Chapter 185: See, we are doing great things
Mo Qingling articulated the facts without exaggeration and emphasised that the emperor was indeed chosen by heaven to receive these high-yield seeds.
The emperor heard about the will Mo Qingling mentioned previously, but he did not read it previously.
So, he asked the palace attendant to bring it over.
He took a look at it.
The paper was brushed with a few columns of words.
It was true that the old priest had predicted that he was chosen by the heaven gods more than ten years ago, and that he was a wise ruler for Daliang and its people.
In order to prevent the citizens suffering from wars and famine, the old priest had specially asked his disciple to plant a good seed.
If Daliang could produce a thousand catties per mu in October, this meant that he was destined to be the emperor to receive this gift from heaven.
What shocked him was that there was a faint layer of golden on the paper.
It was very mysterious.
Previously, the emperor did not really believe in the old immortal.
But as he received more news sources about it, he also believed that a village girl would not know much.
This meant that the old Taoist who had passed away should be very capable.
But now, with a thousand catties per mu and a letter indicating that he was the chosen one from heaven, as well as the heavenly-gifted high-yield seeds, he couldn't help but believe that the old immortal existed.
Otherwise, why would the words give off some golden sparkle?
"I'll let the imperial astronomer find out the auspicious day for me to personally make offerings to thank the heaven gods for the gift!"
He asked the palace attendants to circulate the will to the ministers.
At this moment, the emperor wasn't very calm.
He was excited, but also bore a great responsibility.
The thorn that had been stuck in his heart was suddenly pulled out.
After all, the late emperor had almost given the throne to that person on the fiefdom.
Although he eventually inherited the throne, it felt that it was a little forced.
Hence, there was a knot in his heart since the moment he inherited the throne.
But now, even the heaven gods had decided that he was the chosen one, which was why he was able to bring peace to the people in Daliang.
This meant that his father wasn't visionary enough.
He had to be even more diligent and work hard to manage the entire Daliang.
When he eventually went to the afterworld, he would let his biased father see who was the chosen one by the heaven gods.
Shi Qingluo and Xiao Hanzheng did not know that because of the will and the heaven-bestowed seeds that they had concocted, the emperor made up his mind to be a wise ruler.
Meanwhile, other officials were passing the will around.
There were also three officials who were very good at inspecting ancient paintings.
They also carefully looked at the ink on it and pondered over it.
"Looking at the colour of the paper and ink, it does indeed look like it was written more than ten years ago. Indeed. Be it the paper or the ink, it is definitely not written in the past two years. I think it's at least ten years old."
Two of the three officials were more stubborn and would never flatter the emperor.
There was also an yushi who would often find fault with the emperor.
Therefore, everyone believed what they said.
Looking at the faint golden glow surrounding the words, it seemed very mysterious.
The ancients clearly did not know about the golden powder, so those who previously did not believe were less doubtful of it now.
This was one of the features Shi Qingluo had deliberately included to make the will more credible.
The ministers were all excited and acknowledged that the emperor was indeed the chosen one from heaven.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuanshi was completely stunned when Mo Qingling said the words "Shi Qingluo".
How was this possible?
Then, he recalled buying assassins to assassinate Shi Qingluo.
He suddenly panicked.
He kept praying that they hadn't taken any actions.
After he returned, he would immediately get someone to scrape the plan.
Otherwise, he would be in big trouble.
The emperor and the others placed great importance on this matter.
As the disciple representing the old immortal, if anything happened to Shi Qingluo, the emperor would definitely be furious.
This matter would also allow the emperor to completely remember his son and his bad daughter-in-law.
Xiao Yuanshi was conflicted.
He suddenly regretted initiating to break off his kinship with his son in order to make Ge Chunru happy and to calm her down.
He should have brought him back to the capital and watched over him closely.
Now, he couldn't control him at all.
Although Liang Youxiao and the others were dandies, they often coaxed the old lady and the others and were especially special.
Liang Youxiao gave Xi Rui and Fei Yuzhe a look and took the lead to kneel down. "Your Majesty is destined to receive these heaven-bestowed seeds. May our Daliang empire prosper and become stronger!"
This was what Shi Qingluo told them before they came.
They had to properly flatter the emperor when the ministers were present.
The emperor would definitely be happy if they emphasised that he was destined to lead Daliang to prosperity and greater heights.
Thus, he followed her advice.
Xi Rui and Fei Yuzhe also reacted quickly.
They knelt down and said the same thing.
Liang Mingcheng and Xi Xinheng were stunned again by their sons' reaction.
This must have hit the emperor's bullseye.
Even they didn't manage to react so quickly.
They suddenly heave a sigh of relief and tears welled up in their eyes.
They also reacted pretty fast and immediately knelt down and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is destined to receive the heavenly-bestowed seeds. May I wish Daliang to be rich and powerful!"
