When this batch of divine trees was transported to the foot of Gusu Lingyan Mountain, Fan Li made King Wu pay the price of 300,000 loads of grain. If you add the 100 catties of gold paid before, this alone is equivalent to spending the expenses of fighting a medium war. It can be seen how much money is burned to build Gusutai.

King Wu is indulged in pleasure, but he is not confused, and he is also distressed by such huge expenses. After the Shenmu was transported to the construction site, King Wu led the ministers to watch, and finally reached a consensus with the ministers, spending this little money to get this batch of Shenmu, which was too worthwhile.

This is not only because of the huge effect and excellent performance of these sacred trees, but also because there is no divine wood in the world from now on, Gusutai has become out of print in the world, and its value is immeasurable.

The sacred wood was transported continuously, and the thick and beautiful wood filled all the rivers and ditches under the mountain, so that "Mudu" got its name, and this place later developed into a town. That is, the town of Mudu in later generations.

These timbers were scooped up from the water and piled up in the open space by the river, especially after the two optimus primes came out of the water, they attracted countless exclamations, and the Seiko carved into a large pillar with a dragon pattern, smeared with danqing, and inlaid with white jade, seashells, wrong color gold, golden light, gorgeous.

In order to see the sacred wood, Gusu City poured out of the city, and the spectators around the wood were blocked, and the water could not be drained.

The news spread, and people far away from Gusu also made a special trip to see Shenmu. The river under Lingyan Mountain is endless, and people come and go, just like the New Year's market.

King Wu led the ministers to come and see, and Fan Li hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down to greet him: "Minister Fan Li see the king!" Forgive the King! ”

King Wu said: "The young uncle quickly flattened his body, and the young uncle collected the sacred wood, which lasted two years, and the hard work was high, what is the crime?" ”

Fan Li said: "From looking for and collecting to transporting the sacred wood to Gusu, the minister endured a lot of hardships, escaped death many times, and almost couldn't meet the king. ”

He told the story of the dangerous experience that the sacred wood forest was guarded by hundreds of millions of poisonous snakes, and he almost died in the mouth of the snake, and later used the method of fire to remove the poisonous snake before the sacred wood was recovered.

The ministers were amazed when they heard this. Bo Yao said: "This matter is true, when Lord Bo Ya led people to investigate, he also saw the remains of piles of poisonous snakes. ”

Fan Li said: "King, the minister's life is as light as grass mustard, it is fortunate to be able to survive, and the minister's hard work is deserved, but the minister spent a lot of money on the king, even if the king does not pursue it, it is inevitable that some people will gossip." Therefore, the minister begged the king to condemn him. ”

Bo Yao said: "Doctor Fan, Bo Yao wants to ask one thing, is there still a Shenmu Mountain in Shenmu Mountain?" ”

Fan Li said: "No, it's like God is good, no more, no less, just enough." Shenmu Mountain doesn't even have a single sacred tree. ”

Bo Yao turned to King Wu: "King, this means that there are no more divine trees in the world, and these sacred trees have become out of print. The minister heard that rare things are expensive, and the value of this batch of sacred trees alone is immeasurable. For this batch of sacred trees, Dr. Fan spent a little grain, but the grain can be regenerated, sow the seeds, and it will be there in a few months. The Sacred Tree, on the other hand, is not renewable. If the Divine Wood is sold to the vassal states now, the profit will be several times or even dozens of times. In this way, what is the calculation of spending that little money? Therefore, the minister thinks that Dr. Fan's credit is great. ”

King Wu said, "What do the ministers think about this?" ”

To be able to be a courtier under the king, you must not only be smart and capable, but also be good at observing words and colors, figuring out the king's thoughts, and when you need to express your position, you can see the wind and steer and speak according to the king's thoughts. Everyone already knew that King Wu built Gusutai for enjoyment. At this time, it cannot be said that this is wrong. If you want to say that this matter is wrong, it is equivalent to saying that King Wu is wrong, then you have to do it!

