Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

While waiting for the emperor to arrive, Zhuang Xing mentally prepared himself for what he would say to the emperor.

If the emperor were to ask about the secrets of immortality or elixirs, he could only offer a vague answer and do nothing to help.

As for other things, he felt he had a lot to talk about. He had seen a lot along the way and had plenty to say.

Yunling was still very nervous, so Zhuang Xing told her that he would handle it.

He said that since they were just there to receive a reward, there was no need to be afraid, as the emperor would be sending them money later.

Upon hearing this, Yunling covered her mouth and smiled, her nervousness dissipating considerably.

After the two finished their meal, they called the servant at the door to clear away the bowls and chopsticks. Then, pastries and hot tea were served, and they were waited on hand and foot.

They sat quietly in the courtyard. Since the emperor had not arrived, they each meditated and circulated their qi, without saying a word.

Late at night, the two opened their eyes when they heard the sound of a carriage outside.

Eunuch Li entered first and discreetly announced that the Emperor had arrived.

A middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes walked in through the door. His temples were white, his face was full of worry, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked very haggard.

However, upon seeing the two Taoist priests, he still showed a delighted expression.

Chapter 206 Even the Emperor Suffers

The man was accompanied by bodyguards with swords, unlike the ordinary men seen on the street. Each of these bodyguards was a martial artist, their aura as sharp as a blade, and it was clear at a glance that they were proficient in killing.

The guards stood on either side of the man, protecting him in the middle. With each step the man took, the guards followed. They remained silent, standing in the man's shadow, as if constantly on guard against any potential assassins.

As expected of the emperor, he has bodyguards wherever he goes.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling both stood up to greet them. Eunuch Li stood in front of the pavilion and introduced them, saying, "Your Majesty, these two are the immortal masters who have come from afar."

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The two bowed.

"Immortal Master, please have a seat. No need for formalities!" The man strode into the pavilion.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The man sat in the pavilion. Tonight, the bright moon hung high, and the courtyard was shrouded in a frosty white.

This slightly haggard-looking middle-aged man is the current emperor. He is not wearing a dragon robe, but only a simple blue shirt. If it weren't for these armored and sword-wielding guards, people who have never seen him before would find it hard to imagine that this is the legendary emperor who holds the power of life and death and can exterminate your entire family with a single word.

"The affairs of state are numerous, and it is truly kind of you two immortal masters to wait so long. I had heard the Prefect of Yidu speak of you long ago, but only after meeting you today do I realize that such a person truly exists in the world!" the man said.

"Your Majesty is too kind. We are merely Taoist priests traveling down the mountain. We are unworthy of the title of Immortal Master, nor can we perform the duties of one," Zhuang Xing said modestly. "In truth, knowing that Your Majesty was coming to visit, I was quite uneasy, fearing that I would not meet Your Majesty's approval."

"Immortal Master is too kind. You found wheat seeds and cotton, saving the people of the world. How could I possibly neglect you?" The man laughed. "However, since you don't like this title, I will respectfully address you as 'Sir.' You traveled for three months before arriving in the capital. I wonder if your journey was safe?"

"Most of the time, we were just on the road, but we did encounter a few strange things."

"Oh?" The man became interested. "Have you heard of a few strange tales?"

"Firstly, after leaving Chenzhou, I went to Pingzhou to visit my teacher's old friend and saw the place where corpses were transported. Secondly, when I left Pingzhou and took a ferry, I saw a strange person underwater who raised fish and tigers, and I also saw a water demon in the river. Thirdly, in the Hundred Flowers Valley in Xizhou, I met the Valley Master."

Zhuang Xing recounted three events, telling the emperor what he had seen and heard on his trip as if he were telling a story.

Not long ago, Zhuang Xing was walking with the fox and secretly learned some storytelling skills from him.

He told almost everything except about the fox. After all, the fox was a fugitive, and revealing it was like betraying it by putting it on the government's wanted list.

Zhuang Xing could tell that the man was interested in these strange things, which was normal. Judging from his appearance, he was busy every day and probably didn't even have the energy to choose a concubine.

