The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 657: Thousands of Miles Away
Good rain knows its season, but spring has come but it has not fallen. Jia Huan and his companions traveled south for more than half a month. The temperature gradually warmed up, but not a single snowfall or drop of rain fell. The drought was severe, and spring planting was impossible in many places. When they entered Henan Province, they thought the situation would improve as they approached the Yellow River. However, the drought there was even worse. The land was barren for thousands of miles, the trees were withered and the grass was yellow, the rivers and wells were dry, the fields were cracked, and the desolation was truly shocking!

At this moment, Jia Huan stopped his horse at Mengjin Ferry on the north bank of the Yellow River, his heart inexplicably heavy. He saw that the Yellow River was almost dry, the turbid water flowing like a small stream. The large areas of mudflats on both banks were cracked and layered, with gaping "mouths". Near the center of the river, there was only silt. If you accidentally stepped in, you would be swallowed by the swamp in an instant.

The eunuch Duan Yong licked his dry lips and said in shock, "The Yellow River has dried up. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing. I never imagined that there would be such a drought here."

An old man in charge of ferrying the passengers shook his head and interjected, "Let alone you dignitaries from the capital, I'm just a humble citizen born and raised on the banks of the Yellow River. I've been ferrying people here for thirty years and I've never encountered such a severe drought before."

Jia Huan couldn't help but ask, "How long has it been since it rained here?"

"It's been about a year now. The fields are impossible to cultivate, and even people and livestock are having trouble getting water. Many families have fled the famine." The old man sighed and shook his head repeatedly, his face full of worry.

Inside the imperial carriage, Daiyu, Baochai, and others were secretly lifting the curtains and peeking curiously through the gaps. They saw many ragged, starving people rummaging through the mud on the riverbank in the distance, seemingly searching for something.

Zijuan asked curiously, "What are these people doing?"

Baochai sighed, "They must be looking for food. Even the Yellow River is about to dry up. This drought must be very widespread. Alas, I wonder how many more people will starve to death."

Daiyu frowned slightly and said, "When a nation is about to prosper, there will be auspicious omens; when a nation is about to perish, there will be monstrous evils..."

Baochai quickly covered Lin Daiyu's mouth and whispered, "Be careful, walls have ears. Some things can't be said carelessly."

Daiyu disagreed, saying, "I'm just stating the facts. Throughout the ages, the rise and fall of dynasties serve as a warning. When the government is clean and efficient, the country prospers; when the government is corrupt, it is not far from collapse. As we've seen along our journey, Sister Bao has witnessed it all. On both land and water, checkpoints are set up everywhere to collect taxes, with every step meticulously planned and exploited. And then there's this once-in-a-century drought. The people are impoverished, starving, and have no way to survive. What can they do but rise up in rebellion? If the court doesn't take this seriously and implement measures to alleviate the situation, I dare say that there will be great chaos within a year."

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai fell silent. Even Lin Daiyu, a woman who rarely left her secluded chambers, could see through the situation. Xue Baochai, who often went out to manage the family business, would surely notice as well. She sighed, "I never imagined that in just a few years, the outside world would become so chaotic. Tax collectors are as urgent as fireflies, and extortion orders are as numerous as hairs on a cow. All industries have been ruined. Not only is business difficult, but the common people are also suffering terribly."

Ying'er teased, "Why are you two suddenly so worried about the country and its people? We young ladies don't concern ourselves with such things. I'm more worried that we won't be able to collect the seasonal rainwater this year, and then the young lady won't be able to make the Cold Fragrance Pills. What should we do then?"

Zijuan nodded and said, "That's right. There aren't many Cold Fragrance Pills left. If we use them all up, it will be terrible if Miss Bao has another attack."

Xue Baochai was peeking at Jia Huan's back through the gap in the carriage curtain when she heard this. Her face flushed slightly, and she shook her head, saying, "It's alright. My illness isn't serious. I can just endure it, and it will gradually get better after a while."

