The disaster situation in Hebei Circuit was extremely urgent. The harvest season had arrived, yet there was nothing to harvest. Chang’an’s grain prices had quietly risen by two wen, already up by half compared to last year. Yun Ye had said before that cheap grain hurts farmers, and Li Er had laughed at him for having his mind entirely focused on money. In a prosperous age, the priority should be cheap grain—only this way could the millions of mouths across the realm be fed. At that time, Yun Ye had stubbornly argued that someday the market would regulate grain prices itself, and imperial power could do almost nothing about it except kill people. Indeed, he had no way to stop those grain merchants from raising prices. Over a dozen heads had already been severed at the Western Market, but unfortunately, dozens of grain shops had also quickly disappeared. Killing people wasn’t a solution. Li Er felt very powerless about this matter.

Linghu Defen’s words at this moment stabbed another knife into his heart. He wanted to lose his temper but had no reason to. The Yan-Zhao lands were troublesome. How many people had he killed to pacify Youzhou? Dou Jiande, Luo Yi—he’d killed endlessly. That region always produced the most troublesome enemies. Not providing relief was unacceptable.

If he hadn’t allocated all four hundred thousand strings the Empress obtained to the Ministry of War, perhaps his hands would be a bit more comfortable now. Waging war was a money-burning business. However, the last campaign against the Turks didn’t seem to cost much money. When Yun Ye returned, he should ask him properly how war profits were made. That fellow probably scooped up a lot of money for me in Lingnan!

Li Er sat on the dragon throne thinking about his own matters, turning a deaf ear to the turmoil in the court hall. He had long had strategies for both the Western Campaign and the Yan-Zhao lands. Their current quarreling was just meaningless talk. But why—why did those nobles have smiles on their faces? The nation faces calamity, and you’re pleased about it?

Just as he was about to get angry, he saw a palace attendant hurry into the hall and report prostrate on the ground, “Your Majesty, outside the palace gates are three titled ladies—Cheng Pei Shi, Niu Jiang Shi, and Yun Zhao Shi—requesting an audience with Your Majesty.”

Qin Qiong closed his eyes with a miserable expression. Today he had intended to make his final effort in the court hall. Rumors about stopping the Western Campaign had already been spread far and wide by people with ulterior motives. How could the Cheng, Niu, and Yun families not know? Cheng Yaojin and Niu Jinda were on distant campaigns. If the Western Campaign didn’t proceed, they would die without burial places. Yesterday they had sought Qin Qiong’s opinion. This was the last resort—bankrupting their families to forcibly support the Western Campaign, at least ensuring the soldiers who departed early would all return safely.

Li Er thought the three families were coming to sob and plead, wanting him to continue the Western Campaign. Unexpectedly, after Madam Cheng, Madam Niu, and the Yun Family’s old madam ascended to the hall, they neither cried nor made a fuss. Only the Yun Family’s old madam was haggard, but she opened her mouth to speak, “Your Majesty, the Taiji Palace was originally not a place where we womenfolk could come. However, we heard the court intends to stop the Western Campaign, and the reason is actually that there’s been a great disaster in the country and money and grain are insufficient.”

“The soldiers are fighting for the nation at the frontiers—how can they lack clothing and food? We womenfolk don’t understand military and state affairs. If the women and children at home suffer some hardship, that’s nothing. We only feel we cannot shortchange the soldiers at the border. My worthless grandson Yun Ye has always spent money without restraint. The Yun Family, scraping together everything we have, could only gather eighty thousand strings. Together with the Cheng, Niu, and Qin families, we’ve pooled a total of one hundred fifty thousand strings. We request Your Majesty use this money to buy grain for disaster victims. Saving even one more life is good.”

After speaking, she took out a promissory note from her sleeve, placed it on the tray held by the palace attendant, and after she and the two Cheng and Niu madams bowed to the Emperor, they left the hall.

The palace hall was utterly silent. No one spoke. Li Er burst into long laughter, “Wonderful! My Great Tang has truly reached the end of its rope—reduced to snatching food from the mouths of women and children! Isn’t it just the Western Campaign? You’re all scared into quails over a shortage of some money and grain? Only four provinces in Hebei are damaged, and one by one you’ve become startled birds? Where has that vigor gone when you followed me years ago, devouring ten thousand li like tigers? Could it be that after living peaceful days too long, you can no longer ride horses, draw bows, or kill enemies? Back then you could chew grass roots—now have your beautiful wives and lovely concubines worn away the last bit of heroic spirit? Zhangsun Wuji, tell me, do you still dare go to the battlefield?”

Zhangsun Wuji rose to reply, “Your Majesty, this subject’s precious sword neighs nightly, and the fine steed in the stable is restless. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, this subject can traverse it twice over.”

If he didn’t speak fine words at this moment, there probably wouldn’t be another chance. Everyone could see Li Er had reached the limit of his patience. Speaking provocatively at this time would absolutely result in dying without a burial place.

In an instant, the court hall achieved highly unified rhetoric without a single discordant note. Of course the Emperor wouldn’t take the family assets of the Cheng, Niu, Yun, and Qin families. What he wanted was a harmonious and stable court structure.

No one knew that tucked in the Emperor’s sleeve was a promissory note for nine hundred thirty thousand strings. This was his greatest source of confidence. Zhangsun had slipped it to him before court, saying this was part of the Lingnan proceeds. The rest needed to be dealt with by Yun Ye before it could be sent to Chang’an. After all, those treasures had no use whatsoever for the court at this time.

