Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 60 The Calm Before the Storm

National affairs were too distant for ordinary people; they only cared about whether they could have enough to eat today. Not to mention ordinary people, even for ordinary officials, there was a delay in receiving the news. By the time the imperial edict was issued, most people had not yet received it.

For example, Shen Che and his companions, who were bored to death at the post station.

"Where did Sanlang go today?" Shen Che was already used to it.

"It seems he went shopping with the young envoy," Du Zhong replied. He was no longer fixated on tailing him; if something unexpected happened, it was uncertain who would save whom.

Shen Che sighed helplessly. It's good that he's so carefree.

"Achoo~" Shen Qing rubbed his nose. Who was talking about him behind his back?

Shen Qing dragged Shen Yun, the all-knowing expert of Yudu, around the streets. It wasn't that they were truly carefree; they were carefully scouting the area. If things didn't work out, they would have no choice but to run away.

The terrain was so simple that even a grandson would shake his head. But since we were already here, in this era of limited information, it was a rare opportunity to examine the national conditions of another country.

There's a saying that goes, "From small things you can know great things." You can see the strength of Yuguo by looking at the living standards of the people in Yudu. How much water a bucket can hold depends not on the longest plank, but on the shortest plank.

"Jun Yue, are there slums in Yudu?"

Shen Yun had never heard of this saying before, but he could roughly understand it based on the literal meaning. "Is Sanlang asking about the dwellings of commoners?"

"Yeah, the poorest kind, the kind who can't afford to eat."

"Of course it is, why do you ask, Sanlang?"

Shen Qing took out a few gold leaves, put his hands together, and said devoutly, "My mother is a Buddhist and once vowed to do one good deed every day."

Shen Yun bowed and said, "Excellent!"

Shen Yun then took Shen Qing to the South City. Even under the emperor's nose, there were still latrines.

When Shen Qing visited San Ya's home in Xuandu, he learned about the living conditions of the common people. In this respect, they were not much different, but their living standards seemed to be much worse. They were all pale and thin. Upon asking, he learned that the price of rice had recently become ridiculously high, rising almost every day, and many families had already run out of rice in their jars.

Shen Qing frowned. Although he had heard that Yu Kingdom had suffered from floods and poor harvests last year, it was still strange that even the grain prices in the capital could not be stabilized.

It seems that Yu Kingdom is really going to launch a major military campaign.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard someone shout, "Madam Yu is here to distribute porridge again, hurry over!"

"A living Buddha has arrived!"

The crowd stirred, pushing and shoving in one direction with their bowls in hand, and Shen Qing quickly made way for them.

"The Lady of the Yu Family? Are they talking about Yu Jue?"

Shen Yun nodded, "Aunt Jue has been distributing porridge and providing disaster relief every year, and she has a good reputation among the people. A few days ago, she even donated her dowry, and the king issued an imperial decree to praise her."

"Let's go take a look."

Following the flow of people, after walking for a while, a porridge stall came into view in the distance. Yu Jue was there, personally ladling spoonfuls of white porridge into the bowls of the people, surrounded by a group of guards.

Upon closer inspection, Fang Fan was also assisting Yu Jue.

Shen Qing squeezed through and called out in a very familiar manner, "Cousin, let me help you."

Yu Jue was taken aback. Seeing that he actually took out money to ask the guards next to him to buy some more rice and grain, and that he himself rolled up his sleeves to work, he smiled and accepted his kindness.

In her previous life, Shen Qing participated in many public welfare activities, such as sending warmth to disaster areas, and she did it quite well.

Upon seeing this, Fang Fan praised, "Young man, you are truly kind-hearted."

"It was nothing at all," Shen Qing said modestly, waving his hand.

After being busy for half an hour, having cooked ten pots of porridge, and with no sign of the number of people decreasing, Shen Qing felt something was amiss.

A guard returned and whispered a report. Yu Jue frowned. Shen Qing, with her sharp ears, realized that many people had come to take advantage of the situation. Even those who were not actually starving were coming to collect porridge. This behavior was causing those who truly needed help to miss out on the porridge.

