Chapter 452
Da Wang was supported by two little eunuchs, shouting about his headache as he fled at top speed; once out of Chengguang Hall's range, Da Wang instantly revived on the spot, his steps suddenly light and quick.
This guy shoved the two little eunuchs supporting him aside, bouncing and hopping toward Sui Fu Dian...
The Da Wang who had just been at death's door now couldn't even be caught by Zhao Pu chasing after him.
Da Wang's head was wrapped in something tight and hot; this guy ran while pulling off the bandage at the back of his head, casually tossing it aside with effortless flair, as if he'd thrown off the entire burden of Beijiang weighing on his small shoulders.
Once the bandage was removed, no wound was visible to the naked eye. Even though Da Wang treasured that bandage on the back of his head, after sleeping one night it had mostly subsided—blame it only on this guy's exceptionally strong constitution.
Da Wang returned to Sui Fu Dian first to seek Wei Ni's favor; the bears had grown accustomed to meeting him in their homeland, and now they were increasingly calm about Da Wang's occasional disappearances, yet still excited when he returned. Seeing Da Wang come back, they didn't even let Bai Ze stand guard, enthusiastically approaching to rub against him.
Da Wang didn't mind the bear's thick fur, letting it nuzzle freely—a treatment he hadn't had before leaving. "Wei Ni has suffered, waiting alone for so long, huh?! When I return, I'll find you a pet too, so you won't be lonely when I'm away～"
Bai Ze glanced at Sui Fu Dian—fortunately the space was large enough; it was the first time hearing someone wanted to keep a pet just to entertain another pet.
Wei Ni didn't know if he'd understood; seeing Da Wang, he wasn't precious about his seniority, happily trotting behind Da Wang's heels.
Soon Zhu Ti arrived; Da Wang sat quietly, and only then did Zhu Ti sit beside him, insisting on pressing close to Da Wang's chair.
"Where is that Daoist now? Can we confirm it's him?" Da Wang spoke while rubbing the bear's paws, his hands not idle.
"It should be him.
That Daoist calls himself Qing Xu, bringing a little disciple; master and disciple come from Danyang Commandery. Upon arriving in Youzhou, they wandered for two days before fixing on the Northern Frontier Medical Bureau, now intensely engaged with your Divine Physician, their goal clear.
That old Daoist highly praises the medical bureau's curriculum for students, already enrolling his little disciple. Now master and disciple only clock in at the medical bureau each day.
So far, their goal seems clear—likely aiming for the Hui Chun Dan, said to be miraculously potent as spread from the south.
Da Wang listened seriously to the analysis: "His likelihood is high; Da Jin actually has few Daoists. No matter what, we must try; it seems the Qing Xu Daoist school favors alchemy? Then it's easy—alchemy expert Qiao Yi is the one to consult."
Zhu Ti: "……It's not about alchemy. Your primary task isn't to conquer him, but to make him know you are the Heaven-ordained Sovereign of All Under Heaven?"
Da Wang slapped his palm: "Isn't this forcing me to carry out superstitious activities!" Wei Ni hastily withdrew its paw; Da Wang slapped the armrest……
Zhu Ti: ……
How delightful, the big-eyed, thick-browed silly bear occasionally has a brain now.
Da Wang retrieved its paw to continue propping the armrest while analyzing: "Alchemy practitioners differ from Xie Yuan; showing him strength or military strength would be useless—we need metaphysics. Where's the breakthrough? Shall I first discuss Dao with him?"
Zhu Ti: "Do you know how?"
Da Wang produced
Zhu Ti: ……
When night fell and Bai Yang wandered to Phoenix Market, he found Da Wang reading in the bustling crowd.
Da Wang was currently hugging the Buddha's feet in supplication—ah, no, hugging Laozi's feet.
The two brothers who had never seen Da Wang study so diligently regarded him as a Western curiosity; hearing Da Wang wanted to confront the old Daoist, the tinker Bai Ge wrung his hands: "Confused, Da Wang—can you out-argue the old Daoist on Dao?!"
Da Wang, unashamed to ask: "Then what should we do? Meng Meng won't let me beat him into submission either!"
Qiao Yi: ……You really thought that?
Bai Yang: "We should play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses."
Da Wang listened attentively: "How so?"
"Ahem!" Bai Yang struck a pose: "If the opponent's level is higher than yours, how do we handle it? We can't clash head-on! You must pull him down to your level, then defeat him using what you excel at in your familiar domain, earning his admiration and recognition—understand?"
Da Wang was still pondering what "level" meant when the tinker anxiously lowered the difficulty again: "Don't get it? Let me give you an example. You're competing in math with a top student—what chance do you have? Just challenge him to jump rope! Just jump rope! Sure win!"
Qiao Yi: "……Still thinking there's some strategy involved……"
Da Wang stroked his small chin, deep in thought; Bai Yang assumed he was pondering how to defeat the old Daoist in some aspect to win his heart and mind, so he heard Da Wang lament: "What is jump rope?" He didn't know either, yet felt oddly familiar.