Lin Daiyu said, “Sister Bao, don’t worry. I’m sure Huan has already arranged for Lin Zhixiao to collect the stamens of flowers and the dew of the four seasons. He’s very busy. Henan and Hebei are suffering from a severe drought. At worst, he can send people to Jinling, or collect them in Lingnan. Surely it’s not like it won’t rain anywhere in the country on the day of the rainy season?”

Xue Baochai's face flushed slightly, and she vaguely sensed that Lin Daiyu's words had a hidden meaning. Just as she was wondering how to respond, Xiangling's voice came from outside the carriage: "Duan Zhongshi is here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone inside the carriage immediately fell silent. After a short while, the voice of Eunuch Duan bowing came from outside the carriage, saying, "Please, Your Highness, move your carriage and wait a moment, as we are preparing to cross the river by boat."

Lin Daiyu nodded, and Zijuan said, "Your Highness understands." She then helped Lin Daiyu put on a sunshade.

Xue Baochai and Ying'er got out of the carriage first. Ying'er wanted to help Baochai, but the latter casually declined. She was now a palace maid and could not act like a mistress in public.

Baochai got off the carriage and then turned around to help Lin Daiyu down. Since leaving the capital, the latter had changed out of her formal attire and into casual clothes, which made her movements much easier.

As soon as Lin Daiyu got out of the carriage, the wedding envoy Ahemaiti immediately ran over to pay his respects. Although his attitude was very respectful, his eyes still made Lin Daiyu a little uncomfortable. She said indifferently, "Wedding envoy, there is no need for such formalities."

Just then, Jia Huan walked over. The sixteen-year-old boy was tall and elegant, and in the spring sunshine, he was as gentle and refined as jade. Lin Daiyu's beautiful eyes lit up. They had been traveling for more than half a month, and Duan Yong had been watching them closely. The two of them rarely had a chance to speak, let alone face each other.

"Jia Huan greets Your Highness the Princess." Jia Huan approached and bowed.

Lin Daiyu nodded: "Huan... um, Jia, the marriage envoy, is it time to cross the river?"

"Yes, Your Highness, please move your jade carriage onto the ship."

"Alright!" Lin Daiyu and Baochai, along with the other palace maids, boarded the boat, then turned back and said, "Why doesn't Envoy Jia come aboard too? There's still room here." Duan Yong immediately glanced at Jia Huan, his expression somewhat warning. Jia Huan cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please cross the river first. I still have to take care of the aftermath."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu had no choice but to cross the river with Eunuch Duan. Ahemaiti stared thoughtfully at Lin Daiyu's slender figure until Jia Huan called him twice, at which point he snapped out of his reverie and asked with a dry laugh, "What advice does Envoy Jia have for me?"

Jia Huan replied calmly, "I dare not presume to offer my guidance. May I ask what position you hold under the King of Hami?"

Ahemaiti was slightly taken aback and smiled, "Why did Envoy Jia suddenly ask about this?"

"I was just curious," Jia Huan said calmly.

Ahemaiti chuckled and said, "I am just a centurion under the Hami King, and I am not well-known. However, because I am quite eloquent and know some Chinese, I was appointed as the wedding envoy."

Hami was a vassal state of the Great Jin Dynasty. The Great Jin Dynasty also established the Hami Guard in Hami, thus forming two systems of "coexistence of state and guard". The King of Hami was appointed by the Great Jin Dynasty, and he had officials such as Commander, Deputy Commander, and Assistant Commander under his command, which were the same as the local guards of the Great Jin Dynasty. However, those who held these positions were local armed leaders and did not receive salaries from the Great Jin Dynasty. They were just nominal titles.

In other words, Hami has a great deal of autonomy and is not bound by the Great Jin at all. It is only nominally vassalage. In particular, the current Hami King Baiwa, who came to power through a coup, takes the Great Jin even less seriously. The reason why he still submits to the Great Jin on the surface is just to gain benefits.

