A few more peaceful days passed, and everyone continued with their own tasks while worrying about the Taoist priest's situation.
For three or four days in a row, they did not receive any news from the Taoist priest, nor did they see him at all.
However, while waiting for the Taoist priest, the group unexpectedly received a letter from Yunhua.
That evening, as everyone was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air and chatting, Mu'er spotted the carrier pigeons flying back.
"Did the Taoist priest send a message?"
Lu Chuan opened the letter and read, "It's a letter from Yunhua."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao immediately perked up, "Quickly, open it and take a look."
"Haha, Grandpa Zhao was right after all."
Grandpa Zhao took the letter from Lu Chuan; it contained a wealth of information in just a few short sentences.
Grandpa Zhao nodded repeatedly and praised, "Hahaha, he truly lives up to his reputation as the carefree King of Yuanqing Kingdom. Only he could come up with such a method."
Hearing what the two said, Xu Han became even more curious. "What's wrong? What exactly did the letter say?"
Grandpa Zhao said excitedly, "I guessed right! We've finally raised enough money, and the grain is ready to be transported to the border soon."
Xu Han looked puzzled. "What method did this Prince Xiaoyao use to get those noble families and merchants to voluntarily donate money?"
Lu Chuan also asked, "Just who is this Prince Xiaoyao? Why are the powerful families and merchants all afraid of him?"
Grandpa Zhao sat down unhurriedly, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, and slowly said, "Our Prince Xiaoyao is the late emperor's seventh son and the youngest child. He has been favored by the late emperor since childhood."
When I was little, I was a really clever and mischievous kid, full of bad ideas and tricks.
Unlike the other princes, the carefree prince had no interest in the throne and was only interested in delicious food and beautiful scenery, thinking only of eating, drinking and having fun.
The late emperor frequently traveled around the world during his lifetime, and only settled down in the capital when he was a little older.
However, because he was a prince, and due to his personality, he was fond of fighting. Therefore, he always acted arrogantly in the capital, and no one dared to provoke him. None of the scions of noble families had escaped being beaten by him, and they would all avoid him when they saw him.
Seeing that he was like this, the late emperor indulged him. Fortunately, he did not turn out badly. Apart from being a bit mischievous, he was otherwise alright.
When he was 15 years old, the late emperor bestowed upon him a title and granted him the authority to establish his own residence.
Because of his personality, coupled with his young age and likable nature, and his lack of ambition for the throne, he got along very well with his several elder brothers.
After the current emperor ascended the throne, he stopped caring about court affairs and only wanted to be a carefree prince.
However, they will lend a hand when something really happens.
This time, he led his army and carried the imperial edict to the homes of various aristocratic merchants, directly demanding donations from them. Moreover, they could not donate too little, otherwise they would be charged with disloyalty and their homes would be confiscated.
Although this method was unsavory, it was very effective; the money was raised in just a few days and immediately sent to the border.
After listening, Xu Han had to give this carefree king a thumbs up. The method was indeed not very good, but as long as it worked, that was fine.
Those wealthy families and merchants, which one of them isn't rich? Even natural disasters won't have a significant impact on them; they might even take advantage of the disaster to make more money.
Asking them to donate money is really the right thing to do; a little financial contribution would be enough to feed the soldiers on the border.
Lu Chuan listened and simply said, "It seems that this Prince Xiaoyao is actually a good person. But he's definitely not as innocent as he appears."
Xu Han chimed in, "That's for sure. How many people with pure hearts can be born in a place like the royal family, where people devour each other without spitting out the bones? It's just that Prince Xiaoyao knows how to make choices."
Grandpa Zhao tapped Xu Han's head, his face full of affection, "You! You see through people the best. The Prince of Xiaoyao is smart in this respect. He doesn't fight or grab, so no matter who inherits the throne in the future, he will be rich and powerful."
Xu Han added, "He seems to be neither competitive nor greedy, but in fact he has earned everything. He has maintained good relationships with his several imperial brothers, something that most people cannot do."
This is the wisest choice. What's so great about being an emperor? It's exhausting, with endless work every day. It's much better to be a carefree prince, living a life of wealth and luxury without worrying about food or drink.
Grandpa Zhao took a sip of water. "Hahaha, you're absolutely right. That's probably why Xiao Chuan and the Taoist priest only saw the army and not the grain transport when they went down the mountain last time."
Lu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "That should be the case. Those new recruits don't look like they're from our area. They're probably from the south or the capital. After all, when I went down there, our county was still recruiting soldiers."
As the group was talking, a chorus of barking dogs suddenly came from outside.
The three exchanged glances and stood up. They wondered to themselves, "What's that dog barking so late at night? Could someone be coming this way? The sound doesn't seem dangerous!"
Lu Chuan was about to open the door to check when he heard the Taoist priest knocking, "I'm back. Is anyone home? Open the door quickly."
Upon hearing the Taoist priest's voice, Lu Chuan did not hesitate and immediately opened the door. When the Taoist priest saw that the person guarding the door was Lu Chuan, he immediately stuffed the bundle he was carrying into Lu Chuan's arms.
Lu Chuan was stunned by the sudden smell of the bag. "Master, how long has it been since you took a bath? It's all sour."
The Taoist priest waved his hand dismissively and said, "Why be so particular when we're traveling? Girl, hurry up and get me something to eat, I'm starving."
Xu Han obediently went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
The Taoist priest looked exhausted, his whole body exuding an indescribable sense of slovenliness—yes, slovenliness. His hair was a mess, his clothes were torn, and he carried twigs and dry grass that he had scraped off from somewhere. He looked particularly comical, no different from a beggar.
Grandpa Zhao, seeing the Taoist priest suppressing a laugh, said, "What happened to you? How did you end up like this after just one trip out?"
The Taoist priest downed his drink in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said, "Don't even mention it. It's been so long since I've done this. I've been suffering terribly these past few days. I had nothing to eat or drink, you have no idea how I've survived."
"Hahaha, didn't you take the money?"
The Taoist priest glared at Lu Chuan and said, "What's the use of having money? You can't spend it even if you have it in the middle of nowhere."
Xu Han brought out the food and, very kindly, also boiled a large pot of water for the Taoist priest, knowing he would definitely need to wash up properly later.
When the Taoist priest saw Xu Han bring the food over, he didn't say anything more and just ate in silence.
Everyone waited until the Taoist priest had eaten and drunk his fill before asking about the situation.
"It's nothing serious. Based on my observations over the past few days, it's probably just that the supplies haven't caught up yet and are still behind us."
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