Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

"Oh shit, it's snowing!"

Zhang Jingwei, a native of southern China, had never seen real snow since he was a child. He was always curious about and yearned for the heavy snow in the north, imagining how beautiful and magical it would be.

The moment he walked out of the door, he was stunned by the scene before him. The entire yard was covered in thick snow, a pristine white. Snowflakes drifted down, and Zhang Jingwei reached out to catch a snowflake, watching it melt into a drop of water in his palm.

He walked outside the courtyard, his feet making a crunching sound. In the courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, snowflakes fluttered down, blanketing the entire residence in a layer of silver. The trees in the courtyard were bent by the weight of the snow, like soldiers in white cloaks, guarding the peace of the mansion. The pavilions and towers in the distance were also covered in snow, appearing even more solemn and majestic.

In the center of the courtyard, there is a small rockery, the rocks of which are covered with snow, like white steamed buns. Beneath the rockery is a small pond, the water in the pond has frozen, and the ice is covered with a thin layer of snow, like a mirror, reflecting the color of the sky.

The eaves of the mansion were covered with strings of crystal clear icicles, some like swords, some like silver snakes, shining brightly in the sunlight. The red lanterns under the eaves were particularly eye-catching in the snow, adding a festive atmosphere to the entire mansion.

In a corner of the mansion, there is a plum garden. Plum blossoms bloom in the snow, emitting bursts of fragrance. The petals of the plum blossoms are covered with a thin layer of snow, like a bride about to get married, her face red and her clothes covered in white, poetic and picturesque.

Zhang Liu said with concern, "Master, it's cold and windy outside. Don't catch a cold. Go back inside quickly!"

Zhang Jingwei, standing in the courtyard, remained unmoved. He slowly opened his arms, as if to embrace the snowy scene before him, and muttered to himself, "Such a beautiful scene truly inspires my poetic inspiration. I really want to recite a poem to express my feelings!"

Li Yi on the side quickly echoed: "That's right, everyone knows that our young master is talented and can speak eloquently, especially in such a snowy scene, he will definitely be able to recite a famous verse that will be passed down through the ages!"

Zhang Jingwei took a deep breath, then looked up at the sky and chanted loudly: "Ah! Snow! You are so pure and white, like silver flowers sprinkled by fairies; you are so freezing, like a beauty with icy skin and jade bones. So... so... ah... ah autumn!" Before he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sneeze loudly.

Seeing this, Zhang Liu hurried forward, draped a thick fur robe over Zhang Jingwei, and gently brushed the accumulated snowflakes off his head. As he did so, he softly advised, "Master, your hair is indeed less resistant to the cold after being cut short. It would be better for you to listen to my advice and go back inside. Wouldn't it be better to sit by the fireplace and slowly enjoy the snowy scenery?"

Zhang Jingwei nodded, then turned to Zhang Liu and asked, "Uncle Liu, it's freezing cold out here. Are the charcoal fires prepared on the farm enough? We can't let the people in the farm suffer from the cold."

Zhang Liu smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Master. I've already taken care of all this. I'll make sure no one gets cold."

Zhang Jingwei looked up at the unusually bright sky and said thoughtfully, "How strange! It was sunny and warm yesterday, but how come it snowed so heavily overnight?"

Zhang Liu also sighed and replied, "Yes, young master, this is indeed a bit strange. In previous years, the snow would not start to fall until the middle of the twelfth lunar month, but this year it has come much earlier, and it's only the end of the winter month. Judging from this, I'm afraid the pastures outside the Great Wall have already been abandoned."

Zhang Jingwei asked with a worried look on his face, "Huangmu? Will the Rong people move south?"

Zhang Liu frowned and said worriedly, "Resources are truly scarce on this vast grassland. If those tribal leaders don't lead their people south to plunder, they'll probably just have to watch their people starve to death!"

Zhang Jingwei, standing nearby, thought for a moment and then responded, "In my opinion, if both sides could engage in trade, allowing them to trade their cattle, sheep, and other livestock for necessities like food, clothing, wood, and charcoal, wouldn't that avoid war?"

