After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The three left the Honglu Temple and arrived at the West Market Street.

Zhu Houzhao changed into the attire of a young nobleman, while Yang Shen disguised himself as a page.

Li Chun had also changed into a brown short shirt, with a broadsword hanging at his waist, looking like a martial arts guard.

Around the three were more than a dozen Imperial Guards, all dressed in civilian clothes, who kept a close watch on passersby.

It was noon, and the streets were teeming with pedestrians, with vendors' cries rising and falling.

Zhu Houzhao opened his eyes wide with curiosity, looking left and right, finding everything new and exciting.

"Look, Yang, that... it's blowing air!"

"That's a sugar figurine."

"Oh, what about that one? It spins really fast!"

"windmill."

"And that one! A bright red skewer, looks delicious!"

"Candied hawthorn berries".

Zhu Houzhao swallowed hard: "Could I...?"

Yang Shen stopped him and explained, "The candied hawthorns are too sour. My teeth will ache after eating them. How can I eat anything else?"

"oh!"

Zhu Houzhao was somewhat disappointed, but soon, a three-story restaurant appeared before him, and he could smell the aroma from afar.

Li Chun immediately said, "I've heard this roast duck is excellent! Crispy skin and tender meat, roasted with fruitwood!"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up, and he said, "Shall we go try it?"

Yang Shen shook his head: "No rush, let's walk a little further."

Zhu Houzhao glanced longingly at the restaurant before finally following.

Before long, we passed another restaurant. There was a large earthenware oven at the entrance, with charcoal burning brightly inside. The chef was using long tongs to pick out golden-brown sesame cakes.

Li Chun said, "Oven-baked sesame seed cake!"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Yang Shen with anticipation.

Unexpectedly, Yang Shen repeated his previous statement: "No rush."

Li Chun, watching anxiously from the side, whispered, "Yang, it's getting late..."

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon!"

Yang Shen continued forward without stopping.

The shops on both sides gradually thinned out, and the pedestrians' attire became simpler.

The bluestone road has turned into a dirt road, and there are occasional sewage ditches along the roadside, emitting an unpleasant smell.

Li Chun became alert and took two steps forward: "Yang, if we go any further, we'll be out of the inner city. The outer city isn't as safe as the inner city; it's a mixed bag. Shall we go back?"

Yang Shen suddenly asked, "Has Your Highness been to the outer city?"

Zhu Houzhao was standing on tiptoe watching a monkey trainer in the distance when he heard this and shook his head: "No! I've hardly ever left the Forbidden City since I was a child, let alone the inner or outer city."

Yang Shen asked, "Would you like to go take a look?"

Zhu Houzhao immediately turned his gaze away from the little monkey and exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! Let's go!"

Li Chun's face turned green as he tried to dissuade him, saying, "Yang, the outer city is really unsafe! There are all sorts of people there—vagrants, beggars, thugs! What if something happens..."

Yang Shen smiled and said, "Isn't there still you, Commander Li?"

Helpless, Li Chun could only wink at a member of the Imperial Guard disguised as a peddler by the roadside.

The peddler understood, picked up his load, and hurried away, presumably to set up defenses in advance.

As the group passed through the inner city gate, the scene before them suddenly changed.

The streets have become narrower, the houses lower, and the roads are full of potholes.

On both sides are mostly low mud-brick houses, some with roofs that are only covered with thatch.

Many pedestrians were dressed in rags, and occasionally a pale and thin child would squat in a corner, staring longingly at passersby.

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Why is the outer city like this?"

Yang Shen didn't reply and continued walking forward.

The three passed by several small restaurants, and Zhu Houzhao finally stopped clamoring to eat.

Compared to the inner city, the restaurants here have shabby facades and greasy tables and chairs, which look unappetizing.

Li Chun couldn't hold back any longer and moved closer to Yang Shen: "Yang, what do you want to eat? We've been walking for an hour!"

Yang Shen raised his hand and pointed to the street corner ahead.

The crowd looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a simple thatched hut with a long queue in front of it. The queue consisted mostly of raggedly dressed people, men, women, and children, all of whom looked pale and sickly.

Two large iron pots were set up under the shed, with thin porridge simmering inside.

Several men dressed as yamen runners were maintaining order, shouting, "Line up! Line up! One bowl per person, no grabbing!"

Li Chun was stunned, completely bewildered.

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Is this the government distributing porridge?"

Yang Shen nodded: "Yesterday I saw many more refugees on the streets. I heard that the Haihe River breached its banks in the lower reaches, and the Hejian and Baoding areas suffered disasters. Many people fled to the capital."

Zhu Houzhao stared at the procession, then suddenly said, "I've even had some relief porridge before! I'll go get a bowl and try it!"

