I travel back and forth between ancient and modern times, hoarding goods to raise my grandchildren a

Lord Tao, who had become the center of attention, tugged at his sleeves and collar, trying to cover his exposed skin.

"No, you've misread it. You all know the situation in my household. Even my daughter has gone out to dig for Guanyin clay."

Many people in Beijing knew about Tao Xinran's trip to dig for Guanyin clay.

Upon hearing this, I began to doubt myself.

Could it be that they really misread it?

That's true, I want to gain some weight, but everyone else looks like they've gained weight too.

Someone sighed.

"I wonder when it will rain. How can we live like this if it doesn't rain soon?"

"Sigh, I won't say anymore. I'll take my leave first. I need to lead the soldiers in the camp to dig a little deeper and see if we can actually dig out a well."

This was the task the emperor gave him during the morning court session.

It's not raining, and the river has dried up.

We can only pin our hopes on the soil, just like when we dug a well before.

If we dig deeper, and if we're lucky, we might actually find something!

It's better than sitting around waiting to die.

"I must also lead men into the deep mountains to see if there are any wild animals that have escaped the net. If we can find one or two, everyone can also have a taste of meat."

"I need to go out and keep an eye on the city's security, lest those people start fighting again over the tree roots."

Even under these circumstances, the ministers still have to fulfill their duties.

To keep the capital city running normally as much as possible.

The Emperor returned to his study.

When the drought first started, memorials were sent from all over the country almost every day. He had to review and approve them all every day and even had to call the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister to help him.

But in the past year, the number of memorials to the emperor has been decreasing.

Because the capital itself was already in dire straits, even if memorials were sent to the capital, no resources could be provided to the affected areas, causing officials in various regions to give up the desire to write memorials.

Another reason was that those who delivered memorials couldn't make it to the capital. Without horses, they had to walk, but they also lacked food, and often starved to death on the way.

In the capital, the memorials submitted by officials did not reflect any other matters.

The issue of having enough to eat and wear comes before all other issues.

Their memorials were all about issues of food and water.

After submitting too many such memorials, one will find that they are ultimately meaningless.

Gradually, these kinds of memorials disappeared.

When the emperor sits in the imperial study, he often doesn't know what to do for most of the time.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and asked Eunuch Wang, "Has any news come back from the border?"

The drought also affected the countries surrounding the Great Sheng Kingdom.

Furthermore, because their ruler only cared about his own enjoyment, he increased taxes during times of famine, making life even more difficult for the people.

At the very beginning of the famine, people began to starve to death, and soon the horrific scene of cannibalism emerged.

Even more ministers, wealthy families, and border generals imprisoned ordinary people to store up grain reserves.

Once their own people are fed to near-complete satiation, they start eyeing the people of other countries.

They frequently waged wars.

The border is currently struggling.

"Your Majesty, no news has been received."

The Emperor pinched the bridge of his nose again.

Hopefully, the lack of news is due to the absence of bad news.

It wasn't because the messenger pigeons were shot down and eaten by starving people.

"Send someone to Huguo Temple again to see if Master Lingkong has returned."

A year ago, the General of the Cavalry sent him a letter informing him that he had met the wandering Master Lingkong, who told him to marry Yu Wanwan. He said that as long as he married Yu Wanwan, things would turn around.

The emperor then went to Huguo Temple in person to inquire about the possibility of a turnaround.

However, Master Lingkong never returned to Huguo Temple after that.

He could only issue the imperial decree of marriage first.

A year has passed, and the turning point has yet to arrive.

He was eager to talk to Master Lingkong.

"Yes."

After giving his instructions, Eunuch Wang went out.

He then stood beside the emperor and advised him, "Your Majesty, please allow this old servant to arrange for someone to serve you as you bathe and change your clothes."

"You have not bathed for three months, which may cause your body to be unwell."

These days, he tries to persuade her almost every day.

The Emperor's body is of the highest rank and most precious; how can he suffer such hardship?

In recent days, he has seen the emperor scratching himself all over his body countless times.

The Emperor waved his hand: "No need, I think it's fine as it is. Go and wet a handkerchief and wipe me down. Remember not to use too much water, just wet it."

With a pained expression, Eunuch Wang turned and left.

There were several wells in the palace, but they dried up one after another after the drought, and now only one remains.

Even if everyone in the palace wanted to conserve water for the emperor, he was unwilling to use any more.

If it weren't for the fact that his face also represents the face of a country, he certainly wouldn't be willing to wash his face.

Just as Eunuch Wang stepped out, he suddenly rushed back in.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the wife of the General of the Cavalry has arrived. She... she has brought food and water with her."

"Yu Wanwan is here?"

The emperor suddenly stood up.

"Quick, quick, bring her in."

As the wife of the General of the Cavalry, Yu Wanwan, carrying food and water, entered the palace smoothly and was escorted by more than a dozen imperial guards to the entrance of the Imperial Study.

Soon, she was brought in by Eunuch Wang.

She was accompanied by her six grandsons, as well as Yu Chengcheng and Xu Huai'an.

Behind them, a dozen or so Imperial Guards carried food and water.

Having been troubled by food and water shortages for a long time, the emperor could barely maintain his imperial dignity, imagining himself like the eunuchs, touching, pinching, and smelling the food.

His gaze lingered on the food for a long time before he finally turned his attention to Yu Wanwan.

"Madam Pei, are you cured?"

It was posed as a question, but the tone was one of absolute certainty.

While the Emperor was looking at the food, Yu Wanwan was looking at him.

This was her first time meeting an ancient emperor, the kind of emperor who could execute nine generations of a family with just a single sentence, and whose presence was like walking on thin ice.

I never imagined that even the emperor lived such a hard life.

The emperor before me had a clean face, hands, and clothes.

But his hair was so oily.

Moreover, this person, who is only in his early thirties, looks thin and old, with almost half of his hair turned white.

They look even more like cattle than modern-day 007s.

Sure enough, everything in the novel was false.

The emperors described in novels are all like handsome CEOs, and they are all tall and have long legs. But the emperor in front of me is not only ugly, but also not tall.

He's about 1.7 meters tall.

Yu Wanwan felt that this was probably the true appearance of the emperor.

It is common knowledge that emperors are all hardworking servants from the time they are crown princes, getting up earlier than chickens and going to bed later than dogs.

Will chronic sleep deprivation lead to stunted growth and premature aging?

But it has a certain imposing presence.

Having held a high position for many years, even a pig could be imbued with an aura of power.

When the Emperor looked over, Yu Wanwan stared at him blankly.

She was wondering whether she should kneel down before answering the emperor's question.