Luo Qizhe raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What conditions?"
"You ask what you already know! It's the condition for the Dongyang merchants to provide disaster relief. Shen Muzhou also came to find you before, but the merchants refused to help. Now you've suddenly come to me, what are the conditions?"
Luo Qizhe looked at her beautiful eyes and said, "Your eyes are really beautiful."
Lin Yanxi frowned and leaned back, looking at him as if he were crazy.
He was amused by her expression and laughed, "Am I that scary?"
"I said, I might propose some conditions in exchange for others, but for you, there's no need for a transaction. I'll help with disaster relief voluntarily."
"However..."
As he spoke, he picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and put it down. "However, if you truly feel uneasy, then let's exchange it for three things."
"Which three?"
"I haven't thought of them yet. I'll tell you when I do."
"That won't do. What if you ask me to commit murder and arson, or betray Nanmin?"
"Betray Nanmin..." Luo Qizhe chewed on these four words thoughtfully. She then seriously put on a stern face, her young, round eyes watching her guardedly.
The next moment, Luo Qizhe chuckled and asked, "Does your betrayal or non-betrayal of Nanmin matter to Nanmin? Besides, what would Dongyang gain from you, a young girl?"
"Oh, that's true..." She was indeed not someone who could access royal secrets or wield life-or-death power. Whether she betrayed or not seemed to bring no benefit to either country.
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue again. "Why does it sound so unpleasant when you say it?"
Some dishes had already been served on the table. Luo Qizhe took out two chopsticks and handed them to her, saying, "Eat the dishes."
"Yinghong, let's eat together."
Yinghong put down her belongings and sat on a chair, picking up her chopsticks to eat. She seemed very hungry, finishing a small bowl of rice in no time. She didn't speak, only staring at the rice bowl in front of Lin Yanxi with her dark eyes.
Lin Yanxi felt a little uneasy under her gaze and tentatively asked, "For you? I haven't touched it yet."
Yinghong didn't stand on ceremony, taking her rice and putting it into her mouth.
"The shopkeeper must have forgotten that our little Yinghong eats a lot, so we need to order more." Luo Qizhe explained, "In the palace, Yinghong always went hungry with me. When there was food, she would eat desperately. I've made her suffer."
When he looked at Yinghong, his eyes were full of pity and tenderness.
In the imperial palace, for every palace with a certain number of people, the imperial kitchen would prepare that amount of food. It was all portioned out and delivered to the various palaces by palace maids. However, if someone deliberately targeted you, it was very simple – just bribe the palace maid who delivered the food or the head of the imperial kitchen.
One could imagine how difficult Yinghong's life was following Luo Qizhe, which was why Luo Qizhe cherished her so much.
Lin Yanxi clumsily picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it in Yinghong's bowl, "Eat more, there's still plenty if you're not full."
Yinghong paused in her movements, nodded, and continued eating.
Luo Qizhe, on the other hand, picked up another chicken drumstick and gave it to Lin Yanxi, saying, "You eat too."
"In Dongyang, chicken is first roasted before being placed in a pot and doused with hot oil. Let's sit on the grassland and eat together."
They chatted for a while, and laughter occasionally echoed in the room.
Luo Qizhe described Dongyang as beautiful and free, making one yearn for it.
By the time the dishes on the table were finished, the Pavilion Master of the Dongyang Pavilion had also returned.
The Pavilion Master walked up from downstairs, holding a small wooden box in his hand. Upon seeing Luo Qizhe, he first knelt and performed a Dongyang salute.
"Greetings, First Prince." After the Pavilion Master saluted, he presented the wooden box with both hands.
Luo Qizhe took the wooden box and said, "Rise."
The Pavilion Master stood up from the ground and opened the wooden box, which contained a thick stack of banknotes – "ten thousand taels."
"This is from the Dongyang Pavilion and several other Dongyang merchants. We hope it will alleviate your urgent need."
The refugee shelters indeed needed this money badly. She never expected that with Luo Qizhe present, things would go so smoothly.
Lin Yanxi accepted the money and said, "Thank you, Pavilion Master, for your assistance."
The Pavilion Master bowed and said, "It is a small token of our regard, all at the behest of His Highness."
"Aside from that little girl Yinghong, this is the first time His Highness has brought a woman here. It seems she is someone His Highness cares about."
Lin Yanxi, holding the box of banknotes, felt a little awkward. After a moment of thought, she said, "It's not like that. Perhaps..."
Perhaps not.
Donations for disaster relief should come from the heart, either out of a desire to save the Nanmin refugees for a noble cause, or by seeing this as an opportunity to benefit their business.
Regardless of the motive, it shouldn't be solely for her sake that they donated.
Before she could finish speaking, Luo Qizhe guessed her thoughts and said, "Having your Dongyang Pavilion provide disaster relief isn't entirely for others. Merchants do business between the two countries. If Nanmin truly collapses from this, your business here will come to an end."
"Furthermore, in recent years, the common people have preferred to buy from established merchant families and century-old shops. They only occasionally buy from the merchants' shops out of curiosity. In fact, some Dongyang products are cheaper and better, but people are not familiar with or trust the merchants, so they don't come to buy."
