Because long-distance communication was possible, news reports in this world were remarkably timely.
Each evening, before the Hour of the Dog, the various prefectures and counties submitted a summary of the day's major events to the Imperial Capital. The Morning News Bureau, a branch of the Hanlin Academy, then worked through the night to select the most important items and compile them.
Before the Hour of the Rabbit the next morning, the Morning News Bureau sent the finished reports back to the prefectures and counties. Every day at the Hour of the Dragon, local government offices posted them at their gates and printed copies for the city's various bookstores to sell.
They were a kind of morning news bulletin—and the only way most people in the realm could learn about affairs of state.
A news report was a little thicker than the paper newspapers of his previous life, but its layout was similar.
A big headline, smaller subheadings, then the text—and sometimes even illustrations.
As Xu Yuan read through it carefully, his expression grew increasingly strange.
Aside from a few deaths in the northern provinces and prefectures, where the annual winter cold snap had struck, the rest of the Great Yan Dynasty could be summed up in four words: peace and prosperity.
The world of Cangyuan he knew wasn't just a little different from this one. It was utterly unrelated.
After a long silence, Xu Yuan pulled back the carriage curtain and looked out at the bustling streets.
The common folk milled about, vendors threaded through the crowds hawking their wares, and young gentlemen and lovely ladies strolled among them, chatting and laughing. Beneath the evening sky, a few Bright Pattern Lamps had already lit up.
Seeing it with his own eyes, the city truly was prosperous.
He turned back to the report and continued reading.
Before long,
Xu Yuan found what he'd been looking for.
The Great Yan Dynasty was at war in the north.
But only a few lines had been spared for it, at the very end of the report.
"The Ninth Princess led her army north and crushed the Barbarian forces beneath Cold North City, slaying over ten thousand enemies."
The brief description brushed over it as if it were nothing.
Xu Yuan set down the report, a puzzled look in his eyes.
He didn't remember any such war in Cangyuan, but judging from those few words, it must have been a major conflict.
He had a vague memory of Cold North City.
When he was young, his original self had gone there once with Xu Changge.
It was a vast military city in the northern reaches of Great Yan. Its walls towered a hundred zhang high, stretching beyond sight, and their imposing expanse radiated a biting chill.
Below, all he could see was a boundless sea of snow and mist, like the Great Wall at the edge of the world.
The city was also surrounded by numerous satellite garrisons, which stood in mutual support with the main city of Cold North, their positions forming interlocking horns.
Xu Yuan vaguely remembered what Xu Changge had told him when he was still a child:
"Cold North City is the gateway to the northern provinces. If it falls, there'll be no natural defenses on the plains behind it. The Barbarian Tribe will scatter like locusts, and the damage will be beyond reckoning.
"This place must never fall."
And yet this vital stronghold had already been besieged by the Barbarian forces, more than ten years later.
"..."
Xu Yuan raised a hand to rub his brow, pushed away his thoughts, and asked aloud:
"Mr. Zhou, do you know anything about the war in the north?"
"Hmm?"
Zhou Chen, driving the carriage, heard Xu Yuan's sudden question and gave a puzzled grunt. After thinking briefly, he shook his head.
"I don't know much. I've never been to the Northern Border. Young Master, did you see the report about our Great Yan's war with those barbarians?"
Xu Yuan nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I'd never paid attention to it before, but now that I've seen it, I'm curious. That's why I asked."
"Young Master, you're concerned about the country and its people."
Zhou Chen cupped his hands toward the rear, then said with a smile, "I don't know the details, but if you're truly interested, you could ask the steward to prepare an internal briefing from the Prime Minister's Estate once we get back. The reports circulated within the Prime Minister's Estate are much more detailed than this."
"An internal briefing?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Chen said without concern:
"Official reports are selected and edited by the Morning News Bureau. A lot gets left out."
"..."
Xu Yuan understood and said no more.
The topic seemed to remind Zhou Chen of something. He suddenly let out a long sigh, took a deep swig from his wine gourd, and muttered, "Those people at the Morning News Bureau always report the good and hide the bad. Do they have any idea how chaotic things have gotten out there?"
