novel bin Chapter 138 Showdown
Chapter 138 Showdown
On the morning after receiving the gift, Zhao Yu went to the palace to see Zhu Houcong as promised.
Zhu Houcong has been sleeping exceptionally well lately after taking the pills given to him by Lan Fenghuang, and he trusts Zhao Yu even more.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhao Yu said a few more nonsense words such as "Heaven sensed Your Majesty's sincerity and the resentment dissipated slightly," which pleased Zhu Houcong greatly. He immediately issued an edict urging officials from all over the country to transport the tribute grain to the capital as soon as possible.
By the time he finished dealing with Zhu Houcong, it was already afternoon.
Zhao Yu bid farewell to the emperor and went straight back to the Taoist temple to pick up Lan Fenghuang, then headed towards the official granary outside the city.
This batch of grain, totaling 100,000 shi, had just been stored away a few days ago. Eunuch Wang, who was in charge of guarding the granary, had already been waiting at the gate with his men.
"This servant greets the True Man Qingxuan."
Upon seeing Zhao Yu, Eunuch Wang immediately bowed and said, "I have already completed all the matters instructed by the Master. The newly arrived grain has been stored in Warehouse No. 1 of Class A. Here are the accounts; please take a look, Master."
"No need. I have come today to set up an altar and perform a ritual to offer this batch of grain to Heaven and pray for His Majesty's well-being. You should all retreat outside the granary and wait. No one may approach without my order, lest we offend Heaven."
"Yes," Eunuch Wang replied hastily, not daring to doubt in the slightest.
He had personally witnessed Zhao Yu's "magic" and held this living god-like figure in utter awe.
Eunuch Wang led all the guards to retreat outside the granary, and specially arranged for people to prevent anyone from approaching.
After everyone had gone far away, Zhao Yu waved to the shadows and said, "Alright, come out now."
Blue Phoenix jumped out of the shadows beside her, dusting herself off: "I was suffocating!"
Zhao Yu smiled, took her hand, and pushed open the heavy warehouse door.
The warehouse door slowly opened.
When she saw the scene inside the warehouse, Lan Fenghuang gasped and stood there stunned.
She only knew that Zhao Yu had coaxed Zhu Houcong into acquiring a lot of grain, but she had no concept of the quantity of that grain. Seeing the granary with her own eyes today was truly an eye-opening experience.
Inside the enormous granary, bags of grain were piled up like mountains, stretching from the ground to the top of the granary, with no end in sight.
"So much food..."
Lan Fenghuang murmured to herself, "If we had this much food, no one in our Miao region would ever starve to death again."
"Yes," Zhao Yu sighed. "The Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources. It's just a pity that all this grain ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials, while the truly poor people can't even get a full meal."
Lan Fenghuang snapped out of her daze and looked at Zhao Yu curiously: "You brought me here today specifically just to show me this grain, didn't you? You went to such lengths to deceive the emperor out of so much grain, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Zhao Yu walked to the grain pile and touched the rough burlap sack: "Haven't you always wanted to know what I need this grain for? Today, I'll tell you my secret."
Before he could finish speaking...
With a thought, Zhao Yu saw a bag of rice beside him suddenly disappear into thin air.
Blue Phoenix's eyes widened suddenly, thinking she was seeing things.
She rubbed her eyes, and when she looked again, there was a second bag, a third bag...
The food is disappearing at a visible rate, bag after bag.
She covered her mouth, afraid that she would cry out.
In just a short while, the mountain of grain had vanished completely.
The once vast granary was now empty, covered only in dust.
It took Lan Fenghuang a long time to recover her senses. She grabbed Zhao Yu's arm and exclaimed, "You...you really are a deity, aren't you?"
Zhao Yu smiled and shook his head: "I'm not a god, at least not yet."
Lan Fenghuang didn't have time to think about it, she simply raised her hand and gestured, "Then how did so much food disappear? What kind of martial art can do that?"
Zhao Yu shrugged: "Of course it's not martial arts. Martial arts aren't that powerful."
Seeing that Lan Fenghuang still looked puzzled, Zhao Yu smiled.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back."
After saying that, Zhao Yu had a thought and disappeared from Lan Fenghuang's sight.
Blue Phoenix took a step back in fright, her heart pounding.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Yu reappeared in front of her.
He was also carrying a lively rabbit in his hand.
Lan Fenghuang quickly went over, only to see Zhao Yu examining the rabbit in his hand.
The rabbit was kicking its legs energetically.
Finally, Zhao Yu confirmed that he could indeed bring living beings through time.
Faced with Lan Fenghuang's endless questions, Zhao Yu put his arm around her slender waist and said, "Don't you have a lot of questions for me? Come with me, I'll take you somewhere where all your questions will be answered."
Before he could finish speaking...
Lan Fenghuang felt a blur before her eyes, and instinctively hugged Zhao Yu tightly and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a state of chaos.
The surroundings were hazy and gray, with no sky or earth, only countless points of light slowly floating.
The newly harvested grain was scattered and piled up not far away.
"Where...where is this?" Lan Fenghuang grabbed Zhao Yu's collar, her voice trembling slightly.
Even with her great courage, she couldn't help but feel a little scared when she came to such a strange and eerie place.
"Don't be afraid." Zhao Yu gently patted her back and comforted her softly, "This is my biggest secret."
"Actually, I am not from your world, or rather, not entirely."
Zhao Yu slowly explained, "I come from another world, a world that shares the same roots as the Ming Dynasty, but its timeline is several hundred years earlier; it's the Southern Song Dynasty in history. In that world, I have my own career and my own lover."
"Another world?" Blue Phoenix murmured to herself, still somewhat incredulous.
In her opinion, only a god could do that.
"I know it's hard for you to accept right now, but that's okay. I'll take you to see it, and you'll understand."
After saying that, Zhao Yu had another thought, and the chaotic scene in front of him vanished instantly.
Lan Fenghuang felt her feet sink, and she found herself standing on solid ground.
She looked around and found herself in a quiet little courtyard.
The courtyard is filled with flowers and plants, creating a very elegant environment.
In the distance are palaces with flying eaves and brackets, whose architectural style is quite similar to that of the Ming Dynasty's imperial palace, but is more ancient and elegant.
"Is this... the palace?" Blue Phoenix subconsciously lowered her voice.
"That's right."
Zhao Yu nodded, took her hand, and walked out of the courtyard.
As soon as they stepped outside the courtyard, two agents from the Eastern Depot immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Get up," Zhao Yu casually ordered. "Summon Huai'an to see me, and find a few quick-witted palace maids to take this young lady to a side hall to wash up and change her clothes."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
One of the guards accepted the order and left.
Another person stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Lan Fenghuang: "Miss, please follow me."