Just as the carriage reached the official road leading to the imperial palace, Mei Qingxue and Yue Ru got off. Mei Haoxuan was worried and wanted her to take two bodyguards with her, but she refused. It would be hard not to attract attention with so many people around. With her low - key appearance and her preference for keeping a low profile, she thought there was nothing that would draw others' notice.
Since it was the official road to the imperial palace, there were quite a few restaurants and breakfast stalls on both sides of the street. These places were mostly for the officials who had just finished the morning court to have breakfast or chat.
So, even though it was still very early, many shops had already opened for business, and there were quite a few passing merchants having breakfast inside.
"Yue Ru, are you hungry?" Mei Qingxue deliberately asked, looking at Yue Ru, who was swallowing her saliva vigorously.
"If Young Master is hungry, then I am hungry."
"Oh? Is that so? Actually, I wasn't hungry at first. I thought you were hungry and wanted to go in and have breakfast before leaving. Since you said so, let's just go directly." With that, she pretended to walk in the other direction.
Yue Ru's little face, which had just been full of hope, instantly drooped after hearing Mei Qingxue's words.
"Alright, I'm just teasing you. I'm a bit hungry too. Let's choose a place with a lot of people and give it a try." Teasing Yue Ru was really an enjoyable thing!
"With a lot of people? Why do you want to choose a crowded place, Young Master? It's too crowded. I'm afraid those people might accidentally bump into you."
"Hehe, this is something you don't know. The more people there are, the better the business. And why is the business good? Isn't it because the food is delicious?"
"Really! Young Master is so smart to think of that."
The two of them chose a breakfast stall with a fair number of people and walked in.
"What would you two young masters like to eat?" The waiter greeted them enthusiastically.
"Just serve us a portion of your special breakfast."
"Sure, I'll go and prepare it for you right away."
Mei Qingxue nodded secretly as she watched the waiter scurrying away. It would indeed be a great thing if she could find such an enthusiastic waiter when she opened a restaurant in the future.
Wait a minute! She actually had the idea of opening a restaurant! Although in her previous lives she had done some small - scale business, she was a lazy person. Once the business got big, she didn't want to manage it. After she was transported to this world, she had been living a comfortable life, so she had never thought of doing anything. Strange! Why did such an idea suddenly pop up today?
"Hey, have you heard? The most beloved sixth prince by the emperor has got engaged and been granted a title! The emperor has bestowed the former residence of the national - defending general to the sixth prince!"
"Really? Isn't the sixth prince always in poor health? Why is he so beloved by the emperor?"
Gossip really was everywhere in this world! Even when having breakfast in this stall, one could hear some explosive news.
Mei Qingxue sat there, stretching her ears and pretending to listen casually to the gossip of the men at the next table.
"Yes, although the sixth prince has been in poor health since childhood, it is said that he is extremely talented in literature. It is probably because of his poor health that arouses pity and his outstanding literary talent that the emperor loves him so much!" The one who said this was a very strong - looking man. Since his voice was quite loud, almost everyone at the neighboring tables could hear him.
But everyone just gave him a look and didn't say anything.
The people sitting at the same table as the man noticed others' glances and quickly told him to lower his voice. Discussing the royal family behind their backs was a crime!
"I'm not saying anything wrong. Why should I be afraid?"
"You! This mouth of yours will get you into trouble one day." Another older man looked at the strong man and sighed helplessly.
"Do you know which family's young lady the sixth prince is engaged to?" Although they were afraid, they still wanted to gossip, which showed the great power of gossip!
"I heard it's the eldest legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites..."
Mei Qingxue silently thought to herself that she seemed to have heard of this sixth prince before... Ah! She remembered. He was the prince who had slipped away and couldn't be found by the palace servants in the imperial palace last time! So it was him...
But he had no direct or indirect relationship with her, so this gossip was just gossip.
"Did you see this sixth prince when you went to the palace banquet last time, Young Master?" Yue Ru leaned over and whispered gossiping.
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes. Sure enough, she was a gossipmonger! She decided to keep silent.
After having breakfast, the two of them walked out of the stall.
"Where shall we go next, Young Master?"
"Um... Let's just take a stroll around the street first. There's no particular place I want to go." The place she wanted to go didn't open during the day.
Last night, she had indirectly asked her elder brother what the emperor had summoned him for. At first, he was reluctant to say, but in the end, he still told her something.
