Fang Heng's eyes narrowed at the words.
So this was how Destiny Points were earned.
Distributing porridge for disaster relief could earn Destiny Points.
National Destiny, destiny...
Hm... wait... participation also had to be taken into account.
Fang Heng calmed himself and pondered the matter of Destiny Points.
Beside him, Shen Qiushui watched Fang Heng make short work of the troublemaking crowd, and a strange radiance rippled through her eyes.
Especially his method of pouring sand into the meat porridge—it was unorthodox, nothing like the conduct of the righteous path.
Yet the results were unexpectedly good.
At last, the porridge reached those who truly needed it.
Fang Heng gathered his thoughts, looked at Shen Qiushui, and asked calmly.
"Miss Shen, do you understand now?"
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. This humble woman has learned her lesson."
"On behalf of the tens of thousands of refugees, this humble woman thanks Your Highness for saving their lives."
Shen Qiushui bent her knees slightly and curtsied to Fang Heng.
This salute came from the depths of her heart, filled with admiration and gratitude.
Fang Heng nodded faintly, quite pleased by Shen Qiushui's attitude.
Clearly, she had understood his method.
"Miss Shen, I know you possess a bodhisattva heart, compassionate toward all under heaven and pitying these refugees, but..."
"I have a saying for you, Miss Shen."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures; only Thunderous Methods can bring spring breezes and nourishing rain!"
Shen Qiushui carefully savored the words Fang Heng had left behind.
The more she pondered them, the more she felt that they contained profound meaning in few words.
Had those words come from a court minister or an enlightened monk, she would not have found it strange.
Yet they had come from the Ninth Prince, someone her own age.
A ripple of curiosity stirred the tranquil lake of Shen Qiushui's heart.
She raised her head slightly, watching Fang Heng and his party depart, and sighed inwardly.
What kind of person was this Ninth Prince, exactly?
Fang Heng returned to the carriage. The moment he sat down, he gave an order.
"Aunt Yun, withdraw one thousand taels from the estate to provide relief for the disaster victims."
"Leave the porridge distribution entirely to you. I will not show myself."
When Aunt Yun heard that Fang Heng intended to aid the disaster victims, surprise flashed across her dignified, lovely face.
"Your Highness is kindhearted. On behalf of the disaster victims, this servant thanks Your Highness for your great mercy."
"How could this count as great mercy?"
"I merely did the most basic thing."
Fang Heng shook his head, realizing that his way of thinking ultimately still belonged to a man from Huaxia.
It differed from that of the natives of the Great Qian Dynasty.
In his previous life, he had witnessed too many scenes of countless people united as one in disaster relief.
The great flood of Jiujiang, the great earthquake in Shu—whenever one region suffered, aid came from all eight directions.
In the Great Qian Dynasty, disaster relief truly depended entirely on luck.
If the local official possessed a compassionate heart, then the disaster victims were fortunate.
Officials like Prefect Chen, busy currying favor while turning a blind eye to the refugees, were the norm.
In the end, he could not stand the sight of such tragedies.
One thousand taels was merely a small sum to him.
But to the refugees outside Yujing City, it was life-saving money!
After considering it for a moment, Fang Heng seemed to think of something. He changed the subject and quietly instructed her.
"Aunt Yun, do not distribute the porridge under the name of the prince's estate this time."
"Just do it quietly. Keep a low profile."
Fang Heng made the point deliberately.
Though disaster relief was a righteous cause, it could still be suspected of buying people's hearts.
Prefect Chen could provide relief. Shen Qiushui could provide relief. But he, a prince, could not.
If it caught the Crown Prince's eye, he might be accused of coveting the position of heir apparent.
Yun Menglan nodded lightly. Smiling, with the corners of her brows lowered, she wore an expression of gratified amusement.
His Highness has finally grown up.
He is remarkably proper in the way he handles people and affairs.
"Hyah—"
"Neighhh—"
A burly man rode a dragon steed to the outskirts of the city and stopped outside the porridge distribution point.
"Second Brother, why are you here?"
Shen Qiushui wiped the fine fragrant sweat from her forehead, set down the porridge ladle, and walked out.
"Little Sister, I heard there was unrest among the refugees just now. Are you all right?"
Shen Yinhu spoke in a deep, booming voice, concern showing in his eyes.
His anxious gaze swept over Shen Qiushui from head to toe.
Shen Qiushui's willow brows furrowed slightly. Pretending to be angry, she demanded.
"Second Brother, you had people watching me again."
"N-no, nothing of the sort."
Shen Yinhu waved his hand and flatly denied it.
"If no one was watching, how did you know there had been unrest among the refugees?"
Shen Qiushui's single retort left Shen Yinhu speechless.
"Th-this... this..."
Shen Yinhu looked troubled and pleaded.
"Little Sister, you came out alone to provide disaster relief. Mother is worried."
"If I did not send someone to follow you, I would surely be punished and made to kneel in the ancestral hall."
Shen Qiushui understood her second brother's difficulties. She had merely been pretending to be angry.
Seeing her willow brows relax, Shen Yinhu knew that his little sister's anger had subsided.
"Little Sister, you still have not told me about that disturbance..."
"Second Brother, we have the Ninth Prince to thank for what happened just now."
"The Ninth Prince?"
"How did this become connected to the Ninth Prince?"
Shen Yinhu froze for a moment, then immediately became wary.
Though he looked broad and thick, as if he had no head for schemes, his mind was in fact meticulous.
His father was the Martial Prime Minister. In theory, he was the foremost military commander of Great Qian and possessed tremendous prestige within the army.
Precisely because of this, their family had always kept its distance from the princes.
Whether it was the Crown Prince or the other princes, the Martial Prime Minister had turned a blind eye to all their attempts to win him over.
Time and again, he had warned his children.
Do not get involved in the struggles between the princes.
"Little Sister, do not forget Father's words. You must keep your distance from the Ninth Prince."
"Second Brother, there is no need to be nervous."
"Even if Father learns of what happened today, he will not be angry."
With a composed expression, Shen Qiushui recounted every detail of the disaster relief effort to Shen Yinhu.
"What lies between the Ninth Prince and me concerns only disaster relief. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the struggles among the princes."
"Second Brother, how much do you know about the Ninth Prince?"
Shen Yinhu: Hm?
"I heard that the Ninth Prince was poisoned from childhood, that his health was poor, and that he had always kept a low profile and rarely left his residence."
"But judging from today, the Ninth Prince seems different from the rumors."
As Shen Yinhu watched Shen Qiushui speak of the Ninth Prince with a radiant gleam in her eyes, a bad feeling immediately rose in his heart.
He probed cautiously.
"How is he different?"
Shen Qiushui blinked her clear, beautiful eyes. After pondering for a long while, she nodded lightly.
"I cannot quite put it into words."
"I only feel that the Ninth Prince is completely different from the other imperial nobles."
"He seems to truly hold the refugees in his heart."
"I have never seen such an attitude in any other imperial noble."
"When I was born, Master Fahui said I possessed a bodhisattva heart and was Guanyin reincarnated."
"Only after meeting the Ninth Prince today did I feel that he was the one with a true bodhisattva heart."
"And a bodhisattva heart alone is not enough. One must also possess Thunderous Methods."
The clear breeze stirred, lifting the dark strands at the girl's temples.
Her breathtakingly beautiful face brimmed with curiosity, admiration, and approval.
At the sight, Shen Yinhu's heart gave a thump.
The veins at his temples bulged wildly.
That Ninth Prince is truly sly and shameless.
While I let down my guard, he sneaked into our courtyard and rooted up my little cabbage!
Before you continue