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Only then did Gao Bai learn his identity. He moved to rise and salute him, but Qin Ke stopped him.

"Teacher Gao, there is no need for such formality," he said with a faint smile. "You have taken excellent care of Eldest Brother, and I am deeply grateful. You are Eldest Brother's teacher; he respects you, and so do I."

Gao Bai and the others: "..."

Was there something wrong somewhere?

Gao Bai abruptly came back to himself. "Your Highness overpraises me. I am ashamed to accept."

Rumors truly led people astray again! Everyone said Prince Qin was cold and heartless, yet he felt that the prince was a man of true temperament, gentle and courteous.

From this day forth, he would never believe rumors again!

"Your Highness, how should the refugees be settled?" Rong Lian suddenly asked.

The refugees were now gathered in Mengshan County. If the county office had no proper solution and allowed them to freeze and starve to death, Magistrate Shen would likely face condemnation from all under heaven.

Moreover, Qin Ke and Cheng Hao were both in Mengshan County. If they abandoned the refugees to their fate, rumors would surely rise throughout the court and beyond.

"We shall discuss this with Shen Yi tomorrow."

Qin Ke was valiant and battle-hardened on the frontier, but when it came to refugees, he truly had no good solution.

"Old Liu, how much grain is stored at home?" Rong Xi suddenly asked.

The people of Wei often stored grain for winter, and Liu He did so even more than most.

He had suffered hardship before and knew the weight of food. Thus, once the ancestral residence had sufficient spare funds, he frequently went to the markets to purchase rice and grain. By now, the storehouses were piled full.

"Young