The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Suddenly, a thin, frail-looking refugee in the crowd shouted:

"We'll all starve to death without food, we can't wait any longer!"

This shout acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire scene. A commotion broke out in the crowd, and some disaster victims began to surge forward.

The officials in charge of distributing the food panicked and shouted for everyone to calm down, but their voices were so weak in the face of the surging crowd.

Soon, the crowd surged toward the grain storage area like a flood bursting its banks.

The victims' eyes were red, their faces filled with hunger and despair.

Some people pushed and shoved those around them, trying to get closer to the food, while others reached out and snatched it, clutching whatever they could grab tightly to their chests.

The grain sacks were torn open, and the white grain spilled all over the ground. The disaster victims lay on the ground, frantically trying to pull the grain into their arms.

Cries, shouts, and curses mingled together, creating a chaotic scene.

Some elderly, infirm, and disabled people were pushed and knocked down in the crowd, groaning in pain, but no one paid them any attention. The children were so frightened that they cried loudly, clinging tightly to the clothes of their parents.

When Shen Zhizhi and Chu Chouchi rushed to the scene, the once neatly stacked grain had been looted, leaving the ground in a mess.

The air was thick with dust and an atmosphere of despair, which instilled a sense of dread.

Shen Zhizhi looked up and saw Zhang Jiali, dressed in a white robe, his brows furrowed.

He tightly shielded the child who had been pushed to the ground behind him, preventing him from being injured by the red-eyed crowd.

Overwhelmed and unable to maintain order at the front, he could only offer loud words of comfort:

"Fellow villagers, this looting is not a long-term solution. Please calm down, and His Highness the Second Prince will surely find a way to resolve your predicament."

Unfortunately, his voice was quickly drowned out by the clamor of the disaster victims, who were blinded by hunger and wouldn't listen to any advice.

They continued to frantically snatch the scattered grains on the ground, ignoring them completely.

Seeing the tragic scene before her, Shen Zhizhi quickly looked up at Chu Chouchi, "Second Prince..."

Chu Chou's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he was about to raise his arm to send out the archers.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves rang out, and amidst the billowing dust, a rough shout rang out:

"His Highness the Third Prince has arrived!"

Its sound was like a booming bell, echoing through the chaotic scene.

Everyone was taken aback, looked in the direction of the sound, and spontaneously made way for them.

Chief Feng swaggered in, carrying an iron hammer. As he dodged to the side, Chu Tu arrived behind him, chin held high, looking arrogant.

Still dressed in an indigo robe of fine quality, with sable fur on the shoulders, exuding a luxurious yet languid air. Gold threads peeked subtly from the robe, outlining intricate patterns like swimming dragons, ostentatiously opulent.

As he moved lightly, his robes and sable fur swayed, and his gold threads shimmered, making him appear both otherworldly and ethereal, like a celestial being.

Shen Zhizhi was dazzled by the gold thread on his robe and couldn't help but raise her hand to cover it.

What's this mink-fur guy doing here? His outfit is even more flamboyant than before...

However, hunger and despair had driven the disaster victims to irrationality, and after a brief pause, some began to stir again.

Upon seeing this, the Wind Chief frowned and slammed the iron hammer he was carrying on his shoulder into the ground. "Insolence! The Third Prince is here. Who dares to move again? Don't blame me for being merciless with my hammer."

The leader's intimidation made some people back down, but there were still a few audacious individuals who were unwilling to give up.

One of the burly men with a fierce face roared, "The grain belongs to everyone, why can't we take it?" He then tried to rush forward.

Upon seeing this, the Wind Chieftain's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "How dare you! How dare you be so insolent in front of His Highness the Third Prince!"

His voice was deafening, but it failed to completely subdue the disaster victims.

The Wind Chief's eyes sharpened, and in a flash, he appeared before the burly man, swinging his massive hammer fiercely—

Just as the hammer was about to smash his brains out, it stopped abruptly an inch away from the big man.

The burly man turned pale with fright and retreated repeatedly.

This brought a brief respite to the chaotic scene.

Seeing the crowd fall silent, the Wind Chief put down his hammer and sneered, "If you dare to act recklessly again, we will all die."

Chu Tu scoffed lightly, glancing at the chaotic scene. His brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed intense dissatisfaction and contempt.

He disdainfully raised his eyes, glancing sideways at Chu Chou Chi. "Your Majesty has become quite merciful lately. As the saying goes, kill the chicken to scare the monkey. When you encounter such unruly and disorderly people, just kill them. Do you think you can let them cause such a commotion?"

A layer of frost instantly settled on Chu Chouchi's face, his eyes filled with icy coldness.

He was about to speak when his gaze fell on the girl beside him. He paused for a moment, then spoke in a cold voice: "Third brother, you are mistaken. These are all people of our dynasty who have suffered from disasters and are already in dire straits. How can we kill innocent people indiscriminately?"

Chu Tu: ? ? ?

Chu Tu stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief, as if the person in front of him was a complete stranger.

In his memory, his elder brother had always been decisive and ruthless. When had he become so merciful? In the past, these people would have been killed on the spot.

But what did my elder brother just say? How could we indiscriminately kill innocent people? Could such a ruthless elder brother really say that?

After a long pause, Chu Tu looked completely bewildered. "Brother, you...you've probably been bewitched by something?"

Shen Zhizhi was so amused by Chu Tu's words that she almost burst out laughing, and she couldn't help but puff out her chest proudly.

It was naturally her doing that transformed the villain into a compassionate young man.

"..."

Chu Chouchi remained calm and ignored Chu Tu's words.

His gaze, however, fell on Shen Zhizhi, and seeing the joy on her face, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The Wind Chief, who had witnessed the entire scene from the side, almost burst into tears.

Third Prince, really! Can't you see that Second Prince's actions were because Miss Shen was present? Miss Shen is kind-hearted, and naturally she would be happy to be kind-hearted.

The Third Prince is not as good at dressing up as the Second Prince. How will he pursue Miss Shen in the future?

Chu Tu's eyes twitched slightly, and after a long while, a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "These lowly people are ungrateful and dare to loot grain. If they are not severely punished, they will surely cause trouble in the future."

After saying this, he looked around. Under his imposing presence, the disaster victims gradually quieted down, but the fear and despair in their eyes did not disappear.

Chu Chouchi's dark eyes flashed with anger, his voice as cold as melting snow in early spring, "This matter has nothing to do with you, Third Prince, you should mind your own business."

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Chief Feng, carrying an iron hammer, looked nervously at the two princes.

Shen Zhizhi dared not continue watching the play. Just as she was about to step forward, she saw Zhang Jiali, who was beside her, calm down the frightened child in his arms and then step forward to bow.