I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 235 White Rice (Third Update)

You're wrong.

Ouyang Qingfeng disagreed: "Youzhou is still under the control of the Northern Zhou court. How can it surrender to Southern Chu? Are you saying that Gongsun Sheng himself surrendered to Southern Chu? But how many soldiers could he possibly bring with him on his journey?"

"If Gongsun Sheng abandons Youzhou, he will have nothing left."

"His already limited political reputation will also plummet to rock bottom."

Bai Xuan nodded: "I understand what you're saying, but I didn't say... he needed to abandon Youzhou and run away alone with a bucket."

Young Master Taixu was taken aback: "What do you mean? This is the Northern Lands, so far away from Southern Chu, how can we possibly seek refuge here?"

Bai Xuan held the black piece, flicking it like a coin, and asked, "Do you think this piece is heads or tails?"

"How can a chess piece have a front or a back?"

“That’s right. Chess pieces don’t need to be distinguished as front or back. Similarly, Gongsun Sheng never considered himself a Northern Zhou person... What he wanted was to control Youzhou alone,” Bai Xuan emphasized the key point: “Gongsun Sheng only needs provisions, whether from Northern Zhou or Southern Chu, it makes no difference to him!”

"As for provisions, Southern Chu has plenty...!"

The South is so rich. If you sow a handful of rice in spring and summer and do nothing else, it will grow into plump ears of wheat in autumn.

"If Gongsun Sheng secretly colluded with Southern Chu and made his stance clear, do you think Southern Chu would agree to help him, provide him with supplies, and allow him to control Youzhou?"

Ouyang Qingfeng secretly gasped.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly realized that Gongsun Sheng and Southern Chu indeed shared the same interests.

Gongsun Sheng wanted to control Youzhou, so he needed prestige and supplies; Southern Chu, on the other hand, did not want Youzhou to fall into the hands of Northern Zhou.

Bai Xuan's analysis goes beyond these points.

He cleared the chessboard and simply marked the north and south with a dozen or so chess pieces.

He pointed to Youzhou in the north and began to analyze.

"Although Youzhou does not produce grain, it is close to the grasslands, has land for raising horses, and is rich in high-quality minerals."

“In the past, half of these iron ore deposits were used to exchange for grain, but the price was low.”

“If cheap grain from Southern Chu enters Youzhou, Youzhou will no longer need to sell ore at low prices. In turn, it will gain control over pricing, and the price of ore will rise. Once the price rises, money will flow into the region, creating a difference between exports and imports. At that time, Youzhou's economy will be revitalized.”

"Hiss..." Young Master Taixu was even more shocked this time. This was simply a plan to kill two birds with one stone, no, to kill three birds with one stone.

Once the economy is revitalized and people's livelihoods improve, Gongsun Sheng's reputation will soar, and at that point, the governor of Youzhou will probably be forgotten.

As for the grassland people... the people of Youzhou originally disliked the grassland people who frequently came to plunder, as the two sides had a deep-seated blood feud. It was only because Gongsun Sheng's current tyrannical rule to maintain the army's fighting power was even more terrifying that they were willing to reconcile with the grassland people.

If they had money and food in hand, wouldn't the people of Youzhou be ready to fight to the death against the wolves and leopards of the grasslands?

"But there's a crucial question," Young Master Taixu asked, "how did the provisions arrive?"

The grain supplies entering Youzhou were all supplied by nearby prefectures and counties. Grain was not cheap in the Northern Dynasties to begin with, and most of it had to be transported by water to Luoyang and Chang'an.

Bai Xuan said directly, "Of course, we should go by sea. It's faster and easier. Are you out of your mind to insist on using land or canal transport?"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Ouyang Qingfeng's mind, and he even accidentally knocked over the chess bowl beside him, scattering white pieces all over the ground.

Sea freight... this is a path never before imagined.

But sea transport is really too easy; you just need to follow the coastline. It's also much easier than canal transport, as it doesn't require boatmen or canal workers.

In fact, because the Northern Zhou lacked good access to the sea, its focus was mostly on the northwest, namely the grasslands and the Western Regions; while the Southern Chu was different, it had to guard against the Eastern Ying, and thus developed a fairly prosperous maritime trade.

Ouyang Qingfeng took a deep breath: "I will pretend I didn't hear what you said... If the people in the court heard this, no, even if the people of the five major sects heard it, they would definitely kill you at all costs."

Bai Xuan chuckled, "It's not like they'd let me go right now."

Ouyang Qingfeng paused for a moment, then chuckled, "That's right, you've long been a thorn in their side."

He gazed at the chessboard and sighed, "I was merely having a casual chat with you, yet you uttered such astonishing words. If Prefect Gongsun were to hear them, he would be overjoyed."

"If you offer this plan, he will definitely escort you back to Southern Chu personally, treating you as an honored guest all the way, because with your status in Southern Chu, you can definitely make it a reality."

“Let’s just consider it a fallback plan,” Bai Xuan said casually. “But I still need to find someone in Southern Chu, so I’m afraid I won’t be going back for the time being… Besides, Gongsun Sheng won’t really pledge allegiance to Southern Chu. He just wants to take advantage of both sides at the same time, playing both sides so that he can reap the benefits.”

