Marketplace

"Squeak--"

With a soft creak of the carriage door, a cotton boot stepped out and landed on the thick snow below.

After getting off the carriage, Xu Yuan's gaze immediately fell on the towering city wall that seemed to reach the clouds in the distance.

The heavy snowfall severely obstructed the view, but it did not diminish the majestic grandeur of the city wall before them, which resembled a mountain.

Its entire form is hidden in the wind and snow, like a colossal beast crouching on the ground.

Due to the war, a curfew was imposed in Beifeng City, and all freight was prohibited from entering the city at night. The South City would only be opened to allow merchants to enter at dawn.

Thinking to himself, Xu Yuan turned his gaze to the other convoys.

The wind and snow were howling, and within sight, the horse-drawn wagons loaded with goods were lined up neatly.

They varied in size, with the largest carrying a demon Demon Beast reaching a height of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Many of the carts were already covered with a thick layer of snow.

Xu Yuan gently shook his head, exhaled a warm breath, and murmured to himself:

"Military vehicle chassis. Given this scale, are they all military equipment?"

"Third Young Master is joking."

Li Yunqing also got out of the carriage and came over to him at some point, and suddenly laughed, "How could so many carriages be all military equipment? The entire Beifeng City consumes a lot of grain every day."

Xu Yuan patted the snow off his shoulder, turned around and smiled:

"Your Highness, why did you come down here? Aren't you cold?"

Li Yunqing glanced at his bicycle frame and laughed:

"My second brother spends all day reading without saying a word. He comes down for some fresh air."

After Li Capital some distance from the capital, Xu Yuan had someone buy an extra carriage at a post station.

He and Li Qingyan in one carriage, while the two princes rode in another, making it convenient for them to rest.

With Li Yunqing's personality, living in the same room as Li Zhaoyuan would really suffocate him.

Therefore, Xu Yuan instantly understood upon hearing Li Yunqing's words.

After a month of getting to know each other, Li Yunqing had a pretty good understanding of the Second Prince's temperament, even without mentioning it.

I don't know if it was an act, but the Second Prince was very serious. He was calm and composed in everything he said and did, leaving no room for error.

As a leader, he can be very reassuring, but being his colleague can be a bit boring.

Of course, this is as playmates; if it's about doing business, Xu Yuan still prefers to do things with someone like the Second Prince.

Reliable.

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan turned to look at the giant beasts lying prone in the wind and snow, and said:

"With such heavy snow, the Northern Border is likely to have a tough year."

Li Yunqing sighed, his voice tinged with melancholy:

"The snowstorm is too severe. The fertile fields in the northern Three Northern Prefectures will likely yield no harvest this year. As we've seen along the way, if it weren't for the imperial court's disaster relief efforts, the number of people who have starved to death in the past few months would be in the tens of millions."

"."

Xu Yuan remained silent upon hearing this.

He had seen similar information in the internal documents of the Prime Minister's Estate.

But reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; words can never match the reality of seeing with one's own eyes.

The weather in Di'an City was favorable, but after they had traveled north for half a month, the temperature began to drop sharply. First, it was rain and snow, and later heavy snow blocked the roads.

Prices in some towns along the route began to rise uncontrollably.

In Di'an City, the price of grain was about four to five wen per jin, but in Manzhang Commandery, which was near Beifeng City, the price of grain had soared to ten wen per jin.

The price increase was not significant because the government released a large amount of stored grain into the market, and the imperial court dispatched many imperial envoys to deal with merchants who hoarded grain and profited from the national crisis.

Although officials in the extraordinary world are corrupt, they generally don't dare to be too greedy, because there might be a cultivator lurking in the shadows watching you.

However, these are all situations within the city; the towns and villages we passed through in remote areas can only be described with one word.

Starving corpses littered the land, and no remains remained.

The heavy snow collapsed houses, and countless people froze to death.

Li Yunqing sighed softly:

"My lord, do you think it was really the right thing for Father and the others to do under these circumstances to wage war against the Barbarian Tribe?"

"."

Xu Yuan did not reply immediately.

At this time,

Li Qingyan strode down from the carriage, holding a red jacket in his hand. "What are you talking about? Where is Second Brother?"

Li Yunqing shrugged. "My brother was reading in the carriage, while my husband and I were talking about the heavy snow in the Northern Border."

Li Qingyan listened without speaking, silently walked to Xu Yuan's side, and while helping him put the cloak on, instructed him:

"If your cultivation level is low, wear more clothes to keep warm. If you go further north, the freezing temperatures and earth-shaking conditions will be unbearable even for an ordinary fourth-grade cultivator."

Xu Yuan looked at the tall woman beside him with a surprised expression, but remained silent.

Seeing this, Li Yunqing pursed his lips, pointed to himself, and asked:

"Sis, where's mine?"

Li Qingyan glanced back at her younger brother, her expression indifferent:

"Do you not have hands?"

