Chapter 78
After Lu Xiaobai finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
But after a few breaths, He Yu looked up at Lu Xiaobai in surprise. It turned out that those seeds were taken out by Lu Xiaobai?
No wonder the emperor agreed to return to the palace. It turned out that it was not because he forgave him, but for the people of Nanhe and to protect Lu Xiaobai.
Noticing He Yu's gaze, He Qin's brows sharpened. He turned around and stood in front of Lu Xiaobai and said, "Smash the thoughts in your heart!"
Lu Xiaobai couldn't come up with so much food and was asking Xiaobaicai what to do when He Qin suddenly stood in front of him and scared him.
But he quickly realized that his third brother had probably discovered the seeds and tugged at He Qin's clothes. He Qin immediately turned around, touched his head, and comforted him, "It's okay, we'll find another way."
Lu Xiaobai sniffed and shook his head. Although He Zhou didn't have much contact with him, he liked He Zhou very much. When he thought about He Zhou being captured, he felt distressed: "I, I... wait until the corn grows a little bigger, I can get more."
Having been warned by He Qin, He Yu did not dare to have any extra thoughts. He was only worried about his brother. When he heard Lu Xiaobai say that he could give out more, he subconsciously asked, "How long does it take for the corn to grow?"
Lu Xiaobai thought for a moment and said, "Well, well, we have to wait until it blooms."
The harvest is once when it sprouts, once when it blooms, and once when it matures. The time intervals are not short, but not long either, only one or two months.
But He Yu shook his head: "It's been too long. The people in Beili said that we have to take it out before the rice is planted, otherwise they will send Fourth Brother's body back."
He Qin touched Lu Xiaobai's hair again, reassuring him that everything was alright, and then asked, "Are they following?"
He Yu nodded: "Time is tight, so I followed them. They also said that if you are willing to meet them, they have something else for us."
He Qin quickly said, "See you."
After making the decision, He Qin lowered his head and kissed Lu Xiaobai, saying, "I'm going to take care of something. I'll bring you something delicious when I come back. Wait for me."
After saying this, He Qin left on horseback without even changing his clothes.
He Yu followed behind him using Qinggong, and the two of them ran towards the town.
Lu Xiaobai looked at the two of them, standing at the gate of the yard with worry. He sniffed and turned around to find Ling Er behind him, holding a bowl of wild fruits and asked: "Master Xiaobai, don't be sad. The master will be back soon. Eat some fruit first, otherwise your stomach will feel uncomfortable."
"I'm not uncomfortable."
Lu Xiaobai curled his lips: "I just don't know how Zhou Zhou is doing. The Beili royal family should be from another country, right?"
If other countries capture their people and ask them to exchange things for them, doesn’t that make them an enemy country?
Ling Er nodded: "Yes, but Master Xiaobai, don't worry. At worst, I can go back to the palace and ask for permission to lead the army into Beili to rescue the Fourth Prince."
"It's not a good time to fight. We have nothing to eat. A peaceful solution would be the best."
When he returned to deliver candy that day, he saw several families cooking. What they cooked was not pure corn rice, but a pot of black vegetables. They just grabbed a handful of corn and stirred it, then covered the pot and continued to cook.
There is less and less food, and they mostly eat wild vegetables. The rice sold outside is getting more and more expensive, and ordinary people can't afford it at all. Moreover, merchants also say that the rice they have stored is almost gone.
If we fight a war at this time, besides the ruthless battlefield, many innocent people will also die.
Lu Xiaobai walked to the kitchen with red eyes and found that there were still sweet potatoes all over the floor, and only Lingsi was picking them up.
He looked around curiously and asked, "Where are Brother Zero One and Brother Zero Three?"
Ling Er quickly put down the bowl, bent down and picked up the sweet potatoes into the basket with Ling Si. As they picked up, he said, "Ling Yi and Ling San are the master's personal guards. In situations like today, they must follow. As soon as the master left, they followed."
Lu Xiaobai nodded. Knowing the danger of He Qin's trip, he squatted on the ground and picked up the sweet potatoes into the backpack despite the dissuasion.
After worrying for a long time, He Qin finally came back.
Lu Xiaobai quickly ran over and asked, "How is it?"
He Qin dismounted, placed the bag of peanuts in Lu Xiaobai's arms, and nodded, "It's all right for now. I can handle the food issue..."
He Qin felt a little guilty. He didn't want Lu Xiaobai to take out so much food for him again and again.
Although Bei Li's request was exorbitant this time, for the sake of peace between the two countries and He Zhou's safety, he could only grit his teeth and say, "I need you to give me the 30,000 catties and send another 100,000 catties by the end of the year, so that I can get my fourth brother back."
We already have 30,000 kilograms of seeds, and we still need another 100,000 kilograms of grain?
That’s too much!
However, He Zhou is the prince of Nanhe, and 100,000 kilograms of grain is not a lot, but it is a bit aggrieved.
