Chapter 199 - 148: The Scholars Arrive, South City’s Sales Boom
Chapter 199: Chapter 148: The Scholars Arrive, South City’s Sales Boom
The cost of purchasing silver from outside sources was far too high—over ten times the normal price.
And with little silver available to begin with, their situation was becoming increasingly dire.
Li Qing stepped forward and said, "The only funds we can currently allocate are three hundred million taels of silver. We used it all yesterday to purchase grain."
"Only ten million taels remain, which are needed for palace expenses."
Empress Xiao’s brow furrowed. "One million taels is enough for the palace. Take the rest for disaster relief."
Li Qing started to protest, but Empress Xiao waved her hand dismissively. "Do as I say."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After acknowledging the order, Li Qing retreated back into the ranks of officials.
As for the others, they remained silent. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to speak, but that none of them had any solutions.
These experts of the Northern Barbarians were fine when it came to charging into battle, but when it came to procuring silver, they only knew one way: plunder.
But mobilizing the army wasn’t an option right now.
So, they were all at a loss.
"Alright, court is dismissed," Empress Xiao said. "My dear ministers, go back and think of more solutions. This matter concerns the fate of our Northern Barbarian nation, and we cannot afford to be careless."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the ministers replied, bowing.
Then they departed.
Alone in the vast, empty hall, the exhaustion on Empress Xiao’s face was finally impossible to hide.
After sitting for a moment, she rose and walked out of Chaotian Hall.
She spoke to a Eunuch who approached to greet her. "Has Prince Qin’s mother arrived?"
"She has, Your Majesty. The Crown Princess has already gone to the Prince’s Mansion. Tonight, Prince Qin will accompany his mother to the palace," the Eunuch quickly replied.
Empress Xiao said softly, "Confer upon Prince Qin’s mother, Mrs. Lu, the title of First-Grade Imperial Decree Lady. Award her a chest of Ming Pearls and ten hair ornaments. Send them over now, and tell her she need not perform the customary rituals when receiving the decree."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Eunuch acknowledged the order and quickly withdrew.
’Her Majesty is truly too good to Prince Qin,’ he couldn’t help but sigh to himself. ’One couldn’t treat their own son any better. And now she’s even taking out the few treasures left in the palace to reward his mother.’
He knew about these jewels and Ming Pearls. Last month, when Her Majesty was selling off palace assets, she had deliberately set these aside, saying they were being prepared for Lu Yuan’s mother’s arrival.
’Sigh... I wonder when this year of disaster will finally end,’ the Eunuch thought, his pace quickening.
But just then, he felt a faint chill on his cheek.
Alarmed, he looked up.
From the dark, heavy sky, snowflakes as large as goose feathers were beginning to fall.
For a moment, he stood frozen in a daze, only snapping out of it after a short while.
The wrinkles on his old face seemed to deepen.
’If it’s snowing this heavily in the Imperial City, I can only imagine how bad it is outside.’
’It’s as if the heavens themselves are set against the Northern Barbarians.’
An extreme bitterness filled his heart.
But he dared not linger, and a moment later, he vanished into the snowstorm.
And he wasn’t the only one; others reacted the same way.
The harsh winter of the Northern Barbarians had, at that moment, truly arrived.
By evening, the snow was deep enough to cover one’s feet.
Lu Yuan brought his mother to the imperial palace, accompanied by Xiao Hua.
Palace servants were working hard to clear the falling snow.
Inside Qinghui Hall, the furnace was burning brightly. When Lu Yuan and his party entered, they found a table already laden with delicacies.
Mrs. Lu was about to curtsy but was stopped by Empress Xiao.
The Empress took Mrs. Lu’s hand with a warm smile. "You are Yuan’s mother, so we are family. I may be a few years older than you, so from now on, let’s call each other sisters. There’s no need for such formality."
It was Mrs. Lu’s first time meeting such an important figure, so she was naturally nervous, but seeing her son by her side helped calm her heart.
She then sat down at the table, next to Empress Xiao.
The four of them seemed just like a family enjoying a reunion dinner.
During the meal, Empress Xiao didn’t mention the court’s difficulties, and Lu Yuan didn’t ask.
After a few cups of wine, Mrs. Lu also began to relax.
She and Empress Xiao gradually found themselves deep in conversation.
When Lu Yuan was about to leave that night, Mrs. Lu was even invited to stay overnight in the palace.
After all, Empress Xiao lived alone in the palace year-round. She was quite lonely and had no one in the entire Northern Barbarian nation with whom she could speak freely.
Now that Lu Yuan’s mother had arrived, she had finally found a friend.
Naturally, she wanted her to stay for company.
Lu Yuan was happy to see this. His mother had just arrived and would surely be bored and lonely all by herself in the mansion. It was for the best if she had someone to keep her company.
After returning to his Prince’s Mansion, Lu Yuan did not rest. Instead, he chose to continue his cultivation.
The thought of Dayong’s invasion in two years felt like a thorn in his back.
Although the Celestial King Stronghold now served as a firm foothold in the buffer zone, he was still uneasy.
Having served in the Dayong army, he knew exactly how immense their war potential was.
Their medicinal fields were cultivated on a massive scale.
They had far more Pill Masters.
Their Ministry of Industry, which forged armaments, had branches in every single State City.
And that wasn’t even counting private sellers.
Given enough time, they could endlessly replenish their Imperial Guard.
This was why Dayong dared to invest directly in the buffer zone; they didn’t really care about the resources.
The struggle for the throne among a few Princes could easily spark a war involving millions of people—it was not a game ordinary people could afford to play.
The Northern Barbarians, in contrast, were weakened by internal strife and found it difficult to recover, with twelve Vassal Towns still refusing to submit.
’If we let our guard down for even a moment, we’ll face annihilation in two years.’
Meanwhile, as Lu Yuan was cultivating, the Seventh Prince, who had already returned to the Dayong Imperial City, was officially proclaimed the Crown Prince of Dayong, basking in endless glory.
In the newly expanded Crown Prince’s Mansion, built on the site of his former residence,
Zhao Yu, Zhang Zhe, and others had all gathered.
Among them were many Noble Disciples.
The Crown Prince said with a smile, "In two years, we will invade the Northern Barbarians. When that time comes, I will need all of your help to completely secure my position as Crown Prince."