With a gentle smile, Shen Xihe remained silent. Xiao Huayong was not one to act rashly – once he made his move, there would surely be an interesting show to watch.

Her vision was obscured by the dense rain, everything appearing as if covered by a thin mist, somewhat blurry. “Who knows when this rain will stop? Using such methods won’t ensure the people of Dengzhou can feed themselves. Once these wealthy households are stretched thin, they’ll remember how this forceful seizure began. They’ll lose their humanity just to survive and stay warm, and that’s when true disaster will strike.”

Shen Xihe didn’t approve of Xiao Changyan’s approach, but since she hadn’t been present that day and didn’t know if circumstances had truly necessitated such desperate measures, she couldn’t properly judge whether Xiao Changyan was right or wrong.

This method was indeed the fastest way to obtain grain and provide disaster relief. Otherwise, negotiations with local wealthy households could drag on endlessly, and who knew what exorbitant demands these money-minded people would make?

“If we can think of this, he surely can too. Since he chose this method, whatever price must be paid, he’ll have to bear it himself,” Xiao Huayong said slowly.

“Beichen, this is indeed the best opportunity to suppress Prince Jing, but we cannot let Dengzhou fall into such chaos. Brutal methods are not a long-term solution. Besides stirring up resentment in people’s hearts and releasing the evil thoughts hidden in their depths, it will only sacrifice the elderly, young, women, and children who cannot protect themselves.”

Shen Xihe turned to look at Xiao Huayong: “We’re waiting here for Prince Xin. When Prince Xin arrives, we must enter Wendeng County with him. At that time, as the Crown Prince, Xiao Changyan will use respecting you as an excuse to push everything onto you. If riots truly break out and casualties occur, you’ll be the one taking the blame.”

“Little Eight has had it too easy in An’nan City, only thinking of pleasant things.” Xiao Huayong snorted with a laugh. “I’m the sickly Crown Prince – my only responsibility here is to be a mascot. Who is he to make me clean up his mess?”

Shen Xihe knew that if he wanted to shirk responsibility, he had countless ways to do so. “So you truly won’t handle it?”

“Of course…” The words “won’t handle” lingered on his tongue as Xiao Huayong’s bright black eyes shifted. “Youyou are kind-hearted and can’t bear to see the common people suffer even a bit. If Youyou want me to handle it, that’s not difficult…”

As he spoke, those eyes full of meaning looked Shen Xihe up and down, his suggestion extremely obvious.

Shen Xihe was no longer that naive young girl. Married to Xiao Huayong for over half a year, she could understand his eagerness to tease her with just one look from him. She wouldn’t indulge him.

During their usual intimate moments, she could hardly resist him. If she truly gave in to him now, he would surely devour her completely.

Letting out a long breath, Shen Xihe glanced at Xiao Huayong, whose eyes were terrifyingly bright with anticipation, and walked away without a word.

If he couldn’t handle it, she would!

Watching Shen Xihe’s figure walking away with light but steady steps, Xiao Huayong showed a disappointed expression, then somewhat uncomfortably rubbed his nose before silently following.

Shen Xihe wasn’t skilled at dealing with people, so she hadn’t planned to seek out conversations to understand the situation. Additionally, her current identity was merely that of a common merchant’s wife seeking relatives, so she naturally shouldn’t concern herself with the people’s conditions.

She held her umbrella and put on oil boots, stepping onto the water-covered stone slabs, walking and observing without lingering too long. What the common people lacked and needed didn’t require asking – one could see it with their eyes.

Xiao Huayong followed behind Shen Xihe somewhat helplessly, not interrupting, just accompanying her as she walked around several streets. When they returned to their lodgings, the ginger tea he had ordered before leaving was already served. Xiao Huayong poured a bowl and handed it to her: “To ward off the cold.”

Seeing her accept the ginger tea, Xiao Huayong went to fetch a basin of hot water, added some medicinal herbs for preventing cold, and placed it at her feet. As he bent down to reach for her feet, Shen Xihe instinctively moved back. Realizing Xiao Huayong’s intention, she said somewhat unclearly: “I… I’ll do it myself.”

Though she and Xiao Huayong were husband and wife, having been intimate countless times, and sometimes when Xiao Huayong was persistent, they had even bathed together, she had never let Xiao Huayong wash her feet, nor had she served him in washing his feet.

For some reason, this kind of thing always felt strange to her, a strangeness she couldn’t quite explain.

Xiao Huayong didn’t comply with her wishes, forcefully lifting her feet and removing her shoes and socks. Although their oil boots were of the finest quality, the water on the road was too deep and the rain wouldn’t stop, so Shen Xihe’s toes were somewhat damp.

Her feet were very delicate, not even filling his palm, white and fine like jade, with pink, rounded toes. Xiao Huayong became mesmerized by the sight, and might not have snapped out of it if Shen Xihe hadn’t struggled slightly.

Pretending nothing had happened, he placed Shen Xihe’s feet in the basin and said: “Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll handle it well, ensuring that those without the strength to tie a chicken won’t be implicated.”

A wave of warmth crept up from her feet, and Shen Xihe felt the chill disperse from her spine. Her hands, which hadn’t been stiff with cold, suddenly gained some warmth. The comfort made her eyes narrow slightly in enjoyment, and she forgot that Xiao Huayong’s hands were holding her ankles: “Food, clothing, shelter, transportation – they lack everything, and medicines are especially crucial. Now with this damp cold, who knows how many have caught colds, and with them gathered together, it’s even harder to contain. How will you solve this?”

Colds were easily transmitted between people, but under current circumstances, it was impossible to house them separately.

“Simply place those who have caught cold in one location, and those who haven’t in another. It’s not much trouble,” Xiao Huayong said softly while gently massaging the acupoints on her feet. “Whatever they lack, we’ll transport it in.”

“Transport? We could barely get here ourselves, traveling light. Many roads are too dangerous even for horseback.” Let alone transporting goods.

“If we can’t transport by road, we’ll transport by water,” Xiao Huayong looked up slightly, smiling confidently at Shen Xihe. “If we can’t transport by water, we’ll transport by air.”

“By air?” Shen Xihe was startled.

She thought of how during the autumn hunt, the gyrfalcon had delivered things to them in the mountains, but where in the world would they find so many gyrfalcons? Though Xiao Huayong had trained many hawks, not every hawk could carry people like a gyrfalcon.

“If I were to bring in a group of hawks to transport grain and medicines, tomorrow His Majesty would mobilize his army, label me with accusations of supernatural dealings, and order my execution without mercy.” Xiao Huayong couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve already chosen the routes. You can rest assured that I will be able to deliver the grain that you had Qi Pei and the others collect to Dengzhou, ensuring that Youyou’s sincere love for the people won’t be in vain.”

He paused, his eyes deepening: “However, the merit and glory that belongs to you – no one will be allowed to steal it.”