Chapter 837

First Volume, Chapter 837: When Will the Songs and Dances by Xi Hu Cease?

Nightfall arrived, lanterns flickered to life; even though far from the wilds, the Royal Capital remained a metropolis whose prosperity and bustle no other city could match.

As Jing Ci had predicted, it began to snow…

Sparse snowflakes, illuminated by lanterns, glinted faintly as they landed on the Wang Du streets paved with blue stone slabs.

The subjects living beneath the Son of Heaven's feet had fulfilled that verse.

Beyond mountains rise more mountains, beyond towers rise more towers; when will the songs and dances by Xi Hu ever cease? The warm winds intoxicate the travelers, making them mistake Hang Zhou for Bian Zhou.

Countless Common People flooded the streets to welcome this year's first snow.

Children ran wildly everywhere, laughing, shouting, all pure joy.

They had no idea what dire fate awaited the Common People beyond the city walls, or how many lives this snow would claim.

Jing Ci, wrapped in a warm fur overcoat, accompanied by her guards, walked along the bustling street toward the Wang Family Mansion, where the wine-tasting gathering was being held.

The Wang Family was merely an ordinary wealthy merchant in Wang Du; Jing Ci chose them only because their mansion was large enough to host a wine party.

The entire Wang Family, from top to bottom, felt deeply honored.

Though they lived in Wang Du and occasionally encountered celebrities and nobles, their chances of face-to-face contact with the powerful were nearly zero, so they treated this gathering with utmost importance, mobilizing all family members to prepare materials and supplies, striving to please the Princess.

Unbeknownst to them, since leaving the Palace Gate, Jing Ci had remained frowning.

The laughter echoing from all directions was painfully sharp.

Especially when she saw young men and women standing in the center of the street, arms raised high to catch the icy snowflakes, looking so happy and romantic—Jing Ci felt a sharp pang in her heart.

One first snow, two vastly different lives.

Surely, the wealthy residents of every major city across the land welcomed the first snow as Wang Du did, inspired to compose poetry in their refined moods.

But…

Those Common People living outside the city walls, who truly sustained Great Di, huddled in cold, damp bedding, shivering, their only comfort the hollow groans of their empty stomachs during long, bitter nights.

Forget a bowl of hot soup to ward off the chill—ordinary Common People could barely afford firewood…

At that moment, a familiar voice came.

"This year's snow came at just the right time—for the Common People, though, it's deadly."

"I wonder if the people of Sangzhou have stored enough firewood for winter."

"Send a message via the Brocade Uniform Guards to check on Sangzhou—if any Common People freeze to death, have the soldiers lend a hand; they're idle anyway."

Qin Feng had also donned winter attire—a black outfit that stood out sharply against the gradually whitening street scene.

Qin Feng's mood was heavy too; after all, he intended to bring Sangzhou under his control, making its Common People his own subjects.

If the Common People suffered, so would he, their leader.

After all, the wool comes from the sheep—if the Common People had no purchasing power, who would buy Qin Feng's high-quality commodities, no matter how many he had?

According to Qin Feng, in this era, firewood seemed the most abundant resource—just pick it up anywhere.

But in truth, it was not so; only those living in the mountains, who relied on the mountains for survival, could easily gather enough by chopping freely.

Those living in the plains couldn't even meet their basic need for firewood.

How much could you possibly pick up by just scavenging? It might warm you for two or three days, but soon you'd be back in the icy hole.

Wealthy households burned charcoal; ordinary Common People bought firewood at markets or from individuals.

But once heavy snow fell and the cold set in, there was nothing left to scavenge and nowhere to buy.

For ordinary Common People, simply surviving was already difficult.

Listening to Qin Feng and Ning Hu's conversation, Jing Ci's emotions turned complex—she never expected that the person most concerned about the lives of Great Di's Common People would be Qin Feng, this… scourge.

Moreover, from Qin Feng and Ning Hu's exchange, it was clear Qin Feng wasn't merely acting in concert—he had long been accustomed to thinking of the Common People's welfare.

From a personal standpoint, Jing Ci even entertained a wildly absurd thought.

Perhaps, for this winter, Sangzhou falling under Qin Feng's control wasn't such a bad thing—at least the Common People of Sangzhou might barely survive the winter.

Thinking of this, Jing Ci startled herself.

"This… is such an absurd notion."

"Sangzhou is part of Great Di's territory—every inch of land soaked in blood—how could I surrender it to another?"

Jing Ci quickly shook her head, banishing this undignified thought, took a deep breath to steady herself, then feigned ease as she greeted Qin Feng.

"Lord Qin, what a coincidence—you've just arrived too?"

Qin Feng, who had been discussing with Ning Hu how to help Sangzhou's Common People survive winter, heard the familiar voice and instinctively turned—seeing Jing Ci approaching with a smiling face, he tactfully dropped the previous topic.

Qin Feng bowed formally: "Your Highness."

"Hehe, you've just arrived too, Your Highness?"

Jing Ci smiled and nodded, pointing toward the distant mansion: "That's the Wang Family ahead. It's getting late—let's go."

Qin Feng and Jing Ci walked together toward the Wang Family Mansion.

Although the Common People on the street occasionally cast them strange glances, none confronted or caused trouble.

First, Qin Feng had been in the Di Royal Capital for some time; the Common People had gradually grown accustomed to him.

Second, since arriving in Wang Du, Qin Feng had kept to himself and never caused trouble.

Even if some hotheaded youths wanted to pick a fight with Qin Feng, they had no chance to approach him, as he stayed inside the Yi Guan.

Most importantly, after the negotiation agreement was published, the Common People, upon reading the Public Notice, found the terms weren't as unbearable as they'd feared.

As for Sangzhou, the Public Notice made no mention of it—presumably the Emperor of Liang feared inciting unrest, so he prioritized stability.

Jing Ci kept her hands tucked inside her warm sleeves, stealing occasional glances at Qin Feng.

After a moment of hesitation, she couldn't resist her curiosity and asked tentatively: "You just said you'd have soldiers help Sangzhou's Common People prepare firewood for winter—is that true?"

Jing Ci still found it hard to believe.

After all, given Qin Feng's status and position, it wasn't so much whether he cared—it was whether he could even notice such a "trivial" matter.

Every court official has lofty ambitions and bears the welfare of Heaven on their heart.

Every gesture and word is filled with grand discourse.

Like Qin Feng, a ruler who notices even such trivial matters as the common people's winter Firewood — in Jing Ci's entire lifetime, she had never encountered one before.

Facing Jing Ci's question, Qin Feng gave it no further thought and shrugged indifferently: "How could such a small matter be false?"