C98. Heavy Snowfall.

C98. Heavy Snowfall.

Yuan Li was fast asleep, while Chu Hechao was busy changing his clothes and wiping away the scent of alcohol for quite a while.

He had never done this before, but he showed great patience in taking care of Yuan Li. He personally took off his shoes and clothes, and even found himself marveling at the sight of himself lying in bed, holding Yuan Li as he slept.

He found it difficult to believe that he was capable of caring for someone in such a way. Pinching Yuan Li's nose, he gazed at him, feeling both itchy and warm-hearted, "It's only you who can make me behave like this."

With his face turning red, Yuan Li groaned uncomfortably.

Chu Hechao found himself growing more fond of Yuanli, to the point where he wanted to keep him close like a little treasure. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he leaned down and playfully bit Yuan Li's cheek before releasing him.

*

The morning light filtered through the doorway.

Yuan Li, still deep in slumber, turned away from the light, when suddenly a voice echoed in his mind.

[Renowned Minister System Activated]

[Yishu Mountain Army Extermination Mission Completed, Rewards Disbursed, Host to Explore Further]

Yuan Li woke up from his daze, the location of the coal mine appearing directly in his mind the next moment.

Realizing what had happened, Yuan Li sat up abruptly, his eyes shining with excitement as drowsiness faded away.

It turned out that Wu Kai had successfully defeated the Yishu Mountain Army, and the coal mine was now theirs!

Overjoyed, Yuanli couldn't wait to see what the system had awarded him in the form of a coal mine. But as he made a move, the man beside him pressed his arm over, gently pushing Yuan Li back onto the bed with a sleepy tone, "Let's sleep a little longer."

Slipping out from under his arm, Yuan Li looked at the sleeping man's face, the memories of last night's drunken escapades flashing back intermittently.

...

Yuan Li's expression twisted slightly as he quietly removed Chu Hechao's hand, only to be caught off guard when Chu Hechao asked, "What are you doing?"

Caught red-handed, Yuan Li blushed and quickly preempted, "Get up quickly, it's getting late, you need to go."

Chu Hechao opened his eyes, gradually coming to his senses. Seeing Yuan Li's guilty expression, he raised an eyebrow but remained unmoving.

Yuan Li pulled him off the bed and bundled up Chu Hechao's clothes, urging him, "Hurry, hurry."

Standing bare-chested, Chu Hechao remained steady, as if rooted to the ground, while Yuan Li tried to push him out but couldn't budge him. Irritated by the pushing, Chu Hechao lazily remarked, "You're trying to rush me out as soon as you wake up. Have you forgotten how I took care of you last night, Yuan Lejun? Do you have no conscience?"

Yuan Li straightforwardly replied, "No."

Chu Hechao almost chuckled at his response, he lowered his head to look at Yuan Li, squinted his eyes and threatened, "Kiss me and I'll leave."

Yuan Li's mouth tasted of alcohol, unpleasant and not wanting to kiss him like that, he tried to negotiate with him, "Can we wait until after washing up to kiss?"

The man was still not satisfied.

But before anything else could happen, a knock came at the door, "My Lord, have you gotten up?"

Yuan Li quickly pushed Chu Hechao again, with Chu Hechao furrowing his brow, swearing under his breath, he jumped out of the window while holding his clothes.

Watching him leave, Yuan Li breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door. As the door swung open, several flies flew in, along with a strong smell of blood that almost made Yuan Li, still recovering from a hangover, feel nauseated.

Sweeping away the flies, he looked closely and exclaimed, "Wow! Where did this black bear come from?"

On the pillar in front of his door leaned a massive black bear weighing three to four hundred pounds! The bear's eyes were dull, covered in bloodstains, giving the appearance of being alive.

Lin Tian, somewhat pale from the shock, explained, "This is the black bear the General hunted in the mountains yesterday, specially placed in front of your door. Should we take the bear to the kitchen first?"

