Chapter 9: Starving to Death, the Great King, Is a Major Matter

The Prince of You only knew some basics of horseback riding, yet he thought going out on the streets was impossible; Zhao Chuan only agreed to let him travel by carriage.

Bai Li Jing already had the idea of traveling incognito, but in this place of Youzhou, the carriage he used to rush along and the line of soldiers behind him would still attract attention wherever they went.

Most people who saw them kept their distance, so his plan to chat with the locals completely fell through.

But that wasn't a big deal; he didn't have time to worry about it yet, because he had already been frightened by the appearance of Youzhou City.

He never expected that the street he had walked on yesterday when he arrived was the neatest and most prosperous in Youzhou, where the officials had repeatedly cleaned up and the commoners kneeling at the roadside were specially selected for their decent attire.

Now, after the Prince of You rushed out of the West Splendor Gate and wandered aimlessly, what met his eyes were uneven, dust‑filled streets, low and ramshackle thatched huts, and townsfolk in ragged clothes with disheveled faces.

Each of those sights was shocking enough; together they dealt a devastating blow to the Prince of You, who had grown up in the inner palace.

Bai Li Jing lifted the curtain, and a foul stench of unknown feces rushed straight to his forehead……

This is Youzhou City, his capital, not some remote village or small county town outside the walls!

"Zhao Fu, I won't starve to death in Youzhou and become the first feudal lord to die of hunger in his fief!"

Zhao Fu could only kneel in the carriage compartment to comfort His Highness, and beg forgiveness, saying it was all his inadequacy as a servant.

Bai Li Jing had no patience for small talk; he returned to the prince's mansion and hurried straight to the study, constantly urging Zhao Fu to grind the ink.

"Here I am, Your Highness—are you going to practice calligraphy?"

"No, I want to write a memorial to my father the emperor; now that we've reached Youzhou we need to tell him about it!"

The Prince of You slumped over the desk, scribbling and correcting; after finishing, he solemnly copied out a fresh copy.

Putting it all together, the meaning is as follows:

【Father the Emperor, your son has safely arrived in Youzhou! Though thousands of mountains and rivers brought countless hardships, I owe my life to the personal guard you gave me.】

【Upon arriving in Youzhou and seeing how things are, I realize how far I am from Father the Emperor! Far from his wise rule, Youzhou is truly miserable.】

【Here the children wear ragged clothes and are skin and bone; seeing this makes Li Jing miss and feel grateful to Father the Emperor, who let him eat his fill and grow plump from childhood, and even provided grain and funds so that his son could also eat enough upon arriving in Youzhou.】

【Father the Emperor, rest assured—I will certainly live frugally in Youzhou, making the grain and money you gave me last as long as possible.】

【Father the Emperor, please don't forget your son—I miss you!】

When Emperor Ningde saw this thick memorial, he didn't know what to think; anyway, when the Central Secretariat finished sorting it, reading it gave him a toothache.

After Bai Li Jing finished writing the flattering memorial to his father the emperor, he turned his gaze to his treasure.

He saw that in the 'newbie task' column, it said the terrain data collection was twelve percent complete.

The not‑so‑bright Prince of You counted on his fingers—oh, there were still eighty‑eight.

With that twelve percent completion, his clever little brain now had a rough idea of the newbie task.

Is this Youzhou terrain‑data collection supposed to be done by him personally walking a circuit around Youzhou?

He had entered Youzhou from the official road, then gone straight into Youzhou City, gathering data from the surrounding hundred‑mile stretch, which amounted to twelve percent.

If the remaining eighty‑eight percent were finished, he could continue to receive the 'ritual' reward.

As for those two rewards, he didn't care for the map, but he did want the Prince of You's manor; at this point the Prince of You himself had no idea what a 3D full‑terrain map was—he would only realize its usefulness later.

As long as he didn't foolishly stare at Little Jujube, he'd know the Prince of You's manor could be obtained; then his empty horse‑training mansion wouldn't need further construction expenses, and his money could go to food!

With a goal in mind, the Prince of You became much more lively. He set himself a short‑term plan: first learn to ride, then go out and circle Youzhou to finish the newbie task.

Plans are plans; carrying them out doesn't always succeed.

First, being able to ride Little Jujube, which is taller than an ordinary horse, was not easy to approve.

Zhao Chuan had someone adjust the stirrups to his leg length, so this time he could step into them, gaining two extra points of leverage and becoming considerably steadier. But his build was vastly different from Little Jujube's; seeing his short legs dangling, nobody dared let him ride alone—each time three people would carefully flank him, surrounding him on all sides.

Even after the Prince of You sat until his buttocks hurt, he still couldn't get the horse to run as he wished; when he wandered to the front hall he dismounted and went to the front office.

Seeing Xue Xiang, he bluntly asked, "Why is the gap between Youzhou and Chang'an so huge? I see Youzhou's streets dilapidated and the people in rags—is it because there are few people or because they're lazy and refuse to farm?"

All along his observations, the wasteland outside Youzhou City was the most extensive.

Xue Xiang set down his booklet and replied in a way the Prince of You could understand: "Your Highness, you can't compare Youzhou with Chang'an. Chang'an gathers all the wealth of the world; nobles, officials, rich merchants and great conglomerates congregate there, making it the foremost prosperity under heaven. Youzhou lies in a remote borderland, adjoining foreign tribes, its economy and livelihood are still difficult, and you need to govern it well in the future."

The Prince of You's eyes shifted, and he said, "Then hurry up and work out a plan, encourage the people to reclaim more land and farm, and I'm picky but I can eat anything~"

It's hard to raise!

Xue Xiang: ……

After finishing the food discussion, Bai Li Jing brought up his biggest concern: the security of the city.

"Xue Xiang, can the walls of Youzhou withstand the cavalry of the northern Xianbei and Xiongnu?"

"Well… of course not."

"Don't even mention the Xiongnu—the walls can barely hold up against wind and rain."

"Although Youzhou is the capital, its old outer walls are no longer suitable. Rebuilding the walls isn't something that can be done overnight; I have noted this matter, and later we will discuss reconstruction at the court assembly with the other officials."

Was the former prefect unwilling to repair them, or was it simply lack of funds?

Considering that a Prince of You under seven years old could think of these things, Xue Xiang felt considerably relieved; his constantly furrowed brows relaxed a good deal.

Youzhou has little arable land, lies near the sea, and even its trees are scarce. The people have no money, so the province's tax revenue is naturally low. Everyone knows the urgent priority is to enrich the populace, only then can Youzhou be revitalized.

As for how to become wealthy, it inevitably returns to the same old talk.

He had also not failed to consult the officials in the commandery.

Living off the sea, eating from the sea—but Youzhou's coastal resources aren't very abundant either, unlike the neighboring Fanyang Commandery, which boasts the north's largest salt flats.

The cultivated area is small, the number of households is low, and the people are poor to the point of feeling justified in their poverty.

As the Prince of You was about to leave, he poked his waist and decided to put some pressure on his subordinates: "Xue Xiang! You must carry out what I say—wall repairs are important, but preventing the king from starving to death is even more important!"

Xue Xiang: ……

He submitted.