Chapter 1 Old He's Worries

Old He closed up his shop and returned to the courtyard he rented. He found a stool, sat down, and started fanning himself.

As he fanned,

Old He couldn't help but hold the fan in front of his face.

What month was it already? Why hadn't it cooled down yet?

And how long had it been since it last rained?

The emperor looked down upon the world every day,

But the common people below spent most of their time looking up at the sky.

Because commoners mostly relied on the heavens for their livelihood.

Although Old He had run a butcher shop for most of his life, he was still, at his core, a country bumpkin.

"If this drought continues, this year's harvest..."

Old He began to worry.

The people at the foot of the capital had a habit: even the laborers on the docks could chat about the court's affairs during their free time.

When Old He's shop wasn't busy, the owners of a few other shops liked to gather and chat while snacking on sunflower seeds.

Through their words, Old He "witnessed" scene after scene of court dramas.

Although they were definitely not accurate, and some were even wildly off, he could still distinguish between right and wrong.

For example, his son-in-law was a prince in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore,

Old He had reason to be anxious about the drought;

He didn't have any concept of being related to royalty, nor did he ever think of benefiting from his daughter's status. All of his thoughts and actions were based on his years of experience in Nanan County.

Because those years of experience and knowledge had sustained the He family until now, he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

If the drought continued, the grain harvest would be completely gone. Old He knew what the Ministry of Revenue did: it managed the empire's money and grain.

Money and grain; it was alright to be short on money, but without grain, people would die!

As a father-in-law, he was worried that his son-in-law wouldn't do his job well, and that his daughter and grandson would suffer as a result.

Oh dear...

Perhaps the neighbors living nearby never expected that one of them, an old man with a palm-leaf fan, was expressing the purest form of concern for his country and its people.

He Chu pushed a cart into the courtyard.

"Did you deliver it?"

"I did."

"They didn't ask you to stay for dinner?"

"They didn't say anything. I just came back."

"Damn it!"

Old He cursed.

A few days ago, he had asked a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for his son.

It was a family from the west side of the alley, not officials, but a small manager at the docks. They were talking about his daughter, whose surname was Xiao.

The other party accepted the matchmaker's request, meaning they were willing to discuss the matter.

Tomorrow was the Xiao family matriarch's birthday. They had asked the matchmaker to buy pork from the He family's butcher shop.

Matchmaking,

Was actually like negotiating a business deal.

Why have a matchmaker?

It was because the two young people were going to become a family. Talking about money would hurt the relationship, but it had to be discussed, so a matchmaker was asked to relay the information.

If the other family needed meat for an event and bought it from your shop, it was a sign of their intentions.

Whether you were willing to become in-laws, whether you valued their daughter,

You had to,

Show your attitude first.

They could say they didn't care about money or betrothal gifts, only the attitude.

But Old He knew that without money, you couldn't show any attitude.

Old He knew his limits. This could be seen from how he had prepared a dowry for He Sisi back then.

In the entire eight-hundred-year history of Great Yan, only his family dared to compete with the emperor in terms of dowry.

But since both sides hadn't formally agreed, there was no way to officially present the betrothal gifts. So, the pork couldn't be given away for free, as that would be disrespectful. At least, that's what Old He thought. Therefore, he accepted the money, but only half the market price. He asked He Chu to deliver the freshest meat.

But the Xiao family accepted the meat and didn't even ask his son to stay for a meal. That was a bit much.

Asking him to stay for a meal,

Then tomorrow when they had an event, they could ask Chu'er to help out, carry things, and do some work. If they really intended to become in-laws, that was the attitude the Xiao family should have.

He Chu didn't care much; he was easygoing.

Old He was already angry. He cursed,

"We can't afford to associate with this Xiao family. They think we're not from the capital and are ashamed of us."

He Chu scratched his head and smiled.

"Smile, smile, all you do is smile! What's so funny about them looking down on you?"

He Chu still smiled.

Old He's face darkened. He scolded, "Do you think you're some noble and the Xiao family isn't worthy of you? Is that why you're laughing?"

He Chu was stunned.

"It's a brother's duty to provide shelter for his sister. A brother who wants to benefit from his sister is useless!"

He Chu lowered his head.

"Go, render the lard and send it to the Prince's mansion tomorrow. If your sister asks about your marriage, don't mention the Xiao family."

"Yes, Father."

"Oh, I heard you scolding your older brother from far away."

The courtyard door was pushed open, and Ji Lao Liu walked in, followed by He Sisi in plain clothes.

Eunuch Zhang and Little Eunuch Zhang remained outside the door, along with a group of experts guarding the area.

Ever since he was frightened by that crazy Princess on his wedding night, Ji Lao Liu had become as cautious as his brother Zheng.

Every few months, Ji Lao Liu would bring his wife to see the He family. As for their children, it wasn't convenient to bring them out of the Prince's mansion. He was the eldest grandson of the Ji family, and he couldn't decide whether to bring them out of the mansion.

"Oh, the son-in-law is here."

