I became a prince in a martial arts world.

Chapter 92 Eating Hot Pot in Winter

"Hissing—hissing—"

'

Alde had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She fanned her mouth with her delicate, spring-like hands while arching her cherry lips to make sure that the contents of her mouth didn't stick too close to the inside of her mouth.

"It's so hot—so spicy—so delicious!"

In the dead of winter, snow fell heavily.

Everyone gathered in Wang Yu's main courtyard room to eat hot pot.

Frozen slices of beef and lamb, fresh tofu and pastries, radishes and cabbages stored for the winter, a carefully prepared peanut and sesame sauce, fiery red chilies, and chilled wine —

"ha"

Zhao Yingjie took a big gulp of wine and praised repeatedly, "Yu-ge'er really knows how to eat. The meat is piping hot, tender, and paired with a glass of chilled wine, it's truly a delicacy."

Yuan Feifei added, "Especially in winter."

Wang Yu and his two companions spent three months in the Western Regions. When they returned, they discovered that Zhao Yingjie and Yuan Feifei had gotten together.

So when everyone saw Yuan Feifei singing and acting in harmony with her husband, they all laughed.

However, Wang Yu's smile quickly faded, because he had just learned that Zhao Yingjie had even moved out of Longyue Tower and moved into the neighboring Luorixuan with Yuan Feifei.

Dog men and women!

Wang Yu couldn't help but look at the two women who were nominally his princesses beside him, and saw Li Yunxiu's meaningful and gentle smile, and Qianqian's seemingly shy and charming eyes.

Wang Yu rolled his eyes, arrogantly tossed his head, and caught a glimpse of something strange in Alde's eyes as she looked at him. But when he looked back more closely, he only saw that she had been burned again.

"How many times have you gotten burned? Don't you know how to be more careful?" Wang Yu said speechlessly.

"But it tastes better when it's hot, it doesn't taste good when it's cold," Alde said pitifully.

"The Loulan treasure has been divided up."

While eating, Zhao Yingjie reported to Wang Yu, "The treasure is estimated to be worth five million, and it has been loaded onto thirty large carts. We have arranged for one hundred soldiers from Longshan Prefecture to guard it, and we will set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Wang Yu asked instinctively, "Would a hundred soldiers be enough?"

The garrison troops are different from the warrior troops. The 50,000 warrior troops under the command of the Prince of Zhenxi take turns on duty and rest at the two northern passes. There are also garrison troops under the jurisdiction of the government in the three northwestern prefectures, but their numbers are small and their combat strength is very weak.

Zhao Yingjie laughed and said, "There are no rebel armies causing trouble in Hexi Road, nor are there any bandits from Qishan. Who would dare to touch the silver that our Zhenxi Prince's Mansion sends to the imperial court?"

Li Yunxiu thought for a moment, "Let's transfer some more troops, just in case."

Wang Yu nodded, "Transfer three hundred men from the Xionglue Army to escort them along the way."

Zhao Yingjie immediately agreed, "Yes!"

The Xionglue Army was stationed outside Longshan Prefecture, responsible for protecting the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion. It was the most convenient place to deploy troops, and since they were not cavalry, a trip to the capital would not consume much food.

"Furthermore, as you instructed, most of the money earned by the Commerce Department was used to cultivate and purchase land in the three northwestern prefectures, buy grain and fodder, and recruit refugees after winter to provide porridge and relief, saving many people."

Zhao Yingjie added, "Many people who lost their land in Hexi Road went to the three prefectures in the northwest, and some people from Sichuan West Road also came to the north by going around through the southern mountains. I took them all in and arranged for them to live in the new farm."

Wang Yu said, "Good, continue."

Li Yunxiu frowned. "Hexi Road suffered from floods last year, so there might be refugees. Sichuan West Road has always been known as the Land of Abundance, so why would people from there be migrating north?"

Zhao Yingjie shook his head. "Wasn't there supposed to be a rebellion in the southwest?"

Li Yunxiu said, "The rebellion can't reach the heart of Sichuan."

