Chapter 32 The Third Believer
Si Tu Zhaoling was placed on the ground by Jin Feng. Looking around, all she could see were sacks of grain, and even the place where the white jade table had been was now filled with grain sacks.
She swallowed hard, and with great effort, she managed to tear her gaze away from the bags and look at the high priest's ethereal figure hidden in the clouds.
"The faithful woman greets the High Priest." She bowed, her voice trembling with excitement.
Chu Jiubian nodded slightly and went straight to the point: "I know what you want. This rice and grain is given to you to help you get through this difficult time."
"On behalf of the people of Southern Xinjiang, I kneel to thank the High Priest for his great kindness!" Si Tu Zhaoling knelt down with a thud and kowtowed several times.
The clouds and mist swam over like a pair of hands and helped her up.
The young man's clear, cool voice echoed ethereally: "You are of upright and virtuous character. I wish to take you under my wing. Are you willing?"
"I'm willing!" Si Tu Zhaoling was overjoyed and replied without hesitation, "This humble woman is willing to serve you with utmost loyalty!"
"In that case, from now on you shall refer to yourself as my subordinate."
"Your subordinate obeys."
This kid is pretty savvy.
Chu Jiubian was very satisfied and said in a gentler tone, "This painting is also bestowed upon you."
He originally intended to buy the agricultural tool book directly, but after careful calculation, he found that buying the blueprints individually was more cost-effective, because many of the tool blueprints in the book were no longer needed, such as tractors and harvesters, which were impossible to build even if one wanted to.
So for now, he only bought one blueprint for a waterwheel and one blueprint for a dragon-bone waterwheel.
The situation varies across different parts of southern Xinjiang, so both of these methods will likely be useful.
When Jiang Shuoye officially became a believer, he gave him the method of steelmaking. Now that Si Tu Zhaoling has officially joined the group, he naturally cannot treat her differently. Consider this tool diagram as a small gift. He will give her more good things later.
Si Tu Zhaoling took the two blueprints floating in front of her and, at a glance, immediately thought of the blueprints her younger brother had shown her before.
Is the high priest instructing his younger brother?!
She was overjoyed, and then she remembered that her brother could hear her talking about the high priest. Could it be that the high priest had also noticed him?
"Thank you for your generosity, High Priest." She expressed her sincere gratitude first, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "High Priest, there is something I would like to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I wanted to share my meeting with you with my family, but I couldn't say it. However, I was able to tell my younger brother, Si Tu Zhaoyao. Is that alright?"
If the high priest doesn't want people to know his identity, then she won't say anything about it anymore.
"It's alright. You can tell your immediate family about the matter of the Divine Realm. But do not reveal my existence to others for now."
The high priest's reputation had just spread in the northern deserts, and the people in the capital were still wary of him. But if the news spread to the southern borders at the same time, then these people would not only be wary, but terrified.
Ordinary people might choose to stay out of fear and avoid such terrible things, but the powerful and wealthy might not.
If they are afraid of something, they will unite like never before, wanting to nip the source of their fear in the bud.
At that time, Qin Xiao might also side with them, which would put Chu Jiubian in danger.
Currently, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao are partners, but if Qin Xiao's power grows stronger and stronger, to the point that he can overthrow the imperial power at any time, then their partnership will likely fall apart.
Chu Jiubian has already shown his talent and is in a delicate balance with the people in the court, so it's best for him to keep a low profile for now.
Furthermore, he probably doesn't have an urgent need for faith points right now, so he can save the faith points from the Southern Frontier for later when he needs them.
"Understood, Your subordinate." Si Tu Zhaoling replied, then looked at the grain scattered on the ground and asked, "How should I take this grain out?"
The trading function that Chu Jiubian bought with 30 points can finally come in handy.
He said, "Place your hand on it, and you can bring it out."
Since Chu Jiubian bought this batch of grain together from the mall, it was considered a whole, so there was no need to carry it out bag by bag.
“Yes.” Si Tu Zhaoling walked up to a bulging grain sack and stretched out her hand.
The next moment, she was completely enveloped in clouds and mist.
When she opened her eyes again, she had already left the divine realm and returned to the granary.
