Chapter 603 is somewhat embarrassing.

"Rest assured, sir, I will conduct a thorough investigation and give you a reply by the day after tomorrow."

Vice Minister Geng knew Yun Yichen's intention to build houses in those places. If the land could be allocated, it would quickly solve the difficulties of a group of disaster victims.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir." Yun Yichen said, bowing to Minister Geng, which made a glint flash in Minister Geng's eyes.

After Vice Minister Geng left, Ouyang Biao and He Biyou slowly walked in.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Yun Yichen's gaze swept over Ouyang Biao's face before finally asking, "What brings you two gentlemen here?"

Everyone's focus is now on building the city, and even the two officials have to supervise the construction. Yet they have the leisure to come here.

The two men exchanged a glance after hearing Yun Yichen's words, then looked at him with smiles. "Lord Yun, we've already started building the city, but constructing a new city is no small matter. We need money everywhere, so we'd like to ask when the disaster relief funds will arrive?"

Ouyang Biao, who came as the Vice Minister of Revenue, didn't even know where the disaster relief funds had gone, which was quite embarrassing.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yichen coldly swept his gaze across He Biyou's face. When his eyes fell on He Biyou, Yun Yichen raised an eyebrow and said, "It seems that Lord He is eager to build up Suzhou City. But rest assured, the silver should arrive in the next few days."

This time, Yun Yichen didn't speak harshly like before. Seeing this, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, as they were most worried that Yun Yichen would dispose of the money privately again.

Since Yun Yichen said the money would arrive, it means that Yun Yichen intends to entrust the task to them this time.

"Hehe! I knew you were efficient, sir. It should be done in the next few days. In that case, I'll get back to work now."

He chuckled and then winked at Ouyang Biao before turning to leave.

Yun Yichen nodded and then said, "Lord Ouyang, please stay a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

Since Ouyang Biao arrived, he has been practically just a figurehead, only being called upon when everyone is discussing matters.

Seeing that Yun Yichen had taken the initiative to keep him, he felt not happy, but rather a sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

"What matter does Your Excellency wish to discuss with me?"

After He Biyou left, Ouyang Biao looked at Yun Yichen with some guilt.

Yun Yichen glanced at him indifferently, "Speaking of which, Lord Ouyang is the father of Madam Gu, so I should call you uncle. However, I am currently an imperial envoy for disaster relief and have official duties to attend to, so I cannot indulge in personal feelings. Therefore, I ask Lord Ouyang to think more before acting and not put me in a difficult position."

Yun Yichen had naturally seen the interaction between Ouyang Biao and He Biyou just now, and he just wanted to give him a warning so that he wouldn't do anything he shouldn't do later.

"You are right, sir. I will certainly do my duty and not cause you any worry."

Ouyang Biao could easily understand Yun Yichen's meaning, but after so many years of scheming, how could he not be swayed by profit?

So even after receiving Yun Yichen's warning, he still clung to the hope that as long as he kept his actions secret, they would not be discovered.

"Did Lord Yun say anything to the lord?" He Biyou asked as soon as he saw Ouyang Biao come out.

Ouyang Biao smiled faintly upon hearing this, "It's nothing, just some things to be careful about. After all, he's only human and can't do everything himself."

He Biyou wholeheartedly agreed with Ouyang Biao's words. From the moment Yun Yichen arrived in Suzhou, he personally oversaw everything, even reviewing the design drawings for the new city. He simply didn't have the energy for that.

The two left hand in hand, neither of them noticing Yun Yichen emerging from the tent.

Looking up at the sky, Yun Yichen slowly began to calculate the days.

Two days later, the Vice Minister of Works presented the results to Yun Yichen. As expected, the villages whose fields had not been destroyed could be rebuilt.

The Vice Minister of Works originally thought that he should make arrangements immediately to have He Biyou lead people to build new villages in several places, but Yun Yichen directly overturned his idea.

Because Yun Yichen not only didn't tell anyone about this, but also had him personally go to the disaster area late at night with his most trusted Ministry of Works officials to help those who were willing to leave rebuild the village.

"Why don't you tell Lord He about this, sir?"

In the opinion of the Vice Minister of Works, such a matter should at least be discussed with the local officials.

To everyone's surprise, Yun Yichen not only refused to inform them, but also seemed to intend to keep it a secret forever.

"Now, in this desolate Suzhou, the only people I can trust are you, Lord Bian and Lord Ji. In order to help the disaster victims live a stable life as soon as possible, I have no choice but to entrust this matter to you."

Yun Yichen stopped referring to himself as "this official," which made Vice Minister Geng somewhat uneasy. However, thinking that this was all for the sake of the people, Vice Minister Geng gritted his teeth and immediately nodded in agreement.

That night, Vice Minister Geng arrived at the refugee camp with his most trusted men. Because Zhong Lin had given prior notice, everyone was still awake.

Looking at the disheveled and grimy people, Vice Minister Geng choked up for the first time since arriving in Suzhou.

He only knew that more poor people had been driven out of Suzhou City and more refugees had been blocked outside the city gates, but he never expected that 70% of the people would gather here.

They were waiting for the imperial court's aid, waiting for life-saving food. But their local officials treated human life like straw sandals, driving them away. If it weren't for Yun Yichen having soup kitchens set up, giving these people hope every day, many would probably have already fled their homeland, and how many would have died of injury, disease, and hunger along the way?

"Fellow villagers, my surname is Geng, and I am currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Today, I have been entrusted by the Grand Secretary, Lord Yun, to ask you all if anyone is willing to leave with me to rebuild the village?"

Faced with so many simple and honest people, Vice Minister Geng could not put on the airs that a Beijing official should have.

"Is the village being built for us to live in?"

The people all knew that Yun Yichen was the porridge giver, but even so, they were still worried that even after they had put in the effort to repair the village, they would still not be able to receive the porridge.

After all, being abandoned by officials had already made them lose faith in the government and in the officials themselves.

"That's right! If it's not for us to live in, then we won't fix it."

Some people echoed this sentiment, and soon all the people began to whisper among themselves.

Seeing this, Vice Minister Geng patted his chest and assured everyone, "I guarantee that these villages will be built by you yourselves. After they are completed, they will be distributed to each household according to the statistical standards. Of course, this will also include farmland."