However, Zhang Liu shook his head and retorted, "You're overthinking it! These Rong people are tall and strong, and their warriors are all brave and skilled in battle. It's much easier for them to just plunder than to buy. Why bother?"

Zhang Jingwei snorted lightly upon hearing this, and asked disdainfully, "Tsk, if they are so powerful, why were they driven out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Beiyun?"

Hearing this, Zhang Liu couldn't help but laugh. He explained, "Although they are powerful militarily, their governance is weak. The internal conflicts and infighting between the tribes are just as intense as the open and covert struggles between the major forces in our Central Plains. In fact, they are even more intense!"

Zhang Jingwei immediately became interested, his eyes sparkling as he asked, "Wow, Uncle Six, I didn't expect you to know so much inside information! There must be a lot of interesting stories here, so tell me about them!"

Zhang Liu smiled slightly, patted Zhang Jingwei on the shoulder, and then said mysteriously: "Want to hear a story? Okay, let's go back to the house first, sit by the fire and tell it slowly." Then he pulled Zhang Jingwei into the house.

……

On this day, Zhang Jingwei did not go to the military camp, did not prepare for the wedding, and did not go out. He just rolled snowballs and made snowmen in the yard. He heard Zhang Liu say that the weather would gradually warm up in the first month of next year, and the snowman could be preserved for at least more than a month, so he put more effort into making the snowman.

In the evening, Huangfu Ling came to look for him, but couldn't see him after walking around for a long time. So he ran to the stable and saw him squatting on the ground trembling.

Huangfu Ling took a curious look at the snowman beside him and couldn't help laughing: "Haha, is this the snowman you made? It looks so cute with its round head!" However, Zhang Jingwei, who was standing beside him, didn't say anything, but just let out a muffled groan from his nose: "Hmm!"

Huangfu Ling didn't seem to notice anything unusual, and continued excitedly, "I went to try on two new clothes today. After we finish our meal, you have to come and give me some advice!" But her response was still just a simple word: "Hmm!"

Seeing Zhang Jingwei remained silent, Huangfu Ling couldn't help but feel a little angry and scolded him, "Hey, why don't you say something? What's the matter with you always making 'hmm' sounds?" Zhang Jingwei still maintained his original posture, and only squeezed out the monotonous syllable: "Hmm!"

At this moment, Douya, who was standing nearby, sensed something was amiss and hurried forward to investigate. Douya walked around to Zhang Jingwei, observed him carefully, and suddenly became terrified. She turned to Huangfu Ling and shouted, "Miss... this is bad. My son-in-law's tongue..."

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Ling hurried over to Zhang Jingwei. When she saw the scene clearly, she was stunned. Zhang Jingwei's tongue was actually stuck to the cold iron bars of the stable! His nose and cheeks were reddened by the freezing cold, like two ripe apples. He exhaled puffs of white mist, which quickly condensed into frost when it encountered the cold air. Not only did it coat his eyelashes with frost, but even a few tiny, glittering ice crystals hung in the corners of his eyes.

Seeing Zhang Jingwei's pitiful appearance, Huangfu Ling was extremely anxious. Her face was full of anxiety. She shouted loudly: "Oh my God! What the hell are you doing? Why are you licking the stable for no reason?" Then, she turned her head and shouted around: "Someone come! Hurry up! Go get some hot water! Hurry!"

Two minutes later, Zhang Jingwei was rescued.

Liu Guanjin had a mocking expression on his face, and asked him playfully, "Master, why are you squatting in the stable without moving? Why are you licking the stable for no reason?"

Zhang Jingwei smacked his lips and said bewilderedly, "Hmm... I heard that the iron bars in the north are sweet."

Huangfu Ling complained, "You're such a grown-up, don't you know you can't lick the iron bars in winter?"

Zhang Jingwei said aggrievedly: "You'll know later!"