Longzang

Chapter 456 Human Affairs

Wei Yuan left two generals from aristocratic families to guard the camp. These generals, with their family backgrounds as a guarantee of strength, wouldn't be unnecessarily cautious and would fight when necessary. If Wei Yuan had left Cui Yu to guard the camp, he would have taken down all the people of Anbei immediately, without Wei Yuan having to come. In terms of status alone, Cui Yu wouldn't be afraid of Xu Tongshou.

Afterwards, Wei Yuan returned to the post station, changed into casual clothes, and called Cui Yu, saying, "Let's go for a walk in the city."

The two men, without any attendants, disappeared into the streets and alleys in the light snow.

A moment later, Wei Yuan and Cui Yu appeared at the border of the northwest city. This area was the poorest part of the capital, filthy and chaotic everywhere.

Cui Yu thought he had deliberately changed into tattered clothes, but walking with Wei Yuan on the narrow path between the shantytowns, the two of them were still extremely conspicuous, with countless eyes watching them from the shadows.

It was still some time before dusk, but the sky was overcast, and a light snow was falling, quickly covering the ground with a layer of white. Cui Yu looked at both sides of the street, his mood growing heavier with each glance.

The roadside shacks were visibly drafty, with the better ones stuffed with dry grass and scraps of cloth, but some had nothing at all, huddled together in a corner for warmth. Some shacks had a small ember burning, but others had no choice but to endure the cold.

Cui Yu was engrossed in watching when he suddenly tripped and kicked something hard. He looked down and saw it was the corpse of a child, who looked to be only four or five years old. He had been lying dead by the roadside and was frozen stiff.

Cui Yu paused for a moment, then stepped forward. Looking ahead, he realized that there was more than one corpse beneath the white snow.

The two continued walking, and Cui Yu suddenly said, "If it were three years ago, I would definitely have taken the body away and given it a proper burial. But now, I finally understand what my grandfather told me back then: You can't bury them all."

Wei Yuan remained calm, pointed forward, and said, "There's a charcoal seller over there, let's go take a look."

At the street corner, there was a shop with two courtyards, piled high with firewood and charcoal. Several ragged people were buying charcoal there. Some took out some loose silver coins, some took out some copper coins, and most of them bought firewood. Only two of them bought a small basket of charcoal.

Wei Yuan leaned closer and asked, "How much are these?"

"Coarse firewood is fifteen coins a pound, fine firewood is fifty coins. Coal is one hundred coins a pound." The shopkeeper was a dark-skinned, honest man. After looking at Wei Yuan and Cui Yu's clothes, his attitude became much more respectful.

Wei Yuan then asked, "I see that many households haven't lit a fire yet. Will they be able to get through the night like this?"

The boss sighed and said, "Those you're talking about are all unregistered residents. The government will provide some firewood and charcoal for registered residents. It's not much, but at least it's enough to start a fire and prevent people from freezing to death. But it's hard to say for unregistered residents. If they can't find work for a few days and then there's a snowfall, they'll die."

"Are those corpses just left lying there on the road?"

"Since the bodies won't rot in the snow, we'll leave them for now. The imperial court will send people to collect the bodies every three to five days, and if any bodies died in the homes, they will be brought out then."

Hearing the boss speak of these matters in a casual, conversational tone, Cui Yu could hardly believe his ears. He could tell that this kind of thing was commonplace, happening year after year. But this was the capital of the Western Jin Dynasty!
Cui Yu asked casually, "Why do these people still come here unregistered, knowing they might freeze to death?"

The boss sighed and said, "The city has walls to block the wind and a great formation to protect against the blizzard. How can the outside compare? They might survive if they come into the city, but once they leave the royal city, it's a dead end."

Wei Yuan took a small piece of silver and placed it in the shopkeeper's hand, saying, "Thank you, take this silver to drink."

Amidst the boss's profuse thanks, Wei Yuan and Cui Yu left the neighborhood.

Over the next hour, the two chatted with the soldiers guarding the city gate, the yamen runners patrolling the streets, the owners of the snack shops on the street, and several homeless people who were sheltering from the wind and snow. As long as they were given a few hot pancakes, they would open up and pour out all their experiences.

Finally, the two went to a small restaurant, ordered a few simple dishes, and chatted with the traveling merchants who were sharing the table with them.

Seeing that Wei Yuan and Cui Yu possessed extraordinary bearing and eloquence, and having drunk their wine, the merchant naturally spoke frankly and openly, even revealing the little secrets he knew:

"My lords, you are unaware of this. Every year, there are unregistered residents and vagrants in the royal city, and in other cities as well. Every year, people who are struggling to survive will flock to the city before winter arrives. If they are taken in by a kind family, or if they are lucky enough to find odd jobs, they can get through the winter. Those who are unlucky will not survive."

The royal city was different from other cities. Thanks to the imperial court's benevolence, it would subsidize firewood for able-bodied households in winter. Some people couldn't afford charcoal, so they would go to those who had it and use it for a fire, paying much less than they would for burning their own fuel. This was a unique business for able-bodied households in the royal city…”

After dinner, the two returned to the inn. Cui Yu was a little confused about what Wei Yuan had been looking at all afternoon. When Cui Yu asked, Wei Yuan said, "I just wanted to know where these unregistered residents and refugees came from, and what caused them to become refugees. So many people froze to death; you couldn't possibly bury them all. Similarly, with so many refugees, I couldn't possibly buy a pancake for everyone. Besides, I can only help them today, not tomorrow; we will eventually have to leave."

Therefore, only by understanding the reasons for the displacement can I know what I can do. Now I roughly know a little bit, and after the New Year's state banquet, we'll take a closer look on our return journey, and that will be about it.”

