Chapter 316: Magistrate Lei, Get Over Here!

Watching the two brothers bicker, only to drag him into the conversation again, Royal Prince Ye was speechless. He curled his lips and said, “Before we return to the capital, we must stick together. Let’s not keep bringing up past grievances.”

The Fifth Prince chuckled. “Alright, alright. We’ll settle accounts once we’re back in the capital.”

With that, the conversation between the three nephews and uncle came to an end.

They all knew that once they returned to the capital, a life-or-death struggle between the three factions would be inevitable.

For now, in this brief moment of peace, they chose not to dwell on unpleasant matters…

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the three of them—who had been at the very end of the line—finally reached the front.

The magistrate’s advisor, who had been serving “porridge” all this time, was drenched in sweat, his sleeves rolled up and his robe loosened.

“Where are your bowls?” He raised a ladle full of “clear porridge,” waiting for the three men to present their bowls.

Seeing this, the Third Prince was just about to say something when the advisor grabbed three clay bowls from beside the wooden barrel and stuffed them into the Third Prince’s hands. “Here, here, use these. How do you flee for your life without bringing at least a bowl?”

Originally, the Third Prince had no intention of drinking this so-called porridge, but after nearly two days without food or water, the slurping sounds of the refugees around him made his stomach growl uncontrollably.

“Well, shall we drink some first?” he asked, handing the clay bowls to the other two.

The Fifth Prince and Royal Prince Ye didn’t hesitate either. They were starving and thirsty—drinking some porridge to regain strength was the sensible choice.

“Hurry up!” The sweaty advisor scraped the ladle against the barrel and urged them on.

At his words, the three stood side by side and extended their bowls.

Splash! Splash!

As three ladles of “clear porridge” were poured into their bowls, the expressions of the two princes and one Royal Prince Ye instantly darkened!

In their bowls, which were held level in their hands, was a murky, yellowish liquid. Not a single grain of rice could be seen in the cloudy soup, yet each bowl contained at least a few floating flies…

“Alright, alright, move aside and eat. The barrel is scraped clean.”

The advisor tilted the barrel slightly to show them the bottom, then casually tossed the wooden ladle back in before turning to leave for the pavilion.

He had barely taken a few steps when an enraged voice rang out behind him—

“Get back here! You call this yellow broth porridge? No matter how little silver the court allocated, there should at least be some rice in it!”

At these words, the refugees nearby, who had been squatting and sipping their “porridge,” briefly looked up before quickly lowering their heads again, pretending as if nothing had happened. They continued drinking their bowls of porridge—flies and all.

The moment the words were spoken, the advisor didn’t even need to turn around. A group of soldiers wielding batons had already surrounded the three men, glaring at them menacingly.

“Fellow countrymen!”

The Fifth Prince raised his bowl of yellow broth and called out to the refugees.

“On my way here, I heard from the officials along the road that the disaster relief funds allocated by the Fifth Prince were quite substantial!”

“Even after being distributed among the various counties, there may not be much left, but it should still be enough to provide at least one proper meal of real porridge for hundreds of people!”

“And yet, what do we have in these bowls?”

“Nothing but a few flies and half a bowl of yellow broth!”

“It’s clear who has been embezzling your food rations—there’s no need to say it out loud, is there?”

Beside him, the Third Prince and Royal Prince Ye exchanged glances at the Fifth Prince’s “righteous” outburst.

To them, the reason for this entire display was obvious—he was trying to avoid being blamed for embezzling disaster relief funds!

Earlier, the local magistrate had heaped praise on the Fifth Prince, making it seem as though he was responsible for most of the “good deeds.”

But the common people weren’t fools. They were drinking this yellow broth. They might not dare to complain openly, but rumors would spread.

Given the sheer number of refugees in Great Wu, it was only a matter of time before word reached the imperial court.

And once that happened, a little maneuvering could make his fight for the throne even more difficult…

“Insolence!”

A sharp reprimand rang out as the magistrate’s advisor stepped forward from behind the soldiers, pointing at the Fifth Prince and scolding him. “In broad daylight, under the heavens, you dare spout such outrageous claims here!”

“Guards! Throw them out of the city at once! Don’t let them stay in Bu County causing trouble and stirring unrest among the people!”

Hearing that they were about to be expelled as well, the Third Prince, who had initially planned to sit back and watch the drama unfold, could no longer stay idle.

Being thrown out by soldiers would be humiliating, but more than that, it would be a massive inconvenience!

If they were forced out, finding another county to seek shelter in would take at least two or three more days.

With the scorching heat, no water, and no food, the Third Prince had no intention of becoming the first royal to starve or die of thirst on the road…

“Hold it!”

He raised a hand, his eyes sharp as he looked directly at the county magistrate, who was sipping tea under the pavilion.

“Magistrate Lei! Get over here!”

His voice carried an air of absolute authority, exuding the presence of a ruler.

Magistrate Lei, who had just lifted his teacup, instinctively shuddered. His hand slipped, spilling tea all over his lap.

Fortunately, it was cold tea; otherwise, he would have been yelping in pain.

With a loud slam, the corpulent Magistrate Lei placed his teacup down on the table, stood up abruptly, and strode toward the Third Prince.

At that moment, all the refugees lowered their heads even further, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. Only a few bold ones dared to steal occasional glances.

As Magistrate Lei approached, the Third Prince deliberately brushed back the stray strands of hair on his forehead, ensuring that the magistrate could clearly see his face.

Seeing the unshaken confidence in the prince’s eyes, Magistrate Lei’s anger burned even hotter. However, in front of so many people, he forced a smile.

“I have heard the concerns of the three esteemed gentlemen…

How about this—why don’t the three of you come with me? I will personally serve you each a bowl of porridge. How does that sound?”

At first, the Third Prince assumed that the magistrate had refrained from bowing earlier due to the presence of so many people.

So he simply nodded and said, “Lead the way.”

You’re quite bold, aren’t you? Magistrate Lei’s face twitched slightly, but he gestured politely. “This way, please.”

Seeing this, the Third Prince clasped his hands behind his back and prepared to follow.

But he hadn’t taken more than a few steps when Royal Prince Ye quickly caught up and whispered in his ear, “Are you sure he even recognizes you, Third Nephew?”

“Rest assured, Uncle.” The Third Prince responded with a slight smile, then glanced back.

Noticing that the Fifth Prince remained rooted in place, he waved his hand. “Bring him along too.”

The soldiers beside the Fifth Prince were about to shove him forward when one of the more outspoken refugees pointed at them and began gesturing.

“I’m not going. I’m not hungry.”

The Fifth Prince waved dismissively and took two steps back—only to find his retreat blocked by the soldiers behind him…