Old He always felt awkward whenever he saw his son-in-law. Other people could pressure their sons-in-law, but he couldn't do that at all.

Ji Lao Liu didn't put on any airs with the He family.

It was good for everyone to be polite and comfortable.

"I'll go cook."

He Sisi got up and went inside to replace her older brother. She had brought the ingredients, so she didn't need to go out to buy them.

Fortunately, the He family didn't think it was strange for He Sisi to cook. Ever since she grew up, the father and son had been eating her cooking every day.

They didn't care about her being a princess. She was still their daughter and sister. What was wrong with eating a meal she cooked?

As for this son-in-law,

Um,

Ji Lao Liu sat on a long bench,

Old He and He Chu sat on small stools.

Between men,

They still had to be proper.

"Father, how's business been lately?" Ji Lao Liu asked.

To know whether the people were doing well, you couldn't rely on the reports from local officials. The ones who really had a say were the butchers.

If the people were doing well, the pork would naturally sell well;

If the people were suffering, the pork wouldn't sell.

Old He sighed, shook his head, and said,

"Business is getting worse every day. And this is still the capital."

Ji Lao Liu nodded upon hearing this.

This was expected.

A national war had forced Great Yan, which needed to recuperate, to start up again. The various government offices were also running continuously for the war. Countless laborers were working hard, collecting materials, and supplying the front lines. All of these measures had completely pierced a large hole in Great Yan's already weak production and people's livelihood.

It could still move, but the bleeding was getting out of control.

"It hasn't rained in a long time," Old He whispered.

Ji Lao Liu sighed.

Yes,

Reports of droughts in various places had already arrived.

Ji Lao Liu was currently troubled by this. Great Yan's finances were already overdrawn. The taxes and output for next year, the year after, and even the year after that were already included in the plans, just waiting to fill the holes.

The most feared thing for an overloaded war machine was a sudden breakdown of a part. And this year's drought might crush the entire Great Yan.

Because no one knew how long the drought would last.

This year wasn't the hardest; the hardest would be next year.

The people could tighten their belts and support the war. The Old Yan people could do that; it was a tradition etched in their bones.

But when everyone had no food and people started starving to death and resorting to cannibalism, if you still wanted to fight, even the most understanding people would find it hard to accept. Public resentment would naturally arise.

But,

Because the emperor of Yan had set the tone,

Because the commander of the army attacking Chu was Jingnan King Tian Wujing,

So,

Throughout the court,

Even Ji Lao Liu didn't dare to submit a memorial suggesting stopping the war.

The war couldn't be stopped. So much manpower and resources had already been invested. If they didn't achieve results, all the previous investment would be wasted.

But if the war continued, Great Yan would really be unable to hold on.

Floods in Jin Prefecture were also frequent. If the breach of the Wang River was due to human factors, then the frequent rainstorms, floods, and inundations meant that the affected areas weren't just the Wang River.

In fact, because of the frequent floods, the court didn't even need to hide the breach of the Wang River because it was already insignificant.

Great Yan's territory was vast, and the population was large, but the burden was also heavy.

"Let's not talk about this." Ji Lao Liu had brought his wife back to her parents' home to relax. He turned to look at his brother-in-law and asked, "How's the marriage going?"

"Great," He Chu replied with a smile.

The father-in-law wanted to arrange the marriage for his brother-in-law personally, so Ji Lao Liu couldn't interfere. Plus, he had too many things to deal with these days and couldn't spare enough time to focus on the He family. Hearing this answer, he nodded and asked,

"Has the wedding date been set?"

"No, not yet. How could it be so soon? We have to discuss it properly," Old He replied quickly.

"Yes, we have to discuss it properly."

The aroma of food wafted from the house.

Although He Sisi was a princess, her cooking skills hadn't declined at all. In the Prince's mansion, Ji Lao Liu's meals were basically prepared by her personally. Ji Lao Liu also liked to eat her cooking.

Perhaps because of the imperfections of his own family, Ji Lao Liu liked this atmosphere in the He family, this atmosphere of a family truly being a family.

Many times,

Ji Lao Liu couldn't help but think,

If his father were a kind father, maybe there would just be more women, which was normal. Which wealthy family didn't have rows of concubines?

He and his brothers could ride horses together, have fun, and laugh sincerely, unlike now, where even Little Seven had learned to pretend to be cute and obedient.

But these thoughts were fleeting. Ji Lao Liu knew that he still had to live in reality because he now had a son.

At the same time,

His father's health was failing.

Finally,

There was something to look forward to.

Every day after getting up, he had something to look forward to: how long would his old man take to die?

"I heard that the Qian people in the south are getting restless?" He Chu asked cautiously.

The Chu people were too far, separated by Jin Prefecture. The Qian people were close, bordering Great Yan.

Attacking Qian to the south was a game that most Yan children played in their childhood.

Ji Lao Liu smiled and said, "The Qian people aren't a big deal. They're just making some small moves. They used to have a pretty good general, but he died of illness recently."