Then, all the people who were standing knelt down and shouted as well.
As expected, the smile in the emperor's eyes became more prominent. "I will do my best to make our empire prosper and become stronger! Everyone, stand up. Let's have a taste of this heavenly-bestowed food."
The ministers stood up and reached out to take the corn mantou and corn wowotou that the palace attendants carried.
The main hall was filled with praises as they ate them.
Then, the emperor began to reward them according to their merits.
"Although that old Taoist priest had passed away, he still cares about the people in Daliang. I will send someone to represent me and the people in Daliang to offer incense at the Taoist temple to express our gratitude. The Taoist priest's disciple, Shi Qingluo, and her husband, Xiao Hanzheng, are still on their way to the capital. I will reward them when they arrive."
The emperor looked at Mo Qingling and the others and said, "The magistrate of Nanxi county, Mo Qingling, has rendered meritorious service. Mo Qingling shall receive a hundred catties of high quality seeds and to sow them in Nanxi county."
If the plantation was successful, it would be a great achievement.
He knew the purpose of Mo Qingling's visit to Nanxi county.
In addition, he had just become the county magistrate not long ago.
Therefore, although he wanted to deploy him to a higher appointment, it was not the time to do so yet.
"In addition, give Mo Qingling a thousand taels of gold and a villa in the capital suburbs."
He was prepared to cultivate Mo Qingling into a trusted minister.
Such a reward was not very eye-catching and would not attract much jealousy.
Then, he looked at Xi Rui and the others and said with a smile, "Xi Rui, Liang Youxiao, and Fei Yuzhe have contributed greatly to the seeds. You will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a pair of jade Kirin each."
Xi Rong was a woman after all, so she did not follow along.
He would reward her privately next time.
Xi Rui and the others immediately knelt down in excitement to thank him.
Xi Rui and Liang Youxiao even gave their fathers a very proud and smug smile.
See, we are doing great things.
At least we are good at flattering the emperor. See for yourself how happy the emperor is.
Xi Xinheng and Liang Mingcheng's initial gratification instantly disappeared.
Suddenly, they felt that their hands were a little itchy again.
The other officials were somewhat envious of the two of them.
They did not expect that these two famous hedonists in the capital would ever bring glory to their families.
As for Fei Yuzhe, although he was playful, he wasn't playful enough to be considered a hedonist.
Nevertheless, this also made Old Master Fei and the other Fei family members present to raise their heads, puff out their chests and give an extremely proud look.
Chapter 186: If you don't compare yourself with others, you wouldn't get hurt.
After eating the corn mantou and corn wowotou, a number of officials had some ideas in mind.
Some of them tried to ask the emperor for some corn seeds to plant them in their manor.
Whether it was really a gift from heaven, it had to be since the yield of this corn seed was so high.
So they also hoped that they could plant the first batch of corn in their manor.
It was not because they were short of grain, but because it brought them glory and also blessings from heaven.
Before the emperor could speak, the agriculture minister cut them off.
He immediately jumped out, saying that the Ministry of Agriculture will collect all the remaining seeds for breeding.
He wanted to cultivate more high-quality corn seeds so that the emperor could distribute them to the people next year.
Faced with the minister's request, the emperor expressed his support.
He wouldn't be able to satisfy everyone's request.
Then, the emperor asked everyone to leave.
Mo Qingling was surrounded by many people asking for corn seeds.
However, Mo Qingling rejected them with a cold face.
Xi Rui and the other two were very excited.
They looked at each other before sneaking out.
"You bastard, where do you want to go now?"
Xi Xinheng had been staring at his son the whole time and immediately added. "Come back with me."
Xi Rui uttered under his breath, why did he have to keep a close watch on him.
If he had not offered the seeds, he would have run away immediately to find the old lady for protection when he returned home, then hide in the backyard and not come out.
But now, he raised his eyebrows and looked at his father proudly. "Dad, do we still want the corn seeds?"
Xi Xinheng was a smart man.
He immediately reacted when he heard that. "You have it?"
Xi Rui was even more smug. "Of course. I asked Brother Ling for some when I was in Nanxi county."
At this moment, Mo Qingling had just walked out of the entanglement and heard Xi Rui's words.
He paused for a moment.
"Xi Rui, you should know how you got those corn seeds."
He looked at Xi Rui and the others and said playfully, "Do you want me to share how you get them?"
He had already reported this matter to the emperor.
As expected, the emperor, who was in a good mood, decided to let Xi Rui and the others go.
Xi Rui and the others thought to themselves, you don't need to be so polite. We appreciate your effort.
Xi Rui chuckled and said, "Brother Ling, there's no need for that."
