Chapter 392: Your Majesty's Perfect Match (5k)

"Oh? What advice do you have for me, Master Lin?"

Princess Wenzhu was stunned when she suddenly heard Zhao Duan's criticism, and asked back with a smile.

Those who have been in high positions for a long time rarely listen to criticism, but Princess Wenzhu is an exception. When she was in the Western Regions, she was close to the common people. What's more, the other party did not know her identity, so they naturally would not mind a little offense.

Zhao Duan said seriously:

"The more complex and long-lived a place is, the more it mixes good and bad people, and the more it has a set of rules. Just like this donation to save the people, the starting point is good, but how to get coal or rice from high places to the hands of the poor who are thirsty is a difficult problem."

"Poor people are inherently weak, and when they suddenly gain advantage, they easily attract the covetousness of those around them. Even if these gangs of scoundrels don't take action, the neighbors will be filled with greed, jealousy, and even hatred born of injustice...

As the saying goes, it’s not the lack of wealth that’s worrying, but the inequality. How can a group of people who are already poor and weak protect themselves?”

"So, this word 'equal', or preventing the neighbors from acting out of greed, is a difficult problem..."

Because this encounter happened suddenly and deviated from the "script" Zhao Duan had envisioned, he had to improvise a bit at this moment.

In my heart, whether it is the emotion brought about by the scene or the desire to be a teacher...

I couldn't help but recall the various things I did in my previous life when I was doing related work...

Even in the previous life, when the grassroots had strong control, there were still various difficulties when it came to "donations" and "relief".

What's more, the Great Yu Dynasty needs "gang" forces to fill in and supplement the grassroots level?

Zhao Duan said from the bottom of his heart:

"The imperial court's annual relief, including donations from wealthy individuals in Beijing and alms from temples, follows a set of procedures that must go through the relevant government offices, even down to the hands of many low-level clerks...

In this process, some people will naturally be corrupt. Ten percent of the silver will be deducted layer by layer, and finally only two or three percent will be left, which is considered good.

But if we think about it another way, it is precisely because they are willing to feed the people from top to bottom that they are willing to work hard and give the remaining money safely to the poor so that they will not be robbed...

If they refused to go through the hands of these people, it would seem that there was no middleman, but they would also lose the "protection" of this group of people. This scene in the alley was no surprise.

If you do this, Madam, by bypassing the middle government and distributing it directly, you will end up harming people.”

These words were spoken eloquently and incisively.

It is not new, it is nothing more than the "internal friction cost" within human society.

However, to the ears of important figures like Princess Wenzhu, it was like a sharp axe that split the fog before their eyes.

Princess Wenzhu suddenly realized her negligence.

When she was in the Western Regions, she often helped her people in this way, but she ignored the differences between the Western Regions and Dayu.

Once this was revealed, the gentle face was first stunned, then revealed a look of regret and realization:

"Young Master, what you said is absolutely true..."

She laughed at herself, "I am in vain... I am a few years older than you, but I am far less insightful than Master Lin."

As she spoke, the look she gave Zhao Duan changed again.

If Zhao Duan's move just now was just a "chivalrous spirit" that she admired, then this simple comment now revealed the "wisdom" of seeing through the world.

She subconsciously thought about it and recalled which famous "Lin" families there were in the capital, but she had lived in the Western Regions for a long time, so how could she think of any at the moment?

All I know is that among the powerful families in Beijing, there is no one with the surname Lin.

So, he is not from a big family, but he has such performance... The capital city is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

The eldest princess, who had been married far away for many years, felt extra surprise and curiosity about Zhao Duan.

"As Master Lin said, what should we do?" Princess Wenzhu asked humbly.

Zhao Duan's expression is natural:

"That's all we have to do for what's already been distributed. If you need more relief, it's best to donate directly to the charity halls of all sizes in East City... At least, it'll be much less embezzled than if the Ministry of Revenue allocates funds."

Princess Wenzhu's eyes wandered:

"Mr. Lin is so familiar with this, he must know how to donate. Could you please tell me which charity halls are best? We would be very grateful."

"I see..."

Zhao Duan pretended to be embarrassed, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"I came to East City today to make a small donation. If you trust me, Madam, you can come with me. I'm nearby."

Princess Wenzhu nodded happily: "Thank you for your help, young master."

Unexpectedly simple... Zhao Duan felt that the several plans he had prepared to approach the other party before coming here seemed redundant.

He turned around and said to the three men who were still cleaning up the mess in the alley:

"Chen Er, you stay here to handle the aftermath and teach these scoundrels a lesson. Xiao Rou, Hou Da, we're leaving."

The three nicknamed people immediately took action.

Qian Kerou placed the scattered steamed buns on the dustpan filled with coal, smiled softly, and squatted down in front of the little girl:

"Take it."

