Lesser Heaven and Earth

"As expected, there are experienced ginseng roots!"

The new emperor was searching for the entrance to a secret place hidden by an array, the Imperial Guards were exhausted from digging through mud and rocks all day, while Zhang Xuezhou was searching for medicinal herbs in the mountains and fields.

In ordinary areas of Zhongnan Mountain, the growth years of medicinal herbs can only be accumulated over time, but the medicinal herbs at the entrance of the secret place enjoy much better conditions.

Although the environment here is far inferior to that inside the secret realm, most of the herbs growing in these areas are of quite good quality.

Using the eroded rocks as cover, Zhang Xuezhou dug up three old ginseng plants in the mud.

It's obvious that there's no orderly transplanting or planting outside the secret area; what kind of medicinal herbs grow there depends entirely on the laws of nature. Zhang Xuezhou only managed to get three ginseng plants by digging up an old mountain ginseng nest.

To be fair, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his luck, aided by his magical abilities, was quite good.

Regardless of the value of his goods, he never returned empty-handed from Zhongnan Mountain.

"Brother Dongfang, the light here is so dim, how could you have found the ginseng so accurately?"

Han Yan looked at Zhang Xuezhou with envy. He glanced at the somewhat impatient new emperor but didn't go up to him to avoid trouble. Instead, he hid to the side and chatted idly with Zhang Xuezhou.

He desperately wanted to understand how Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor had disappeared for a day and a night, only to reappear in the same spot.

But the new emperor did not respond, nor did Zhang Xuezhou answer.

Han Yan had no choice but to follow Zhang Xuezhou through the mud, where he waded through the deep and shallow mud, watching Zhang Xuezhou frantically fetch medicine in the wet mud.

As if fishing in a river, Han Yan saw Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly scooping out old ginseng roots with roots as long as an arm from the mud.

"These ginseng roots have had their outer skin scratched by mud and rocks, but the medicinal fragrance inside is already wafting out. We can dig them out just by smelling the aroma," Zhang Xuezhou replied casually.

Does it smell like medicine?

Han Yan looked completely bewildered.

When Zhang Xuezhou held the ginseng to Han Yan's nostrils, Han Yan could smell a faint medicinal aroma.

The scent was so faint that Han Yan felt he could barely smell it even if he were right next to the ground.

He watched as Zhang Xuezhou collected three old ginseng plants, and then saw Zhang Xuezhou dig up a he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) plant. However, this he shou wu plant was of average quality, and Zhang Xuezhou found a normal area of soil and stuffed it into the ground.

"There seem to be a lot of herbs here!"

Han Yan muttered something to himself and then reached out and groped around in the mud for a while.

After gathering a pile of charred, dry tree branches, Han Yan reluctantly abandoned his plan, glancing occasionally at the new emperor who solemnly instructed Wuqiu Shouwang and the others to carry out the digging.

"Dongfang Shuo, hey, do you think there's no need to dig here?"

When the new emperor had dug half a person's height at the designated point of the formation, he called out to Zhang Xuezhou was digging haphazardly in all directions.

The Imperial Guards were skilled in combat, their commander, Prince Wuqiu Shou, was adept at chess and military formations, while Han Yan, though well-known, was completely ignorant of formations. In the end, the new emperor called out to Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor only had a handful of close confidants, and he certainly didn't want to entrust matters to anyone else in the court.

For example, Tian Fen could take charge of this matter, and could even invite some cultivators skilled in formations, but whether they could find the secret location, and whether they could find enough to gain in the secret location, was beyond the control of the new emperor.

Royal affairs can only be controlled by the royal family; if the new emperor can do it himself, he doesn't want to entrust it to others.

The more he dug, the less confident he became, and he reached out to Zhang Xuezhou.

"It's worth digging a little deeper; what if we find something?"

Zhang Xuezhou responded by carrying three old ginseng roots, but the implication was already quite clear.

