"Yellow" Sky and Land

Princess Changle looked at Lin Shen, tilting her head, "You're very concerned about this matter?"

Lin Shen nodded, "Yes."

Princess Changle pondered for a moment, "Do you have time this afternoon?"

Lin Shen asked, "Why do you ask?"

Princess Changle said seriously, "If you have time, you can come with me this afternoon to my estate to see the situation..."

"I haven't been there before."

Lin Shen thought for a moment.

Now that the supermarket is being managed by Chen San and the others, he has some free time, so it wouldn't hurt to go take a look.

He nodded, "Sure."

Princess Changle's face lit up, "Great! I'll make arrangements now, and I'll come find you later this afternoon."

Just then,

Chen San also prepared what she requested, put it in a cloth bag, and brought it over.

Princess Changle happily took the items and left.

Having just finished lunch, Lin Shen hadn't been lying on the rattan chair for long when Princess Changle arrived.

She was holding a delicately carved little girl in her hand, bringing along Princess Chengyang as well.

Princess Chengyang looked at Chen San, timidly greeted, "Hello, big brother."

Lin Shen smiled slightly with narrowed eyes, "You've come too?"

Princess Chengyang nodded.

Princess Changle said somewhat discontentedly, "I didn't want to bring her, but as soon as she heard I was leaving the city, she insisted on coming along."

Lin Shen said, "It's fine to bring her along. Don't worry, I'll protect you both."

Princess Changle felt warm inside.

Girls love to hear such reassuring words.

Although...

The Qian Niu guards would accompany them, and if they encountered danger, those guards would intervene. There's no need for the boss to personally step in. In case his face gets hurt, it would truly be a pity.

Princess Changle pointed outside, "The carriage is ready. Let's depart."

Princess Changle's estate was in Changle County.

It wasn't at the foot of Chang'an City but far away in Quanzhou.

However, being the daughter of Li Shimin, there was also a small estate with over a hundred households outside Chang'an City.

After some stops and starts, they reached the outskirts of this estate in less than half an hour.

Lin Shen took off his jacket and was somewhat shocked by the scene before him.

He had never seen... such a desolate place before.

Although Chang'an City couldn't compare to international metropolises like Yanjing in later years, at least the houses were orderly, the roads were paved with stone slabs, and even the more remote alleys were filled with compacted yellow earth.

But this estate...

The structures couldn't even be called houses; they were just a few mud walls stacked together, providing shelter from rain but not necessarily from wind.

Each and every peasant was lying in front of their own door. They weren't emaciated to the point of skin and bones, but there were clear signs of malnutrition. Without exception, their eyes were filled with deep despair.

Lin Shen's expression grew serious.

The locust plague was even more severe than he had imagined.

The sky was yellow, and so was the earth.

The sky, the fields, even the trees and the dry grass on the mud walls were crawling with locusts the size of thumbs.

Unlike these despairing commoners, they exuded a different kind of vitality.

Feeding on anything edible.

Princess Changle looked at the scene in shock.

She had lived a sheltered life since childhood.

Even when accompanying her father in battles north and south, Li Shimin always protected her well, never allowing her to see anything unpleasant.

Locust plagues, emaciated peasants...

These were never within her realm of understanding.

The people she had seen were always fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, with a sparkle in their eyes.

These beings, shrouded in despair, she simply couldn't label them as "people."

"It's really scary..." Princess Changle shrank back, and Princess Chengyang, even paler, couldn't speak, only burying her face in Princess Changle's arms.

The locust plague was a catastrophic disaster.

Especially in this era.

Li Shimin would rather face the dragon's wrath multiple times, fight endless battles with the barbarians, than encounter such a disaster at this time.

Princess Changle hesitated, "Should we go in and take a look?"

Lin Shen was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "Let's go back. I think I've learned enough."

Princess Changle nodded obediently, eagerly pulling Princess Chengyang onto the carriage.

Lin Shen didn't rush to board, turning back to take a deep look at the estate.

Suddenly, he understood.

Why Fan Zhongyan, hundreds of years later, would write the eternal phrase "Worry for the world before enjoying its pleasures" atop Yueyang Tower.

And why Yuan Laozi would receive such great acclaim.

He could earn over a hundred thousand taels of silver in a month.

In Chang'an City, as long as people were willing to work, earning two to three taels of silver a month was no problem...

But just across a city wall, people outside Chang'an City couldn't even eat a full meal.

Some couldn't even eat at all.

Lin Shen climbed onto the carriage and sat opposite Princess Changle, sighing softly, "When we get back, have a few people come over, and I'll fetch some food for the farmers on your estate."

"In the future, when it comes to the food on your estate, I'll take care of it."

Supplying food!

Upon hearing these words, Princess Changle's eyes instantly lit up, "Is it fish tofu?"

That's what she's been craving for lately.

Lin Shen sighed, reaching out to lightly tap Princess Changle's head, "Always thinking about such things. Can fish tofu really satisfy hunger?"

"It's a food called self-heating rice, convenient and fast..."

Hearing that it wasn't fish tofu, Princess Changle pouted, but nodded, "Fine. Then, on behalf of the farmers on my estate, thank you, Boss Lin."

"This isn't free." Lin Shen shook his head, speaking up.

He wasn't doing charity.

Even though he had the ability to provide an unlimited supply of self-heating rice.

Supplying for free, gaining without labor.

It wouldn't make the Tang Dynasty better; it would only ruin it.

Princess Changle was a little stunned, feeling a bit aggrieved, "I don't have much money on me now... and as you've seen, my estate doesn't have much to offer."

Lin Shen chuckled softly, "Money is not an issue for me. With the supermarket, I can earn however much silver I need in the future."

"You have a high status, I can see that. Just inform your elders, I have a way to deal with the locust plague. If you want to know more, come find me with Tang Dynasty's sincerity."

Princess Changle didn't quite understand the last sentence.

What did "Tang Dynasty's sincerity" mean?

But she obediently kept it