The emperor's position can be very easy to hold, or it can be exhausting, as he has to oversee all the important matters of the world. If one wants to leave a name as a wise ruler, every crucial decision will be under considerable pressure.

In recent years, the snow disaster situation has not improved. Even with wheat and cotton seeds available, it is still in its initial stage, and there are probably not many good news reports from various places.

The desire to achieve something great inevitably leads to feelings of frustration.

The man did not invite the Taoist to the palace. Instead, he took off his dragon robe and came to this quiet courtyard by carriage. It was clear that he probably wanted to escape the palace.

His visit to the two of them might simply be out of a desire to relax, and it's not necessarily because he actually had any expectations of the "immortal master."

People often have these kinds of thoughts when they're confined to one place for too long.

So when Zhuang Xing saw that the man was interested in these ghost stories, he went along with it and told him the strange tales.

Zhuang Xing felt that it would be inappropriate to pretend to be profound and talk about serious things at this time. So he simply shared what he had seen and heard with the man like a friend, sharing what he found interesting.

The man was truly engrossed in listening. It wasn't that Zhuang Xing was deliberately belittling him; in any case, the miscellaneous books he had read in this era all contained utterly boring and formulaic stories, either vulgar and erotic or so predictable from the beginning that you could tell the ending just by reading the start.

Men who live in the palace for long periods of time read the books of sages and learn the art of rulership, so they rarely have the opportunity to hear about such demons and ghosts.

Zhuang Xing didn't necessarily want to have a quick discussion with him, but if this emperor kept worrying like this, he might end up with a receding hairline. If he could make him laugh and have some fun tonight, then his trip would not have been in vain.

Besides, you need to be in a good mood to get things done.

"I never imagined such a strange thing could happen in the world!" the man exclaimed.

"This is monkey wine brought from the Valley of a Hundred Flowers. Your Majesty may also have a taste."

Zhuang Xing took out a wine pot, which he had prepared before the emperor arrived.

He only prepared one jar; he didn't plan to give away the remaining jars of wine. He wanted to save them for his teachers, friends, parents, and younger sister at home.

Seeing this, Eunuch Li came forward to pour wine for the man, but he drank the first cup himself. One of the eunuchs' tasks was to test the wine for poison for their masters.

Only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the wine did Eunuch Li present it.

The man drank the monkey wine with great anticipation, praising it repeatedly, saying that it truly deserved to be called the celestial wine of Hundred Flowers Valley.

This monkey wine is truly unique in the world, and everyone in the business guild praises it highly.

Those outside the valley who have tasted this monkey wine can probably be counted on one hand.

This wine can improve health and boost energy. Even men who were originally pale-faced become much more energetic after drinking it.

After listening to Zhuang Xing tell several stories, the distance between the two parties narrowed considerably.

It's unclear whether the man was drunk or intentionally wanted to get drunk.

He complained to Zhuang Xing that the palace was so big and empty that he couldn't find anyone to confide in.

“Since I ascended the throne, I changed the era name to Yuanding, hoping for peace and stability throughout the land. I have worked diligently and personally handled everything without daring to slack off. Originally, the country was thriving, but who knew that there would be years of heavy snow, disasters in the north and south, and so much suffering. Sir, do you think I have lost my virtue?”

“Natural disasters are beyond human control,” Zhuang Xing said. “Why is Your Majesty so critical? We have wheat and cotton seeds to help us get through the winter, and things will gradually improve in time.”

"But last year, 337 people froze to death in the capital. Even in this city beneath my feet, I can't protect everyone... so how can I talk about the whole country?" The man sighed repeatedly. "Firewood prices in Jinzhou and Yunzhou have skyrocketed, cotton and wheat haven't spread yet, and the people have no firewood. Many have even fled. Alas... I don't know what to do..."

Chapter 207 Firewood and Coal

The emperor poured out his grievances, things he couldn't confide in elsewhere. Tonight, dressed in plain clothes, sitting opposite the Taoist priest, it seemed to have completely released his bitterness, allowing him to tell all his troubles.

Zhuang Xing listened quietly. He could only listen to such important matters concerning the country and the people, and dared not offer any advice.

