Chapter 56

Many vacant lands on the grassland have been planted with black feather vegetable.

Now Shixu Chanyu and the Great Prince find the black feather vegetable not ugly at all; as long as it's edible, even if it's a garish, strange color, they find it extremely lovely.

Gradually, fewer Hu people came to see the master for hemorrhoids; if they were really constipated, they would eat black feather vegetable every day, and after a few days they'd be regular. If their livestock were constipated, they would feed them raw, and once the livestock were regular, they would feed them cooked.

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"These black feather vegetables grow really fast; we can harvest a batch in just a few days. Whenever I think that in winter the cattle and sheep won't starve to death, I feel very happy."

Hu people who benefited from the master again sent precious items from their homes to Jiang He to show their gratitude.

Especially the Chanyu, he sent especially many things: not only gold and silver, but also wheat, rice, and millet that the Hu people were reluctant to eat, as well as sugar, salt, iron pots, etc.; many of these precious items, on the grassland, are not necessarily something even nobles would bear to eat.

Jiang He naturally felt grateful, but he said he had no time to thank the Chanyu, because he needed to plant oats.

Now Shixu Chanyu harbors a vigorous curiosity about everything concerning Master Xuanji; he always feels this monk is not an ordinary monk, perhaps truly a living Buddha sent down from heaven to save the grassland, because each of his measures benefits the grassland.

How stupid would the Great Qing have to be to dispatch such a formidable person to the grasslands as a spy? Aren't they afraid of sending a meat bun to beat a dog, never to return?

When Shixu Chanyu arrived, he saw several Hu people on the open grassland, heads bowed, planting oats together with Master Xuanji.

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Which of the grassland's people does not envy the Central Plains folk? The Central Plains can grow wheat and rice, while the grassland's Hu people can only settle where water is; if they raise too many cattle and sheep, the surrounding grass gets eaten bare, forcing them to migrate deeper into the grassland, competing with the wolves that live there for territory.

The grassland peoples fear drought more than the Central Plains peoples, because drought turns the grassland nibbled bare by cattle and sheep into desert, where no grass grows, making it impossible to raise livestock; in the end they have nothing to eat or drink, and can only think of ways to go to the Central Plains to loot.

The Central Plains is vast and rich in resources; with so much land, if it all became grassland, how many cattle and sheep could they raise!

At this moment, Jiang He straightened his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The grassland sun is fierce; by rights the master should be as dark as lacquer from the sun like the grassland people, but the master, worthy of being the golden child seated beneath a Bodhisattva, remains fair-skinned and beautiful, standing there as if glowing, forever the focus of the crowd.

Jiang He explained: "The wheat I plant is different; it only needs a little water to suffice, less than what the grass on the grassland requires."

This is a variety he specially selected; the Dog System at the time was still laughing hehe, not knowing where to hide to count as a kickback.

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The Chanyu, stroking his big beard thoughtfully, secretly decided to have the warriors of his tribe protect the master well.

If what he says is true, then this monk is truly too important to the grassland, more important than the dozens or hundreds of Great Qing officials who have defected to the grassland.

Thus the Chanyu, thick-skinned, took gems and gold as incense money, and listened to the monk chanting sutras in the temple made from tents.

He naturally had no interest in chanting sutras; he was only interested in the knowledge the monk brought, such as planting wheat on the grassland and so on.

Of course, now there's one more thing—the monk's delicious food.

The Chanyu, who always loved meat, first discovered that vegetarian food tastes this good; the master said it's called vegetarian meat, made from processed tofu, and it's clearly even tastier than meat.

Most importantly, this meat is vegetarian, so eating it won't cause constipation!

Even with the master's generous gift of recipes, the Chanyu still doesn't like wild vegetables, thinking that eating grass is for livestock; how could eating grass give one the strength to ride a horse? Black feather grass is also eaten only to avoid constipation.

But after a while, the Hu people of the grassland also gradually came to enjoy listening to Master Xuanji's sutra lectures; they can treat those karmic-retribution scriptures as stories, because when the scriptures near their end, the master always shares knowledge on how to treat minor ailments, and even shows samples of medicinal herbs for everyone to identify.

Many Hu people suddenly realized, these medicinal herbs are very familiar to them, because they grow on the grassland.

