Han Yu wasn't in the mood to study because of the noise outside. Lu Zheng, on the other hand, was eating happily.
Seeing that Han Yu was still frowning, Lu Zheng's eyes flickered and he asked casually, interrupting Han Yu's thoughts.
"Where did Zixiao go? I didn't see him this morning, and he wasn't reading in the morning either … "
Han Yu came back to his senses and asked, "You didn't see him either?"
Lu Zheng ate a plate of white cakes and drank a big bowl of hot tea. The coldness in his body evaporated.
"I didn't see him … This plate of white cakes was his breakfast. He didn't want to eat it because it was cold, so I cooked it and ate it. " Lu Zheng patted his chest to calm himself down, then gulped down a big bowl of hot tea. The warm feeling made him feel a little sleepy.
Han Yu's mouth twitched, as if he could already imagine Wei Ci's embarrassment when he came back and found that his food was gone.
Where was Wei Ci, whom they were talking about, at the moment?
He was wearing a plain scholarly robe and a cloak that barely protected him from the cold. He went to the snow-stricken slums with two servants and a cart.
Many slums that had been in disrepair for a long time had collapsed, making the already difficult roads extremely rugged. It was not easy for the people to get in and out of the slums. There was no porridge stall nearby, so many families had a hard time making a living. The thin elderly and children could only starve or freeze to death in the freezing weather.
"Wei Langjun is here …"
As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the alley, a seven or eight-year-old girl ran into the alley joyfully.
Not long after, more than twenty thin old women or children less than ten years old came out with bowls in their hands. Wei Ci asked the servants to stop the cart and lifted the thick quilt covering the cart. There were four big buckets on the cart. Even though they were covered with lids, there was still sweet and fragrant hot air coming out.
"Don't worry, everyone has a share."
Although Wei Ci didn't show much of an expression, beautiful people always had some privileges. The people were quite touched that he came to deliver food every day. They had long let down their guard and were not afraid of this fairy-like Langjun. Instead, they liked him very much.
Not long after, the three large buckets of steamed buns were all distributed, and the large bucket of thick porridge was also emptied. The leftovers were also scraped clean.
At this moment, Wei Ci realized that the hem of his clothes was being tugged by someone. He looked down and saw that the little girl with an ashen face was staring at him with her clear eyes. Her eyes were filled with admiration. Through those eyes, he seemed to see another child and his heart softened.
Squatting down, he looked her in the eye and asked, "Have you completed the task I gave you two days ago?"
The girl nodded heavily, and her yellowish face blushed. She answered happily, "Yes, everything is done!"
The houses collapsed, crushing countless people who were sleeping to death. The roads were blocked, cutting off the connection between the people in the slums and the outside world.
Wei Ci hired the young and strong men from the slum to provide them with three meals a day. He also gave them extra wages to clear the rocks and snow on the road. If not for that, the big cart behind them would not have been able to be pushed in. Under the pressure of the snow, more houses would have suffered.
The girl in front of him lost her mother in the snow disaster, and her father's leg was broken by a fallen beam. He could not work at all.
Losing their only labor force, one could imagine the life of this family of two.
Wei Ci smiled and gave her a task. He asked her to remember the people who cleared the snow and rocks. He paid her daily wages and gave her warm clothes.
The child was very concerned about this and did it very seriously.
"Very well done," he praised.
The child smiled and opened her mouth, revealing her gums that were missing a few teeth. She seemed to realize that this was not good, so she shyly closed her mouth.
Wei Ci asked the servants to settle the wages for the day, and asked them to move a few bags of food from the cart, leaving some food for each family.
"I won't be coming in two days. There are still some food and money here. Keep it for everyone. "
Wei Ci's family was considered to be in decline, but a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Before the Wei family moved, they left him a lot of money, enough for him to live a life without worries. It was just that he followed Master Yuanjing to the capital for the assessment. At first, he did not expect to encounter such a thing, so he did not bring much with him.
"Thank you … thank you, benefactor, for your great kindness …"
The crowd expressed their gratitude. Some of the elderly even wanted to kneel down, but they were all stopped by Wei Ci.
After leaving the slum, Wei Ci sighed with worry.
Personal strength was always weak. Even if he spent all his wealth, what could he do?
The guesthouse that Wei Ci stayed in was not close to the second prince's residence, but if he wanted to go back, he had to pass by there.
The further away from the slum, the neater and more luxurious the surrounding houses were. The road under his feet also changed from a muddy dirt road to a neat stone road.
It was hard to imagine that such a slum and the courtyard house in front of him would be in the same area.
Seeing that there was a majestic guard of honor in front of him, he asked the servant to stop the cart at the side and make way for them.
"Langjun, the second prince's residence is on the street ahead. Do you want to make a detour?"
The servant pushed the cart and asked anxiously.
A hundred tables of banquets occupied the entire street. Ordinary people were not even allowed to go near, and even the servants could not enter.
"Let's make a detour, lest we offend the nobles and cause unnecessary trouble."
Wei Ci lowered his eyes and tightened the two sides of his cloak. He frowned, leaving some wrinkles.
The second prince's residence was originally the property of a high-ranking official in Shangjing. Later, it was confiscated, and the government gave this area to the second prince. The residence was expanded and renovated. Almost the entire street was within the scope of the second prince's residence, so it would take a lot of time to make a detour.
From afar, Wei Ci saw the corner door of the second prince's residence open, and buckets of swill were transported to the swill cart.
After a long while, the buckets of swill were moved, and the vermilion corner door was quietly closed.
From afar, Wei Ci heard the servants who were transporting the swill whispering to each other.
"Sigh, how is this swill? It's obviously buckets of silver … I look at those dishes, they're neat and tidy. Some of them have only been moved a few times, and some of them haven't even been touched. They're just poured into the buckets of swill like garbage … Outside, I don't know how many people are starving to death … Even if these can't be finished and thrown to those people to eat, many people can still be saved …"
The other cook said, "Do you want to die? What nonsense are you spouting here? If the nobles hear this, it's a small matter if you lose your job, I'm afraid you might even lose your life. What right do those lowly people outside have to eat what the nobles have eaten … Otherwise, why do they say that people have a golden spoon in their mouths and are born noble, while we are the peasants in the fields, born to be trampled upon … "
"You still have the cheek to talk about me, aren't you also not careful with your words …"
The two cooks bickered for a while, then sighed and quietly drove the carriage away from the back door of the residence.
When Wei Ci heard this, he felt as if he was in an icehouse, and cold air rushed from the soles of his feet to his brain.
A pair of mocking eyes flashed before his eyes, causing his heart to tighten.
"Your Majesty … You're right …"
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