The high priest's last words still echoed in my mind: if we run out of food, we can ask Him for more.
Si Tu Zhaoling was overjoyed. She quickly got up from the wall and looked around.
The granary, which was empty just moments ago, is now overflowing with grain. Sacks of grain are piled one on top of the other, filling the huge granary with almost no gaps.
She ran to the nearest grain sack, pulled out her hairpin, and cut open the sack. The plump, glistening grains of rice immediately spilled out, and she hurriedly reached out to catch them.
It's true!
The high priest really gave her so much food!
The Jiazi Granary was already piled high, but what was in front of us looked like much less than the grain in the Divine Realm.
Were the other grains sent elsewhere?
Si Tu Zhaoling hurriedly ran out the door and headed to the nearby No. 2 grain warehouse.
She paused for a moment before pushing the door open.
It was indeed full inside!
So much food!
Si Tu Zhaoling jumped up and down excitedly a few times, and then randomly went to two more granaries, both of which were full. All twenty granaries were full!
This much grain is enough to feed the people of southern Xinjiang for another six or seven days.
Once news spreads that the Southern Frontier General Village has more grain, the grain merchants, fearing they will be stuck with unsold grain, will surely begin to lower prices and sell it off. At that point, the crisis in Southern Frontier will be completely resolved.
Of course, it doesn't matter if those grain merchants go to other places to sell grain for profit.
In southern Xinjiang, there is also a high priest as a backer.
However, unless absolutely necessary, Si Tu Zhaoling did not want to trouble the High Priest again; the people of Southern Xinjiang should always contribute more to the affairs of Southern Xinjiang themselves.
She was unaware that her elders had already found a solution to the predicament, so she naturally had more to think about.
She was so excited about the great news that she couldn't wait to tell her family. So, ignoring the sweat all over her body, she ran back to the Jiazi Granary.
If my younger brother calls my maternal grandmother and the others over, they will definitely go there first.
Sure enough, when she saw the Jiazi Granary in the distance, she saw Si Tu Zhaoyao leading her maternal grandmother and parents into the Jiazi Granary.
Si Tu Zhaoling's smile widened as she hurried over.
Inside the granary, the four people stared incredulously at the bags of grain that reached all the way to the top of the granary, almost thinking they were hallucinating.
Si Tu Zhaoyao wanted to touch each and every one of them, repeatedly exclaiming, "Grain! It's all grain!"
The three adults weren't exactly calm either; they all went and touched the grain sacks with their own hands.
Si Tuanli took a few grains of rice from the grain bag and put them in his mouth, his eyes shining with admiration: "These rice grains are much better than the ones we grow ourselves, and the taste is much better too."
“That’s right.” Baili Hao nodded. “Even in the Jiangnan region, known for its fish and rice, it’s not certain that such good rice can be grown.”
Si Tu Zhaoyao exclaimed in amazement, "Did you find all of these, Sister? That's amazing!"
Just then, Si Tu Zhaoling walked in from outside, and everyone immediately looked at her.
"Ling'er." Situ Yu reached out his hand.
Si Tu Zhaoling immediately went over and took her hand, smiling as she said, "Grandmother."
Situ Yu, no longer displaying the aggressive demeanor he had shown towards outsiders, lovingly wiped the sweat from his granddaughter's face with a handkerchief: "Look how you ran, your little face is all red."
"I'm fine." Si Tu Zhaoling chuckled and pointed to the grain, asking, "Grandmother, do you like the wonderful gift Ling'er gave you?"
"I love it, I love it so much!" Situ Yu asked, puzzled. "But Ling'er, where did all this food come from?"
Si Tu Zhaoling looked outside the granary and shouted to the guards outside, "Stay away and don't let anyone near the granary."
"Yes." Upon receiving the order, the guards immediately walked several dozen meters away, warily watching their surroundings.
There were only five members of their family in the granary, which matched the description of their immediate family members as given by the high priest.
Si Tu Zhaoling then spoke up, "You may not believe me, but this grain is a gift from the gods."
"A god?" Si Tu Zhaoyao immediately realized, "Sister, the god you're talking about, isn't it that high priest?"
"That's right."
"So you really did get divine help! Sister, you're amazing!" Si Tu Zhaoyao still remembered that his sister had asked him to pray to the high priest.