At that, Xu Yuan's brows immediately furrowed.
How chaotic?
Jingjiang City was so prosperous. Could things really be such a mess outside?
Still, if it was true, then it would fit the plot.
After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan asked:
"Mr. Zhou, what do you mean by 'chaotic'?"
"..."
Zhou Chen glanced back in surprise through the little window in the carriage.
Weren't rampaging demonic beasts and banditry common knowledge throughout the realm?
How could the Third Young Master not know?
But after a little thought, Zhou Chen understood and gave a helpless smile.
The Third Young Master had either stayed in the Imperial Capital or in the sprawling Jingjiang Prefecture. He'd hardly ever left the city, and had grown up in a bed of honey. It was only natural that he knew nothing about the situation outside.
Zhou Chen considered his words, then lowered his voice.
"Third Young Master, you've always stayed inside the prefectural city, so you wouldn't know. These past few years, natural and man-made disasters have never let up across the land."
As he spoke, Zhou Chen sighed, his tone a little complicated.
"Before, I was ordered to travel from the Imperial Capital to Jingjiang City. Along the way, I encountered demonic beasts attacking people more times than I could count. From the sky, I passed over many villages where all I could see were heaps of broken walls and scattered bones."
Xu Yuan's heart sank.
"Demonic beasts attacking people?"
Zhou Chen explained, "I don't mean those tamed demonic beasts hurting people. I mean the ones still lurking in the wilderness."
"I know. I mean, where are the people from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau? Aren't demonic beasts threatening civilians their responsibility?"
"..."
Zhou Chen didn't answer.
After a long pause,
When Zhou Chen still said nothing, Xu Yuan spoke first.
"Mr. Zhou, you can speak freely. There's no need to hold back."
Seeing this, Zhou Chen stopped keeping silent and smiled.
"Because the court has no money."
His laugh carried a hint of mockery.
No money meant no personnel in the Heavenly Supervision Bureau, so they couldn't handle everything.
And why was there no money?
Heh.
The carriage fell silent for several breaths. Only after a long while did a voice sound again.
"Mr. Zhou, could you tell me why? Is it because the officials are corrupt?"
Hearing this, Zhou Chen no longer held back. He only spoke softly.
"That's just one reason."
"What are the others?" Xu Yuan asked.
Zhou Chen didn't answer. Instead, he asked:
"Third Young Master, do you know how many sects own property in Jingjiang City?"
Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed. He shook his head slightly.
"I don't."
As he drank, Zhou Chen rambled on:
"The Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Xiaoxiang Pavilion, the Monster Textile Market in the east of the city, the countless acres of fertile farmland outside the city—things like that are all sect property.
"Heh. It takes several times more silver to support that bunch of sect disciples who produce nothing than the border troops need for their annual military budget."
Zhou Chen's tone was leisurely, but his voice was low.
"But these sects don't pay taxes. They call it tribute, and as for how much they pay each year—heh, they decide that for themselves."
Xu Yuan felt a prickling sensation across his scalp. He was beginning to understand.
The evidence was right before his eyes.
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion belonged to Mr. Qin.
And at the Tianyuan Assembly back then, Xu Changge had tried to kill Mr. Qin, which meant that he, too, was from a local sect.
At least, that was what it looked like on the surface.
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was a money pit. No one could even guess how much it earned in a single night.
And that was only one corner of the sects' countless holdings. Yet the court received none of that silver.
Even the gentry in the ancient world of his previous life weren't this outrageous.
Whatever happened in practice, officially, their taxes had at least been reduced or waived as a privilege.
But here, the sects simply paid nothing.
Seeing Xu Yuan remain silent for a long time,
Zhou Chen cupped his hands toward the heavens.
"Third Young Master, the Prime Minister has repeatedly petitioned the Crown Prince to address this problem, but every time, the Crown Prince has rejected him, saying that the ancestral rules cannot be lightly changed.
"I suspect Mr. Qin went after you largely because of this."
A little late. There'll be another chapter in a bit.
Before you continue