Chapter 332: Dividing the Livestock Meat [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Shen Tang had a wonderful thought at that moment.
But the moment the words fell—
She felt terrible!
The long-absent spiritual energy in the Danfu Palace caused her legs to go weak. If it weren't for Chu Yao and Qi Shan, who had a "life-and-death friendship" with her and had "three lives lost in one corpse," noticing and taking action at the same time, it would probably have taken less than two hours for rumors such as "the Spring God is furious, and Shen Jun was punished by the gods during the spring plowing ceremony" to spread throughout Fugu.
Shen Tang: "..."
Qi Shan: "..."
Chu Yao: "..."
They never expected such a disaster to occur during the spring plowing and sacrificial ceremony. Why did their lord's words lose control?
The two were completely baffled.
But there's one thing they do know.
This out-of-control incantation requires a massive amount of literary energy to support it; the two of them alone are not enough. Fortunately, Fu Gu's makeshift team may not have many other things, but they have plenty of high-quality literary talents. Gu Chi and Kang Shi, seeing that things were not going well, also stepped in to help.
Zhao Feng, who was watching the sacrificial ceremony: "???"
Spring plowing and sacrificial rites...
Is this step still included?
Zhao Feng was somewhat bewildered. Having served under two successive lords, he had witnessed spring plowing ceremonies of varying scales. To be honest, this spectacle surpassed even that of some clan villages in developed regions. The procedures were largely the same, but he had never seen a spring plowing ceremony involving the use of spiritual words by five literary scholars before.
The old officials in the back row also trembled, their wrinkled faces showing fear and tension—if the spring plowing and sacrificial rites went wrong, and the god of spring was angered, there would surely be drought and famine the following year.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Yu Zi watched the figure ahead nervously.
Yu Guang noticed that Lin Feng's body was stiff beside him.
Moving your gaze upwards, you can see the soft flesh of her taut cheeks.
It took two or three calls for Lin Feng to come to his senses.
Only then did she remember that she needed to breathe, and she greedily inhaled the fresh air through both her mouth and nose. She whispered to Yu Zi, "Shennong invented the plow and hoe to benefit the world; Yao commanded his four sons to respectfully instruct the people on the seasons; Shun commanded Houji to prioritize food in governance..."
Yu Zi: "..."
Although she had been studying day and night, and Mr. Kang Shi would occasionally give her extra lessons, cultural knowledge wasn't something that could be improved in a short time. She only half-understood Lin Feng's words, so she asked, "What do you mean?"
Lin Feng replied, "It's a section from the 'Essential Techniques for the Common People'."
Yu Zi knew about "Qimin Yaoshu".
Lin Feng has several large boxes.
He carried a scroll with him every day to memorize and study it.
There were even a few nights when she could be heard talking in her sleep, muttering about the contents of "Qimin Yaoshu" while also taking care of other important work. Yu Zi felt tired just watching her, but she also admired this girl who was a few years younger than her.
They were also greatly encouraged and joined with all their might.
She just didn't understand.
What does this have to do with the present?
While everyone's attention was focused on Lang Jun and the others, Lin Feng asked Yu Zi with a puzzled look, "...Just now, I seemed to hear a strange voice repeating these words in my ear. I was clearly stunned for a few moments, but..."
However, the several volumes of "Qimin Yaoshu" that she had repeatedly studied appeared clearly in her mind. The previously obscure parts became clear instantly, the content that she had not yet memorized was clearly imprinted in her mind, and even the little bit of literary talent she had painstakingly cultivated suddenly surged.
If the original amount of literary energy couldn't even fill a small wine cup, now it's as big as a ceramic bowl!
Yu Zi was puzzled.
She did not sense anything unusual.
Apart from Lin Feng, everyone else seemed normal.
No, there is one more person.
Bai Su, unusually dressed in a less plain women's gown, seemed to sense something and looked up at the clear blue sky. Before she noticed, Gong Shuwu, Zhao Feng, and the strongest warriors under Zhao Feng's command all looked up, followed by Li Li. As a warrior with profound intuition, she had a premonition—
There's something in the sky!
"Is it...is it raining?"
"Is it really raining?"
Such a voice came from the crowd.
Bai Su opened her right hand and covered her forehead to feel it.
The whispers were so subtle they were almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention, but it was undeniably raining, right after Shen Jun used his spiritual power during the sacrificial ceremony. Bai Su murmured, "Is this summoning wind and rain?"
The scale was not as large as expected.
As far as she knew, the Literary Masters of the Literary Mind could summon gales, floods, and dense fog on the battlefield using their Word of Power, and could also command flames to ignite prairie fires—their abilities were comparable to supernatural powers. Given the grand scale and devastating destructive force, it wasn't surprising that Shen Jun could summon a torrential rain.
However, the rain was barely a drizzle.
Not to mention its lethality.
There was no strong wind or lightning to aid it.
It lasted for less than thirty breaths before disappearing.
Unbeknownst to the public, the same rain was falling in other parts of Heyin as well. The common people merely glanced at the sun with a puzzled look, then went about their business as usual. They were too lazy to even go back to get their straw hats and raincoats.