Seeing that the siblings seemed to know about this deity, Baili Hao subconsciously looked at his wife and mother-in-law, only to find that their expressions showed joy and awe, but no surprise.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
The position of "Holy Maiden" in Southern Xinjiang has been passed down by the Situ family not only because the Situ family is powerful, but also because the women in their family do have some extraordinary abilities.
He had witnessed such miraculous techniques several times.
For example, in his second year in southern Xinjiang, the area also experienced a scorching heat wave. It lasted for almost half a month without rain, and the blazing sun almost dried up the paddy fields.
So the young saint St. John presided over her first rainmaking ceremony.
At that time, Baili Hao didn't really believe in these things. Even if he did, he only believed in Taoist priests and high monks in Taoist temples or monasteries.
Even Taoist priests and high monks have to pay a price to glimpse the secrets of heaven, as they are still mortals at heart.
As for "praying for rain," he had only seen it in ancient books from the previous dynasty, which said that a witch clan helped the previous dynasty pray for rain.
But he always felt that it was the former emperor who claimed the rain sent down by God as his own in order to show off his achievements.
However, he still felt a sense of awe during the sacrificial ceremony in southern Xinjiang.
Then, he watched as Si Tuanli actually managed to summon rain.
The other person was like a goddess, with totems painted on her face, singing ancient songs, and dancing strangely and gracefully. Amid the curling incense and the soft chanting of the people of southern Xinjiang, the glaring sun was gradually obscured by dark clouds, and soon, a damp wind and rain began to fall.
For three whole days, a rainstorm saved the entire southern Xinjiang region.
Since then, Baili Hao has developed a new understanding and respect for the title of "Holy Maiden" of Southern Xinjiang.
After they confessed their feelings to each other, the previous Holy Maiden Situ Yu divined their fate and told them that their destiny was predetermined, which led to their marriage.
After their marriage, Baili Hao gradually separated his wife, Si Tuanli, from the title "Saintess of Southern Xinjiang." In his view, the two were fundamentally different people.
This time, southern Xinjiang is experiencing a drought that is the worst in hundreds of years, but Si Tuanli did not feel compelled to pray for rain.
He asked, but the other party just sighed and said that the drought in the southern border was because the fortune of the Great Ning Dynasty was in trouble. He also said that it was not only the southern border that was suffering, but the entire Great Ning Dynasty was going to be in turmoil.
That's true. In the following two weeks, he received a steady stream of letters from the capital, almost none of them of any good news.
After that, Emperor Yingzong and Empress passed away. Baili Hao thought that the Great Ning Dynasty was really going to fall into chaos, but Si Tu Anli's melancholy and worried expression changed, and her eyes showed anticipation.
She held two rain-praying ceremonies in succession, and said that a "sacred star" would soon descend upon the Great Ning Dynasty. This sacred star could influence the fate of the Great Ning Dynasty, and it was uncertain whether it would perish or prosper.
But the Southern Frontier is different. The Southern Frontier is closely bound to that Sacred Star. No matter how turbulent the Great Ning Dynasty is, the Southern Frontier can stand firm by relying on the radiance of the Sacred Star.
Looking at his wife's expression, Baili Hao guessed that the "high priest of the gods" his daughter mentioned was probably the Holy Star.
The other side has indeed come to rescue southern Xinjiang.
"High Priest," Situ Yu murmured, "Alright, alright."
She walked to the outside of the granary, leaning on her cane, and slowly knelt down facing northeast.
Si Tu Zhaoling, who was supporting her, and Si Tu Anli and Si Tu Zhaoyao, who were following beside her, also came along.
Baili Hao smiled and went over to kneel down with his family.
Although the guards around them didn't know what was going on, they still knelt down.
"Many thanks to the immortal for his generous help. My Situ family is willing to worship the immortal for generations and keep the incense burning forever." Situ Yu's voice was not loud, but it was firm and resolute.
After saying that, the family of five knelt down three times in unison facing northeast.
Chu Jiubian looked at the scene on the screen and chuckled softly.
This family accepted it quite quickly, unlike the people in Beijing who think more and have more worries.
