A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold
The common people did not know that Cui Shenzhi was the Crown Prince, but the officials knew perfectly well. So after revealing his name, Cui Shenzhi did not stay in the area for long, but planned to continue his secret investigation in another place.
Just as he was about to leave, the old man who had spoken to him stopped him.
"Grandpa, is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Young man, you must be one of His Highness the Crown Prince's men, right? You're here to investigate the disaster area and the true situation of the affected people."
Cui Shenzhi glared at Qi Kang, who was secretly laughing behind his back, and said, "Yes, old man, how did you figure that out?"
"Of course I could tell from your clothes," the old man said with a smile. "Although your clothes are quite torn, look at the people around you. The tears on their clothes are on the elbows, knees, and buttocks, places that are frequently worn out. Unlike you, the tears are on the front or back of your clothes."
Choi Shin-ji blushed. When he tore his clothes, he was only thinking about tearing the most conspicuous parts and hadn't thought about this at all.
He cupped his hands in thanks to the old man and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will pay attention to it in the future."
“Just paying attention to these things isn’t enough,” the old man continued. “The clothes you’re wearing, although they don’t look like they’re made of very good fabric, are the kind of clothes that we farmers wouldn’t wear because they’re too easy to tear. Look, you’ve only been helping to dig for a short time, and your cuffs are already torn.”
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Cui Shenzhi's face.
"Sir, to be honest, I was very careful when I bought it. I bought the worst quality clothes in the store, but I didn't expect that it would give me away because of how bad they were. I'll go back and change into something else right away."
"No need for such trouble, take these." The old man handed over a few sets of clothes to Cui Shenzhi: "These are my son's clothes. If you don't mind, just change into them. Also, smear some ash on your face and make your eyes look even dimmer. I guarantee no one will notice anything amiss."
Cui Shenzhi hesitated.
"Grandpa, you gave us your son's clothes, but what about your son?"
"Him? He's under these ruins. How could he possibly have clothes to wear?"
Choi Shin-ji thought of the woman who had lost all her relatives, and after a moment of silence, he cautiously asked, "What about your other family members? For example, your wife, daughter-in-law, or perhaps your grandchildren?"
"They're all under these ruins, but don't worry, I won't kill myself. I'm still waiting for His Highness the Crown Prince's temple to be built so that their names can be recorded."
The old man's smile still carried a sense of composure that came from seeing through the ways of the world, but Cui Shenzhi only saw bitterness in his smile.
He rolled up his sleeves and, ignoring the old man's objections, began digging through the ruins without a word. He continued until he had dug out all of the old man's relatives and properly buried them before changing into the old man's son's clothes.
Seeing Cui Shenzhi change his clothes, the old man's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.
“It looks good, better than my son’s. I knew I would pick the right clothes. It’s just that the boy looks like me, not his mother, so he can’t pull it off.”
"By the way, young man, let me remind you, just focusing on the compensation money isn't enough. I'm so old, and I've experienced more than one natural disaster. Do you know what the most unbelievable thing I've seen after a natural disaster is?"
Choi Shin-ji felt that this was not the answer he wanted to hear, but still asked, "...What is it?"
"It is Guanyin clay and the practice of exchanging children to eat."
"The price of grain was high after the disaster. The relief money issued by the imperial court was just a drop in the bucket. It would be gone in less than half a month. People could only eat Guanyin clay or exchange children to eat each other if they wanted to survive. My mother and younger brother died because they were stuffed with Guanyin clay until their stomachs burst."
"And then do you know what I did?"
That feeling of unease returned, and Cui Shenzhi quickly said, "Old man, whatever you did is not your fault. This is both a natural disaster and a man-made one. It was the court's inadequate disaster relief that led to this tragedy, and it is not your responsibility."
“I traded my younger brother for someone else’s dead child.” The old man did not respond to Cui Shenzhi, but said calmly, “Young man, human flesh really doesn’t taste good. You and His Highness the Crown Prince must never let such a thing happen again.”
With red eyes, Cui Shenzhi bowed respectfully to the old man and said, "Old man, I assure you, no matter the cost, I will never let such a thing happen again."
After saying that, Cui Shenzhi turned and left.
In the following period, Cui Shenzhi was either helping people rebuild their homes in one village or clearing ruins in another. At the same time, he also had Qi Kang constantly invite merchants from all over the world to Nanzhou in his name as the crown prince.
Once all the merchants who were willing to come had arrived in Nanzhou, Cui Shenzhi lit a bonfire in the area most severely affected by the disaster.
