Chapter 296: Transaction with Heart Moon Fox, Harvest in the North
Chapter 296: Transaction with Heart Moon Fox, Harvest in the North (Part 2)
The capital city is still a rare prosperous and bustling place in the world.
A place called Jile Tower is like a mysterious pearl inlaid in the city, exuding a unique charm.
Wang Gong, the Minister of Personnel, was usually dignified and serious in the court, but at this moment he looked a little nervous and secretive. He quietly came to the Jile Building, walked through the corridors like a familiar person, bypassed the laughing crowd, and finally arrived at an extremely secret private room.
The atmosphere in the private room is ambiguous and charming. Xinyuehu transforms into an extremely beautiful young girl, wearing revealing and bold clothes. There is a faint smile on her delicate face, which seems to be able to seduce people. The hem of her skirt flutters gently, and the snowy skin hidden in it is looming, which makes people imagine.
She tapped the pipe in her hand gracefully, her voice as melodious as a yellow oriole singing in a valley, and said with a sweet smile: "Xu Qing, I have already done the work for you, give me the benefits quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Gong suddenly stood still, and the aura around him suddenly changed. A black shadow emerged from his body, and in an instant, it turned into the appearance of Xu Qing.
It turned out that the captured six-tailed fox turned against them on the spot, and all this was the result of Xu Qing's careful planning. And the transaction between Wang Gong and Heart Moon Fox was a key part of it.
The Heart Moon Fox, as the king of all foxes in the world, has great magical powers and a high status in the demon clan. With its secret help, Xu Qing was able to successfully instigate the six-tailed fox to expose Zhang's crimes at the critical moment, making Zhang's evil deeds nowhere to hide.
The reason why Xu Qing was able to establish a relationship with Heart Moon Fox was because of the red-haired Yan Kong who had transformed into the Blood Bodhi Tree. Everything in this world is about human relationships.
Although Xu Qing, Xinyue Fox and Red-haired Yankong were once enemies, their understanding of each other is deeper than that of ordinary friends. It is precisely because of this that they have a good foundation for cooperation.
Today, the Paradise Tower opened by Heart Moon Fox has become a den of luxury that the rich and powerful in the capital flock to. This tower is famous for not only dazzling and luxurious decorations, but also many fun things that can make people addicted.
Even though many of the capital's wealthy and well-informed young men, who have seen a lot and experienced a lot, will inevitably be attracted by the unique atmosphere of Jilelou once they step into its extravagant and glamorous world.
However, Xinyuehu has always been very sensible in doing things, and has not done anything extreme like stealing money or killing people. Overall, it is still mainly for entertainment. This is also the reason why Jilelou can gain a firm foothold in the capital.
Xu Qing naturally had no intention of letting Heart Moon Fox deal with the dignitaries in the capital, but using its identity to develop some other cooperation or to gather information was the most appropriate. Moreover, entering and leaving Jile Tower as Wang Gong's Minister of Personnel could conceal his tracks and not easily cause unnecessary trouble.
Xinyuehu was naturally happy to have such a powerful figure becoming the strong backer of Jilelou. The two sides hit it off and reached a tacit cooperation.
"This is the method of the Book of Destruction of Love to cut off the emotional ties, which can help you cut off the connection with your original body. In this way, you don't have to carry the heavy burden of rescuing your original body." Xu Qing said slowly in a steady and powerful voice.
The true body of the Heart Moon Fox was suppressed in the alchemy well of Mount Longhu. The seal inside was extremely powerful, and only the old Taoist priest had the ability to open it.
However, now that the old Heavenly Master had already reincarnated, it was impossible for him to help Heart Moon Fox unlock the seal. Moreover, Xu Qing was not willing to release such a powerful demon.
Therefore, he came up with a compromise and let the Heart Moon Fox separate from its body. In this way, the problem was completely solved.
Moreover, once the real body of the Heart Moon Fox escapes, the incarnation of the Heart Moon Fox would probably be the one that most wishes the real body to die!
Because once the incarnation becomes independent, both sides will inevitably fall into a fight to the death. Only in this way can they obtain a complete self and move to a higher level.