However, he was still just an ordinary human being, so he decided to skip the incense offerings and such and talk to Si Tu Zhaoling about it next time.
Chu Jiubian turned off the screen and checked his points.
He has already bought a large amount of grain, given half to Si Tu Zhaoling, and stored the other half in the system warehouse.
Fortunately, the warehouse is sized by square meter, and each item placed inside will generate a corresponding two-dimensional scale diagram; otherwise, there probably wouldn't be enough room for all the grain.
It has to be said that, apart from its penalizing system for deducting points, it really takes good care of its host in every other way.
That said, he did get quite a lot of faith points from the northern desert this time. He had already used more than 300 of them, and now he still had nearly 100 left.
And his number of followers is only one hundred away from opening the fifth follower.
He looked at the Divine Realm section, which showed that he had two chances to draw cards.
Now that the matter in southern Xinjiang has been resolved, once the news spreads that the main village in southern Xinjiang possesses this batch of grain, the local grain merchants will surely consider lowering the price to sell it.
However, according to recent reports, grain prices in Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Hubei are soaring, having more than tripled.
Merchants are driven by profit, and some of them don't know when to stop.
Therefore, many grain merchants in southern Xinjiang will likely travel to these areas where grain prices are high.
Once these grain merchants join in, local grain prices are bound to ease.
The grain merchants in southern Xinjiang had already experienced the sudden release of grain by the head village once, so they didn't know if local governments in other places would do the same.
In this situation, if the local government announced that it had grain in hand, the grain merchants from the southern border regions would definitely panic.
In order not to lose money, they will definitely lower the price further.
Once grain prices start to fall, they will continue to fall.
Chu Jiubian glanced at the weather forecast. Heavy rain would begin in the north on July 12th, and this rain would spread to the south. Starting from the 15th, light rain would also begin in the south.
This light rain will last for almost half a month, by which time the ground will be soaked, wild vegetables and mushrooms will grow, dried-up rivers and lakes will be filled, and the drought in the south will be solved.
Previously, Chu Jiubian had been worried that floods would be more common than droughts.
In the original work, it was the floods that caused the terrible consequences, while the droughts were not mentioned much. It is likely that even without Chu Jiubian's intervention, these drought-stricken areas would have been able to find their own solutions.
With his intervention, at least the Southern Frontier General Village and the Royal Palace won't have to spend half their fortune to buy grain at double the price.
With the grain provided by Chu Jiubian, plus the grain voluntarily handed over by the village chiefs, it was more than enough.
Chu Jiubian mentally reviewed the entire matter to confirm that there were no oversights.
In that case, he would tell Qin Xiao the solution to the drought in the afternoon.
Then let him wait a few more days until the grain merchants from the southern border have gone to other places. Then send a message to the local royal courts or government offices, asking them to distribute more porridge and grain to create the appearance that there is plenty of grain, so that the price of grain can be lowered.
The grain that was reduced in price was affordable for ordinary people, and even those who couldn't afford it received porridge from the government, so they were able to get through it.
Chu Jiubian has already laid out the solution in the open. How the local officials and kings operate on it is their own business.
Even if they mishandle things and something goes wrong, it's not Qin Xiao's or the imperial court's fault.
The Prince of Pingxi and the Prince of Huguang, for the sake of their reputations and to better govern their fiefdoms, are unlikely to cause any trouble.
As for Guizhou and Guangxi, although they were under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, the prefects of the two places were from the Xiao family and the Lu family, respectively.
During this drought, all three vassal kings came to the government office requesting grain, but the reports from these two regions arrived late, presumably to delay disaster relief efforts and cause even greater harm.
They wanted to use this drought to smear Baili Hong for illegitimate accession to the throne and to criticize Qin Xiao, a treacherous minister who brought disaster to the country.
But if Qin Xiao has already told them the solution, and something else happens in the area, it will be because they, the officials, are incompetent and have harmed the people under their jurisdiction.
If that's the case, then Qin Xiao certainly won't be lenient; he'll simply dismiss them and replace them with his own people.
If the Prince of Pingxi or the Prince of Huguang are not discerning and still cause serious disasters, then Qin Xiao can spread the message that the princes are incompetent and immoral, incite the people of their fiefdoms to be dissatisfied with the princes, and then when the time is right, the court may be able to take back the fiefdoms without bloodshed.
