Chapter 30: Treasures
But deep in Gu Changxiao’s heart, his greatest worry was not that the little Taoist priest would cause trouble in Yandi.
After all, as long as he reached Yandi, even if the sky fell, he would bear it for the little Taoist priest.
He kept in mind how the little Taoist priest had single-handedly lured the enemy, risking his own life to save him.
His worry was that if any official who had seen the little Taoist priest discovered his actions, which were so audacious.
The little Taoist priest impersonating an Imperial Prince would cost him his life!
He glanced at Jin’an, who was diligently applying medicine to him. When this child spoke of his elder brother, his eyes were full of admiration.
Moreover, this child had always believed that it was because he had run around in the forest that he was captured by bandits, leading to his elder brother’s uncertain fate.
Then he looked at Daoist Ji, who had kind eyes and was wholeheartedly saving him.
If the little Taoist priest were to meet with an accident, how would Gu Changxiao explain it to these two people before him?
Gu Changxiao couldn’t help but recall his experiences in Chang’an, the palace coup that had shocked the world, transforming him from the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace to the Li King of the borderlands.
From a universally praised Crown Prince, he became a traitor reviled by all, accused of attempting to kill his father and force his abdication.
Heh, Gu Changxiao let out a cold laugh. That night, it was his most beloved maternal grandmother who brought him into the palace; he had not suspected anything.
After entering the palace, he saw his most respected maternal uncle leading troops to block him. Every person who slandered him for forcing the abdication was someone he was closest to.
Empress Aunt, Prince Yu, Maternal Uncle Gu, his cousin, and his most cherished maternal grandmother.
And his Father Emperor sat there high above, looking at him with disgust, like he was looking at a dead dog.
He believed that during his time as Crown Prince, he had never disobeyed his Father Emperor, nor had he ever attempted to seize power.
But for an Emperor in his prime, looking at a Crown Prince whose wings were gradually growing, they were no longer father and son, but rivals.
His closest relatives wanted him dead. As he clung to the palace gate, it was his maternal grandmother, maternal aunt, and cousin who pried his fingers open, one by one…
Yet, the Ji family grandfather and grandson before him were wholeheartedly trying to save him. Whether facing black-clothed men or bandits, they had never considered abandoning him, who was severely injured.
Daoist Ji, with his foot injury still not healed, used a vine to pull him. The grandfather and granddaughter dragged him, step by difficult step, out of the mountain forest.
They had merely escaped the bandit’s lair together, not even considered companions, yet they could do this much for him.
The connections between people are truly peculiar.
Lost in his memories, Gu Changxiao was gently nudged by Grandpa Ling:
“Young Master Gu, you say that too. Do you think my grandson might have been arrested by those constables?”
Gu Changxiao shook his head slightly, “No, the little Taoist priest should have escaped and gone to… Yandi.”
“I can already walk on my own. Don’t delay, let’s depart for Yandi immediately!”
Meanwhile, Jin Sui and his group, who were still on their way to Yanzhou City, were having dinner. Jin Sui once again took out a large bag of energy bars from her space.
When she and Hei Hu arrived at the large kitchen range, they saw a very amusing scene: over three hundred soldiers stood perfectly straight, hands outstretched, lips tightly pressed.
Their posture was like prairie marmots on the lookout, just short of letting out a loud “Ah!”
Or like kindergarten children lining up to eat fruit, as if eating energy bars was the most important thing in life.
A few quick-mouthed ones were even biting on bamboo branches, guarding against asking any more questions.
Hei Hu, relying on the Prince’s orders, would not give any brown sugar if you spoke, no matter what you said.
Some of them had been eyeing their companions who had eaten twice already!
Hei Hu was very regretful that no one asked a question this time! The delicious brown sugar cakes were almost not enough to go around.
Jin Sui couldn’t bear to watch, finding it both funny and heartbreaking. These soldiers were not old.
The oldest was only in his early twenties, and the youngest was only fifteen or sixteen.
They were still growing boys who hadn’t tasted much good food, and sugar was a luxury on the border.
As the saying goes, one must fulfill their duties. Now that I am the Li King, I naturally must take good care of my soldiers.
When I return this ‘title’ to Gu Changxiao, I can’t just leave him a pile of embarrassing black history without leaving him any benefits, can I?
