Asking them to take the grain seeds was merely a ruse; my true goal was to put on a show for them. I needed to entice these people to stay and serve me for the sake of those seeds.
I even employed a strategy of sowing discord, offering a bounty of one hundred taels of gold for each person. Houtian Martial Artists would certainly be bought off, as would those with connections, but the majority would remain. And once they stayed, they would become my own people.
I feigned great distress and said, "It is not that this Holy Son refuses to share these grain seeds with you, but I have my own troubles as well. My purpose is to stand up for the poor across the world, to give everyone dignity, and to achieve true equality for all."
Chapter 291