Demon Lord Gets Married

Chapter 126 - One Wave Is Not yet Leveled One Wave Rises Again

Teng Yu didn't distribute all of the government's relief food when it arrived. Besides, the food official supervising the distribution was from the Yun Family, making Teng Yu more than just a clever individual.

“Someone, bring the food official here,” Teng Yu commanded, and immediately, someone approached with a man in an official uniform.

Han Qing walked over to Teng Yu and whispered, “Master, fortunately, I arrived in time. He was trying to do something in the granary.”

Teng Yu nodded to indicate he understood.

“Kneel!” The two guards forced the officer to his knees and threw him to the ground, shouting, “What are you doing? This official is the emperor's personal grain courier. He's an angel, so how dare you arrest me without reason?”

“Sir Zhang, as the minister in charge, this prince isn't even qualified to summon you for a few questions?” Teng Yu stepped on Zhang Ye's back, looking down at him.

“Third Prince …” Zhang Shou Min turned his head to look at Teng Yu's strikingly handsome face and was so frightened he trembled: “Your Highness, if you have anything to say, you can just summon me directly. Why go to such lengths?”

Teng Yu kept his foot in place and asked, “Do you know what happened to the victims in the city after consuming the food?”

“What happened? This official doesn't know, but this relief food was personally dispatched from the granary outside the capital by the Ministry of Revenue Shangguan. This official personally oversaw the loading and transport to Hui State. There must be no mistake!”

“That's good. This Highness doesn't believe anyone would tamper with relief food. Someone, bring all the doctors here for a food inspection!”

“What?” Zhang Shou Min exclaimed, “Your Highness, this isn't appropriate!”

“What's wrong with that?” Teng Yu applied more pressure with his foot, causing Zhang Shoumin to almost cough up blood.

“Your Highness, this… this doesn't make sense.”

“Ridiculous! The people were poisoned by the food, so this prince is having it inspected. What's wrong with that? Or are you afraid of revealing your tampering with the grain?”

“Oh heavens and earth, even if this official had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare do something so outrageous!”

Teng Yu kicked him aside, “Let's begin, let everyone witness it firsthand.”

The granary at the east of Hui State City was temporarily built, and several warehouses were rented. They stored the ten thousand stone grain recently transported from the capital, meant to help the affected people through early spring.

The surrounding commoners eagerly watched as the warehouse door slowly opened. Inside were neatly piled sacks of food, making mouths water at the sight.

In the past, the people only heard officials' reports on the amount of relief food. Often, the food they received wasn't as good as what they had at home, so this was the first time they saw such a large amount of food in front of them.

However, the thought that this batch of food might be tainted made everyone's hearts tense up.

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There were more than a hundred doctors in Hui State City, both small and large. Teng Yu ordered portions of the grain to be scooped out for inspection and then sat waiting for the results.

It was already late at night, but no one left due to fatigue. Yin Xu, along with the doctors, also entered the warehouse. While the others examined the grain, he stood by and watched, without intervening or speaking.

However, when it comes to recognizing poison, a former Demon Lord would definitely not be inferior to mortals. If it weren't for the fact that this world was unsuitable for cultivation, he would have long since restored his poison-immune body.

Teng Yu and Official Yu sat on a chair nearby as someone served hot tea and pastries. The former was leisurely savoring the tea, while the latter looked around anxiously, unable to take a single sip.

“Lord Yu, there's no need to worry. The results are over there. They'll come out eventually,” Teng Yu reassured him.

Yu Xuezhong laughed awkwardly, “Your Highness must be amused, but this is a very important matter. Without a conclusion, I cannot relax, and if there really is a problem, then…”

If there were issues with the relief food, everyone from the Ministry of Revenue to the soldiers in the granary would be held accountable. However, such a significant case was beyond the scope of a government official like himself.

Putting aside these negative thoughts, if the relief food was unusable, where would he find another batch to compensate?

“Sigh…” Yu Xuezhong sighed repeatedly, feeling that this year had truly been unlucky.

“Your Highness, the results are out.” Han Qing led a group of doctors over, each holding a piece of paper, all signed. No one could think of fabricating one, as the crime of deceiving the monarch would implicate nine families.

“Show it to the lord first,” Teng Yu instructed casually.

It wasn't hard to deduce that someone wanted to blame him for tonight's incident. But if there was a problem with the entire batch of food, framing anyone would be impossible.

Yu Xuezhong carefully read a stack of papers, scrutinizing every word until he finished over a hundred reports, feeling so much anguish that tears welled up.

However, his expression remained relatively calm. He handed the thick stack of papers to Teng Yu and said with a smile, “Your Highness should also take a look.”

Teng Yu waved his hand and said, “No need, let's find a few literate victims to spread the news.”

“That's the right approach,” Yu Xuezhong agreed, instructing the yamen runners to pick out a dozen or so victims, most of them respected elders, to verify that there were no problems with the food.

Teng Yu waited for them to finish reading before standing up and declaring loudly, “I think merely looking at it won't dispel everyone's doubts. It's getting late, and everyone has been busy all night. Let's set up a few boilers and use the relief food to cook a pot of porridge for everyone.”

When it came to food, the majority of the people cheered. In Hui State City, although they wouldn't starve, it was still hard to eat their fill. After being out most of the night, everyone was cold and hungry.

Although some hesitated, seeing that both the Third Prince and the Prefect were willing to eat it, they felt assured.

Soon, a boiler was set up on the street. These items were often used recently, so finding one was easy.

Very soon, the fragrance of rice wafted through the street. Those who had been hiding at home, afraid to come out, were drawn out by the aroma.