The rebellion in the southwest was caused by both the exploitation by the imperial court and the expansion of ambitions by various tribes. The situation was complicated, but no matter what, the southern part of Sichuan was protected by the southern part of Sichuan, so it could not affect the people of Sichuan.

Zhao Yingjie shook his head. "I don't know about that. Besides, those people only know that the government's grain taxes are too heavy, they can't survive, and they dare not go south, so they can only flee north."

Li Yunxiu's eyes flashed coldly, and she gritted her teeth, "A bunch of parasites—"

Qianqian said with a grin, "Alright, alright, don't be angry. It doesn't affect us anyway."

Wang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's have hot pot instead."

Li Yunxiu snorted, picked up a piece of beef and put it in Wang Yu's bowl, "All you know is how to eat!"

Qianqian smiled faintly, picked up a piece of beef and put it in Wang Yu's bowl, "Brother Yu, eat it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it gets cold."

So Wang Yu got to eat two slices of beef.

Zhao Yingjie continued to report on the affairs of the martial arts world, "After entering the Central Plains, Brother Long challenged the Yang family of Tianbo Manor, the Gao family of Heyin Prefecture, and the Zhao family of Yanshan. In the end, he even went to smash up the territory of the Prince of Zhenbei."

Wang Yu asked curiously, "Did he go and cause trouble at the Prince of Zhenbei's place?"

Zhao Yingjie said, "The grandson of the Prince of Zhenbei is also a master of spearmanship, known as the Divine Spear of the North. Brother Long said that he came from the Northwest, which is also considered the North, so he went there."

When the new dynasty was first established, it did not have the ability to sweep across the world, so there were three garrison princes on the frontier: the Prince of the West, the Prince of the North, and the Prince of the South.

The Prince of Zhenxi is from the line of Wang Yu. The founder, Zhao Ling, died early. Zhao Zheng was originally going to surpass his father, but he also died halfway through his life. Now, the throne can only be inherited by Wang Yu, and there is also Zhao Rong, the adopted son of the founder, to maintain the status quo.

However, the Zhenbei Wang and Zhennan Wang branches have always been peaceful and stable. Even the founder, the old prince, did not die, and the lineage has now reached the third generation.

As the heir to the Prince of Zhenxi, Wang Yu was naturally aware of the situation of the other two princely residences.

Zhang Junyi, the Prince of Zhenbei, was known back then for his mastery of both literature and martial arts. His spear skills were superb, and his wisdom and resourcefulness were also extraordinary.

Knowing he had no power to conquer the world, he focused on blocking the Xiongnu and Xianbei in the north. Later, he relied on the enemy to strengthen his own position and was successfully enfeoffed as the King of Zhenbei, possessing two prefectures in the north. Like the King of Zhenxi, he was a state within a state.

The three princes had once shared resources and joined forces to fight against the founding emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, so they had a friendship. Although this friendship gradually faded after Zhao Ling's death, it remained.

At the beginning of the year, Zhao Feng passed away. Both the Prince of Zhenbei and the Prince of Zhennan sent people to offer their condolences, but Wang Yu had not yet left the capital at that time, so he naturally did not see them.

Wang Yu asked with a smile, "So he wasn't killed by the Prince of Zhenbei, was he?"

Although Zhang Junyi is not a grandmaster, he is a veteran innate master. In addition, he has been through countless battles, and his martial arts skills are no less than those of ordinary grandmasters. He also has tens of thousands of troops under his command, making him a powerful force in his own right.

Just because of a nickname, Ma Yinglong recklessly challenged someone's grandson.

Zhao Yingjie laughed and said, "Brother Long also comes from a military family and is related to you by marriage. You should give the Prince of Zhenbei some face."

Wang Yu nodded. "So, did he win or lose?"

Just as Zhao Yingjie was about to reply, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A servant knocked on the door and announced, "Master! Mr. and Mrs. Wei have come to visit. The head steward is entertaining them in the reception hall and asked me to come and tell you that they would like to come in."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow and immediately stood up. He only recognized one couple with the surname Wei: Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu.

