The Heavens: From Film and Mythology to Conquering Myriad Realms

Xianyang, the office of corvée labor.

“This is a government-controlled area; unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering.”

Two Qin soldiers in full armor blocked Lu Yao's way of entering and shouted at him.

Lu Yao paused for a moment, then took out a token from his pocket and handed it to the two Qin soldiers.

This token was given to Lu Yao by Fu Su. Lu Yao had never used it before, but it came in handy now.

The two Qin soldiers looked at the tokens in their hands, exchanged glances, and seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Hold on."

The Qin soldier holding the token softened his tone and then turned to report.

Soon, Lu Yao was led into the inner room.

"This gentleman has come to the government office for some reason."

Lu Yao was received by an official from the corvée labor administration office.

That token merely represented Lu Yao's status as an advisor; however, Fu Su had many advisors, and Lu Yao's position among them was relatively low.

Therefore, only a steward received Lu Yao, but that was enough.

"I would like to know about the situation of the two corvée laborers. I would appreciate it if you could do me a favor."

Lu Yao bowed and explained the purpose of his visit.

The steward, hearing that it wasn't a big deal, gave a signal and had someone bring over the list of conscripts.

Since these were newly arrived conscripts, Lu Yao quickly found out the specific destination of the conscripts escorted by Liu Bang, including Yi Xiaochuan and Gao Yao.

Yi Xiaochuan was assigned to repair the Great Wall on the border, while Gao Yao was assigned to be a government slave.

"Liu Bang's actions were utterly despicable."

Lu Yao shook his head, feeling disgusted by Liu Bang's behavior.

Although Yi Xiaochuan became sworn brothers with Liu Bang because Liu Bang would become the future Emperor Gaozu of Han, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions, and Liu Bang's behavior was entirely the act of a petty person.

Yi Xiaochuan has been exiled to the border and is temporarily under the administration of the Qin border army. Lu Yao cannot save him for the time being, and given his cleverness, he will be fine.

However, Gao Yao was sent to be a government slave and is still in Xianyang, so it is possible to rescue him.

With this in mind, Lu Yao went to the Li residence to see Li Shiqi.

As a Confucian scholar in Xianyang and a long-time advisor to Fusu, Li Shiqi had considerable connections in Xianyang and should be able to rescue Gao Yao.

Lu Yao selected a modern artwork from his storage space as a gift and then went to visit Li Shiqi.

At the Li residence, Lu Yao and Li Shiqi were reunited after a long separation and exchanged pleasantries for a long time.

"Brother Li, I have a favor to ask of you."

Lu Yao didn't beat around the bush and directly stated the purpose of his trip.

"Oh? Brother Lu, please speak freely. I will not refuse to help if it is within my power."

Li Shiqi was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said.

“I have a friend who has been wronged by a villain and forced into labor. I would like to ask Brother Li to help me get him out.”

Lu Yao cupped his hands in greeting and explained the situation to Li Shiqi.

Under Lu Yao's careful management, his relationship with Li Shiqi became extremely harmonious. Li Shiqi regarded him as a confidant, so there was no need for excessive formalities.

"Since you are in Xianyang, this matter will be relatively easy to handle, but I'm afraid you'll have to spend some money."

After a brief consideration, Li Shiqi agreed to the matter.

Although Qin law was strict, it was not without loopholes. While conscripting laborers was a national policy, direct release was certainly not an option, but there were still ways to work around it.

They could try to bribe death row inmates and contact the steward in charge of supervising the slaves in Gaoyao, then use the excuse of someone's death to replace them.

However, smoothing things over with the relevant people will cost a lot of money.

Lu Yao naturally understood the reasoning behind it and directly took out fifty taels of gold and placed it on the table.

Li Shiqi nodded and accepted the gold.

"My dear brother, just wait for my news; the results will be available in a few days."

Li Shiqi assured Lu Yao.

The corvée himself is not important; the key is that this action is intended to circumvent Qin law, so it is never too much to act cautiously.

"Then thank you, Brother Li."

After thanking Li Shiqi, Lu Yao returned to his residence to await news from him.

At the same time, she was also preparing for her wedding with Lü Su, and there were still quite a few things to buy.

A few days later, Lu Yao received a message from Li Shiqi that the rescued person had been safely rescued and that Li Shiqi had personally arranged for them to be sent to Lu Yao's residence.

When Gao Yao was taken to the Lu residence in a carriage, he couldn't believe his eyes.

He was forced to carry heavy goods and was repeatedly beaten until he finally fainted.

When he awoke again, he found himself imprisoned.

During his time as a government slave, Gao Yao felt as if he had returned to the time when he first arrived in Qin, suffering from bullying and oppression.

Because he was unable to carry heavy objects and was not quick enough to react, he was frequently whipped.

The person in charge really went all out; he was almost beaten to death.

Thinking about all this, and looking at Lu Yao who came out to greet him, Gao Yao's goodwill towards Lu Yao reached its peak.

"Brother, thank goodness you saved me! That place was no place for a human being; they wanted to kill me."

Gao Yao watched Lu Yao cry loudly, feeling extremely distressed.

"Brother Gao, you have suffered. It is all my fault for being careless and causing you and Xiao Chuan to be harmed by villains."

Lu Yao supported Gao Yao with a sincere expression and gently comforted him.

"What? Someone's trying to harm us! Which bastard is it?!"

Gao Yao was stunned and looked at Lu Yao in shock.

Lu Yao then recounted Liu Bang's deeds.

"I knew that scoundrel was asking us to drink all of a sudden. Emperor Gaozu of Han? He's more like a fart. If I ever get the chance, I'll kill him."

Thinking of the suffering he had endured these past few days, Gao Yao's eyes turned red, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"By the way, where's Xiaochuan? Has he been rescued yet?"

Gao Yao suddenly remembered that he and Yi Xiaochuan had been sold together, and quickly looked at Lu Yao.

"Because Brother Gao was assigned to be a government slave and is still in Xianyang, I was able to find someone to rescue you. Xiao Chuan was assigned to the border, so there was no way to help him."

Lu Yao shook his head and said regretfully.

"Well, let's hope that Yoshito Ogawa will be blessed with good fortune."

Gao Yao sighed and prayed for Yi Xiaochuan.

"Xiao Chuan is always quick-witted, he should be fine, and might even turn misfortune into good fortune."

Lu Yao said with a smile.

Yi Xiaochuan had a very eventful trip. He won the heart of Princess Yu Shu of Tu'an and became Meng Yi, the younger brother of Meng Tian. He was truly a chosen one.

Lu Yao welcomed Gao Yao into the mansion and prepared a welcoming banquet for him.

At the dinner table, Lu Yao told Gao Yao about his plan.

"Brother Gao, I have a money-making plan here. I wonder if you would be willing to listen to it?"

Lu Yao spoke mysteriously to Gao Yao.

"Oh? Brother Lu, please speak."

Gao Yao's curiosity was piqued, and he looked at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao quickly revealed his plan.

Lu Yao plans to open many restaurants in Xianyang and invite Gao Yao to oversee the kitchen.

Gao Yao was able to become the head chef at a modern archaeological research institute and even become the future Zhao Gao, so he must have had some management talent.

Lu Yao plans to take advantage of the present moment to accumulate wealth and talent, cultivate loyal followers, and prepare for the future.

By taking advantage of Gao Yao's culinary skills, he could open many restaurants, making money while also gathering information.

Gao Yao was thrilled by Lu Yao's words. As a culinary artist, nothing could be more appealing to him than gaining the recognition of the world.

Without saying a word, he decided to work with Lu Yao!