It's obvious at a glance that this rain is useless.
On the other side, Shen Tang and the other three, including Chu Yao, looked like drowning people struggling to get ashore when they were exhausted. Their faces were pale, their breathing was sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, and their eyes revealed deep fear and relief at surviving a disaster.
Goodness, I was almost drained dry.
Gu Chi clutched his chest, pulled out a medicine bottle, and swallowed two pills. He was physically weak, and always carried these powerful, life-saving pills with him. He swallowed them dry with his saliva and only then did he feel alive again. He gritted his teeth, feeling both annoyed and amused, and squeezed out words through his clenched teeth.
"What has our lord done now?"
He thought that such powerful incantations, which required a lot of spiritual energy to activate without considering the consequences, would never appear again.
Pray for the good fortune of my lord.
But this lord also neglects his subordinates.
Shen Tang, who was being targeted by the four, looked confused and innocent, as if she had been wronged: "What could I have done? I honestly did nothing! I didn't use any spells! I just said 'Spring—'..."
After uttering just one word, Shen Tang fell silent.
The four people: "..."
Shen Tang felt like the veins on his forehead were throbbing wildly!
He explained, "I was just sincerely wishing this to you in my heart; I really didn't deliberately try to evoke any literary style!"
The more she explained, the more guilty she felt.
The more guilty you feel, the lower your voice becomes.
Okay, upon closer examination, it seems to be her fault.
Judging from the situation, the power of words seems to have worked.
But what about her "thousands of grains harvested in autumn"?
Gu Chi scoffed, "Maybe we'll have to wait until autumn."
Transformed into "ten thousand seeds"?
It's obvious that it's impossible.
The essence of "Word Spirit Materialization" is to transform the literary or martial energy derived from the energy of heaven and earth into a tangible object. Generally, it only possesses the appearance of that object; in essence, it remains the energy of heaven and earth. Its existence is quite unstable.
This characteristic is also a key reason why the warhorses, armor, and weapons created by a Martial Gallant can only be used by themselves. Otherwise, if Martial Gallant were exploited to the fullest extent, forcing them to create artifacts continuously for twelve hours a day, they could equip thousands of troops in just a few months.
Even when they ran out of ammunition and food, they could still slaughter warhorses to satisfy their hunger.
Previous generations have tried to exploit loopholes and exploit bugs, but they all failed, and over time this has become a habitual way of thinking.
Shen Tang is so special—
Gu Chi also assumed it was related to her way of dealing with feudal lords.
After all, with such weak agricultural talent, they're useless in direct combat, so it wouldn't be right not to give them some special treatment.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang's face clearly showed her disdain—after frantically drawing so much literary energy from the Word Spirit, this is the effect?
That's it?
It was all for nothing that she had such high hopes!
This episode did not receive much attention.
To prevent the spring plowing ceremony from turning from a "surprise" into a "fright," Shen Tang diligently and meticulously followed each step, cooperating with the oxen to plow the land, sow seeds, and carefully plow the entire acre. At first, her posture was a bit stiff, and the staged photos were clearly obvious, but she quickly got the hang of it.
They look no worse than experienced farmers.
In the end, she almost couldn't straighten her back.
"Farm work is really hard." Shen Tang's calves were covered in dark mud. Lin Feng brought her a water bag. She opened the water bag, poured some water, rubbed off the mud, and looked at the busy farmers in the distance with a sigh, "Eating a bite of food is more tiring than fighting a war."
Lin Feng smiled and said, "After all, every grain is hard-earned."
The worst fear is that after all the hard work, you still won't have enough to eat, or even starve to death.
If hard work can provide enough to eat, countless ordinary people would gladly accept it.
Shen Tang keenly noticed that the fluctuations of Lin Feng's literary energy seemed much stronger than before: "He broke through again?"
Lin Feng was unsure: "It seems so?"
What do you mean by "seems"?
Shen Tang had never experienced the process of literary energy developing from nothing to its condensation into literary spirit, so she lacked experience in this area, and she wasn't sure about Lin Feng's condition either. Chu Yao wasn't there at the moment either; he had gone to fetch the meat that had been offered to the Spring God and would be divided up later.
Lin Feng replied, "It's just that there's a feeling that's hard to explain... like being separated by a screen, a curtain, or a window... I can vaguely feel it..." Shen Tang didn't urge him, and slowly stopped rubbing the mud off her calves.
“My lord, I feel that if I stand in the field and mobilize my literary energy, the seeds sleeping in the soil beneath my feet can respond to me… they are speaking!” This feeling is so wonderful that Lin Fengmin could not come up with a precise description even after racking his brains.
But there was one thing she was very clear about.
Lin Feng said earnestly, "When I can truly 'connect with' them, then the literary heart will be formed!"
Yes!
That was the opportunity for me to unite my literary spirit.
Shen Tang looked at Lin Feng, who had grown much taller and more mature in the past few months, with a sense of pride, like a mother seeing her daughter blossom into womanhood. She gently encouraged him, "In that case, go for it and break through your teacher's record."
