After rebirth, she discovered the space golden finger

Chapter 621 The Chosen One (6)

And then there's his mother, who was originally a palace maid in the Empress's palace, but later became a pawn in the Emperor's hands to deal with the Empress and the Lu family behind her.

After the Empress died, this pawn lost its purpose and was no longer needed, so it was banished to the Cold Palace.

Zhao Chen stared intently at the dossier in front of him, his eyes bloodshot. He was currently in a secret dungeon within the city, a place where the emperor's shadow guards imprisoned people.

"Let's go." Pei Yun pulled the dazed Zhao Chen away from the dungeon.

Late at night, the two walked down an empty street, with no sound except for the whistling wind.

Pei Yun didn't speak immediately; she knew the anger of the person in front of her after learning the truth.

Just then, the faint sound of a night watchman's drum came from afar. Zhao Chen seemed to be awakened by the sound, and he subconsciously glanced at Pei Yun before lowering his head.

Seeing that he had regained his composure, Pei Yuncai said, "...A few days ago, there were continuous torrential rains in Qizhou, causing the river dam to breach and many people to be displaced. The Left Prime Minister has proposed that the court send people to the area to supervise and distribute relief grain..."

Zhao Chen looked up at her with a frown: "...Senior Pei wants me to go? At the last court assembly, my eldest brother and fifth brother both vied for the position of inspector. This kind of job would not only give me face in front of all the court officials, but it also involves the interests of various parties. They won't let me go..."

"Ever since you presented the elixir last year, the old emperor has trusted you much more. Furthermore, the crown prince and the fifth prince have been acting increasingly recklessly and ostentatiously these days, with the third prince taking advantage of the chaos. Given the old emperor's personality, do you think he might want to use you to keep these high-flying individuals in check? So, if you bring it up at tomorrow's court meeting, he will most likely agree..."

Upon hearing the word "trust," Zhao Chen felt only irony. Who could his father, the emperor, trust? But Pei Yun's next words made Zhao Chen ponder.

As expected, at the court meeting the next day, when Zhao Chenyi proposed to serve as the inspector and go to Qizhou, he immediately attracted scrutinizing gazes from the officials and angry stares from the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince. But just as Pei Yun had predicted, the old emperor agreed.

……

Walking through the village filled with disaster victims, Zhao Chen felt an atmosphere of despair. Most of the houses in the village were not sturdy, and the continuous torrential rain had caused them to collapse. Coupled with the flood, the village was now a mess. There was nowhere to sleep, and it was difficult to even put your feet down in this muddy ground. Most importantly, this year's harvest was not something that could be solved by going hungry; it had cut off all the villagers' means of survival.

Looking at the numb faces, Zhao Chen felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"So many villages and so many people have been affected by the disaster, and the imperial court's relief grain is simply not enough. Moreover, the imperial court has only agreed to exempt a portion of the taxes..." As Zhao Chen spoke, he thought of the old emperor's extravagant and wasteful days in the palace, and his disgust welled up.

Pei Yun said, "You just need to do your job well, make sure the people below and local officials don't embezzle the disaster relief grain, comfort the disaster victims, distribute the food, help them rebuild their homes, and prevent the spread of plague. I'll take care of everything else..."

Upon hearing Pei Yun's words, Zhao Chen immediately felt relieved.

But then the other person asked again, "...What are your feelings as you walk here?"

Zhao Chen paused for a moment, then said, "...Alas, the lives of ordinary people are so difficult. I thought the farmers in the mountain village were already living a very hard life, with endless chores every day, working from dawn till dusk, all for the harvest of a few acres of land..."

"When I arrived here and saw the disaster victims so hungry they were gnawing on tree bark, I realized that when Heaven turns a blind eye and the government fails to act, the suffering of the people far exceeds my imagination..."

"There's a saying in the mortal world: 'When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer.' Although the common people also suffer when a dynasty is prosperous, at least they can barely survive. But when a dynasty faces decline, the suffering of the people can be described as inhuman. Now, the Zhao Kingdom is constantly weakening under your father's rule. And you, if you become emperor, I hope you will always remember what you think today and treat your people kindly..."

Zhao Chen was startled and bowed deeply to Pei Yun.

In the following days, Zhao Chen led a group of people to travel to various villages every day, distributing disaster relief grain to the local officials and village chiefs, and discussing the resettlement of disaster victims.

At the banquet hosted by local officials and powerful families, Zhao Chen declared on the spot: "If anyone dares to take advantage of this flood to drive away the disaster victims and seize land, I will definitely report it to His Majesty and ask him to punish them severely."

These words immediately stunned everyone present. The boy in front of them was only fifteen years old and was not a favorite prince. These officials and local noble families did not take this seventh prince seriously.

However, after the seventh prince arrived in the area, they watched almost everything he did. He acted decisively and ruthlessly, and several minor officials who wanted to embezzle were dismissed on the spot.

Moreover, this seventh prince likes to do things himself. He leaves the city before dawn and travels between villages. Now, his words have brought those unspoken rules to the forefront. He is simply too ignorant of the rules!

Of course, the censor who came with Zhao Chen submitted a memorial to the court praising the Seventh Prince's diligence and responsibility, which surprised many people in the court who were waiting to see him make a fool of himself!

More than a month later, Zhao Chen was also astonished to see the boxes of silver and medicinal herbs being carried in, as well as the bags full of grain.

"Senior Pei, how did you do that?!" Zhao Chen stared in astonishment at Pei Yun as he walked in. "How come these local gentry and noble families are suddenly willing to donate grain and money? A few days ago, I visited them one by one. They said nice things on the surface, but as soon as they heard that I was going to donate, they started crying poverty and refused to give me a single penny!" Clearly, Zhao Chen had been thwarted by these people many times.

"And grain shops everywhere are selling grain at high prices. When I asked them to lower the prices, they said they had sold out and wouldn't be selling anymore..."

Pei Yun laughed and said, "Have you forgotten that I am a Taoist priest? Instead of praying to gods and Buddhas, they should pray to me. I will tell them that donating grain and money to the imperial court is a meritorious deed, and whoever accumulates more merit will be the first to have elixirs refined by me..."

……

Four months later, Zhao Chen prepared to return to the capital. On the day he left, many people came to the city to see him off. Looking at the people cheering for him on both sides of the street, and seeing the scene around him regaining its vitality, Zhao Chen couldn't help but shed tears. He felt an inexplicable emotion welling up in his chest...

“You did a good job this time, and you have gained some prestige in the court. However, the other princes, including the crown prince, will probably see you as a threat…” Pei Yun said.

"I know." As they got closer to the capital, Zhao Chen could sense the impending storm.