The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Cheng Youning thought he was unlucky. "My grandson can face the wall, but do I still have to go to reclaim the wasteland tomorrow?"

"Go, from now on you will follow Song Tingzhi to reclaim the wasteland, and you will do whatever Song Tingzhi asks you to do."

"He wants to resign. He asked for it on his own initiative. Wouldn't Grandpa allow him to do so?"

"No, Prince, you must remember this today: you cannot start a second task before completing one. Reclaiming wasteland is not simply to make you work hard. I want to see crops bloom and bear fruit on the land you reclaim. Youning, step back."

"Little grandpa!"

"A flaw on a white jade can be polished away, but a flaw like these words cannot be tolerated. Prince, you have hurt your teacher with your words. You should reflect on this. No one likes to hurt their students, and Song Tingzhi is no exception. Prince, when you're not reclaiming the land, you should read more of the Book of Songs and always remind yourself to be careful with your words. A harsh word can chill the heart in June, like killing someone."

It turned out that his little grandfather knew everything, and he was still jumping up and down here to cover up his mistakes. Only then did he realize that he was just a clown. Although he was unwilling, he did not dare to argue, "My son has learned his lesson."

"Go back!"

"Yes, grandson, I'll take my leave." Just like that, Cheng Youning turned around and left reluctantly.

As soon as Cheng Youning left, Cheng Feng and Shang Xi breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. It was true that serving a king is like serving a tiger. He was punished by being made to face the wall for the slightest disagreement. How would such a trouble-making child live in the future when he met a king who liked to sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice?

Although the child's words were really irritating and deserved a beating, as Cheng Youning's parents, they still felt sorry for Cheng Youning who had done a day's hard labor. It seemed that facing the wall was worse than kneeling in the ancestral hall. Fortunately, the ancestral temple had not been built, otherwise Cheng Youning would definitely be a frequent visitor to the temple.

Shang Xi and Cheng Feng felt sorry for Cheng Youning for only a moment, and then they felt relieved after they figured it out. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and they couldn't just let Cheng Youning misinterpret the facts with his clever words. Counting on their fingers, Cheng Youning had angered many old masters over the years, and one of them had even had his beard shaved by him. Thinking of this, Shang Xi and Cheng Feng both had the urge to hit Cheng Youning.

Let him face the wall, even if he is beaten with a stick, the young couple will not plead for him, because every beating Cheng Youning received was not in vain, it was the result of his own suicide.

Looking at the moody and unpredictable Wan Lianxing sitting on the dragon throne, even if they wanted to plead for Cheng Youning, they would back off at this time because it was not worth it. Everyone would do the math, and if the plea failed, it would bring disaster to themselves. The young couple were very smart, and their calculations were clattering in their minds.

Cheng Feng wanted to make a quick decision, so he left the palace as soon as he finished speaking. After all, it was not a good place to stay for long. "Uncle, aren't we giving out porridge outside the city today?"

“What’s the effect!”

"It's not bad. There are about 500 refugees. 70% of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. There are very few young and strong men."

"It's a war, so they were probably all captured and made into soldiers."

"Uncle, most of those refugees are ill."

"You escaped from Dalang and came to Fengqi with me. You're lucky not to have lost your life on the road. It's not surprising that you got sick or injured. Anyway, you two are asking me for herbs on behalf of the refugees, right?"

"My uncle is indeed very good at predicting things. He guessed it all."

Wan Lianxing smiled slightly. Did he need to guess? When Cheng Feng left here in the morning, he had expected that this man would come to negotiate with him in the evening.

"Tomorrow I will have the government distribute some commonly used herbs to the refugees outside the North City."

Cheng Feng and Shang Xi looked at each other. Shang Xi had originally backed out, but Wan Lianxing readily agreed. Wan Lianxing, who did not make things difficult for them, was a rare opportunity in a century. Could it be that the sun today rose from the west?

Cheng Feng had prepared a lot of words for this, but he didn't say a word. Shang Xi was also ready to mediate, but this man agreed so readily. They both began to suspect that the person sitting on the dragon throne was an imposter. When did Wan Lianxing become so nice to him?

Wan Lianxing looked at the young couple staring at each other and said jokingly, "Why, did I agree too readily? Are you two still not used to it?"

"I've adapted to it. I'm very comfortable with it. If you don't have anything else to do, Shang Xi and I will take our leave and not disturb you any more."

"Why are you in such a hurry? I have something to ask you. Is Song Tingzhi really as Youning said? He is cold-hearted and indifferent, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the refugees. If he is truly such a heartless person, then it wouldn't be a pity if he resigned from his position as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor."

When Cheng Feng and Shang Xi heard this, they realized that this was the reason why Wan Lianxing did not severely punish Cheng Youning. Although Cheng Youning's words were not so true, Wan Lianxing still believed them a little.

What Cheng Youning said was Cheng Youning's business. They were two grown men and couldn't make up stories and add fuel to the fire.

"Uncle, I haven't noticed how talented this guy is. He does have a somewhat aloof and cold personality. He's quiet and doesn't like to join in the fun, but that doesn't mean he's heartless. He's a little strange, though. He seems to disapprove of our Prince Pang's palace providing porridge to the refugees outside the city."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'Giving out porridge is good, but it's just temporary relief for the refugees. It doesn't get to the root of the problem, so it's not the best solution.' Then he shook his head and sighed and walked away. He had some prejudice against giving out porridge, and he didn't even turn back when I called him."

"I believe he's not prejudiced against your porridge distribution, but rather disappointed with the court's inaction. I've heard Yan Qilian mention this man, and he's indeed somewhat aloof, as you say. However, despite his extraordinary talent, being a mere Shanglin Ling is truly an injustice to him. Come, summon Song Tingzhi to the throne."

Shang Xi said, "Every time we encounter refugees, we open a porridge shop to help them. As long as the people don't starve to death and get through the current difficulties, all the problems in the future will be solved easily."

Wan Lianxing said, "Song Tingzhi is right. If providing relief to the people cannot solve the problem fundamentally, it is not the best solution. Giving out porridge can only help them temporarily, not forever. If giving out porridge is a good solution, my uncle would not be reluctant to open the granary to provide relief to the people. It's just that we don't have a solution."

Cheng Feng suddenly had an idea, "Could it be that Song Tingzhi has a countermeasure?"

"Please come and ask."

Soon, the people sent by Wan Lianxing arrived at the Song Mansion. The master of the Song family was still complaining in the hall about his son's rash resignation when the person who delivered the imperial edict appeared.

"The Emperor has issued an oral order, summoning Lord Lin Li to the palace for an audience."

While Mr. Song was giving silver to the official who came to announce the imperial edict, he inquired, "Sir, did the emperor tell me why he summoned me?"

The cold-looking official shook his head slightly, then accepted the silver generously. As for why the emperor summoned Song Tingzhi, they, the subordinates, had no idea.