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

"Wei Xuantong..."

Chen Huai'an's expression was somewhat strange. This name seemed familiar; he had a vague recollection of it.

After thinking about it carefully, Chen Huai'an gradually remembered.

Isn't this the same Wei Xuantong who left behind the famous saying, "Whether a person kills or a ghost kills, what difference does it make? How can one become an informer?"

Wei Xuantong came from a poor family, but later entered officialdom through the imperial examination and was appointed prime minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

He was an upright official throughout his life, and was known for his institutional foresight and talent in selecting officials. He was never corrupt or abused his power.

However, because he was a staunch supporter of the Li Tang dynasty, he was later executed by Empress Wu Zetian after she ascended the throne.

Thinking of all this, Chen Huai'an looked at the ten-year-old boy and became more serious: "In that case, you can choose the second one."

"I will find you a place to live and have someone give you one string of cash every month. As for your studies... I can help you with that too."

"I hope that you can enter officialdom through the imperial examination in the future and change your destiny."

"Thank you, Duke Xie." The old man was very excited and thanked his grandson repeatedly.

"No need, this is what you deserve. Stay here for a few days. If you need anything, just let me know." Chen Huai'an smiled faintly, got up, and left with Xiao He and Chen Sujin.

"Xuantong..." The old man stroked his grandson's head, his gaze complex.

The Wei family had already declined during the Northern Qi Dynasty, and their situation worsened at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Today, they are struggling to even survive.

They thought the Wei family was about to disappear from the world, but unexpectedly, a chance to change their fate appeared because of a moment of kindness.

"Grandpa, I'm here."

The old man stroked his grandson's head, his eyes filled with affection: "Xuantong, you must remember, no matter what achievements you make in the future, Duke Anguo will always be a great benefactor to our Wei family, understand?"

"Yes!" Wei Xuantong nodded earnestly. "Grandpa, Xuantong remembers. Xuantong will never forget the kindness of the Duke of Anguo."

"......"

"Xiao An...I..."

After leaving the house, Chen Sujin hesitated, as if she had something to say.

Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Sister, what's wrong? It's been years, and you don't recognize your little brother anymore? Have you forgotten that we used to only have two wooden beds in our house? Parents slept on one, and the two of us slept on the other."

"Back then, you would tell me everything at night, chattering on and on. Now you treat me like an outsider?"

Chen Sujin was taken aback. Seeing Xiaohe casting a curious glance at her, she slapped Chen Huai'an lightly and said in an annoyed tone, "What nonsense are you talking about? The past is the past, and the present is the present."

"Are you still too young?"

"It's not small, can't you just tell me directly?" Chen Huai'an asked with a smile.

Chen Sujin hesitated for a moment, then said shyly, "Xiao An, I... I also want to study. I asked Yunyan about it yesterday, and I heard that the Lady of the County is going to attend some kind of ceremony."

"I can't read a single word and I don't know any manners. If I don't learn, I'll embarrass you."

"I should have gotten married in the first place, and I shouldn't be living with you. But I have no choice now, and it wouldn't be good if I continued to embarrass you."

Chen Huai'an said silently, "Sister, without you, there would be no me."

"You won't embarrass me, we're family."

"Have you forgotten what Mother said when she passed away? We are each other's only support in this world."

Chen Sujin was deeply moved by these words and pursed her lips: "That's true... but I can't just sit at home all day."

"I have to find something to do."

Chen Huai'an nodded: "Of course, sister, you can do whatever you want. I'll hire a tutor for you and Chen He to come and teach you."

Upon hearing this, Xiaohe immediately perked up: "Uncle, can I go to school too?"

"Of course!" Chen Huai'an gently patted Xiao He's head. "Everyone else can study, why can't Xiao He?"

"Uncle found a tutor for Xiaohe, so that she can become a great talent, just as Zhang Geshi said."

Xiao He was very happy to hear this and couldn't help but smile, revealing two small dimples.

If she hadn't been so poorly fed for so many years, she would definitely be a lovely little girl.

However, Chen Sujin keenly noticed Chen Huai'an's way of addressing Xiao He, and her expression changed slightly.

She naturally understood that her brother was telling her that no matter what Xiao He's surname was before, from now on she would be surnamed Chen!

After a moment of silence, Chen Sujin smiled and said, "Okay, let's do as Xiao An says."

"Xiao An has grown up and is now the head of the family!"

"..."

"Sir, what should we do with those two men surnamed Huang?"

After Chen Sujin and Xiaohe returned to their respective rooms, Wang Bai finally spoke up and asked.

Chen Huai'an paused for a moment; if Wang Bai hadn't mentioned it, he really wouldn't have thought of it for a while.

"Come here!" Chen Huai'an practically spat out the words, beckoning Wang Bai over and whispering some instructions in his ear.

"Yes, sir." Wang Bai's heart tightened upon hearing this, his face turned pale, and he quickly replied.

"Alright, you can arrange for someone to do these things yourself. Now come with me." Chen Huai'an waved his hand.

Wang Bai immediately gave the order and then drove the carriage over.

The two left the Duke of Anguo's mansion and headed straight for the outskirts of the city.

By this time, makeshift shelters had been erected outside the city. The shelters were very simple and could barely provide some shelter from the wind and rain.

It was obviously not feasible to use it to resettle disaster victims long-term, but the government officials didn't intend for the disaster victims to stay there for long either; they only planned to let them stay for a day or two.

When Chen Huai'an arrived, Li Shimin and his family had already arrived and arranged for the distribution of porridge. At this time, Li Shimin was personally explaining their future plans to the disaster victims.

It was rare in all dynasties for the emperor to personally visit the disaster site and comfort the people in person.

Not far away, Li Chengqian seemed to notice him, his eyes immediately lighting up as he jogged over: "Sir, you've come! How is my aunt?"

Hearing the term "Master Aunt," even Chen Huai'an, with his thick skin, felt a little embarrassed.

The little guy genuinely regarded him as a teacher, but he hadn't really paid much attention to Li Chengqian all this time.

"That's good." Chen Huai'an changed the subject. "Didn't you often want to visit disaster victims before?"

"Now that you've seen it, what are your thoughts?"

Li Chengqian blurted out, "Sir, they are suffering too much."

"I saw that some of them had very bloated stomachs, and when I asked them, I found out that they had eaten Guanyin clay."

"Sir, I've only ever read about these things in books before."

When the events described in the books actually happened before his eyes, it brought Li Chengqian a tremendous spiritual shock.

He found it hard to imagine how these people managed to swallow the clay, and even more unimaginable how hungry they had become and how much despair they had endured before choosing to eat it.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengqian finally understood why his teacher was willing to bear the infamy and offend powerful families in order to find ways to make money and set up schemes to cheat grain merchants.

Chen Huai'an looked around at the disaster victims and shook his head: "What you see is only part of the story. Eating clay and even exchanging children to eat are common occurrences during times of famine."

"The saying goes, 'When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer.' This is truly the case!"

"..."