Having determined that Huang Zhida deserved to die, Helian Jue did not hesitate for a moment and directly ordered Huang Zhida and his followers to be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.
Huang Zhida's treasure trove was naturally "accepted" by Helian Jue.
It's so delicious to eat someone else's food!
Looking at the treasure vault, which was several rooms in size, it was filled to the brim with gold, silver, jade ornaments and other valuables.
Helian Jue roughly estimated that with these, he could train another 20,000 soldiers.
What pleased Helian Jue the most was the armaments that Huang Zhida had privately manufactured, enough to equip an army of 30,000.
In addition, Huang Zhida also discovered an iron mine in Huangzhou and secretly began mining it.
Helian Jue killed Huang Zhida, and all of this became Helian Jue's spoils of war.
Great! That was totally worth it.
There is a potential problem—
"Your Highness, I, Li Lizhi, kowtow to express my gratitude!"
"You killed the traitor Huang Zhida, avenging the blood feud of my entire Li family!"
"On behalf of my family in the afterlife, I kowtow to you!"
Li Lizhi watched as Huang Zhida and other traitors were beheaded, and the mountain weighing on her heart was finally lifted.
She was dressed in a plain white dress, kneeling gracefully before Helian Jue, tears streaming down her face, her expression incredibly sincere.
Through her teary eyes, Li Lizhi saw Helian Jue's handsome face, and her heart couldn't help but pound wildly.
His Highness the King of Yue is incredibly handsome, and more importantly, he is not as useless as the outside world claims.
Li Lizhi spent two or three years in Lingnan, traveling around to gather evidence.
So, this year—no, it's the first month of the new year now—should be considered last year.
Last summer, the King of Yue arrived in Yuezhou to assume his fiefdom, and his various absurd and unsavory rumors quickly spread from Yuezhou outwards.
In less than two months, Li Lizhi heard news about the Prince of Yue's residence.
When Li Lizhi first heard that a prince had actually come to Yuezhou, she felt a glimmer of hope—
Looking across the entire Lingnan region, there wasn't a single member of the royal family.
Although the King of Yue was only a vassal king of Yuezhou, he was still a prince, with a noble status far above that of the other governors.
If I were to go to the King of Yue to plead my case, given the King's high position and power, perhaps I could—
Unfortunately, before Li Lizhi could make up her mind to go to Yuezhou, she heard gossip that the King of Yue was depressed and resigned to his fate because he had been deposed and exiled.
Li Lizhi was extremely disappointed and had no choice but to think of other solutions.
However, upon witnessing Helian Jue lead his army into Huangzhou and capture Huang Zhida and his treacherous foes, Li Lizhi was shocked to realize—
The King of Yue deceived everyone!
He's simply biding his time!
He must have great ambitions.
This secret was known only to Helian Jue's confidants and no one else.
She, Li Lizhi, was probably the first "outsider" to know Helian Jue's true colors.
It's likely that even the Princess Xie, who frequently appears in public, is unaware of Helian Jue's secret.
Realizing this, Li Lizhi's heart beat even faster, and two red clouds rose to her cheeks.
She knew the King of Yue's secret, yet she hadn't been silenced, which suggests she was special to the King of Yue.
Perhaps the King of Yue felt something for her... Oh dear, how embarrassing!
Just as Li Lizhi was wildly imagining things, and successfully making herself blush with embarrassment, Helian Jue hesitated—
Should this woman surnamed Li be killed to silence her, or should she be kept alive?
Helian Jue's current principle is to develop in a low-key manner, accumulate strength, and not easily reveal his trump cards.
For his own safety, he should kill the woman surnamed Li.
Moreover, Helian Jue did not show much pity for this woman.
However, although Ms. Li discovered his secret, she still deserves some credit.
After all, the evidence of Huang Zhida's crimes presented by the Li woman not only gave Helian Jue a "just cause" to kill Huang Zhida, but also indirectly helped Helian Jue find the iron mine that Huang Zhida had been illegally mining.
Helian Jue was eccentric and stubborn, but he was also fair in rewarding and punishing.
"Fine! This time, considering that Lady Li made a valuable contribution, I'll spare her life."
Helian Jue told himself this, and the murderous intent in his eyes slowly faded.
Li Lizhi, still lost in the fantasy of being "rescued by a hero" and falling into a teenage romance, had no idea that she had just narrowly escaped death.
"Leave a thousand men to continue wiping out Huang Zhida's remaining forces; the rest of you will follow me to Jiaozhou!"
Originally, Helian Jue had no intention of going to Jiaozhou.
However, Xie Yuan's letter piqued his interest.
Is there really a type of rice in the world that can mature in fifty days?
As the former crown prince, Helian Jue was not only well-versed in the classics and familiar with court politics, but he would also participate in spring plowing with the emperor every year.
He really did work in the fields and planted wheat with his own hands.
During the spring planting season, Helian Jue consulted with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to gain a general understanding of relevant agricultural knowledge.
Most wheat is planted in spring and harvested in summer.
There are early rice and late rice varieties, and their harvest times are not uniform.
But regardless of the type of rice, the growth cycle takes four to five months.
In recent years, double-cropping rice has begun to appear in southern regions, but it will never mature in less than two months.
The "Champa rice" that Xie mentioned could ripen in fifty days and was high-yielding and drought-resistant.
Helian Jue was extremely tempted. Especially the word "drought-resistant"—could Champa rice really be grown in the arid northwest region?
You know, that area has a very vast amount of land.
Helian Jue's beautiful peach blossom eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
He was determined to go and see for himself, to find the Champa rice, and to bring back the seeds.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
