Chapter 12

Prince of You chatted with the village chief's eight-year-old grandson, "Have you been studying?"

The other party said, "What's the use of studying?"

Baili Jing: "... It can clarify principles."

The other party said, "If you understand principles, can the Northern Beard run faster when he comes?"

Baili Jing: ……

"Then… what do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I want to eat my fill."

The Prince of You blushed a little, and couldn't continue the conversation that day.

The next morning, the party set off early from Stone River to continue their journey; Baili Jing was in low spirits, silent all morning until he suddenly said, "Zhao Ba, I will someday let all the people of You Prefecture eat their fill—do you believe me?"

Zhao Ba, his Highness's best straight man, said, "Of course, I believe Your Highness can do it."

Baili Jing glanced at him and sighed again.

He himself lacked confidence; the illiterate king understood nothing.

He silently resolved that on this trip back he would honestly follow the Grand Tutor's studies.

After walking the whole morning, the wind grew stronger the farther south they went; the sea‑borne fishy smell carried on the wind grew ever stronger, and they drew ever closer to the coast.

Everyone says you live off the sea by the sea, but the people of this coastal area obviously aren't doing that.

Although the roofs of Shihezi Village are thatch, there are the kind of one or two households that can see tile ends like the village chief's house. They stood on high ground looking at the distant small county town by the sea, which looked rather shabby. So shabby it couldn't be called a county; it was just the size of a fishing village.

Outside Dragon Head County there is something that counts as a city wall, which is a rammed-earth wall about the height of a person. A somewhat fierce warhorse could probably jump straight in; it has no defensive value at all.

From the hillside they could see the county town clearly; as far as the eye could see, all the roofs were thatched, just a different kind of grass.

"Grand Tutor, their houses aren't quite like the ones we saw before."

Grand Tutor Xu told him that the roofs of Dragon Head County are made of seaweed: "The Record of Youzhou says Dragon Head County makes its living by fishing and pearl harvesting; the pearls produced here were once tribute. Your Highness, have you ever heard of Youzhou tribute pearls while in the palace?"

Baili Jing shook his head; he had no use for pearls and really hadn't looked into them.

"Not hearing about it is normal; it's been stopped for over ten years, because halting the tribute of Youzhou pearls even got a county magistrate killed."

"Why stop it?"

"Obviously because they can't harvest any pearls."

Baili Jing shut his mouth; well, he'd asked a stupid question.

"Luxurious beautiful pearls are exchanged for the lives of pearl divers. Underwater currents and whirlpools can sweep people away; deep-sea water can crush the viscera of pearl divers. Pearls grow slowly; their growth can't keep up with the harvesting rate. Nearshore areas get completely harvested, so they have to go farther out into more dangerous deep seas. And tribute pearls have size requirements; after countless pearl divers died and still the quota couldn't be met, the then magistrate of Dragon Head County requested to stop the tribute of Youzhou pearls. Tribute is a serious matter; the then prefect was extremely angry and killed him outright. After his death, the whole county mourned him, and the entire county wore white. This affair blew up and reached Chang'an; the former emperor was still alive, heard about it, and ordered the removal of Youzhou pearls from the tribute list. According to records, one county magistrate died, and off the records there are countless pearl divers' lives. Your Highness……"

Prince You, being perceptive, quickly responded, "I don't like pearls; I won't let them harvest any more!"

Grand Tutor Xu: "Your Highness, your benevolent heart is truly the fortune of Youzhou."

Along the way they continued talking about Dragon Head County: "Having lost the pearl trade, fishing can only barely sustain a living. And Youzhou, being a border prefecture, its able-bodied men are often conscripted into the border troops; after over ten years, this place has declined to its present state."

After listening, Prince You felt that even the wind in his ears sounded bleak and miserable.

After a moment, "Grand Tutor, you really understand a lot!" Baili Jing said sincerely.

He had also looked through the Record of Youzhou, but it didn't mention any of this at all.

"Before I entered official service, I came here once, about seven or eight years ago; back then the outer wall of the county town wasn't this dilapidated yet."

Baili Jing: ……

He grew even more worried, thank you.

Upon entering Dragon Head County, they found that the whole street had hardly any decent shops; the sparse passersby wore clothes even more ragged than in Youzhou City. After walking the main street, they saw only a cloth shop and a rice shop, and the inn they planned to stay at was nowhere to be found.

In this small place that is nominally a county but actually a village, Prince You's party attracted a lot of attention.

Surrounding the carriage were all strong, sturdy men; the carriage itself wasn't particularly splendid, but beside it was tethered an extraordinarily fine little red horse.

The townsfolk looked at them with wary eyes, and some street loafers furtively cast covetous glances at the little red horse; whenever they spotted such a reckless act, Zhang Tu would glare back fiercely as a warning.

Baili Jing's buttocks ached from the jolting mountain road, and he strongly demanded to get off and walk.

This child jumped down from the carriage like a released bird, rushing to the front of the party and heading straight for the seaside. His Highness hasn't even seen the sea yet! Never mind where to stay—let's go look at the sea first!

The group had no choice but to split up; Zhao Ba led some people to find a place to settle, while Grand Tutor Xu resignedly accompanied His Highness to see the sea.

By the time his short legs had carried him to a spot where he could see the sea, it was already getting dark.

This place is a bit off the seaside and hardly anyone is around; the sea is tranquil and vast, with occasional distant cries of seabirds.

The seaside looks near, but walking there is still quite a distance.

Grand Tutor Xu urged him twice, suggesting His Highness first return to rest and come back at sunrise tomorrow, when the scenery would be even more splendid. If luck holds and the tide goes out tonight, they might still be able to pick up seafood tomorrow. Baili Jing, however, was unwilling to go back; he had already scrambled up onto a large rock using both hands and feet.

The guards, fearing His Highness might roll down, huddled below in a ball, reaching out ready to catch him……

Grand Tutor Xu: ……

"Wow~"

White waves crash against the shore, boundless as far as the eye can see.

This is the prince who grew up in the deep palace, seeing the sea for the first time.

The orange-red setting sun is about to plunge into the boundless deep sea; in a moment, the afterglow of the sunset reflects on the sea surface, making the whole sea glitter with gold.

When coming to Youzhou, they passed through a vast expanse of grassland, but it paled in comparison to the shock of the sea.

"I, the prince, love the sea!"

He stared, entranced, at the reef for a long while, wondering how deep the seawater below must be to be able to crush a person's viscera. How beautiful the seabed must be, able to produce pearls and seaweed.

The sea has whirlpools that devour lives, yet it also nurtures fish that sustain fishermen. It is contradictory and mysterious.

He was zoning out when a faint crying sound reached his ears; Bai Li Jing snapped back to attention, thinking, "Who could have been moved to tears by the sea?"

He lowered his head and looked around; the personal guards all stared at him, waiting for him to take over……

His gaze quickly locked onto a group coming from the western village: three adults, a woman and two sturdy men, one of whom was dragging two small children; the crying came from there.

Several children were crying while looking back, and one of them was desperately struggling backward; even a few steps behind them followed a crippled old man with a cane.

Baili Jing instantly had several thoughts flash through his mind: were they abductors or child snatchers?

In broad daylight…… Well, it's getting dark.

When they approached, the Great King had one hand on his waist and the other pointing arrogantly at the procession;

"Stop! It's getting dark—do you dare to snatch children?!"

Grand Tutor: ……

Strutting out of the village like that, they must have sold them to someone!

As expected, the leading woman spat, not daring to be too arrogant despite their entourage, and said, "This is a government slave I bought with hard cash! I advise you, young master, to mind your own business!"