As soon as these words were spoken, the court erupted in buzzing discussion. A single cloud covering the entire Everpeace Empire—such a thing was almost impossible, yet it had happened!
The Everpeace Empire is vast, stretching ninety thousand li north to south and eighty thousand li east to west. Now, the entire realm is blanketed in snow, and the heavy snowfall has lasted six or seven days—another impossibility come true!
Cultivators possess the power to summon wind and rain, but those abilities only affect small areas. There is no technique capable of covering the entire Everpeace Empire like this.
But this is not a natural disaster either. South of the Golden River, snow is rare; south of the Torr River, rain or snow is almost unheard of; and by the time you reach the River Lee, where it's summer year-round, snowfall is simply impossible.
Snowfall across the entire nation—it's simply inconceivable!
Emperor Evan coughed, quieting the court. "Minister of Agriculture, many of my ministers may not understand how terrifying this snow truly is. Explain it to them."
An elderly minister stepped forward—the Everpeace Empire’s Minister of Agriculture, in charge of all farming. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, esteemed ministers, regarding this snow disaster: northern crops are hardy and can survive the cold, so next year's harvest should be safe. The real problem is the south. After this heavy snow, southern crops will likely be killed off completely. Next year, the south may not yield a single grain."
The Minister of Revenue quickly asked, "Minister of Agriculture, which regions do you mean by 'the south'?"
"South of the Golden River."
The court ministers all gasped in shock, and even Quinn Shepherd was startled.
He held a geographical map of the Everpeace Empire—Golden River itself originates from the Great Ruins, rushing east for tens of thousands of li before flowing into the sea.
The land south of the Golden River makes up two-thirds of the Everpeace Empire's territory!
In other words, two-thirds of the nation may produce no grain at all!
"This... Your Majesty, I believe we should immediately allocate grain from all regions to the south and prepare for disaster relief!"
The Minister of Warhorses stepped forward and bowed. "The south has just experienced war, and many counties are in need of aid. Their granaries are likely empty. Your Majesty, please mobilize the northern granaries to save the people from disaster!"
The Minister of Agriculture sighed. "That can't be done right now. You may not know, but the war has already consumed much of our grain. If we send grain south now, the starving masses will eat it all. Once it's gone, there won't even be seeds left for spring planting, and come autumn, there will be nothing to harvest. Minister of Warhorses, when the hungry can't find food, they will turn to cannibalism."
"Are we just going to let the southern people starve to death?"
The Minister of Agriculture said, "Grain must be sent south, but it should be strictly rationed—just enough to keep the disaster victims alive. In fact, there are still granaries in the south, but they're all hoarded by great clans and landlords. If we try to take their grain, they'll likely incite the starving to revolt. Your Majesty..."
Emperor Evan's expression darkened. "The grain held by the great clans and landlords—I will handle it. Continue."
"Yes, Your Majesty. But aside from the south, both north and south face another disaster."
The Minister of Agriculture said, "The north is always cold in winter, but this year it's even colder. After visiting several northern counties, I found farmers chopping down trees for firewood to keep warm. Many forests have been stripped bare. If the hardy northerners are already doing this, imagine the south. If southern forests are cut down completely, we'll face endless floods, mudslides, and deluges. Natural disasters breed human disasters, and human disasters lead to more calamities. If we forbid people from cutting wood to stay warm, countless will freeze to death. By then, nine out of ten homes may be empty..."
Emperor Evan exhaled heavily, and the court fell silent—so silent that even their breathing sounded harsh and oppressive. If they didn't burn wood for warmth, the farmers would freeze; if they did, disaster would only grow.
A single snow disaster had thrown the vast Everpeace Empire into a deadlock.
The Minister of Agriculture continued, "The real problem is, we don't know how long this cloud will last. If the gloom lifts in a few days, we can minimize the damage. But if it doesn't, the nation is in peril, and even the ancestral altars are at risk!"
"I... understand."
Emperor Evan sat down, looking weary. "Now you all see how dire the situation is, don't you? When those traitors rebelled a while back, I remained calm, unconcerned. I knew they'd fail—sooner or later, the Imperial Preceptor and you loyal ministers would crush them. But this snow disaster and this cloud threaten to cut off Everpeace's destiny! Do any of you have a solution?"
The entire court fell silent.
Even with all their powers, none could disperse the cloud or melt the snow.
Emperor Evan looked at the ministers below, both angry and anxious. Was a single snowstorm, a single cloud, really going to tear his empire apart and erase centuries of effort?
A scholar said, "I believe this is Heaven's wrath at the Imperial Preceptor's reforms..."