Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 54 The Crown Prince Has a Good Memory

Li Che dismounted and walked up the steps, the sunlight making his moon-white outfit shine.

He didn't rush to speak, but first looked around—his gaze swept over the angry faces, the doubtful faces, the expectant faces, and finally landed on Qian Bancheng, pausing for a moment.

Qian Bancheng felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze and shrank back.

"Fellow villagers," Li Che began, his voice not loud but clear, "I am Li Che, son of the King of Qi."

The crowd quieted down.

"I heard everything you said just now," Li Che said calmly, without blaming or flattery. "You're right, the grain distribution was indeed too small. We don't deny that."

Some people in the crowd nodded.

"But please hear me out." He paused. "This flood not only inundated your homes, but also our land. Within a hundred li of Haiyou City, seventy percent of the farmland suffered a complete crop failure. The city's grain reserves were already meager."

Add to that the influx of disaster victims, whose numbers exceeded those of the city's residents. With each person offering food, the city's residents also offered food, and the grain in the granaries flowed out like water.

If you don't have enough to eat, neither do we.

But if everyone just bear with it a little longer, once the imperial relief grain arrives, everyone will be able to eat their fill.

"Then why are we using our grain to subsidize the people in the city?" a tall, thin man in the crowd asked.

He was a man in his forties, with a patched-up short brown coat draped over his shoulders, and the child in his arms was as thin as a kitten.

Li Che glanced at the child, paused, and then asked, "Brother, let me ask you something—where did the food you received come from?"

The tall, thin man was taken aback and couldn't answer.

"That's the grain that the city dwellers have paid in taxes over the years," Li Che said calmly, as if stating a truth everyone knows. "Every bowl of porridge and every bite of bread you drink outside the city was paid for grain by grain by the city dwellers themselves. Now they are also facing difficulties; they also need to eat. Shouldn't we share our grain with them?"

The crowd suddenly fell silent.

The silence was strange; it wasn't a subdued silence, but rather like a bucket of cold water being poured into boiling oil, the intense commotion suddenly silenced by something.

Several people who had been arguing the loudest earlier unconsciously lowered their heads. The tall, thin man holding the child moved his lips but didn't say anything.

"The young master is right..." an old woman in the crowd spoke up, "King Qi is a good man, we cannot be heartless."

"Yes, King Qi has treated us well."

"Let's wait a little longer; the imperial grain will eventually arrive."

As the crowd calmed down, some people began to turn and leave.

Jiang Xun stood at a distance, watching Li Che's back, and nodded to himself inwardly—this young man was only a year older than him, but he was very mature in his speech and actions, neither humble nor arrogant, and his words were reasonable and well-founded.

But just then, a discordant voice rang out.

"Everyone, everyone—" Qian Bancheng emerged from the left side of the crowd at some point, his face bearing an unsettlingly slick expression. "I do have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

He rubbed his hands together, seemingly embarrassed to speak, but his words were clear: "Your Highness just mentioned that the relief grain is on its way. I'd like to ask—has this relief grain not arrived yet, or... has it already arrived?"

These words caused another stir in the crowd.

Jiang Xun frowned—was this unscrupulous merchant never going to stop?

Li Che looked at Qian Bancheng, his gaze sharpening slightly: "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"It's nothing," Qian Bancheng shrugged. "I'm just thinking of everyone. The disaster has been going on for so long, and the relief supplies are still not arriving. Who wouldn't be suspicious? I wonder if... if someone has embezzled them?"

He didn't directly accuse the Prince of Qi's mansion of embezzlement, but every word he said was leading the conversation in that direction.

Whispers began to circulate among the crowd.

"What this fat guy said... actually makes sense."

"Yes, King Qi may be a good man, but who knows what his subordinates are like..."

Li Che's face darkened.

He stopped arguing with Qian Bancheng and turned to the crowd, raising his voice: "Gentlemen, please hear me out—"

Before he could finish speaking, a stone flew over.

They went straight for Li Che's face.

Li Che sidestepped and dodged it.

But then, a second and a third stone flew over.

The crowd became chaotic.

Some people screamed, some dodged, and some took the opportunity to push forward.

Several burly men mingled in the crowd, throwing stones and shouting, "The Prince Qi's Mansion is bullying us! They're not letting us live!"

Lee Cheol's personal guards immediately surrounded the crown prince, protecting him in the middle.

But they dared not make a move—they were surrounded by civilians, and taking action would only escalate the situation.

A stone flew from the side, and Li Che couldn't dodge it in time; he was about to be hit.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and firmly grasped the stone.

Jiang Xun stepped in front of Li Che, threw the stone to the ground, dusted off his hands, and grinned at the burly men who had thrown the stone: "Pretty accurate, huh? Trained?"

The burly men were taken aback.

Jiang Xun didn't wait for their reply and suddenly moved. In a flash, he disappeared into the crowd.

Before the burly men could react, he grabbed them by the arms, one in each hand, and pulled them out of the crowd like chicks.

"Come, come, let everyone see who's throwing stones."

He threw the three of them to the ground.

The three of them fell and were completely disoriented, crying out in pain.

The surrounding crowd was stunned when they saw this.

These three burly men, each with a fierce build and a face full of menacing features, seemed like an entirely different species compared to the emaciated refugees beside them.

"Isn't that the guy next to the fat man?" someone recognized him.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

All eyes were on Qian Bancheng.

Qian Bancheng's face turned a deep purplish-red, his lips trembled, and he wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out.

Li Che gave Jiang Xun a deep look, then turned to Qian Bancheng, his voice calm yet as cold as a knife: "Does the old man have anything else to say?"

Qian Bancheng opened his mouth, then suddenly plopped down on the ground, slapping his thigh and wailing, "Injustice! I'm innocent! I had no idea these scoundrels would do such a thing—Your Highness, please see the truth!"

"Whether it's a false accusation or not, we'll find out by asking around." Li Che's aura suddenly changed. "Guards, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."

"Yes!" A guard immediately responded.

Qian Bancheng howled even louder.

Li Che ignored him and walked up to Jiang Xun. He stared at him for a few moments and then suddenly smiled.

"It's you."

It's not a question, it's a certainty.

Jiang Xun scratched his head and chuckled, "Your Highness has a good memory."

Li Che's smile deepened.

He raised his hand and patted Jiang Xun on the shoulder, not with much force, but very firmly: "Come back to the manor with me."

Jiang Xun wanted to say no, but Li Che had already turned and left. After taking two steps, he turned back to look at him: "Come on."

The tone left no room for argument.

Jiang Xun sighed and followed.