Ma Yan's words left a deep impression on Yinzhen's mind. The disaster was only just beginning—overnight, grain prices had multiplied several times over. If the crisis wasn't brought under control in time, prices across every region would skyrocket, possibly even worse than now.
Ma Yan was right. With tens of thousands of mouths to feed, solving the immediate crisis was the most pressing matter. But what about afterward?
Grain, medicine, relief supplies, building shelters—every single one of these required money. And how much grain could the imperial court actually provide?
He couldn't remain indifferent to the natural and man-made calamities before him. Besides, this time he had come south of the Yangtze alone. If he didn't handle this matter well, what would his Imperial Father think of him?
To prevent unrest, he needed that shipment of grain to pacify the people's hearts.
Before Su Peisheng could even react, Fourth Master had already mounted his horse and galloped off at full speed. By the time he tried to chase after him, the figure had vanished. "Where is His Lordship rushing off to in such a hurry?"
Yinzhen rode all the way to Ping'an County, but he hadn't expected to encounter refugees there. These people wandered the streets in small groups, and once they locked onto a target, they wouldn't let go until they'd stripped them clean.
A dozen or so refugees had clearly spotted him. They recklessly blocked the middle of the road. Yinzhen pulled on the reins and said in a low voice, "Everyone, I can give you money, but you must let me pass."
The people before him acted as if they hadn't heard a word. They stared at him with hungry, predatory eyes. Yinzhen looked ahead at Ping'an County, tightening his grip on the reins. "Since I've come this far, I can't give up now."
Just as he was about to charge through without hesitation, the group saw through his intentions. A dozen of them rushed over swiftly, surrounded his horse, and dragged him down.
What followed was a beating. Yinzhen had trained in martial arts and wasn't afraid of them, but with so many opponents, the fight dragged on with neither side gaining the upper hand. During the scuffle, someone took advantage of his distraction and stabbed him in the chest with a knife.
When he groggily came to, he had no idea how much time had passed. The moment he opened his eyes, he heard a voice shout, "Hey! You actually woke up!"
After a long silence, Yinzhen finally registered who the person was. Where… was he?
What met his eyes was a modest room—simple yet elegant, with a few potted flowers casually placed around. Though not luxurious, it brought an instant sense of delight.
Before him stood a girl with big eyes. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a maidservant from some household. Her round eyes stared at him with unconcealed curiosity. Yinzhen furrowed his brows—he had never been stared at so openly and brazenly before.
Seeing that he wouldn't speak, Dongya gave an indignant sniff and swept her big eyes over him. "My young lady and I saved your life, so why can't I look?"
"Thank you." Yinzhen tried to sit up, but the moment he raised his head, a wave of pain shot through him. Strange—he didn't remember those beggars hitting him on the head.
Seeing him touch his head, Dongya felt a pang of guilt. "You're no fun." She pouted and went thumping away, terrified he might discover that she and her young lady had caused it.
Yinzhen sat on the bed, nursing his headache for quite a while before it subsided. Not long after, he saw her come running back, followed by a woman.
An orchid in a secluded valley, each step like a blooming lotus. That was Yinzhen's first impression of Song Xilou.
Even having seen so many beauties in the palace, none had ever given him such a powerful sense of beauty. He was dazed for a long moment before snapping back to his senses.
This must be the one who saved him. He was not a man to be swayed by beauty—he appreciated the view for a moment, then raised his head with eyes now calm and unruffled. "Thank you, young lady, for saving my life. Should you ever have need of me, I will surely repay this debt."
When no answer came for a long while, he looked up and found the young lady seemed frightened. She nodded, then hid behind her maidservant. Before Yinzhen could catch her expression, he only caught a glimpse of a reddened ear tip.
Ah, she was shy?
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Just as Yinzhen was about to speak, he heard a small voice from behind the maidservant: "You need not stand on ceremony, young master." The voice was soft and gentle, like the little milk puppy he had kept in the palace as a child—small and sweet.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to protect it back then. The puppy had died not long after.
Feeling a gaze upon him, he looked up and caught a pair of curious eyes. Seeing him look over, they flickered away quickly and retreated behind the maidservant again, only the emerald green hem of her skirt swaying slightly.
"Timid little thing." Yinzhen wanted to laugh, but feared he might startle her, so he covered his mouth with a light cough.
Dongya stood in the middle, scratching her head in confusion. Then she pulled a porcelain bottle from her bosom. "Young master, it's time to change your dressings." She stepped forward to help him undo his clothes.
Only then did he realize his clothes had been changed. Blocking her hand, Yinzhen's voice turned somewhat cold. "Thank you, miss, but I can change it myself."
Even when injured, he didn't like others touching his body.
"Your clothes were changed by me while you were unconscious," Dongya said, finding him overly fussy. Her tone grew even more blunt. "What's there to hide at this point?"
Just as she finished speaking, she felt the air around her grow cold. Looking down, she saw that the perpetually stern-faced man's expression had turned extremely unpleasant. Even Dongya, who was usually oblivious, felt a chill of fear from the cold aura.