However, he also had a pretty good idea of ​​what the emperor was troubled about.

Regarding the snow disaster, the promotion of wheat and cotton went relatively smoothly, as there were solutions, so it didn't worry the emperor too much.

The biggest problem wasn't food or clothing, but firewood. Zhuang Xing never expected that what would trouble the emperor was such an inconspicuous piece of firewood.

This firewood may look insignificant, but it is an essential item for every household.

Think about it, the seven necessities of life are firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Firewood is listed first, even before rice.

After all, wood is needed not only for starting a fire, but also for making furniture and building houses.

The emperor said that the shortage of firewood had been a long-standing issue in Dayu, but it had never been this serious before.

This situation mainly occurs in large cities with large populations, and is less common in small villages.

In places like the capital, the shortage of firewood was a very common occurrence.

Over the past century, Dayu has been recuperating and developing, and its population has been steadily increasing. Today, the number of registered households is more than double that at the time of the founding of the nation.

Thanks to the canal, the flow of people and trade became much more convenient than before, so people began to concentrate in big cities, such as the capital and Yidu, where the population increased year after year.

It feels safer to stay in a crowded place.

This world is, after all, full of monsters and demons. Living in a mountain valley and living within city walls are two completely different experiences.

With more people, the need for firewood will naturally increase.

Twenty years ago, a firewood shortage had already occurred in the capital. In order to alleviate the shortage of firewood, the emperor issued an edict allowing the people of the capital to cut down trees along the roadside for firewood.

Five years ago, during the worst of the firewood shortage due to heavy snow, a firewood rationing system was implemented for officials in the capital.

However, officials of the fifth rank and above were only supplied with two catties of charcoal per day. If there was not enough charcoal, they were allowed to cut grass in the palace gardens to use as firewood.

If even officials live like this, one can only imagine what kind of lives the common people lead.

The shortage of firewood is particularly acute in plains like Jinzhou and Yunzhou, where forests are scarce and years of snow disasters have forced people to cut down all their firewood.

The local people even cut down mulberry and jujube trees for firewood, but it still wasn't enough.

Especially during the winter when rain and snow are heavy, people suffer from the cold and people freeze to death every year.

In order to appease the people, an imperial decree was issued three years ago, ordering 400,000 jin of charcoal to be sold to the poor at half price. During the scramble for the charcoal, some people were even trampled to death.

Besides offering affordable firewood, officials from all sides racked their brains and came up with many other solutions, such as reducing taxes on firewood transported by merchants if they were from government reserves. However, it wasn't just one place that was short of firewood; the entire Dayu region was experiencing a firewood shortage. Ultimately, these were only temporary solutions.

People all over the world have suffered for years because of the single word "firewood".

At this point, the emperor said with a look of relief, "Fortunately, the gentleman found wheat and cotton. If there were no wheat and cotton, the people of the world would still be suffering for rice and clothing."

Now that all that's left is toil for firewood, it's a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.

The emperor wore a wry smile, but it was impossible to tell that he was joking.

He said that the capital city seems prosperous, but it is only because it is summer now. Although it is hot in summer, it is much better than winter. In winter, you can see the scene of people freezing to death on the road.

The reason why there is not a shortage of firewood around Yidu is because there are many forests and mountains in the area, but it is hard to say how many more years it will take.

As the emperor spoke, he became increasingly sorrowful.

He became so haggard because of the single word "firewood" he was constantly worrying about.

"Your Majesty, it's time. Your health is of utmost importance. You should return to your palace to rest today. Perhaps you can visit the Immortal Master again tomorrow."

Eunuch Li, who was standing nearby, was urging the emperor to go back to sleep. He hadn't urged the emperor to go back to sleep when Zhuang Xing was telling the story, but seeing that the emperor's mood had changed from sunny to cloudy, he was eager to do so.

"Indeed..." the emperor sighed. "I apologize for troubling you, sir. I will invite you both to the palace tomorrow to welcome you back and discuss the matter of your reward with you."

"Your Majesty, please wait." Zhuang Xing called out to the emperor.