Yuan Li waved his hand, walked over with excitement and marveled at the bear, muttering to himself, "This bear's paws are huge, one swipe could kill a person..."

After playing with the bear's paw for a while and lifting its head to inspect it, Chu Hechao walked out of the room in fresh clothes and witnessed this scene, approaching and saying, "Like it? I'll have the skin peeled off and turned into a blanket for you."

Impressed by the bear, Yuan Li praised him, "General, you truly are powerful, to capture a black bear."

A subtle smile tugged at Chu Hechao's lips, as he added, "Not just a bear, there's also a white python."

A white snake?

Yes, Chu Hechao had mentioned catching a white snake last night.

Eager to see it, Yuan Li had Chuhao Chao take him to see the snake. Upon seeing it, he recognized it as a white albino golden python.

The white snake was indeed beautiful, and Yuan Li was pleased. However, at the sight of the snake, thoughts of Liu Bang's White Snake Uprising came to Yuan Li's mind.

Due to this sudden association, after seeing the snake, Yuan Li said, "Let's take good care of this snake."

Seeing his delight, Chu Hechao was also happy and ordered someone to release the white snake into the forest for captivity.

After washing up, Yuan Li and Chu Hechao hid in a corner as agreed and shared a chaste kiss.

As the Prince Chu and his consort had just left, this kiss was purely innocent, devoid of any desire. Swallowing, Yuan Li nudged Chuhao Chao, "Are you still taking people to the mountain to chop wood today?"

"We chopped a lot of trees yesterday, but there's still some left," Chu Hechao rubbed his forehead, "Menial tasks like that can be delegated to the soldiers. Do you want to come with me?"

Yuan Li shook his head and whispered, "I've discovered a coal mountain, shall we go mine coal today?"

Frowning, Chuhao Chao asked, "You've sent people to look for coal?"

His expression suddenly turned meaningful, "Yuan Lejun, you have many secrets. Tell me, what is the meaning of your boyfriend?"

Yuan Li pondered for a moment. He didn't like keeping secrets from his loved ones, but the concept of the system was clearly difficult for an ancient person to understand.

Finally, Yuan Li calmly said, "I do have many secrets, but I haven't figured out how to explain them to you yet. When I do, I'll tell you, okay?"

The man remained silent.

Yuan Li called out, "Brother."

Chu Hechao backed off repeatedly, rubbing his temples, and easily accepted the explanation, "Okay, okay, whatever you say, just don't call me so flippantly, you're giving me goosebumps."

Yuan Li stared at his smile and rolled his eyes, "Boyfriend means my man."

Chu Hechao chuckled, "Quite interesting."

After their intimate moment, Yuan Li's parents were already waiting in the dining hall.

Since Yuan Song and Madam Chen had arrived in Jizhou, they had been living with Yuan Li and Chu Hechao. They had initially planned to move out, but with their son and Chu Hechao busy with the funeral of the royal couple and state affairs, they hadn't mentioned it, not wanting to disrupt Yuan Li.

Now that things had settled down with Yuan Li, and Chu Hechao seemed to have moved on from the pain of his parents' deaths, at the dinner table, Yuan Song brought up the desire to move out.

Yuan Li had wanted to convince them to stay, but looking at his father, he knew he was serious about leaving.

It was understandable, living together with the Yuan family and Chu Hechao was uncomfortable. With many people and belongings brought back from Ruyang, and the ability to afford another estate, they definitely found it more convenient to have their own space.

Realizing the complexity of his relationship with Chu Hechao, Yuan Li feared what might happen if his parents, Yuan Song and Madam Chen, discovered the truth.

Yuan Li said, "If you truly want to move out, I'll find you a good house today."

"No need for you to look," unable to suppress the smile on his face, even in front of his eldest son who was already a provincial governor at a young age, Yuan Song cheerfully said, "I have already found a mansion."

Yuan Li asked, "Where is this mansion?"

