After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The three turned around and saw a woman standing outside the door with a little girl.

The woman was about thirty years old, with a sallow complexion, and wore thin clothes that were patched all over.

The little girl was about five or six years old, so thin that her cheekbones protruded, and her big eyes looked timidly at the food on the table.

The woman dared not come in, but stood outside the threshold, her voice trembling as she pleaded, "Gentlemen, please have mercy and give us something to eat... My child and I haven't eaten for two days, and I'm afraid the child won't be able to bear it..."

Zhu Houzhao immediately retorted, "You're talking nonsense! Aren't there soup kitchens over there? Didn't you go and get some soup?"

The woman was startled and shrank back, her voice even softer: "I...I can't get in. There are too many people. I have a child with me, I can't compete with those men..."

"Then wait until everyone else has finished eating before you go!"

"It'll be gone before we can finish eating..."

The woman's voice trembled with tears, growing softer and softer: "They only serve two pots of porridge a day, and those who come later in line don't even get a lick of the bottom of their bowls..."

Zhu Houzhao was about to speak when Yang Shen raised his hand to stop him.

Yang Shen beckoned to the woman: "Come in."

The woman looked at the three men, but dared not move.

"Come in and sit down."

Yang Shen pointed to the empty bench.

After much hesitation, the woman finally pulled her child into the shop, but dared not sit down.

Yang Shen pushed three bowls of porridge in front of them, and then pushed steamed buns and a vegetable bowl over to them: "Eat up."

The woman was stunned. She looked at the food, then at Yang Shen, and suddenly knelt down.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much, sir!"

She pulled the little girl over and tried to kneel as well, but Yang Shen quickly said, "No need, eat quickly."

The woman then got up, first stuffing a steamed bun into her daughter's mouth, then picking up another one for herself and wolfing it down. She ate extremely fast, swallowing it almost without chewing, choking and stretching her neck, then quickly gulping down a mouthful of porridge to help her swallow.

The little girl ate a bit better, but she still ate quickly, her cheeks bulging out.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the mother and daughter and suddenly fell silent.

They ate the steamed buns and millet porridge, which were hard to swallow, with great relish.

The mother and daughter quickly finished off the three bowls of porridge, six steamed buns, and a pot of cabbage and tofu, even wiping the soup at the bottom of the pot clean with the buns.

The woman wiped her mouth, then pulled her daughter to kneel down again to express her gratitude.

Yang Shen waved his hand and asked, "Why is there grass stuck in the child's hair?"

If you stick grass on your head, it's like a cow or sheep; it's considered a commodity.

The woman's face turned pale, and tears streamed down her face.

"I have no choice, sir... the child will starve to death sooner or later if she stays with me. I see you are kind-hearted people, could you... buy the child? She can serve tea and water, sweep the floor and wipe the table, she'll do anything, as long as she has something to eat..."

The little girl burst into tears, clinging tightly to the woman's leg: "Mother! I won't go! I won't go!"

The woman hugged her daughter, tears streaming down her face, but gritted her teeth and said, "Silly child, following your mother will only lead to starvation... Following the master, at least you'll have something to eat..."

Yang Shen was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Chun: "Did you bring any money?"

Li Chun took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it over.

Yang Shen took it and handed it to the woman.

The woman looked at the silver, wanting to accept it but not daring to.

She knew her child wouldn't live long with her, but when that day actually came, she suddenly couldn't bear to part with him.

"Take it!"

Yang Shen stuffed the silver into her hand and said, "Take the child to a place to settle down and buy some food."

The woman looked at the silver in her hand, then at Yang Shen, and suddenly burst into tears.

She pulled her daughter down to kneel and kowtowed three times.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir, for saving my life! Girl, quickly kowtow to your benefactor!"

The little girl, still confused, also kowtowed.

Yang Shen stood up and stepped aside: "Go!"

The woman thanked her profusely and left, leading her daughter and looking back every few steps.

Zhu Houzhao stared at the doorway, remaining silent for a long time.

Li Chun asked in a low voice, "Yang, shall we eat more?"

Yang Shen shook his head: "I don't think Your Highness has much of an appetite. Perhaps you should go back first!"

As the three walked out of the restaurant, the porridge stall in the distance had already begun to pack up.

The iron pot was empty, and the yamen runners were driving away the disaster victims who had not yet received their porridge.

"That's all for now! Let's get up early tomorrow!"

Several elderly and infirm people were pushed and shoved away, their eyes vacant.

Zhu Houzhao frowned deeply as he watched this scene.

On the way back to the inner city, Zhu Houzhao remained silent.

Once inside the city gates, the streets bustled with activity once more, filled with the sounds of people.

But Zhu Houzhao found these sounds particularly jarring.

At the fork in the road, Yang Shen stopped and said, "I'll be home in a minute. Commander Li, escort His Highness back to the palace."

Zhu Houzhao suddenly looked up and said, "I understand!"

Yang Shen looked at him and said with a smile, "What does Your Highness understand?"

Zhu Houzhao said, "Are you trying to tell me that Father Emperor's disaster relief efforts were ineffective, resulting in many people going hungry, but you don't dare to say it yourself and want me to do it?"

Yang Shen's anus tightened suddenly, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say! That's not what I meant!"

Zhu Houzhao patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone. I'll just say it was my own idea!"

