Chapter 423 - Safe Haven

Yu Xiaocao had already gotten a confirmation from the little divine stone, so she replied without hesitation, “At present, if we plant the wheat kernels transported from Tanggu Town, the output should be the same, or even higher, than that of our farmstead. As for the second generation of seeds, I reckon that there will be a reduction in the yield. After all, Little Glutinous Dumpling’s power in the seeds will gradually dissipate after multiple generations of planting.”
“Doesn’t that mean that if we want to maintain a high yield, we must buy seeds from you at least once every two years?” A worried expression appeared on Zhu Junfan’s face. If it was like this, then the output of the crops would return to the previous state when the stone goblin accumulated enough merits.
Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, “Therefore, we must try to breed high-yield seeds and not rely entirely on Little Glutinous Dumpling ah!”
Zhu Junfan pondered for a moment, and then asked, “You’re brazenly wearing such a precious cheat on your wrist, aren’t you afraid of being robbed?”
Yu Xiaocao glanced at him, and then replied with a spurious smile, “Won’t people be more suspicious if I hid it? This multicolored stone looks beautiful, but isn’t it still just a stone? I made it into a bracelet and wore it on my wrist, so if others asked about it, I would just say that it was blessed by an eminent monk. Like a safety amulet, it will protect me to grow up healthily. Who would be so shameless and steal a pretty-looking rock? I’m not an idiot who would publicize that I found a treasure. At present, other than myself, you, the Emperor, are the only one who knows about the magic of the multicolored stone.”
Her meaning was very obvious. As long as the emperor didn’t have any bad ideas, there wouldn’t be anyone else eyeing the multicolored stone!
“Oh? You really trust me, your fellow transmigrator, so much? Aren’t you afraid that I will suddenly change my mind and steal it from you?” After getting a clarification from her, Zhu Junfan had the urge to tease this eccentric little transmigrator friend again.
“You’re the knife, while I’m the fish. What can I do when you’re so lucky? You transmigrated into the imperial family and even became the emperor, so would I dare to not answer your questions honestly? Like you said, those who lie to the emperor will be executed!! Moreover, at present, the little divine stone’s power only works on crops. Your Majesty, with your noble status and busy schedule, you can’t actually go work in the fields yourself, right? It’s better to have little commoners like us help you with these types of hard labors!”
Yu Xiaocao acted in a very fawning manner. Well, he was the emperor after all. Since she was in a feudal society ruled by the imperial family, she must know her place. She shouldn’t forget who she was just because they came from the same place. If she really did that, then she would probably die really quickly! Of course, she also didn’t have to always flatter the emperor like everyone else. After all, for someone who was in such a powerful yet lonely position, there would be times when he would want to relax for a moment. It was quite tiring to always act high and mighty.
“Oh? Does your multicolored stone really only work on crops?” While Xiaocao was talking, Zhu Junfan had seen the baby, who was gnawing on his cup, roll its eyes at her and had a dissatisfied expression. Thus, he couldn’t help but ask.
Yu Xiaocao glared at her pig-like teammate, sighed, and resignedly said, “It can also do some other things like strengthening one’s body! It can enhance the effects of medicine! It can help brighten and smoothen one’s skin…and so on.”
Zhu Junfan casually fiddled with the ruler in his hands and asked in a seemingly casual manner, “Oh? Only these and nothing else? For example…something like bringing the dead back to life?”
Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and made an incredulous expression, “How is that possible! The little divine stone has limited spiritual power, so how can it do something of law-defying? It won’t be able to do that even after returning to its heyday!”
Zhu Junfan curled up his lips as he looked at the young girl’s slightly exaggerated expression. He pointed at the little baby, who was currently drinking water from a ceramic teapot and lightly chuckled, “Then…how much power will it have when it returns to its heyday?”
“Who knows! After all, it only has less than one percent of its power now.” Yu Xiaocao didn’t dare to get deeper into this topic. She was really afraid that her fellow transmigrator would suddenly want to take the little divine stone.
Zhu Junfan tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. He could feel the young girl’s anxious mood, so he deliberately said, “This little stone can only use one or two percent of its power, yet it’s already so powerful. What will happen when it returns to its heyday? I really anticipate it… What to do? I have the urge to take it away!”
“It has already recognized a master, so there’s no use in taking it!” Yu Xiaocao felt slightly alarmed in her heart. She carefully observed the emperor’s expression, but she couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious.
“Then…what if its master—dies?” Zhu Junfan deliberately showed a cruel gaze and curled up his lips so that his expression appeared sinister.
Yu Xiaocao’s entire body turned cold, and her lips instantly lost all color. Yeah! If she died, then wouldn’t the little divine stone be without a master? Could it be…that her fellow transmigrator finally wanted to get rid of her?
“Don’t be scared! Since you’re already bound with this Divine Stone, how can you die so easily? You will definitely die peacefully in bed!” Little Divine Stone couldn’t help but cover its face when it saw the stupid expression on its master’s face. Why did it have such a coward as a master? It must never let its friends in the other realm know about this. It was too embarrassing!
