"Master, should we still create momentum for Lin Yi?" Upon hearing the Daoist's words, the young Daoist couldn't help but whisper.
The Daoist priest shook his head and sighed, " The Prince of Xiliang has already gained the upper hand. Unless the Emperor of Great Ning descends to earth to help him, there is no way to reverse the situation."
"Master, why are you helping the Prince of Xiliang so much? What's in it for you?" the young apprentice couldn't help but ask.
These days they travel around, spreading the miracles of the Prince of Xiliang, but they have not received any reward, and have even been driven away by some places.
To be honest, he felt sorry for his master; what was the point?
"Master doesn't want anything, he only seeks peace of mind!" A glint flashed in the Daoist's eyes, as if he had returned to a scene from the past, and he murmured.
He is the Daoist Zhang Mao!
Zhang Mao came from a poor family. His parents couldn't afford to raise him, so they sent him to a Daoist temple where he grew up on the offerings of the people.
He witnessed the suffering of the common people with his master Qingyangzi and had a heart to help the world. He could cure illnesses, but he could not cure hunger and poverty, so his heart was always at peace.
So he chose to travel around providing free medical consultations, doing his part to contribute.
But to his utter surprise, hope finally appeared. When the Prince of Xiliang announced the potato yield, he saw a glimmer of hope and personally went to Xiliang.
There he saw potatoes yielding thousands of kilograms per mu, the cheers and smiles of the people of Xiliang, and a Prince of Xiliang who was completely out of step with Great Ning.
His gaze swept over the vast multitude of people, and he couldn't help but sigh, "The people have suffered too much these years. The Northern Region Barbarians harass the border every year, and every time there is a war, several counties in the North need to provide food. In fact, many families in the North are not even able to get enough to eat."
Although cultivating the Tao requires abandoning worldly affairs, the master is still a mortal after all! How can he be at peace with such a situation? He is only doing his part.
The Prince of Xiliang, having obtained such a divine seed, could have kept it for himself and become incredibly wealthy.
But he gave it to the people for free; that's the magnanimity a true ruler should have. Compared to him, the current emperor is still lacking!
He would naturally help such a ruler. Only an emperor like this could bring hope to the people.
"Master!"
Upon hearing this, the young apprentice instantly understood. His master had grown up relying on the offerings of the people, so naturally, his master couldn't forget these people.
At that moment, he felt that the frail master in front of him had suddenly become so great.
The master and apprentice couldn't help but smile as they looked at the mountain of potatoes. The master had done the right thing; the people would never go hungry again.
Zhang Mao glanced at him and laughed, "Let's go, disciple. The immortal master Zhang Jiao has invited me. They're planning something big this time, and they want us, master and disciple, to do our part!"
"Yes, Master!" The disciple's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly.
He also greatly admired Zhang Jiao, believing that this man possessed extraordinary magical powers and must be a reincarnation of a great god.
Zhang Mao's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at the several raggedly dressed people beside him, and he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"I think I saw a few familiar faces. They should be in Great Ning, what are they doing here?" Zhang Mao shook his head, but in the end he didn't investigate further. There was still a great cause waiting for him and his apprentice.
Some of the local people watching the master and apprentice couldn't help but show a hint of reverence; the living saint had come out to provide free medical consultations again.
Now we have enough food to eat and medical care available; it's wonderful!
After they left, several ragged people emerged from the crowd and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It was actually Huaiyangzi! He almost saw us," one of them said, still shaken.
"This guy approached me hoping I'd donate some grain to the people, but I refused. If he finds out who I am, things could get complicated."
These people were none other than the heads of several powerful families, but at this moment they no longer possessed any of their former grandeur, and each of them looked as dejected as a beggar.
Zhang Wanhao glanced at Wang Hui beside him and said in a deep voice, "Brother Wang, is your nephew reliable? He won't kick us when we're down, will he?" They finally managed to escape from the capital and didn't want to fall into the clutches of wolves again.
"Don't worry, my nephew is certainly reliable. However, we are not what we used to be, and it will be difficult to rely on the Prince of Xiliang to turn the tide." Wang Hui took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
He had received Wang Yunze's letter before, so he naturally knew his general situation. To put it bluntly, he was just a puppet, a mere decoration.
I can't rely on him; I need to obtain resources before I can talk to Lin Yi.
Liu Kun nodded and said in a deep voice, "We've run out of bargaining chips now, and going to Lin Yi probably won't be a good idea either. We might as well find an opportunity to return to our own territory first."
It's too dangerous here; let's hide for a while first.
The group nodded and were about to sneak into Wang Yunze's residence when they were stopped by several other people.
Upon seeing the people blocking their way, the group's expressions stiffened, and they gritted their teeth, saying, " The Net people, they discovered us so quickly?"
"Gentlemen, our Prince invites you!" The member of the Net of Heaven) glanced at the group and said with a smile.
The group's faces stiffened; Lin Yi had actually discovered them, which was rather embarrassing.
We have no leverage right now. If we fall into Lin Yi's hands, wouldn't he just kill us all on the spot?
On the other side,
The residence of Wang Yunze, a rising star under the command of the Prince of Xiliang, was also packed with people at this moment.
Although Xiliang had previously purged many people, even more had escaped the purge. This relieved them, but also filled them with worry.
Since they couldn't get into the Prince of Xiliang's territory, they could only come to the newly appointed governor, hoping Wang Yunze would give them some guidance. These people didn't come empty-handed; they all brought large boxes of valuables, showing how generously they were treated.
"The Prince's residence is not receiving guests today!"
Faced with this situation, Wang Yunze chose to close the door to visitors, showing no intention of letting them in.
Wang Yunze's steward looked puzzled and whispered, "Master, the Prince of Xiliang has already purged Wuning Commandery, and those with problems have been eliminated by the Net. These people are still alive, which means the Prince of Xiliang has let them go. Why don't you take this money that's being given away for free?"
"Hmph, what do you know!"
Wang Yunze glanced at the steward, a hint of seriousness in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "The fact that the Prince of Xiliang is not making a move against them does not mean that I can accept their benefits. I need to keep a low profile right now!"
"Keep a low profile?"
"That's right, it's low-key!"
Wang Yunze picked up the latest issue of the " All Under Heaven Daily " from the side. Besides the news of his scathing criticism of Li Anlan, it contained more information about the future governance policies of Xiliang.