Chapter 379: Chapter 379

A few days ago, Prince Fu had gone out on an imperial commission. Prince Fu, perhaps owing to his large build, rarely ventured out of the Royal Mansion. However, on this occasion, his departure caused quite a stir.

That was because a group of Wolf Land Soldiers had arrived just outside the city of Chuzhou.

Old Master Xiao had specially taken his apprentice to have a look. Wolf Land Soldiers, what a novelty! Years ago, it was these very tribal soldiers who had caused such great trouble in the Southwest of our Great Qian!

But, tribal soldiers were tribal soldiers, dressed in their strange attire, looking like a bunch of uncivilized monkeys.

Moreover, every one of them was an inexperienced rustic. For the same items, they always ended up paying forty to fifty percent more, yet they themselves were still overjoyed.

Hah, truly a bunch of country bumpkins.

That day, Old Master Xiao saw Prince Fu heading north with the Wolf Land Soldiers. Prince Fu, after all, was far too easy to recognize, far too conspicuous.

As one who handled funeral affairs, Old Master Xiao would work when there was work, and when there wasn’t, he’d gather with others to chat idly. He came into contact with all sorts of people in his line of work, from officials and nobles to common folk. After all, whether rich or poor in life, everyone eventually died.

Thus, Old Master Xiao had heard some talk that Grand Commandant Yang of the three border regions was a bit afraid of the Yan bastards, and Prince Fu had been sent by imperial edict, in his capacity as a Prince, to reprimand him.

Well, wasn’t that Grand Commandant Yang a eunuch? Without balls, how could he possibly stand firm?

As for the Yan people, Old Master Xiao had seen many of their merchant caravans. In earlier years, he had also seen quite a few Yan scholars visit.

The Yan people and our own Qian people, well, they didn’t look much different.

What fighting them would be like, Old Master Xiao had no idea. He had heard that a century ago, there was a war with the Yan people, but a century had passed, and those who had seen the war were long gone.

But, it was said the Yan people were quite formidable fighters. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novelꜰire.net

Old Master Xiao believed that. The Yan people were poor, weren’t they? Barefoot and not afraid of those wearing shoes, they were poor and fiercely defiant!

Whether in the city or in the countryside, these poor and fiercely defiant fellows were the kind that even hooligans and ruffians dared not provoke.

But, it was best if there was no war at all.

That was Old Master Xiao’s most simple thought. He wasn’t thinking that war would mean death for many, possibly even himself. Rather, it was because the people in all the surrounding villages and townships were already suffering the hardships of war.

Old Master Xiao himself was doing alright; he had a skill. As the saying goes, "A craftsman won’t starve in a lean year." No matter what, he could still manage to get by.

But the lives of the peasant farmers were already difficult enough.

A few months ago, first the Wolf Land Soldiers and then the West Army Division had come through one after another. The Wolf Land Soldiers were still alright, a bunch of bumpkins. But those bastards from the West Army Division, with their western accents, were another story. They frequently engaged in forced sales, beat people, smashed stalls, ate without paying, and pilfered goods.

After them, the Zu family’s army arrived. The Zu family’s army was good, committing no offense against the civilians, not even touching a hair. Their marching was also orderly to behold.

But the Imperial Guard that came later, they were truly a bunch of beasts!

Old Master Xiao was puzzled. Logically, the Imperial Guard came from the imperial capital, the place where the Emperor lived. It was even rumored that gold foil sometimes floated on the Bian River in front of the imperial capital.

Yet, this group of Imperial Guardsmen forcibly snatched civilian women and even committed murder and robbery. The Prefect of Chuzhou had gone to their commander on his own accord, only to be kicked back out.

Those who could become officers in the Imperial Guard, which one didn’t have some backing?

After wreaking havoc for a while, the Imperial Guard finally headed north. Everyone could finally breathe a small sigh of relief. But each time troops passed through, the local area would have its grain requisitioned.

Usually, spring was the hardest time for the peasant farmers. This year, however, winter wasn’t even over, and people already couldn’t put food in their pots.

But people still died. And when they died, being fellow villagers and neighbors, you still had to help with the arrangements. They would kowtow to you, their homes empty of possessions; you couldn’t bring yourself to demand anything.

Old Master Xiao spat the chewed-up grass from his mouth and sighed inwardly. This year... it’s going to be a hard one.

The funeral procession halted, and it remained so for the better part of a day. Many people came one after another to offer consolation, and several groups of Buddhist monks and Daoist priests also arrived.

Finally, the coffin holding Prince Fu was lifted once more.

Old Master Xiao stood up.

Everyone, whether they were playing instruments, beating drums, or wailing, was listless. This truly wasn’t an act; damn it, they were genuinely hungry. The sun was already about to set!

The people from the Royal Mansion are far more particular than common folk, to be dragging this out for so long.

Actually, any mishap during a funeral procession was an extremely serious matter. Moreover, the Heir Apparent, as the one who would inherit the princely title, was like a Crown Prince about to inherit the imperial throne; even if he was overjoyed internally, he absolutely had to display such grief for all to see his filial piety. Furthermore, the imperial court had countless ways to deal with vassal princes, finding fault at every turn. If the court learned of an accident with the coffin, they would undoubtedly use it to make an issue, such as accusing the Heir Apparent of lacking in filial piety. Most importantly, both the Heir Apparent and the Princess Consort knew that Prince Fu had returned headless. They had no way of finding out why, and had only been warned by the commander of the Silver Armored Guard stationed in Chuzhou not to ask further. All these reasons and emotions, intertwined, erupted due to this incident, which was why it had dragged on for so long.

Old Master Xiao suddenly felt his calves trembling.

He hastily reached out his hand, saying,

"Support me. I’m so hungry, my calves are starting to shake."