Lu Xiaobai pouted and nodded, saying, "Okay, then when and where can I get it?"
This time he learned his lesson and wouldn't take it out casually, as it would take up space, be discovered, and be unsafe.
He Qin pulled him into the carriage he had rushed back and said, "The sooner the better. Let's go now."
This period is the time for planting rice, and Beili is in a hurry.
Moreover, the Beili people are relatively barbaric. They are not afraid of fighting or offending Nanhe. They only want food.
After all, how could a country that is about to starve to death due to lack of food be afraid of war? If it fights, it may be able to get the food back.
No matter what, the people of Nanhe are all victims. It is better to exchange food for peace and return the rest later.
Moreover, extorting people in exchange for food is still a polite way for them.
He Qin had no choice but to agree to them first. As long as He Zhou was safe and Bei Li did not attack the city, they would find other ways later.
Lu Xiaobai nodded: "Okay."
Worried that he would feel uncomfortable sitting in the carriage, He Qin directly hugged him in his arms, touched his head and said, "Don't worry, stabilize Beili first, and we will find a way to deal with the rest by the end of the year."
Lu Xiaobai was only concerned about the food, and asked worriedly, "Where are we going to get it?"
He Qin knew what he was worried about and comforted him, "Let's go to the cave on the next hill and put the food inside. Then we can notify the Beili people to move it themselves. We won't expose you. I will never let you be exposed to danger."
Soon, the two arrived at the cave. Zero One appeared at the entrance in an instant, and Zero Three explored the surroundings.
Lu Xiaobai used up all his planting coins and finally took out 30,000 kilograms.
Then he followed He Qin back to Lujia Village, and He Yu went to notify the Beili people to get food.
Things were stable for the time being, but Lu Xiaobai was still a little worried. When he lay down at night and couldn't sleep, he asked He Qin curiously: "Have you seen He Zhou? Is he okay?"
He Qin shook his head: "I saw his letter, he said he was safe."
The people from Beili gave him a piece of paper with the word "peace" written on it, and promised to write to him every month to let him know that they were safe.
He Zhou's handwriting was taught by He Qin. He knew He Zhou's habits. There was a slight difference in the endings of the words when he wrote willingly and when he was forced to write.
Therefore, he could recognize at a glance that the word "peace" was not written under duress.
Moreover, Beili hid the people very well. He started investigating from the moment they left the imperial city and when He Yu realized that something was wrong with He Zhou's departure.
But they only found out that He Zhou had been kidnapped. They followed the traces but could not find any clues. The spies from Beili Palace also said that He Zhou was not found in the palace.
Beili has a complex terrain, so if Beili doesn't voluntarily hand over the person, they won't be able to find him at all.
Hearing that He Zhou was fine, Lu Xiaobai finally relaxed.
But He Zhou is He Qin's younger brother, so he should be very sad.
So Lu Xiaobai looked up and kissed the corner of He Qin's mouth and said, "As long as he's safe, don't worry. I'll use the seeds to get Zhou Zhou back by the end of the year."
He Qin: ...
He's not in a hurry.
Even if Nanhe does not have internal strife, it has enemy countries.
Therefore, regardless of gender, as long as they are born into the royal family, they must be prepared to sacrifice for the country from an early age. This is the price they pay for their fine clothes and delicious food, because they have to protect this country.
What's more, He Zhou is fine and safe now, so what is he worried about?
As for the possibility that He Zhou would suffer in Beili, that was also a lesson he learned from sneaking out to play. Let’s see if he dares to run away again in the future!
However, although he was not anxious at first, he is indeed anxious now.
He Qin pressed his face against Lu Xiaobai's delicate white chest and said in a low voice, "Although the Beili people are barbaric, they are not born to love fighting. That's why they captured He Zhou. They just want to get something from us. Although it will make him suffer, it won't be too much."
"It's you who makes me suffer the most."
He Qin smiled and let go of Lu Xiaobai's hand. In order to avoid hurting Lu Xiaobai, He Qin was particularly gentle tonight. After cleaning up Lu Xiaobai, he held him in his arms.
Unaccustomed to He Qin's gentleness and "shortness" tonight, Lu Xiaobai asked, "Are you done?"
When He Qin heard this, he was so angry that he almost laughed: "Be good, stop making trouble and go to sleep."
Lu Xiaobai pouted, looked at He Qin dissatisfiedly, and said seriously: "I'm not making trouble, I'm asking you a question."
He Qin gritted his teeth and tried his best to endure, but this silly guy kept teasing him.
He took a deep breath and said, "Shut up and go to sleep!"
Yell at him?
Lu Xiaobai hadn't been yelled at by He Qin for a long time, and tears immediately flowed out. She felt so wronged that she cried and said, "You yelled at me again, I won't sleep with you, don't hug me, let me go..."
He Qin: ...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