Cui Yu, of course, knew that Wei Yuan had always wanted to take in refugees, so he smiled and said, "Perhaps we can find someone to compose a ballad and sing it in the streets and alleys. Let's say it like this: There is no winter in Qingming..."

Wei Yuan chuckled and shook his head. If this ballad spread widely, he would have no choice but to rebel, even if he didn't want to.

As night fell, Cui Yu returned to his residence to cultivate, while Wei Yuan perused the mountain of invitations and visiting cards. He took out two invitations separately, intending to attend them. One was from the Crown Prince, and the other from Li Weisheng.

The New Year is just a few days away, and the Prince of Jin will hold a grand banquet for his officials on the first day of the new year, including Wei Yuan. After the banquet, Wei Yuan will return to Qingming.

Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised to receive the Crown Prince's invitation. As far as he knew, the Crown Prince's faction was strong and well-equipped with talented individuals. When Wei Yuan first became a military governor, he had no place in the Crown Prince's faction. Only now had he received an invitation, indicating that he had come to the Crown Prince's attention.

However, Wei Yuan felt that even now, his role with the Crown Prince was very limited, or even useless.

To put it bluntly, as long as Wei Yuan doesn't rebel, the Crown Prince can completely ignore him. When the Prince of Jin passes away, the Crown Prince will naturally ascend the throne. The Prince of Wei is far from qualified to fight the Crown Prince, at least for now. The Prince of Fu is just a child, and I've heard he's quite unruly and incapable of any future.

However, Wei Yuan suddenly thought of the titles bestowed upon the princes and frowned slightly. The Crown Prince was titled King of Liang, and the Fifth Prince was titled King of Wei; both Liang and Wei were titles of states that had appeared in previous dynasties, which was quite conventional. But the child that Consort Yuan had just given birth to was titled King of Chu!
Throughout history, Chu not only had several large vassal states, but also once unified the entire country. In terms of bestowing royal titles, Chu was ranked alongside Han, Shang, Li, and Tang, second only to Qin. Generally, receiving the title of King of Chu meant one was very likely to be the future crown prince.

Although the King of Chu has only been born, judging from his title, unusual birth signs, his mother's dominance in the palace, and the presence of Wei Yuan, who holds significant military power, he already poses a substantial threat to the Crown Prince, perhaps even greater than the King of Wei.

As for age, it wasn't originally a major issue; if the King of Jin could live another twenty years, the King of Chu would naturally grow up. However, all indications suggest that the King of Jin's lifespan is nearing its end, and he will most likely not live to see the King of Chu reach adulthood.

The Crown Prince's banquet was held the following day. As night fell, Wei Yuan went to the Crown Prince's residence, which was right next to the palace. After being informed, he was led to a warm pavilion in the western side courtyard.

The warm pavilion is protected by an array. Although the windows are all open for appreciating the snow and plum blossoms, the interior is as warm as spring, and not a single cold breeze can blow in.

The Crown Prince sat at the head of the table in the warm pavilion, along with four civil officials, suggesting it was a small, private banquet.

At this time, the Crown Prince still appeared to be in his early thirties, with a short beard, a dignified face, and an extraordinary air. Upon seeing Wei Yuan arrive, he rose and went out to greet him, after which the host and guest took their seats. After a few rounds of drinks, the Crown Prince casually inquired about the border war before getting to the main topic.

He held his wine cup, looked at Wei Yuan, and said, "I wonder what Lord Wei's view is on the current situation of the Great Jin?"

Wei Yuan's heart skipped a beat; he knew the real show was about to begin. However, he considered this question quite easy and immediately said, "I don't know much about court politics and cannot comment. But in my opinion, the Great Jin is currently facing more external threats than internal ones. The priority is to resist the foreign tribes. Only when we can stop them can we talk about anything else. But preparing for war is very expensive, and the national treasury seems to be somewhat empty right now."

The Crown Prince remained calm and nodded, saying, "Lord Wei's insight is keen; the national treasury is indeed empty. May I ask what advice you have for me?"

Wei Yuan said, “When I went to the capital, I observed along the way and found that many places in the Great Jin were actually quite wealthy. Logically, the national treasury should be full. But the reality is that the national treasury is empty, which means one thing: the Great Jin is not without silver, but the silver has not entered the national treasury.”

An elderly civil official in the room suddenly let out a heavy snort, and the other two also looked displeased. Wei Yuan recognized the elderly official as the Minister of Works, someone qualified to participate in discussions in the Hall of State Affairs, and likely a core figure in the Crown Prince's faction.

He stroked his beard and said solemnly, “Lord Wei, you are mistaken! The wealth of the people is the foundation of a strong nation. Local powerful families are prosperous and will naturally recruit local militia and train them during the off-season. This is also a major source of soldiers for our Great Jin. The gentry are the foundation of the Great Jin. Lord Wei is so young, yet you dare to speak so presumptuously about the system passed down from our ancestors. I’m afraid that’s inappropriate!”

Wei Yuan was also annoyed and said, "It's fine if we don't pay silver, but donating men is also an option."

The Minister of Works looked even more displeased. He wanted to say something, but seeing the Crown Prince's expression, he said nothing more.

Wei Yuan, observing their expressions, roughly understood the relationship between the powerful clans and the State of Jin. These matters were actually recorded in historical books long ago, but today Wei Yuan directly witnessed how fiercely the powerful clans reacted to any idea that might involve taxing them.

The Crown Prince, holding his wine cup, asked meaningfully, "And what are Lord Wei's views on the future of the Great Jin?"

(End of this chapter)