Mei Qingxue had thought a lot last night. She wondered if she should do something for the family. If her father and elder brother no longer served the court in the future, what would they do?
"Please have mercy on us, two young masters. I haven't eaten for several days... It's getting colder and colder. If this goes on, we'll die. Please have mercy on us!" While Mei Qingxue was walking and thinking, she felt a heavy weight on her foot as if something had grabbed it. Caught off - guard, she almost tripped and ate dirt in public!
"What are you doing? Let go of our Young Master quickly!" Yue Ru came to her senses and stepped forward to help Mei Qingxue break free from the beggars, but unfortunately, her trouser leg was also grabbed by another person.
"Let go of us quickly, or we'll send you to the government!" Yue Ru had grown up in the Mei mansion with Mei Qingxue since childhood. She had never seen such a scene before and could only threaten them anxiously. But these threats meant nothing to the beggars who were struggling for a meal.
Mei Qingxue was much calmer than Yue Ru when facing these beggars. She noticed that among these beggars, except for one older person, the rest were all about ten - year - old children. They were all thin and pale from hunger, but their eyes were surprisingly bright, just like searchlights at night.
She knew that all they wanted was a full meal, and there was no need to be too hard on them.
"Let go of us first, and I'll give you money to buy food."
Perhaps Mei Qingxue's expression was too gentle. The beggars who were holding onto her all let go of their hands one after another. Their big, round eyes stared at her without blinking, as if they were afraid she would run away the next moment.
"Miss, let's go quickly. If these beggars really pester us, it will be troublesome." After Yue Ru's clothes were let go, she quickly wanted to pull Mei Qingxue away, but Mei Qingxue shook her head. Instead of leaving, she looked kindly at the beggars.
"Tell me first. Did you all wander here?"
The beggars first glanced at each other, and then the older one looked at Mei Qingxue and said, "Yes, we came here last year. After our hometown was destroyed by the flood, we fled here and have been living by begging ever since." The strong young men who had fled here had been taken away by some wealthy families as servants. Most of the people left now were the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.
"Some of us also do odd jobs sometimes. Although the money we earn is very little, it's better than nothing. Up to now, many people in our group have died of illness." The man became more and more sad as he spoke, and finally he sobbed. He used to have a family, but because of the natural disaster, he was separated from his family and had ended up in this situation.
"How many people are there in your group? Where do you usually live?" Mei Qingxue had already decided to be a kind - hearted person in this life, even if she would still be unlucky. She really couldn't bear not to help these poor people.
"What are you going to do, Young Master?" Although Yue Ru felt sorry for what the man had said, she thought her young lady's questions were getting more and more outrageous, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Mei Qingxue didn't answer her question. Instead, she ordered her, "You go with two little beggars and buy enough white buns for dozens of people."
"What? Young Master, why do you need so many buns? There are only a few beggars here. Why do you want to buy so many?"
"Why are you so talkative? Are you itching for a spanking? Just go and buy them. If you don't listen, you won't be allowed to come out with me next time!" Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes at the sky. What a chatty little girl!
Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, Yue Ru got anxious. The outside world was so wonderful. She didn't want to stay in the mansion all day! "Don't worry, Young Master. The white buns I buy will definitely satisfy you."
The beggars knew that Mei Qingxue was going to help them, and they all kowtowed to her gratefully. "Thank you so much, benefactor! Thank you so much!"
"You don't need to do this. Get up quickly. I'm just doing what I can to help you." She had been thanked like this before when doing good deeds, but no matter how many times it happened, she still felt a bit embarrassed. She thought what she had done was really nothing.
"Young Master, the buns are bought."
Mei Qingxue turned around and saw Yue Ru holding a big bag of white buns. The two little beggars following her were also each carrying a bag of buns. Although they were so hungry that they were constantly swallowing their saliva, they didn't eat.
"Where are the rest of you? Take us there." Mei Qingxue said something astonishing again.
"Young Master! Don't be so reckless. Just give them the buns. What do you want to go there for?" Lately, her young lady's actions had really surprised her too much.
"I just want to take a look. Why are you making such a fuss?" Her ears were almost deafened by Yue Ru's shouts! This girl really had a loud voice!
"But Young Master, if the eldest young master finds out..."
"If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, how will he know? You're so stupid!"
"But Young Master..."
"Alright, I've made up my mind. Don't say any more."