Shen Qing had a sudden inspiration. He bent down, grabbed a handful of sand and stones from the ground, and threw them into the pot in front of everyone, causing an uproar.

However, the common people's awe of the gentry prevented them from doing anything drastic. Many left cursing and swearing, and those who remained were the ones who truly needed the life-saving food.

Shen Qing then explained to them, "On my way here, I saw many refugees who ate everything from grass roots and tree bark to clay. People who are really starving don't care about a little bit of mud and sand."

Yu Jue understood and praised, "Sanlang is truly intelligent."

Shen Yun sighed, “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. The ancients were right. If the world were not in such chaos, I would also like to travel around.”

Things went much more smoothly after that. After working for half a day, I finally finished fertilizing all the rice I had prepared for the day.

Shen Qing, Shen Yun, and Yu Jue bid farewell and returned to the post station. A servant from the Fang family also drove over to pick them up.

Fang Fan bid farewell to Yu Jue and walked towards the carriage. Yu Jue watched him walk further and further away, and inexplicably felt flustered, so she took two steps after him, calling out, "Yu An!"

Fang Fan turned around, "What's wrong, cousin?"

Yu Jue shook her head and said softly, "It's nothing, it's just that I feel like you're going to drift away from me."

Fang Fan smiled and said, "I'll come and keep you company another day... tomorrow."

"it is good."

Seeing Yu Jue's happy face, Fang Fan left with peace of mind, while Yu Jue remained where she was until the carriage disappeared from sight before turning back to her residence.

Yudu Post Station

When Shen Che saw that Shen Qing had finally returned, and heard that he and Yu Jue had distributed porridge in the southern city today, he couldn't help but frown.

"what happened?"

"Sanlang, should you stop associating with the Yu family?"

"What happened?"

"We just received news that Duke Yu suffered a command setback at the front and lost three cities."

Shen Qing was startled, as if realizing something, and tentatively asked, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Would Emperor Yu really hold the Yu family accountable for this?"

"It is easy to fall hard when you climb high, and the heart of the emperor is hard to fathom. Who knows? Emperor Yu has already sent the Duke of Liang to reinforce the country. The Crown Prince is also to blame for this defeat. If the Duke of Liang is allowed to gain merit again, I'm afraid the Crown Prince will change hands."

"Who is the Duke of Liang?"

"The maternal grandfather of the Second Prince."

Shen Qing felt that the name "Liang" sounded familiar and asked, "Is Liang Guoguo and the Marquis of Weiyuan related?"

"No, it's just the same surname, but the Earl of Weiyuan often used this to establish a connection," Shen Yun, the philanthropist from Yudu, interjected after listening for a while.

Shen Qing thought the Yu siblings were good people, and was somewhat worried for them, "Would Emperor Yu be so heartless?"

“Very likely,” Shen Yun said in a low voice, “His Majesty also usurped the throne through the Liang family back then, and the empress position he promised to the Liang family was only given to a concubine.”

Holy crap! Another scumbag emperor who kicks you when you're done with it.

Phoenix Palace of the Imperial City

Consort Liang fiddled with her fingernails, which were stained with balsam flowers, and said coldly, "Having gone this far, if you still can't become the Crown Prince, then you are truly a useless piece of trash."

The Second Prince, Xiao Chen, stood to the side with a sinister expression, saying, "I will definitely not disappoint my mother."

After saying that, he turned and left. As he walked to the palace gate, a beautiful figure came into view.

"Royal brother."

Xiao Chen's aura of unapproachability immediately dissipated, and he said gently, "Yuan Zhen, what brings you here?"

Princess Yuanzhen said, "I have come to pay my respects to my mother."

Xiao Chen neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply instructed, "These are turbulent times, so stay in the manor and don't wander around."

Yuanzhen nodded obediently, "I will make sure the prince consort behaves himself."

Xiao Chen's expression changed slightly, then he smiled and said, "Go."