Chapter 668: Blizzard Night

As soon as the King returned, he was detained by the previous dynasty; the meritorious Xiao Jin, holding a tiger cub, swaggered in after him. Seeing that Xie Yuan didn't utter a sound, everyone else also pretended not to notice.

Even so, the King still loudly ordered Zhao Bao: 'Go roast a fat sheep for Xiao Jin, take it from my ranch; Xiao Jin has worked hard and should eat something good.'

Xiao Jin immediately lifted his head and puffed out his chest; today it's not mere arrogance, he truly has achieved merit.

The King thought that, since he said that, everyone present ought to politely ask, so he could appear humble while actually taking the chance to praise Xiao Jin. Who knew these old-timers, seeing that Xie Yuan didn't ask, not a single person wanted to provoke the King.

The King had no choice but to take the initiative: 'Sir, why don't you ask where it's been hard?'

Everyone: ……

Xie Yuan: '…Your Majesty, please speak.' This guy thinks he'll say it whether asked or not; if he doesn't want to say it, he can deflect even if you wear yourself out. For trivial matters, Xie Yuan is gradually becoming indifferent.

'You don't know… blah blah… the livestock hasn't been brought back yet! Sir, the mountain‑full of lambs were all dragged back by Xiao Jin using branches. Do you know what the biggest difference between humans and other animals is? It's the use of tools—and our Xiao Jin already knows how to do that!'

This time everyone's attention indeed returned; Xiao Jin, being scrutinized, grew ever prouder. These two guys, as soon as they arrived, dispelled the gloom in the room, yet the heavy goose‑feather snow outside would not disappear.

The King thought he had already done everything he could decide; there was really nothing left for him to do here, so he wanted to go out and see the common folk. That was wishful thinking—originally Xie Yuan hadn't been intent on keeping him, but as soon as he heard the King wanted to go out in a snowstorm, both the man and the beast were detained.

Today the guards in front of the hall were sweeping snow, but their sweeping speed couldn't keep up with the speed of the snowfall. Large goose‑feather snowflakes poured down swiftly from the overcast sky; just as they swept the main path clean, looking back they found another thick layer.

The King, with Xiao Jin, lay on the windowsill: '…Good thing it's daytime; otherwise this snowfall would collapse the house.'

Xiao Jin warily lifted his head to look at the hall's roof—'What? The house could collapse?!' This guy grabbed his trophy and started pushing the King outward; with a house like this, we should hurry up and run!

The King: '…I'm talking about ordinary people's houses. Rest assured, you're a tiger‑eating beast—even if mountains collapse you won't be crushed, let alone the beams.'

The old-timers behind them: '……How are you two even talking?'

Unable to leave the palace gates, the King couldn't idle; before dark he kept consulting the topographic map to see where the snow was heaviest, observing which places needed aid, thus wearing himself out with worry.

He saw the people of Youzhou braving the snowstorm at village entrances and county seats, lining up to collect coal; he saw soldiers dismount and manually push carts stuck in the snow. Other prefectures had no coal to distribute, so few ventured out—only occasional civilians came out to clear their roofs.

As night fell and the snow still fell, the King realized the snow disaster had truly arrived—it might be the biggest snowfall since his birth.

Fortunately, there had been advance warning, so the populace at least had some preparation.

Lying in bed at night he remained anxious, hoping the snow would stop at dawn so he could take the meat Xiao Jin had hunted out to console the people. But the next morning, it wasn't Zhao Bao who woke him—it was Bai Ze.

'Wake up, you've been buried.'

The King climbed up with a dazed expression, his soul still stuck in the dream, and he said foolishly: 'I'm not dead yet—who's in such a hurry?'

Bai Ze: '…It's Suiyu Hall that's been buried by snow.'

Just now a strong wind suddenly arose, and the towering gate of Suiyu Hall was buried halfway.

The King finally came to his senses; without pausing for Suiyu Hall, he immediately opened the map to check the low‑lying villages famous in Pingkang County. He had been there when gathering the map, and the impression was deep.

But upon looking, his heart turned cold halfway—Tangjia Isle's low‑lying houses had almost vanished from the map!

The King regretted deeply: '…How could I not have thought to move the people out of the mountain hollow!'

Bai Ze spoke frankly: 'The soundproofing of Suiyu Hall is too good, you didn't hear it; the wind outside is a rare land‑based phenomenon, but it's only just started. The temperature has already dropped, and the snow is about to freeze.'

The King was dumbfounded.

This is someone who can't stand seeing him have an easy life, turning his life into hard‑mode!

If it were a timid, cowardly emperor, facing such a great disaster right after ascending the throne would likely get him dragged into issuing a self‑reproach edict or something. But the King is no ordinary person; he doesn't feel he has the slightest problem, and the Baili clan's filial son, while hastily putting on his clothes, blames the incompetence of his Baili ancestors.

'…Dad! Grandfather! And even great‑grandfather—what are you doing?! After just finishing the ancestral rites, was it all for nothing?! I'm very disappointed in you!'

Bai Ze: ……