681 Sacrifice to Heaven, Don't Waste Resources

"Sacrificing to Heaven? The Emperor is going to offer sacrifice to Heaven tomorrow? Are you sure your information is correct?" Lan Jiuqing asked in surprise.

It's no wonder that Lan Jiuqing reacted so strongly. To be honest, the emperor's move was too nonsensical. It had been snowing for so many days, but the emperor hadn't mentioned anything about offering sacrifices to the heaven. Talking about offering sacrifices to the heaven at this time seemed weird no matter how you looked at it. Lan Jiuqing didn't believe that there was no trick involved.

Offering sacrifices to heaven is no small matter. The emperor would never have nothing to do after eating. He would not say that he wants to offer sacrifices to heaven. Offering sacrifices to heaven is a big event. If the emperor wants to offer sacrifices to heaven, he must at least prepare three to five days in advance. How can he say it today and offer sacrifices to heaven tomorrow?

The emperor cannot act recklessly, but if the emperor dares to do so, he must have a plan.

"The news from the Imperial Observatory should not be wrong. The emperor found the old man in the Imperial Observatory and asked him when the snow would stop. Then he got angry and asked the Imperial Observatory to prepare to offer sacrifices to the sky." Su Wenqing spread his hands helplessly.

He is the emperor. What can they do if the emperor wants to offer sacrifices to heaven?

"Did someone say something in front of the emperor? Otherwise, why would the emperor want to offer sacrifices to heaven? Or does the emperor suspect the Imperial Observatory?" Lan Jiuqing had a bad premonition, as if something was out of his control.

Offering sacrifices to heaven is no small matter.

"It shouldn't be. The old man from the Imperial Observatory didn't say anything. Apart from saying something nice when the emperor ascended the throne, he has been trying not to make any achievements but to avoid mistakes over the years. The emperor won't suspect him based on what happened back then.

As for the rest, we can’t find out. We lost a lot of people buried with the emperor some time ago, and the emperor has been extra cautious recently, so we can’t find out a lot of information.”

Because the Ninth Prince was imprisoned, some spies in the palace also betrayed him. In addition, the Emperor carried out a purge, and they lost a lot of manpower in the palace, making many things inconvenient.

There was nothing unusual, so how could the emperor offer sacrifices to heaven? Lan Jiuqing couldn't understand it. "No one has come to the emperor's court to complain. According to the emperor's principles, he would never say anything like offering sacrifices to heaven. The emperor is very careful about his reputation, so he won't rashly order offering sacrifices to heaven. If his offerings to heaven have no effect at all, or are counterproductive, the emperor will be cursed."

"It has been snowing for so many days, it is time to stop. There shouldn't be any mistakes when the emperor offers sacrifices to the heaven at this time." Su Wenqing frowned. The emperor's move was so unexpected that they could not guess it at all.

"It has been snowing for fifteen days and it should have stopped long ago, but it just won't stop. Who knows what God is thinking?" Lan Jiuqing never believed in such uncertainty, and the emperor certainly would not do such a risky thing.

The snow can last for fifteen days, or it can last for twenty-five days. Before things are concluded, it would be extremely risky to do anything to beg for the snow to stop.

Although the snow disaster was severe, the situation has now been brought under control and all the relief food has arrived. There is no need for the emperor to offer sacrifices to heaven at this time.

The emperor did not offer sacrifices to heaven earlier or later, but suddenly decided to do so tomorrow. There must be a reason, but he couldn't think of the reason. Could it be that the emperor was so confident that the snow would stop in the next few days?

Logically, this shouldn't happen. He was the one who asked the Emperor to say what the Imperial Observatory said. When the Emperor heard what the Imperial Observatory said, he should have been angry and wavering instead of offering sacrifices to the heaven in a grand manner.

Under the mask, Lan Jiuqing's eyes became more profound. Su Wenqing knew that Lan Jiuqing was lost in deep thought. Su Wenqing did not dare to disturb him. He sat quietly aside, waiting for Lan Jiuqing to come up with a result.

The emperor suddenly offered sacrifices to heaven. There was only one reason for that. He... could be sure that the snow would stop in the near future!

Lan Jiuqing suddenly stood up and said to Su Wenqing with a serious face: "Wenqing, stop sending food to the disaster area. All disaster relief activities will be stopped."

"What happened?" Su Wenqing was startled by Jiuqing's action, and his eyes narrowed unconsciously.

A sharp light flashed in Lan Jiuqing's eyes. The corners of his lips slightly raised under the mask. He said sarcastically: "If my guess is correct, there should be a so-called miracle tomorrow." Even if the snow does not stop, there will be an amazing miracle. In this way... it will be meaningful for the emperor to offer sacrifices to the sky.

"Miracle? Do you mean what the emperor will do to appease the people?" Su Wenqing understood it as soon as he thought about it.

Since ancient times, those who sat on the throne liked to say that they were the true dragon emperor and that they were destined to be emperor. In order to make people believe that they were destined to be emperor, they would try their best to create some so-called miracles to make the people believe in him and submit to him.

At this time when people's hearts are shaken, if a miracle occurs, the emperor will be completely cleared of all charges.

