Chapter 535 Extra: Your Majesty, This Empire Belongs to the Xiao Family, Not the Lin Family
While Lin Luoxi and Lin Yi were talking, snowflakes were already falling from the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street in Beizhou City.
If the rain continues like this, it's estimated that it will collapse those thatched roofs within an hour.
"We'll sleep less and patrol more during this period. If we see too much snow on the roofs, we'll let them clean it up themselves." This is the only way to reduce casualties.
Meanwhile, within the capital city—
"My esteemed ministers, Princess Changping has sent word that there will be another heavy snowfall in the near future..." Xiao Jingchen took the letter from Lin Luoxi's flying eagle and handed it to the ministers in the court.
In the current imperial court, most of the ministers who relied on their status as veterans of two reigns have been purged and replaced by Xiao Jingchen's confidants.
After Xiao Jingchen read aloud the contents of the letter sent back by Lin Luoxi, no annoying ministers stood up to refute it; they all responded positively.
“Your Majesty, since Princess Changping has spoken, it must be true. Now that we know this in advance, we should prepare our defenses accordingly,” Lin Wenqian was the first to step forward.
"Your Majesty, we have already stockpiled a lot of supplies and warm clothing during the three-month-long heavy snowfall. As long as we are frugal, we can still get through the heavy snow that Princess Changping mentioned."
As the Minister of Rites, Lin Wenjin also compiled statistics on the issue of reducing expenditures and increasing revenue.
"Good, it's good that you're prepared. However, we can't be careless and we need to keep an eye on things from time to time."
"Before the heavy snowstorm arrives, we quickly spread this message so that all the people can make preparations in advance."
Without those ministers who disagreed with him, Xiao Jingchen was able to proceed with the arrangements smoothly.
Because of the experience gained from the previous heavy snowfall, everyone was able to get things moving without feeling overwhelmed or unsure of where to begin.
At first, the people of the capital were unwilling to believe the news from the imperial court, but when they learned that it was Lin Luoxi who brought it back from Beizhou, they all believed it.
Just when people thought the snow had melted and hope was within reach, some complacent villagers hurriedly went around asking if there was any charcoal for sale.
The capital city is a bustling metropolis, and the demand for charcoal is always high, regardless of the year. Charcoal is always prepared in advance, so there is no shortage of it.
With the government's intervention preventing price increases during this period, ordinary people were still able to buy charcoal.
Just as some people were still half-believing and half-doubting the news Lin Luoxi sent back, the sky over the capital changed, turning dark and gloomy, as if it were about to collapse.
"My esteemed ministers, due to the worsening weather, there will be no need to attend court for the time being."
"But it is still necessary to inspect the situation of the people. I have already assigned you to which areas to oversee. I hope you will not disappoint me. Court adjourned."
God knows how painful it is to crawl out of bed on such a cold day.
As soon as I stepped outside, the cold wind howled. The biting wind felt like it was scraping my bones when it hit my face; it was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers in the court were surprised that Xiao Jingchen was so considerate of them. They didn't want to get up early in such cold weather.
It feels like I've just warmed up in bed, and now I have to get up and go to court again. It's so uncomfortable.
Although there were hot water bottles to warm hands along the way, the cold wind was everywhere, seeping through the gaps into the carriage, making people shiver, their noses run, and they felt terribly uncomfortable.
Although patrols are necessary, it doesn't need to start so early.
As soon as Xiao Jingchen announced the end of the court session, the sky outside grew even darker, and the wind howled like ghosts.
"Let's hurry back, or we'll be stuck in this palace if we're any later." Lin Wenqian glanced at the weather outside and quickened his pace toward the palace gate.
Seeing that even the emperor's favorite, Lin Wenqian, was in such a hurry to leave, they were not to be outdone. They picked up their own oil-paper umbrellas and followed behind, jogging along.
When Lin Wenqian returned home, the entire capital city was once again covered in silver, a vast expanse of white.
Because of the sudden blizzard, visibility was reduced, and it was impossible to see far into the distance.
"Wenqian, why are you back so early today?" Li Muqing, who was soothing her three-month-old son, was curious to see that Lin Wenqian had returned earlier than usual.
"The emperor is kind-hearted. He understands how difficult it is for us to attend court in the heavy snow, so he said that because of the blizzard, he would give us a holiday."
"However, it also assigned us the areas we should patrol."
Lin Wenqian shook off the snow, changed out of his wet cloak, and put on the mink coat that Lin Luoxi had sent back.
He wouldn't have left such warm clothes unworn if he wasn't afraid of being reported for his extravagance.
"That's fine too!"
Seeing that Lin Wenqian had changed his clothes, Li Muqing handed the child in her arms to him. She then turned around and put the wine in the charcoal brazier to warm it up for Lin Wenqian to drink later.
After drinking the warm wine, Lin Wenqian felt warmer, then handed the child to Lin Muqing, put his mink coat on underneath, and wore a loose outer garment over it.
Although it looked bulky, it kept him warm, so Lin Wenqian went out on patrol.
"Sigh, I wonder when this snow will stop?"
Li Muqing looked at the dense, heavy snow that obscured the view ahead and sighed at her three-month-old son.
"If we had known it would snow this heavily here, we should have been back home!!"
But who could have predicted that the weather would be so unusual this year?
After receiving Lin Luoxi's order, the younger generation of villagers in Wutong Village, who had been nagged by Li Muqing, all went out to gather resources and take care of the people of Quanzhou first.
Although the snowfall in Quanzhou was not heavy, the wind was biting, so warm clothes and food were still necessary.
Because of Lin Luoxi's management, no house in Quanzhou was thatched, and every household had food reserves. Even when it snowed, the people of Quanzhou were not affected, and no one died. They all stayed at home warming themselves by the fire.
In other states, because they were governed by other people, the gap between rich and poor was large. The wealthy could safely get through the winter, while the poor had very little left after paying food and land taxes.
Having barely survived the previous three months of snowy weather, they could only freeze or starve to death in the face of a blizzard.
The number of people freezing to death and starving to death is increasing every day, but due to the inaction of the authorities, ordinary people can only face the fate of freezing to death.
By the time Xiao Jingchen received the message, half a month had passed.
"How about we send a message to Luo Xi and ask her to make a trip to Wangzhou, Wanzhou, and Chuanzhou?" Xiao Jingchen was so angry when he saw the memorials submitted by the three prefectures that his liver ached.
Even though the weather in their capital city was much worse, they didn't suffer as much damage as those three states.
“Your Majesty, this empire belongs to the Xiao family, not the Lin family. Luo Xi is already extremely busy in the Northern Province. Do you think she can spare the time to help you manage these three provinces?”
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