Immediately, she added the scattered big coins and the copper coins in her pocket, and carefully stuffed them into the pocket of the dirty, skinny little girl:

"Go slowly on your way back. Don't worry, these people won't bother you again."

The little girl, who was not good at speaking and was trembling in front of a group of important people, lowered her eyes and did not dare to answer.

Qian Kerou pursed her lips, straightened her clothes, and said seriously:

"Don't worry, this is given by my young master. Anyone who dares to snatch it is looking down on my young master."

There was a hint of evil in these calm words.

"Thank you...thank you..." The little girl stammered out two words, finally turned back after a few steps, and ran away timidly holding the dustpan.

The marquis cast a sharp glance at the group of people on the ground and spat, "Why did the young master ask you to clean up the mess?"

Chen Juan chuckled and mouthed:

"If you were asked to clean up the mess, I'm afraid these people would be killed by you."

Hou Ren snorted loudly, but did not refute. He and Qian Kerou walked out of the alley, chasing Zhao Duan and leaving with Princess Wenzhu and her group.

…

Wait until the people leave.

Chen Juancai sneered and walked to the side of the "unconscious" ruffian leader:

"If you don't get up, I will make sure you never get up again."

The ruffians jumped up in shock, and the leader, "Master Wen", was so frightened that he jumped up and kowtowed:

"Master, please spare me... please spare me..."

How could he not know that he had offended the guards of a big shot?

Chen Juan was too lazy to waste time. If his master had not hinted that he should stay to clean up the mess and ensure that the poor people who received relief would not be retaliated against, he would have wanted to chop these bastards to pieces. He believed that the government would not dare to investigate Lihuatang.

"Red Flower Society... Hehe, where is your boss? Take me there."

Master Wen was stunned for a moment, looking up at this old man with a completely different temperament from the servant in disbelief, his eyes rolling:

"There's a hall nearby."

A moment later.

Chen Juan drove this group of ruffians through the alleys and twists and turns until they arrived at a small courtyard of a branch of the Red Flower Society in the area.

Without further ado, Chen Juan kicked open the gate, prompting several ferocious-looking men to rush out. The leader, a bald man in the middle of winter, held a knife and cursed:

"Which idiot..."

Halfway through his words, the bald man's voice trembled, the knife in his hand dropped with a clang, his knees weakened, and he almost fell to his knees:

"Cha...Chaye?"

Chen Juan unexpectedly raised his eyelids: "Do you know me?"

The bald man forced a smile and said flatteringly:

"Last time, when Lord Zhao arrested Master Meng, I saw you in the crowd."

At the beginning, Zhao Duan fought with Princess Yunyang's lover, Marquis Xia Jiang. Marquis Xia Jiang sent people from the Red Flower Society to capture Feng Ju's daughter.

At that time, the leader of the Red Flower Society, "Meng Ye", was imprisoned and almost lost half his life.

Since then, the entire underground gang in the capital has respected Zhao Yanwang as if he were a ghost or god.

Chen Juan smiled and said, "That's perfect. Your men have offended my master..."

After he finished speaking in a few words, beads of sweat appeared on the bald man's head and he was so scared that he almost turned pale.

"I'm leaving this group of people to you. Remember, if anyone who receives relief today gets into trouble or is retaliated against... you know the consequences." Chen Juan patted his butt and left.

"By the way, if even a little bit of my master's whereabouts are revealed today, your whole family will be killed."

When they walked out, Wen Ye and a group of other ruffians had collapsed on the ground, their faces pale, and several of them had wet their pants.

Only then did they realize what kind of big shot they had offended.

The bald man respectfully saw Chen Wan off, then slowly straightened up, his face ashen, staring fiercely at the group of ruffians on the ground.

Soon, the sound of broken legs snapping and muffled sobs and screams were heard from the hall.

…

…

Two carriages, one in front and one behind, were driving on the snow in East City.

In the carriage following behind, Princess Wenzhu opened the curtains and felt the cool air coming in from outside.

The fur of the fox fur scarf wrapped around her neck trembled slightly.

"Princess, there's something wrong with this Link."

In the same carriage, the tall female warrior who was the personal guard said quickly in the dialect of the Western Regions:

"From his every move, I can tell he's a martial artist. I can't even fathom his true identity. His servants, including the maids, are no mere servants."

Princess Wenzhu said softly:

"Not surprising. Someone with such conversational skills must be from a prestigious family. Their descendants practice martial arts, or even cultivate, and they have several powerful guards around them. This is not uncommon in the Great Yu Dynasty."

The alert and cautious female warrior, who never left her scimitar, frowned and said:

"But Princess... don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? I don't deny that there are many powerful people in the Yu Kingdom, but it's such a coincidence that we met such a person..."

