Even the shrewd Grandmother Jia, who had been shrewd her entire life, probably didn't realize one thing: Yingchun wouldn't suffer hardship in the future. At most, she'd just be sucking Lu Ming's penis. Compared to being tortured to death by her husband after marriage, marrying Lu Ming was a blessing!
How many years of virtuous deeds and good deeds must one accumulate to receive such a blessing?
In the military camp, Fa Zheng found Lu Ming and reported something. "My lord, large numbers of commoners both inside and outside the city can't afford food, and some have already been forced into slavery."
"Oh? That's good news." Lu Ming wasn't a saint; he instinctively sensed something, something he could potentially profit from.
"What do you think about sending people to recruit refugees? They only need to farm for ten years to establish themselves in Longxi. And for those ten years, I'll cover all their expenses; they just need to work hard for me. It's better to let us do it than to let those noble families benefit. Longxi is sparsely populated; population is an unavoidable hurdle for any land reclamation project."
Well, this means that since they're going to be sold into slavery anyway, they might as well be slaves for him; he can afford to pay a higher price.
Fa Zheng's expression remained unchanged. He knew this wasn't just womanly compassion; it was a desperate act of kindness.
Charity can't put food on the table. Only sustainable economic development can support these refugees.
"Then I'll go arrange it."
"Okay, go ahead, thank you for your hard work." Lu Ming nodded, wrote an order, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Fa Zheng.
This way, he could go and collect the money and provisions.
The money and provisions sent by the nobles yesterday are still being counted today.
The pace was a bit slow, but it didn't matter; some money still needed to be given to the eunuchs to take back to Luoyang.
Even the disaster relief funds and provisions were being divided among the Ten Attendants, thankfully not much, only about 20%, showing just how greedy they had become.
With such a Han dynasty, its disloyalty and betrayal made its replacement a natural consequence.
Jia Zheng quickly escorted a carriage to the camp, and Lu Ming was also preparing to enter the city.
"Your Excellency, my elder brother has agreed to marry Yingchun to you. Yingchun is in the carriage." Jia Zheng dismounted and bowed to Lu Ming, his attitude not exactly humble, but without any of the usual arrogance.
"Take them to Lady Yulan's place and have her arrange a tent for them." Lu Ming instructed his personal guards, then bowed to Jia Zheng, "In that case, lead the way."
Without much delay or formality, having obtained the goods, they set off immediately. He had nothing to worry about, because the system had already informed him that the mission was complete.
"Unrestrained Beast: Gradually ascending to the pinnacle of power, as the highest official of a state, you can wield your power and toy with the women you desire. Mission objective: Have sex with any woman from the Jia family's immediate family. Mission reward: Obtain a job change item, the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Contains a wealth of information about ancient geography, history, mythology, astronomy, animals, plants, medicine, religion, as well as anthropology, ethnology, oceanography, and the history of science and technology. It is an encyclopedia of ancient social life. It showcases ancient culture and records life during the Great Wilderness period." Furthermore, it depicts the state of civilization and culture in ancient times, reflecting people's thoughts and activities. Effect of use: Returns to the Prayer Master; after advancing to Healer, one can change professions to Illusionist.
"Illusionist: Another branch of Healer, a profession combining medicine and witchcraft. Upon reaching the highest level, one can change professions to Divine Sorcerer. Gains the trait, Illusion: Never be attacked proactively by wild creatures; if attacked first, a normal hostile state will be entered. (If the commander is the leader, the army gains this trait.)"
Lu Ming immediately used the Classic of Mountains and Seas. This trait was strong in theory, but not particularly strong in theory.
Firstly, jackals, leopards, and tigers would definitely not attack him, which was a good choice when encamping in the wild or in the mountains.
This trait seemed useless, but Lu Ming didn't think so.
The trait he gained during the march was also somewhat useless; now it seemed ridiculously strong.
An invisible wave emanated from him, diminishing Lu Ming's murderous aura considerably, even giving him an air of harmlessness.
Jia Zheng, leading the way, frowned slightly. He felt a strange unease about Lu Ming, a strange urge to be close to him.
They arrived at the Jia family mansion, located in the east of the city. A street stretching a kilometer long was lined with Jia residences; the Ningguo Mansion was on the left, and the Rongguo Mansion on the right. The Ningguo Mansion was the longest, followed by the Rongguo Mansion.
"Truly magnificent, befitting a long-established family. It's a pity, though. Even a centipede, though dead, doesn't forget the world. To a rooster, it's just a dessert. What a pity, what a pity." Lu Ming gazed at the Rongguo Mansion's gate, a multi-courtyard complex with a main hall and two side wings, its roofs shaped like a mountain peak—truly imposing.
This was the essence of a family's heritage. What made a family a family a family was its numerous offspring; the clan and branches combined always managed to find talented individuals.
Every aristocratic family has its own primary school and academy to ensure the selection of talented individuals to assist the family head.
Jia Zheng frowned slightly, but showed no resentment. For some reason, no matter what Lu Ming did, he seemed harmless, making it impossible for him to be angry.
"I wonder what brings you to this, sir?"
"Heh, these are difficult times. The Xiongnu are eyeing us covetously in the north, and the Wuhuan and Xianbei, along with Zhang Chun, have rebelled. Han Sui and Ma Teng are also harassing us from the north. Even Chang'an is not at peace. If the Jia family wants to prosper, we'll have to see how things develop. Let's go, let's treat the sick and save lives first." Lu Ming didn't want to say more; he wasn't yet at the point where he could rule Chang'an.
First, take over Longxi and Anding counties, establish military settlements and train troops, then subdue the two largest warlords, Han Sui and Ma Teng, and slowly eliminate the other smaller warlords, bringing Liangzhou under his control.
Reopening the Western Regions route and revitalizing the Silk Road, transporting goods from the Middle East to the Central Plains for sale, would be incredibly profitable!
With money and supplies, he could orchestrate Emperor Ling's death, instigate internal strife among the Grand General and the Ten Attendants, and draw the border troops into the capital!
Then, he could collude with Dong Zhuo from within. Dong Zhuo's absolute power would inevitably provoke discontent and opposition, potentially even assassination attempts!
He could then use this opportunity to coerce court officials and powerful families into relocating to Chang'an. While warlords like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could escape, their families would not!