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

Thinking of this, Shen Zhizhi took a sip of porridge and asked, "Is Lord Zhang going to the city today to distribute porridge for disaster relief?"

“Yes, the soup kitchen was set up yesterday, and many disaster victims will definitely come today,” Zhang Jiali replied.

Shen Zhizhi rested her chin on her hand, smiling brightly. "I think today will be very busy. I'll go with Lord Zhang to distribute porridge."

“No.” Zhang Jiali frowned slightly. “Those refugees haven’t eaten for days and are emotionally unstable. Besides, some of them are suffering from diseases. It would be bad if they were to infect Miss Shen.”

Shen Zhizhi leaned forward, her almond-shaped eyes brightening slightly. "It's alright. I've been strong and healthy since I was a child, and I'm not that easily infected."

“Miss Shen is not yet married, and it would be risky for her to show her face in public,” Zhang Jiali said, frowning slightly.

Shen Zhizhi pouted, her dissatisfaction with this feudal era growing stronger. "Distributing porridge for disaster relief isn't anything shameful, I'm not afraid."

"This……"

Zhang Jiali was still somewhat hesitant, his gentle eyes fixed on the girl in front of him.

But her eyes curved slightly, and she spoke with a solemn tone, "What men can do, why can't women do?"

After listening, Zhang Jiali lowered his eyes and pondered.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly and smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Shen."

Disaster relief and porridge distribution may sound easy, but in practice it is quite time-consuming and laborious.

Upon arriving at the soup kitchen, one is greeted by a dense crowd of disaster victims, some sitting, some standing, some lying down, some reclining, making the once wide street completely impassable.

Their faces were sallow, their clothes were tattered, their eyes revealed despair and helplessness, and their faces were filled with exhaustion and hunger, which aroused pity in people.

"Lord Zhang."

When Li Zhuang, a clerk in the county government office, saw Zhang Jiali, he hurriedly got up and came over to bow. “There are just too many refugees. Some of the starving disaster victims almost overturned the soup kitchen.”

Zhang Jiali stared at the starving refugees, his brows furrowing slightly. "Where is the Second Prince? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Li Zhuang shook his head blankly, "I haven't seen it."

Upon hearing this question, Shen Zhizhi looked around and indeed did not see Chu Chouchi.

She couldn't help but twitch her lips. Sure enough, she shouldn't have believed that this guy could be so obedient.

"I haven't eaten yet!"

"Stop pushing! It's my turn! My baby is starving!"

"You stepped on my hand! Stop pushing!"

The cries of children and the curses of the crowd mingled together, creating chaos. Even the officials carrying sharp weapons were nearly knocked over.

The officials' desperate shouts nearly overturned the soup kitchen, but they had no effect whatsoever on the cries of the refugees.

"Everyone, please calm down." Zhang Jiali strode forward and called out, "The imperial court has specially dispatched the Second Prince to provide disaster relief. From now on, I will be distributing porridge here, and everyone will get a share. Please don't be anxious."

"Nonsense! The Second Prince is infamous and bloodthirsty, how could he care about our lives!"

No sooner had Zhang Jiali finished speaking than a roar erupted from the crowd, enraging the already agitated group.

All the people of the Great Chu Kingdom were well aware of Chu Chou Chi's infamy, but no one dared to speak out openly, which showed that these disaster victims were truly so hungry that they had lost their minds.

Shen Zhizhi gasped, secretly relieved that Chu Chouchi wasn't there; otherwise, not only the victim who spoke up, but all the victims present would likely have been killed without a trace.

"Insolence! How dare you speak against His Highness the Second Prince!" Li Zhuang roared. "Guards, seize that foolish refugee and throw him in jail!"

"Wait, sir." Shen Zhizhi hurriedly stepped forward.

The original purpose of sending Chu Chouchi to provide disaster relief was to improve his reputation. If this disaster victim is punished today, the other disaster victims will only have a worse impression of him in the future.

If one day someone says something careless and it reaches Chu Chouchi's ears, given his temper, wouldn't he kill them to vent his anger?

Moreover, after spending the past few days together, she discovered that apart from being hopelessly infatuated with love, Chu Chouchi was not entirely hopeless in other aspects.

Perhaps it was because he was born into an imperial family that he didn't know how to get along with people, but as long as others treated him well, he would suppress his irritable nature.

In the shadows, a man in a black robe stared at the chaotic soup kitchen, listening to the insults of the disaster victims, his eyes growing increasingly disdainful.

A cold sneer rang out, "Ha, what a bunch of ingrates."

As I turned to leave, I heard a loud and familiar female voice coming from the crowd.

He stopped in his tracks.

"I know you all have many misunderstandings about the Second Prince, but he is by no means what you think. This disaster relief effort was made possible thanks to his efforts in rallying donations from his officials. He is a very good person—"

Shen Zhizhi raised her head and shouted, her eyes filled with determination.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

These words not only failed to have any effect, but instead provoked the crowd to roar in anger.

"A really good person? Do you think we're blind? If he were truly a good person, why did he say he was coming to provide disaster relief, but we're nowhere to be seen?"

"Hypocrisy and pretense, ptooey! Who cares! We're all going to die anyway, our lives are worthless, take them if you want."

……

The crowd erupted in commotion, and the people, on the verge of collapse, pushed their way in with an air of fearlessness.

They didn't even know who was throwing the pebbles here.

Zhang Jiali's face flushed with anger. He stepped forward, grabbed Shen Zhizhi's wrist, and pulled her behind him protectively. "I understand your difficulties, but isn't it a bit much to treat the people who came to help you like this?"

[Ding, congratulations host, Chu Chouchi's corruption value -10]

Eh? What's going on?

Why did Chu Chouchi suddenly lose so much of his "darkening" value?

"Whoosh—!"

Before she could react, a sharp arrow pierced the air, and a cold light streaked from afar, moving with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it embedded itself in the wooden bucket of the porridge stall.

In an instant, the crowd fell silent, and no one dared to push forward even half a step.

"What's wrong with me? Why don't you tell me again, so that I can hear it properly?"

Shen Zhizhi looked up abruptly and saw Chu Chouchi sitting upright on his horse, exuding an imposing aura, his narrow phoenix eyes filled with aloofness and coldness.

He held a bow in his left hand and pulled the reins with his right, then dismounted amidst the horrified stares of the crowd, letting out a cold sneer.

"Why did you stop? Aren't you going to talk anymore?"

An overwhelming pressure descended, and no one in the crowd dared to speak.

"Two, Your Highness!"

"See Your Highness!"

After everyone realized what was happening, they all knelt down and bowed, not daring to breathe loudly. Only Shen Zhizhi stood there, frozen in place.

Only two kinds of comments exploded in my mind!

One version is: Holy crap.

Another option is: what to do?

Oh no! He heard everything these disaster victims were saying?

Chu Chouchi stared at the girl, who seemed lost in thought, his lips moving, but the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

He treated her so badly that day, yet she still defended his reputation in public. How could he possibly bear such deep affection and loyalty?

Lost in thought, Shen Zhizhi noticed the intense gaze and subconsciously looked up to see his eyes deepening as he stared at her without saying a word.