Chapter Four: The Three Meals of the Prince (Part One)

Reflecting on the circumstances of her time travel, and glancing at the two ears of corn and a sweet potato in her hands, Zhao Yan felt an overwhelming sense of despair. Who could have imagined that she would be cursed to the Northern Song Dynasty by a miser, merely for taking corn and sweet potatoes from his field? Had she known this would be the outcome, she would have rather starved than touch someone else's belongings

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Yan continued to lie in bed, lost in thought. For an art student studying painting, he had basically dismissed any notions of becoming a ruler after crossing over. Moreover, this did not align with his character. For Zhao Yan, it was more appropriate to take advantage of his identity as a prince to live a life of ease, and then to take in a few beautiful women to enrich his royal residence.

On the fifth day, unable to endure any longer

Thinking of his status as a prince, Zhao Yan finally revealed a hint of a satisfied smile, which might be the happiest moment since his transmigration. However, he soon recalled that ever since he was struck by the ball lightning, although some people had come to visit him, his father, Emperor Zhao Shu, had never come. Only the Empress Dowager had brought imperial physicians to treat him and had appointed Cao Ying to supervise his recovery. As a result, Cao Ying now held the authority in the entire prince's residence, and even the people around Zhao Yan had all been replaced.

It is precisely for this reason that Zhao Yan has only learned the most basic sketching in painting, and has also self-studied some comics, as these skills come in handy when flirting. On the other hand, he has acquired a considerable amount of medical knowledge while accompanying his girlfriend to classes, and he is quite adept at treating minor ailments such as headaches and colds, but that is under the condition of having sufficient Western and Chinese medicines available. Now that he has traveled back to the Northern Song Dynasty, he cannot even buy a single "cold remedy," let alone save lives. As for traditional Chinese medicine, Zhao Yan only knows about Ban Lan Gen and Jin Yin Hua, and he is completely ignorant of everything else.

As for the final yellow plastic bag, it was also brought to Grandpa Liu from the county town. Since Grandpa Liu lived and ate at the school during his time there, he even cultivated a small vegetable garden in front of the school dormitory, growing some vegetables for his own consumption. This time, he entrusted Zhao Yan to bring back some seeds from an acquaintance in the county town.

For lunch, a bowl of millet porridge along with vegetables and tofu, which is almost a replica of breakfast, the only difference being that lunch includes an additional steamed bun. Looking at this unappetizing meal, Zhao Yan decided to cancel the afternoon run; without even being able to eat meat, what is the point of running?

The major studied in university is of no use, and the ability to heal and save lives has been largely wasted due to a lack of medicine. This made Zhao Yan unable to help but let out a sigh of frustration. Fortunately, he has crossed over to become the son of an emperor; no matter what happens in the future, at least he does not have to worry about food. Otherwise, if he had crossed over as a poor person, he would probably have starved to death on the streets by now

On the third day, endure once more

However, it is too late to regret now. Zhao Yan can only carefully place the corn and sweet potatoes, although he desperately wants to bite these two culprits that caused his time travel into pieces to relieve the hatred in his heart. Yet, reason tells him that such an action would be utterly unwise. After all, these two crops, originally from the Americas, are highly productive grains, and if they can be promoted widely, they will undoubtedly bring about tremendous changes to the Song Dynasty.

A microscope; some clothes and various daily necessities; two ears of corn and a piece of sweet potato; and finally, some seeds of unknown vegetables. These are the items I brought with me. No, there is one more thing, which is the knowledge and insights I brought from the future. These are my greatest reliance for establishing myself in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The dispute over the Puyi has not yet erupted, but even if it does, Zhao Yan does not intend to get involved. Firstly, he has just crossed over and is quite unfamiliar with everything in the Northern Song Dynasty. Secondly, the Puyi dispute is essentially a struggle between Emperor Zhao Shu and Empress Dowager Cao. As a junior, Zhao Yan has no place in this matter, so it is better for him to stay quietly in his prince's residence and recover from his illness.