Yuan Feifei suddenly stood up. "It's Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei!"

The group moved to the reception hall and saw Wei Gutong and his wife sitting and talking with Zhao Rong. Yuan Feifei let out a soft cry and rushed into Yan Ziyu's arms.

"Good child!" Yan Ziyu had already learned about Yuan Feifei and Zhao Yingjie from Zhao Rong.

Yuan Feifei has already slept with Zhao Yingjie, and Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu are now Yuan Feifei's only family. So—

Then everyone is considered family.

So Wang Yu had the hot pot brought to the front hall and invited Wei Gutong and his wife to join them.

The Wei couple didn't stand on ceremony, and even gave Zhao Rong an extra pair of chopsticks.

The two casually recounted some of their experiences in the martial arts world.

After leaving Longshan Prefecture, they detoured through Xingxiu Sea to western and southern Sichuan, where they visited a master of the xiao (vertical flute) and stayed in the two regions for a period of time.

Li Yunxiu's eyes flashed, and he immediately asked about the northward migration of refugees from western Sichuan.

"Two more tribes in Miao territory have rebelled. It is said that it is difficult to wage war in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and the Southern Sichuan region, as the front line, dares not act rashly. Therefore, taxes have been increased in the Western Sichuan region, which has led to hardship for the people."

At this point, Yan Ziyu clearly recalled what she had seen and couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that the emperor doesn't care about the people's strength. I think the lives of the people in Sichuan and western Sichuan are becoming more and more difficult."

Wei Gutong snorted coldly, "If the emperor doesn't care about the lives of the people, then naturally some people will rise up in rebellion."

Li Yunxiu's eyes widened. "Mr. Wei has already seen this?"

Wei Gutong countered, "Haven't the Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Sect already raised their flags?"

Li Yunxiu understood and just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Wei Gutong say, "I think Dulong Fort will be ready soon too."

"Huh?" Li Yunxiu's heart jumped again. "Dulong Fortress in Shangshan Prefecture?"

Wei Gutong nodded. "There is only one Dulongbao in the world."

Dulong Fortress is located on the south bank of the Yellow River, in Shangshan Prefecture, between Hexi Road and Sichuan Road. Its lord, Zhong Yulei, is a master of martial arts with the innate level. He is a bold and forthright man, nicknamed the Unicorn Dragon King, and wields a fish-scale purple-gold sword. He is also a local hero.

Wei Gutong, a man of the martial world, paid no attention to the political situation in the imperial court or Li Yunxiu's stance, so he spoke without restraint.

"Shangshan Prefecture is bordered by the Yellow River to the north and separated from Sichuan West Road by the South Mountain to the south. Its terrain is quite advantageous. Dulong Fort dominates Shangshan Prefecture. When we went north, we happened to encounter Dulong Fort gathering refugees."

Wei Gutong smiled. "If Zhong Yulei raises his banner, he can march eastward from Shangshan Prefecture straight into the capital region. That would be quite a spectacle, and the threat he poses to the court might be even greater than that of the Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Sect."

Li Yunxiu's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

Although the reality wasn't as exaggerated as Wei Gutong described, there was still Shunyi Prefecture separating the capital from Shangshan Prefecture, and the route also included mountains and two mountain passes—

However, in terms of distance and difficulty of attack, Shangshan Prefecture is indeed the easiest.

Li Yunxiu could no longer contain himself. "Jiangnan is prosperous and has no external enemies. If we collect taxes in Jiangnan, we can simply go up the Yangtze River and directly enter western and southern Sichuan. Why bother exploiting those two provinces?"

Wei Gutong shook his head, "Your Highness, you've asked the wrong person. You shouldn't ask me, but rather the Emperor in the capital."

Qianqian chuckled and said, "Sister, why ask a question you already know the answer to? The prosperity of Jiangnan belongs to those powerful families. It's not certain whether the emperor has the ability to extract money from them."

Li Yun took a deep breath and stopped talking.

Just then, another doorman came to deliver a message, "Reporting to Your Excellency, there are monks from the Great Vajra Temple at the gate requesting an audience!"

2