Lan Jiuqing nodded and said, "Of course. Only in this way can we appease the people and minimize the adverse effects of the snowstorm. Is there anything in the world that can be more convincing than divine revelation?"

"Then all our previous efforts have been in vain?" Su Wenqing felt devastated. He could not accept such a result. They spent so much manpower and effort, but the results turned out to be nothing.

If a miracle really happens tomorrow, all their disaster relief efforts will be covered up by the emperor's miracle, and all will become subordinate to the emperor's miracle.

Under the light of God, how can the actions of mortals like them shine?

"It won't be completely wasted, but it's almost the same. Stopping now can minimize the losses." Lan Jiuqing turned his back and sighed.

The emperor's move was very timely. If the heavy snow stopped in the next two days, it would definitely be said that the emperor's sincerity moved God and made him stop snowing.

This timing and this posture are really a beautiful counterattack.

"I really can't accept this." Su Wenqing said sullenly, "We contributed manpower and effort, but in the end the emperor just took advantage of the situation."

"There is no need to be willing or unwilling. The people are the ultimate beneficiaries, and that is enough. We have saved many innocent lives by this action." Lan Jiuqing did not mind the loss. He contributed a little food and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. This deal was worth it.

"This is the only way I can think of it. Only by thinking this way can I feel better." Su Wenqing also put away his melancholy and cheered up.

Alas, after being busy for most of a month, the harvest was about to begin, but the emperor picked all the fruits. The emperor was really too much.

Su Wenqing gnashed his teeth, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He suggested maliciously, "Jiuqing, do you think we should do something to ruin the emperor's miracle and make the emperor's sacrifice to heaven tomorrow a joke?"

"I'm afraid it's too late. The sacrifice to heaven is tomorrow, and we don't know what miracle the emperor has prepared. What if the snow stops when the emperor offers sacrifice to heaven tomorrow? The more we do, the more help we can give to the emperor. By then, the emperor's prestige will reach an unprecedented height, and Dongling will be more united."

Man can conquer nature? Humph, unless you know what moves nature will make, you will be caught off guard by it.

"It can't be such a coincidence, right?" Su Wenqing opened his mouth. If this was really the case, it would be amazing.

"It's hard to say. I'll go to the palace to take a look. You can handle the other things. Don't waste that batch of grain."

“…”

Lan Jiuqing left this sentence and walked out of the secret room. His speed was so fast that Su Wenqing couldn't stop him. Su Wenqing could only take back the words he was about to say.

"Forget it, I'll decide for myself. Anyway, you're not in the mood to care about these trivial matters right now. You don't want to waste food, right? Okay, I will definitely make the best use of this batch of food. There are bright spots in the east and west. There is more than one country in the Kyushu Continent, Dongling. I don't believe that I can't act like a master with food."

Su Wenqing spread out a large map, which showed the four countries and nine cities. The areas marked with red were all places with severe snow disasters. Su Wenqing's eyes fell on the areas with the most red marks and he made the decision with a point of his finger.

"Nanling and Beiling, right? Wait, I'm going there right away."

Su Wenqing marked it directly and said that if a miracle occurred during the sacrifice to heaven tomorrow, he would have his caravan change its route overnight and use sleds to transport the remaining food and supplies to Beiling and Nanling. With the sleds, they would not have to worry about not being able to travel in the snow.

Even if the snow stops, what will happen? The areas where the snow disaster is severe are completely covered with heavy snow. Even if the snow stops for ten days or half a month, the snow will not melt and the ice on the river will not break so quickly. It will be a challenge for the emperor to transfer grain from the south to the north.

Besides, even if the snow melts, it is impossible to grow food in a short period of time, and even tree roots may not be available for food. Whoever has food at this time will be the boss.

The more Su Wenqing thought about it, the more at ease he felt. No wonder Jiuqing was worried but not panicked. They had food in their hands. Even if their previous efforts were in vain, they would still benefit later.

The emperor will abandon them after taking advantage of them, right? Then don't blame them for being rude and turn around to support other countries. Forget about Xiling. He won't compete with Xiling Tianyu for the credit. Beiling and Nanling were also severely affected by the disaster. These two places are definitely profitable.

Beiling has been short of supplies for many years, and this heavy snowfall made things even worse for them. Fortunately, most people in Beiling are strong and tough, so not many people died in this snowstorm. Once the food is delivered, Beiling's vitality will soon recover.

Since he couldn't be a good person in Dongling, he went to Nanling and Beiling. Anyway, he had raised this batch of grain, which would be enough for next year. There was no need to let the grain rot in his hands.

Well, what should we exchange these grains for? Or should we use them to win over some of the chiefs of the Beiling tribe?

Su Wenqing planned very seriously, trying to minimize the impact of the emperor's sacrifice to heaven and gain the greatest benefit from the grain in his hands.

Of course, if tomorrow's sacrifice to heaven has no effect, that would be the best. They are just preparing for a rainy day and having both scenarios ready.

Lan Jiuqing's luck seemed to be bad today. Just when he was about to reach the palace, someone blocked his way...