Chapter 31

Great King cradled the talking little Bai Ze, clasping the newly acquired precious treasure sword, and walked with extra confidence to the front court's small morning assembly. His first act was to order Chief Zhang to assign personnel to secure the new prince's mansion in the northern suburbs.

"Those you send over will obey Steward Zhao's orders; he will remain in Youzhou for a month, during which you must familiarize yourselves with every corner of the outer perimeter of the You Prince's mansion's front court, so as to facilitate later guard duties. Although the mansion is completed, we can only move in after five days; during this time I will go to the manor outside the suburbs and return in five days."

The expressions of the people below grew more and more splendid. It's already built? They actually have the capability to finish it!

The You King is young; Minister Xue is busy with all the big and small affairs inside and outside Youzhou, and he truly has no time to constantly keep an eye on the Great King. Hearing that he intends to leave the city, he insists on bringing Grand Tutor Xu along, lest his studies fall behind.

The Great King's excitement waned a bit. Tsk! Why do humans invent so many characters and write so many books? Thinking that the 'Ten Thousand Worlds Homeland Light Tutorial' alone could run to two hundred thousand characters, he felt his path to literacy was endless.

Since learning of the Star Lord incident, Zhao Bao has been watching the Great King more closely, fearing that if he lets his guard down even momentarily, Baili Jing, the son of Heaven's Favor, will be deceived and exposed to danger.

Even on the way to the manor, he personally carried that half-bag of seeds, saying in his own words that he couldn't rest easy giving this to anyone.

The autumn air was crisp and clear, and the sky in Youzhou was blue beyond belief.

The journey went fairly smoothly; as Baili Jing, the master, was visiting for the first time, he naturally entered through the main gate.

The Prince, after looking at Wang Zhuang's gate, finally realized it wasn't quite like the legendary imperial estates in the palace; the crude stone archway at the gate was far from the majestic prince's manor he had imagined for a prince's estate, but thinking of the gate of Youzhou, he felt relieved.

Average level, routine operation—I, the Prince, have seen big scenes! All set.

Their arrival was perfectly timed, coinciding with the start of the autumn harvest; the whole manor was bustling. Baili Jing dismounted and headed straight for the fields, saying he wanted to see the bounty.

Just…

"Tutor, are these crops a bit weak?"

Xu Taifu, who had never farmed either, hesitated and said, "Youzhou's land isn't as fertile as Jiangnan's; I've heard this year's climate is relatively dry, so a poorer harvest than in previous years is possible."

The Prince extended his little chubby paw and shook a stalk of wheat at the field's edge, "This light, fluttering stalk—can it possibly yield wheat?!"

Zhao Ba sent someone to summon the manor's steward—Tong Hui.

As Tong Hui came running, drenched in sweat, the Prince jumped in surprise.

This eunuch, though not his personal attendant, is someone he sees often—how could the manor have ended up like this after he'd been in charge for a while?!

This person, now dark and skinny as a bone, the Prince would have taken him on the road for a manor farmhand—the sort who, generation after generation, farms yet still can't eat enough.

Tong Hui was chosen as steward of Wang Zhuang also because, before entering the palace, he came from a farming family and had worked the land; he was steady and reliable, previously assisting in managing the Prince's grain supplies, and handled affairs very securely.

Tong Hui came before him, knelt, and pleaded guilty; according to him, this year's harvest at Wang Zhuang is likely to be very poor.

He consulted the manor's old farmers repeatedly; most said they could expect only seventy percent of previous years' yield.

This is no small difference; originally the manor supported a group of tenant farmers, and even losing thirty percent of the harvest would have been enough for them to get by, but with this year's poor prospects they would have to eat the portion they owe to the Prince just to have food.

Earlier, the manor's people were uneasy, all fearing they would starve to death this winter.

The Prince, having just looked at those light, fluttering wheat stalks, already braced himself: "Is the reduced yield due to drought?" If so, the whole of Youzhou would be in trouble!

The Prince's heart raced with panic.

Tong Hui: "One reason is drought; another is that our manor's land… isn't fertile."

As Tong Hui put it, it's the first time he's seen a place so unsuitable for farming. Never mind the poor land; lately he has to lead the farmhands and compete with nearby gentry manors for water to irrigate, and also patrol to maintain stability.

Because the tenant families are desperate with hunger, they steal unripe wheat grains to take home and eat; they've been beaten and fined, but to no avail.

After all, nothing is more important than staying alive.

Tong Hui repeatedly painted a rosy picture, saying the Prince's benevolence would not let them watch them starve, but the effect was minimal. When the whole family faces starvation, who cares whether the wheat is ripe or not? Even if they wait for the wheat to ripen, who knows if they'll live long enough to receive their share?

This year, seeing the poor harvest, the manor's people grow increasingly panicked.

Previously the owner was merely an ordinary gentry; now the owner is the Prince of Youzhou, the emperor's son. If he gives them not a single bite, they can only wait to die, with no chance to appeal to officials for their lives.

Tong Hui's ending up like this is truly exhausting, both mentally and physically. Just now seeing the Prince and his master, he almost burst into tears; he's having a terrible time.

The Prince fiercely rubbed the white ze in his embrace, "You've worked hard. Go tell them, follow me, I will certainly not let them starve; let everyone put their minds at ease, with the autumn harvest as priority. If they still cause trouble… death by beating!"

The Prince is now steadier, but he dares not promise everyone will be full; he only promises not to let them starve.

After all, the hunger index on the Prosperous Dream Master's board is already flashing red warning, staring at him!

The Prince thought his remark was flawless, combining kindness and authority—right? The result: the tutor kept frowning opposite him; after Tong Hui withdrew, Xu Taifu indeed spoke up.

"Your Highness, the words you just spoke are too blunt and casual; studying must not be delayed…"

What does "follow me, the Prince" mean? You're a regional prince—are you acting like a bandit chief?

As soon as the Prince heard about studying, he jumped off the stool, ready to run. He has no time to study; he first needs to get the vegetable garden's foundation sorted.

The Prince stared with his big round eyes, looking heartbroken at the tutor: "When I studied in the palace, that tutor only looked after my fourth brother's lessons; no one looked after me, and I'm naturally not good at learning, waa~" To play the victim, he even stopped referring to himself as "I, the Prince."

Xu Taifu instantly felt his remark was improper, a bit guilty. The Prince is still young; it seems henceforth he should speak more tactfully, as he hadn't considered a child's self-esteem…

He hadn't even thought of what to say to make amends when he saw the Prince, who a moment ago was on the verge of tears, turn his head and run the next second.

He ran!

Xu Taifu: ……

Xu Taifu accidentally snapped off two strands of his beard!