Jin Sui watched the soldiers happily eating energy bars, with expressions of “It’s so fortunate to be with the Li King.”
The more she thought about it, the more indignant she felt. When she was with Grandpa Ling and Jin’an, she couldn’t let herself go due to various reasons.
Fearing that Grandpa Ling, that old Taoist priest, would discover that his granddaughter had long since been possessed by another soul, she had always restrained her use of the laboratory, always needing to find excuses for anything she took out.
These more than three hundred soldiers had been roughing it with her. If she didn’t let them eat their fill, what kind of boss would she be!
She first asked Han Xing, “You said when we were in Huai Prefecture, the Prefect of Huai Prefecture wanted to host a banquet.”
Han Xing: … Did he want to? Wasn’t it you who forced him?
“Of course, this King will not trouble the local officials. Just some provisions will suffice.
Now that we have entered Yandi, it is not unreasonable for the officials of the Sixteen Prefectures, local gentry, and aristocratic families to entertain this King, is it?”
“Since they are entertaining this King, they should naturally entertain this King’s personal guards as well. Since our provisions are not abundant, how about we go eat at the homes of wealthy local families together?”
“Eat as we go, all the way to Yanzhou City. Is that feasible?” Jin Sui asked very seriously.
Han Xing broke out in a cold sweat. He thought he had a good understanding of the Li King, but he didn’t expect his understanding was still insufficient!
At this moment, Hei Hu came over, chewing on an energy bar and said:
“Why does it sound like begging for food? Why don’t we go eat at a wedding or funeral feast?”
The short soldier whose clothes Hei Hu had snatched poked his head out and said:
“If ordinary people do it, it’s begging, it’s taking advantage. When the Prince does it, it’s called ‘offering respect,’ and local officials should show respect to our Prince.”
Han Xing, speechless, stepped forward and kicked both of them, telling them to get lost.
If the Prince truly treated the Yandi officials like the Huai Prefecture official and extorted them, it would be troublesome.
He hurriedly and solemnly said to Jin Sui, “Your Highness, this action is absolutely not permissible! Not to mention your reputation…”
He was afraid Jin Sui would say: ‘This King no longer cares about reputation.’
He quickened his pace and said:
“The local gentry of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yandi are extremely united. If the Prince is to guard the border for many years, offending the local gentry as soon as you arrive in Yandi will make future actions very difficult.”
“Your Highness has been in Chang’an for a long time and is unaware of the situation in the border prefectures. Yandi has many aristocratic families with complex and intertwined powers. You have just arrived in Yandi, and you must not offend them for minor matters like provisions.”
“Your Highness, rest assured. As long as we travel at full speed, we will have enough provisions. By the time we reach Yancheng and return to the Black Feather Camp, we will lack nothing.”
Jin Sui rubbed her chin, expressing doubt about his statement “we will lack nothing.”
However, doing something like leading a large group to extort from others was indeed inappropriate.
What if someone poisoned them? What if she was recognized?
Jin Sui thought and thought, finally placing her hope in her space. After entering the space again, she stopped searching for edible or usable items.
Medical treatment and medicine were ruled out; too slow.
Han Xing already found their current travel speed slow; she couldn’t possibly go to a prefecture city to treat illnesses and earn military funds, could she?
If word spread that the Li King had excellent medical skills, her disguise would be revealed even faster.
She didn’t want to sell food. Potatoes and tomatoes were to be saved for seeds, and energy bars and glucose were not even enough for her own people.
She needed to find something that didn’t exist in this era, something eye-catching, something that could be sold as a treasure.
She had rummaged through the drawers of the laboratory and actually found an item.
It was a double-sided rotating makeup mirror left by someone, one side normal, the other magnifying ten times.
More importantly, the makeup mirror had lights around the edge that lit up with a press, and it was rechargeable, lasting a month after a full charge.
In an era without glass, such a mirror was a treasure, let alone one with lights!
She had even devised a “background story” for this mirror: it was a royal treasure containing a luminous pearl.
The Li King had brought nothing else when leaving the capital except this treasure, and was forced to sell it.
Right, she couldn’t just sell it anywhere, nor could she go to a pawnshop; it had to be auctioned!
