had already lost so many questions, and if he didn’t answer before Lu Qi, it could only mean he too did not know the price of rice seeds.

Now, everything would depend on luck.

He stated solemnly, "One silver coin."

Everyone turned their gaze toward the Minister of Agriculture.

The Minister of Agriculture nodded, "The market price for rice seeds is indeed roughly that amount."

Prince Jin’s joy burst forth.

All the questions were now answered.

Undoubtedly, his son had won.

As for that simpleton Lu Yuan — despite the fortunate chance that had allowed him to answer two questions correctly, anyone with eyes could see that his son had far surpassed him.

Unexpectedly, Eunuch Yu did not rush to declare the results but turned instead to Lu Yuan: "Prince Changsun, what is your answer?"

Lu Yuan placed the seeds back into the burlap bag, clapped his hands, and responded, "Worthless!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

Prince Jin furrowed his brows.

Lu Qi was also perplexed: "What did you say?"

Eunuch Yu asked, "Prince Changsun, are you certain... worthless?"

"Yes, I’m certain."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and concluded, "Cooked seeds—how could they have value? If someone dared sell me seeds like this, I wouldn’t just refuse to pay; I’d have to give them a good beating!"

The Minister of Agriculture hurriedly walked over to the pushcart, grabbed a handful of seeds, and carefully examined them before exclaiming excitedly, "Indeed, they’ve been cooked! These are cooked seeds!"

Lu Qi’s expression darkened.

The officials who had supported Lu Qi were now collectively dumbfounded.

It was no wonder Prince Changsun had remained silent—he had been evaluating the quality of the seeds.

In an instant, everyone suddenly recalled one particular incident.

Back when disaster struck, many farmlands were flooded, and seeds were lost. At that time, Emperor Liang—still King Qin—had purchased rice seeds from neighboring nations at exorbitant costs to save the livelihoods of the common people.

But unscrupulous merchants had deceived him, selling cooked seeds that yielded no crops. The fields were barren, famine spread, and the people were left in dire straits. The Southwest barely survived that catastrophic ordeal.

It had taken the Southwest five whole years to recover from the devastation.

Everyone’s gaze shifted back to Lu Yuan and Lu Qi.

Their expressions had started to change.

Lu Qi’s extensive knowledge was undeniable, but at this moment, all of it appeared superficial—empty theorizing without practical substance.

Lu Yuan, on the other hand, despite offering fewer answers, struck straight to the heart of the matter with every reply.

More importantly, throughout the process, he had been touching the dirt-stained crops with his hands, showing no reluctance. His actions carried the ease of someone who had handled them countless times before.

This was someone who truly understood farming.

He knew the struggles of the people—not through theory, but through lived experience.

Prince Ming muttered in bewilderment, "No way, Second Brother, how does your son know so much? Could he have actually farmed before? Could he have fallen victim to something like this before?"

Prince Ming couldn’t make sense of it. Silver’s wife didn’t seem like someone lacking money—would she let her son work the fields?

Forget it, it didn’t matter. Winning was all that counted.

His ten thousand silver coins were safe!

The Crown Prince’s faction, though not large in number, brimmed with pride at that moment.

They had placed all their hopes on this one attempt.

Thankfully, Prince Changsun had not let them down!

Lu Zhaoyan said nothing—he only gazed at his son with a complex expression.

The crowd celebrated Lu Yuan’s brilliance, while Lu Zhaoyan silently mourned his son’s past.

Eunuch Yu closed the scroll and turned to Emperor Liang with a bow: "Your Majesty, shall we proceed with the agricultural test?"

Emperor Liang rose, his commanding presence unshaken: "No need. The first trial, agriculture—Lu Linyuan wins!"