NOVEL WEB
Chapter 22
As those words fell, Pei Changying immediately shouted into the palace: "I am the Heaven-ordained sovereign, she cannot harm me! You need not panic, Minister of Works, where are you?"
"This humble minister is here," the Minister of Works stepped forward in response.
"Take a careful look, and try to replicate these things as best you can!"
Gu Sang waved her right hand upwards, and the motion sensor activated the range hood, which started rumbling loudly.
With Gu Sang's explanation, and the rumors shared among the officials, they began to understand what livestreaming was and were no longer afraid.
Especially since Pei Changying seemed so calm and accustomed to it, the rumors must be true.
It was not sorcery, but—
A powerful world of the future!
Watching Gu Sang cook, the officials exclaimed in astonishment: "With a wave of her hand, she summons clouds and winds!"
"The smoke just gets sucked away and disappears, how is that possible?"
"Why doesn't she need to tend the fire or add fuel when cooking?"
"This noodle dish can't possibly be cooked that quickly."
"Look, how does the water come and go with just a word?"
The officials could only express their amazement and shock.
But the Minister of Works was so bewildered that he nearly cried, still unable to make sense of it.
"My Lady, how is this water able to come and go with just a word? In my hometown we have a well, but it still requires pumping. I don't see any pipes, so where does this water come from?"
Gu Sang explained, "This is a faucet, similar to the well you mentioned..."
The officials listened in a daze, like ignorant children hearing tales of the outside world from adults, filling them with yearning.
At that moment, they stood motionless like wooden statues, staring blankly in awe and envy.
Water, electricity, gas - the wonders of the Great Ming!
The realm Gu Sang dwells in must be a celestial realm, so enviable as to drive one mad.
As Gu Sang ate her noodles, she fixed the livestream camera on the kitchen, allowing the officials to study the appliances closely.
An official exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, if our nation had gas, we would never again freeze to death!"
"That 'faucet' seems so convenient! Minister, have you understood anything of its workings?"
The Minister of Works wanted to cry: This humble minister cannot replicate it!
Just as Gu Sang finished her noodles, she received a call from her senior Lu Mufei, who had arrived downstairs at her building.
The camera turned, and the ancients saw Gu Sang dragging a suitcase out of her room and heading downstairs.
"What is that contraption? It has wheels below, perhaps for carrying things?"
"There's a long handle, to pull or carry it - very clever indeed!"
The Minister of Works's eyes lit up, finally inspired: "This device would be convenient for traveling far."
"Your Majesty, this humble minister may be able to attempt crafting such a thing!"
But it would likely be of little use in ancient times, given the uneven terrain. Carrying it would be easier!
When Gu Sang reached the ground floor, she immediately saw Lu Mufei standing by a dark vehicle, striding over to greet her.
Gu Sang said, "Mufei, thank you for coming to pick me up."
"No need to be so formal with me," he replied warmly.
Seeing the dark car, and Lu Mufei's obvious affection for Gu Sang, the officials in the hall were shocked into silence, glancing guiltily at Pei Changying.
It seemed they had stumbled upon a palace scandal!
The Emperor's brow was stained a deep green.
Oh no, would he silence them to keep this secret?
"That man again!!"
"Gu Sang, is this your way of retaliating against me, letting me see you have suitors?"
"So this is the means by which you vie for my favor - you win!"
Pei Changying's eyes seemed to spew fire.
Yet even now, he remained confident.
With a pearl like him before her, what man could capture Gu Sang's heart?
This must be Gu Sang's ploy to make him jealous!
Gu Sang: ...
Pei Changying sneered coldly, his arrogance swelling: "Speechless? It seems I hold an important place in your heart, for you to go to such lengths to prove it."
"Pei Changying, you have been Emperor for too long and let it rot your brain! You are more revolting than sewer water! I'll say it again - I have no interest in you whatsoever!"
"I don't believe you!"
"You idiot, believe it or not, every word to you makes me nauseous!"
An hour later, the car reached the countryside.
The towering buildings were gone, replaced by endless rolling green waves.
The officials, who had never witnessed such modern scenes, gaped in awe, eyes wide as they scanned this unfamiliar world.
When the car arrived at the filming location, Gu Sang was directed by crew to bring her luggage into her room at the village's guesthouse. Apart from the road in front, the guesthouse was surrounded on three sides by rice paddies.
Too afraid to speak out against Pei Changying's foul mood, the officials finally couldn't contain their shock: "Look at how tall those crops are!"
"Nearly half a person's height!"
"I've never seen such robust crops, the stalks bending under their own weight. Those stalks are as tall as sorghum, with grains as big as peanuts!"
The ancients gazed at the vast stretches of immature green rice paddies, utterly amazed.
This sight left the officials speechless for a long while, as if their throats had gone dry.
How could this rice yield so many grains?
Each stalk must bear enough for several bowls!
With a whole acre like this, the harvest would be immense!
If the nation's crops could grow so lush, the imperial granaries would overflow in just a year!
No one would be poor enough to sell their children again!
Seeing these rice paddies, an uncommon pride and respect shone on Gu Sang's face as she introduced them to the ancients: "These are our modern hybrid rice strains."
"The fruit of tireless research led by Mr. Yuan and his team."
"He once said he had a dream of resting beneath the rice stalks!"
"He wanted everyone in this world to have enough to eat, to enjoy rice!"
To rest beneath the rice stalks!!
The ancients felt their hearts burning as they heaved rapid, excited breaths, staring in stunned reverence at the plump rice and wheat.
Even the usually aloof Pei Changying tensed like a stone statue, demanding urgently:
"Where is Mr. Yuan? Introduce him to me at once."
The officials all looked to Gu Sang with hopeful expectation.
What a sagely man, of such great wisdom!
Gu Sang shook her head, gazing up at the blue sky: "Mr. Yuan came to visit the mortal realm, leaving us these seeds. But now he has returned to the celestial realms."