Li Chun reacted quickly, grabbing him and saying, "Your Highness! Please don't be silly!"

Then he looked at Yang Shen: "Yang, what exactly do you want to do with His Highness here?"

Looking at the soup kitchen, Yang Shen sighed, "Looking at them, my compassion is overflowing again."

Zhu Houzhao asked curiously, "What is a saintly heart?"

"that is……"

Yang Shen explained vaguely: "It means I can't stand seeing people suffer."

Zhu Houzhao nodded: "Natural disasters and man-made calamities, there's nothing we can do! But speaking of which, I really want to try the porridge that the court provides."

Yang Shen turned around and said, "How long can the imperial court provide disaster relief? The national treasury has limited funds and grain. What will happen tomorrow if we distribute porridge today? What will happen the day after tomorrow?"

Zhu Houzhao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's continue the relief efforts! We can't just watch the people starve to death."

"Your Highness is benevolent."

Yang Shen smiled, but his smile was somewhat faint. He continued, "But the national treasury's funds and grain are not inexhaustible. What will they do when the disaster relief grain runs out? Today there's flooding in Hejian, tomorrow the Yellow River will breach its banks, the day after tomorrow the Huai River will overflow... There are natural disasters every year, and the court provides relief every year. Where will the money come from? Where will the grain come from?"

Zhu Houzhao was stumped by the question; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Yang Shen pointed ahead and said, "There's a restaurant over there, let's grab a bite to eat first."

Zhu Houzhao looked back at the porridge stall again, seemingly wanting to try some.

The small restaurant is on a street corner, with a storefront that can only accommodate two people side by side.

There were four square tables in the shop, with wooden slats supporting the legs to prevent them from wobbling.

Li Chun went in first, glanced around, and finding nothing unusual, then invited Zhu Houzhao in.

When the shop assistants saw that there were customers, they quickly came over to greet them.

"What would you three like to eat?"

Li Chun asked, "What do you have here?"

"There's porridge, flatbread, and stir-fried dishes."

Zhu Houzhao perked up: "Let me start with a bowl of bird's nest porridge!"

The waiter paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No."

"Then I'll have a bowl of Eight Treasure Lotus Seed Soup!"

"no."

"Surely you can have plain congee?"

"No, not at all..."

Zhu Houzhao said impatiently, "Didn't you say there was porridge?"

The waiter had no choice but to say, "We have...millet porridge."

Zhu Houzhao asked, "What about the dishes? What stir-fries do you have?"

"Stewed cabbage, stewed tofu, and... stewed cabbage with tofu."

"You only have cabbage and tofu here?"

The waiter nodded and said, "If you had come any later, the cabbage and tofu would have been sold out."

Yang Shen continued, "Three bowls of millet porridge, six steamed buns, and a pot of cabbage stew with tofu."

The waiter sang "Yes" and scurried off to the kitchen.

Zhu Houzhao rested his chin on his hand and muttered, "This shop is too shabby."

Yang Shen picked up the bamboo chopsticks on the table and wiped them with his sleeve: "Your Highness may not know this, but in ordinary people's homes, stewed cabbage and tofu is already considered very good. On ordinary days, they usually eat pickled vegetables with porridge, and only during festivals do they see a little meat."

Zhu Houzhao didn't believe it: "Is it really that bad? How much does cabbage and tofu cost?"

"After a year of hard work, ordinary people are lucky if they can even afford to eat their fill after deducting land taxes, poll taxes, and corvée labor. Your Highness, you can have a dozen dishes at a meal in the palace and think it's normal. But how many ordinary people have never tasted even a single dessert from the imperial kitchen in their entire lives?"

Zhu Houzhao remained silent.

Before long, the porridge, pancakes, and dishes were served.

The millet porridge was thin and watery, and the steamed cakes were made from mixed flour and were dark in color.

The stewed cabbage and tofu was served in a large bowl, but the broth was thin and watery, with no oil in sight.

Zhu Houzhao picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and immediately spat it out.

"Why is there sand?"

Yang Shen didn't say anything, but picked up a steamed bun and handed it over.

Zhu Houzhao took the steamed bun, took a bite, and frowned deeply: "Is this what you call a steamed bun? It's hard and rough! The steamed buns in the palace are white and soft; this is completely different!"

Yang Shen pointed to the cabbage and tofu and said, "Your Highness, please try this as well."

Zhu Houzhao picked up a piece of tofu, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and shook his head repeatedly: "It's tasteless and disgusting."

Li Chun cautiously suggested from the side, "How about... we go back to eat?"

Just then, a voice came from the doorway—

"Sir, please have mercy and give me some food..."