"Don't you like ambitious people like that?"

"Personally, I don't care whether I like this kind of ambitious person or not, but it's somewhat ugly that he dragged Youzhou into the quagmire of foreign wars for his own selfish desires, yet he still clung to power and refused to let go."

Bai Xuan flicked a black piece with his finger, sending it off the chessboard: "Whom the heavens wish to destroy, they first make mad."

"He has no food supplies, but he wants to seize the time to fight the steppe people. There is only one way now."

“But once he takes that step, he will be completely at odds with the people of Youzhou.”

"Just watch, people like this will eventually end up as just another face in the roadside."

“Your words always unconsciously reveal a disdain for those in power,” Ouyang Qingfeng observed carefully.

"Have it?"

“Perhaps you don’t even realize it yourself, but deep down you despise them.” He patted his knee and laughed heartily, “I’m increasingly convinced that I didn’t save the wrong people.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The mute woman waved her rice spoon in her hand, indicating that it was time to eat.

"We're here," they both replied simultaneously.

He is not active in doing things and has problems with his thinking.

The meal was very simple: fish soup and wild vegetables.

The mute girl's ability to catch fish is truly top-notch; she can catch fish every day, and the fish soup she cooks is quite delicious, even though she doesn't use many seasonings.

"What's going on with today's rice?" Ouyang Qingfeng picked up his dinner. "It's so white, so fragrant... Is this polished rice? This doesn't seem right."

He looked at the mute woman.

The mute woman couldn't speak, so she made a gesture.

Bai Xuan explained on my behalf: "Yesterday I went out and saw some movement in the bushes. I picked up a stick and used a three-section stick to knock down a bag of wild rice, which I brought back... and the rice jar was empty anyway."

Ouyang Qingfeng rolled his eyes. This handsome man with a face like white jade had also learned bad habits from Bai Xuan, and his various expressions and movements completely disregarded his image: "I have no grudge against you, why are you treating me like a fool?"

But after taking a bite of rice, he stopped worrying about it.

"The quality of grain in Youzhou is indeed very poor. It is expensive and tastes bad. This white rice must be from Jiangnan, right? No wonder so many people yearn for Nan Chu. At least they can eat their fill of rice there."

"You also want to go and have a look at Southern Chu?"

“I’ll definitely go if I have the chance.” Ouyang Qingfeng patted his knee. “Unfortunately, I’m disabled, and it would be difficult for me to go to such a far place by myself.”

"You can buy a horse, then use it to pull a wheelchair, and learn how to control the wheelchair to drift."

The two chatted back and forth, while the mute woman ate her meal quietly, watching them with a smile.

Suddenly the conversation at the dinner table stopped.

A dirty figure appeared near the entrance.

He was a little beggar.

They stared longingly into the room.

The mute woman gestured with her fingers, asking for the two men's opinions.

Ouyang Qingfeng casually said, "He must be a homeless child from outside. Let's give him a bowl of rice."

Bai Xuan agreed, then said, "He has to finish his meal here."

Ouyang Qingfeng asked curiously, "Are you afraid he won't be willing to eat it?"

Bai Xuan said, "It's for the good of both of us."

Pure white rice is not something that should appear in this village.

He didn't want others to find out where the grain came from. He only took it out as an emergency because there was really no food left to buy. Every household hid their grain in the deepest part of the stove and under the bed. They would pick up even if only a grain or two had spilled, let alone sell it.

Having lived in the village for half a month, he had gained a deep understanding of the poverty and hardship of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

In particular, Youzhou was the region where the people of the Northern Zhou Dynasty suffered the most.

In such a place, eating pure white rice is a luxury in itself.

This isn't the Southern Chu; having a mouthful of bran to eat and not starving to death is already a blessing.

Sheng Mien, fight against Mien.

After watching the little beggar wolf down his rice, Bai Xuan and Ouyang Qingfeng went to the medicine shop to continue verifying whether the pharmacology in the Qingnang Book could help Ouyang Qingfeng stand up again.

Just after the little beggar finished eating, the mute woman cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks.

He quietly walked to the edge of the kitchen, and while she was looking away, he secretly grabbed a handful of rice from the rice jar and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he ran away from the village.

The little beggar's thoughts were simple, even naive.

Stealing may be shameful, but when it comes to survival, what morality is there to speak of?

Having begged for so long without any success, I must take some food back with me.

This family is so wealthy, they probably wouldn't mind him taking a little bit of food.

He was so happy and so proud.

He even started running wildly in the street.

All he could think about was running back to the beggar's den as soon as possible, then hiding the bag of rice in his arms, so that if he was careful, it would be enough to last him for several days.

However, he didn't notice that when he turned the corner ahead, he bumped into someone, and the rice in his arms spilled all over the ground.

"My rice! My rice!" He threw himself on the ground, picking up rice grains with both hands, clutching the dirt and dust tightly in his hands.

The next moment, a hand lifted him up from behind.

The burly soldier in armor stared at the white rice spilling from the beggar's pocket.

"Sir, sir, spare my life!" Only then did the little beggar feel fear.

The soldier wasn't staring at him, but at the rice, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "Little guy, where did you steal this rice from?"

(End of this chapter)