They will repay us in kind; let's see how they respond.
Chu Jiubian curled her lips.
He did Qin Xiao a huge favor again this time, and the debt of gratitude is far from small.
When they made the deal, he didn't say he wanted Qin Xiao to do anything for him, but after this matter was over, Qin Xiao would definitely agree to whatever he asked.
Therefore, it was a foregone conclusion that Chu Jiubian would be given full authority to oversee the imperial examinations.
Chu Jiubian was in a good mood and felt that his luck must be good as well.
He then called out to the system: "Let's draw a card."
[Okay. The card pool has been updated for the host. Please extract keywords.]
Chu Jiubian looked at the floating cards and casually picked up two.
He has two chances. To avoid drawing duplicate cards, he might as well draw two at once, so that at least these two won't be duplicates.
But if these two happen to be weapons and wealth, repeating the keywords from the previous two, then he's truly in trouble.
The system probably didn't expect him to draw two cards at once. It was stunned for a few seconds before putting away the remaining four cards, but it didn't say that Chu Jiubian had violated the rules.
Chu Jiubian felt that he might have exploited a loophole in the system.
If the system were to work with a new host, it would likely fix this vulnerability, such as deducting points for drawing multiple cards at once.
Chu Jiubian chuckled softly.
The two cards in front of them gradually revealed keywords: [Wealth] and [Charm].
Sure enough, there were duplicates.
He put away the Wealth card and kept only the Charm card.
As for the wealth, you can just take it out and use it later if you need it; it's like saving your progress.
Chu Jiubian examined the remaining charm card.
Does "charm" mean that a person is good-looking?
Or is it because of her good personality that many people like her?
Or perhaps, it's the ability to command a large following?
[A suitable follower card has been selected for the host. Please select to summon.]
The keyword card has disappeared, and it has been replaced by four new character cards.
Chu Jiubian had a bad feeling. After quickly scanning the four cards, he was speechless.
That's great, three out of the four cards are familiar faces.
He grabbed the card floating on the far right and thought to himself, "As expected, it's you again."
The card reads in just a few lines: "Ning Wang Qin Xiao, 25 years old. Charm value: 99 (one more point so you don't get arrogant). Everyone who has met him finds his charisma unforgettable. (Not recommended!)"
This system must be malfunctioning; it keeps rejecting users every time it doesn't recommend them.
However, this description is not wrong. Who could forget someone like Qin Xiao after having met him?
He's powerful, intelligent, handsome, and has a great physique...
Chu Jiubian strangely recalled the feel of the other person's pectoral muscles again.
etc.
That's not right.
Chu Jiubian began to wonder if he really was a pervert.
Constantly obsessing over the feel of someone else's pectoral muscles seems really off.
But he has worked with many male actors before, and there are plenty of them with bigger pectoral muscles than Qin Xiao, but he wasn't interested in any of them. Why is this time different?
[Are you sure you want to choose this card, host? The system does not recommend it.]
Chu Jiubian: "...I will not choose."
How close were he and Qin Xiao?
Now if he dares to bring someone in, the other party will immediately recognize him.
The divine realm is his greatest secret, and it must never be known to anyone outside of his faith unless absolutely necessary.
Therefore, the other two acquaintances cannot be chosen either, as the risk is too great.
He looked at the two cards on the left, which were An Wuji and Hong Fu.
[An Wuji, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, 26 years old. With a charm rating of 90, this handsome, wealthy, and single general is the dream man of countless young men and women.]
[Hong Fu, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Household, is 30 years old. With a charm rating of 95, he is both scholarly and martial, capable of fighting on the battlefield and raising children tenderly at home. He can compose poetry and manage tens of thousands of palace servants. Such a powerful eunuch is the ideal man in the hearts of countless palace women.]
Chu Jiubian knew that Hong Fu was very capable.
In the original novel, this Eunuch Hong was Baili Hong's most capable assistant from beginning to end. He could do anything, was particularly good at understanding the emperor's mind, and was extremely loyal to Baili Hong.
His role is almost the same as that of an all-around secretary like Qin Chaoyang.
