plumnovel Why did Chapter 16 appear at this time?!
Why did Chapter 16 appear at this time?!
The Great Tang Dynasty, Liangyi Hall.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it had frozen in time.
The three highest-ranking officials in charge of the Tang Dynasty's "health," "agriculture," and "animal husbandry"—the Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of the Imperial Stud—knelt tremblingly below the hall, their official robes soaked with cold sweat.
Just now, His Majesty the Emperor posed a question that terrified them: "How can I ensure that all the people and soldiers of my Great Tang Dynasty can enjoy a 'feast for the gods'?"
A divine meal?
That was a spiritual food that a celestial being had prepared for a fairy princess!
How could a mortal possibly get involved?
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty, we are foolish and ignorant..." The Imperial Physician spoke tremulously, "The food of the immortals contains the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which cannot be compared with the food of the mortal world. We mortals are afraid... afraid we are powerless to replicate it."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Minister of Agriculture said with a mournful face, "In our Great Tang Dynasty, the people mainly eat millet and wheat porridge; it's a blessing if they can even fill their stomachs. As for meat, ordinary families rarely see it even once a year, let alone such divine ingredients..."
Li Shimin paced back and forth in the hall, his brows furrowed.
He knew it was difficult, of course, but what he wanted wasn't complaints, but solutions!
"I don't want you to produce the elixir of immortality right now!" Li Shimin waved his hand impatiently. "I want you to think! Think of a way for me!"
How can I make the people of my Great Tang Dynasty stronger?
How can we make the soldiers of my Great Tang Dynasty more powerful?
The three looked at each other, still at a loss.
Their understanding is firmly locked in by thousands of years of experience, making it impossible for them to transcend the level of simply being fed and to think about the issues of eating well and eating strongly.
Seeing them like this, Li Shimin felt a sense of powerlessness.
He knew that this was not the fault of the subjects, but the limitation of the times.
Human wisdom has its limits.
To break this deadlock, we must seek guidance from the immortal!
"Enough." Li Shimin stopped, a resolute glint in his eyes. "If you can't solve this, the Immortal can!"
He turned to Wang De beside him and ordered, "Immediately issue my decree, ordering the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a complete set of the daily rations for the soldiers of my Great Tang border army! The most ordinary and authentic rations!"
Although puzzled, Wang De dared not delay and immediately accepted the order and left.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance and instantly understood His Majesty's intention.
Your Majesty is offering the very problems of the Tang Dynasty as a sacrifice to the immortals in hopes of receiving guidance!
This line of thinking is truly imaginative, yet it gets straight to the heart of the matter!
Meanwhile, in the celestial realm.
Rivers are experiencing a completely transformed new world.
He felt as if he had been given a new body.
I was brimming with boundless energy, my mind was clearer than ever before, and my thoughts were flowing faster than ever before.
He was playing with building blocks with the little guy, who wanted a teddy bear that he had placed on the high bookshelf.
Jiang He got up to get it, supporting himself on the edge of the bookshelf with one hand, and with a little effort, tried to stand up.
"Creak..."
With a sickeningly loud sound, he managed to leave a clear finger mark on the solid wood bookshelf!
Jiang He: "..."
He quickly released his grip, and looking at the deep finger marks embedded in the wood, he was filled with horror.
This power... is just too outrageous!
He now felt like a monster in human skin, afraid that he might accidentally crush something.
Just as he was staring blankly at his own palm, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Jiang He asked, puzzled. Who would be looking for him at this hour?
He looked out through the peephole and his heart skipped a beat.
There were three people standing outside the door.
One was Professor Qian Bingde, who was extremely excited yesterday, while the other two were dressed in crisp uniforms, with serious expressions and extraordinary demeanor.
An official?!
Jiang He's mind raced.
Professor Qian... Yu Bi... they really did come knocking on our door!
He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
He glanced at Xiao Sizi, who was playing intently in the living room, a determined glint in his eyes.
Under no circumstances can we let them find Little Rhinoceros!
We must not let them know the secret of the Sky Curtain!
He straightened his clothes, walked over and opened the door, a perfectly measured look of confusion on his face.
"Professor Qian? What's wrong...?"
Qian Bingde looked somewhat embarrassed when he saw Jiang He, but still forced a smile and said, "Little Jiang, let me introduce you. These two are comrades from the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau. They heard about that... item and wanted to learn more about it."
One of the older uniformed men stepped forward, smiling and extending his hand: "Mr. Jiang He, is that right? Hello, my name is Sun Li, and I am the head of the Inspection Section of the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau."
We meant no harm. We just received a report from Professor Qian that there is a suspected national treasure in your possession, and according to regulations, we need to register and investigate it.
I hope you can cooperate.
Although his words were polite, his tone carried an unquestionable air.
Jiang He's heart skipped a beat.
register?
learn?
That sounds nice, but once the value is confirmed, the next step is probably to persuade yourself to hand it over, right?
"Oh, I see," Jiang He said calmly. "Please come in and have a seat."
He led the three into the house, but cleverly blocked the view of the living room with his body, leading them to the small dining room near the entrance.
"Sorry, the house is a bit messy," he said as he poured them water.
Sun Li's gaze swept casually across the room, but when he saw the simple decoration and ordinary furniture, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. This didn't seem like the kind of place that owned a "national treasure".
"Mr. Jiang, may we take a look at that jade disc?" Sun Li asked directly.
"Of course." Jiang He was already prepared. He went into the room and took out the wooden box.
When the box was opened and the dragon and phoenix jade disc reappeared, even the well-informed Sun Li was momentarily speechless.
He and another young colleague immediately put on gloves, took out professional tools, and began preliminary identification.
"This...this patina, this color...it's definitely the style of the Tang Dynasty!"
"Section Chief Sun, look at this carving! The dragon is vigorous and the phoenix is majestic—it exudes an imperial aura!"
The conversation between the two further convinced Professor Qian of his judgment.
Sun Liqiang suppressed his excitement, looked up at Jiang He, and said in a serious tone: "Mr. Jiang, the value of this cultural relic may far exceed your imagination."
On behalf of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, I hereby formally inform you that you may not transfer, trade, or take it out of the country without authorization until its origin and ownership are clarified.
"I understand." Jiang He nodded.
"So, about its origin..." Sun Li was about to continue asking questions.
Just then!
Without warning, the light in the center of the living room suddenly distorted.
A heavy burlap sack appeared out of thin air with a "thud" and fell to the floor!
This sudden turn of events stunned all four people in the restaurant!
Sun Li and his colleagues jumped up from their chairs instantly, staring in horror at the burlap sack, one hand instinctively reaching for their waist.
"What...what is this?!" The young colleague's voice changed.
Professor Qian was so frightened that he plopped back down in his chair, dumbfounded.
Jiang He's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
Damn!
Why did they have to come at this exact moment?
He knew without even thinking that this was another sacrifice orchestrated by Li Shimin!
The bag wasn't big, but it made a dull thud when it fell to the ground. The opening came undone, and some dark, hard things rolled out.
It was a dry, hard coarse grain cake made from a mixture of chaff and unknown weeds.
An indescribable, strange smell, a mixture of musty and bitter, instantly filled the air.
Everyone present stared intently at the several flatbreads that had rolled to the ground, looking like stones, completely stunned.
The air seemed to freeze completely at that moment.