This is also the disadvantage of the incarnation. Unless the original body is absolutely strong and can control everything, the incarnation will be away for a long time and slowly develop an independent consciousness.
Xu Qing showed his sincerity, and the Heart Moon Fox readily accepted it. If it was just born, it might not accept this, but now it has a certain sense of independence and instinctively wants to break away from the control of the main body.
Moreover, Xinyue Fox deduced a lower version of the Taiyi Divine Mantra's practice method from the Taiyi Divine Thunder Mantra given by Red-haired Yankong. With the help of the Taiyi Divine Mantra, it successfully blocked the connection with its original body, which also gave it an excellent opportunity to completely break free from the control of its original body.
Xu Qing is very open in his actions and doesn't do anything tricky like the red-haired Yan Kong.
After the harvest, Xinyuehu was very satisfied. Her beautiful eyes moved, and if Xu Qing had not appeared in the form of a phantom this time, Xinyuehu would not hesitate to have a romantic encounter with this Wenquxing.
The taste of Wenquxing is very tempting to any demon or monster. Who wouldn't want to give it a try? Xinyuehu licked his lips, a trace of regret flashed in his eyes.
However, Xu Qing was very unromantic. After the transaction was completed, he disappeared without a trace.
Wang Gong didn't dare to stay with Xinyue Fox for long. This vixen was too charming. At his age, he couldn't stand such torture!
After completing the transaction, Xu Qing and Xiong Chan began to lead a group of Taoist and Buddhist masters to devote themselves to the work of compiling martial arts and Taoist scriptures.
This was also a rare opportunity for King Lin. In the process of compiling the martial arts classics, many masters gathered together to exchange and discuss. Even if he could not take this opportunity to directly break through to the martial saint realm, it would greatly increase his possibility of breaking through to the martial saint realm.
Unconsciously, the wheel of seasons slowly rolled into autumn. After vigorously promoting high-yield crops, the northern land finally welcomed the joy of the first harvest.
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In September, the vast Gobi Desert in the Hexi Corridor seemed to be cast by nature. The vines of the sweet potato were like emerald pythons, wantonly crawling all over this once barren land. They were full of vitality and showed tenacious vitality.
Old farmer Zhao Tiezhu, a simple and honest farmer, was kneeling between the cracked ridges of the field. His hands were rough from years of hard work, and he was trembling as he dug up the sand.
As the sand was removed bit by bit, potato tubers as thick as baby arms came into view and rolled into the wicker basket beside them. The purple-red skin was stained with morning dew condensed from the Qilian snow water, and under the sunlight, they looked like crystal pearls, emitting a charming luster.
"The ancestors have shown their power!" Zhao Tiezhu's voice was trembling with excitement. He broke open a potato and stuffed it into his toothless mouth. The milky white juice flowed down his dark cheeks and dripped onto his worn sheepskin coat.
Twenty steps away, his newly married son and his wife were busy tying potato vines into bundles. These vines, which looked prickly even for camels, could be exchanged for three Hu cakes at the Dunhuang market, which was undoubtedly a great gain for them who lived in poverty.
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Outside Yumen Pass, the ancient post road was dug into three-foot-deep gullies by the grain carts. On the shafts of the carts, flags with the Chinese character "Xu" fluttered, as if expressing the joy of a good harvest.
The camel driver Ma Laosan was swinging a red-tasseled whip in his hand. The crisp sound of the whip echoed in the air, startling the sand sparrows that were pecking at their food.
Suddenly, the camel knelt on the ground, its hump bleeding from the weight of the five-foot-long rice ears. "Unload two bundles! Give the beast a break!" Before the grain officer finished speaking, the dishevelled refugees on the roadside had already swarmed over.
There was a gleam of desire in their eyes. There was even a one-eyed old man who desperately tore open the grain bag and buried his face in the golden rice. He was unaware of the rice awns that pricked his eyelids, and was only immersed in the joy brought by this rare grain.
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In the east of Liangzhou, the newly built Xugong Temple is bustling with activity. The five-foot-high bronze sculpture of rice ears exudes a simple and solemn atmosphere under the sunlight.
