At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

The central government has its own trajectory, and the people have their own trajectory.

The New Year is just around the corner, but at this critical juncture, a shocking scandal has broken out in the armory and granaries under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard, resulting in an unmanageable deficit.

For powerful groups, regardless of class or stratum, what they care about is how much turmoil and impact this major case will cause.

But for the underprivileged, their concern is whether they can have enough to eat.

A blizzard fell silently, and the weather grew even colder.

But the snow did not cool down Yudu.

"What exactly does Your Majesty mean by this?"

Yudu, Outer City.

On a side street.

Wearing a tattered coat, Shangguan Xiu walked uncomfortably and said to Zong Zhi, Chang Feng, Li Bin, and Han Cheng beside him, "Giving us tattered clothes and a bag of copper coins, and telling us to experience life, tell me, what does 'experience life' even mean?"

"You ask me, who should I ask?"

Changfeng glanced at Shangguan Xiu and said coldly.

This tattered coat offers absolutely no protection against the wind!

The wind surged specifically towards the breach.

“Actually, what His Majesty wanted us to do was experience the hardships of ordinary people,” Li Bin said, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his neck hunched, and his nose twitching.

What do you mean by that?

Shangguan Xiu asked with a puzzled expression.

Zongzhi and Changfeng also looked on in surprise.

"Think about it."

Li Bin stopped and spotted a sheltered spot. He gestured to the others and said as they walked, "The embezzlement of the armory and granary, not to mention the shocking deeds of the Prince Consort of Wu'an and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, what impact will the granary deficit have?"

"How much are grain prices rising?"

Zongzhi frowned as he followed.

"No way?"

Shangguan Xiu asked in surprise, "The granaries under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard do indeed store a lot of grain, but that's military rations, which are regularly allocated to the Northern and Southern armies. What does that have to do with the civilian population?"

"Why doesn't it matter?"

Han Cheng, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment: "The military rations of the North and South armies are not enough. Shouldn't they be transferred from elsewhere? Besides, the North Army has a much larger number of personnel under its command."

"No matter where it's allocated from, the amount of military rations consumed must be considerable, right?"

"Back in the Shanglin Garden, when His Majesty was training the Imperial Guards, did he give a lesson on the relationship between supply and demand? Let me ask you one question: what happens when demand exceeds supply?"

"Price increase!!"

Shangguan Xiu opened his eyes slightly and said.

At this moment, both Zongzhi and Changfeng showed complex expressions.

"Therefore, the price increase of grain in Yudu is inevitable."

Li Bin sat on the stone steps, stamping his feet to try to ward off the chill, but it didn't help much. "Don't even mention it," he said. "When something like this happens, the whole of Yudu is shaken. Some people will become greedy and spread rumors to create a false impression."

"Yudu is running out of food!!!"

Chang Feng exclaimed in surprise.

"Keep your voice down!!"

Han Cheng immediately frowned and looked around. “This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that if someone has other bad intentions and causes all kinds of chaos inside and outside Yudu, it will eventually be reported to the central government. This will inevitably point the finger at the case of the embezzlement of the armory and granary.”

"You mean someone will use this opportunity to ultimately target His Majesty?" Zong Zhi's eyes turned cold as he looked at Han Cheng and said.

Hancheng remained silent.

Li Bin sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xiu and Chang Feng displayed different expressions.

"Who the hell did that?!"

Chang Feng immediately said, "Anyone who dares to do this, I'll chop them up first!"

"What are you going to use to chop?"

Li Bin hunched his shoulders, trying to ward off the biting wind, and said something to Chang Feng.

"I'll do it!!"

But as he spoke, Changfeng noticed the tattered coat he was wearing, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue just came out.

"This time, the Imperial Guards, Merit Guards, and Imperial Clan Guards will be out of the palace for half a month to experience life. Besides a bag of money, there is nothing else. Remember everything you see and hear during this time, and write it down for me when you return to the palace. Also, don't try to be clever and think you can find help behind my back. Anyone who does will no longer be allowed to stay in Yudu. I will send you to a place where you will live a muddled and ignorant life!"

The words the Emperor had spoken in front of the Daxing Hall earlier resurfaced in Chang Feng's mind, and at this moment, an inexplicable emotion arose in his heart.

"Go away, go away, where did you come from, beggar? Get out of here and find shelter from the wind!" Under such circumstances, the shop assistant saw Li Bin and his group, covered his nose with disgust, and stepped forward to drive them away in a bad manner.

"Who the hell are you calling a beggar?!"

Shangguan Xiu glared at the newcomer.

"Hey! You're getting cocky now!!"

Upon seeing this, the man immediately cursed, "Get out of here! Don't you know where you are? Are you getting out or not? If you don't leave, I'll unleash my dogs on you!!"

"you!!!"

"Let's go."

Li Bin, who was sitting down, stepped forward, grabbed Shangguan Xiu, and left. Han Cheng followed silently. Zong Zhi nudged Chang Feng, who had an angry expression on his face, with his shoulder and then left as well.

The snow fell even heavier.

The wind picked up.

The waiter, standing with his hands on his hips, stared arrogantly at the departing figures of Li Bin and his group, and spat a thick wad of phlegm on the ground with disdain, "What a piece of trash."

After saying a few words, he hunched his shoulders and scurried back into the shop.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the man remained oblivious to the presence of a burly man watching from a distance. Only after seeing Li Bin and his group disappear into the distance did he brave the wind and snow to follow them.

"You unscrupulous merchants!! You've actually doubled the price!!"

"Where is your conscience?!"

"Go to hell! I paid you, and this is all the food you give me?! I'm not buying it!!"

"Those who aren't buying grain, get out of here!"

Li Bin, Zong Zhi, Chang Feng, Shangguan Xiu, and Han Cheng endured the biting wind and walked aimlessly. But when they passed through a place, the surging crowd was cursing and shirking responsibility, which made them stop.

"Prices are already going up?"

Shangguan Xiu stared in disbelief at the scene before him. "How long has it been? You can't be this heartless! Is there no law anymore?!"

"The law? Have they ever cared about it?"

Li Bin glanced at Shangguan Xiu with a half-smile, "Besides, when you had no worries about food or clothing, did you ever care about these things?"

"You're comparing them to me?"

Shangguan Xiu glared at Li Bin and questioned him.

"Alright, let's all say less."

Han Cheng, shrinking his neck, stepped forward and said, "Instead of using this energy, you should think about how to fill your stomachs. Aren't you hungry?"

As he was speaking, Han Cheng's stomach rumbled loudly, much to his dismay.

"We're rich, let's go eat out."

Shangguan Xiu laughed and said to Han Cheng.

"With that little money, you still want to eat out?"

Zongzhi glanced at Shangguan Xiu and said, "Don't forget, the bag of money on you is our only money for the next two weeks. If we lose it, we're really out of money."

Shangguan Xiu: "..."

At that moment, when Shangguan Xiu looked at the surging crowd again, he suddenly understood why these people were so angry.

……

Finished at midnight. Please give me a five-star review and urge me to update!