Chapter 125: What is Righteousness and Benevolence

Chapter 213: The Emperor's SwordChapter 125: What is Righteousness

"To show off in front of others, is that being... trying to appear cool"

Su Jinpa found it quite interesting, but still felt that these two words were not a good thing.

> But with this happening, the atmosphere between them naturally became more relaxed and less awkward.

Talking and laughing, the two gradually moved away from the bustling city center of Beijing.

Especially after leaving the city, the devastated scene filled Su Jinpa with a sense of sorrow, and Li Chen's words seemed to have stopped at some point.

Without a word, the two took advantage of the lighter snowfall to rush towards Tongzhou.

"The journey from the capital to Tongzhou is only twenty or thirty miles. If there were a large-scale relief effort, we should be able to see some signs of it not far ahead." Su Jinpa found a topic to discuss.

Li Chen nodded and said, "I hope these people still have a bit of conscience."

Su Jinpa knew what Li Chen meant.

Today, natural disasters are rampant and the imperial treasury is empty. Both commoners and officials are actually having a hard time.

Those who are in a position of power have a natural advantage. If they want to be corrupt, relief supplies and grain would be the easiest targets to exploit.

Su Jinpa could only pray that nothing would happen today.

Two people rode as fast as they could, and more and more disaster victims gradually appeared around them.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Li Chen and Su Jinpa saw a long line of people outside a town in the distance.

There were nearly a thousand disaster victims queuing on the scene, and at the end of the queue were several soup kitchens.

Looking at the guards and officials maintaining order around them, Su Jin said: "The order is fairly well maintained; it seems they've put some effort into it."

"Get down and go take a look ahead."

Two people dismounted and followed the team toward the porridge shed.

"Sir, please. Just a little more," an elderly woman at the front of the line said weakly, "My wife is too ill to walk. She's carrying our baby, our only child. Just a bit more... even half a spoonful would help."

"The yamen official who was in charge of serving the porridge shouted angrily, 'You old geezer, it's a great blessing that His Highness the Ninth Prince is willing to give you any at all, and yet you dare complain about how little If everyone were to have half a scoop more, what would I do'"

"Do you want love or not If you take the porridge, just get out of here!"

The old woman hesitated, unwilling to leave, and still pleaded desperately, but before she could speak, the yamen official who was speaking picked up the ladle full of porridge and smashed it onto her forehead.

Immediately, the old woman screamed and fell to the ground, her head split open and bleeding.

The yamen servant roared, "Get out! Don't you know who I am"

After finishing his words, the constable scooped the ladle still smeared with the old woman's hair and blood into the pot and grumbled, "Next!"

The old woman's broken bowl shattered, spilling the watery porridge all over her. She didn't even care about the wound on her forehead; she desperately picked up the broken bowl and looked at the thin layer of water left inside, weeping loudly: "Oh Lord! Why are you doing this to me! I just wanted to make some porridge for my daughter-in-law and unborn grandson!"

The surrounding refugees were numb, as if they had grown accustomed to this.

The next refugee pushed past him, holding out a bowl to receive the porridge.

But before the large spoon could pour the half-bowl of clear, almost mirror-like congee into his bowl, Li Chen snatched it away.

"Who are you!"

The constable who had been robbed of his shovel instinctively wanted to get angry, but seeing Li Chen's distinguished bearing and fine clothes, he realized the man couldn't possibly be a disaster victim. His tone immediately softened.

Li Chen ignored him and stirred the wooden tub with his spoon. He saw only a few scattered rice grains floating up from the bottom, along with more black mud and pebbles.

Li Chen's voice was cold and sharp as he said, "This gruel that even a dog wouldn't drink is what the Ninth Prince calls benevolence!"

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate! her lesson. With Li Chen around, she wouldn't dare to enter the secluded phoenix carriage that no one could see. So she chose to walk back to the palace.The two of them walked towards Fengxi Palace.S...