Zhu Junfan finally looked at the pantless baby seriously and calmly asked, “If the sovereign wants the official dead, then the official will have no choice but to die! What if I really want her life and take the treasure?”
“Then you can try! Who knows who will end up dead!!” The little divine stone spoke in a tone that was full of the arrogance of looking down on all living beings. Not to mention the palace’s imperial guards, but even with tens of thousands of soldiers, they still might not be able to ensure the complete safety of their master.
Yu Xiaocao really wanted to block the little divine stone’s mouth. Wasn’t it just adding oil to the fire? The other party was the emperor. If he really got angry, then that would lead to a death sentence. Although the little divine stone could ensure her safety, she yearned for a stable and peaceful life, rather than being a refugee for her entire life ah! There were more than a dozen lives altogether in her entire family, including her extended family!!
Without a change of expression, Zhu Junfan deepened his gaze and said with a light chuckle, “She’s only an ordinary commoner, so is she really worth you doing this for her? We are the ‘son of the heavens’ and thus have the qi of a dragon on my body. Isn’t it better to cultivate around us than her?”
The barefooted baby walked up to him and looked him up and down, as if it was examining the value of an object. After a long time, the little fellow shook its head and sighed, “It is indeed more beneficial for my cultivation to stay around you!”
It paused to give the alarmed Yu Xiaocao a reassuring look, and then continued, “If this Divine Stone had not recognized a master yet, you’re indeed the best candidate. Unfortunately, this Divine Stone has already signed a blood contract with this girl. If I betray my master, I will turn back into my original form. By the time I recover my intelligence, it will probably be several hundreds or even over a thousand years later!”
The meaning of the little divine stone’s words was very obvious. ‘Kid, don’t even think about trying to instigate this Divine Stone to rebel against my master and break our relationship. You won’t be able to get anything good out of it unless you can live for over a thousand years. Then you will have to wait for the Divine Stone to recover my intelligence and make a contract with you. Unfortunately, you’re only a mere mortal. By that time, you would have long turned into a pile of dry bones. Who knows where you’ll end up at that time!’
“It seems like the possession of a treasure really did depend on fate!” After hearing the little divine stone’s words, the slight trace of desire within Zhu Junfan’s heart was completely cut off and a relaxed feeling replaced it. Seeing that his little transmigrator friend was scared out of her wits, he quickly revealed a pacifying smile and said, “Don’t be scared. I was just joking with you!”
However, he knew very clearly within his own heart whether he was purely joking with her. It was such a rare treasure, so who wouldn’t want it? Since he wasn’t fated to have it, he could only give up.
“Emperor, Royal Prince Yang requested an audience.” Chief Steward Su Ran’s voice sounded from outside of the imperial study and broke the apparently awkward atmosphere in the room.
Zhu Junfan chortled and teased, “Let that kid come in! We aren’t a man-eating tiger, so did he have to be so worried?”
As soon as Zhu Junyang stepped into the imperial study, he could clearly feel an uncomfortable emotion coming towards him. If Xiaocao was the only woman who he couldn’t detect the feelings of, then the emperor and his imperial grandfather were the only two who could block his mind reading ability. He concluded that this was because they had the qi of a dragon protecting them!
The two people in the imperial study were both people he couldn’t see through, but he was sensitive enough to feel the weird atmosphere in the room. He looked worriedly at the little lass, who he was worried sick about. Seeing that she still had a frightened expression on her face, he felt as if his heart had been pricked by a needle and the pain penetrated into his internal organs.
“Emperor, Yu Xiaocao was born in the countryside, so she doesn’t know proper etiquette. If she offended you in any way, this official will apologize to you on her behalf.” Zhu Junyang knew that the little lass was bold and would say whatever she wanted in front of him. However, the person in front of her was the emperor. He wouldn’t tolerate all her actions. Did the little lass offend the emperor with her words and got scolded, so she got frightened?
With a meaningful smile on his face, Zhu Junfan chuckled and teased, “Oh! You guys aren’t even married yet but you’re already so protective? I didn’t expect that Royal Prince Yang, who is known as a cold faced killer, to also have such a gentle and considerate side.”
Zhu Junyang slightly blushed. He glanced at the little lass who was hiding behind him. She gently held onto the edge of his clothes and looked as if she trusted and relied on him. An inexplicable feeling surged within his heart. He was afraid that the little lass would be shy, so he quickly said, “Your Majesty, girls are thin-skinned, so please be merciful with your words. This official doesn’t want to add more obstacles to my long pursuit of my wife!”
“Tsk tsk, Younger Cousin ah, you can’t always spoil women, lest they walk all over you!” Others might not, but he was certain that this fellow transmigrator of his wasn’t someone who would obediently listen to others. His younger cousin would definitely be tortured in the future!
As soon as Royal Prince Yang came in, Yu Xiaocao, who was in a panic, instantly calmed down. She was like a little grass in the rain and wind that had finally found a big tree to shelter her from the furious storm. Thus, she couldn’t help but move closer to his back, seeking protection. His broad and lofty back seemed to be able to block all kinds of storms. She felt a full sense of security when she hid behind him. No matter how strong women were, they still needed a safe haven to stop at, right?