I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?

Chapter 471: The Prefect Is Asked to Ensure Fairness 3

Qian Fanji’s gaze lowered slightly. He had been to Nanyuan before. The conditions there were indeed harsh. They had gone in the summer, and the winters were even more unbearable.

Every winter in Nanyuan, many people would freeze to death. The price of coal was terrifyingly high.

Nanyuan was rich in seafood, but its distance from other nations made trade difficult. It was hard to make a profit, and even the money earned in summer wasn’t enough to pay for one winter’s worth of coal.

At the mention of Nanyuan, Zhan Chi also felt a strange unease. That month in Nanyuan had indeed been an ordeal; they had lived like savages every day.

Later...

He stole a glance at Ye Qianning and relaxed slightly when he saw the little girl showed no reaction.

"Nanyuan’s conditions are indeed very poor. Few merchant caravans travel that way," Zhan Yi chimed in, picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placing it in the little girl’s mouth.

"The market for their seafood has disappeared in recent years. Without that income, it’s hard for the people of Nanyuan to survive the winter." Prince Yu’s face was a mask of worry. "Many have already frozen to death this season."

The money they earned in summer was solely to afford coal for the winter. With their sales gone, how were the people supposed to survive? The coal had to be bought from other nations at an exorbitant price.

"The other three kingdoms don’t lack seafood. Besides, the journey is long, time-consuming, and difficult. A merchant might even lose money. No one’s a fool," Zhan Yi said.

Prince Yu opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word. What Zhan Yi said was the truth.

Even if the seafood was sold for half the price of what other kingdoms offered, it wouldn’t be enough to cover a caravan’s costs for men, carts, horses, and supplies for the trip.

"Nanyuan’s seafood is much tastier than the seafood from the three kingdoms," Ye Qianning said languidly.

A flicker of joy crossed Prince Yu’s face. "Right, right! Nanyuan’s waters are part of the South Sea, which is rich with marine life, and their seafood is incredibly delicious."

"Is that so?" Zhan Yi had never tried it.

"Mhm. The fish Fourth Granny used to make was delicious. Even without many seasonings, it was still wonderfully fresh—fresher than the fish in Beili." The village where Ye Qianning used to live was also by the sea.

It was something of a peninsula, with the sea on one side and mountains on the other. At the foot of the mountains, a road led to other cities.

Qian Fanji recalled their trip to Nanyuan. They had traveled for more than a month and still hadn’t reached the border. Nanyuan’s territory was the largest of the four kingdoms.

In terms of size, it was equivalent to two Beilis. But it was sparsely populated, consisting mostly of barren mountains and sea. It took more than half a month of travel from one city to the next just to see another sign of civilization.

It was quite desolate—

Come to think of it, Zhan Chi had never eaten seafood from the South Sea region either. Back then, they had traveled for a month and hadn’t even left the freshwater areas before the accident happened.

"Tsk, tsk. If my dear says it’s delicious, then it must be. Doesn’t the Gu family run merchant caravans? Do they go to Nanyuan? If they do, have their caravan bring back some of that South Sea seafood. I really want to try it." Zhan Yi knew the little girl had a discerning palate; if she praised something, it was bound to be good.

The mention of the Gu family seemed to strike a nerve with Prince Yu. He sighed and said, "For the past two years, no caravans have gone to Nanyuan. Before, caravans from Xi Yan would still go, and the Gu family would make a trip once every six months or so. But in the last two years, it seems no caravans from either kingdom have been seen."

"I always knew Nanyuan wasn’t wealthy, but I never realized it was this impoverished." Zhan Yi frowned, looking down at the little girl beside him. ’My dear must have truly suffered in Nanyuan back then.’

Ye Qianning’s past life hadn’t been wealthy, but she hadn’t been reduced to begging, either. Her mother sent money every month and would also send some coal during the winter.

Fourth Granny would keep her small room toasty warm, so life wasn’t too bitter.