"Are there thirty thousand shi?"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Zhao Zhen's heart was filled with joy, and he asked again.
"Your Highness, guess again!"
Han Mo still smiled and said nothing.
"Could it be that those guys have really changed their ways? Will these soul-sucking fellows ever have a day of conscience?"
Zhao Zhen's eyes widened.
"Brother Han, just tell us how much grain you managed to get. You're making His Highness anxious."
Zong Ying also said with a wry smile.
"Young Master Han has brought a hundred thousand shi of grain this time!"
Niu Deyu couldn't help but say.
"One hundred thousand shi? How is that possible? Brother Han, were you tricked by them? How much copper coin did it cost? Is there a contract?"
Zong Ying's eyes immediately widened. What a joke.
This price was impossible even in peaceful times!
There were only 150,000 guan of copper coins in total. If they could really buy 100,000 shi of grain, how much would a dou cost then?
"The grain will be delivered soon. His Highness will know if it's real or not when he sees it. As for the copper coins, naturally not a single one was spent..."
"Brother Han, don't joke with me. How is this possible?"
Zhao Zhen's mouth twitched. How could this be possible?
Such a large amount of grain at this juncture was an astronomical sum. How could those people possibly not charge a single coin?
"Why would I joke about such a thing with His Highness? In the past, we still had to save it for other purposes, how could we waste it on this!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"I..."
Zong Ying didn't know what to say anymore. Grain was the most important matter now.
Such important things were now considered trivial by Han Mo. If it weren't for this fellow being Han Mo, he would have wanted to rush up and beat him at this moment.
"Brother Han, just tell me what's going on. This much grain is no joke!"
Zhao Zhen was naturally impatient and couldn't stand Han Mo's suspenseful behavior any longer.
"If His Highness wants to know the details, he still needs to drink some water, right? This is not a place to talk."
Han Mo felt a little smug about Zhao Zhen's and Zong Ying's reactions.
After all, he had obtained so much grain without spending a single coin. If an ordinary official were to do this, they probably wouldn't be able to achieve it even if they were forced to death.
At least, Zong Ying admitted that he didn't have this ability.
"Guards, quickly bring that perilla drink over for Brother Han!"
Seeing the expression on Han Mo's face, Zong Ying understood that if he didn't let Han Mo put on an act, he wouldn't speak.
So, while he wryly invited Han Mo into the nearby awning, he quickly sent someone to bring him a bowl of perilla drink.
Han Mo didn't stand on ceremony. He took it, thanked them, and drank it down in big gulps.
He was no longer a young man. Although he hadn't been in officialdom, he had been in the workplace for so many years, and he had suffered countless setbacks and deceptions.
This was the best time to establish his prestige. If he didn't leave a deep impression on Zhao Zhen at this time, how could he secure his position in the Zhao Zhen faction?
"What's going on? Can you tell me now?"
Seeing that Han Mo had finally put down his tea bowl, Zong Ying quickly asked.
"Did I ask His Highness to hang up the sign, and did Your Highness hang it up?"
Han Mo didn't answer his question but smiled and said.
"I've already sent someone to do it. It should be almost done by now. They can hang it up directly when they deliver it later!"
Zhao Zhen found it a bit inconvenient to say this, but Zong Ying had no such concerns, so he directly interjected.
"Since His Highness is acting on imperial decree to provide disaster relief, the grain for disaster relief naturally shouldn't be borne by His Highness alone!"
"Brother Han, you mean..."
"So I went to the Shenxiao Palace!"
Han Mo said with a smile, looking at Zong Ying's bewildered expression.
"Brother Han, you're not going to tell me you snatched this hundred thousand shi of grain from those Daoists, are you?"
Zong Ying's eyes immediately widened.
How was this possible? Those Daoists were known for being stingy, not giving even a copper coin.
Could they really spit out the meat that had already entered their mouths?
For so many years, they had only heard of them amassing wealth, but never of them providing grain for disaster relief.
"What do you mean snatched? Han Mo simply reasoned with them and touched their emotions. In just a few words, he convinced Master Yuan Miao, and he generously donated one hundred thousand shi of grain for His Highness's disaster relief!"
"Gulp—"
Not only was Zong Ying stunned, but Zhao Zhen was also completely dumbfounded.
If it weren't for Han Mo saying this, they would have likely been treated as fools and thrown out.
Relying on that old Daoist to provide grain for disaster relief was as unlikely as a sow climbing a tree!
"Brother Han, are you sure you're not joking?"
Zong Ying's mouth twitched, and he asked again with disbelief.
"Your Highness, look, the grain carts, the grain carts are here!"
As they were talking, a long convoy of carts was approaching them.
Several servants from the prince's manor started shouting.
Hearing them, Zhao Zhen immediately stood up and strode towards the grain carts.
"Your Highness Prince Xin, it is indeed Your Highness here!"
When Zhao Zhen arrived in front of the convoy, before he could speak, Zhang Ruhui smiled and greeted him.
"Immortal Master, you are..."
Zhang Ruhui was Lin Lingxu's disciple, and Zhao Zhen naturally recognized him.
"My master heard that Your Highness is here to provide disaster relief on behalf of your father, so he specially sent this humble one to deliver one hundred thousand shi of grain to assist Your Highness in disaster relief!"
As Zhang Ruhui spoke, he also nodded towards Han Mo.
"Uh... then I'll trouble Immortal Master to thank the Old Immortal for me when you return!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhao Zhen quickly said.
"Your Highness is too polite. You are benevolent and cannot bear to see these people suffer. As a prince, you personally went out of your way to show compassion and righteousness to the world on behalf of His Majesty. Of course, we should offer some assistance in such matters!"
Since the grain had already been delivered, Han Mo naturally let Zhang Ruhui say these polite words.
After all, they had already lost the substance, and if they weren't even given any face, it would be truly unreasonable.
"Immortal Master, you are too polite. Why don't we go over there for some tea? Leave this matter to them!"
"There's no need for tea. This is the first batch of three thousand shi of grain delivered. After they take it back, it will be reloaded. It's late today, so we'll send five thousand shi to Your Highness first. The remaining grain will be delivered to Your Highness within three days. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Hearing Zhang Ruhui's words, Zong Ying suddenly felt like he was dreaming. He subconsciously reached for his thigh and squeezed hard...
"Ouch—"
However, before he could feel any pain, Han Mo next to him couldn't help but cry out.
"I, I said, I was just testing if I was dreaming. Brother Han, do you believe me..."
The expression on Zong Ying's face immediately froze, and he said awkwardly.
"You test if you're dreaming, can't you pinch your own leg? You just pinched my leg!"
Han Mo said with grief and indignation. If it weren't for his father, he would have really wanted to settle this matter properly with this fellow...