He walked through the ruins of the town, crossed the deep ravines in the ground, and stood in the middle, bowing deeply to the merchants who had come to greet him.
"The disaster in Nanzhou is severe, so I won't beat around the bush. I've invited you all here today because I have a favor to ask. You've all seen the situation in Nanzhou, and I hope you can use your abilities to send rice and grain to Nanzhou to help the people of Nanzhou overcome this difficult time."
Upon hearing this, some bolder merchants who wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with Cui Shenzhi immediately stood up to express their support, but a considerable number remained seated, after all, the number of people affected by the disaster in Nanzhou was so large, and the amount of rice and grain needed was not small.
Faced with this expected situation, Cui Shenzhi was only disappointed for a moment before calmly saying, "Don't worry, everyone. Of course, I don't mean for you to take it for free. The imperial court will give you rice according to the market price later, but..."
"Just what?" someone asked.
"If I simply accept the money, I cannot leave my name on the merit tablet in the temple I build later."
A monument of merit? So, as long as you donate rice, your name will be remembered? In that case, the people of Nanzhou will surely remember their kindness, and wherever they do business in the future, people will look at them with more respect. Wouldn't that be convenient for them?
Most of the businessmen present were tempted, both for the sake of a good reputation and for the potential profits, but they had not yet made up their minds.
Cui Shenzhi glanced at the whispers of the merchants around him, waited a moment, and then continued, "In addition, the merchant who donates the most rice will receive a promise from me, not the Crown Prince's promise, but my promise, Cui Shenzhi's promise."
Cui Shenzhi paused, and only after the merchants' eyes became impatient did he say seriously, "As long as it does not violate morality, the law, or harm the people, I will agree to whatever request it may be."
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped in shock.
Choi Shin-ji is the undisputed future emperor, so this promise carries considerable weight. Moreover, his demands are not particularly high, leaving a lot of room for maneuver.
For example, why not have him take his own daughter as a concubine? Or even make him make his own daughter the crown princess? Or even... even make him make the child born to his own daughter the heir?
Wouldn't they then become the next Lü Buwei, a man of exceptional talent and high market value?!
Compared to that, the amount of rice and grain is a trivial matter.
The merchants' eyes lit up with fervor, and in the days that followed, they worked tirelessly to send free rice and grain to Nanzhou. With the full amount of relief money distributed, although there were many people in Nanzhou who were affected by the disaster, there were no human tragedies such as the burning of clay or the exchange of children for food.
*****
Cui Sugong was somewhat unhappy when the news from Nanzhou arrived.
He wasn't dissatisfied with Cui Shenzhi making such a promise without authorization; on the contrary, he was very satisfied with it. This promise, which was destined not to be fulfilled, could win him countless hearts of the people. After Cui Shenzhi died young, these hearts of the people would be inherited by Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian's son. It was a win-win situation with no cost.
His displeasure stemmed from Cui Shenzhi's unauthorized alteration of his decree. He had only reduced the corvée labor in Nanzhou for five years, not ten. But now that Cui Shenzhi had already spoken, if he were to contradict him now, saying that only five years were exempted instead of ten, what would the common people think of him? What would the history books say about him?
Lost in her own emotions, Shen Meiwu keenly sensed Cui Sugong's displeasure and quickly suppressed her inner turmoil to step forward and comfort him.
“Cui Lang, although Shen Zhi arbitrarily decided to extend the exemption period for corvée labor and taxes, you know he's not usually the type to act impulsively. Do you think he might have discovered something amiss in the disaster area, which is why he acted so rashly, perhaps…”
Cui Sugong raised an eyebrow.
"for example?"
"For example, the situation in the disaster area was far worse than we thought, the number of people affected was far greater than reported, and the affected area was far wider than we knew. That's why he made such a bold decision without hesitation."
"Think about it, he discovered such a big thing but didn't ignore it and make a scene that would embarrass the court, nor did he waste time going back and forth, causing the people to resent the royal family and you. He also knew how to win big with small things, using an insignificant temple and a small promise to win the people's praise."
"With such intelligence, he will surely be able to govern your country well in the future. History will record the story of you and your father and son being wise rulers for generations to come. Isn't that wonderful?"
Cui Sugong's expression softened slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded.
Shen Meiwu is right.
Besides, although Cui Shenzhi arbitrarily extended the period of exemption from corvée labor and taxes, it was ultimately in his name that he was being praised, and the people of the world were praising him, not Cui Shenzhi. For a mere five years of corvée labor and taxes in a single prefecture to earn such a good reputation, it was not a loss at all.
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