Acting on impulse, Yang Hong immediately had a eunuch sent by Grand Emperor Yang Zhong contact Yang Zhong.
As Yang Hong expected, Yang Zhong soon came to find him.
"Sixth Brother, you said you have a better way to utilize vegetables. What is it? Tell me quickly."
In just seven days, Yang Zhong clearly felt that his injuries had recovered significantly. He believed that as long as he continued to eat the vegetables Yang Hong grew, there was a high chance of a full recovery.
He might even regain his Grandmaster strength and potentially retake control of the Great Sui Dynasty.
Therefore, upon hearing that Yang Hong had sent for him, he immediately came over.
"Imperial Grandfather, I saw several winemaking recipes in an agricultural book. If we use the vegetables I grow to brew wine, the taste will undoubtedly be incredibly delicious. Moreover, the special substance Your Imperial Grandfather mentioned will likely be better utilized."
"Brewing wine—what a great idea! How did I not think of brewing wine!
I'll have the imperial vintners brew wine for me right away."
Upon hearing Yang Hong's words, Yang Zhong jumped up with joy and was about to rush off.
It wasn't his fault for being so excited.
There was no doubt that the vegetables Yang Hong grew had special effects, but how to consume them was another matter.
If cooked directly, regardless of the cooking method, some of the special substances would be lost.
If eaten raw, not to mention the taste, consuming too much of some vegetables could have side effects.
For instance, eating too many radishes could cause flatulence, and eating too much pumpkin could lead to bad breath.
Yang Zhong had been troubled by this for the past two days. Hearing Yang Hong's suggestion naturally made him happy.
"Imperial Grandfather~ Imperial Grandfather~"
"What do you want? Have these eunuchs buy it for you. Take the money from my imperial treasury."
Yang Zhong, eager to start brewing wine, tossed this remark and ran off.
"Alas~"
Yang Hong waved his hand, but ultimately stopped.
This was for the best; it gave him more room to maneuver.
He turned to the elderly Yang-surnamed eunuch by his side and asked,
"Old Yang, can you read?"
"Replying to Sixth Prince, this old servant cannot read. However, Old Wang can read."
"That's good. I'll draw some diagrams for you. You can help me get them custom-made. And some other items, buy them all together."
"As you command."
"Oh, right. You should recruit some artisans later. I want to build a winery."
"Yes~"
Yang Hong thought that since the Grand Emperor had given him free rein, he shouldn't hold back. He would build it on a grand scale.
He found paper and a brush. Yang Hong first meticulously copied the diagrams for the architecture and tools of the wineries in this world, selecting those that were exquisite and suitable.
Then, he recalled what he had seen on television and in books from his previous life and selectively drew some modernized winemaking equipment.
Finally, he wrote down the names of some medicinal herbs and specified that he needed not only ready-made herbs but also seeds.
He planned to grow medicinal herbs.
Anyone who has read novels knows that the growth potential of herbs is higher than that of vegetables.
One often hears legends of ginseng spirits and He Shou Wu transforming into humans in novels.
However, there are no stories of vegetables becoming spirits, let alone cucumber spirits.
Therefore, growing medicinal herbs was something Yang Hong had wanted to do for a long time, but he had been restricted before.
Now that he had the opportunity, he couldn't miss it.
Moreover, this time he specifically requested that the old eunuch help him find some tea tree saplings.
He truly didn't want to drink tea dregs anymore.
Yang Hong focused his energy on the winery, and time passed quickly.
It wasn't until Yang Zixuan came running to him, shouting excitedly, that he realized it.
"Imperial Brother~ Imperial Brother~ I won the championship! I won the championship~"
It turned out that time had flown by, and it was already the second day of the tenth month.
Yang Zixuan ran through the entire [Ignored Pavilion] like a gust of wind.
Her voice echoed throughout the small courtyard.
This little girl wasn't really here to deliver news; she was here to show off.
She ran past the winery's entrance without stopping, wanting to complete a full circuit before returning.
"Hehe~ Imperial Brother, I won the championship in the youth division of the Great Sui Dynasty's Prodigy Competition! I'm the champion, the most powerful one."
The little girl held her head high, a smug look on her face.
