The grass in the factory should be plucked

The East Factory was in a lot of trouble when interrogating the Green Lotus Sect disciples. Some of them didn't know anything about the questions, while others vomited blood and died after being tortured. If they hadn't known about the existence of "poison", the Censor would have impeached the East Factory for abusing torture and taking people's lives!

There is no such concern when interrogating the people in the secret door. Those people have been arrested long ago. Even if the soul-sucking insects want to poison them, they have no chance to do so.

The three of them discussed for a long time and listed several things that the Qinglian Sect was most likely to make a big fuss about and stir up trouble:

The first one is, of course, drought.

The drought that swept across the north has gradually spread to the south. Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places have suffered a total loss of harvest, and the government has opened its warehouses to distribute relief grain.

The imperial court responded promptly, and the Longmen Trading Company and the Li Company began stockpiling grain and various dry goods early on. The disaster is currently under control, and there has been no large-scale escape from famine.

The second is the prophecy of the "Meteor".

Although the imperial court designated the Qinglian Sect as a "cult" and banned it throughout the entire territory of Da Chu, the story of the Qinglian ancestor appearing in the mirror and giving "divine revelations" spread more and more widely, and many people still firmly believed that the "witch" Princess Jing'an was the "beta" that brought disaster!

"The Qinglian Sect said that I stole the destiny of heaven and earth, which caused the drought."

"Perhaps he wants to wait until the drought becomes more severe, then incite the people to demand that I be sacrificed to the heavens, in the hope that they will appease their anger and send down a rain."

Jiang Li smiled and wrote the four big words "Sacrifice to Heaven and Pray for Rain" on the paper.

"Let's see who dares!" Xie Changan slammed the table and said angrily.

Liao Wuyong's face turned pale as he gritted his teeth and said, "The kings of our Great Chu have always ruled the world with benevolence and have never sacrificed living people to heaven! Isn't this putting Your Majesty in an unjust position? I wonder who dares to say that!"

Jiang Li smiled nonchalantly and said, "What are you afraid of? At worst, we can just leave with Bulibuqi. Whether we live in seclusion in the mountains or travel across the ocean, the world is so big, there is no place we can't go."

"Dad, do you want to go with us?"

Liao Wuyong's expression eased a little: "Of course, wherever my daughter goes, I will go too. I am over fifty years old, and I should retire and return home to enjoy the company of my grandchildren."

"Father, you are still young. Prime Minister Liang and Lord Chang refuse to admit their age. How can you be old?"

Jiang Li chuckled. If Liao Wuyong proposed to "retire and return home", wouldn't that be a slap in the face of those two old men?

Liao Wuyong also smiled: "Father really wants to step down. When Yinjiu can handle things on his own, I will resign."

He is tired of fighting and killing all day long. Wouldn't it be nice to stay at home and hug his sweet, soft, lively and well-behaved grandchildren?

Xie Changan also smiled and said, "In the future, we will work hard and give birth to two more carefree children. Then our foster father will have a lot to do."

Liao Wuyong's eyes lit up. Even the name of the second child has been chosen?

He laughed loudly: "Good, good! Thank you for not leaving, thank you for not abandoning, thank you for not worrying, thank you for not being sad, not bad, not bad! Godfather has been looking forward to that day."

Jiang Li glared at Xie Changan in annoyance: "Let's talk business first!"

Xie Changan smiled and said, "Having children, isn't that a serious matter?"

Jiang Li snorted through the heart contract: "It seems that you want to sleep in the study tonight."

Xie Changan quickly begged for mercy: "My lady, I was wrong!"

Jiang Li glared at him again and continued, "For now, there is enough food. What I am worried about is that the rivers will dry up. If there is a three-year drought, even drinking water will become a problem in the north!"

A person can survive without food for three days, but if he goes without water for three days, he will die!

Liao Wuyong frowned: "Could it be that the monster from the Qinglian Sect has the ability to pray for rain?"

Jiang Li searched his mind again for records about soul-sucking insects in the sect's files.

She shook her head. "I only know that this monster can capture souls and feed on spirits. It is the best medium for practicing witchcraft. I have never heard that it can call the wind and rain."

Liao Wuyong thought for a moment and then asked, "Among your seniors, or the masters they know, are there any who can pray for rain?"

Jiang Li said with a guilty conscience: "I have never been to the sect, I don't know where it is, and I have never seen any of the other sect elders except my master, so how would I know who would pray for rain?"

Xie Changan also said: "Praying for rain is too unrealistic. Why don't we think about whether there is a practical way to do it? For example, bring water from the south to the north? It can solve the drinking water problem."

With relief food and drinking water, people can survive and will not flee famine on a large scale.

Jiang Li clapped his hands and praised, "This is a good suggestion! We need to ask Brother Mo Qi and the people of Longmen Tiangong whether it can be done to divert water from the south to the north."

That night, Nangong Qinghe hosted a banquet for all the ministers in the imperial palace.

It was a year of famine, and the emperor set an example by being frugal. The banquet did not include any delicacies from land or sea, but rather all kinds of dried vegetables, dried meat, dried fish, and cakes made from cassava. The staple food was pieces of cooked cassava.

When the ministers heard that cassava would cause poisoning if eaten if not handled properly, they all looked at each other and dared not pick up their chopsticks.

Nangong Qinghe smiled slightly: "I share weal and woe with all the people. Today, I will taste the food of ordinary people with my ministers."

He first picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of cassava, put it into his mouth, tasted it carefully, and praised: "This tastes good, comparable to yam."

"Dioscorea" is yam. Although the ministers had never eaten cassava, they had all eaten yam. Seeing the emperor taste the cassava himself, they felt relieved and rushed to stretch out their chopsticks to the cassava in front of them and tasted it carefully.

They found that although cassava tasted bland, it was very filling and was perfect for filling the stomach.

Prime Minister Liang spoke first: "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, and God has sent down this magical object to save the people of Great Chu from famine. Your Majesty is truly a true dragon emperor, and you are blessed with great fortune!"

"Your Majesty's grace has benefited all the people, and your contribution will last for thousands of years!"

All the ministers sang praises to him.

Nangong Qinghe smiled and said, "I dare not take credit for it. It was all thanks to Prince Jing'an and Duke Dingguo who went deep behind enemy lines to find this item. They are the heroes and I will reward them handsomely!"

He couldn't help but smile when he thought of Jiang Li and the other person holding the child to steal cassava.

Jiang Li cupped his hands and said, "I dare not take credit for this either. This is the work of General Pingnan."

Nangong Qinghe smiled and said, "You three have all made contributions. When the Southern Expedition Army returns to the court, I will reward you all."

The ministers looked at the high-spirited Prince Jing'an and Duke Dingguo with envy and jealousy in their hearts.

These two people were extremely lucky. They conquered southern Xinjiang, found cassava, and made great contributions.

The most infuriating thing is that during the march and battle, they actually found time to give birth to twins, a boy and a girl!

Really nothing was delayed.

Nangong Qinghe smiled again and said, "You all should try these cakes. I heard they are also made from cassava and are very delicious."

He picked up a piece of crystal clear cold cake with chopsticks and took a bite. He felt it was soft, glutinous, smooth and sweet. He couldn't help but praise: "It's really delicious!"

After tasting the food, all the ministers praised it highly. These cakes made from cassava flour were loved by everyone, and no one had any resistance to this new crop anymore.

This "cassava release banquet" was an unprecedented success.