Ch 98: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

After sending off Emperor Yi and his wife, Jiang Lin asked, “Where’s Xiao Zong?”

He hadn’t seen him during the meal.

Qingluo replied, “Brother Xiao Zong sneaked off right after he finished tending the fire. He seemed to be up to something important.”

“Something important?” Jiang Lin was surprised. Zong Yu, with something important to do?

He felt a bit worried. Zong Yu was already a reckless character, and now, with his memory lost, Jiang Lin was concerned he might indeed stir up some “big trouble.”

Using the soulmate bond between them, Jiang Lin tracked him down and found that Zong Yu had already left Zhaoge. He was currently in…

Jiang Lin’s eyes narrowed: Xiqi?

What was Zong Yu doing in Xiqi?

(T/N: Xiqi was the capital of the Zhou tribe before they overthrew the Shang Dynasty to establish the Zhou Dynasty)

Soon enough, Zong Yu provided the answer.

He didn’t stay in Xiqi long, lingering for less than an hour before he returned to Zhaoge by crossing through the void.

Back at the mansion, Zong Yu glanced around, happy to see that the annoying A Shou wasn’t there. “Did A Shou get taken back by his parents?”

He didn’t bother hiding his dislike for A Shou in the slightest.

Jiang Lin nodded and then asked, “Where did you just go?”

Hearing this, Zong Yu’s face showed a bit of pride. “I went to find a birthday present for you.”

“Birthday?” Jiang Lin was taken aback.

Qingluo and the others were also surprised.

It had been a long, long time since Jiang Lin had celebrated his birthday.

Of course, he had a birthday, but after dying in the apocalypse and starting to travel through these mythological stories on missions, even his body wasn’t his own anymore. What was the point of celebrating a birthday?

Growing sweet potatoes had been his plan for some time, and he had anticipated that Emperor Yi would give A. Shou a grand birthday celebration. That was all within his expectations.

So Jiang Lin had prepared everything well in advance, mentioning offhand that this was his birthday gift to A Shou.

On that day, Zong Yu had casually asked when Jiang Lin’s birthday was.

Jiang Lin had been caught off guard by the question and had to think for a while before he could recall the long-forgotten date, the birthday from when he was still human.

It wasn’t far off from A Shou’s birthday.

This brief exchange had quickly been forgotten by Jiang Lin himself. Who would have thought that Zong Yu would remember and even prepare a gift for him?

Jiang Lin felt a wave of warmth in his heart. “Thank you, Xiao Zong.”

Zong Yu lifted his head proudly and huffed, “Now you know who really cares about you, right?”

He took the opportunity to throw in some shade, “What’s so great about that little brat A Shou? He just clings to you for benefits. I’m different—I only want to treat you well.”

Huaiyin, standing nearby, thought that at this moment, Lord Xiao Zong looked just like a scheming consort vying for favor.

The imposing image of the great demon she had in her mind was already shattered into pieces.

Jiang Lin also found it amusing. He asked, “So what gift did you prepare for me?”

Zong Yu replied, “Of course, you can only get it on your birthday!”

He had originally planned to give Jiang Lin a surprise on his birthday, but as a child eager to boast, he couldn’t wait to let Jiang Lin know.

He couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Alright,” Jiang Lin said, a hint of anticipation in his voice. “I’ll wait until my birthday then.”

In the afternoon, Emperor Yi arranged for a carriage to pick up Jiang Lin.

Huaiyin and the others were reluctant to enter the palace, but Zong Yu wasn’t afraid of the emperor’s aura and insisted on accompanying Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin said, “You can come with me, but you need to hide your horns.”

Xiao Zong shook his head, clearly unwilling.

His horns were so beautiful!

Jiang Lin said, “If you don’t hide them and end up startling others, I won’t take you along.”

Zong Yu thought to himself that he could go on his own if needed, but he still cast a concealing spell on himself. “Now, mortals won’t be able to see my horns.”

Jiang Lin didn’t say much more; as long as it didn’t alarm the mortals, it was fine.

The carriage entered the palace at dusk.

The place where Emperor Yi held the banquet was called Yuntai. Jiang Lin was guided by the palace servants to a seat very close to the throne, one reserved for high-ranking nobles and ministers. Many officials glanced at him curiously. They found him unfamiliar, but his bearing and demeanor were so extraordinary that no one dared to underestimate him.

Zong Yu, on the other hand, was different. In the guise of a six or seven-year-old child, he was directly taken by the palace servants to another hall, where the sons of the royal family and noble houses were gathered.

Zong Yu: “…”

He was annoyed.

Since no one knew him, Zong Yu simply cast another spell, creating a shell of himself to sit there while he concealed his true form and went off to observe.

He saw Jiang Lin surrounded by many people, like stars encircling the moon.

Jiang Lin didn’t enjoy these superficial conversations and probing questions. With a thought, those who approached him felt a gentle breeze against their faces, but found they could no longer move forward.

They were alarmed, realizing that this man was no ordinary person but a master of extraordinary skills.

Since Jiang Lin showed no interest, they didn’t press the issue. Moreover, it was customary for the emperor not to employ such skilled practitioners as officials.

But they couldn’t help but wonder what unique abilities this person had to be seated in such a high position.

Soon, Emperor Yi and his wife arrived with A Shou.

