Mu Guihui's departure from the palace was originally intended to investigate the flood disaster. Recently, the floods have become increasingly severe, and many officials, in order to improve their political achievements, deliberately conceal the extent of the disaster. Natural disasters are already unbearable for the people, and having such officials who shirk responsibility will only make their lives even more miserable.
Qiushui Village was the first place Duan Mu came to. The village had been completely destroyed, with only Fengguang and Rigui being "survived". Before that, the local officials reported that the village was fine and there was no major disaster. However, the government had swallowed up all the supplies allocated by the imperial court.
Upon returning to the yamen, Mu Gui dismissed a number of people from their posts, and those who had embezzled were thrown into prison and scheduled for trial at a later date. This series of actions was swift and decisive. If it weren't for seeing him drinking medicine from a bowl, one would almost forget that he was ill.
Feng Guang took the medicine bowl back to the kitchen and took a detour to see the sundial guarding the gate. However, as soon as he walked over, he saw the sundial squatting on the ground, writing and drawing on the ground with a twig. There were three ragged children next to him.
“This character is pronounced ‘zhong’.” The sundial looked up at the children and said, “Loyalty, trustworthiness, benevolence, and righteousness, with loyalty being the first, meaning that being loyal to others is of utmost importance, and each of us should strive to be a loyal person.”
A boy asked, "What constitutes loyalty?"
"That is sincerity, not deceiving others for personal gain, that is loyalty."
The children nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Feng Guang walked over and said with a smile, "But sometimes, being loyal isn't enough; we also need to know how to adapt to changing circumstances."
Seeing the beautiful scenery, he immediately dropped the branch and stood up straight again, as if only in this way could he show the integrity of a cultured person.
A child asked, "Big sister, what does 'adaptability' mean?"
"You have to be adaptable. For example, if someone asks you if you know the answer when you're about to take a test in school, even if you do, you shouldn't say it."
“Not bad.” The sundial nodded. Exams should be fair, so he thought Feng Guang was right. However, he didn’t expect what Feng Guang would say next.
"You should ask him first if he knows how to do the problem you can't solve. If he does, then you can exchange answers. If he doesn't, then you shouldn't tell him."
Sundial's brow twitched. "God... Fengguang, stop talking nonsense."
Her identity as a goddess cannot be revealed yet, so he can only call her by her name.
Feng Guang glanced at him and said, "I'm teaching them the principles of being a good person. When they grow up and enter the adult world, if they only learn your theory of loyalty, they'll be sold out sooner or later and still be counting money for others."
"They are still young. If every child is so mercenary at such a young age, then this country is doomed." Children are the flowers of the future of the motherland. It seems that this understanding exists in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.
Feng Guang crossed his arms and smiled at the sundial, "I don't know if this country will perish, I only know... we are now in the Southern Rainbow Kingdom."
The sundial fell into an eerie silence. He was from the Eastern Yang Kingdom, so why was he worrying about the future of the Southern Rainbow Kingdom?
The children looked at each other, and the older one said, "But we don't have a chance to go to school, our homes were all flooded..."
After a moment of triumph, the smile on her face softened. She took out a bag of steamed buns she had stolen from the kitchen and handed them to the children. “Take these and share them. We’ll be staying here for a few days. If you run out of food, you can come find me.”
"Thank you, sister!" The children left happily.
Looking up again, she saw the sundial staring at her. She raised an eyebrow. "What, have you fallen for this goddess?"
"I'm increasingly convinced that what I'm saying is true."
"What?"
"If a reclusive master were to use his lightness skill to help us take flight, we might actually be thrown off because of your weight."
"Sundial!" she kicked his foot viciously. "Go to hell!"
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