A million dan of grain was on the sea. Yun Ye only needed to dock at Youzhou to immediately extinguish the flames of hunger in the Yan-Zhao lands, and there would probably be much left over.

Compared to Li Er’s torment in the court hall, Yun Ye was relaxed and cheerful. Having reached the north, there were many merchant ships on the sea, coming and going quite busily. The sea surface was wreathed in clouds and mist. The scenery was beautiful and varied. Numerous islands appeared and disappeared in the clouds and fog. Dongyu had reached his homeland, and his mood became extremely good. He chattered away to Wang Cai introducing his hometown. One man and one horse seemed quite absorbed in their conversation.

If they hadn’t encountered three small Japanese ships, Yun Ye’s good mood would have continued. With one command, he prepared to send these three ships to the sea bottom to meet the Dragon King. Whether they were pirates or not, Yun Ye believed they were, and his naval forces were also prepared to believe these were a group of pirates. At most they’d collect physical evidence afterward—there would surely be some. Wu She also believed there would definitely be physical evidence, because as long as it passed through Yun Ye’s hands, it would be difficult for there not to be any.

The eight-ox crossbows were already strung. The catapults had already placed head-sized rocks in bamboo baskets. Everyone kept adjusting angles, preparing to smash the three small boats to smithereens in the first bombardment.

A Great Tang official in green robes appeared at the bow of the Japanese ship, continuously shouting toward the fleet. Yun Ye helplessly ordered the attack stopped. He really couldn’t bring himself to throw rocks at his own people.

A small boat brought the green-robed official aboard. Yun Ye asked irritably, “You’re a sixth-rank official—how come you’re squeezed onto one boat with the Japanese? Isn’t that embarrassing? Does the Great Tang have no ships?”

“In response to Marquis Yun’s question, this humble official belongs to the Court of State Ceremonial and was ordered to go to the Japanese country. Now I’m returning home to report to the capital.”

“You met that empress of theirs? Did she also blacken her teeth and cover her face with lime? What, she didn’t ask you to give her a child? Looking at your ruddy complexion, you don’t seem to have overdone it with wine and women.”

“Marquis Yun jests. This humble official was ordered to go to the Japanese country on official business because His Majesty heard that place produces abundant silver. He wanted this official to investigate. If there’s much, he’d order the Japanese country to tribute some annually. This humble official went through life-and-death ordeals to reach the Japanese country. My attendants died of illness—only this official survived.”

Hearing him say this, Yun Ye felt much more comfortable. So he went to look at silver, not to look at Japanese women. Look how pitiful he is—staring at Wang Cai’s snack plate, drooling. The petty-minded Wang Cai, afraid this person would compete with him, ate the last pastry in one bite, turned around, and pointed his rear end at this official named He Zhongwu.

He Zhongwu smiled awkwardly at Yun Ye, rubbing his hands, not knowing what to say. His face reddened with embarrassment. How could Yun Ye not understand? He’d suffered countless hardships in the Japanese country. What he most wanted to eat now was definitely a big bowl of noodles. Guanzhong people—without noodles they couldn’t survive.

A full-grown man holding a basin of noodles cried profusely. After eating one bite, he actually burst into loud sobs, tears falling pitter-patter into the basin. No one made a sound. Yun Ye held a large bowl of noodles and ate with him. An eight-chi-tall man crying made everyone uncomfortable.

After quite a while, He Zhongwu finally stopped crying. He cupped his hands toward Yun Ye and said, “I’ve made Your Lordship laugh. This official was in the Japanese country for two years. At first I still missed my family back home. Later, my dreams were filled entirely with wheat foods. In dreams I’d bite flatbread, only to wake and discover I’d bitten a wooden pillow all night. Too painful to recall, too painful to recall!”

“Shut up and eat quickly. Now that you’re home, all is well. I’m also heading back to Chang’an—you can travel with me. Starting today, you’ll stay on our ship. Don’t mix with those Japanese people.”

“This official obeys. However, there are envoys from the Japanese country on the ship—eighty-six people. Should we also receive them onto our ship? Their ship really isn’t fit for human habitation—cramped and filthy.”

He Zhongwu was quite talented—he could actually swallow noodles while talking. A standard Northwestern man. This skill couldn’t be practiced in just a day or two.

“Mind your own business. We’re a warship, not a civilian vessel. You’re an official—coming aboard is fine. What qualifications do those Japanese have to come up? If you hadn’t come out to greet us just now, they’d already be feeding the fish at the sea bottom. They still dare board the ship?”

After eating two consecutive basins of noodles, He Zhongwu patted his belly praising the cook’s excellent skills, saying he’d eaten pig slop for two years in the Japanese country and lived worse than horses in the Great Tang.

His luggage was brought up. Pitifully, there were only two silver chunks, still natural ones. He wanted to use these items to explain to the court that the Japanese country indeed had abundant silver.

Few people who drank Yun Manor’s fine wine didn’t immediately collapse into sleep. He Zhongwu was no exception. Drunk, plus his suspended heart finally set down, he collapsed on his bed and slept extremely soundly.

At the horizon, a beautiful mountain peak appeared faintly, floating on the water’s surface, as if it truly were an immortal mountain beyond the seas.

“Look! Penglai Immortal Island!” Someone shouted first. Everyone leaned against the ship’s rail looking for immortals. The devout had already begun kowtowing.

Yun Ye stood at the bow, carefully appreciating this rare mirage scenery. He kept feeling this mountain peak was somewhat familiar, as if he’d seen it before. This was too strange.