Chapter 499: Superstitious Legends

Wei Shen, without lifting a finger, offended the King for the 101st time along the way.

After the troop set off again, he glared at his elder brother, "You've also not been few in opposing the King along the way—how did you suddenly change?"

"Do you really believe it?" He finally couldn't help asking Wei Ke whether he truly believed the King's nonsense.

Wei Ke felt a bit sorry for his younger brother, who had grown a year older, and said, "We've toured Jiangnan and are about to return to Youzhou; it's also New Year's, so Your Highness will surely write to greet grandfather when he returns."

Wei Shen: …

I'll fight it out with you scheming lot!

The King quietly returned to Youzhou on the morning of the fourth day of the new year, entering the city before the Owl Cavalry and the later aristocratic merchants. Without disturbing anyone, he first went to his sister and aunt to report safety, was scolded by them for an hour, then obediently ate a meal with them before returning to settle accounts.

After returning to Suiyu Hall, he was again pestered by Xiong, who relentlessly complained. The King washed up, took a nice nap, then upon waking insisted on going out again. When Taotie's Pouch was finished, he wasn't in Youzhou—he had only seen it on the full topographic map, never the actual thing.

After finally shaking off the enthusiastic Wei Ni, the King changed into an off‑white robe with dark fu pattern and narrow sleeves, his waist hung with three or four clinking jade ornaments, the layers all light smoke‑purple fabric matched with a refined braid of mixed brown‑yellow and pale white, warm and suited to his attire—even the hairpin holding his bun was made of the same smoke‑purple Hetian jade.

Now jade is still prized most for mutton‑fat white, and the aristocratic nobles especially esteem white jade; the King holds the Qingyu County Kunlun mine, which yields not only white jade but also more of the bluish clear‑water variety, so this guy spares no effort to hype the other colors, though he himself rarely wears white.

This guy, pleased with his new look, wanted to go out without even putting on his overcoat, making him look quite cold.

Zhao Bao followed behind, offering earnest advice, but he wouldn't listen—don't be fooled by his short legs, his steps are swift.

"... It just snowed, and when the snow melts it's freezing. Your Highness dressed like that, I'd almost think your home is a jade shop." Wanting looks over warmth is still okay!

The King exclaimed delightedly, "That's perfect! I am exactly that!"

Zhao Bao: …

Speaking of jade, he recalled, "Qingyu County has already sent a batch of jade ore; Zhu Ti the maiden picked out the finest and sent it to the East Treasury of Suiyu Hall, the rest went to the Internal Affairs Office and the Jade Workshop."

The King nodded, but still kept moving to go out and see the excitement. Fortunately this time he didn't abandon Zhao Bao, deciding to let him experience the fun of bringing a child along, and took him together in the carriage.

Who would have thought that on the way they happened to meet the Owl Cavalry returning to the city; the King eagerly joined the onlooking crowd.

The townspeople pointed at the endless line of carriages—some with passenger compartments, others pure freight wagons, pulling countless boxes, all sealed. The King also joined in eagerly guessing what was inside the boxes…

When someone guessed it was silver, the King started, startled, and almost laughed himself into a sunflower.

"We've walked half a day and still can't see the end—if all these boxes were silver, how much would that be?"

The King shouted, "That would have to be a million taels!"

The onlooking crowd gasped in unison, and the King was pleased as punch.

This guy couldn't resist whispering to Zhao Bao, "Do you know how much eight million taels is? Pushed into the garden it could fill the big lake!" Still, making money from big households is quick!

Zhao Bao: "... Congratulations, young master."

"Oh my, so much money~ Although there are still some fabric treasures, but these are easy to sell, haha!" Halfway through laughing he remembered that Zhu Ti told him the Minister of Revenue had gone to the Ministry of Commerce to borrow two million taels of silver, because the refugee stall outside was struggling to feed people and was about to run out of food, and officials' salaries for the new year also couldn't be paid.

The autumn tax had only been collected for a few months, and the Minister of Revenue was already borrowing to get by.

Thinking of this, the King hit the brakes suddenly; his laughter died and he immediately sighed, "Such a huge sum— in a prosperous age it would last a long time."

Back when he was just a fief, his father's hundred thousand taels was enough to send him off. Now a hundred thousand taels allocated to a refugee resettlement county is quickly swallowed up, not enough to fill one's stomach, barely enough to stay alive.

Zhao Bao couldn't bear to see him dejected, so he hurried to comfort him: "... Maybe this year will be a good harvest; taking in so many refugees and opening so much wasteland, if the harvest is good we'll turn things around in a year and have food to eat. Didn't Master Xie say that if someone has land we'll turn things around quickly?"

The King thought, if there's another drought this year, he'll have to buy springs early, but he still needs to earn more silver! This guy is big‑hearted; soon he'll be happily watching the excitement again. The talk has already shifted, and the aristocratic merchants' convoy has entered the city.

"Looking at the cavalry's leisurely pace, Your Highness must be fine, right?"

"The government says it's a rumor; a few wagons in the cavalry are moving fast, so Your Highness should be on one of those……"

"Those southerners behind are surely following our cavalry to live in Youzhou……"

"These days only our Northern Border is safe; down south those kings keep fighting—let them try bringing it to the Northern Border!"

"Didn't we try that last year? The seaside wasteland gained a ten‑thousand‑person pit, and Your Highness gained tens of thousands of captives to reclaim the land!" The people around laughed loudly.

The King, having seen enough, got back in the carriage and continued toward the South City Gate; when he arrived near Taotie's Pouch and saw them coming by carriage to watch the excitement, it wasn't surprising, because this place was fast becoming a tourist spot, with people coming and going to see the Ferocious Beast Tower.

How to describe this thing? It's too lifelike; even from afar you can feel its menace.

Now it's fully completed and in use; the tower's body is entirely painted black, and the ferocious beast's fangs at the entrance are clearly visible—this isn't just reminiscent of Taotie, it's completely realistic!

The King was very pleased and loudly praised, "How imposing!"

At the same time a voice from beside him, no smaller than his, shouted, "Wasting the people's labor and wealth!"

The King turned back and saw an old man with a long beard standing behind him, looking quite unfamiliar, about sixty years old; it was he who had just shouted.

The King observed him carefully: in the biting north wind he wore a flowing, wide‑sleeved robe, with a jade belt around his waist—definitely an aristocrat.

The old fellow, vigorous despite his age, truly resists the cold!

The King's ears are sharp; he heard the old man turn his head and repeat to the youth beside him, "... Not only does he indulge in militarism, he also wastes the people's labor and wealth building this showy but useless thing!"

The youth spoke softly, and the King didn't catch what he said. He glanced at his own attire and thought blending into the later conversation would be fine.

The King also shouted in condemnation, "Waste! Too wasteful, really too wasteful! What use is a warehouse built like this? Could it even hold more? …Hiss— or is it really some kind of formation?"

After shouting, he turned back looking for agreement and went straight to the old man's side, "... Sigh, have you heard? On my way north I heard people say the Northern Border set up a ferocious beast's mouth facing south at the South City Gate, just to suck up the south's financial qi!"

Zhao Bao: …

Ling Yin: …

The youth, upon hearing, first looked shocked, then suddenly understood; Zhao Bao felt he must have realized it too.