After Zhong Wendao's death, the Qian kingdom kept it a secret and concealed it for a long time.

The imperial decree for the funeral and the decree appointing the new commander of the three border regions were issued together.

After a series of consultations in the Qian court, Zhong Wendao's younger brother, Zhong Wenmian, was appointed as the new commander of the three border regions.

The former Little Zhong became Old Zhong.

But the day after the new commander took office, a conflict broke out in the Western Army in Mian Prefecture. It was said that weapons were used.

Even the Yan's secret service could detect this conflict, which showed its scale.

The cause of the conflict was unknown, but it was definitely related to Zhong Wendao's death.

The Great Qian Western Army had been brought to the three borders by Zhong Wendao to defend against the Yan people for three years. As the fourth year approached, the Western Army missed their hometowns and their morale was low. As a guest army, they had no enthusiasm for defending the territory.

So, Ji Lao Liu guessed that Old Zhong had been able to suppress the emotions within the Western Army and make them stay here to defend the borders for Great Qian.

When the news of Old Zhong's death spread, the newly appointed Zhong Wenmian probably hinted at preparing for a northern expedition, which became the cause of the conflict.

Once the accumulated emotions erupted, wouldn't it cause chaos?

Therefore,

Although that kid Zhong Tianlang became even more insane because of his father's death and frequently led the Qian's precious cavalry to attack the border of Yan's Silver Wave Prefecture, the Qian people hadn't gained any advantage under the command of the First Prince.

And the subsequent large-scale northern expedition had never materialized. Materials, equipment, and grain could be transported up, but in the end, it was still people who had to fight the war.

The Western Army, recognized as the strongest force among the Qian's three border armies, had to be the center of the new commander's strategy if he wanted to launch a northern expedition. Now that the Western Army was acting up, what would the other armies think?

Ji Lao Liu remembered that his brother Zheng had mocked the Qian officials for not knowing warfare in front of the Qian emperor...

It was true.

The Qian emperor had placed the Confucian sage Yao Zizhan in the position of supervising the three borders. As the leader of the civil officials in the three borders, he had indeed changed the awkward situation where civil officials led military affairs.

Yao Zizhan had also indeed rallied and mediated the relationships between the various armies in the three borders, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

But armies were for fighting wars and killing people. What were you doing creating a harmonious atmosphere?

How could you fight a war after creating a harmonious atmosphere?

There could be no northern expedition. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to stay in their cities?

The Qian court wanted a northern expedition. This was clear from the reports that the secret service had obtained from the Qian kingdom.

Even if the Qian people were stupid, they knew that it was wrong to just watch their Chu brothers being beaten by the Yan kingdom!

But after the court's will reached the Qian's three borders, it was rejected.

After that,

The court had to consider the situation reported by the three borders. In the end, even the court, which had been confident in launching a northern expedition, became suspicious.

Probably,

Those ministers and the Qian emperor themselves began to waver.

Could they succeed in forcing the three border armies to launch a northern expedition in this state?

In addition, because the main force of the Western Army was constantly being transferred north, instability began to appear in the southwest region. When the news of Old Zhong's death reached the southwest region, several chieftains immediately raised their flags and rebelled!

In this situation, the possibility of the Qian people launching a northern expedition was further reduced.

Ji Lao Liu knew that He Chu was asking this because he also wanted to be conscripted into the army.

"A war won't break out in the south. After the war with Chu in the east is over, we can rest. The people have suffered too much."

In Ji Lao Liu's opinion, it didn't matter whether the people were suffering or not. He was really exhausted, racking his brains every day to find ways to fill the holes in Great Yan's finances, but the holes were showing signs of getting bigger and bigger.

"Oh."

He Chu was a little disappointed.

Old He glared at He Chu.

"Let's eat."

He Sisi came out with the dishes and gestured for the men to put the chairs together to make a dining table.

In the Prince's mansion, she lived in luxury, but He Sisi still felt that eating together with her family at home was the real taste of life.

At this moment, Eunuch Zhang walked in.

Ji Lao Liu knew that Eunuch Zhang wouldn't disturb his peace like this unless something was really wrong.

He got up,

Left his seat,

Ji Lao Liu walked to the door,

Eunuch Zhang quickly handed over a memorial,

And said anxiously,

"Master, this is a memorial just presented by Huwei Prefecture, urgent."

Ji Lao Liu took the memorial,

Opened it,

And then opened his mouth, his teeth biting down hard on his lower lip, almost drawing blood:

The most terrifying consequence of the prolonged drought had appeared.

The memorial was an urgent memorial personally stamped by the prefect of Huwei Prefecture, stating that a disaster had suddenly appeared in many places in Huwei Prefecture and was intensifying, even threatening to spread to the capital region, Tiancheng Prefecture:

That was,

A locust plague!

"Hehehe, hahahaha..."

Ji Lao Liu held the memorial in his hand,

Squatted down,

And began to laugh with red eyes;

While laughing, he said:

"There's no way to live like this."