"This grass that looks like a worm, who would have thought it has so many functions."

"The master said this grass can cure diarrhea; I never even glanced at it normally."

The master sat to the side, smiling; he asked them to go gather medicinal herbs when they have time, and he would pay to buy them.

After all, the Chanyu is truly generous, giving plenty of incense money; he is now not short of money!

Upon hearing this, the impoverished Hu people became even more diligent in identifying medicinal herbs, looking for them while herding cattle and sheep, achieving two goals at once!

Now the most popular thing on the grassland is listening to the master lecture on sutras.

Sometimes the Chanyu's ministers also come to listen to the master lecture on sutras; seeing the crowded tents, they feel they should build the monk a larger canopy, anyway the Chanyu probably wouldn't mind if the master's temple were larger than his royal tent.

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With the Chanyu's tacit approval, the first temple on the grassland was established.

Jiang He is now feeling excited; after being in this time-space for so long, he finally has the feeling of a holy monk.

Now he can hold scriptures in his left hand and a wooden fish in his right; unlike before, when he held silver needles in his left hand and medical texts in his right, even wearing monk's robes, people would still call him a doctor outright!

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Host, when you say this, couldn't you glance at the medicinal herbs piled up behind you filling the whole room?

Besides, you're currently providing the Hu people with medical treatment, prescribing medicine, and charging—a one-stop service; you might as well switch your monk's robe for a white coat sooner!

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Summer has finally arrived; there is more game on the grassland, and today she actually hunted a wild goat; she used to dislike the strong smell of wild goats, which are even stronger than domestic sheep, but her brother will prepare the wild goat deliciously.

As she approached her family's yurt, Sang Ya saw the clan chief coming out of her house; curious neighbors peeked around, wanting to know what had happened, but seeing her father's dark face, they withdrew again.

Sang Ya's heart tightened, and she hurried inside.

"Father, Mother, why would the clan chief come to our home?" Sang Ya asked anxiously.

How could her father's complexion be so awful? Could it be that war is about to break out again, and her father was conscripted?

Sometimes the Chanyu's ministers also come to listen to the master lecture on sutras; seeing the crowded tents, they feel they should build the monk a larger canopy, anyway the Chanyu probably wouldn't mind if the master's temple were larger than his royal tent.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, turn off ad-blocking, and exit browser reading mode.

With the Chanyu's tacit approval, the first temple on the grassland was established.

Jiang He is now feeling excited; after being in this time-space for so long, he finally feels like a holy monk.

Now he can hold scriptures in his left hand and a wooden fish in his right; unlike before, when he held silver needles in his left hand and medical texts in his right, even wearing monk's robes, people would still call him a doctor outright!

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, turn off ad-blocking, and exit browser reading mode.

Host, when you say this, couldn't you glance at the medicinal herbs piled up behind you filling the whole room?

Besides, you're currently providing the Hu people with medical treatment, prescribing medicine, and charging—a one-stop service; you might as well switch your monk's robe for a white coat sooner!

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, turn off ad-blocking, and exit browser reading mode.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, turn off ad-blocking, and exit browser reading mode.

Summer has finally arrived; there is more game on the grassland, and today she actually hunted a wild goat; she used to dislike the strong smell of wild goats, which are even stronger than domestic sheep, but her brother will prepare the wild goat deliciously.

As she approached her family's yurt, Sang Ya saw the clan chief coming out of her house; curious neighbors peeked around, wanting to know what had happened, but seeing her father's dark face, they withdrew again.

Sang Ya's heart tightened, and she hurried inside.

"Father, Mother, why would the clan chief come to our home?" Sang Ya asked anxiously.

How could her father's complexion be so awful? Could it be that war is about to break out again, and her father was conscripted?

But her father's leg is broken now—he can't go to the battlefield, right? Or has the steppe become so short‑handed that even people with lame legs are being forced to fight?

Just as Sang Ya was lost in thought, Sang Ya's mother came over, wiping her eyes, and said, "Sang Ya, your father's leg can be saved."

Sang Ya couldn't help but rejoice: "This is good news! Is he the divine doctor master of the Jiri tribe? I was just about to take Father to see his leg, and I heard the master cured someone with the same leg injury as Father."

"Yes, this is good news," Sang Ya's mother murmured, her eyes reddening again.

