There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 417 The King is Missing

Ruan Jingshang silently observed everything.

His mind raced, calculating the transportation costs of grain, cloth, and medicine, as well as the approximate value of the gemstones if the trade route were opened. He felt the matter was increasingly urgent and feasible, but the obstacles would inevitably be enormous.

The profits have long been monopolized by the upper echelons.

At night, they camped behind a leeward sand dune.

The starry sky over Boyu is exceptionally bright and vast, yet it cannot illuminate the suffering of this barren land.

Amu began to sing a low, ancient Boyu folk song, its melody desolate and distant, expressing an endless longing for rain, for oases, and for the abundant legends of the past.

Ye Bingli listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously pressing the strings, as if echoing the mournful melody on invisible strings.

After two more days of trekking through dry, scorching heat and endless yellow sand, a different kind of color finally appeared on the distant horizon.

It was a vast expanse of deep green, a precious poplar forest surviving deep in the desert and a palm grove painstakingly maintained by human hands.

In the center of the garden, the outline of a city gradually becomes clear.

That was the capital of the Kingdom of Boyu, Suleiman.

The city walls were built from a mixture of local light yellow rammed earth and plaster, and have weathered the elements, giving them a heavy and ancient appearance.

Urban buildings are mostly flat-roofed with small windows and thick doors to withstand wind, sand, and extreme heat.

However, in stark contrast to the desolation of the border region, the closer one gets to the capital, the more one can sense an unusual "prosperity."

The guards at the city gate wore relatively neat woolen uniforms and carried curved swords.

The main road into town was paved with gravel, and surprisingly, there were stalls on both sides selling rough pottery, a small amount of dried fruit, dried meat strips (of dubious origin), and most eye-catching items—various colored jewels.

The colored gemstones here have clearly undergone preliminary polishing; although the craftsmanship is rough,

The ever-changing colors of fire opal

Tourmaline's vibrant peach and emerald green hues

Aquamarine's clear blue

Shining brightly in the sunlight, it formed a stark contrast to the vendors' dusty faces and their shabby stalls.

The buyers were mostly well-dressed city residents or out-of-town merchants, and the sounds of bargaining were constant.

The air was filled with a complex mix of spices, naan bread (a dry, hard staple food), dust, and camel dung.

The streets were slightly more crowded; veiled women hurried by, men with headscarves talked loudly, and occasionally a camel caravan decorated with colorful blankets jingled past.

The children chased each other at the alley entrance; though still small and thin, their faces showed more vitality.

However, upon closer inspection, one can still see beggars huddled in corners, laborers carrying heavy loads, sweating profusely and staggering along, and even lower, dilapidated mud houses deep in the alleyways.

The capital's "prosperity" is like a mirage in the desert, merely a thin veil barely covering widespread poverty.

The brilliance of colored gemstones did not illuminate the lives of most Bohol citizens.

The delegation was housed in a guesthouse on the outskirts of the capital, a place specifically for receiving foreign envoys.

Li Shuchen touched the heavy, cool building of the post station, and a chill ran through him as well.

The inn provided them with clean drinking water and simple meals.

Shamai bread, a little mutton and red bean paste

Several people shared the food

The innkeeper said this was already excellent treatment.

Looking out the window, one can see towards the city center, with taller buildings adorned with painted terracotta and plaster carvings—the royal palace and aristocratic quarter—standing in stark contrast to the dilapidated outskirts.

Liang Yuying immediately presented her credentials and requested an audience with the King of Boyu.

While awaiting their summons, everyone had mixed feelings.

The perilous pass of Tianmen Pass, the helplessness of the mountain bandits, the desolation of the border, the contrast between the capital and the outside world... all of these weighed heavily on my heart.

What they brought was not just official documents and gifts, but perhaps a glimmer of hope for change in this land ravaged by desert sands and poverty.

Can this glimmer of light penetrate the heavy curtains of Suleiman's palace and illuminate the true needs?

At dusk, a messenger from the post station reported...

"His Majesty the King said that you have all traveled a long way and must be tired. He asked you to rest well for a couple of days, and then a banquet would be arranged to welcome you back."

Everyone remained silent as the envoy from the post station departed.

"I knew this king wouldn't be so easy to meet," Li Shuchen said with a cold snort, arms crossed, turning to ask.

"I'm going to exchange some colored gemstones. Do you want to come? Or is there anything you want? I can bring it back for you."

"I'll go, I'll go with you," Princess Changning said quickly.

"I won't go. I'm tired these days and need to rest early," Gu Ziying said.

"I'm not going either. Just bring me some food when Shu Chen comes back," Ye Bingli said, patting her stomach. Clearly, the food at the inn didn't suit her taste.

Li Shuchen nodded in agreement, then turned to Liang Yuying with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I'll stay with them, you come back soon," Liang Yuying said.

"Alright," Li Shuchen stepped out of the post station, Princess Changning following beside her, with Ruan Jingshang trailing behind.

The three of them strolled around the market.

Li Shuchen discovered that the gemstone trade was indeed monopolized by a few large merchants, driving prices down significantly, while the prices of grain and cloth were ridiculously high.

Ordinary citizens live in poverty, their eyes filled with the weariness of making a living, with little joy in them.

Princess Changning attempted to apply medicine and bandages to the wounded poor, but this drew the attention of the guards who intervened with suspicion.

"What are you doing?"

"Be careful"

Ruan Jingshang protected Princess Changning and pulled her aside, whispering...

"Their lives seem to be even harder than I imagined."

"Right at the foot of the capital, can't their king see it?"

"I can see it, but I don't care," Li Shuchen succinctly stated.

I bought some groceries from a woman on the street, filled my crossbody bag to the brim, and headed home.

Night falls

Li Shuchen, carrying food, knocked on Ye Bingli's door.

"Bingli, I've bought the food."

"coming"

Ye Bingli opened the door, and Li Shuchen entered the room, sat down, and put down the food.

A plate of stewed beef, a bowl of camel milk porridge, and a plate of sliced ​​mangoes.

The beef was stewed until tender, the milk porridge was rich and fragrant, and the mango was juicy and delicious.

"Did you buy all of this?" Ye Bingli asked in surprise, looking at the food.

"No," Li Shuchen shook his head, immediately spouting nonsense.

"I made this with the ingredients we had left. I bought this fruit from a traveling merchant."

Actually, she bought the ingredients from Xiao Jizi's shopping mall and cooked them fresh. There was no other way; the food at the inn wasn't good, and the nutrition wasn't adequate.

She was worried they would get too thin from hunger.

"Eat up, but there's more. I traded salt for a lot of other things."

Ye Bingli nodded and took a sip of the milk porridge, then couldn't stop, finishing the porridge with the beef, and then eating all the beef as well.

This was an amount of food she had never eaten before.

Li Shuchen knew she was starving; she was ill and couldn't be allowed to go hungry like this.

"What is this fruit? It's so sweet!" Ye Bingli ate a piece of mango, then used her fork to pick up another piece and held it to Li Shuchen's mouth.

"Shu Chen ate too."

Li Shuchen swallowed it in one gulp from her hand, laughing as he said...

"The traveling merchant said this is called a mango, a fruit that only grows in the far south. Besides mangoes, I also bought some other fruits."

"The South is so far away. I want to go and see what it's like to be in a place that produces such delicious fruit."

"Sure, let's go take a look once we're done with our work."

"it is good"