Chapter 579: I Hoard Guns

Everyone was completely bewildered, not knowing what the golden-furred creature had come over for, and in the next instant a miracle occurred.

The ice lump that had just been extremely hard instantly split apart and exploded.

The ice blocks shattered and exploded; Zhang Jing and Wei Kai beside them had no time to react, only managing to cover their heads before being struck by arrow-like ice shards, eliciting loud wails, even louder than the xiao's earlier roar……

Those who could see clearly from afar were already dumbfounded—how was this done? They hadn't even heard the xiao's snort when they saw the golden-furred creature leap down; the hard ice that showed no sign of melting even in the summer night exploded.

This scene and the Covering-the-Sky instant freeze of Du Weiyue are listed together as the foremost of Chang'an's ten great unsolved mysteries.

The enforcer Xiao Jin, having finished his work, arrogantly bounced back onto the platform where the Great King sat, looking down with utter contempt at the startled humans below. What good is a loud voice? It's useless except for making noise—it has no attack power at all!

The Great King stifled a yawn, covering his mouth; getting some grain from these people is really a hassle! Even when it's time for the kids to sleep, they're still wrangling.

The Great King wanted to leave, so he decided to speed up.

He said expressionlessly: "I heard the Imperial Uncle deceived This King about the grain for the negotiations—it was supposedly supplied by the aristocrats and wealthy merchants of Chang'an City? This King has recently looked into it thoroughly. You lot can be generous to the rebel king, but you surely won't stand by and do nothing for the Imperial Guard defending Chang'an, right? Let's hurry up."

Everyone: …… wanted to smash the cup, but didn't dare. The lesson from Du Gong's recent removal was right before their eyes.

The Marquis of Dongdu lowered his head and began sipping tea; Baili Jiefai Jing—he complained that the speed of pulling out money was too slow.

The Great King had said all that was needed; he plainly told everyone, "This King knows about all your legal dealings with Bai Li Jun, both above board and under the table. No matter how much grain you have left, what you produce now must be more than what you gave Bai Li Jun."

The officials who knew the details were even more speechless: "Didn't those last bits Bai Li Jun seized also end up in your hands? The most speechless part is that you didn't withdraw your troops either! At the time, the Great King claimed Bai Li Jun lacked sincerity because the amount wasn't enough, and his advance on Chang'an never stopped for a moment."

Anyway, they've already reached under the Great King's eaves; the grain shortage is likely real, and desperate Bai Li Jing might do who knows what. The aristocrats and wealthy merchants are also relieved—Bai Li Jing's strong troops can now securely hold Chang'an, keeping it free of war, making them safer too; that's a good thing.

For families with resources, sacrificing some grain to preserve life is already the best strategy. Everyone reported contributions of ten or twenty thousand stone; if someone stingy reported too little, the Great King would stop eating melon seeds, glance over, and the Divine Terrace would fall silent instantly—those aristocrats, feeling weak-kneed under his gaze, would think of the Covering-the-Sky behind his throne and immediately add another ten thousand.

The Great King felt he had already been quite humane; afterward Bai Yang asked him where exactly that showed.

He said: "Look at Wei Kai—he just donated silver, and this time, when donating grain, the Wei Clan reported only ten thousand, so This King didn't press him hard~"

Bai Yang: "…Then the Wei Clan should be grateful that you showed mercy and didn't uproot them completely. Ten thousand stone converts to several hundred thousand catties here, which is not a small amount."

The Great King immediately gave him a rundown: in the era when aristocratic clans ran rampant, the aristocrats were incredibly rich—saying they had seized eighty percent of the world's wealth is not an exaggeration.

"It's good that they're pretentiously refined, loving elegance and enjoyment—every day they're either engaged in idle chatter or busy attending all sorts of banquets; if they favored martial prowess and loved fighting, the cost for This King to unify the world would be enormous!"

Bai Yang: ……

This is just the real-life version of 'neighbors hoard grain, I hoard guns'!