A Night Visit
There were many people hoping to seize the opportunity to exploit the new emperor.
Even the slightest use of the emperor's power could ensure that those below him were well-fed and clothed.
For example, if only a portion of the industrial and palace consumption quotas were delegated to Sang Hongyang, he would be able to transport goods by hundreds of horse-drawn carts to Luoyang.
Sang Hongyang once mentioned that nearly 20,000 pigs needed to be slaughtered every day in Chang'an City, and the number of people seeking livelihoods from these pigs was astronomical.
Every industry offers tremendous wealth opportunities; entering at the right time can solve many problems.
Xu Ji spoke in a low voice about industries related to people's livelihoods, asking Zhang Xuezhou, who was in the imperial court in Chang'an City, to see if he could find an opportunity to solve the problem once and for all.
"His Majesty..."
Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a moment.
Since he came into contact with the imperial court in Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the royal family was either preoccupied with foreign wars, internal conflicts, or court struggles, and there were very few projects that concerned people's livelihoods.
But Xu Ji's words made sense. As long as one grasps the information and movements of the higher-ups, any strategic move can bring countless benefits.
This was something he had personally experienced in Western Capital City, and it could also be applied to the Great Han Dynasty.
For ordinary people, the concepts of emperor, cultivator, and imperial court represent vastly different distances and are worlds that are difficult for them to access. They can only passively accept the changes that occur at the highest levels.
Zhang Xuezhou needs to act as that bridge right now.
If he and the people of Zhang Household Village had taken just two steps ahead, things could have been accomplished smoothly.
"I've heard that some people from your village haven't come yet, and the demand will be even greater when they do," Xu Ji cautioned. "And agriculture is a dead end; in every dynasty, the poorest people have always been the farmers."
"We can become herb farmers," Xu Yuan retorted.
"Becoming a herb farmer isn't something you can just do on a whim," Xu Ji said. "The harvest season for medicinal herbs is long, and making and selling medicine isn't something you can just do with words. Even if Lord Dongfang possesses alchemy skills, who would come to him to buy pills? And can we grow those herbs for Lord Dongfang to refine pills? Which truly good medicinal herb comes from cultivation?"
Young Xu Yuan always believed that as long as he persevered, he would see spring blossoms and be able to lead hundreds of people to prosperity.
However, he realized that his own abilities were insufficient to fulfill this wish, even if he combined Zhang Xuezhou's abilities with his own.
"But it's too unreliable to place your hopes on others," Xu Yuan muttered.
"We can take a multi-pronged approach," Zhang Xuezhou reassured them. "The land can be cultivated, trade can be conducted, and we can also seek guidance from the imperial court!"
"Will this work?" Xu Yuan hesitated. "These things are very physically and mentally demanding; I'm afraid they'll have a hard time adapting!"
"I don't need to worry about that for the next six months. I've made some money, I can eat as much meat as I want, and I'll have plenty of opportunities to try new things!"
Zhang Xuezhou pointed in the direction of Chang'an City, indicating that he still had some stock in Chang'an City.
The daughter of the King of Jiangdu was a life-saving fortune, enough to allow over a hundred people to live comfortably in a high-cost city like Chang'an City for a long time.
If they weren't ineligible to buy property in Chang'an City, this amount of money could easily buy dozens of ordinary houses to house people.
"What about the second bow?"
"After dealing with the horses, he went to Chang'an City to seek a way out and hasn't returned since!"
"It seems he's having some trouble and is having a hard time getting away!"
Zhang Cigong wasn't the type of person who would be difficult to share hardships with, and besides, Zhang Cigong's father was still here; the other party wouldn't be so heartless as to forget his own father.
Zhang Xuezhou thought about the King of Huainan's Household's residence in Chang'an City and realized that Zhang Cigong would likely be unable to leave the residence for some time.
This is also something Zhang Xuezhou needs to investigate. Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that he would remember it.
Only now has he been able to sort out the many things he needs to face in Chang'an City.
These matters were undoubtedly extremely complicated, but they were things Zhang Xuezhou had to do.
He instructed everyone to go Chang'an City the next day to transport grain and meat to address the immediate crisis.
"I'll head back to Chang'an City first to make some arrangements. We'll meet tomorrow morning!"
After arranging things properly, Zhang Xuezhou whispered and chatted with Zhang Zhong for a while.
Upon learning that Lady Yourong had also escaped, Zhang Zhong was overjoyed, and his aged face regained some color.
After handing over the instructions, Zhang Xuezhou quickly stood up to say goodbye.
"Since you have stored grain, I'll put a few extra spoonfuls of millet in the rice!"
With the arrival of aid, Xu Yuan also interrupted his winter food storage plan and began to cook wild vegetables with a large amount of millet, which made many people's eyes light up.
Amidst the wisps of smoke rising from the cooking pottery jar, Zhang Xuezhou walked dozens of meters before leaping into the air.
He couldn't easily fly here, but he would undoubtedly need to use related Technique Method to enter back in Chang'an City.
Having spoken with the Grand Astrologer Sima Tan, Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that as long as he didn't wander recklessly towards the imperial city, the risk of him using his magic to fly was not high.
Golden wings streaked across the night sky, then transformed into a cloud-riding technique and swiftly descended.
In the Zhang Household family's residence in Chang'an City, the lights were bright, and the aroma of meat wafted into the night sky.
Rong Tianding and others not only bought two pigs, but also boiled and roughly processed the pork. This was not only to prevent it from developing an odor, but also so that it could be eaten after a little processing the next day.
Strips of cooked pork were hung to dry on poles, and people kept starting fires and processing the pork, doing what they could to help.
Only after Zhang Xuezhou pushed open the door and stepped inside did everyone quickly peek out.
"Cousin, how's it going over there?" Rong Tianding asked anxiously.
"With Xu Ji and Xu Yuan here, no one has starved to death," Zhang Xuezhou said. "But life isn't easy for everyone. They eat wild grass and vegetables every day, along with some grilled fish. If they're lucky, they might catch some wild game and get a piece of meat!"
"The grilled fish is too fishy!"
Rong Tianding read it aloud.
He ate fish quite a few times while he was following Zhang Xuezhou.
If it weren't for a severe food shortage, Rong Tianding felt he would never have eaten fish.
Although fish is meat, if you eat it for several meals in a row, the earthy smell of fish can make people nauseous, and the smell of fishy odor may make them vomit.
The people of Zhang Household Village have been living like this for more than three months, and they can't even get enough fish and meat to eat.
Rong Tianding felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this, while Zhang Changgong clenched his fists. Lady Yourong the other hand, was in tears, lamenting her own incompetence and inability to spend her wealth.
"Brother Zhou, how are we going to get by from now on?" Zhang Changgong asked in a low voice.
Zhang Changgong was not afraid of hardship, but he found it difficult to adapt to Chang'an City.
With their thick northern accents, it's difficult for them to communicate clearly, and lacking any sense of propriety, they can't even enter Chang'an City.
Without valid identification, they were forced to live as undocumented immigrants, a situation that left Zhang Changgong with almost no way to make a living.
If Zhang Changgong was like this, he could imagine others as well.
"This isn't urgent. I've discussed it with Xu Yuan and the others. The only way to make a living is..."
Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to mention the results of their discussion outside the city, he frowned slightly and quickly looked towards the main gate.
Within seconds, the familiar knocking sound came through the door.
On his first day back in Chang'an City, the first person Zhang Xuezhou visited was Wei Shao'er.