Yin Xu walked out from the corner and, without hiding, went to Teng Yu's side and sat down.

Not many people recognized him, but seeing his luxurious clothes, handsome face, extraordinary demeanor, and the Third Prince's closeness to him, they naturally did not keep him away.

“Where did you go?” Teng Yu asked, caressing his cold hands.

He tightened the fox fur around Yin Xu and tucked his hands into his pockets for warmth.

Yin Xu leaned against him and whispered, “Let's go inside and see if there are any mice stealing food.”

“And what did you find?”

“I saw plenty of real mice. They were all plump with big ears, eating until their bellies bulged. But I didn't catch any of the ones I was looking for.”

“That's typical. They wouldn't do it in the granary.”

“So where do you think they added the drug? Surely, not every cook was bribed to add it to the pot together, right?”

“No need for such effort. They just need to swap a batch of grains soaked in the drug along the way. The amount doesn't need to be much, just enough for one meal for the victims. Those grains might already be in their stomachs.”

“Have you checked those pots?”

“Of course, but you know there's not enough food to eat right now. Everyone has licked the pots clean, so there's no leftover food.”

Yin Xu pondered and laughed, “It seems the other side is very meticulous. What do you plan to do now?”

“Nothing really. Since the food seems fine, we'll keep doing it this way. Let's see how they handle it next time.”

Yin Xu didn't believe him; he knew a bit about Teng Yu's character and doubted he'd take a passive stance.

However, since he didn't say more, it meant there was no need to act, and Yin Xu was glad to stay idle.

“Your Highness, Lord Yu, the porridge is ready,” a bailiff quickly reported.

“Let's each have a bowl and drink some hot porridge to relieve our fatigue.” When Teng Yu said this, the officials of the Hui State Palace did not dare to object, but they were a bit anxious.

They were not like the commoners; what if there were issues with their wine?

Just as they were about to refuse, bowls of hot porridge were placed before them. The sight of the missing porcelain bowls made their stomachs churn, but this time Teng Yu didn't allow any refusals.

Teng Yu carefully watched everyone's reactions. Yu Xuezhong, after a moment's hesitation, picked up his bowl and began eating heartily, while some officials wore bitter expressions, reluctant to take a bite.

Teng Yu brought the bowl to Yin Xu's mouth and asked, “Do you want to try it?”

Yin Xu chuckled, took the bowl, and gulped it down, then smacked his lips, “It's too thin; I prefer thicker congee.”

“I just offered you a taste, not the whole bowl,” Teng Yu muttered, looking at his own bowl and shrugging.

Yin Xu rolled his eyes, leaned against him, and said softly, “If there's poison, then I can drink it all myself. How could I let you take the risk?”

Teng Yu's body stiffened, his grip around Yin Xu's waist tightened, “If that's the case, then we should be drinking together.”

Yin Xu was pleased with his response and patted his tense hands, “Alright, next time it's your turn.”

Teng Yu realized he had been tricked, but this didn't affect his good mood. He stood up and addressed everyone: “Since this proves the food here is safe, everyone can rest peacefully. Go back and rest, don't delay the fortifications tomorrow.”

Yin Xu yawned and entered the Prefectural Government's carriage with Teng Yu. Hearing him give instructions to Han Qing, Yin Xu said: “Replace the person named Zhang with a food officer, the rest of you stay put. Make sure to monitor this batch of food closely.”

“Yes, and what about the one causing trouble…”

Teng Yu leaned against the wall, covered his legs with a blanket, and said lightly: “He's just a small fry, deal with him. Tomorrow, hang his corpse at the city gate to show those hiding in the shadows.”

“Understood.”

Yin Xu suddenly opened his eyes, “I have a feeling this matter isn't over yet and might be more complicated.”

“We'll handle it when the time comes. It's fine.” Teng Yu tucked him into the blanket and patted his shoulder, “Don't worry about it now, the most important thing is to get some sleep.”

When it came to sleeping, Yin Xu naturally remembered something they hadn't done before. However, having been busy all night, they didn't think about it any further.

It wasn't until the next morning, when Han Qing hurriedly knocked on the door again, that Yin Xu realized he had made a mistake.

“What happened this time? Is someone dead or in trouble again?”

Han Qing looked at Seventh Young Master Huo's stern face and replied tactfully: “They’re already dead, and quite a few of them at that.”

“Come in.” Teng Yu called from his room. It was just dawn and they had only slept for a short while.

After entering, he took a sip of hot tea before saying: “Your Highness, Seventh Young Master, it snowed again last night in several counties under the Hui State, causing several temporary shelters to collapse. It's reported that there were heavy casualties.”

“Was it severe? Didn't the local county officials evacuate the victims?”

“No, it wasn't severe. I heard it was just a light snow. I'm not sure why the shelters in several towns collapsed. Some say it's because this mission offended the heavens.”

Yin Xu pointed a finger at Teng Yu, gloating: “Looks like I've angered the heavens this time.” This was far more effective than tampering with the food.

The poorer the commoners, the more they believed in these matters of gods and spirits. Moreover, the victims in the subordinate towns had never seen Teng Yu before, so they might not know what Teng Yu had done in Hui State, making it easy for them to be incited by others.

Moreover, they were scattered across various counties and towns, making it difficult for Teng Yu to capture them easily.

Yin Xu climbed into bed, leaving Teng Yu and his daughter to discuss matters, and muttered to himself, “If it comes to it, I'll have to put on a show.”

When it comes to matters of gods and spirits, how could these mortals compete with him?