The fire raged furiously. Ji Yunxi and the others didn't have much time to dwell on Ji Yuyan's sudden appearance. They quickly joined the firefighting team in a hurry.
Just as they approached the warehouse, Ji Yunxi suddenly spotted a man in the crowd, sweating profusely with anxiety.
"Azhi, look. Isn't that the Prince of Rui?"
Feng Xingzhi glanced at the crowd. It was indeed the Prince of Rui, who was waving his hand and directing his servants to put out the fire.
"Hurry up! Hurry up! My... Alas!"
He seemed to recall something and instantly looked dejected.
Ji Yuchen looked at him and said to Ji Yunxi, "Regardless of what the Prince of Rui's intentions are now, let's focus on putting out the fire first. The Prince of Rui's Mansion is adjacent to the common people's houses. If we can't control the fire, it might cause more extensive damage."
Ji Yunxi nodded, told Lu Shu to leave and continue the investigation, then took a bucket with Feng Xingzhi.
It took quite a while for the fire to be gradually brought under control. Only a few scattered flames remained.
The Prince of Rui heaved a sigh of relief. Turning around, he saw the disheveled group.
"Ouch! Azhi, be careful!"
The Prince of Rui rushed forward in one stride, grabbed Feng Xingzhi and examined him from side to side. "Your health is not good. Why did you come here?"
Feng Xingzhi felt a warmth in his heart upon seeing the concern in the Prince's eyes. "Uncle, I'm fine. Don't worry."
"How can I not worry! You rascal. Don't you know your own poor health?"
Ji Yunxi wiped her face with her sleeve. Seeing Feng Xingzhi bow his head under the scolding, she couldn't help but smile secretly.
A guard beside them took the opportunity to say to the Prince, "Your Highness, just now, Prime Minister Ji, Miss Ji and the Prince Feng fought with a very intimidating woman!"
The Prince of Rui's eyes widened in horror.
Ji Yuchen quickly stepped forward to explain, "Your Highness, don't worry. We're fine."
After confirming that they were all okay, the Prince of Rui sighed in relief. "Good, good. It's fine as long as you're okay."
Ji Yunxi looked at the warehouse that was almost unrecognizable after the fire and casually said, "I wonder what was stored in this burned - down warehouse. That woman just said there was a secret of the Prince of Rui's Mansion here. I didn't quite understand."
The Prince of Rui, being a member of the royal family, immediately understood Ji Yunxi's probing.
"It's not really a secret. Come on. I'll show you."
Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi exchanged a look, thinking, was the Prince of Rui really so generous? Or had he made preparations in advance?
The Prince of Rui led them to the site of the fire. By now, the fire had been extinguished, and the place was in a complete mess.
A maid was standing on one side, holding a lantern. The Prince of Rui took it and shone it into the darkness. Ji Yunxi fixed her eyes on it.
"These are all... grains?"
The Prince of Rui gave a simple - minded smile. "That's right. This is indeed my secret. I've stored a huge amount of grain! It's a pity..."
Saying this, the Prince of Rui squatted down painfully, reaching out to touch the grains that had been soaked by water, his face full of distress.
Feng Xingzhi squatted beside him. "Uncle, how did you manage to have such a large granary?"
"Isn't there an abnormal celestial phenomenon? Some villagers from the surrounding areas came to report earlier, saying that the grain was growing poorly. They were afraid that this year, not only would there be no bumper harvest, but even basic food and clothing might become a problem. So your aunt suggested that I store some grain as a precaution."
As the Prince of Rui spoke, his words were filled with compassion for the common people. "There weren't originally this many. But as the celestial phenomenon became more and more severe and occurred in various places, I increased my purchases. At least, I have to ensure that the people in Rui City can have enough to eat."
Listening on the side, Ji Yuchen's prejudice against the Prince of Rui was gradually melting away.
When he had heard Feng Jiangming say that the Prince of Rui was forming cliques and attempting to seize the throne, Ji Yuchen had scoffed at him.
But now, regardless of whether it was genuine or an act, the Prince of Rui had truly ensured that the people in Rui City had enough to eat. There was no doubt about this.
Feng Xingzhi's thoughts coincided with Ji Yuchen's. Objectively speaking, he had attended court every day before and had occasionally heard about disasters in various places. But there had been no news from Rui City. He hadn't expected that the Prince of Rui had shown foresight.
"Uncle showed great foresight and protected the safety of the people in the city."
The Prince of Rui chuckled. "This is the fief given to me by the Emperor. I should help the Emperor govern this place well."
Just as he finished speaking, the voice of the Princess of Rui came from behind. "Your Highness! The fire is out, but what about our grains?"
Seeing that there was no one beside her, Ji Yunxi quickly stepped forward to support her.
"Princess, be careful."
The Princess of Rui turned her head. Looking at the little face smeared with ash, she held it in her hands with distress and anxiety. "Oh! Why are you all dirty? You came to fight the fire? This is so dangerous! Why didn't you stop her?"
Ji Yunxi gave a shy smile at the elder. "Princess, I'm fine. Don't worry."
"Where's Azhi?"
Feng Xingzhi stepped forward. Undoubtedly, he was also lectured for a while. It wasn't until he obediently admitted his mistake that she remembered the grains in the warehouse.
"My lady, although a large amount of the grains were burned, there are still some left. It's okay. We can buy more later."
Upon hearing about buying, the Princess of Rui immediately changed her expression. "Buy, buy. It's easy for you to say!"
She blurted out, then seemed to realize something and quickly covered her mouth, pretending that she hadn't said anything.
Ji Yunxi guessed that maybe the Prince of Rui's Mansion didn't have much money left?
The Prince of Rui seemed to have been seen through and felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly pulled the Princess of Rui away. "Let's go, let's go. Go back to sleep!"
Ji Yuchen, Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi slowly walked towards their courtyard.
On the way, Ji Yunxi thought for a long time and then asked Ji Yuchen, "Brother, from what the Princess said today, I'm afraid the Prince of Rui's Mansion doesn't have much money to buy grain anymore. It's all Ji Yuyan's fault..."
Ji Yuchen understood what his sister meant and had no objection. "I understand what you mean. Naturally, the Ji Mansion should bear this expense."
"No need. I'll report this to the Emperor. It's the responsibility of the court." Feng Xingzhi spoke up. He knew the financial situation of the Ji Mansion. If they took out that much money, it might deplete Yunxi's dowry.
Ji Yuchen thought for a while. "Anyway, I can't sleep. I'm going to check the warehouse again in the second half of the night."
"Brother, do you suspect that the Prince is just acting?"
"I don't know. Ji Yuyan's appearance was an accident, but we can't rule out the possibility that she has some connection with the Prince of Rui." Ji Yuchen said with a straight face. "Can a man who once had ambitions for the throne really be content to stay in a corner? I don't quite believe it."
Feng Xingzhi also had doubts in his heart, so he nodded. "Brother, I'll go with you. Let's go and check again."
Ji Yunxi watched them leave. Closing the door, she summoned Nian Yun and carefully inspected it.
At that time, Nian Yun had suddenly wanted to devour that green sword. Ji Yunxi was worried that Ji Yuyan had become powerful through some bad means. Fortunately, Nian Yun showed no abnormalities.
"Is everything really just a coincidence?" Ji Yunxi looked at the moon outside and murmured silently in her heart.