"." Li Yunqing.

Then, Li Qingyan looked up at the dark sky, reached out and caught a glistening snowflake, and whispered:

"Third daughter, I don't know if Father and the others' decisions are right or wrong, but I do know that if this trip goes smoothly, it will be a great achievement for generations to come."

Xu Yuan sighed silently to himself.

Is the crime committed in this era, but the merits accumulated over time?

The funds allocated for disaster relief in the Northern Border, plus the provisions and weapons for launching the war, will be fine if successful, but if they fail, at least half of the national treasury that the emperor and his father have built up over the years will be emptied.

Composing himself, Xu Yuan suddenly asked:

"Wu Yuan, how much longer until the gates of Beifeng City open?"

Li Qingyan replied calmly:

"If nothing unexpected happens, there are still about 15 minutes left."

As she spoke, she glanced up at the sky, a fiery red glint flashing in her eyes.

Xu Yuan noticed her small movement, glanced up as well, but saw nothing, and asked softly:

What are you looking at?

Li Qingyan replied softly:

"Flying scout"

"A flying scout?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Li Qingyan patiently explained:

"Although the battle line has retreated to the Dali Mountain area, the fighting continues. If we want to open the city gates, we must first check the surrounding environment."

As he spoke, Li Qingyan suddenly turned his gaze towards the city wall and frowned:

"Brother? What is he doing there?"

Xu Yuan subconsciously turned his gaze, but unfortunately, due to the wind and snow, he couldn't see that way.

"."

Li Zhaoyuan, dressed in a brocade robe, had arrived alone at the foot of the city wall at some unknown time.

He stared at the marks left on the city walls by siege weapons, remaining silent for a long time.

After a while,

With a soft sigh, he slowly took out a pot of warm wine and silently poured it down below the Beifeng City.

Just as he was about to return to the convoy, he saw three people walking towards him through the snow.

Approaching him, Li Yunqing smiled enigmatically and asked:

"Is Your Majesty offering a sacrifice to the fallen soldiers?"

Li Zhaoyuan's expression remained calm.

"Not only the soldiers, but also the countless common people of the Northern Border."

"I offer a pot of Tianqing as a sacrifice; Your Majesty is very kind," Li Yunqing said, bowing slightly.

Li Zhaoyuan, regardless of whether the Third Prince was being sarcastic or sincere, said calmly:

"With my current abilities, this is all I can do."

Li Yunqing narrowed his eyes, smiled but remained silent, and did not respond.

Li Qingyan remained silent.

Xu Yuan stared at the marks on the city wall, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light, and suddenly said in a cold voice:

"Let's erect a monument for them after this trip."

"."

Li Zhaoyuan nodded in agreement and said, "When I return to the capital this time, I will personally submit a memorial to my father, asking him to inscribe words for these soldiers."

Xu Yuan shook his head and said:

"There are too many; His Majesty cannot write them all down."

A moment of silence.

The other three people present realized what Xu Yuan meant by erecting a monument.

Li Qingyan stared at his retreating figure, remaining silent.

Both princes appeared slightly surprised.

Xu Yuan wasn't particularly surprised by this.

Every battle was marked with inscriptions and monuments, and even the previous emperors personally went to the battlefield to collect the remains of fallen soldiers.

But it was erected in the name of a collective.

Engraving each person's name was somewhat ahead of its time in this feudal era.

However, after a moment's thought, both princes realized the benefits of the situation.

Li Yunqing stroked his chin:

"The method suggested by the Prince Consort is indeed feasible. With such honor, the soldiers should not be discouraged, and it can also inspire them to fight even more bravely."

Li Zhaoyuan pondered for a moment and then said:

"This decision to erect a monument requires careful consideration. Only those who have rendered meritorious service should be enshrined on this monument, so that their names may be remembered for eternity."

Xu Yuan remained indifferent for a moment, then said slowly:

"Your Highness, I mean everyone."

"Everyone?" Li Zhaoyuan murmured.

Xu Yuan looked at him calmly:

"Who shed blood to defend the Northern Border, whether soldiers or civilians?"

"Those who gave their lives for the Northern Border should naturally leave some trace of their existence in this world."

Silence followed.

Li Qingyan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she gently pursed her lips.

Half an hour later, the city gate opened.

The heavy city gate was slowly hoisted up, and the deathly silent city gate began to clamor. A huge, rumbling sound of hooves echoed outside the city gate, and the snow on the ground stirred up a magnificent snow mist.

But the next moment, a hurricane rose from the city wall's formation, instantly dispersing the rising snow mist.

Due to the war in the Northern Border, Beifeng City has been completely placed under military control.

The inspection of goods and personnel was extremely strict, but the soldiers at the city gate, dressed in winter armor, were already familiar with the procedures. Soon, the city gate, like the mouth of a giant beast, began to orderly swallow and spit out various supplies for the city.

