Chapter 435
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Excellency, I have heard that a distant ancestor of the Yu family discovered a rich mine, but when I inquired about this matter, the descendants of the Yu family flatly denied it."
He cautiously glanced at Yue Fuguang's expression before continuing, "In my humble opinion, they did not appear to be lying.
Thus, I am currently uncertain about the truth of the rumor."
[If you’re uncertain, just keep asking. Although the eldest Yu doesn’t know the exact location of the mine, he still knows that his ancestors had a mine.
Besides, the Yu family hasn’t been idle over the years. How do you think that iron mine was discovered? It was found by accident while the Yus were searching for mines using their ancestors’ work notes!]
Yue Fuguang suddenly understood. So that was how it happened. She said to him, "That iron mine was bought by the Yu family the year before last. What a coincidence—buying the mountain one day and finding the iron mine the next!"
It turned out they had seen the egg first before buying the chicken.
"So, where is this rich mine located, and what type of mineral is it?" she said.
The others heard the topic finally come back around and silently breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.
[Master, you absolutely won’t believe this, but the mine is located in Xinzhou, just below Yingzhou. Two of the deposits are hidden in the Helian Mountains. We’ll pass by that area in a few days if we keep traveling.
As for the mineral, the main one is a silver mine, and next to it is a modest gold mine. Gold and silver together are indeed considered a rich mine for mortals!]
The others silently nodded in their hearts. A gold and silver mine—even if the reserves were modest, it could still be counted as a rich mine.
[Master, how do you plan to tell the Emperor and the others? Or are you just going to pretend this never happened?]
Everyone’s hearts sank. If the Junior Preceptor didn’t intend to tell His Majesty the truth, even if they had the skill to find the location, given the current attitude of the Great Yan court, no one would dare to mine it.
They had lacked the nerve before, and now, with the Divine Maiden who could alleviate the drought, who would dare to defy her wishes?
Even if the Emperor harbored such an intention, Feng Tang rubbed his bare arms and thought—let’s see how the Censorate would tear into His Majesty!
As for Wei Shouyi, though a military man, Mingxi Emperor and Huo Ying trusted him to accompany Yue Fuguang as a guard precisely because he was a man of rough edges yet careful.
Thus, he couldn’t help but think more deeply. They had been out for nearly a month, and news of the localized heavy rainfall in Great Yan had already reached their neighboring countries.
Just now, he had received a message from Zheng Zicheng: several countries had sent many people to infiltrate Great Yan. Because of the Divine Maiden’s rain-making, even their long-planted, dormant spies throughout Great Yan had been activated.
Their goal was simple—invite the Divine Maiden to their own countries!
Right now, the Junior Preceptor was like a piping hot, fragrant pastry. Great Yan couldn’t do enough to honor her, so who would dare to cross her at this time?
Yue Fuguang didn’t know the myriad thoughts running through their minds, but she could roughly guess what they were thinking. She said casually, "When we get there, I’ll see how things are. The Emperor has plenty of money now anyway. Telling him a day earlier or later won’t make a difference."
So she intended to tell them, just not immediately. The others felt a bit more at ease.
The afternoon passed leisurely for Yue Fuguang. After the entire Ouyang clan, over a hundred people, were arrested, she ordered Shen Jian to have them, along with Hao Ren and others, escorted back to the capital for trial.
Sun Tongzhi’s prison cart naturally accompanied them.
When they set off the next day, Yue Fuguang was surprised to see Cao Xiwang and his son among the crowd, silently kowtowing to see her off.
She had thought that Cao Xiwang, after learning of his eldest son’s rescue the day before, had returned to Pinglang County that same day.
"We respectfully bid farewell to the Divine Maiden!"
"We respectfully bid farewell to the Divine Maiden!"
Yue Fuguang once again looked towards the people of Yingchuan City. Regardless of age or gender, they were burning incense and kowtowing to send her off. The feeling of her scalp tingling had faded.
But if anyone looked closely, they might notice her body stiffening slightly as she climbed into the carriage.
However, in such a solemn and serious occasion, even her own guards dared not look up at her, so no one noticed their Divine Maiden’s awkwardness. Her idol image was preserved.
Yue Fuguang’s party first traveled east from Yingzhou, sprinkled water over Yunzhou and Qingzhou, and then headed south.
As she had expected, after Cao Xiwang successfully stopped her carriage on the street to file his complaint, such incidents occurred frequently along the way.
To avoid slowing down the journey, Yue Fuguang didn’t personally handle cases anymore. Instead, she ordered Feng Tang and Shen Jian to select experienced subordinates to stay behind and oversee the local yamen in handling the cases involved.
After all, disaster relief was as urgent as putting out a fire. The crops in the fields couldn’t wait. Didn’t the tired faces of the traveling party and the lack of rest show how pressed for time they were?
Due to technological limitations and other reasons, the water stored by the common people of Great Yan was only a drop in the bucket for the current drought.
That was why her carriage and party were greeted with reverence by the local people at every stop.
The incense and worship they received along the way was enough to let her traverse the entire map of Great Yan once more.
Sometimes, Yue Fuguang gazed at her luxurious carriage, drawn by five white horses and traveling through the rain, and an image popped into her mind unbidden—the water trucks from her hometown back in her original world, spraying water as they wove through city streets.
Admittedly, the system had its moments. Just as the image of a water truck came to her mind, the system played a catchy tune for her for free.
Wait, wasn’t that the same music that the national water trucks from her country all used?
"System, you’re taking it too far!"
What about her divine maiden image? Playing such catchy music made things feel weird, even if it did remind her of home!
She even had a conditioned reflex to dodge upon hearing that tune!
[Host, don’t you find it familiar and touching? Does it bring back memories of how fast you used to run to avoid the water truck?]
How fast? Not that fast—she just ran to find shelter as soon as she heard the music from a distance!
[Host, look, isn’t that the Helian Mountains up ahead?]
Yue Fuguang rolled her eyes at the system’s clumsy change of subject but didn’t say anything. After all, there was a major task waiting for them ahead!
"System, can you pinpoint where those people are hiding?"
Their party had entered Xinzhou from Xuzhou. Xuzhou, like Yingzhou, bordered Xinzhou. Part of the Helian Mountains’ lower range lay at the border between Xuzhou and Xinzhou.
They were now close to the middle section of the Helian Mountains.
As they entered Helian County, it happened as usual. From a distance, they could see townsfolk lining the streets.
After leaving the county and entering the rural roads, even more villagers stood by the roadside, looking at her carriage with even greater reverence and piety.
[Host, some of those people are mixed in among the crowd. Can you spot a few using your own eyes?]
She had to spot them herself?
Yue Fuguang looked out through the sheer curtain. With her current eyesight, the curtain didn’t obstruct her view.