LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 327.1
In the imperial palace of Great Wu, the Great Wu Emperor has been looking troubled lately.
It’s all because of the disturbances caused by Great Xia.
He thought that after surviving the demon incident, everyone would be on the same level, striving to restore their national power.
But Great Xia surged ahead, leaving them far behind.
From start to finish, they were unaffected by the demon.
After the demon disappeared, they annexed more than a dozen countries without a fight, expanding their territory by millions of li and significantly increasing their national power.
Moreover, their Great Xia swordsmith Ouyezi made a breakthrough and became a Grandmaster.
This means that Great Xia not only has an additional Grandmaster but also signifies a continuous production of divine weapons, further distancing themselves from the rest.
If this development continues, Great Xia will inevitably become stronger, and they will become weaker.
Anyone with a blade looming over their head would feel uncomfortable.Great Xia is increasingly showing this tendency.
However, the thought of Great Xia’s high-yield rice falling into their hands made the Emperor’s worried expression relax.
After all, following the demon incident, Great Wu relied on this batch of high-yield rice to recover.
“We really have to thank Great Xia! If it weren’t for their righteousness, we wouldn’t have access to such high-yield grain! With this rice, it wouldn’t take two years for Great Wu to recover! A loss may turn out to be a blessing. I won’t hold you accountable for now!”
Just then, the Prime Minister hurried in.
“Your Majesty, urgent news!”
Seeing the normally composed Prime Minister in such a panic, the Emperor of Great Wu felt a surge of foreboding and frowned, “Minister, what’s the matter that you’re so flustered? Speak carefully.”
The Prime Minister, in a frightened tone, said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, there might be a problem with the high-yield rice from Great Xia that we planted this year! Up to now, there are no sprouts in the rice fields!”
“What? No sprouts yet?” The Emperor of Great Wu stood up in shock.
He was not an Emperor who was aloof from worldly matters. He had a good understanding of agricultural production.
Their rice was planted in March, and although it was a bit later than usual, it wasn’t too late.
By April, sprouts should have appeared in the rice fields.
By May to June, they would grow robustly.
By July to August, they would start to bear rice grain.
By September, it would be the harvest season.
But now, it’s already mid-April, and there are still no sprouts?
This is a serious issue! Agricultural production is vital to the state right now!
With a grave expression, Great Wu Emperor asked, “Minister, are there really no sprouts in the rice fields?”
The Prime Minister replied with his head bowed, “Your Majesty, how could this humble servant jest about such a matter? I have collected information on the rice planting across the regions and discovered this alarming situation, which is why I reported it to you!”
Great Wu Emperor still didn’t believe it: “Take me to see it first!”
About an hour later, Great Wu Emperor arrived at the farmlands outside the city.
He saw vast stretches of fertile land, which were still barren, with hardly a few rice grain. Even the few that had sprouted looked weak and malnourished.
Great Wu Emperor’s heart grew heavier and somewhat in disbelief: “How is this possible?”
“As you can see, Your Majesty,” the Prime Minister said gravely.
“If the fields near the capital city are in this state, the situation in other regions is even worse!”
“Why is this happening? These are high-yield rice grain brought from Great Xia!” Great Wu Emperor exclaimed excitedly.
He had hoped to turn the tide with these high-yield rice grain, but who could have expected them to fail?
If they really couldn’t grow crops, then his entire country this year… He didn’t dare to think further. The consequences were too severe!
A thought crossed his mind: could there be a problem with the grain?
But he immediately dismissed it.
Since the high-yield rice grain had been transported out of the Great Xia Empire, he had them guarded by heavily armed soldiers every step of the way.
To protect this grain, he even enlisted a Grandmaster; there couldn’t possibly be a problem.
Moreover, he ordered people to collect grain from various places to prevent any tampering by Great Xia.
In other words, the grain he had was from all over Great Xia—official, private, and even directly from farmers—so it was even less likely that there was an issue.
So, what exactly were the problems? Why weren’t they growing?
“What’s the situation in Great Xia?”
The Prime Minister, trembling, said, “Your Majesty, we have just received news from Great Xia! The rice sprouts there have already emerged and are already about a zhang tall, this is true for the whole country!”
“What?”
Great Wu Emperor was shocked again: “Their sprouts have already emerged and were a zhang tall?”
People don’t fear scarcity but resent inequality!
His own fields yielded nothing while Great Xia’s thrived! They were the same grain, so why the disparity?
Furious, Great Wu Emperor’s face contorted: “Who will explain this to me? Why can theirs grow well, and ours cannot?”
……
Immediately, officials from the Ministry of Revenue and other agricultural experts were summoned.
Great Wu Emperor pointed to the barren paddy fields and said with a blank expression, “I want an answer now, a satisfactory answer. If you cannot provide one, don’t even think about leaving.”
The officials exchanged glances, heads bowed, none daring to speak out.
***
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