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

Zhang Jiali didn't contribute a single penny, yet he still wanted to use this incident to steal credit and impress the Emperor?

Although disaster relief is a thankless and arduous task, if he goes, he can at least make some money off it.

"This..." Chu Shi hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Chu Chouchi and said with a smile, "It's rare for the second son to be so enthusiastic about matters of the court. Why don't we let him take charge of this matter?"

Empress Ming's face immediately turned ugly. Wasn't the Emperor's intention to use the pretext of disaster relief to give Chu Chouchi a good reputation among the people?

Feeling a surge of displeasure, she placed her delicate hand on Chu Shi's arm. "Your Majesty, it would be better to let Yan'er handle this matter. The Second Prince has never paid attention to such matters in the past, and I'm afraid he is not up to the task."

Chu Chouchi remained silent. He had no interest in entrusting the disaster relief work to anyone, nor did he care to show off in front of his father.

Shen Zhizhi thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask Ya Dan: "If we let Chu Chouchi distribute porridge to help the people, will it reduce his 'darkening' value?"

[Chu Chouchi lost his mother at a young age and lived in the royal family, which led to his distorted personality. If distributing porridge can earn him the gratitude of the disaster victims and improve their attitude towards him, allowing him to experience human kindness, it might reduce his tendency to become corrupted.]

Ya Dan's explanation made Shen Zhizhi nod repeatedly. "Goudan, your analysis is very correct."

【…】

In that case, could you please stop calling it Dog Egg?

"Second brother, what do you think?"

Chu Shi didn't want to force him, after all, the second son was stubborn, and no amount of persuasion would work if he didn't want to do something.

Just as Chu Chouchi was about to refuse, Shen Zhizhi grabbed him and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince said he is very willing to share Your Majesty's burdens."

Chu Chouchi: ? ? ?

Chu Chouchi was forced to stand up, looking at her with a bewildered expression. He wanted to argue, but seeing her winking and making faces at him, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

This is tantamount to tacit agreement.

Chu Shi turned his gaze to Shen Zhizhi with great interest and narrowed his eyes: "Who are you?"

Shen Zhizhi stepped forward slowly and bowed gracefully: "This humble woman, Shen Zhizhi, greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

"The Shen family? You are the Prime Minister's daughter?" Chu Shi asked in surprise. He only knew that the Prime Minister's family had a legitimate daughter named Shen Qinshou, but he had never heard of Shen Zhizhi.

“Yes, I am the third young lady of the Prime Minister’s residence,” Shen Zhizhi replied.

Chu Shi understood immediately. Every noble family had some unfavored concubine's daughters, and this little girl was probably not well-liked in the Prime Minister's residence as well.

However, this was the first time he had ever seen his second son suffer because of someone.

If this illegitimate daughter of the Shen family can really control this boy, that would be a wonderful thing.

Chu Shi smiled and said, "I can see that Chi'er likes you very much. If you two are in love, how about I arrange your marriage?"

Upon hearing this, the scene fell silent, and the entire hall seemed deserted.

"what?!"

Shen Zhizhi looked up in surprise and met Chu Shi's eyes. His expression was serious, not at all like he was joking.

Shen Zhizhi immediately wanted to swear.

Holy crap! What the hell is going on?!

Chu Chouchi likes her? Is this old emperor blind?

Even if she believed she would end up eating shit in the future, she couldn't possibly believe that Chu Chouchi would be interested in her.

Shen Zhizhi cautiously glanced at Shen Qinshou beside Chu Tu and saw that she was indeed looking at Chu Chouchi with tears in her eyes, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

His sorrowful appearance and red-rimmed eyes, as if he had suffered a great blow, were enough to bring tears to the eyes of anyone who heard of him and to sadden anyone who saw him.

Oh no, oh no! Given how insane and deranged Chu Chouchi is, he'll definitely send someone to assassinate her to stop the emperor from granting her the marriage.