Sang Ya was puzzled: "Mother, why are you crying? Is the divine doctor's fee high?" She quickly comforted her: "Mother, don't worry, I asked around—the master is of noble character; he has come to our grassland to plant black feather grass and taught us to grow oatmeal. People say if the oatmeal grows, we'll have food to eat, just like last year, so we won't have to abandon the elderly when many cattle and sheep die."

Last year, many old people, starved to skin and bone, had to leave their families and head deep into the grassland; when they heard wolves howling at night, she cried until her eyes turned red.

Those old people became food for the wolf pack; this is the grassland's choice.

When the elderly left, food could be spared for the young and strong; with food, the wolves would not attack the tribe, and both sides could preserve their vitality.

Later, as the grassland drought continued and tribes had fewer elderly, women who had lost their reproductive ability also began to head deep into the grassland.

Sang Ya's neighbor Aunt Ji had borne six children and ten grandchildren; she was always busy with the kids, never getting a moment's rest, never having rested, she had worked hard all her life, but her end was to be devoured by wolves.

At that time Batu clung tightly to his parents, tears streaming down his face from fear, saying he could not understand such a thing.

If this were in the Central Plains, the younger generation would rather starve to death than let the elders die.

But Aunt Ji's husband resolutely let his wife go to death; Batu, crying, asked, "Is it because Aunt Ji is a person from the Central Plains?"

On the grassland women are scarce, so the Hu people abduct Central Plains women to become wives or concubines, to bear children and manage households; moreover, their numbers are not small—among the Hu, thirty percent of men have wives or concubines from the Central Plains.

Many Central Plains women live poorly in Hu lands, suffering discrimination.

Sang Ya's mother was also crying; she, too, was a Central Plains woman, but unlike most who could only become concubines, she was Sang Ya's father's lawfully wedded wife. Sang Ya's father earnestly promised his wife and son that he would never do such a thing—he would rather feed the wolves himself than cast his wife out.

"Since the Snake Immortal is a marquis, high in rank and powerful…" the emperor said somewhat guiltily, uttering the four words "high rank and power." The great white snake, not understanding what power is, took pride in its golden badge, and said, "If that is the case, then, beloved officials, let Feng Ming acknowledge the Snake Immortal as his adoptive father—what's wrong with that?"

If you acknowledge Xiao Bai as your father, then after this, should she also be acknowledged? Isn't that putting her on the fire to roast?

After learning of her brother's maneuver, the empress was completely bewildered, and in her daily thoughts she wanted to beat her brother.

When they managed to grow the black feather grass, Sang Ya, who had read books with her mother, thought, "With this miraculous grass, the grassland will no longer have such cruel rules."

The emperor's face was stern, but in fact he wasn't listening to them at all; he was daydreaming.

They had never revealed this matter before, just waiting for a suitable opportunity to speak of it.

"Wasn't there earlier news that a servant of the Zhenbei General's Manor was frightened by the great white snake late at night?" the empress snorted, "That was Xiao Bai hearing that children who kick off their blankets while sleeping will get sick, so it went specially to Ah Ming's residence at night to cover him with a blanket…"

Oh dear, his little crown prince can already roll over! How adorable! Whenever he can't roll over, he fixes his big, watery eyes on me; if I ignore him, the baby will anxiously pat me, his father the emperor, with his chubby little hands.

So, what kind of complicated familial relationship is this?

How could this whole chicken and duck compare to the delicious dishes painstakingly prepared by the imperial chefs? Yet Feng Ming would rather compete with the great white snake for food.

"The Zhenbei General actually acknowledges a snake as his father, violating human ethics! For a general of a nation to behave this way, where does he place the court's dignity?"

Lately she has been troubled by her brother's impeachment, and besides, the little crown prince is very young and clingy, so she has had no time to pay attention to the news of the Qingyuan Marquis's manor.

The emperor emphasized the word "coincidence," and the empress immediately understood—it must have been the palace intrigue talents they sent over who fabricated this "coincidence."

"Son, your little uncle is truly outrageous." The empress wiped her son's drool, her face full of resignation, "When you grow up, never learn from your uncle; if he wants to acknowledge Xiao Bai as his father, let him do so—acknowledging him privately would be enough, yet he dares to call him 'dad' openly in public… the censors would be remiss not to seize the chance to denounce him."

