From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 852: Chapter 855: Let’s Talk

Just as everyone in the court was gripped by paranoia, Hua Shunming issued a series of Holy Decrees, triggering a complete and utter shake-up.

The courtiers knelt in the hall, begging the Emperor to retract his orders.

Hua Shunming was taking drastic measures this time, dismissing the Chiefs of Staff of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice all at once.

"I will give you all an answer. Where is the Imperial Army? Throw these three into the Heavenly Prison. The Crown Prince will interrogate them personally."

Lu Gaoning, Chen Zishu, and Gold were swiftly escorted out of the court.

The remaining officials were left speechless. They thought that although the Holy Emperor’s health was not as robust as before, his temper remained as capricious as ever.

"Holy Emperor," Yu Ligao stepped forward. "The three lords have been imprisoned, but the three ministries cannot be left unattended. I beseech you to reconsider."

Seeing that it was Yu Ligao, Hua Shunming’s expression softened slightly. "I will appoint acting officials later. A final decision will be made after the Crown Prince concludes his investigation."

None of the others dared to make a sound. The Holy Emperor was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Throwing three Chiefs of Staff into prison simultaneously meant that anyone sticking their neck out now risked getting implicated.

After all, even the other princes didn’t dare to utter a word. Among those arrested were members of the Sixth Prince’s maternal family.

The Sixth Prince, Hua Wu, kept his face taut, refusing to show any emotion. Everyone was waiting for him to make a fool of himself, so he had to remain composed.

Sitting on his high throne, Hua Shunming cast a glance at the Sixth Prince, feeling a sense of deep disappointment.

To prevent fratricide, his focus actually leaned more toward the legitimate prince, though he wasn’t sure if that was the right choice.

Meanwhile, at the Gu family residence.

Gu Wenheng sat at home, treating himself to the daily court gossip.

Seeing him cooped up in his study for half the day, Jin Qianqian dragged him out toward the village. "You promised you would exercise properly, but you barely kept it up for a few days.

"The weather is quite nice today. Let’s go see what the two boys are busy with."

Ever since the Gu family had been gathered together last time, the entire next generation of young men seemed to have become much more diligent.

Although they couldn’t go out during the mourning period, they helped with the fieldwork and even attended the clan school to audit classes when they had free time.

Everyone was thrilled to see the younger generation so motivated.

Jin Qianqian, however, felt that Gu Benluo had changed the most. In the past, no matter how well he hid it, there was always a sense of boundary when he interacted with his clan brothers.

But his transformation over the past few days was obvious. He treated his cousins with more sincerity and sometimes even took the initiative to chat with them.

Gu Wenheng and Jin Qianqian were more than happy to see this change in him.

"Sigh, let’s not go over there. They’re definitely hanging out with their cousins. If we show up, it’ll just make them uncomfortable," Gu Wenheng said.

His excuses didn’t work on Jin Qianqian. "Don’t try to find a way out. You’re not at court right now. It’s fine to keep up with the news, but there’s no need to overanalyze it.

"It’s rare to have this much free time, so don’t focus all your energy on politics.

"You should learn from me and occasionally be a hands-off boss. Let your mind and body relax for once."

Jin Qianqian knew that the situation in the court could change in an instant. As long as Gu Wenheng intended to remain part of it in the future, he naturally needed more leverage.

But that shouldn’t stop him from taking a break and stretching his limbs.

No matter how brilliant his ideas were, they would be nothing but empty talk without a healthy body.

Letting her pull him along, Gu Wenheng followed her outside. "I don’t think you just wanted to take me out for a walk. Tell me, what else is going on?"

Jin Qianqian looked back at him with a smile. "This is why they say great minds think alike. I only gave you a tiny hint, and you already picked up on it."

Gu Wenheng took two quick steps forward to walk beside her. "Tell me about it."

Jin Qianqian kept him in suspense. "You’ll know when we get there."

"Did those two brats get into trouble again?" Gu Wenheng asked.

Jin Qianqian turned and glared at him. "Can’t you ever assume the best about your own children?"

Gu Wenheng was about to defend himself when he noticed they were heading in the wrong direction. "Why are we going toward the back mountain?"

"I’m taking you to see the scenery of Qingshan and its clear waters," Jin Qianqian snapped, "so your vision doesn’t completely deteriorate from old age."

Gu Wenheng quickly smiled apologetically. "Qingshan and its clear waters are great. I know there’s a flat terrace on the back mountain with a nice view. How about I have someone prepare some pastries and fruit, and we can make do with a picnic today?"

Since they were in the mourning period, aside from vegetarian dishes, pastries and fruit were considered premium choices.

Of course, as modern people, they weren’t truly that devoutly traditional. Every now and then, they would hide in Jin Qianqian’s dimension to treat themselves to a better meal.

"Save it for when we get there." By now, two rows of guards were trailing behind them. After all, heading into the territory of the back mountain, Jin Qianqian wasn’t confident that the two of them—who barely had the strength to truss a chicken—could fend off the wild beasts that occasionally roamed down.

"What’s this? Are we going up the mountain to hunt with such a grand entourage?" It had been a long time since Gu Wenheng last joked around.

He knew that hunting was out of the question since they were mourning and couldn’t take lives.

Jin Qianqian didn’t answer him. She led him through a winding mountain path until they reached a wide clearing.

Gu Wenheng noticed that most of the Gu family boys were there, bent over and tending to the soil.

"Are the fields at the foot of the mountain not enough for them to mess around in? Why did they come all the way up here?" Gu Wenheng looked at the surrounding mountains, especially the massive range behind them. If they ever ran into a reckless wild beast, it would be quite dangerous.

Jin Qianqian led him forward. Gu Wenheng frowned deeply. "When did you have someone plant these?"

No matter how clueless he was about farm work, he had read enough books to know that these were corn seedlings—something that absolutely shouldn’t exist here yet.

He thought that to carry out such a massive endeavor so quietly meant his wife was truly getting bolder.

"I never intended to hide it from you," Jin Qianqian said. "Just as we were preparing to return from South City, the seeds were sent over from Lu City."

Although they didn’t directly meddle in the sea trade business, they had left some personnel there to collect rare goods.

This batch of corn seeds was found by Wang Li during one of his voyages.

His contract had expired a few years ago, but after years of hard work, he had been promoted to a junior steward and chose to stay on.

Out of gratitude, whenever he brought back novelties from abroad, he loved to send them to the Tianfu Restaurant there for them to have first pick.

That was how these corn seeds eventually made their way into Jin Qianqian’s hands.

At the time, Gu Wenheng’s term was ending, and the couple was busy with the move, so Jin Qianqian hadn’t found the chance to mention it.

Later, one thing led to another, and the matter was constantly delayed. Seeing that the seeds needed to be planted soon, Jin Qianqian worried they wouldn’t sprout if left for another year.

She had no practical experience herself and could only rely on superficial knowledge from books. Unsure if it would even work, she copied down a few key points and handed them over to Xu Dawang to figure out.

To her surprise, the servants Xu Dawang hired were highly reliable, and they actually managed to cultivate them.

Only then did Jin Qianqian realize the magnitude of what she had done. However, she couldn’t bear to destroy such rare seeds.

After all, their origins were perfectly clean, and they could benefit the entire world. She truly coveted a merit as great as this.