The officials in the hall suddenly became flustered. The disaster relief funds would only arrive after eight days, and there was no money to buy grain. Where would the grain for the people's relief come from? If the people, filled with hope, were to breach the city, the consequences... simply unimaginable!
"Your Highness," Zhong Liwen said as he looked towards the Crown Prince.
Han Ye waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "As the crown prince of a nation, gu cannot be seen by just anyone who wishes to. It is simply absurd! Jian Song, move the imperial guards to the outskirts of the city and block these refugees."
After speaking, feeling impatient, he got up and said to Zhong Liwen, "Gu feel a little unwell. Zhong daren, come to escort me to the evening banquet. You may withdraw."
Zhong Liwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and as he exited the main hall, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
With multiple difficulties emerging simultaneously, I see what solutions can be offered by this pampered prince. When the common people rise in revolt and the prince loses their support, if he can then persuade the wealthy merchants to provide grain relief, it would be a great achievement.
In the inn room, Ren Anle looked at Han Ye, who was engrossed in playing chess with Wen Shuo, and observed him back and forth before saying,
"Your Highness, you have cut off your own way out."
In the blink of an eye, the crown prince refused to meet the common people, and rumors of his indulgence in banquets and pleasures with wealthy merchants spread everywhere. She believed that Zhong Liwen would never let go of this golden opportunity.
"Not placing oneself in a position of death, how can there be life afterward?" Han Ye lifted his head and looked into Ren Anle's distinct black and white eyes.
"An Le, there are three thousand civilians outside the city walls, but we only have one hundred guards. I want you to guard them until noon tomorrow. Can you do it?"
Ren Anle raised her eyes, then was startled. It was the first time she saw such unreserved trust in the depths of Han Ye's eyes.
The excessive sincerity unexpectedly had a dazzling effect. The corners of her mouth lifted, while the hand behind her back tightened slightly. She heard her own particularly radiant voice.
"Of course"
All that you wish for, I will accomplish on your behalf.
However, Han Ye, what can you use to repay me?
Translator's Note: Surprisingly, it took only 23 chapters for Han Ye to fall. I thought he would fall halfway through the novel. Wen Shuo is the first one to know, and he almost slipped the word to Yuan Qin, haha. We can already see the change in the way he treats Ren Anle. There's always a subtle "warmth" in his eyes.
Let's see how Han Ye cuts his own way out of this predicament in the next chapter. Any thoughts?