Without hesitation, he turned and left.

Yang Shen quickly grabbed the man, saying, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I really didn't mean that."

Zhu Houzhao was confused and asked, "Then why did you bring me to the outer city to see the disaster victims?"

Yang Shen released his grip and said, "I just feel that Your Highness has been staying in the palace for too long and needs to go out and see the outside world, to see what the people of the Ming Dynasty are really like."

Zhu Houzhao was silent for a moment, then asked, "But with so many disaster victims, it pains me to just watch. My compassion is overflowing; I have to do something, don't I?"

"Your Highness is kind and benevolent; this is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

Yang Shen smiled and continued, "But to be a wise ruler, being benevolent is not enough. At the very least, one must ensure that the people are well-fed and clothed, right?"

Zhu Houzhao pressed further, "What should we do if we encounter natural disasters or man-made calamities?"

Yang Shen looked at the pedestrians on the street and said slowly, "This shows that the people are not wealthy enough and do not have the ability to withstand risks. Whenever they encounter natural disasters, man-made disasters, or major or minor illnesses, they will immediately fall into the line of death. Just like that mother and daughter today, they had no savings and no support. When disaster struck, they could only become refugees and beg for a living."

"The kill threshold..."

Zhu Houzhao looked at Yang Shen and said, "It's just a metaphor, right? The people are struggling on the line between life and death; if they're not careful, they'll fall off."

Yang Shen was somewhat surprised and nodded.

Zhu Houzhao then asked, "But isn't the imperial court providing disaster relief? Why is this happening?"

Yang Shen patiently explained, "The imperial court is providing disaster relief, but how much money and grain is enough? This is only the Haihe River breaching its banks; the disaster isn't too severe yet. Every year when the Yellow River, Huai River, and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River flood, hundreds of thousands of people are affected. What will happen to those people? Besides providing relief, we also need to repair riverbanks and control the floods, which requires a huge sum of money. How much money and grain does the imperial court have to sustain this kind of expenditure year after year?"

Zhu Houzhao was stumped by the question, and after a long pause, he finally said, "Then... what should we do?"

Yang Shen looked at him and said, word by word, "There are no shortcuts to the world. If we want a peaceful and prosperous era, the people must truly become wealthy, with surplus grain in every household and savings in every family. Otherwise, no amount of relief will be of any use. Just like now, the court is providing money and grain for disaster relief, which can only keep a few people from starving, but it cannot solve the fundamental problem. Because the refugees need to eat, but they cannot produce, the grain reserves in the national treasury will only dwindle and eventually run out."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes gradually brightened: "I understand, you mean we need to find ways to get disaster victims involved in production."

"Your Highness has understood!"

Yang Shen nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is what you call 'work relief'! It not only provides disaster relief but also creates wealth, so the national treasury won't dwindle!"

Zhu Houzhao became excited: "Then I'll go find my father right now and explain things to him!"

"Your Highness, please wait."

Yang Shen stopped him again, saying, "Disaster relief is a matter of great national importance. The cabinet and the six ministries held numerous meetings before finalizing the plan. If Your Highness were to rashly overturn it, the implications would be enormous, and there would inevitably be heavy resistance."

Zhu Houzhao grew anxious: "What should we do? We can't just stand by and do nothing, can we?"

Yang Shen smiled slightly: "Actually, Your Highness can start doing it yourself first."

"Do it myself? How?"

"Does Your Highness still remember the principle of 'a wise man takes the lead'? If Your Highness could set an example first, wouldn't your suggestions to His Majesty carry more weight?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again: "But how can I manage so many refugees by myself?"

Yang Shen moved closer and said, "Your Highness will need to spend some money to provide relief to these disaster victims, and quite a lot of it."

Zhu Houzhao immediately said, "Liu Jin still has over 20,000 taels of silver! We can collect more money once the second batch of biogas digesters starts construction! Let's collect as much as possible this time!"

Yang Shen shook his head: "Twenty thousand is probably not enough."

How much do you want?

"At least... 100,000 taels."

Zhu Houzhao counted on his fingers: "One hundred thousand? How many more biogas digesters will we need to build..."

Yang Shen said, "I have some farmland at home. If I sell it, I estimate I can raise tens of thousands of taels."

Zhu Houzhao scratched his head: "Then... I should sell the Eastern Palace?"

Li Chun, who was listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "Your Highness is joking. Who in the Eastern Palace would dare to buy it?"

"That's true..."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and then said, "Commander Li, why don't you contribute some money too?"

"Ah, this..."

Li Chun regretted it in his heart, thinking, "Why did I have to say that!"

Yang Shen said, "Commander Li can indeed invest, because this 100,000 taels is just the initial capital. We're going to do business, and big business at that. Once it's successful, the initial investment will at least double!"

Li Chun still trusted Yang Shen quite a bit, and said, "Then I'll go back and try to scrape together ten thousand taels!"

Zhu Houzhao suddenly remembered something and tugged at Yang Shen's sleeve: "Oh right! You still haven't told me what we're going to do with the wool we're buying? How much are those worthless pieces of wool?"

Yang Shen smiled mysteriously: "Your Highness, please don't be impatient. Some things can't be explained in a short time, but rest assured, the answer to this question will be revealed soon."

After speaking, he raised his hand in a gesture of respect: "It's getting late, I shall take my leave now!"