The train sped south.
On either side of the tracks, crowds of people occasionally stood watching.
Two helicopters flew overhead. Deng Dengjie sat in one, taking photos of the train below.
This scene was to be published in the Great Tang Daily.
As they passed through Chenzhou, a voice suddenly echoed in Fang Er's mind.
"Darling~ I've found the locations of the other three devices~~"
Hearing this, Fang Er couldn't help but shiver.
"Damn, so coquettish!"
"Where?" he quickly asked the system.
"They're marked on the system panel for you~~"
"Whoa!"
"System sister, can you be more normal? This way makes me very uncomfortable!"
Fang Er opened the panel and complained to the system.
"You little brat! Do you need me to curse at you to feel comfortable~~"
The system returned to its usual rough demeanor, its words filled with disdain.
But to Fang Er, it was incredibly comfortable. The familiar style, the familiar feeling~
"Hahahaha, that's right, I like you this way!"
"Seriously, you're a hopeless case. How did I end up with a host like you!"
"I'm going to sleep. Don't forget to come and pay your tribute to me later~"
Fang Er chuckled and didn't reply. His gaze fell on the system panel, where a new option had indeed appeared.
Upon opening it, a world map was displayed, with three red dots blinking continuously.
Zoom in, zoom in, zoom in again.
Suddenly, Fang Er's eyes lit up.
One of them was rapidly approaching him.
The device couldn't move. The only explanation was that the train's direction of travel was towards one of the device's locations!
After comparing it with a map, he joyfully discovered that the device was located in Luyi County, not far ahead!
"Dad, Luyi is not far ahead."
"Do you want to stop halfway and pay your respects to me?"
Li Shimin nodded repeatedly, "It is fitting."
"There are many elk there, we can hunt a pair of antlers to replenish your mother-in-law's qi and blood."
"We'll get off, and let the train continue without us."
Luyi is the birthplace of Laozi, the founder of Taoism.
Since the founding of the Li Tang dynasty, they had worshipped Laozi as their ancestor. Passing through this place, it was only natural to pay respects.
Everyone disembarked from the train. The two helicopters that were taking photos from the sky could be used for transport.
It was the slack season for farming. Although the county town was small, it appeared very lively from the air.
The two helicopters landed outside the city. Shortly after everyone stepped out of the cabins, they heard someone from the city gate shouting and pointing in their direction.
"Look, the legendary helicopters!"
"So majestic!"
"Holy cow! The Emperor!"
As they approached, a young man dressed as a scholar suddenly exclaimed.
Then, he quickly strode forward, stopped about twenty paces away, and bowed.
"Your humble student, Li Siyuan, pays respects to His Majesty!"
No one found this surprising. Since Li Shimin's photograph had been published in the newspaper, this happened frequently.
Li Shimin nodded at him with a smile, "Good, good. It's good that you recognize me. It means you read the newspaper diligently!"
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. Your student is unworthy." Li Siyuan's face turned red with excitement.
The guards at the gate and the nearby residents also began to gather.
"Your humble subjects pay respects to His Majesty!"
Li Shimin was overjoyed. The feeling of being recognized wherever he went was wonderful!
"Good, good, good. You are all my good citizens. Stand up straight when you speak."
"How about it, how was the harvest this year?"
"Replying to His Majesty, the harvest this year was decent. We harvested wheat in the summer, and after paying taxes, we still had plenty left to eat."
"That's right. When we harvested wheat, we got over five hundred shi. My mother was so happy she fainted!"
"My family harvested over seven hundred shi, and our granary is full!"
"Mine too. We couldn't fit it all, so after keeping enough for ourselves, we sold the rest. We made over 70 strings of cash!"
"It's all thanks to Your Majesty's sagacity. That wheat seed is excellent. My grandfather said he's never heard of anyone's wheat ears growing so large and plump in generations."
When a group of people heard him ask about the harvest, they eagerly answered him in a rush.
The Tang dynasty had only been established for a little over a decade, and there were still fewer people than land. Each household had twenty mu of Yongyetian (land for permanent cultivation) and eighty mu of Kǒufēntián (land divided among the population). Yongyetian was tax-exempt.
However, these wheat seeds were not allowed to be sold to merchants; they could only be purchased by the Ministry of Revenue.
The acquired seeds were not used as food but as seeds for the following year.
To Li Shimin, these words from the common folk were more substantial than the flattery in the imperial court.
"Hahahaha, excellent!"
"To be able to eat your fill and not go hungry, and to earn money, buy some good cloth for your families!"
"The New Year is not far off, have a prosperous one!"
A few people nearby nodded repeatedly.
"Your Majesty is right, my father also said so."
"Just buying cloth isn't enough. My mother said we also need to buy a fat pig from Fang Family Village. I heard it's not gamey at all!"
"Indeed, and Fang Family Village's sugar and wine are also good things. In the past, only the landlords could afford them, but now we commoners can taste them."
Fang Er had not expected this to happen. He was stopped outside the city before even entering. Seeing Li Shimin's contented expression, it was clear he was reluctant to leave.
Fortunately, it didn't trouble him for too long. The yamen runners quickly relayed the news to the county magistrate.
Upon the Emperor's arrival, the county magistrate dared not delay and immediately led his men.
"Your subject, Luyi County Magistrate, Nangong Ziling, pays respects to His Majesty!"
Li Shimin looked at him and, seeing that he was only in his early twenties, nodded and praised, "Hmm, good, good. Young and promising!"
"Your Majesty's praise is undeserved. It is my duty," Nangong Ziling said modestly.
With this interruption, Li Shimin remembered the purpose of his visit and instructed,
"Alright, I am here solely to pay respects to our ancestor. Let's enter the city and talk."
After entering the city, with Dai Li accompanying him, the matter of the sacrifice was naturally handled by him.
Li Shimin wished to tour the city and asked Nangong Ziling to accompany him.
Fang Er found an excuse and slipped away with Wang Xuance. Following the system's guidance, he successfully found the fifth conduit device in a river about thirty miles south of the city.
The river was very deep, which was why the device remained undiscovered underwater.
The panel clearly showed that the remaining two devices were located in the vicinity of Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
"I'm truly amazed!"
"Shenyang, Egypt, Alaska, Mexico, Luyi, Ukraine, the United Kingdom!"
"These seven little things are so evenly distributed!"
Speechlessly, he put the device into his warehouse and drove back with Wang Xuance.
The next day, everyone hunted several elk outside the city and returned to Chang'an by helicopter.