"Take it!"

The new emperor sighed.

There are gains and losses. If the wildfire hadn't started and Ao Li hadn't extinguished it, this key point of the formation might not have appeared.

However, they were too far away at the time, making it difficult not only to get back in time, but also because Ao Li and Zhang Xuezhou needed to fight, which delayed them for a day.

Everything has been covered up now, making it very difficult to find anything.

You've been staying at Shanglinyuan recently!

The new emperor thought for a few seconds before making his arrangements.

If the white light in the sky needs to be inserted into the formation, it can only happen by chance, or one can wait in Zhongnan Mountain, or only Zhang Xuezhou can pilot the Sky Shuttle into it.

All these options undoubtedly led the new emperor toward the last one.

He thought Zhang Xuezhou could stay in Shanglin Garden for a while and see if he could find an opportunity.

"This... that... I can't do it alone," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I'm sick, and I need to get treatment. I recently found some medicinal herbs and wanted to try making pills to see how they worked!"

"I'll designate a place for you; you can refine pills and make medicines directly in Shanglin Garden," the new emperor said with a headache.

"Her Majesty has summoned me to a banquet at Changxin Palace!"

"I'll go explain!"

"Princess Dou said she would host a banquet to congratulate me on moving to my new home!"

I'll go visit!

"What about the divination for the sex of the baby?"

You win!

The new emperor felt a terrible headache.

Zhang Xuezhou was the most useful but also the most difficult official to manage under his command. His value was increasing, and the new emperor couldn't do without him.

How to effectively utilize the abilities of court officials is an art, and appointing officials like Zhang Xuezhou also gave the new emperor a headache.

The new emperor wished he could split Zhang Xuezhou in two.

The secret location of Shanglin Garden is indeed too important. It can even delay the new emperor's tour of the Great Han Dynasty by taking advantage of Zhang Xuezhou's time, and it can also slow down Zhang Xuezhou's plan to spy on Emperor Dou.

If this secret place can be unearthed, it will have a significant impact on both the many great medicinal herbs within and the potential Spiritual Qi sources. This benefit could even last for decades or centuries.

This was not a choice the new emperor could make, nor could he abandon it.

He touched the porcelain bottle containing the Essence Blood of the Jinghe Dragon King at his waist, then touched the retracted Imperial Shuttle, and finally, without making a sound, stuffed the Imperial Shuttle into Zhang Xuezhou's sleeve.

"I'll have someone send a Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag over tomorrow," the new emperor murmured.

"Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously, "Can't you give me a larger Heaven and Earth?"

"The Small and Heaven and Earth correspond to the Emperor and Empress," the new Emperor said in a low voice. "I originally intended to give you a third-grade storage bag, but I've now upgraded it a level. The Small Heaven and Earth is second only to the Large Heaven and Earth I possess. Only because the Empress dislikes using such items can I secretly take it out!"

"So high-end!"

Zhang Xuezhou gasped.

The new emperor was quite generous with his rewards to his close advisors; as long as they provided value, they were indeed lavish in their generosity.

"This bag is hard to spot if hidden on your person, so it's safe for you to carry it," the new emperor said in a low voice. "The Imperial Shuttle can also be stored inside, to prevent others from seeing it and getting any ideas!"

The new emperor previously believed that it was more appropriate for him to take control of the Imperial Shuttle, since he had never considered upgrading the grade of the gift bag, and the bag could not hold such a precious treasure as the Imperial Shuttle.

When the need arose, they ruthlessly upgraded the betting scheme to a higher level, and then things naturally fell into place.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou doesn't run away to the ends of the earth and leave the Great Han Dynasty, whatever rewards the emperor bestows upon his subjects will ultimately belong to the Great Han Dynasty.

The reward was enough to make him place a heavy bet, but the Queen's situation was another matter entirely.

The new emperor already had many headaches to deal with regarding the empress, so he didn't care about having one more.