Shen Zhizhi looked up with a look of utter despair and gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Majesty, I am aware of my lowly status and dare not have any improper thoughts about the Second Prince. Besides, the Second Prince may already have someone he admires. Your Majesty, please do not tease me."

Chu Chouchi, seated on the throne, raised his eyes. His dark pupils reflected the resolute face of the girl in the hall, which made his chest feel empty and caused him to be inexplicably distracted.

Just a few days ago she was so in love with him, but today she is so decisive in refusing the arranged marriage.

Chu Shi laughed heartily, but did not make things difficult for him anymore. "Alright! I misunderstood. In that case, the disaster relief work will be entrusted to Chi'er, with Zhang Aiqing assisting him."

"Yes! Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Zhang Jiali bowed and thanked the Emperor.

────

After the palace banquet, Shen Qinshou lowered her head and spoke to Chu Tu about something. Chu Tu's gaze darkened, and his pupils reflected the hem of the girl's dress in front of him, revealing a look of disgust.

Shen Zhizhi, who was so distracted by the bizarre arranged marriage that she didn't realize she was being watched, was completely unaware that someone was targeting her.

Ever since the old emperor bestowed the marriage upon him, Chu Chouchi's face had been contorted with resentment, as if he had eaten ten pounds of excrement.

She felt extremely uneasy amidst the horrified expressions of her ministers, fearing that the old emperor might suddenly decide to arrange another marriage.

She bet that soon, Shen Qinshou would come pitifully to Chu Chouchi seeking comfort and a hug.

"Brother Qiu Chi, A Shou has something she wants to tell you. May we speak in private?"

As expected, just as Shen Zhizhi finished complaining, Shen Qinshou walked over slowly, her hands clenched tightly in unease. She looked pitiful, as if she would burst into tears at the slightest rejection.

Shen Zhizhi secretly rejoiced.

Tsk tsk, look at her, she really is a prophet.

Chu Chouchi paused, but did not speak. His gaze, however, quietly fell on the girl beside him.

Feeling the intense, oppressive gaze coming at her, she instantly snapped back to reality and looked up.

As their eyes met, he parted his lips slightly, as if to say something.

A glint of something unexpected appeared in Shen Zhizhi's eyes...

Embarrassed?

No way! How could that be? What could he possibly be embarrassed about?

Shen Zhizhi quickly dismissed the idea.

That look in her eyes was definitely anger at her for being ungrateful, blaming her for not being perceptive enough to ruin their time alone.

Thinking of this, Shen Zhizhi immediately lowered her head, took a step back, and respectfully bowed, "Your Highness! Please continue your conversation with my sister. I will take my leave now!"

Having said that, he made a hasty escape, running out of the palace without looking back.

Chu Chouchi, standing behind her, froze, his deep eyes reflecting her departing figure. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, as he tried his best to suppress some emotion that he couldn't quite explain.

"Brother Qiu Chi..."

Seeing that Chu Chouchi hadn't given her a single glance from beginning to end, Shen Qinshou frowned, a suffocating murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

The Second Prince used to only have eyes for her, how dare that bitch Shen Zhizhi try to steal him from her? She's utterly courting death!

Compared to Shen Qinshou's dissatisfaction, Shen Zhizhi felt a surge of joy after leaving Yonghe Temple.

Luckily, she was smart enough to slip away quickly.

[Host, aren't you going to take care of Chu Chouchi?]

Shen Zhizhi silently gave Ya Dan the middle finger in her mind as she listened to her voice.

Shen Zhizhi: [Look at how Chu Chouchi acted at the banquet; he clearly felt sorry for Shen Qinshou. If I keep showing up in front of him, he might kill me in a fit of anger. Wouldn't that be a huge loss?]

As the saying goes, a simp's value can be reduced after it increases, but once you lose your life, you can't get it back, so running away is the best option.

Ya Dan suddenly realized, and gave a thumbs up: "As expected of the host, you're absolutely brilliant!"

Shen Zhizhi: [Of course, of course!]