Mo Qingling glanced at them with a faint smile. "I've already told the emperor about it There shouldn't be a next time."
Seeing this group of energetic people, he could not help but think of his ruthless younger self.
Although they were dandies, they knew their limits.
In addition, they had a good relationship with Shi Qingluo, so he would not pursue this matter further.
When Xi Rui and the others heard this, they knew what Mo Qingling meant.
They would be able to walk out with the corn they had snatched in front of the emperor and would not be questioned.
"Brother Ling, you are indeed a good brother."
Liang Youxiao smiled as he extended his arm over Mo Qingling's back.
However, before he could do so, his father pulled him from behind.
Liang Mingcheng glared at his playful son who didn't know how to speak to Mo Qingling. "Speak properly. Don't be rude."
Mo Qingling was also a dandy like his son.
He looked at Mo Qingling and then at his own son.
Suddenly, he wanted to stuff this bastard back into his wife's womb for reconstruction.
He smiled and cupped his hands to Mo Qingling. "Thank you for cleaning up this mess for these bastards, Young Master Mo."
Xi Xinheng also smiled and cupped his hands. "That's right. Thank you, Young Master Mo."
They were all experienced officials in the imperial court.
After hearing Mo Qingling's words, they could roughly guess that the corn seeds their sons had were definitely not directly from Mo Qingling.
Now that they had gotten the green light from the emperor, their families could plant them openly.
Mo Qingling smiled and cupped his hands in return. "Both of you are too kind. The emperor wanted to reward them, so he didn't pursue the matter further. I still have something to do, so I'll make a move first."
"Young Master Mo, please go ahead!"
Looking at Mo Qingling's calm and steady departure, Liang Mingcheng asked himself, when will my troubled son be like him.
Then, he heard his son's words. "Stop looking. That's the Mo family's son. Your son wouldn't be like this."
Liang Mingcheng's hands began to itch.
He turned around and glared at him. "You little bastard, you're getting bolder and bolder. Do you believe that I'll break your legs?"
Liang Youxiao raised his eyebrows. "Father, if you don't wish the corn seeds to turn into corn mantou tonight, go ahead and break my legs."
Liang Mingcheng remained silent.
He was envious of the Mo family. How did he raise such an unfilial son?
However, he did not bring up the topic of breaking his legs anymore.
Otherwise, this bastard would really do it.
They wouldn't have corn mantou after today.
Now that they had the corn seeds with the emperor's tacit approval, the Liang family could plant them with glory.
Although there were more than a thousand catties of corn seeds in Daliang, and even if the agriculture minister nurtured a lot more next year, it was likely that not many people would be able to get them since Daliang was so big, and others would have to come to their house to ask for some.
Therefore, he turned a blind eye to his troublesome and irritating son.
On the other hand, Xi Rui saw that Liang Youxiao's father was choked by his words and did not express his intention to break his legs.
He immediately imitated his buddy and said, "Dad, if you hit me, we will have corn wowotou for dinner tonight."
Xi Xinheng sighed.
Can't this idiot have a brain of his own? He even had to learnt from Liang Youxiao, who was full of bad ideas, just to threaten his father.
He snapped, "Bastard, I'll settle the score with you when we get home."
Xi Rui smiled cheekily and was prepared to make a move. "Father, I'll go back first then."
He would give his grandmother and mother the gifts he brought from Nanxi county.
This would assure him that his father would not dare to touch him today.
Xi Xinheng's face darkened. "Get lost!"
Liang Mingcheng was suddenly comforted after seeing the chaos between the Xi father and son.
Then, a few people from the Fei family came out.
Fei Yuzhe immediately walked up with a smile.
"Grandfather, I specially brought some corn seeds from Nanxi county to fulfil my filial duties to you and grandmother. I shall see you all enjoy this heavenly blessing and live a long life!"
He was different from Xi Rui and Liang Youxiao.
The people he coaxed was not his grandmother and mother at the back residence, but his grandfather, the family head.
This was a different survival tactic for a dandy like him.
Sure enough, when Old Master Fei heard this, he revealed a kind smile. "I know you are the most filial. Later, take this corn and plant it in the manor."
Then, a lot of people looked at Old Master Fei with envy, causing his smile to deepen.
Many people actively approached him and he began to show off his grandson.
Thus, when he heard that others were asking for the seeds, he tactfully changed the topic and took his son and grandson away in a hurry.
Liang Mingcheng and Xi Xinheng thought, if you don't compare yourself with others, you wouldn't get hurt.
Look at how sensible and filial Fei Yuzhe was.
What kind of son did they have, they only wanted to beat their son to death.
Then, they saw many people whom they knew quite well coming towards them with envious gazes.
The two of them could not help but sigh.
It was rare that their bastard sons made them proud.
While they were proud and pleased, they also slipped away at the first instance