Lin Feng was almost scared away when he heard this.
"How could I even dream of meeting such high standards as a teacher?"
It is no easy task to unite people's hearts and minds in literature.
It often takes nine parts skill and one part luck; neither can be lacking. Even for a group as powerful as the Three Heroes of Chu, who all achieved the second-rank upper-level literary talent, one took two years, another one year and ten months, and the former was less fortunate, taking four attempts to finally succeed.
Other literary figures typically spend two to four years on the same topic, and it's not uncommon for them to gather their thoughts five, six, seven, or even eight times.
Lin Feng has been studying for more than four months now.
break in?
That's impossible.
What's the difference between someone without dreams and a salted fish?
Dreaming is neither illegal nor taxable.
While they were talking, Chu Yao had already had the meat brought over—two pigs, also raised by Shen Tang, were offered as a tribute to the God of Spring. The pigs that would be prizes at the sports meet had already been divided up, and the warriors were all amazed by the deliciousness of the pork.
One tells ten, ten tell a hundred.
The common people firmly believed that the pigs raised by Shen Tang were the king of pigs, so good that even the gods would be delighted to taste them. The officials in the government office eagerly awaited their share of the meat.
Shen Tang: "..."
This part is a nightmare for people with social anxiety.
Fortunately, she was prepared.
The distribution will be based directly on the performance of all officials last year.
Chu Yao and his four companions, along with Gong Shuwu, occupied the top five spots.
Shen Tang distributed the fattest and most tender parts of the pig to them. Each person got a different cut, but the weight was roughly the same after a few cuts. Thinking of sweet and sour pork ribs, he also divided up two skewers. After that, he distributed the meat to the other native officials.
These people, though mediocre in ability, were diligent in their posts and carried out the tasks assigned by Shen Tang in a proper and orderly manner. On the surface, there were no obvious mistakes; they were competent cogs in the machine. Shen Tang distributed the slightly less desirable pieces of meat to them.
Different weights of meat are allocated based on performance.
Of course, the quantity is not large.
I'll just make do with this stir-fried dish to try it out.
After one round of distribution, Shen Tang was sweating profusely. He felt less like a prefect and more like someone working in a slaughterhouse.
Even Lin Feng and his friends, who were working part-time while studying, got a little, enough to make soup. The two pigs were thus divided up completely.
Oh, and they even left half a pork chop for Zhao Feng and the others.
"how?"
Shen Tang looked at Chu Yao and the others with a questioning look.
This was my first time doing something like this, and I was terrified of messing it up.
"My lord..."
I wonder if it's just Shen Tang's imagination.
Gu Chi's complexion seemed much better than before.
Shen Tang asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
Gu Chi sighed and said, "We'll talk about it when we get back."
It's not appropriate to discuss this in public.
Shen Tang: "???"
The other three had similar reactions.
Oh, I forgot to mention Gong Shuwu.
He was covering his nose, and bright red blood was flowing out from between his fingers. His cheeks were also flushed with an eerie red.
Shen Tang was even more confused.
What's wrong?
What's wrong?
He was full of energy and managed to hold on.
As mentioned before, being an official or general is beneficial for scholars with literary minds and warriors with martial spirit. Even if most of their time is occupied by court affairs and military matters, leaving almost no time for personal cultivation, their cultivation speed is still much faster than others.
Because pledging allegiance to the owner of the Imperial Seal grants both literary and martial fortune, which in turn helps scholars with literary talent and martial artists with martial prowess to improve their strength. This is easier to absorb and saves one from the tedious and inefficient practice that often yields little result...
In addition, there are many hidden benefits.
That's the allure of a secure job.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some people are willing to work for free or work 007 hours a day, just for their ideals, to practice their own "morality", for the common people, and for world peace... But working for love is only a minority, and the majority of people in the world are ordinary people.
Shen Tang had just divided up the meat.
They also conveniently separated literary and military fortunes.
The moment it was distributed, the previously empty Dan Palace was instantly filled, and the excess even blocked the meridians.
Chu Yao and the others were alright, having already "slimmed down" before accepting Wen Yun. Gong Shuwu, however, was in a terrible state. His martial energy surged, his blood rushed to his head, and his nose bled profusely, soon soaking his palms.
Shen Tang: "..."
Suddenly, something occurred to me, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Oh no, has Zhao Feng found out?"
Gu Chi shook his head: "The righteous lord is Wu Zhaode."
Shen Tang was relieved after hearing this.
She didn't want to reveal herself too early.
If that's really the case...
Zhao Feng either stays here directly, or he stays here forever!
(`)
You can earn wages (literary or military fortune) by working for the owner of the national seal.
Normally, it should be settled monthly or quarterly according to the established procedure.
However, Tangmei's territory was small, with few people under her jurisdiction, and the "company's" profits were low. She was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy, and because she was unfamiliar with the area, she kept delaying the payment of wages.
PS: So the four-person group who worked for free plus Uncle Gongwu were truly doing it all out of love.
P.S.: Belated holiday greetings, my darlings, Happy Women's Day!
(End of this chapter)
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