The concubine pretends to be obedient, the sinister prince's favorite

The next day, just after dawn, Jiang Li was carried onto the carriage with a blanket.

The girl looked at Li Jinyuan with sleepy eyes, and her dazed look made the man's heart soften.

"Sleep some more?"

Jiang Li looked around and was silent for a long time before she came to her senses.

"No more..."

During the two days of traveling, she felt like she was always sleeping, feeling groggy and her mind was almost unclear.

Seeing this, Li Jinyuan did not force her, but he was reluctant to let go of his arms around her.

……

At noon,

Li Youchuan let out a loud "whoa" and stopped his lead horse.

"Brother, we're here."

The convoy stopped in front of the compound of the Changzhou prefect.

When the man led Jiang Li out of the carriage, a man dressed simply but with a scholarly air came up to them quickly.

"I greet the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Third Princess! I apologize for not welcoming you in person, Your Highness, and I hope you won't blame me!"

Li Jinyuan said softly, "No need to be so polite," and then raised his eyes to look at the Changzhou prefect in front of him.

Li Youchuan stood behind him and turned sideways to introduce him.

"This is Song Zhe, the prefect. We will be staying at his house for the time being."

Li Jinyuan nodded, his voice cold.

"excuse me."

"Don't disturb me!" Prefect Song waved his hands hurriedly, somewhat at a loss.

"My Lords, if you don't mind my humble place being so simple..."

Li Youchuan glanced around the street. Compared with the bustling and lively capital, this place was so deserted that it didn't seem like ordinary people lived there.

Their brows furrowed, it seemed the situation here was even more difficult than they knew...

"We've been traveling for two days. Let's take the Empress Dowager in to rest for a while. Disaster relief... can't be rushed."

Li Jinyuan nodded, then took Jiang Li's hand and walked inside, while Prefect Song led the way in front.

"Your Majesty, you and the princess will live in this wing."

Jiang Li stepped over the threshold and saw that everything was clean and tidy. It was obvious that someone had carefully tidied it up.

Although it is not as comfortable as the Three Princes' Palace, it is already very good.

Liusu took their clothes into the inner room to sort them out, while Jiang Li and Li Jinyuan sat on the rattan chairs in the outer room.

"It's very comfortable and clean here, please."

Prefect Song bowed to Jiang Li with a smile, his face full of flattery.

"This is what I should do!"

The middle-aged man was too reserved, and seeing this, Jiang Li stopped talking about irrelevant topics.

"The people of Changzhou have suffered severely from the disaster. We brought some food with us on this trip. We hope the prefect can help us distribute it."

When Prefect Song heard this, his expression was stunned for a moment, and then tears welled up in his eyes.

"On behalf of the people of Changzhou, I thank the princess! Thank you, Your Highness!"

Seeing the man about to kneel down without hesitation, Jiang Li hurried to support him, but before her little hand touched the corner of the man's clothes, Li Jinyuan took the lead and grabbed the man.

Jiang Li was just about to comfort the prefect who was worried about the people, but the next second, the tall figure of the man blocked her way. The girl could not see anything except the inky cloth.

Jiang Li: …

He is really petty...

"There's a Peaceful Temple in the city center where we can distribute relief food! But..."

There was a hint of hesitation on Prefect Song's face, and a hint of worry in his eyes.

"People are now afraid of starvation, and some extreme individuals may become greedy... If order isn't maintained, disaster may result."

Hearing this, Jiang Li also frowned.

He was right. Extreme situations often test people's hearts the most, and naturally there are many people who cannot resist the evil thoughts in their hearts.

"How about this, for the sake of fairness, we will distribute food according to the number of people in each household."

"Relief food is distributed every two days, and only women can claim it. If there are no women in the family, the royal guards will personally deliver it to the family."

Jiang Li stated the solution clearly, with a different light in her almond-shaped eyes, which made Li Jinyuan lose his mind.

The reason why women were asked to collect food was because Jiang Li had another layer of worry in her heart.

During famine, human nature is at its most vulnerable. Many young and middle-aged men in families may abandon their wives and children to escape starvation, and some may even resort to cannibalism.

But if only women can receive food, and the amount of food is distributed per person, then young and middle-aged men will naturally let their wives and children live in order to have the next meal.

Li Jinyuan understood Jiang Li's intention. He looked at her with surprise in his eyes, but also a hint of doubt.

Is this really something a fool could come up with... His Lili seemed to have suddenly become very smart, so smart that he was completely captivated by her...

Prefect Song was a scholar. After thinking it over, he understood Jiang Li's meaning very well and immediately called someone to give orders.

……

Inside Anning Temple,

Jiang Li stood behind the imperial guards, completely blocked by them.

Perhaps because he was worried that the food distribution scene would be chaotic, Li Jinyuan did not agree to let her come.

But he couldn't resist her constant nagging, and finally he relented and let her come over.

At worst, I can just pay more attention to her and stay by her side...

Li Youchuan stood on the platform, constantly raising his hand to gesture and calm the restless crowd.

"Everyone! Everyone, please don't crowd! Those who can get food, please come one by one!"

Perhaps because all the people present were women, it was not that difficult for the royal guards to maintain order.

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this. Just as she was about to turn around and leave with Li Jinyuan, she saw a small figure squatting at the entrance of the temple.

She walked quickly towards there, and when she got closer, she found that it was a pale and thin little girl with messy hair like dead grass.

Even Mu En, who was starving with his brother in the capital, did not look as weak as she did.

"Little girl..."

Jiang Li squatted down and wanted to touch him, but Li Jinyuan grabbed her hand with a look of vigilance in his eyes.

In troubled times, even a child should not be trusted...

Jiang Li looked up at him and blinked, suggesting that he don't need to worry too much, she will pay attention.

The round and innocent almond-shaped eyes with upturned corners always teased him easily without intending to do so.

Seeing that Li Jinyuan was still unwilling to let go, the girl had no choice but to pull him down to squat together.

"Little girl, where are your parents? Did they come with your mother to collect food?"

The little figure in front of them trembled and seemed a little afraid of them.

Seeing this, Jiang Li pursed her lips and comforted her softly.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

Perhaps the girl's voice was too gentle, and the little girl finally raised her face from between her knees.

Because of long-term hunger, the little girl's face was pale yellow, her lips were dry, and her eyes looked particularly big because she had no flesh on her face.

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, and then she was overwhelmed by inexplicable heartache.