Princess Wenzhu turned her head and looked at the female warrior who was loyal to her:

"You mean, suspicion is deliberately approaching me?"

The female warrior lowered her head and said respectfully:

"This subordinate is just guessing. Princess, your visit to the capital is bound to attract a lot of attention."

Although Princess Wenzhu is a gentle and even overly compassionate "saint", she is not naive. At this moment, she said calmly:

"You have a point. Let's take a look later. However, from my observation, Mr. Lin's words were very firm when he talked about donating to the relief efforts. It didn't seem like a temporary disguise."

The female warrior sighed:

"Princess, you are simply too kind and too prone to assuming the best of others. The people of Yu are extremely cunning and skilled at intrigue. They are nowhere near as direct as we are in the Western Regions."

You are so direct... Am I not the Yu people you mentioned... Wenzhu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

At this time, the carriage slowly stopped.

Wenzhu got out of the car, her boots stepped on the snow, and she saw an "orphanage" appear in front of her.

Zhao Duan also got off the car and, together with two of his subordinates, took out rice and bundles of winter clothes from the carriage.

He held a large bundle of clothes in each hand and shouted at the door:

"Old Wu! Open the door!"

Then, the door of the charity hall creaked open, and an old doorman with a dark face, missing one leg, thin body but quite energetic, opened the door with the help of a wooden artificial leg.

The moment he saw Zhao Duan, he smiled brightly: "Mr. Lin! You're here!"

This orphanage was the family that Zhao Duan had helped in the past. He was already familiar with the old doorman, who was also the director of the entire charity.

At first, he approached them with his true appearance, but later he felt that his "bad reputation" and identity would easily implicate these poor people.

Therefore, after Zhao Duan got the disguise mask, every time he had spare time to come to donate, he would use the identity of "Master Lin".

He also claimed that he was a good friend of "Master Zhao" and that Master Zhao received a share of every donation of money and grain.

"I'm here. It's been snowing for the past few days, and it finally cleared up. I brought you something." Zhao Duan said with a smile.

Dean Wu, an old soldier who had retired from the Southwestern Frontier Army, was all smiles. He had difficulty walking, so he shouted at the top of his voice towards the house.

At the same time, he looked curiously at the group of people from the Western Regions who followed him: "This is..."

Zhao Duan introduced with a smile: "A friend, just passing by."

He turned back and looked at Princess Wenzhu, who was looking curious:

"This is Old Wu, the director of this charity, a retired soldier from the war."

Old Wu immediately recognized the lady's distinguished status and greeted her politely:

"Mr. Lin's friend must be a kind person. Come in quickly."

Princess Wenzhu followed behind Zhao Duan with a curious look in her eyes, observing quietly and being willing to be a supporting role.

When a group of people walked into the backyard of the charity hall, a group of orphans rushed out, both boys and girls, the older ones were in their teens and the younger ones were four or five years old. When they saw Zhao Duan, their eyes lit up, and they called him "brother" and smiled.

It's rare that he's not afraid of strangers.

Only when he saw Princess Wenzhu and others did he show a reserved look, lower his voice a little, and subconsciously move closer to Zhao Duan who was carrying something.

Seek protection.

Zhao Duan smiled and began to distribute clothes and food to a group of orphans on the spot. While distributing, he talked to a few familiar children and asked about their recent situation.

Old Wu would occasionally join in the conversation with a smile.

In winter, in the dilapidated charity hall, under the blue bricks and gray tiles.

"King Zhao Yan", who was of extremely noble status and was feared by officials in the capital, was so harmonious and talked and laughed with a group of poor orphans without any airs.

The scene was extremely harmonious.

Even Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng were stunned for a while, but fortunately they had been told about it beforehand, and since they were just servants and maids, they didn't show anything unusual.

As for the group of people headed by Princess Wenzhu, they were greatly shocked.

The female warrior who had just suspected that Zhao Duan was deliberately approaching her was a little confused.

She couldn't understand why, even in the Western Regions, the nobles always treated the common people with condescension, let alone the Great Yu Dynasty where the hierarchy was even stricter.

The reason why she was loyal to Princess Wenzhu and respected her from the bottom of her heart was because Wenzhu was the only noble person she had ever seen in her life who was not arrogant towards common people.

But now, she saw the second one.

Princess Wenzhu, who had a gentle temperament and dignity, had a pair of eyes that shone brightly, and the slight doubts in her heart disappeared.

If you say...

It is possible that this Link in front of me is really trying to contact me deliberately, colluding with Dean Wu, and deliberately trying to please me.

However, it is impossible for this large group of orphans to have such superb acting skills.

It's impossible!