"Heh heh~ Zixuan, you're amazing!"
Yang Hong ruffled the little girl's hair. This time, he didn't deliberately mess it up.
The little girl leaned her head against Yang Hong's hand with enjoyment, not caring if Yang Hong's hands were still stained with wine.
Yang Hong noticed that the little girl seemed to have grown a little taller.
She had grown from about 1.40 meters to approximately 1.43 meters.
Although it wasn't much, she had finally started growing again.
"Imperial Brother~ Let me tell you, this time the Prodigy Competition was attended by people from the twenty-eight martial families, the six scholarly institutions of civil officials, and the three major sects of the martial arts world, with fifty affiliated factions sending participants.
There were so many people!"
"Heh heh~ How many people were there? Can you count them?"
"Hmph~ Imperial Brother looks down on me, but I can count them.
There were 1152 people in the youth division, 860 in the young adult division, and 500 in the adult division. Among them, 161 people participated in the unrestricted challenge."
"Our youth division had the most people, and I am the most powerful."
As she said this, Yang Zixuan's little head lifted again, filled with pride.
"So that's how it is. Our little Zixuan is indeed the most powerful."
Yang Hong squatted down, praised her sincerely, and then pulled her out of the winery.
"Come, Imperial Brother will cook a few good dishes for you."
"Really? Imperial Brother will cook personally?"
"Of course, this is a reward for our little Zixuan."
Yang Hong knew how to cook. His reclusive life in his previous existence had taught him this skill.
Although he wasn't an expert, in this world where people only knew how to roast, stew, boil, and chop, he could be considered a master chef.
After a sumptuous lunch, the siblings lay on lounge chairs to cool off.
However, Yang Zixuan's small mouth continued to chatter.
"Imperial Brother, do you know? The lineage of the founding imperial family, the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, has truly declined. They sent over 200 youths, yet not a single one entered the top 32 finalists.
Instead, three people from the Yanping lineage and two from the academies of the civil officials entered the finals."
"What about the royal family?"
"Hmph hmph~ This year the royal family is quite impressive, with four people entering the finals."
At this point, Yang Zixuan felt a little smug again.
"Hmm~ Four, that's not bad."
Yang Hong praised her noncommittally.
"This time, those people from the martial arts sects were shameless. The disciples they sent were all elite disciples who were at least 19 but not yet 20 years old. They were all very powerful."
"Still not as powerful as little Zixuan."
"Hehe~ Of course. I am the most powerful.
However, those sect disciples were very strong, all of them second-rate experts. Even the sister sent by the Yin Kui Sect was a first-rate expert!"
"What first-rate expert?"
Yang Hong sat up in surprise.
He was astonished that Yang Zixuan could defeat a first-rate expert.
"Hmph, although that sister was very powerful, and the bells on her hands and feet would tinkle when she fought, which was very annoying."
"Then how did you win?"
"Hehe~ I ran fast! As long as I ran fast enough, that sister couldn't hit me. In the end, I tore her clothes, and she conceded."
"..."
This was truly a method for children to fight. However, Yang Hong knew that the matter was not that simple.
One of the criteria for a first-rate expert was that their attack speed exceeded the speed of sound.
At such speeds, most people couldn't even see their attacks, let alone counter them.
Yet, Yang Zixuan, at the second-rate level, could defeat them. She must have something special about her.
"Zixuan, you worked hard. Imperial Brother will help you relax your hands and feet."
"Okay, okay! Imperial Brother hasn't massaged me for a long time."
Yang Zixuan quickly lay down upon hearing this.
Yang Hong got up to massage her and took the opportunity to examine her body.
However, upon examination, he was somewhat surprised.
Her internal energy strength was at the second-rate level, her muscle strength was at the first-rate level, her bone strength was at the first-rate level, and her meridian strength had reached the level of a congenital Grandmaster.
'Good, good. This child's congenital deficiency is completely healed.'
Yang Hong didn't care about Yang Zixuan being rumored to be a rare genius outside. He only cared about Yang Zixuan's health.
Watching Yang Zixuan fall asleep sweetly, Yang Hong gently picked her up and carried her into the room that had always been reserved for her.