Farm women are carefully tying Qiang embroidery on the sculpture, adding a different touch of color to it. The 100-year-old shaman grandmother, with piety in her eyes, took off her ancestral wolf tooth necklace and gently hung it around the neck of the rice god, muttering to herself: "The fairy rice ears given by Xu Gong are more dazzling than the long hair of the Snow Mountain Goddess!"
The children were chasing each other happily, throwing the husks into the sky. The husks fell like golden rain and landed in the incense burner, as if bringing people's hopes into the future.
For them, all this was like a beautiful dream that they had never had, but now it was happening vividly before their eyes.
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Deep in the cellar of Zhangye's official warehouse, there was a busy scene. The new wheat was being ground into powder, and the fine powder seemed to be a symbol of a good harvest.
The accountant of the Li family, a military family in Longxi, was twirling beeswax beads in his hand. Every crisp sound corresponded to a tempered Mo Dao in the secret room. "The flour yield of Xu Shaobao's South Sea potatoes is 50% higher than that of highland barley." He said softly. The head of the Li family stroked the grain stack, and what he felt on his palm was not the aroma of wheat, but saltpeter powder. With grain and saltpeter, the strength of these border towns will surely increase day by day.
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In the capital, inside Prince Yu’s palace.
Prince Yu was sitting in his study, reading with delight the reports that were pouring in like snowflakes from all over the north.
There was an irrepressible light of excitement in his eyes, which was like the brightest stars in the night sky. At this moment, he had a strong feeling that he was commanded by heaven.
He wondered to himself, if it wasn't for God's blessing, why could he have such a significant harvest as soon as he took over power in the north and promoted high-yield crops?
"Your Majesty, now that we have enough food, many difficult problems can be solved easily. We can finally do something big!"
Mr. Dai, who was always calm and composed, like a silent mountain, couldn't help but show a hint of excitement at this moment.
Although the road ahead is still full of thorns and difficulties, the heavy food is enough for Prince Yu to see the dawn of hope to move forward.
Prince Yu nodded heavily, with a confident smile on his face, and said: "Sir, according to the memorials we have received so far, even if there may be some water in them, the grain output has far exceeded the highest record in the north in previous years. If nothing unexpected happens, our dependence on grain transport will be greatly reduced this year."
If they simply didn't care about the lives of the people and only focused on maintaining the supply of large towns and the army, then this food would definitely be more than enough.
This is a rare opportunity for the North to get rid of its heavy dependence on grain transport since the reign of Emperor Taizu.
"This is only the first year. Next year and the year after, the grain production figures will continue to increase. Your Majesty, you must be patient and prudent," Mr. Dai reminded earnestly.
Prince Yu suppressed his excitement, which was like a surging tide. He tried to suppress it in his heart and said slowly: "I understand. Besides, the court alone can count so much grain, not to mention that the rich and powerful still have a lot of grain produced by land that has not been counted. We now have a mountain of silver coins, and we are fully capable of purchasing this grain openly. In this way, military rations will no longer be a problem for us."
Mr. Dai nodded slightly and responded, "After all, this is an economic matter, so it would be more appropriate to let Minister Wang handle it."
"But I heard that the Wang family and Xu Qing are very close now." Prince Yu frowned instantly when he heard this.
Mr. Dai looked calm and said slowly, "Your Highness, now you are surrounded by people from the northern clans, and most of the important officials in the court are also from the north. Only Minister Wang is from the south. This alone is enough for you to use him."
After hearing this, Prince Yu's heart was startled, and he quickly bowed to Mr. Dai to thank him: "Sir, thanks to your reminder, otherwise I would have almost missed the big thing."
Mr. Dai sighed inwardly. The prince is already middle-aged, but sometimes he still doesn't consider things thoroughly. When His Majesty ascended the throne, he was only a teenager, but he was able to manipulate the old officials in the court. The same was true for Xu Gongming. The gap between them was really too big.
But Mr. Dai had already made up his mind that he would rather fail than betray Prince Yu.
He continued, "Minister Wang was previously the Minister of Revenue. If he is in charge of this matter, you will be able to rest assured. If Your Majesty is really worried, I will go there in person and explain the interests involved to him. I will definitely not let Minister Wang hold Your Majesty back."