The censors nearly fainted from anger.

Such selfish, self-interested people, when things go smoothly, do not feel they are at fault; even now Jiang Qiming, knowing the truth, feels no pain or itch, after all, the knife is not cutting his own flesh.

Feng Ming sat beside the great white snake, gnawing on the chicken leg it had given him, oil dripping from his mouth, eating with relish.

And Jiang Qiming also doesn't know how he raised his children—each turned into an enemy; Master Xuanji's case is understandable, but Jiang Xiao, whom Jiang Qiming pampered and doted on as he grew up, is equally unfilial.

Although this snake does not understand how humans act as fathers, it simply follows its own understanding, caring for the young one's eating and sleeping.

The emperor, unaware of the inner-court intrigues that the empress knows, asked, "Ah Zhi, shouldn't we reveal that the Daoist is being framed by the Wan clan?"

After enjoying family time with his son, the emperor said, "Have Ah Ming and Xiao Bai come back to eat."

Feng Ming has a host of ailments that have long annoyed many censors; previously the emperor always protected him, leaving the censors powerless, but this time they have resolved not to let it end like this—they must have the emperor punish him severely.

"Jiang Qiming just happened to overhear the Wan clan and her son Jiang Xiao privately cursing his death, so that Jiang Xiao could quickly inherit the title."

Speaking of which, the younger brother-in-law is not old—about the same age as his children.

Sang Ya's mother could no longer hold back and burst into tears with a wail.

Saying this, the empress's face showed contempt: "Even a snake as a father is better than my concubine's father."

At this moment the censors were impeaching Feng Ming, their tone fierce, listing countless charges, one of which resonated with many.

The civil officials spoke heatedly, while the military generals merely sat on the sidelines watching.

Not just one censor, but several became worked up, seizing on Feng Ming to denounce him.

Fortunately the great white snake is innocent and pure; it regards Feng Ming as its son, never thinking of acknowledging the empress as a daughter, and its attitude toward her remains unchanged. In her presence, it curls itself up, head lowered, tail pointing at its belly, hissing, telling the empress it is hungry and wants to eat.

The empress chuckled lightly, "Not yet the time! When Jiang Qiming's relatives all abandon him, when he is isolated and opposed, then he will reflect."

"Jiang Qiming and the Wan clan came to blows on the spot, but Jiang Xiao surely stood with his mother, rushed over to help, and as a result Jiang Qiming was knocked unconscious." Saying this, the emperor couldn't help but shake his head.

Therefore she now cannot understand why her father's leg can be saved, while her parents are not happy at all.

The emperor, empress, and their little prince's table manners are excellent; aside from the little crown prince, who cannot feed himself and drools a bit, even compared to the shapeless great white snake lying on the ground and Feng Ming, the little prince can be said to have impeccable deportment.

But soon Sang Ya drew the whip from her waist, murderous aura rising, and demanded, "Who dares to compete with us for Batu?!"

Hearing those words, Sang Ya felt as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky, her whole body freezing in place.

It wasn't out of kindness, but rather to inflict a heavy blow on Jiang Qiming so he could experience the despair Master Xuanji felt back then.

Like many Hu people, she especially venerates Master Xuanji and hopes to have time to take her father to see him…

The empress couldn't help but wonder: the Snake Immortal regards her brother as a son, buying him food—could it be seeing her as a mother and coming to her for food?

She embraced her daughter and wept, "Sang Ya, your brother's biological father has come looking for him—from now on he will no longer be your brother, nor my son."

What can the great white snake do? Having acknowledged the young one as its offspring, it can only raise it itself; it flicks its tail, knocking a chicken leg down, which falls onto the white jade plate, and its tail pushes it toward Feng Ming.

Feng Ming rarely gets to dine with the emperor and empress and the little prince, and he feels a little excited.

But the great white snake mistakenly thought he liked legs, so it slapped down duck and goose legs alike; soon the white jade plate was filled with chicken, duck, and goose legs.

"The elders yield their chance of survival to the young…" Sang Ya's father sighed, "That is the rule of survival and reproduction on the grassland."

The little prince, held in the empress's arms, stared with big eyes like black grapes, unblinking, stretching out his chubby hands and babbling "ah-ah" in infantile speech no one could understand.