"You… you… you." Stamping her foot several times, Dongya dared not say anything more. She looked up with pleading eyes at Song Xilou: "Miss."
Song Xilou stood in place, hesitating a few times before daring to step forward. She took the medicine bottle from Dongya's hand, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Please don't blame my maidservant, Young Master. She's always been used to speaking without thinking."
The moment she approached, Yinzhen caught a whiff of lotus fragrance—subtle and pleasant, calming his restless heart.
She stood before him, and with his eyes lowered, he could see her nervously twisting her hands. Her fair fingers, from the force of her grip, soon turned red in patches.
He looked up, and sure enough, it was as he had imagined—her cheeks and ears were flushed red, her eyes darting everywhere but daring not to meet his. She was still defending her maidservant: "At the time, your injuries were too severe, and Nanny wasn't there."
She bit her lip, as if the next words were difficult to say: "So Dongya and I changed your clothes together and… applied the medicine." She stole a glance at him, but the moment her eyes met his, she immediately looked away.
"Please… please don't blame him, Young Master."
Yinzhen, however, was thinking—if he didn't say something soon, would her ears turn so red they'd drip blood?
The air seemed frozen solid. Sitting on the bed, Yinzhen watched her fingers go from constantly twisting together, to fidgeting with the bottle in her hands as if unsure where to put it, until finally both hands and bottle drooped limply, as if somewhat deflated.
Just like—its owner, whose head was now practically buried in her chest.
Yinzhen smiled. He reached out to take the medicine bottle, but Song Xilou held it tightly. He tugged once but couldn't pull it free. The hand's owner probably hadn't reacted in time. Yinzhen's broad palm wrapped around hers, while his other hand drew the bottle out from her grasp.
"I thank the young lady."
The one whose hand had been held first widened her eyes in shock, then her entire face flushed red at an incredible speed, and before he knew it, she had darted out like a rabbit.
The speed nearly startled Yinzhen. He didn't see her for the rest of the morning.
Was she still hiding from him? Thinking of her rabbit-like timidity, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Young Master, time to eat." Since witnessing his anger, Dongya had become much more obedient in his presence, quietly carrying in the tray.
On it sat a bowl of chicken shred congee and two plates of vegetables. Seeing the food, Yinzhen realized he was indeed hungry. He picked up the spoon and took a sip, unexpectedly finding it delicious. The two vegetable dishes were fresh and crisp. Yinzhen finished everything in no time, still feeling it wasn't quite enough.
"Miss said that since you've just woken from illness, you shouldn't eat too much." Dongya quietly cleared the dishes on the side.
"Did your miss make this meal?"
"Not just the meal—even the vegetables were grown by Miss herself." Dongya looked up and, when he wasn't paying attention, secretly shot him a glare, muttering: "I don't know why Miss is so good to you."
Grown? Yinzhen frowned in puzzlement, then said in a low voice: "Open the window."
"Miss said you haven't recovered from your illness." Though she said this, she didn't dare defy the man behind her and obediently pushed the window open.
As the window opened, the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers drifted in. Butterflies and bees fluttered among the flower beds. The most eye-catching were the clusters of chrysanthemums—red, pink, and purple—blooming brilliantly under the sunlight as if they were glowing.
This is… Lady Song?
A flash of the woman whose ears had turned red enough to bleed crossed his mind. Was this the one he was to bring back? And she had a large stockpile of grain in her hands?
"Is this a coincidence? Or…" The man sitting on the bed rubbed the beads at his wrist: "There aren't that many coincidences."
As he was pondering, he heard a sound from the window. Squinting, he saw Lady Song holding a watering can, carefully watering the flowers. From the side, she looked calm and gentle.
Before long, a nanny came over, chattering away at her about something unknown, but he only saw Lady Song smiling and shaking her head without speaking.
Yinzhen thought for a moment, then got out of bed. The wound on his chest wasn't that serious—with the medicine applied, it didn't hurt much. The real problem was his head, which felt as if someone had struck it with something.
Holding his head, he got out of bed. They had moved to the right side of the window, where there happened to be another window. Yinzhen walked over quietly and pried open a small crack with his finger.
The words came in fragments, but he could still hear clearly. The nanny said: "You've brought back someone of unknown background. What if he's a bad person?"
"Nanny, that won't happen." The young girl playfully shook her hand in protest. "I believe he's a good man."
Nanny Wu patted her a few times and said earnestly: "Miss, if word of this gets out, will you still be able to marry?"
Yinzhen saw her standing there, her fingers blushing red with embarrassment. Some people are simply born unable to lie—you can see right through to what they're thinking at a glance.
Seeing this, he thought to himself that he was overthinking things. In a cheerful mood, he was about to head back when Dongya came rushing over: "Miss, Master Ma is here again?"
Yinzhen stopped in his tracks: "Master Ma? Ma Yan?" He raised his head again, his eyes filled with stormy clouds.