The only possibility is that this "Mr. Lin" really came to provide relief all the time and did not have the arrogance of a child from a big family towards the poor. Only then could he use time to dispel the awe and fear of these orphans towards the nobles, and even develop a certain closeness to them.

Moreover, Princess Wenzhu was absolutely certain that the expression of Mr. Lin while distributing clothes at this moment was absolutely genuine!

A seasoned politician may have superb acting skills, but that is only limited to the court.

It is impossible to completely go against one's own heart and look at the weeds at the bottom with equal eyes.

Even Wenzhu herself, when interacting with the poor, showed the compassion of a person in a high position.

But this Mr. Lin has none of that!

Unbelievable.

"Take out some silver." Princess Wenzhu suddenly said.

A guard nearby immediately took out silver notes, silver ingots and other valuables that Dayu could use.

Wenzhu hesitated for a moment, remembering what Zhao Duan had said before. She did not take the silver note which might cause trouble, but only took out twenty taels of silver and handed it to Dean Wu, expressing her intention to donate.

The old soldier with a broken leg thanked him immediately and took out the donation book as usual. Wenzhu smiled and waved her hand, saying:

"No need."

Old Wu laughed and said, "Mr. Lin's friends are indeed those who do good deeds and do not want to leave their names."

Wenzhu asked curiously, "Did he... bring other friends with him?"

Old Wu said without hiding anything:

"Mr. Lin was also introduced by another young master. They are both good people who refused to leave their names."

"Ahem, Old Wu, take the children to try on the clothes." Zhao Duan came over in time and interrupted the retired soldier.

The latter nodded and led the orphans to the house.

…

The yard finally became quiet. Zhao Duan made a "please" gesture and sat down with Princess Wenzhu at the table and chairs in the yard.

Princess Wenzhu's face flushed slightly from the cold wind, and her eyes showed admiration:

"Mr. Lin's good deeds are truly admirable. I have been in the capital for a few days and have met some outstanding people, but none of them are as good as Mr. Lin. I would like to ask, is Mr. Lin currently holding an official position? Who is a famous official in his family?"

She even began to doubt the authenticity of the name Link.

Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Madam, you are really trying to get to the bottom of this."

On the side, the tall female warrior suddenly said in the official language of the Yu State:

"Asking you is a good thing for you. Do you know the identity of my wife..."

As a close confidant, she had already seen that the princess wanted to make friends with and support this young man.

Zhao Duan smiled faintly, with a calm demeanor, and said leisurely:

"Princess Wenzhu's name is naturally well-known to me."

The female warrior was stunned and subconsciously pressed the hilt of the knife under her clothes at her waist.

Princess Wenzhu asked curiously, "Do you know my identity?"

Zhao Duan smiled heartily, pointing to the fierce Western Region warriors behind him, and said:

"Although I'm not from a prominent family, I do know that Princess Wenzhu recently entered the city. A noblewoman of such remarkable grace, willing to condescend to come to East City for relief, and surrounded by warriors from the Western Regions, it would be strange if we couldn't guess her identity."

Princess Wenzhu was startled, then smiled:

"Yes, it's not difficult to guess. But I can't think of any Lin family in Beijing that has such a talent."

I'm from the Hyrule Continent, you'd be forgiven for guessing that... Zhao Duan complained silently, his expression calm:

"Your Highness, why should you care about the name? After all, we are just a small family."

A small family... Was it a military commander who rose to prominence through merit? A scholarly family that rose from humble beginnings? Or perhaps a small local clan... Princess Wenzhu pondered this, then smiled in relief.

"Mr. Lin is right. Given my status, if I become too close to you, it might not be a good thing."

No...it's OK if you don't go to Zhenbao to say bad things about me. There's no need for a close friendship...Zhao Duan thought to himself.

I had originally intended to simply test the waters of this princess from the Western Regions, but by some strange coincidence, we became close friends regardless of age difference.

What should I do next? I should find a way to bring the conversation back to business, so that I can use this identity to indirectly infer the other party's intention in coming to the capital...

Zhao Duan is thinking about his next plan.

Princess Wenzhu sighed softly and said with deep emotion:

"After several years, I returned to the capital. All I saw and heard were the cunning and powerful individuals in the court, as well as the sly and arrogant... Especially that Zhao Duan. He comes from the same humble family as you, no, even more humble than you, yet he's a treacherous, ruthless, and despicable traitor who has risen to prominence and now enjoys a high position in the government...

"And yet, Master Lin, such a compassionate, courageous, and resourceful person, is so poorly known. I see this with such sadness. If it weren't for my special status, I would have recommended you to His Majesty. If His Majesty truly desired a good match, wouldn't someone like you be a million times better than someone like Zhao Duan?"

Zhao Duan:? ?

No, Auntie...are you serious? You can't say anything careless.

(End of this chapter)