In recent years, the Jurchens have been rising in power, seriously threatening the Liaodong border of the Great Jin Dynasty. The Great Jin Dynasty was unable to spare any resources and could only adopt a conciliatory approach towards Baiwa. Not only did they not pursue his crime of usurping the throne, but they also married him off to a princess. The first victim was Qi Wanruo, who was childhood sweetheart of the senior brother Liu Yi. However, she died of illness not long after arriving in Hami. Baiwa shamelessly demanded that the Great Jin Dynasty marry off another princess and threatened that if the Great Jin Dynasty did not comply, he would join the Turpan Khanate and lead the Turpan troops to attack Jiayu Pass.

Although Emperor Qiansheng was furious, he was forced to accept the threat of a powerful enemy in the east. If war broke out in the west, he would be unable to attend to both ends. Therefore, he could only appease the enemy with kind words and bestow generous rewards. As for the marriage alliance, he kept delaying and did not agree until Jia Huan defied the imperial decree. Only then did Emperor Qiansheng angrily issue an edict ordering Lin Daiyu to marry into Hami as a punishment for Jia Huan. Little did he know that this move was tantamount to destroying his own Great Wall.

Getting back to the main point, Jia Huan was quite surprised to hear that Ahemaiti was actually a centurion under King Baiwa of Hami. He had originally thought that this guy was a civil official, but it turned out that he was also a military general.

Ahemaiti noticed that Jia Huan was scrutinizing him thoughtfully, his gaze seemingly piercing through to the heart. He couldn't help but feel a slight chill, so he changed the subject, saying, "Your Highness seems to be particularly close to Jia Huan, the marriage envoy."

Jia Huan replied calmly, "It's just that Princess Kangle is easygoing."

"Maybe!" Ahemaiti chuckled, a strange glint seemingly flashing in his eyes.

Jia Huan ignored him and walked away on his own.

The group of nearly a thousand people took most of the day to cross the Yellow River. They were not far from Luoyang, but they encountered more and more starving people along the way.

Most of these starving people were accompanied by their families, poorly clothed, and emaciated. Upon seeing this luxurious wedding procession, they followed it all the way, their hungry eyes gleaming with a frightening green light.

When Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and the other women saw that there were many elderly, weak, women, and children among the starving people, they couldn't bear it and ordered Duan Yong to distribute some food and money. Little did they know that this act of kindness would cause them great trouble.

These starving people were so hungry that they were initially wary of the accompanying soldiers and dared not approach the procession. However, when Duan Yong led his men to distribute food, the starving people went berserk and rushed up from all directions like a tide, trying to seize the supplies of the wedding procession. The scene terrified the ladies in the imperial carriage, and Duan Yong and several eunuchs scrambled backward to avoid being trampled by the chaotic starving people.

Fortunately, Jia Huan remained calm and immediately ordered Han Xin to gather troops to protect the imperial carriage. He also ordered Tie Niu and Man Gui to lead men on horseback with weapons to drive away the starving people.

However, although these starving people were dispersed, they quickly gathered again and followed the convoy from a distance. Their numbers grew larger and larger, stretching as far as the eye could see, estimated to be tens of thousands. This frightened the five hundred guards of the princess's residence, causing their palms to sweat profusely.

"Are these unruly people really not afraid of death? Commander Han, anyone who dares to come within ten feet is to be killed without mercy!" Eunuch Duan shouted angrily.

Jia Huan frowned slightly: "They're just too hungry. Just drive them away. Don't escalate the conflict. Commander Han, please leave two hundred brothers to cover the rear. The rest of you, hurry up and enter the city."

Han Xin, the leader of the Imperial Guard, looked at Duan Yong questioningly. The latter remained silent with a dark face, but he clearly understood that killing people and drawing blood might cause a riot. In the end, he nodded in acquiescence.

So Han Xin assigned two hundred imperial guards to cover the rear, while the others escorted the convoy to Luoyang City at high speed.

(End of this chapter)