The mountain’s climate changed faster than the rate at the foot of the mountain. Lin Feilu’s ten sets of autumn clothes have yet to have been repeated when it seemed like winter had suddenly entered the mountains.
The Empress Dowager accompanied Lin Feilu to the fire and said, “It will be cold when it truly starts to snow in winter, but the scenery will also be breathtaking. You can enjoy the beauty of it by then.”
Lin Feilu had always liked snow. Snowball fights, building snowmen and skiing have become an essential activity for her and Lin Zhanyuan every winter. It’s a pity that she couldn’t accompany him in the palace this year and that adorably silly brother of hers was probably going to cry again.
She chose a skiing wonderland for herself early on. The slope and the location were extremely suitable for skiing, and she also prepared some skiing tools in advance. Everything was ready as she merely waited for the snowfall.
The next few days were always better because of the building anticipation.
One morning in the twelfth lunar month, Lin Feilu woke up and heard the sound of snow falling from the branches outside her window.
She didn’t even have time to put on her shoes as she ran over and opened the window.
The mountain and plains were covered with a blanket of white snow as Mount Wutai, which was already quiet, became more tranquil due to the snow. It’s a pity that this silence was quickly broken by Lin Feilu’s shouting. She wrapped her cloak and carried her tub as she headed straight to the ski slopes.
The mountain palace servants knew that the Princess looked forward to skiing. After the snow fell last night, they transported the snow from all around the area to her chosen location to build layers of snow. Therefore, the snow on this steep slope was much thicker. Lin Feilu slid to the bottom as her laughter drifted out along the flying snow.
She didn’t go back until she was content with playing, which was around noon. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Empress Dowager sitting with Lin Ting and whispering something. Lin Ting still had a letter in his hand, but the atmosphere between the two was slightly heavy.
The smile on Lin Feilu’s face gradually faded, and she asked anxiously, “Imperial grandmother, Eldest Imperial brother, what happened?”
The Empress Dowager looked up and smiled kindly, “The Little Fifth Princess is back? Was it fun? Liuzhi, see if the Princess’ dress is wet.”
Lin Feilu was very nervous, “What actually happened? Don’t try to hide it from me.”
Lin Ting smiled and shook his head, “It’s not a big deal, so why would there be a need to hide it from you? Come see for yourself.”
She hurried to take the letter.
Looking at it, she understood what had happened.
In the end, Emperor Lin still waged war against the Song Empire.
As Lin Ting had analysed before, instead of merely watching the Song Empire gradually grow more prominent, it was better to take the initiative to attack when the new Emperor was less prepared.
However, this use of troops was not a full-scale deployment of soldiers. It was just a small-scale test conducted by Emperor Lin.
There had always been a ‘no man’s land’ on the border between the two countries. This part of the territory did not belong to either the Song Empire or the Great Lin Empire. However, because of the traders who frequently traded between the two countries, a trade city no less than the size of Fuzhou had formed. Although somewhat dangerous, it was a very prosperous city.
The businesses there were very developed, so to own the city’s tax and silver would naturally generate a lot of income.
But because it did not belong to any party, there was no need to pay taxes. Such a virtuous circle led to the formation of even more prosperous business districts.
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