Although he did not look down upon women, he never believed a woman could possess such boldness and skill. In his ingrained subconscious, women ultimately had to rely on men.
"Your Highness, do you think the Crown Prince is aware that he has been poisoned with a Unique Poison?" the advisor asked.
Xiao Changyan paused, somewhat uncertain himself. "He should be aware."
He leaned toward the idea that Xiao Huayong knew. It was precisely because he knew his life would be short and he genuinely admired Shen Xihe that he complied with her in everything and granted her every request.
"Have you found out how Shen Shi is transporting the grain?" Xiao Changyan asked.
The advisor bowed his head. "Your Highness, Shen Shi has many elite troops under her command. Even if our Shadow Guards were to confront them, we might not gain any advantage."
Xiao Changyan was slightly startled. The Shadow Guards were personally trained by him, each one a capable soldier skilled in battle and able to act independently. He had not expected his advisor to hold Shen Xihe's subordinates in such high regard. It seemed they had clashed when he sent people to investigate Shen Xihe's actions.
Pursing his lips, Xiao Changyan said, "Withdraw all our people. There is no need to investigate further."
Judging by Shen Xihe's demeanor, she would not give him another chance to take charge of the relief efforts. Her methods would eventually come to light, so he could afford to wait. There was no need to deploy the Shadow Guards to contend with her.
"Has there been any movement from Twelfth Brother?" Xiao Changyan asked again.
The advisor shook his head, equally puzzled. Logically, someone should have gone to rescue Prince Yan by now. Yet, even after the Eastern Palace couple and Prince Xin had entered the city, both seemed to firmly believe that Prince Yan was in a neighboring county handling relief efforts, showing no signs of action.
Frowning, Xiao Changyan could only instruct, "Just keep an eye on them."
For now, they had to remain still to counter movement and avoid acting rashly.
Xiao Changyan, who had resolved to wait patiently, was once again baffled by Shen Xihe's subsequent actions. She seemed to have genuinely handed everything over to Xiao Changqing, who diligently began familiarizing himself with all matters in the county related to disaster relief.
Shen Xihe, on the other hand, appeared to have transformed into a virtuous wife, staying solely by Xiao Huayong's side, tending to him personally and paying no attention to external affairs.
The county's grain reserves were already stretched thin, and Shen Xihe had cut off their legitimate means of obtaining relief from wealthy households. As a result, the people's daily rations dwindled further. In just three days, they could no longer eat their fill at every meal, only managing half-full stomachs.
The rumors Xiao Changyan had deliberately spread earlier began to take root among the increasingly dissatisfied populace. The saying "a little help is appreciated, but too much creates entitlement" aptly described the situation.
Previously, wealthy households had exhausted their resources to ensure the people ate their fill daily. Though it was not lavish fare, many farmers who had migrated from impoverished regions had never dared to eat so well in their own homes.
Suddenly finding themselves unable to eat their fill, resentment began to brew within them. They failed to recall that others had been supporting them all along, instead blaming Shen Xihe for meddling. They believed she had taken money from the wealthy, shielding those who exploited the people, which led to their current state of hunger.
Xiao Changyan had initially compelled these wealthy households to deplete their resources because some had been plundered. Driven by malice and a desire to force Shen Xihe to compromise, a group gathered that night and targeted a local gentry family, launching a surprise attack under cover of darkness.However, the reality was that they did not even manage to break through the main gate. The earlier individuals had succeeded so smoothly because Xiao Changyan had sent his own men to infiltrate their ranks. The actual disaster victims were merely there to make up numbers, all to create the illusion that this incident was truly perpetrated by the victims.
Wealthy households had their own guards. While these guards were no match for Xiao Changyan's men, dealing with these ignorant commoners was as easy as lifting a hand.
Early in the morning, the government office was stirred by someone bringing in a group of disaster victims to report a case, accusing them of trespassing on private residences with the intent to rob and kill.
The disaster victims naturally cried out in protest, claiming they were wronged. These victims were not acting alone; they had relatives who could not stand idly by and watch their kin thrown into prison. Thus, they incited other disaster victims, who were also discontented with the increasingly meager rations, to gather at the county office and loudly demand justice.
"Crown Princess, Prince Xin has sent someone to request your presence at the county office," Biyu briefly explained the situation.
The government office was now completely blockaded by the disaster victims. Their wails and cries even drowned out the sound of the heavy rain, and more and more victims were gathering. If not dispersed in time, these victims, drenched by the rain, could easily catch colds, which might lead to an epidemic, and ultimately, loss of lives.
"Let's go," Shen Xihe said, dressed in a lapel robe suitable for travel. She had calculated every step, intentionally waiting for these people to cause trouble. To make them cooperate obediently with the subsequent canal-digging and channel-excavation efforts, she first needed to establish her authority here, ensuring they would not dare to question or oppose her lightly.
Another reason was that the relief grain had not yet arrived. Four days earlier, the Youning Emperor had issued a proclamation to the nation, appealing for grain donations for Dengzhou.
Hua Fuhai and Qi Pei had long been prepared. Qi Pei had already openly aligned himself with Shen Xihe. Years ago, it was Shen Xihe's intervention that had overturned the unjust case against the Qi family, and Qi Pei was the first to respond, donating three thousand dan of grain.
Soon after, those whom Qi Pei had persuaded also followed suit, donating grain, medicinal herbs, cloth, or other supplies.
The Youning Emperor was well aware of their motives and immediately personally wrote an edict of commendation, which was delivered post-haste over eight hundred li to praise Qi Pei. With this precedent, Hua Fuhai stepped forward, generously donating fifty thousand dan of grain and a considerable amount of medicinal herbs.
This move astonished and earned praise from across the land. The common people could not help but applaud, and many even developed a special preference for the Hua family's businesses. Other profit-driven merchants, seeing this, quickly followed suit.
Thus, the sheer volume of supplies collected this time even stunned the Youning Emperor.
Three days ago, the first batch of essential goods—grain, cloth, and medicinal herbs—had been loaded onto ships according to Xiao Huayong's plan. Daily updates were sent via carrier pigeons, allowing Shen Xihe to accurately track the progress of these supplies.
They were expected to arrive in at most two days.
"Heaven has turned a blind eye, cutting off our means of survival! Why can't the Prince see our suffering? Our families are broken, our bodies plagued by serious illness. If we aren't given a full meal now, we will surely starve to death!" A heart-wrenching cry pierced through the rain, echoing across the front of the county office. "Since death is inevitable, we might as well dash our heads right here—if only the Magistrate and the Prince would show a shred of compassion—"
This was followed by a clamor of shouts and commotion—some threatening to die to prove their resolve, others desperately holding them back, and still others weeping with gut-wrenching sobs.When Shen Xihe arrived, chaos reigned. She entered the county office through the back door and walked from the interior to the entrance. Biyu struck a gong with force, its deafening sound instantly silencing the tumultuous scene.
Shen Xihe's cool voice cut through the stillness: "Release him."
All eyes turned to see a woman in men's attire approaching with detached composure. Even Prince Xin and Jing Wang clasped their hands in salute. She stepped over the threshold, swept a dispassionate gaze across the crowd, and finally settled on the man being restrained by others who threatened to die for his principles. With icy detachment, she commanded: "Release him. Let him crash."
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