After Yuan Song revealed the location, Yuan Li nodded thoughtfully and replied, "That location is good."

Happy to have Yuan Li's approval, Yuan Song couldn't help but ask, "Li'er, will you come and live with us?"

The hand holding the chopsticks in Chu Hechao's hand trembled almost imperceptibly.

Madam Chen couldn't resist softly persuading, "Li'er, your father is right. Why don't you come and live with us? It has been almost two years since we last saw you. Now that your father and I are in Youzhou, won't you come and live with us?"

"Uncle, Aunt," Chu Hechao put down his chopsticks, took the handkerchief handed by a servant to wipe his hands, and said with a faint tone, "The Prince's residence has already been renovated. Although Le Jun is your son, he is also my sister-in-law. It's not proper for him to not reside in the Prince's residence."

Yuan Song also remembered this, sighing deeply, "The General is right."

"Please rest assured," Chu Hechao said, "I will take good care of Le Jun."

Yuan Song did not expect this notorious and arrogant general to be so humble and courteous. His fondness for Chu Hechao grew, expressing his gratitude, "Then, I thank the General on behalf of my son."

Madam Chen also smiled at Chu Hechao and thanked him in a gentle tone. However, when they finished dinner and returned to their room with Yuan Song, she couldn't help but wipe tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Yuan Song scolded softly, "What's wrong, why are you crying?"

Madam Chen choked up, "You're only concerned about your son's high position. Have you ever thought about Lier's difficulties? Look at the past ten days in Youzhou. Has Lier had a moment of leisure? He is only nineteen years old, yet he has to be aware of everything inside and outside the mansion, and personally handle everything. As his mother, I can only occasionally see him during meals. Look at him, how much weight he has lost in these past few days. If we weren't in Youzhou, it would be understandable, but now that we are, not being able to live with Li'er, how can my heart not ache?"

Yuan Song said frustratingly, "Isn't Li'er capable? How many times did you plead with your family and how much effort did you put in to give Li'er a chance to enter the Imperial Academy? Now that you've become a Governor's mother, have you forgotten all these hardships?"

Madam Chen continued to cry.

Yuan Song sighed, knowing she understood but was just momentarily upset. After all, their son hadn't even reached twenty yet.

He didn't say anything further, understanding how a mother could not help but worry about her son.

*

That day, Yuan Li took people to the coal mountain to mine coal.

The system was very generous, giving him a large coal mountain. Yuan Li found the right spot for mining, and soon, the dark coal emerged.

Yuan Li named this coal mountain "Black Fire Mountain". As time passed, more and more coal was mined from Black Fire Mountain, filling up two warehouses. After the autumn harvest, the tax revenue collected from Youzhou was swiftly sent to Jixian, and the granaries in Youzhou were all fully stocked.

This year's harvest was good, especially the potato yield, astonishing many.

The common people also witnessed the potato yield. To make them accept potatoes, Yuan Li even roasted freshly dug potatoes in front of them, under their watchful eyes, and ate one on the spot.

The soft and fragrant smell made many mouth water.

Yuan Li set aside half of the potatoes as seeds for the following year's spring planting, provided by the government to the people. He distributed some of the remaining potatoes to his subordinates, parents, and for household use.

The rest was circulated among the common people, along with instructions on how to prepare and consume the potatoes.

The hungry common people were both picky and indifferent in terms of food; they wouldn't eat anything unfamiliar but wouldn't hesitate to eat what they knew was safe. Potatoes were easy to eat, requiring only attention to whether they had sprouted or not.

Besides potatoes, mature cotton was also harvested by Yuan Li. No one knew what the cotton was for, as Yuan Li did not mention it. He recruited women in Jixian to sew cotton clothes, encouraging them to earn extra money during the agricultural off-season.

Upon hearing about the opportunity to earn money by working for the government, many women from households responded to the call. Yuan Li specifically built a workshop for them to sew cotton clothes, led by the talented Yushi woman who remained in the Prince's residence.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liangdong's articles for Youzhou had spread to neighboring provinces and began to circulate further.