Since Xu Yuan and his group came in secret and did not reveal their identities, they also had to queue to enter the city.

Now, military-grade Demon Beast wagons are given priority to enter the city, while civilian caravans like Xu Yuan's can only wait in line.

While waiting in utter boredom, Xu Yuan pulled back the curtain of the carriage and looked outside. To his surprise, he saw quite a few ordinary carriages carrying goods.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan was somewhat speechless.

With heavy snow blocking the roads and supplies scarce, the price of grain, which is under strict government control, has remained stable, while the prices of other consumables are skyrocketing. Yet these people dare to risk their lives to sell their goods.

My mentor was right.

If you give a merchant a 300% profit margin, he'll even sell the rope that would hang himself.

The curtains were closed, and we sat and waited quietly as the carriage moved forward little by little with the caravan.

Fifteen minutes later,

"Tap tap tap--"

A knocking sound came from outside the carriage, followed by a somewhat impatient voice coming from outside:

"The person in charge is coming down to inspect the goods. Hurry up, don't dawdle, there are others waiting."

Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan beside him.

Li Qingyan didn't speak, but calmly pulled the curtain slightly open.

Xu Yuan then saw the people outside clearly.

This is a middle-aged veteran nearing forty, wearing armor belonging to Du Bo.

When he saw Li Qingyan's appearance, his pupils contracted sharply, his legs trembled, and he instinctively wanted to kneel down. However, halfway down, he noticed the murderous intent in Li Qingyan's eyes and restrained himself, maintaining his original tone:

"Oh, it's Old Wang. The roads are blocked by snow, yet you're still doing business here. Let's have a drink together next time."

While speaking,

Dubo waved to the soldiers who were about to inspect the convoy:

"Alright, I know someone here, let them through."

After saying that, Xu Yuan and his entourage entered the city directly.

The streets of Beifeng City were somewhat deserted. Years of war had left this magnificent city with relatively few inhabitants. The streets were mostly filled with soldiers in full armor, and among them were many large knight-errant groups hired by the imperial court to fight.

The carriage swayed and rattled through the city.

Xu Yuan asked in a low voice about what had just happened:

"Princess, was that man one of your soldiers?"

Li Qingyan nodded, completely unconcerned.

"Um."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Didn't they say that many places in Beifeng City have been infiltrated by sects and aristocratic Aristocratic Clan?"

Li Qingyan glanced at him helplessly and said:

"The city gates are a bottom line; we can't entrust them to those parasites. Besides, I already informed my deputy general back in Manzhang Commandery, instructing him to replace the city guards with trusted confidants who keep their mouths shut."

Xu Yuan understood and asked:

"Where are we going now? Straight back to the military camp?"

Li Qingyan drew back the tent flap, looked towards the east of the city, and said:

"Not yet. We must proceed with caution. Let's head to the market first. Your father has arranged for the Black Scale Guard to meet us there. They will directly purchase our 'goods' and then secretly transport them to the Northern Border."

Upon hearing this, a large, beautiful figure inexplicably appeared in Xu Yuan's mind.

After a moment of silence, he immediately banished the thought from his mind.

No, not at all.

It's unlikely that someone as important as her would personally handle the handover of goods.

The convoy did not travel without any obstacles.

Even under military control, conflicts frequently occurred among the numerous northern border troops stationed on hilltops.

Under the immense pressure of war, it is easy for gunfire to escalate and fights to break out.

As Xu Yuan walked from the south to the east of the city, he witnessed two fights taking place on the street.

One time it was the Yulin Army and the border troops of the sects; the other time it was the Black Scale Army and a group of chivalrous people.

Eighteen or nineteen cultivators at the seventh or eighth rank were locked in a fierce battle. One seventh-rank cultivator, who was sent flying backward, even smashed a nearby shop.

However, they all remained restrained, neither forming military formations nor using weapons.

Xu Yuan's eyes twitched as he watched these scenes.

No, you street patrollers should at least respect the skin on your bodies.

Li Qingyan seemed to be used to this:

"Many brothers and comrades have died because other tribes refused to come to their aid. Due to accumulated resentment, such incidents are not uncommon in Beifeng City."

Xu Yuan remained silent, inwardly harboring some resentment.

The fact that they could suppress the Barbarian Tribe despite such internal strife only proves that the Great Yan truly possessed abundant martial virtue.

After a few moments of silence, the caravan slowly drove into the market Beifeng City.

It was very noisy, with constant arguments arising from price negotiations.

These are all tough people who risk their lives to travel north to sell their goods in the wind and snow, so they naturally won't budge on prices.

Amidst the arguing, Xu Yuan and the others quickly found a quiet, shady spot.

As soon as the convoy stopped, Xu Yuan suddenly felt the soft couch beside him sink a little.

immediately,

A familiar scent of Poison Rose gradually filled the carriage.