Chapter 1528: Unexpected Benefactor Appears

A few officials found him familiar at first glance, and after a closer look, they quickly bowed. "Prince Rui! What are you doing here?"

The young man before them, his face still smudged with mud, was none other than Rui, King Yao's fourth son!

King Yao's eldest legitimate son had died in Beijia, and his second son had passed away young. His third son, twenty-five years old, had also been sent to Beijia. The fourth son, Rui, was only fourteen and usually remained safely in the palace, occasionally venturing out to observe the common people's lives. No one could have imagined him dressed in such attire.

Why would the King send a prince here? Was it because he didn't trust You Rongzhi and He Xiao? But the Fourth Prince was only fourteen.

Prince Rui raised his head and stated clearly, "I volunteered to come here for practical study, and my father approved."

He Lingchuan stood to the side, arms crossed. "Prince Rui carried earth and stone for an hour and laid out planks for two hours, all by himself."

The Fourth Prince had an excellent reputation throughout the kingdom, which He Lingchuan had long heard about. However, he never imagined the young man would volunteer for practical study at a construction site, nor that King Yao's son could truly stoop to dig in the scorching sun, working so diligently and enduring hardship.

Of course, with his keen insight, he understood the situation in a flash.

He Lingchuan turned over Prince Rui's palm, and everyone gasped.

This young man, accustomed to a life of luxury, had gritted his teeth and worked for three hours. His palms were covered in blisters, and his fingers were swollen like carrots.

"Oh dear, this won't do! Get some water and medicine!" Huang Shilü turned and called for medicine, then looked back at Prince Rui. "Your Highness, it's enough for you to come and supervise. If you injure yourself, how will we explain it to the King?"

His attendant immediately turned and went out to find medicine.

Prince Rui replied, "Since it's practical study, I must do it myself."

The officials suddenly understood and praised in unison, "Prince Rui is humble and eager to learn, a true blessing to our great Yao!"

Prince Rui smiled. "I've also signed a military pledge; if anything happens to me here, none of you will be held responsible!"

The officials expressed their admiration, and praises surged like a tide.

Only then did You Rongzhi step forward and say, "Alright, Prince Rui has worked hard all day; it's time for him to apply medicine and rest."

He Lingchuan interjected, "He'll still be moving bricks tomorrow."

Prince Rui, however, said, "I'm not tired yet. Commander He, could you show me the strategic map for the expansion?"

He had come for practical study; he wanted to both learn and research.

He Lingchuan smiled. "Alright, I'll take you after you've applied the medicine. Lingguang—"

Before he finished speaking, his personal medical officer leaped down from a large tree outside, pulled out a silver needle from his pocket, blew on it, and the tip ignited with a pea-sized flame that was surprisingly green.

"Hand over your arm!"

Prince Rui extended his hand in a daze, watching the monkey swiftly and skillfully treat his injuries with remarkable gentleness and speed. He couldn't help but secretly stroke the soft fur on Lingguang's head. "Is this a Medicinal Ape?"

"You know?" Lingguang shook its head.

"I read about it in a book." He was surprised it could speak. "I heard that in the far, far west, there's a tribe of ape-demons skilled in medicine, called Qian, Qian..."

"Thousand-Heart Stream!"

"Yes, yes, the Thousand-Heart Stream Medicinal Ape!"

Lingguang was pleased and took two grape-sized purple fruits from its small pouch. "Here, eat these."

The guards nearby immediately said, "Your Highness, no. The origin of these fruits is unknown."

Just moments ago, the Medicinal Ape had suddenly jabbed the Fourth Prince with a needle, moving so quickly that they were already startled. And now it was offering some strange fruits? How could this Medicinal Ape be like its master, with no sense of boundaries?

Prince Rui rolled his eyes at them. "Commander He wouldn't harm me." With that, he took the fruits and ate them. He reasoned that no one would dare poison him in plain sight.

"Oh, so sweet!"

Lingguang didn't even look up. "Those are Mulberry Danzi berries; they have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects."

As the man and the ape conversed, countless Yao officials and guards stood by, observing.

Lingguang worked quickly, and in less than a quarter of an hour, it had finished applying the medicine for him.

Immediately after, Prince Rui went with He Lingchuan and You Rongzhi to examine the strategic map, requesting that the other officials not follow.

In fact, his first two steps were a bit wobbly. After three hours of high-intensity work, he was truly exhausted, but he still had to grit his teeth and push through.

The officials also dispersed, as everyone's workload was heavy. Despite the scorching midday sun, they only had a three-quarter-hour break. Some officials had already brought their own simple, tasty meals, quickly gobbling them down before finding a place to nap. They were exhausted.

The worst off was You Rongzhi. Since all projects, regardless of size, required his signature, he essentially had to remain by He Lingchuan's side all day. What was He Lingchuan's work intensity like? Lord You had only endured such hardship when he served in the army as a youth. Fortunately, his strong constitution kept him from falling ill, but after half a month of this torment, he had become dark and thin, though his dark circles were no longer visible.

Of course, the main topic among the officials today was:

What exactly had the Fourth Prince come to do?

From the officials' perspective, there was only one conclusion:

To perform well.

"The King has not yet appointed a crown prince; both the Third and Fourth Princes have a chance."