As Yuanli had anticipated, the public had a unified stance towards Li Li. Following the distribution of their contentious documents, "righteous men" from various provinces took the initiative to condemn Li Li for his treacherous deeds, accusing him of plotting the assassination of loyal individuals and attempting to bribe the Grand General and the Governor of Youzhou.

From north to south, Li Li's reputation deteriorated rapidly.

Upon Zhang Liangdong's persuasion, Xiang Hongyun decided to stay in Youzhou with him to write articles, play chess, and occasionally offer valuable advice to Yuan Li. Although he remained courteous towards Yuan Li and provided helpful suggestions, he did not pledge allegiance.

After the autumn harvest, the soldiers sent by Yuan Li to procure grains returned with carts full of them. The surplus of grains necessitated the construction of additional warehouses overnight to accommodate the purchases from Bingzhou, Yizhou, Qingzhou, and other regions.

These newly acquired grains could be stored for at least four years, possibly even longer with proper care. Yuan Li was confident in handling the grain surplus and believed that even if there were no disasters this year, he anticipated challenges in the coming winters. Should his predictions prove wrong, he was prepared to adapt.

In times of turmoil, grains held significant value. Yuan Li foresaw a tough battle with Li Li within the next three years and considered the stored grains crucial. Despite spending a third of his savings, Yuan Li believed it was a worthwhile investment.

However, to others, stockpiling grains to sustain Youzhou for a decade seemed excessive. Even the rational Liu Jixin had advised Yuan Li against this strategy multiple times, but Yuan Li remained steadfast.

Liu Jixin's growing disquiet stemmed not from the surplus of grains but rather from Yuan Li's unilateral decisions and resistance to advice. Despite his concerns, Liu Jixin suppressed his anxieties out of trust in Yuan Li.

Yuan Li always avoided taking risks without certainty.

Reflecting on the heavy rain and the potato incident, he urged himself to exercise caution, ultimately managing to restrain himself.

At the end of October, Wu Kai and Zhong Ji, who had gone to exterminate the Yishan Army, returned.

Upon his return, Wu Kai didn't have time to visit Yun Niang at home; he went straight to the Prince's residence to meet Yuan Li and discuss the extermination of the Yishan Army. He then added, "My Lord, Governor Che Kangbo of Yanzhou is aware of our mission to eliminate the bandits."

Yuan Li nodded, unfazed. "You spent a whole month defeating the Yishan Army. If Che Kangbo had remained unaware of your activities during this time, he wouldn't be fit to be the Governor of Yanzhou."

Wu Kai heaved a sigh of relief. "After defeating the Yishan Army, Che Kangbo's soldiers arrived in Yishan and took charge of dealing with the remaining bandits. All the captives have been taken away by Che Kangbo."

Essentially, they had fought the bandits in vain, as they didn't even manage to capture any prisoners.

Yuan Li chuckled. "Why didn't you ask Che Kangbo for some rewards?"

Wu Kai hesitated. "Could we have requested that?"

Yuan Li burst into laughter. "As long as you ask, of course you can. But we shouldn't exploit the situation for a few rewards. Let him have the captives; I won't let you go on a fruitless mission."

"It wasn't entirely fruitless," Wu Kai admitted sheepishly. "Before Che Kangbo's men arrived, we had already looted the bandits' hideout for spoils."

Impressed, Yuan Li commended Wu Kai and allowed him to rest.

Later that evening, Yuan Li hosted a celebratory banquet for Wu Kai and Zhong Ji. As everyone jubilated and drank merrily, Xiang Hongyun, observing the warm and cordial atmosphere, couldn't help but feel moved.

As autumn progressed, the winter chill arrived swiftly, and before they knew it, December had arrived.

On the 20th of December, a heavy snowfall suddenly blanketed Youzhou.