The court assembly's matters did not affect Fengming and the Great White Snake.

The Empress finally took an interest, "Your Majesty, what's going on?"

Seeing that the time was about up, the Empress held her son who had finished his outing and went back to eat lunch.

Waiting for the censor to finally finish venting, the emperor impatiently said, "Little White... the Great White Snake was granted a title by me for his merits; if you can find a few traffickers and rescue over a hundred children, having saved the Empress several times, I will also grant you marquises, with treatment equal to that of the Great White Snake."

"Is this what they call father-son resemblance?" the emperor said, utterly speechless.

The Empress specially had people cook many dishes he loved, but it seemed he was more interested in eating the Great White Snake's roasted chicken, stewed duck, and roasted goose.

The Empress, however, siged, feeling somewhat down: "In the past, during holidays, the whole family would eat together; the chicken, duck, and goose legs on the table, my father would have them distributed to the children born of the stepmother, and if there were any left, he would eat them myself… At that time, Fengming would always show a sad expression; even if I later gave him more chicken and duck legs, he would not be happy… To him, those chicken, duck, and goose legs represented his father's favoritism."

Daqing, the capital.

"Azhi."

He looked extremely excited, so moved that his mouth was drooling.

If it were an ordinary person, the emperor would naturally not be so meticulous, just acting directly; Master Xuanji is a benefactor to the couple, and each time he sees the chubby little prince, the emperor feels deeply grateful and always wants to do something for the master.

It's over; it seems not only the brother-in-law wants to acknowledge the snake as his father, but the Empress also seems to want to.

Those Central Plains women were abducted, with no natal families to back them up, so they were the first to be sacrificed; but if the situation became too severe, even the Hu people would be sacrificed just the same.

The emperor was quite impatient; rather than listening to their repetitive talk here, he would rather go back to accompany his crown prince.

Taking a marquis as an adoptive father is certainly no problem; the issue is whether Fengming is acknowledging a person—he is acknowledging a snake!

Today is the grand court assembly; the emperor sits expressionlessly above.

They can quite understand the Zhenbei General, but they also don't want to get involved in these matters.

The emperor couldn't care less about them; he forcefully made a decision on this matter, then patted his butt and ran off to the Hougong. His little prince greatly liked him as his father; at lunchtime, if he couldn't see him, he would sway his head and shake his body, constantly searching, his heart about to melt—how could he bear to let the little prince go without eating just to look for him?

Unlike military officers and those meticulous civil officials, they stake their necks on battlefield merits; seeing a twelve-year-old child forced onto the battlefield, over the years who hasn't cursed the Pingyuan Marquis as dogshit?

"It's just interests moving hearts." The Empress said indifferently, "If his father falls, he becomes a marquis; the Wan clan is profit-driven, so naturally they wouldn't raise a child valuing familial affection. It seems the Qingyuan Marquis household will soon scatter—wife departing, heartless children—Jiang Qiming will soon discover that his wife and children are unreliable."

Hearing this, the officials couldn't help but fall silent.

In the Yuhuayuan, Fengming and the Great White Snake walked the wolf dogs together; the Wolf General ran ahead, the Great White Snake chased behind, Fengming spread his legs and followed at the rear; in the distance were the eunuchs and palace maids watching the spectacle, the Yuhuayuan was bustling beyond compare.

The Great White Snake's only title reads "Marquis of Cheng'en"; the emperor grants him a hundred chickens, ducks, and geese each month, with no residence or silver—such a laughable marquis, speaking of it would die laughing. If there truly were a marquis who got nothing more than a hundred chickens, ducks, and geese each month, Daqing would be ashamed to have such a marquis.

Fortunately, the consorts in the Huangong have all left the palace to pursue their careers, leaving few masters there, so Fengming dares to act wildly; otherwise, just the Great White Snake alone would be enough to frighten those consorts.

The emperor strode into the hall with dragon-like vigor and tiger-like steps, first presenting his face to his son, letting the son wash his face with his own saliva, then washing his hands and wiping his face, preparing to eat lunch.

The emperor's face suddenly stiffened.

Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but feel pity for his brother-in-law again.

He quickly changed the subject: "Azhi, do you know? The Qingyuan Marquis household is currently in an uproar—Jiang Qiming and his stepwife Wan clan have fallen out."

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