More than three years ago, the Crown Prince of Yao tragically died in Beijia. Since then, King Yao had not appointed an heir.

"Yes, the King always favored the Fourth Prince, describing him as diligent and eager to learn. The eastward expansion of the capital is a monumental project, unseen in decades. If he can perform well here, the Fourth Prince stands a strong chance of being named heir."

The Third Prince was far away in Beijia and out of reach, so this was the Fourth Prince's stage.

All the officials who heard this agreed it made sense.

Minister Xu, for his part, said, "Our eastward expansion project has been executed with such speed and momentum that the King was greatly astonished. It's perfectly reasonable for him to send the Fourth Prince here to observe and learn."

As a prince, the principles of governance and the art of managing subordinates were essential lessons. Putting aside other things, although they had complaints about the hardships they had endured these past few days, they had to admit that Commander He's flexible methods and highly efficient work were truly eye-opening. Not only had the lost seven days of work been recovered, but it also looked like the road construction project would be completed ahead of schedule. With such talent at work, it was certainly not beneath the prince to observe from the sidelines.

The next day, You Rongzhi's third son, You Xuhe, also appeared at the expansion site. Upon arrival, he took on the work assigned by his father and toiled diligently. He was sixteen years old. Two days later, Minister Xu's young nephew also arrived; he was seventeen.

Others were curious: these were merely boys of fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, holding no official positions or titles at the construction site, essentially working for free. What exactly were they hoping to gain? To be covered in sweat and mud, all for a few paltry wages? When others asked Minister Xu, he simply replied that the children of his clan needed experience, and it was beneficial for them to be immersed in this environment.

But after two more days, observant people noticed that these two young men were always hovering around Prince Rui, sometimes intentionally, sometimes seemingly coincidentally, often striking up conversations or asking for advice.

Ah, now they understood!

From then on, the sons of officials and nobles frequently appeared at the capital's expansion project, all claiming they sought no fame or position, only wishing to stay and gain experience.

When their numbers grew to thirty or forty, the Soul-Snatching Mirror finally couldn't help but speak up:

"What are they doing, constantly sending people here? Are they addicted to suffering, not content with just their own hardship, but now dragging their family and clan members along to get a taste too?"

Indeed, thirty percent of these aristocratic youths couldn't endure the hardship and returned home after just two or three days, never to be seen again.

He Lingchuan, taking a moment to rest his eyes in his cool shelter, heard this and chuckled:

"Normally, how difficult would it be for the younger generations in their families or clans to get close to the prince? They'd have to pay to get on a shortlist and undergo multiple rounds of selection. The chances of actually being chosen as a companion or an official by the prince's side are less than one in a hundred."

The mirror seemed to understand, yet not quite, letting out an "oh."

"Now Prince Rui is at the construction site every day. While he's not as strenuously moving bricks as on the first day, he's still working hard, 'face to the earth, back to the sky,' following me around everywhere. This is precisely when he's most accessible. Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Why wouldn't they send their younger family members over to quickly get close to Prince Rui?"

"I understand!" The mirror made a clicking sound. "I truly understand now! They want their younger family members to become familiar with Prince Rui!"

"If they can be chosen by Prince Rui to become his study or martial companions, it's virtually like getting a head start on latching onto the future crown prince." The Fourth Prince was already favored by King Yao, and his excellent performance in the recent major capital expansion project had earned him many more favor points with his aging father. Even He Lingchuan, in his reports to King Yao, described the Fourth Prince as "agile and eager to learn." He didn't care about Prince Rui's moral character, but the resilience, shrewdness, humility, and eagerness to learn that this young man displayed indeed showed the makings of a crown prince.

"Therefore, these aristocratic youths must also perform well."

Therefore, He Lingchuan was completely unmerciful towards them, sending them wherever manpower was needed and granting them no special privileges whatsoever. As the saying goes, he worked them to the bone.

After a few days, the originally pampered young masters were all sunburned and peeling, each one dark with a reddish tinge. You Rongzhi's son even lost four *jin* in weight. For this matter, King Yao even specially summoned He Lingchuan to the palace. He Lingchuan's single statement—"Those who can endure and emerge successful from this project will all be talented individuals in the future"—made King Yao ponder for a long time. There was a saying: "Jade unpolished is not a gem."

By this time, the main road was also finished. Officials, nobles, commoners, and even idlers with nothing to do could all visit the new city's expansion site to observe and then widely publicize their findings upon returning to the city. Therefore, every step of the expansion project was under the watchful eyes of Tianshui City. The entire city was watching.

In just half a month—the eighth day after the main road was completed—the sample block was finished. King Yao was greatly intrigued by this novelty and even personally visited the site in his royal carriage to inspect it. When he went, all the officials followed. Although the paint smell was a bit pungent, the roads were wide, the ground clean, the houses orderly, and the vegetation lush. Everything looked proper and well-done, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding wilderness. It made people immediately imagine how comfortable it would be to live there in the future. At least it would be more comfortable than living in the crowded, narrow, and flood-prone old Tianshui City, right?

This unprecedented efficiency and astonishing speed deeply shocked not only the officials but even King Yao himself. Could officials of the Yao court truly achieve such efficiency? Were these really the same people he had under his command? The project's progress was so incredibly fast and unbelievably smooth that King Yao, on the contrary, felt an ominous premonition.