CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 153 DIFFERENT

The soup kitchen at the North Gate of Zhenzhou City.

Lu Cunbao carefully observed the crowd queuing up for porridge every day.

This year, the turmoil in the North had subsided, and when he came to distribute porridge, he anticipated it would be different from previous years, but the scene at Zhenzhou’s soup kitchen still surprised him.

Lu Cunbao turned to the steward and asked, "Are there still not many people coming to receive porridge from the surrounding villages?"

The steward replied, "Not many. The village chiefs from a few villages have come over. This year, the village situation is relatively good, and they said they want to leave the porridge for those refugees outside."

Lu Cunbao folded his arms behind his back, "Were those village chiefs forced? Even if the village has grain, this porridge is free, after all, why refuse?" He had come to the North to distribute porridge several times and was used to seeing people fighting over it. Even though the war was settled this year, when they went to Liao State, things were still similar to before. Why was Zhenzhou different?

Was it really because Song Xian and County Magistrate Qu governed effectively?

The steward said, "It doesn’t seem fake. When the village chiefs came, they were accompanied by several villagers who weren’t even eyeing the soup kitchen." If someone desperately wanted porridge, their gaze would be different.

Lu Cunbao thoughtfully watched the crowd receiving porridge.

Perhaps because there weren’t many seeking porridge, even refugees were able to eat to their fill, so everything appeared orderly.

The steward continued, "I had people inquire, and these villages not only distributed food to the refugees but also provided medical treatment for them."

Lu Cunbao said, "Is this done by Chen Family Village?"

The steward replied, "Not only Chen Family Village, but also Sun Family Village and Beishan Village. However, Chen Family Village indeed administers the most medicine. Yesterday, I personally saw people from Chen Family Village and Sun Family Village take two frozen refugees to the refugee shelter."

Lu Cunbao was aware that the Zhenzhou Government Office had cleaned up a courtyard to shelter refugees. Since the number of officials was limited, the surrounding villages sent people to help.

The clerks at the government office went to the courtyard daily to inquire. Refugees with a clear background would be registered anew by the government office, while those with a criminal record would be jailed upon discovery.

As far as he knew, among all the Northern States and counties, only Zhenzhou was making such a grand move to shelter refugees.

This time distributing porridge, although it wasn’t handled by the Zhenzhou Prefecture, fortuitously became the focus of attention, as everyone was interested in the refugee registration, and not so much in the soup kitchen.

In short, their visit seemed to embellish what the Zhenzhou Prefecture was already doing.

Lu Cunbao instructed, "Keep an eye on things. I’ll head back for a while." It was time to report all this to the Commandery Princess.

Song Xian was indeed formidable; no wonder both the Henghai Jiedu Envoy and Song Min had fallen at his hands.

Lu Cunbao pondered, wondering if the Commandery Princess would ally with Song Xian or...

After Lu Cunbao left, Xie Liangchen, Chen Yongsheng, and Chen Zigeng finally took their eyes off the soup kitchen and continued ahead with their ox cart. Xie Liangchen was here today to pick up Mr. Dongli.

The courtyard of Mr. Dongli was cold and quiet, so they decided to bring him to Chen Family Village to enjoy a lively celebration of the New Year.

Over the past few months, Chen Yongsheng had grown quite thoughtful and noticed that Xie Liangchen had been frequently visiting the soup kitchen these days, likely not out of curiosity about how the porridge was being distributed.

Once they were a bit farther from the soup kitchen, Chen Yongsheng asked in a low voice, "What’s going on with that soup kitchen?"

"It’s nothing," Xie Liangchen replied, "As long as Uncle reminds everyone not to speak carelessly and to be wary of strangers lingering near the village."

Chen Yongsheng said, "Are they here in Zhenzhou to gather intelligence?"

Xie Liangchen said, "I suppose so. Besides distributing porridge, they’ve scattered many people around."

Chen Zigeng’s expression was natural, his eyes shining darkly. He had grown quite a bit over the past few months, and with Mr. Dongli’s guidance in reading and writing, he exuded a scholarly aura. However, whenever he looked at Xie Liangchen, his gaze remained the same as always, filled with admiration, trust, and reliance on his sister.

Chen Zigeng said, "That Commandery Princess may not necessarily be a good person. If it were truly about charity, the government office has places for sheltering refugees. Why establish her own base?

Our second uncle also rescued refugees and sent them to the courtyard behind the government office, but he never told them that it was Chen Family Village that saved them.

This shows that for that Commandery Princess, saving people isn’t important; what’s important is letting everyone know she’s saving people."

Chen Yongsheng had a sudden realization. With Chen Zigeng’s explanation, things that seemed complicated became straightforward; that was indeed the reason.

Xie Liangchen reached out to pat Chen Zigeng’s head, "When you harbor desires in your heart, they can’t be hidden."

This Commandery Princess feared that the situation in the North would change, and she would be forgotten. Could it be that Princess Jiahui still hoped to reclaim the North?

In their past life, this Princess Jiahui always remained in the Capital and was never married off. The Emperor often summoned her to the palace.

Other than that, Xie Liangchen didn’t know much.

But there was no need to ponder deeply. Since Princess Jiahui had extended her influence into Zhenzhou, it wouldn’t be long before she learned more about this princess.

The three of them entered Mr. Dongli’s courtyard, where he had already packed, with only a small bundle containing a change of clothes.

"Let’s go."

Chen Zigeng stepped forward and took the small bundle, while Chen Yongsheng helped Mr. Dongli onto the ox cart.

Once everyone was seated, Chen Yongsheng flicked the whip, urging the cart back to Chen Family Village.

Mr. Dongli stroked his beard, looking at the ox pulling the cart, "Not bad, having livestock so quickly."

Chen Zigeng smiled, "We’ll rely on it when it comes time to farm."

Mr. Dongli nodded, "But with so many fields in the village, a few animals might not be enough, right?"

Chen Zigeng said, "We’ve also made a tread plow. The blacksmith has just forged the plowhead. You can have a look later."

Along the way, Mr. Dongli sat on the simple ox cart, observing the surroundings. Once the cart left the city, he commented, "Zhenzhou City is quite bustling."

Chen Yongsheng said, "Just wait and see. Next year, it will be even livelier."

...

The Capital City.

From within the canopy bed, a hand stretched out as Princess Jiahui lazily stretched. The maidservant in the room hurried forward with water, attending to Princess Jiahui’s grooming.

The sun was already high in the sky, yet Princess Jiahui still appeared listless.

"Third Master Song’s people came by again," the maidservant Chun Shan whispered.

Princess Jiahui merely replied with an "Hmm," "What did you say to them?"

Chun Shan said, "I told them that you were ill, and with Song Min’s people wandering around the Capital, it seems no one is willing to lend him a hand."

"He’s foolish," Princess Jiahui sighed, "Colluding with the Liao people, what kind of crime is that? Even his own father has to avoid suspicion, let alone others."

Princess Jiahui rested her chin on her hand, her eyes slightly narrowed as she gazed at the plum blossoms on the windowsill, "To reach this point, he is doomed to a dead end."