It is evident that Zhao Yan is overly optimistic about his life. He is still unwell, and his meals are delivered to his bedroom three times a day. Today's breakfast is the same as in previous days: a bowl of millet porridge accompanied by a plate of vegetables and tofu, without a trace of oil. This is because the imperial physician had previously advised him that his body is not suited for greasy or meaty foods. Therefore, for the past few days, his meals have consisted almost entirely of vegetables and tofu along with thin porridge, with the exception of an extra steamed bun at lunch. Additionally, he is also prohibited from engaging with women. In simple terms, Zhao Yan is currently living a monk's life, though not like those false monks of later generations who drink, eat meat, and marry.

Zhao Yan picked up the chopsticks, grabbed a piece of tofu, and threw it into her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, she almost spat it out. This was not a stir-fried dish at all, but rather vegetables and tofu boiled together with water, with at most a little salt added; there was nothing else. As for the taste, there is no need to mention it. In any case, ever since Zhao Yan graduated from school, it was the first time she had eaten such unpalatable food.

The next day, the three meals continued as usual, and Zhao Yan endured...

Having come to understand his situation, Zhao Yan suddenly jumped up from the bed. As the ancient saying goes, health is the foundation of revolution. He now possesses wealth and power, yet his health is not in good condition. There are still plenty of indulgent and extravagant experiences awaiting him in the future. Without a sound body, he would undoubtedly be unable to withstand the corruption of a life of feudal nobility characterized by extreme luxury and excess.

Zhao Yan experienced a period of hardship during his childhood, and at that time, his greatest aspiration was to be able to eat meat every day. As a result, after gaining financial stability, he almost never had a meal without meat, even during his time teaching in rural areas, he never missed having meat daily. Now, faced with this plate of boiled vegetables and tofu, he simply cannot bring himself to eat it, so he tosses his chopsticks aside and finishes only the bowl of millet porridge. Although the vegetables are unappetizing, this bowl of millet porridge is quite well-cooked, fragrant and sticky, definitely made from new rice.

At dinner, still the same, Zhao Yan closed his eyes and ate the vegetables and tofu, while silently reminding herself that this was for her own health, and she canceled her evening run

Zhao Yan opened the yellow bag, which contained several small paper packets. Inside the packets were seeds of various colors, shapes, and sizes. However, at that moment, Zhao Yan was at a loss, as he had never planted vegetables before and could not identify what these seeds were for. Nevertheless, Zhao Yan pretended to be knowledgeable, picking up each type of seed and sniffing it, yet he still could not recognize them.

"What bad luck, how come there are no chili seeds? Am I destined to never eat chili in my life!" After organizing the vegetable seeds, Zhao Yan sighed. Although he did not recognize the seeds in the bag, he was certain of one thing: there were definitely no chili seeds inside. After all, for someone who cannot live without spicy food, chili seeds are something he absolutely knows.

Only two plastic bags were left on the bed, one of which was a white bag that Zhao Yan bought for someone else. Old Liu, the gatekeeper at the school, suffers from chronic bronchitis, which flares up whenever the weather turns cool, requiring him to frequently receive injections of anti-inflammatory medication. Coincidentally, Zhao Yan had previously dated a girlfriend who studied medicine, and during his four years in college, he spent almost all his time in the medical school library, thus acquiring some medical knowledge. He sometimes treats children as well. This time, Old Liu asked him to help buy some injections, so that he could administer a few shots and spare him the trouble of traveling dozens of miles to the town for treatment.