"Where do you live? Take me there." Mei Qingxue then said to the beggar, ignoring the frantic Yue Ru.
The beggar didn't expect Mei Qingxue's plan either. He was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He stood up first and walked forward. Although he didn't know what Mei Qingxue wanted to do, he could feel her kindness.
Looking at Mei Qingxue walking in front, Yue Ru sighed secretly and helplessly followed her.
The group walked on the streets of the capital in the early morning. Since it wasn't too early, other shops had opened. People looked at this group passing by and wondered what two well - dressed young masters were doing with a group of beggars.
The group walked through the bustling streets and turned into a quiet and sparsely populated alley. Then they passed through several dilapidated streets. It felt like they were almost on the outskirts of the city. After another big turn, behind some dry tree trunks, an abandoned broken temple appeared in front of them.
"Phew, we're finally here. You live so far away. I guess even if you beg enough to eat on the street and come back, the food in your stomach will almost be digested by the time you get here." It was winter, and sweating was rare, but along the way, Mei Qingxue could clearly feel that her back was soaked with sweat! It showed how far they had walked.
The beggar first pushed open the so - called door in front of the broken temple. The rotten wood was covered with gray spider webs. As soon as the door was pushed open, a large amount of dust came flying at them, making people cough.
"Benefactor, be careful."
The inside of the broken temple was very dim. As soon as Mei Qingxue walked in, she smelled a strong musty smell, accompanied by a bit of stench. It was really hard to bear.
"Let's not go in, Young Master. If the people inside have any diseases, it will be bad if they pass them on to you."
"It's okay." Except for the unpleasant smell, Mei Qingxue wasn't worried that the people inside would have any diseases. If there were infectious diseases inside, the other beggars wouldn't be normal. However, this broken temple was really poorly ventilated. If it continued like this, it would be hard not to get sick.
There were many beggars in the broken temple. Maybe it wasn't time for begging yet, so most of the beggars were still inside and hadn't gone out.
Looking around, the beggars in the broken temple were mostly children, just as the beggar had said. There were almost no young and strong people.
When the beggars in the broken temple saw Mei Qingxue and Yue Ru, two well - dressed people, walking in, they all curiously looked at them and secretly sized them up.
"These two benefactors have brought us a lot of white buns. Come and kowtow to thank the benefactors." At the call of the big beggar, the beggars all ran towards Mei Qingxue and the others with shining eyes.
Seeing this, Yue Ru was so scared that she stepped back again and again.
"Everyone, calm down. I've bought a lot of buns today. Everyone will get a share, but those who want to eat must line up. Those who fight for them will not get any buns!" Mei Qingxue knew that such chaos could easily cause casualties, so she quickly shouted.
"Everyone, listen to the benefactor. Don't fight. Everyone will get a share." The beggar should be the one with some influence among these beggars. After he shouted like this, the beggars really calmed down and lined up obediently.
While the people were dividing the buns, Mei Qingxue walked around in the broken temple on her own. Looking at the current state of the broken temple, Mei Qingxue could imagine that the scale of this broken temple must have been quite large in the past. She didn't know why it had been abandoned later.
As Mei Qingxue walked around and came to the back of the dilapidated statue, just as she was about to walk further in after bypassing a small door, a wooden stick suddenly flew towards her face. Unable to dodge in time, she was hit on the arm by the dusty wooden stick. It hurt so much that she wanted to cry out.
"Who is it! How dare you attack this young master secretly!" Mei Qingxue shouted angrily.
The angry shout echoed throughout the broken temple, which made the beggars who were enjoying the white buns run over to see what was going on.
"What's wrong with you, Young Master?" Yue Ru saw her young lady covering her arm in great pain and quickly ran over to ask.
"It's, it's okay. I just accidentally slipped." She clearly remembered that there was no one beside her just now. How could a wooden stick fly down out of nowhere? Could it be that the beam had decayed and fallen?
"Are you all full?"
"Yes, thank you, benefactor."
"Why do you live here? Doesn't the court have special places for homeless beggars to live?"
Mei Haoxuan had told her that the policies of the Feng Kingdom towards the common people were quite good. The court had specially built places for the homeless beggars to live through the cold winter. But this broken temple didn't look like a place built by the court for the beggars at all.
"Benefactor, you don't know. The houses for the beggars built by the court were burned down after the plague a few years ago. And since then, the court has never allocated any silver to build a safe place for us homeless people, for fear that the plague would break out again."