"Then thank you very much, sir," said Prince Yu gratefully.
"Yes." Mr. Dai responded respectfully.
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When Wang Gong heard that Mr. Dai was coming to visit, he did not dare to be negligent and quickly opened the middle door to welcome him.
The host and the guest came to the private study and sat down separately. The study was quiet and silent, with only the occasional sound of birds singing outside the window.
Mr. Dai laughed coldly and said, "Master Wang, you have done a great job recently."
Wang Gong was shocked, thinking that his secret dealings with Xu Qing had been discovered, and his heart instantly rose to his throat.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Dai changed the subject and continued, "The owner of Jile Tower is definitely not a good person. Lord Wang, if you associate with him, you must be careful not to get into trouble with him."
Wang Gong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I heard that the blood drops under the prince's command are omnipresent, but I didn't expect that even such a small matter as mine could not be hidden from their eyes. Alas, I had no choice. Now among the important officials in the court, I am the only southerner, so I have to be cautious in everything."
Now Xu Qing's mentor, Lord Wu, is the governor of Liaodong and is at the center of the storm.
In addition, Xu Qing's father-in-law was also in Yunzhou, inspecting the border town as an assistant military minister. These two people who were close to Xu Qing were both in the north and in a difficult situation of being isolated.
However, Lao Feng and Lao Wu resolutely rejected Xu Qing's kindness to take them back to the south this time, and were determined to settle down in the north. Lao Feng was fine, but it was unexpected that Lord Wu had such a firm determination.
But Mr. Dai knew that Lord Wu was originally from the north. If he ran away easily, what would the family do? They could only bite the bullet and hold on.
Fortunately, the two were now local officials, so they would not be bullied in the capital. Moreover, Prince Yu considered that he could not completely break up with Xu Qing for the time being, so he acquiesced to the fact that the two served in local positions, but only blocked their military rations.
However, Xu Qing secretly provided a lot of support with the help of the caravan. Prince Yu was helpless about this.
Because it was really funny, his current legitimate princess's family was doing business with Xu Qing, how could he stop it? If his son was not in Yingtian Prefecture, Prince Yu would have wanted to abolish the princess and let the concubine Feng take the throne. But who would have thought that Feng's father was Xu Qing's man.
Therefore, Prince Yu was always suspicious, and when he looked at the people around him, he always felt that everyone seemed to be colluding with Xu Qing. Fortunately, the blood dropper did not find out anything treasonous, otherwise Prince Yu would never show mercy.
On the other hand, Wang Gong expressed his grievances, claiming that in order to avoid being isolated, he could only go to Jile Tower and try to get along with the northern dignitaries and gentry. He really had no other choice.
Mr. Dai expressed his understanding and explained the purpose of his visit.
When Wang Gong heard that he was going to use silver coins to buy military rations, he was relieved and said, "Sir, go back and tell the prince that he must not use silver coins to buy grain from the rich and powerful, otherwise it will cause a disaster."
Mr. Dai looked puzzled when he heard this.
Wang Gong then explained in detail, saying that doing so would give the powerful and wealthy an opportunity to manipulate grain prices.
Mr. Dai suddenly realized and said, "It's a good thing I came to ask you for advice first, otherwise I would have missed the big thing."
Wang Gong patted his chest and promised: "Let me handle this matter. I will definitely not let Your Majesty down."
Mr. Dai bowed to express his thanks, and then the two of them talked for a while before parting ways.
Before they parted, Mr. Dai said meaningfully, "Lord Wang, you should do your job well. This is also what Xu Shaobao advocated. Don't make mistakes."
Wang Gong watched Mr. Dai go away, and suddenly a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. He thought to himself, how much does this old guy know?
Now Wang Gong was even more suspicious. Mr. Dai's previous statement that he was not familiar with economic affairs was actually a test for him. If he had not considered it from the perspective of Prince Yu, he would have been... Fortunately, he had been reminded by Xu Qing in advance to fully assist Prince Yu in his reforms, otherwise...
(End of this chapter)