Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 307 - 224: The Market

Chapter 307: Chapter 224: The Market

"Creak—"

As the wooden door of the carriage made a slight sound, a cotton boot stepped out slowly, treading upon the thick accumulated snow below.

Stepping out of the carriage, Xu Yuan’s gaze immediately fell upon the towering city wall in the near distance, which seemed to soar into the clouds.

The heavy falling snow severely obstructed visibility, but it did not affect the majestic presence of the city wall, as imposing as a mountain range.

Its entirety was hidden within the blizzard, resembling a colossal Demonic Beast crouching on the ground.

Due to the military situation, Northern Border City had imposed a curfew. All cargo transport was forbidden to enter the city at night, and only when day broke would the South City gate open to admit travelers and merchants.

Thinking to himself, Xu Yuan’s gaze then shifted onto the rest of the caravan.

The blizzard howled, and within sight, the carriages loaded with goods were neatly arrayed.

Their sizes varied, with the largest Demonic Beast carrier reaching a height of ten zhang, and many of the frames had already accumulated a thick layer of snow.

Xu Yuan shook his head lightly, exhaled a breath of warm air, and murmured to himself,

"Military carriages... With such scale, is it all military supplies?"

"Third Young Master jests."

Li Junqing, unbeknownst to when, had also alighted from the vehicle and stood beside him, suddenly laughing and saying, "How could all these carriages be carrying military supplies? The daily consumption of provisions for the entire Northern Border City is not small."

Xu Yuan patted the snow off his shoulders, turned back with a smile, and asked,

"Your Highness, why have you come down too, aren’t you cold?"

Li Junqing glanced at his own carriage and laughed,

"My second brother is engrossed in reading all day, not saying a word. I came down for some fresh air."

After some distance from the capital, Xu Yuan had his men purchase an extra carriage at a post station.

He and Li Qingyan in one carriage, the two princes in another, to facilitate rest.

With Li Junqing’s temperament, living in the same room with Li Zhaoyuan would have suffocated him.

As such, when Xu Yuan heard Li Junqing’s words, he understood immediately.

Having spent a month together, Li Junqing’s personality and the Second Prince’s temperament were pretty much understood.

Whether genuine or an act, the Second Prince was very serious—everything he said and did was steady and watertight.

As a leader, he would inspire confidence, but as a companion, it would be somewhat boring.

Of course, from the standpoint of a playmate, if it were business, Xu Yuan would still prefer to deal with someone like the Second Prince.

Reliable.

After a moment,

Xu Yuan again turned his attention to the colossal beasts prostrate in the blizzard, and said,

"With such a heavy snowstorm, this year in the Northern Frontier must be difficult."

Li Junqing sighed, his voice tinged with a hint of lament,

"The snowstorm is too severe. The good farmlands in the northern part of the Three Prefectures on the frontier are likely to yield no harvest this year. Haven’t we seen it on the way? If not for the Imperial Court’s disaster relief, the number of commoners who have starved to death in recent months could already be counted in the tens of millions."

"......"

Xu Yuan fell silent upon hearing this.

He had seen similar information in the internal reports of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

However, reading about it could not compare with seeing it for oneself—the words could never be as real as what his eyes beheld.

Di’an City enjoyed favorable weather, but as they journeyed northward and half a month passed, the temperature began to plummet, starting with a mix of rain and snow, eventually leading to heavy snow that blocked the roads.

The prices of goods in the towns they passed through began to rise uncontrollably.

The price of grain in Di’an City was about four to five wen per jin, but by the time they reached Manzhang County, which lay on the edge of Northern Border City, the price had soared to ten wen per jin.

The reason the increase was not significant was due to government’s release of a large quantity of stored grain into the market, and the Imperial Court sent many imperial envoys to deal with those traders hoarding grain to profit from a national crisis.

In this extraordinary world, officials are greedy, but they generally dare not be too greedy, because there might be a Cultivator lurking in the shadows, watching you.

However, all these were the conditions inside the cities. The situation in some remote rural areas along the way could only be described with one word.

Famine scattered everywhere, no corpses left unburied.

Roofs crushed under the weight of heavy snow, countless people frozen to death.....

Li Junqing let out a long sigh,

"Prince Consort, do you think it’s right for Father Emperor and the others to choose to wage war against the Barbarian Tribes under these circumstances?"

"......."

Xu Yuan did not immediately respond.

And at this time,

Li Qingyan, with her long legs, alighted from the carriage, carrying a red coat in her hand, "What are you talking about? Where’s Second Brother?"

Li Junqing spread his hands, "Second Brother is reading in the carriage. I was discussing the heavy snow in the Northern Frontier with the Prince Consort."

Li Qingyan, after listening, said nothing, silently walked up to Xu Yuan, draped the coat over him while instructing,

"If your cultivation is low, wear more to keep out the cold. As we continue further north, even ordinary Fourth Grade Cultivators can’t withstand the freezing earth and sky."

Xu Yuan looked at the tall woman beside him, his eyes filled with surprise but without a word.

Seeing this, Li Junqing pursed his lips and pointed at himself, asking,

"Sister, what about mine?"

Li Qingyan glanced back at her younger brother with indifference,

"Do you not have hands?"

"...." Li Junqing.

Afterward, Li Qingyan raised her eyes to the darkened skies, catching a crystal snowflake in her hand, and said softly,

"Little Third, I’m not sure whether Father Emperor’s decisions are right or wrong, but I do know that if this mission is successful, it will be a towering achievement for the ages."

Xu Yuan sighed silently in his heart.

Sin is in the present, glory for a thousand autumns, huh....

The funding for relief in the Northern Frontier, along with the provisions and weapons for waging the war—if successful, all is well, but if it fails, the treasury built up by the Emperor and that old man over the years would likely be depleted by half.

Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan suddenly asked,

"Wu Yuan, how much longer before the gates of Northern Border City open?"

Li Qingyan replied blandly,

"If nothing unexpected arises, it should be about half a ’ke’ time."

As she spoke, she lifted her gaze to the sky, the pupils of her eyes flashing a fiery red.