Therefore, the ministers expressed their positions one after another, saying that it is absolutely worth it to spend a little money and food when they collect the sacred wood, and how can there be any good thing in the world that does not cost money?

King Wu said, "What does Xiangguo think? ”

King Wu knew that Fan Li's words were to block Wu Zixu's mouth, so as to prevent him from muttering afterwards. So ask Wu Zixu directly.

Wu Zixu is, of course, a person who knows the goods. He knew that this batch of sacred trees was priceless and non-renewable, and as Bo Yao said, if it was sold to a vassal state, it would make dozens of times the profit. But King Wu will not sell.

But another fact is that in these troubled times, the country is built on a strong army and a strong material foundation, the most important of which is food. Only with food can the army win the battle and the common people live and work in peace and contentment. Only then can the country prosper forever.

If you run out of food in order to obtain the world's treasures, then the country will be in danger when the war is in place.

There are not many ministers who have this view. But everyone didn't dare to offend King Wu, and they all spoke according to King Wu's thoughts. Wu Zixu couldn't tell the truth at this time, because it was useless to say it, not only could not make King Wu change his mind, but also annoyed King Wu and deepened the contradiction. Wu Zixu was stunned for a moment, bowed down and said, "The old minister thinks that this batch of divine trees is indeed worth the money. ”

"Good!" Wu Zixu finally didn't say anything against it, and King Wu was overjoyed, "Did you hear it?" Xiangguo also said so, how can there be anything in the world that doesn't cost money? Young uncle, you have worked hard and escaped death on this business trip. Spend a little money and food, and there will be no gossip in the DPRK and China. Say, whatever reward you want, the widow will give it to you. ”

Fan Li said: "As long as the king is happy, the king's happiness is the best reward for Fan Li." ”

After a debate, Fan Li was very happy, but the good man simply did it to the end, and he didn't want any reward.

King Wu said: "Let's not play false, let's have something real, and the widow will reward you with ten catties of gold." ”

Fan Li smiled bitterly and said: "Fan Li is alone, he doesn't even have a home, and he has no place to put so much money." But the king rewarded him, but he was disrespectful, and the king asked the chamberlain to put the money in the hut where the minister slept, and the minister took it if he wanted it, and it was still the king's if he didn't need it. ”

King Wu laughed and said: "This Fan Li always does things unexpectedly. Just do as you say. ”

King Wu worked on the spot, and after a long time, he was naturally tired, so Bo Yao beckoned everyone to go to the headquarters to rest.

The headquarters is also the residence of the chief technician Lu Hai, who is protected by Wu Zixu and usually returns to Xiangguo's mansion for the night, and sometimes has a lot of work to do, and will also spend the night at the headquarters. Those who protect him are guarding outside the headquarters.

The headquarters is located halfway up the mountain. It is not far from the construction site, and the place is spacious, and it is very convenient for the king to come to inspect, have an impromptu meeting, or have a meal or something.

From the construction site to the headquarters, you have to pass through a deep ditch, which is less than a zhang wide, but it is bottomless. , carrying two stones on it, serves as a temporary bridge. For the sake of insurance, a safety net is set up below, and if someone accidentally stumbles, they will also fall into the safety net, and will not fall into a deep ditch and die.

King Wu passed through the bridge, and everyone was worried, but there was no danger.

King Wu was happy, and had a light meal at the headquarters with everyone, and it was already dusk, so he led his ministers back to Gusu.

Xi Shi greeted: "The king is so happy, what happy event has he encountered?" ”

King Wu described the sacred trees he saw with added fuel and vinegar, and Xi Shi was also happy. said: "It's so good-looking, the concubine also wants to see it." ”。

King Wu said, "Okay, the widow will lead his wife to have a look." ”

While talking and laughing, someone suddenly reported: "Oh no, the chief technician Lu Hai has an accident!" ”