"By taking advantage of this disaster relief opportunity, you can establish and promote the name of your Dongyang Pavilion."
The Pavilion Master nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes. That's what we considered. After His Highness issued the order, these banknotes were quickly gathered."
Only then did Lin Yanxi accept the money and say, "I will explain the situation to the Prince. People from the Prince's mansion will be in touch with you later for the remaining details."
Luo Qizhe slightly raised his chin, his well-defined fingers lightly touching his nose, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if some thoughts were being suppressed.
"Very well. This matter will be handled as the young lady has said. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave." the Pavilion Master said.
Lin Yanxi nodded, expressing her gratitude.
Luo Qizhe smiled gently, watching the Pavilion Master withdraw, and his gaze fell back on Lin Yanxi, "Would you like to go somewhere else with me?"
Having accepted such a great favor from Luo Qizhe, she found it difficult to refuse. "Where to?"
Luo Qizhe said, "Let's go."
As they left the Dongyang Pavilion, the shopkeeper brought a carriage and handed it to Yinghong. Luo Qizhe and Lin Yanxi walked ahead, with Yinghong leading the carriage and following silently behind.
After walking for about half an hour, Lin Yanxi felt a series of dull pains in her chest, her old injury worsening. She panted and asked, "How much longer until we arrive?"
Luo Qizhe didn't notice anything unusual about her, only that her face was paler than before. "Just two more alleys."
"Are you tired? Come, I'll carry you."
She glared at him but said nothing, continuing to walk forward in silence. "We have a carriage but aren't riding it."
After two more alleys, they reached the end of Nan Street. Some children ran out from the alley, intending to go out and play, but their eyes lit up when they saw Luo Qizhe. They surrounded him and shouted, "Big Prince Brother!"
Luo Qizhe smiled, squatted down, and ruffled their hair. "Have you been good these days?"
"Yes, I've been the best. Big Prince Brother."
"No, you haven't."
"Big Prince Brother, did you bring sugar figures?"
The children chattered amongst themselves, each saying their piece, and flocked around Luo Qizhe, leading him into the courtyard.
Lin Yanxi followed behind them.
In the large courtyard, some old women were dyeing cloth. They saw Luo Qizhe without alarm and slowly saluted him, showing no distance or awkwardness due to his status.
There were also a few disabled men helping the old women with their work.
"The First Prince has arrived." A man with disabled legs walked with the support of crutches.
He turned and called into the house, and many people came out from the courtyard to greet Luo Qizhe.
There were about a dozen adults and eight or nine children. The adults all had some form of disability.
"Miss, did you come with the First Prince?" the disabled man asked, with a hint of inquiry in his tone.
Lin Yanxi nodded and, after observing him closely, realized that this man also had typical Dongyang features.
He smiled and said, "It's the first time I've seen the First Prince bring someone from Nanmin."
Lin Yanxi asked, "Is everyone in this courtyard from Dongyang?"
He replied, "Yes. There used to be dozens of people in this courtyard; they were all soldiers injured during the war between the two dynasties. They couldn't return to Dongyang, so the First Prince arranged for them to stay here to recover."
"These children are all orphans whose parents died in the war."
"Later, those who recovered and were able to move returned to Dongyang. Only we remained. Returning to Dongyang would only make us a burden to our families as disabled people, better to let them think we are dead."
Yinghong, having tied up the horse, took boxes of items from the carriage – winter clothes, cups, some food, and things for the children.
The man with crutches slowly made his way towards Yinghong, helping her sort through the items.
Luo Qizhe was surrounded by the children. He had brought a box of books specifically to give to each child. He didn't know martial arts and looked quite frail, but when he was with these children, he seemed capable of protecting them forever.
He whispered something in the children's ears, and a few children came over to pull Lin Yanxi to join them, playing together.
As dusk fell and the crescent moon shone faintly through the layers of clouds, Lin Yanxi and Luo Qizhe boarded the sedan chair back to the palace.
Luo Qizhe said, "Did you find Nan Street fun today?"
Lin Yanxi then realized that Nan Street was mostly inhabited by people from Dongyang and Xizhou. "It was quite good."
"Compared to Chang'an Street?" He knew that noble ladies like Lin Yanxi preferred the lively and prosperous Chang'an Street.
He wanted to show her that besides Chang'an Street, there were many other places in Nanmin where people like them lived, unseen, not belonging to Nanmin.
Lin Yanxi thought for a moment and said, "Each has its own merits, but wherever it is, it is a part of Nanmin."
"If you like it, I'll bring you here again in the future," he said.
Seeing his demeanor, she thought the Third Princess must be busy with the marriage alliance and had no time to pester him. She turned her head to look out the window and said, "We'll see."
"Indeed. As a hostage in the palace, my life is precarious. I don't know when I'll be able to leave the palace again."
The atmosphere suddenly became a little somber. After a pause, she tentatively asked, "So, are you staying in Nanmin for the sake of those people in the courtyards?"