The disasters in various parts of Dayong are just beginning. Even though there is a famine in the southern part of Huangzhou, it is still far from the point where all the states are facing food shortages.
Wei Yunlan had seen before that even the marquis's mansion in the capital was short of food. That was the truly critical moment.
There are still a few years left, but when it comes to food, the more the better.
That's the bad thing about the North.
It is so cold that there are very few crops that can be grown.
Wei Yunlan frowned and thought for a moment, and suddenly thought of a crop planted underground. In his previous life, when the barbarian army entered the capital, Wei Yunlan had seen them roasting this crop over fire to eat.
It is said that the growth of this crop is not picky about the soil environment, and it can produce at least two thousand kilograms per acre. The Northern Barbarians obtained the roots of this crop from other countries in the west, and took advantage of the one or two years to plant a large number of them, which solved the problem of insufficient food and fodder when they went south to attack Dayong.
If we can get the seeds of this crop first and plant it in large quantities in Dayong, wouldn't the famine in Dayong be avoided?
Alternatively, if Dayong had enough food and was not affected too much by the disaster, the Northern Barbarians might not even have the chance to set foot in Dayong's territory.
The more Wei Yunlan thought about it, the more he felt that it was extremely necessary to get this crop.
Since the northern barbarians were able to get these new crops from the western countries in the previous life, it is entirely possible for them to do so in this life as well.
And as a "prophet", he may even be earlier than the northern barbarians!
Bypass the northern barbarians and head to other countries in the northwest.
The only route is through the difficult and dangerous Yandu Gorge and then through the vast Gobi Desert.
In her previous life, the Jinyang Marquis Mansion and Xue Linglong’s caravan failed to take this new route. In this life, she wanted to give it a try.
If successful, it would not only provide additional security for the Wei family, but might also bring new vitality to Dayong.
…
Just when Wei Yunlan was eager to try Yandu Gorge again, Qi Xu, who was about to arrive in Tanzhou, also received news from Huangzhou.
Implicated in the previous attack and kidnapping of Princess Daning and Song Changke, the fact that the Huangzhou bureaucrats colluded with the Northern Barbarians and abducted a large number of Dayong women and sent them to the Northern Barbarians was exposed to the eyes of the world.
Emperor Xiaoming punished a large number of officials in Huangzhou. Huangzhou was hit by a disaster, and in order to prevent the disaster victims in the southern part of Huangzhou from moving to other states, the court needed to send new officials to take over the vacant positions as soon as possible.
Due to various reasons, Xue Lian, who had just dealt with the remnants of the previous dynasty of the Holy Moon Sect, was still on his way to the capital when he was transferred directly to Huangzhou by an order from Emperor Xiao Ming.
He was qualified for the position that Qi Xu had chosen for him early on, the commander of Huangzhou, commanding a total of 5,600 troops in the Huangzhou garrison.
When Xue Lian received the news from Huangzhou, he had already taken office.
Just as Qi Xu had guessed before, due to the huge changes in the officialdom of Huangzhou, everyone was busy with their own affairs and had no extra energy to make things difficult for Xue Lian. Xue Lian took over the more than 5,000 troops without much thought.
At the same time as Xue Lian successfully took over the position of commander, news also came that Princess Daning stayed in Huangzhou.
Seeing what his aunt, who was once trapped in love, is doing now, Qi Xu can't help but look at her with admiration.
He then ordered his men, "Have someone keep an eye on Princess Daning. There are bound to be people with bad intentions among the refugees, so don't let them hurt the princess."
After a pause, he continued, "Arrange another master to go and persuade the princess that death is like the extinguishing of a light, and there is absolutely no possibility of reversing and resurrecting. Tell her not to persist in looking for Princess Qinghe."
"Yes." An Er, who was kneeling on one knee in front of Qi Xu, ordered him to retreat and disappeared on the deck after a while.
This inconspicuous merchant ship continued to sail south.
No one could have imagined that the deposed prince, who had arrived at his fiefdom in Tanzhou two months ago, was now on this small boat.
…
Ever since the earthquake that affected nearly ten states, Emperor Xiao Ming hadn't smiled for a long time.
Emperor Xiao Ming has been in a good mood recently because of a rare victory.
It was rare that he did not miss a single court meeting for more than ten days in a row. Otherwise, in the past, Emperor Xiao Ming would always use the excuse of a headache or other reasons to skip a court meeting every few days.
Once his mood improved, the atmosphere in the entire harem became relaxed and pleasant.
With Concubine Ling around, the rest of the harem naturally didn't dare to hope for the emperor's favor. But Emperor Xiaoming was a man with plenty of money, and especially when he was in a good mood, he loved to give away lots of treasures.
This time he opened his private treasury and rewarded the newly promoted Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery with a large amount of treasures.
In addition, everyone in the harem also received some rewards. The items that could enter Emperor Xiaoming’s private treasury were certainly not ordinary items. Even the most insignificant ones were worth at least a hundred taels.
This is nothing in the eyes of Concubine Ling, but in the eyes of those low-ranking concubines who have no natal family to rely on, they are rare good things.
For a moment, the entire harem was filled with laughter.
Amidst the festive atmosphere, only the Yongfu Palace where Concubine Xian resided was filled with gloom and sorrow.
"No letter has been sent from Changning yet?"
On the bed, Concubine Xian woke up from her dream, sat up abruptly, grabbed the wrist of the palace maid beside her, and asked in a panic.
The maid was so panicked that she almost broke the medicine bowl in her hand.
Seeing this, Nanny Cui, who had been following Concubine Xian since she was at her mother's home, Duke Xu's Mansion, hurried forward, held the medicine bowl steadily with one hand, and supported Concubine Xian's arm with the other, helping her to sit steadily against the head of the bed.
With eyes full of pity, he said, "My Lady, you have only slept for half an hour. If you stay up like this, your body will collapse."
As she spoke, she took the medicine bowl from the palace maid, scooped up some with a spoon, and blew gently, "Your Majesty, drink the tranquilizer, you should rest for a while."
"Madame Cui, how can I sleep right now?"
Xianfei pushed the bowl away, sighed and shook her head, and repeated the question she had asked when she woke up earlier, "No news from Changning yet?"
Ever since Changning was sent to marry into the Northern Barbarians, the mother and daughter have been separated by thousands of miles, and there is no chance that they will ever meet again in this life.
But no matter what, there are still a few letters sent from the northern barbarians every year.
Although the letter had been checked many times and usually contained some high-sounding and insignificant formalities, she would feel relieved as long as she could see the familiar handwriting on the letter.
At least she still knew that her poor daughter was trying hard to live strong in another place far away.
The last time she communicated with him, she learned that her daughter had suffered a second miscarriage.
Just when they were worried, news came from the North Gate that Dayong had won the battle and the Northern Barbarians had retreated.
It is easy to imagine what kind of situation Princess Dayong would be in the Northern Barbarians at such a critical juncture.
Rumor has it that the Northern Barbarian Chanyu is fierce and brutal.
Her daughter, who had just had a miscarriage, would not be blamed for her anger and face life-threatening situations...
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