Recalling Zhao Shu, Zhao Yan immediately thought of the historical records regarding this Emperor Yingzong. He had a relatively good understanding of the history of the Northern Song Dynasty. According to Zhao Yan, his adoptive father had a very tumultuous fate. When Emperor Renzong had no sons, he adopted Zhao Shu as his son. However, later on, a concubine in the harem became pregnant, and Zhao Shu was expelled from the palace. Unexpectedly, that prince died young. Therefore, in the year before Renzong's death, Zhao Shu was finally established as the crown prince and eventually ascended to the throne. When Emperor Renzong had no sons, he adopted Zhao Shu as his son. However, later on, a concubine in the harem became pregnant, and Zhao Shu was expelled from the palace. Unexpectedly, that prince died young. Therefore, in the year before Renzong's death, Zhao Shu was finally established as the crown prince and eventually ascended to the throne

Thinking of this, Zhao Yan put the items on the bed back in their original places, then sat down to seriously recall the knowledge he had learned in his previous life. The technological products such as televisions, computers, cars, air conditioners, and refrigerators were all manufactured using knowledge from the future. Unfortunately, Zhao Yan's mind was not a computer; he had only learned how to use these items. As for how these items were manufactured, Zhao Yan thought carefully and concluded that the most useful information he could recall was that these products were assembled in various factories, and then he would go to the electronics store to purchase them.

On the fourth day, enduring yet again

Moreover, Zhao Yan was also aware that once Zhao Shu's health improved, the most famous dispute of the Yingzong era, known as the "Puyi Debate," would erupt. The so-called Puyi Debate actually revolved around Zhao Shu's title for his biological father, Prince Zhao Yunrang of Puyang. This dispute lasted for a total of 18 months, while Zhao Shu only reigned as emperor for four years. This may seem incredible to later generations, but for the officials of the Song Dynasty, it was a matter of royal etiquette of great significance. Furthermore, it was this very Puyi Debate that exacerbated the relationship between Empress Dowager Cao and Zhao Shu. This may seem incredible to later generations, but for the officials of the Song Dynasty, it was a matter of royal etiquette of great significance. Furthermore, it was this very Puyi Debate that exacerbated the relationship between Empress Dowager Cao and Zhao Shu.

Zhao Shu's health was very poor. Just less than a month after ascending to the throne, he became too ill to handle state affairs. Consequently, he requested Empress Dowager Cao to preside over the court, which was also the main reason Zhao Shu did not visit Zhao Yan. Furthermore, due to various issues, the relationship between Zhao Shu and Empress Dowager Cao became quite strained. Fortunately, Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu mediated between them, which eased the tension in their relationship, though it was merely a temporary alleviation. There was no genuine affection between the nominal mother and son. In contrast, Zhao Shu's wife, Empress Gao, was the biological niece of Empress Dowager Cao and had been raised in the palace by Empress Cao since childhood, leading to a bond akin to that of mother and daughter. Because of this, Empress Gao also played a role as a mediator between Zhao Shu and Empress Dowager Cao.

To live is to have a state of mind; when the mood is good, any kind of life is rich and flavorful, but when the mood is poor, even surrounded by beautiful women and living in luxury does not bring happiness. Now, Zhao Yan has emerged from the frustration of his time travel and is beginning to face his new life positively. He has even devised a fitness plan for himself: practicing Tai Chi in the morning, running in the morning, running in the afternoon, and continuing to run in the evening. Isn't it said that life lies in movement? Zhao Yan intends to adjust his life through exercise, and he will start implementing this plan after lunch today.

"Damn it, I should have studied electromechanical engineering; at least it would be useful after the time travel," Zhao Yan muttered to himself in frustration. He felt somewhat embarrassed to mention his major from university, as he had studied painting. Throughout his four years in college, he had mostly skipped classes, either sleeping in his dormitory or accompanying his girlfriend from the medical school to her classes. His exam preparation consisted of cramming in the last two days or having someone else take the exam for him, and in the end, he barely managed to obtain a diploma. Moreover, during those four years, he had mostly skipped classes, either sleeping in his dormitory or accompanying his girlfriend from the medical school to her classes, with exams being crammed in the last two days or having someone else take them, ultimately just managing to get a diploma.