eurekapd Chapter 105: Is the Foreign Conspiracy for High-Yield Seeds Real or Fake? Gu Liuli is Pregnant.
Chapter 105: Is the Foreign Conspiracy for High-Yield Seeds Real or Fake? Gu Liuli is Pregnant.
The tall, majestic palace gates slowly opened, and Lin Yu, filled with nervousness and excitement, stepped steadily into this royal palace, a symbol of power and majesty. Along the way, red walls and yellow tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, and guards standing in neat rows on both sides, their spears gleaming coldly. Lin Yu kept his eyes straight ahead, but inwardly marveled at the grandeur of the palace.
Finally, he arrived outside the Imperial Study. The eunuch at the door announced in a shrill voice, "Lord Lin Yu has arrived—"
Lin Yu took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and strode into the imperial study. There he saw the former emperor and the current emperor, Jiang Liushen, standing in front of a huge map of the Western Jing Kingdom, discussing state affairs with focused expressions. Upon hearing the announcement, the two turned around at the same time.
Lin Yu hurriedly knelt down and bowed, his voice loud and firm: "Your humble servant Lin Yu pays respects to the former Emperor and Your Majesty. I have returned from this mission and have fortunately fulfilled my mission."
The former emperor slightly raised his hand, a kind smile on his face: "Minister Lin, please rise. You have traveled a long way and must be tired."
Lin Yu stood up, his eyes full of respect: "It is my duty to share His Majesty's burdens and to seek the well-being of the people of Xijing Kingdom."
At the same time, the news spread like wildfire to neighboring countries.
Inside the palace in the Northern Frontier, the emperor sat on his dragon throne, his brow furrowed, while a man in black knelt below him. "Are you sure the Western Jing Kingdom brought back high-yield seeds from the Southern Zhao Kingdom?"
The man on the dragon throne spoke in a low voice, tinged with skepticism. The man in black bowed his head and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the news is absolutely true, but the specific type of seed has not yet been determined."
He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "Go to Xijing Kingdom and Nanzhao Kingdom to find out the truth. If such a miraculous seed really exists, we cannot fall behind."
The man in black obeyed the order, and with a flash, disappeared into the darkness.
The atmosphere in the court of the Northern Luan Kingdom was heavy and oppressive. Emperor Yuwen Hong of the Northern Luan Kingdom sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face, while the ministers below whispered among themselves.
Yuwen Hong slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and said loudly, "If Xijing Kingdom and Nanzhao Kingdom really have high-yield seeds, their national strength will surely increase greatly in the future. How should we deal with this?"
A minister dressed in brocade robes stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I think it would be wise to send a few capable spies to Xijing Kingdom and Nanzhao Kingdom to find out what's going on."
Yuwen Hong glanced around the court and slowly nodded in agreement: "This matter must be handled with utmost care, and we must not let the Western Jing Kingdom find out. Report back immediately if any valuable clues are discovered."
Soon, several spies from the Northern Luan Kingdom, disguised as merchants, infiltrated the Xi Jing Kingdom's caravan with carefully prepared goods and headed towards the Xi Jing Kingdom's capital.
In a bustling tavern in the capital of Xijing Kingdom and Nanzhao Kingdom, the black-clad man from the northern border and the spy from Beiluan Kingdom unexpectedly met.
The two exchanged a glance, a hint of wariness flashing in their eyes. The man in black spoke first, his voice low: "You're here to inquire about the seeds too?"
The spy sneered, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth: "We all have the same goal, so why not cooperate and save ourselves the trouble?"
After thinking for a moment, the man in black agreed, and the two found a secluded corner to discuss the matter in hushed tones.
Their plan was to start by investigating the seed trade in the markets of Xijing Kingdom; then they would try to infiltrate the government offices responsible for distributing the seeds and steal planting technology information.
The spies inquired around the market, asking different vendors about the seeds, but mostly they received vague rumors.
They then attempted to bribe a minor official, but were refused by the wary official. Meanwhile, spies from the Western Jing Kingdom and the Southern Zhao Kingdom also noticed that strangers were inquiring about the seeds.
A few days later, in the imperial study, candlelight flickered. Xiao Jingchuan, his expression calm, said to Xiao Han, "Father, I have noticed that there have been more foreigners in the capital recently. They seem to be inquiring about sweet potato seeds!" His tone was steady, without the slightest tension, as if all of this was expected.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Han frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes: "These people are certainly quick to act."
Xiao Han leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. After a moment's thought, he said, "Since they want to know, we don't need to hide it from them, but we can't let them succeed so easily either." He looked at Xiao Jingchuan, his eyes carrying a hint of meaning: "Jingchuan, what do you think we should do?"
Xiao Jingchuan bowed slightly and said methodically, "Your Majesty, I believe we should remain calm and have our spies keep an eye on them. When they make a move, we can then turn the tables and use a long-term strategy to catch a big fish."
Firstly, it will let them know the strength and wisdom of my Nanzhao Kingdom, so they won't dare to underestimate me easily; secondly, it will also provide an opportunity to understand their intentions and the forces behind them.
Xiao Han nodded, a look of approval on his face: "Jing Chuan is absolutely right. Do as you say. Pass down the order that the secret agents must act with extreme caution and not alert the enemy."
Subsequently, the spies of the Nanzhao Kingdom paid even closer attention to the actions of the foreign spies. They cleverly disguised themselves in the crowd, following the spies through markets and streets, recording their movements and the people they came into contact with. Meanwhile, the spies were completely unaware that they were being watched, and were still racking their brains to try to obtain information about the sweet potato seeds.
At the same time, in the Imperial Study, Jiang Liushen had just finished listening to Lin Yu's report when a personal guard hurriedly entered and whispered in his ear the news that foreigners had entered the territory of Xijing Kingdom to inquire about the authenticity of the seeds.
Jiang Liushen's expression instantly turned cold, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He waved his hand gently, signaling the guards to leave, and then fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
The former emperor noticed his unusual behavior and asked with concern, "My son, has something happened?"
Jiang Liushen raised his head, his eyes filled with determination: "Father, I have just learned that foreigners have infiltrated our territory and are inquiring about the authenticity of sweet potato seeds."
The former emperor frowned, his expression displeased: "These people are really restless."
Jiang Liushen nodded slightly and said, "Your subject believes that this is both a challenge and an opportunity. We can take this opportunity to demonstrate the grandeur and strategy of our Xijing Kingdom to the world."
The former emperor looked at him with interest: "Oh? What are your plans?"
Jiang Liushen said confidently, "Your Majesty, I plan to have our spies continue to closely monitor these foreigners and keep track of their every move. On the other hand, we will select a few reliable officials to reveal some basic information about sweet potato seeds to the foreigners at an appropriate time, but key technologies and core secrets must not be leaked. This will not only demonstrate our honesty but also let them know that the strength of our Xijing Kingdom is not easily discovered."
The former emperor pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement: "This method is feasible, so let's do it as you say. We must ensure that nothing goes wrong, so that we don't let foreigners look down on us, nor can we let them succeed easily."
With the former emperor's approval, Jiang Liushen immediately began making arrangements.
He quickly summoned the head of the secret service and several trusted ministers, and gave them detailed instructions. After receiving their orders, the secret service agents, like ghosts in the night, silently infiltrated every corner of the capital, keeping a firm grip on the movements of the foreign spies.
The selected officials also began to intentionally or unintentionally reveal information about sweet potato seeds to foreigners on appropriate occasions, whetting their appetites.