Why would someone like that enter the palace and become a eunuch? And why was he so loyal to Baili Hong?
Chu Jiubian didn't investigate further; he would find out eventually.
These two, like Qin Xiao, are very familiar with him and are both very intelligent, so we won't consider them for now; we can talk about them later if needed.
He shifted his gaze to the third card, the only one he could draw.
Wang Qichen, the young master of the Wang family, is 23 years old. His charm is off the charts; if he wanted to, no one could resist him. He is none other than the most notorious playboy and the most handsome man in the capital, the "Young Master Jiyue." Additional attribute: He represents the moon and a force for justice. (Recommended!!)
Representing the moon and justice?
Chu Jiubian's expression turned strange for a moment, then he quickly erased certain fantastical images from his mind.
"Wang Qichen," he murmured, recalling the man he had met briefly at the auction that day.
The other person's loose long hair and unreliable remarks were completely different from those scions of noble families who were now being praised, and even more so from the Wang family, a family that placed great emphasis on etiquette to an extreme degree.
He's already twenty-three; he can't really be rebellious, so this person simply likes to be free.
With a charm rating of 100, Chu Jiubian's situation is understandable, since she is indeed very beautiful.
But does that so-called media group refer to the great scholars and officials of the Wang family?
But now the Wang family should be in charge of the pretentious Wang Huanzhi. Wang Qichen is a playboy with no real power, only the title of "young master," and he is not on good terms with his biological father, Wang Huanzhi.
In this situation, how could those famous scholars and Confucian masters of the Wang family become his additional attributes?
The system's statistics are accurate, so the distribution of power within the Wang family may not be as it appears on the surface.
And this young master of the Wang family may not be the good-for-nothing playboy he appears to be.
Chu Jiubian was completely unfamiliar with Wang Qichen, and didn't know what the other party needed or what his personality was like.
It seems we should learn more about it first; it would be unwise to rashly bring people into the divine realm now.
He didn't want to make the same mistake he did the first time, casually bringing Jiang Shuoye in, only to find that the other party didn't believe him at all.
He wanted to ensure that his followers would quickly develop trust and reverence for him.
[Host, someone has been detected entering your bedroom. Do you wish to leave the Divine Realm?]
Chu Jiubian's eyes narrowed: "Yes."
After emerging from the divine realm, he did not open his eyes rashly.
Yaotai Residence is so safe; only his own people could get into his bedroom—either Xiao Xiangzi and his group, or...
"Uncle, is the master alright?" The child lowered his voice, but the concern in his voice was still evident.
Qin Xiao stood by the screen, arms crossed, looking at the young man lying straight on the bed.
Who sleeps so upright?
It doesn't look like it's asleep; it looks more like it's fainted.
My sleeve was tugged.
He lowered his eyes and saw the little boy frowning as he looked up at him. He whispered, "Uncle, should we call the imperial physician?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Jiubian actually wanted to pretend to have woken up. He had acted out this scenario many times before, and he was sure no one would notice anything strange about it.
But then he heard the man whisper, "I'll go take a look."
Then, he heard the man's footsteps approaching the bed.
Chu Jiubian's mind shifted, and evil thoughts arose in his heart.
bring it on.
Look how frightened Prince Ning is.
The footsteps stopped beside the bed. Chu Jiubian's breathing was steady, and his eyelashes didn't even flutter. He looked like he was fast asleep.
"Chu Jiubian?"
A deep, pleasant voice rang out, but the person on the bed did not react.
Qin Xiao leaned down slightly and nudged the young man's shoulder: "Wake up."
There was still no response.
The child came to the bedside and, seeing the situation, anxiously asked, "Uncle, what happened to the doctor—"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw his uncle reach out and pinch the man's nose.
oh? !
The children's eyes widened in surprise.
What is this for?
Chu Jiubian's breath hitched, he cursed inwardly, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.
A hint of a smile flashed across Qin Xiao's eyes.
However, the smile was replaced by surprise the next moment. His deep pupils reflected the young man's handsome face and the undisguised cunning malice in the other's eyes.
Qin Xiao slowly lowered his eyes and saw the young man's well-defined hands covering his chest.
When he looked over, she clenched her hands together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com