The ministers all rose to pay their respects.

A Shou immediately spotted Jiang Lin.

Though he was young and understood that this was a very formal occasion, he was still overjoyed to see someone familiar. He loudly called out, “Sir!”

At that moment, the Yuntai was very quiet, making the little prince’s shout especially conspicuous.

The ministers all turned to look in the direction of the young prince’s gaze—

It was that mysterious stranger!

A Shou didn’t just call out to him; he even wanted to run over.

But he suddenly heard the voice of his teacher in his ear: “A Shou, today is a very important day, and everyone is watching you. Stay by your father’s side and behave with composure.”

A Shou looked at Jiang Lin with some confusion, but seeing Jiang Lin smile at him, he blinked and obediently stopped himself from taking another step.

Emperor Yi and his wife sat at the head table, with A Shou, being so young, sitting right next to Emperor Yi.

The atmosphere of the banquet was very relaxed, and the ministers appeared at ease.

Just as the dance performance ended, Emperor Yi waved the dancers away and clapped his hands.

Palace servants entered in a line, each carrying a ceramic vessel, placing them before the ministers.

Emperor Yi spoke, “Today is A Shou’s birthday. As his father, I have not yet presented my gift, but instead, A Shou has given a great gift to our Shang.”

He was the first to lift the lid of the vessel in front of him, revealing the food inside. “Everyone, please eat.”

“This is called a sweet potato,” Emperor Yi said proudly, “It is delicious and can satisfy hunger. It was discovered by A Shou, and these were personally grown by him.”

The sweet potatoes in the vessels were steamed, and after tasting them, the ministers praised them highly.

A few senior ministers raised questions: “Is it possible to grow these sweet potatoes in large quantities?”

This was exactly what Emperor Yi had been waiting for.

He glanced at Jiang Lin, his voice barely concealing his excitement. “Sweet potatoes can be grown in large quantities, are easy to cultivate, and their yield can reach a hundred times that of rice!”

A hundred times that of rice!

This statement caused even the most composed ministers to lose their cool:

“Is the king’s word true?”

“If it is indeed so, it would be a great blessing for our Shang!”

“Such a miraculous food exists!”

“…”

Jiang Lin watched the reactions of the ministers, not surprised at all.

In the ancient agricultural society of Shang, “eating” was the most important matter for the survival of ordinary people. For the vast majority of commoners, simply “filling one’s stomach” was a luxury. As for slaves, hunger was a constant companion.

In later generations, a simple sweet potato could solve the survival problem for millions of people here. The ministers, now staring at the sweet potatoes in the ceramic vessels, had eyes that shone as if they were gazing at a peerless beauty.

Emperor Yi patiently waited for the ministers to calm down before announcing another major decision. He had chosen six teachers for Prince Shou in one go!

This decision left the ministers stunned. Now, all the ministers understood that the young prince was the future king, and the teachers selected for him by the king would be his imperial tutors.

Everyone understood that the king had to be exceptionally strict with the crown prince… but this was too strict! Prince Shou was only three years old!

Many ministers turned their gaze towards the young prince. Prince Shou, unaware of his future fate, straightened his back as Jiang Lin had instructed him and gave everyone a smile.

Such an obedient child.

The ministers couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. However, the prince was the king’s son, the future ruler of Shang. With the king issuing this decree and even the queen not objecting, there was little room for dissent.

The only objection came from Bi Gan, Emperor Yi’s close brother, who questioned, “My brother, the royal family of Shang cannot learn the mystical arts. What will this Mr. Jiang teach Prince Shou?”

Emperor Yi had anticipated this question. Instead of answering, he turned to Jiang Lin and said, “Perhaps it would be best for Mr. Jiang to answer this question himself.”

All eyes in the court turned to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin calmly replied, “I don’t have much in the way of grand abilities, but I do know how to farm.”

“I will teach the young prince to recognize various plants and how to cultivate the land.”

The ministers were taken aback: ???

They looked at Jiang Lin’s ethereal, almost divine face, speaking the most down-to-earth words—farming?

No one could reconcile these words with the person before them.

But as soon as A Shou heard something familiar, he clapped his hands excitedly, “Farming! A Shou likes it!”

The ministers: “…”

Bi Gan hesitated, “But farming…”

He found it hard to imagine that the future king would have a teacher specifically for farming; it sounded utterly unbelievable.

Emperor Yi, holding back a smile, finally spoke after enjoying the ministers’ bewilderment for a while, “Agriculture is the foundation of the nation. AnShou was able to discover sweet potatoes thanks to the teachings of Mr. Jiang.”

Ah, so that’s it!

The ministers suddenly realized the significance. They now looked at Jiang Lin with newfound admiration and reverence.

Farming? So be it! If it led to the discovery of a miraculous crop like sweet potatoes, what did it matter if the young prince enjoyed farming? If he wanted to plant crops all over the palace, let him be!

Emperor Yi was a man of swift action. He had the minister in charge of agriculture designate a large plot of land solely for growing sweet potatoes. They summarized the growing conditions favorable for sweet potatoes, and when the harvest came, the minister reported the yield with a trembling voice.

Finally, Emperor Yi felt a sense of security.

“Send out the order to distribute sweet potato seeds to all regions and ensure they are planted in every possible plot of land!”