The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"You mean, you want me to personally go and provide disaster relief?" A glint appeared in Li Shimin's eyes, as if he understood Chen Huai'an's plan.

"I didn't say that; it was all Your Majesty's own idea," Chen Huai'an said, then turned to ask, "By the way, Your Majesty, why haven't we seen Her Majesty the Empress and Her Majesty the Crown Prince recently?"

"Are they very busy? Come to think of it, I ran into them last time."

Li Shimin's expression turned extremely strange, and he almost laughed out loud: "Yes, you didn't say anything, it was all my own idea."

"The Empress and the Crown Prince... hehe, they're not busy, not busy at all!"

Li Shimin couldn't suppress the urge to smile; he clearly understood what Chen Huai'an meant.

Putting aside the fact that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate, he desperately needed to have a good image in the eyes of the people, at least to let them know that he was an emperor who cared about their plight.

Even if he were to gain the rightful position, he would not let go of any opportunity to win over the people.

Isn't this how it was done before, when people redeemed their children from those who sold them and returned them to their families?

Chen Huai'an's suggestion was exactly what he wanted to hear, making it impossible for him to refuse.

"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now. The disaster victims are about to arrive in Chang'an, and I still need to prepare relief grain and arrange for work-for-relief programs," Chen Huai'an said, bowing.

"Alright, alright, go ahead. After we've settled these disaster victims, I'll have a good drink with you." Li Shimin's mood improved considerably, and he readily agreed.

Not long after, Zhang Anan led palace maids and eunuchs, bringing fine wine and delicacies, but only Li Shimin remained in the palace.

Zhang Anan, somewhat puzzled, bent down and asked, "Your Majesty, the wine and food are ready... Duke Anguo..."

Li Shimin waved his hand: "Put it down for now. Go and call the Empress and the Crown Prince. I need to speak with them."

"This servant obeys the decree."

"..."

In the blink of an eye, six days have passed.

Outside Chang'an, scattered groups of emaciated, ragged refugees, resembling walking corpses, gathered together, rushing towards Chang'an, the city they were about to reach.

It wasn't until they reached this point that the previously lifeless eyes of these disaster victims gradually regained a glimmer of life.

"Chang'an City...we're almost at Chang'an City! We're saved..."

An old man gripped his grandson tightly, his voice trembling and his eyes red.

They were originally traveling together as a family, but on the way, his wife starved to death trying to save food for them, and his son was beaten to death for trying to steal some food from others.

The daughter-in-law... In order to get some food so that her son could survive, the daughter-in-law was violated and, unable to bear the humiliation, jumped into the river.

Now, they have finally arrived in Chang'an.

Among these disaster victims, there were quite a few who had the same experience as him. Along the way, in order to survive, their numbers kept decreasing, yet they kept increasing.

The decrease is because people are constantly dying for various reasons, while the increase is because new disaster victims are constantly joining the ranks.

Everyone understood one thing clearly: they couldn't survive alone. The various dangers along the way were insurmountable obstacles. Only by banding together could they possibly reach Chang'an.

As they approached Chang'an, the group of refugees tacitly stopped in their tracks.

After a long journey, they were exhausted and decided to rest before continuing the last leg of their journey.

"Mother, is Chang'an City just ahead?"

At the back of the crowd, a little girl with a face covered in dirt and her hair dry and messy leaned against her mother and asked softly.

She was wearing clothes that were patched and didn't fit properly, and one of her shoes was too big for the other.

"Yes, Chang'an is just ahead," the woman holding her replied softly, glancing around at the crowd at a comfortable distance.

Living among such a large group of disaster victims, she, a woman with a daughter, had a very difficult time.

In order to get her daughter here safely, she went through a lot of hardship, smearing herself with all sorts of dirty and smelly things, making herself filthy and smelly.

Even so, a group of people still had their eyes on them.

The woman glanced cautiously at the three scoundrels in the center of the refugee camp, who looked remarkably alike.

Such people are not uncommon among disaster victims. In years of famine, local ruffians and unemployed vagrants from prefectures and counties would voluntarily mingle with the refugee groups. They had no legitimate livelihood and relied on stealing property, robbing the elderly and weak disaster victims of their food, and extorting money to survive.

Even this situation is considered relatively good, as there may still be criminal fugitives and people evading corvée labor and military service.

These three brothers had targeted women before. If she hadn't shouted in desperation, telling everyone that if these people dared to lay a hand on her today, they would dare to lay a hand on your children and wives tomorrow, then they might very well have succeeded.

"Mom, I'm hungry..."

The little girl clutched her stomach and said weakly.

The woman instinctively hugged her daughter tightly, her heart aching. She could only whisper to comfort her, "Xiao He, can you bear with it a little longer? Mother has no food left... Once we get to Chang'an and find your uncle, Xiao He will be able to eat her fill."

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Xiao He's bright eyes: "Mother... is Uncle really in Chang'an? Once we find Uncle, will Xiao He no longer have to gnaw on tree bark? I want to eat wild vegetable porridge."

"Of course." The woman listened to her daughter's words, fighting back tears. "Uncle is amazing. He promised Mother that he would make a name for himself in Chang'an and become Mother's pride. Mother's name was changed by your uncle later."

"So, has Uncle... become Mother's pride?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sujin was momentarily dazed, remembering her younger brother who was only three years younger than her.

He was only sixteen years old at the time, with only a little money on him. He traveled thousands of miles from home to Chang'an to take the imperial examination, enduring countless hardships along the way.

From a young age, her younger brother showed extraordinary talent. He could walk at one year old, speak normally at two, and often went to listen to storytellers at three. He was quiet, well-behaved, and obedient.

Later, the storyteller noticed him and, out of interest, taught him a few words. To his surprise, he learned them very quickly and mastered them after just one lesson.

The storyteller said that this child was extraordinary, a promising student, and had come at a good time to take the imperial examinations.

If you have the ability, you must let him study. Maybe he can pass the imperial examinations and make a name for himself in the future.

From then on, his family did everything they could to send him to school, begging, borrowing, and trying every possible way to find books for him to read. With the help of storytellers, they were able to keep up with his studies.

Of course, her younger brother never disappointed them either. At a young age, he could compose poems and quote classical texts. People in the village said that her brother was a literary star descended from heaven.

Chen Sujin rested her chin on her daughter's head and murmured, "Of course, your uncle has always been your mother's pride."

"..."