The dog-headed military advisor nearly banged his head on the ground.
Qiao Yi, having watched enough of their sitcom, smiled and said casually: "What about your mist? Don't your people all regard it as a dragon? Dragon symbolizes the emperor—what other tactics do you need when you have a dragon!" That was enough.
Bai Yang: ……
Da Wang: ……
So……reasonable.
Da Wang drew a parallel: "Besides, I still have Bai Ze! Dong Fu has heard of Bai Ze—said Bai Ze is an auspicious beast that appears only in prosperous ages; Da Jin is in chaos like a pot of porridge, only I have Bai Ze—can that old Daoist grasp this logic?"
Bai Yang: "That's settled! You tell him about auspicious signs and portents!"
Da Wang made a plan: he would invite Zhang Tonghe and Qing Xu to the prince's mansion for a banquet, nominally to discuss Dao, but actually to debate the couplets outside the city gate.
The next morning at court, this guy used his headache as an excuse to take leave. After yesterday's state, today he couldn't just appear as if nothing happened—Da Wang was particular about his absenteeism. He went as usual to the Northern Great Camp to drill martial arts with the Eagle Riders, then returned to Sui Fu Dian to enjoy a splendid breakfast, the food quality markedly improved, leaving Da Wang utterly delighted.
Da Wang's absenteeism didn't mean he shirked everything; after the meal he summoned Zhu Ti, Zhang Tu, Zhao Chuan, and others to discuss affairs. The forty thousand troops stationed in Youzhou were Da Wang's top priority.
Having finished eating and lingered to chat, Wei Shen was summoned for discussion and grew puzzled; after a while he couldn't help but speak: "Your Highness? Are you listening? Chief Manager Zhu said southern grain now sells for 150 wen!" This price nearly made his jaw drop, while Da Wang sat there, corners of his mouth turning up as if pondering something—Wei Shen suspected the boy was dreaming of something pleasant, having missed the news entirely.
"Could you have secretly stockpiled a large amount of grain?" Wei Shen exclaimed delightedly.
"Ahem! Heard it, huh—our Northern Frontier autumn harvest still has hope, nothing to fear!"
Da Wang thought of something and ordered Zhu Ti: "We must keep Northern Frontier grain prices stable, cannot let them run wild. Also, has the Jin Dynasty currency been suspended for exchange everywhere?"
Receiving affirmation, he nodded: "Starting today, buy grain using household registers, limit purchases per person. Clans with many servants and retainers buying extra must be specially registered. We accept only silver and our own copper coins throughout the realm! I will not let unscrupulous merchants take advantage of me!" This was correct—most grain at Ping Liang Grain Shop came from Bai Yang's purchases, he took no profit, then southern merchants bought it cheaply to resell, making him and Bai Yang mere porters.
"If commoners can't get enough to eat in the south, welcome them to bring their whole families to the Northern Frontier—we have plenty of land!"
"Tsk! Still eyeing others' populations—this is resentment that Bai Jing's assassination attempts on you are too few."
Da Wang raised his neck: "When I strike back, I'll repay him fiercely—then he'll know my power!"
After drifting off-topic, they returned to grain; Zhu Ti brought several pages: "This is the plan for Yi Zhou City's five major farms—if you agree, we can mark them and break ground; before the freeze we might still harvest radishes and cabbages, perfect for giving Yi Zhou's refugees work and sustenance."
Da Wang flipped through and returned it: "If people are on this land, they must relocate per my Liangzhou relocation rules—never forcibly seize civilians' land. Let…Ge Zhong provide personnel to cooperate."
Zhu Ti's matter settled, Zhang Tu and Zhao Chuan reported recent military affairs; Da Wang's direct lineage was still manageable and honest, ate well and caused no trouble. Now enlisting in Youzhou is a top-tier opportunity—they have plenty of takers; Zhao Chuan said this year's military farms yield better than last year's, each striving harder, giving Da Wang ample satisfaction.
After the crowd dispersed, Da Wang still chatted with his cousin Xian Bai: "See? I've got people and grain under control—no need to listen to those old fogies' nagging~"
Wei Shen laughed: "Hope you're just as frank and open with Mr. Xie and Mr. Dong as you are here."
Da Wang slowly withdrew his half-stretched lazy waist, pulling out the homework he'd hired a gunner for: "What are you saying! I'm not that rebellious! Before I get past this by bluffing, I will obey and follow Mr. Xie's words."
Wei Shen: "……."
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And has nothing to do with this article.
Can be skipped.
【Tell me about the points that broke my defenses, Da Wang has over 1.1 million words, with over 20,000 readers daily, and my friend has 670,000 words, with 8,000 readers, and the daily income is roughly similar—does this make sense? Even if female-oriented stories with strong female leads are valuable, it shouldn't differ this much, it's really discouraging, I analyzed the reasons and it's you all.
Are you guys skimming through? Don't! You're ruining the retention rate data, s I'll show you!】
End of Chapter
