Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 252 Ordinary beings fear the consequences, while Bodhisattvas fear the causes.

The Sishui River encircles the city, flowing swiftly day and night.

Fengpei still exists today, and the history of the Han Dynasty has lasted for a thousand years.

October 9th, Pei County, Xuzhou, early morning.

As the place where Emperor Gaozu of Han rose to power, Pei County has always been known as "the land where dragons soared for thousands of years and the hometown of emperors of a generation." It also has the geographical advantages of being a key point on the Grand Canal, relying on Weishan Lake, and bordering two provinces. It is a well-deserved gatekeeper county of Southern Zhili.

The county town had a circumference of five li, and the city wall was two zhang high and eighteen zhang wide, while the moat was two zhang deep and three zhang wide.

The Sishui River meanders around the North and East Gates, and flows past the South Gate. It merges with the Sishui River in the southeast of the city. There are water and land docks in front of the three city gates. The Feiyun Bridge is built at the confluence of the two rivers. Boats and vehicles come and go, and merchants gather, making it extremely prosperous.

The weather wasn't great today; a chilly wind blew, mixed with raindrops, soaking the clothes and hats of pedestrians.

Even so, the outer city was still crowded with people from all around, who came and went in droves, making it extremely crowded.

"Delicious, hot, unleavened pancakes, they'll get you soon!"

"Dada, I want to eat, I want to eat."

"Proclamation from the County Magistrate! His Majesty the Emperor is on his southern tour and is passing through Xuzhou. Soldiers, civilians, and the general public are to gather peacefully at the market and must not cause any trouble!"

Deep-fried and stir-fried with hot oil! Golden-yellow fried bacon!

Zhu Yijun, letting the drizzle fall on him, stood quietly on the city wall, watching the market scene from afar, feeling quite emotional.

I don't know how many years it has been since I've seen a scene like this.

In his memory, there were established customs for going to the market in the surrounding villages and towns. Some villages would hold markets on the 1st, 4th, and 7th of every ten days, some townships would hold markets on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of every ten days, or the county market would be held on the 5th of every ten days—it seems that such a custom existed as early as the Ming Dynasty.

On that day, the place is always packed with people and filled with the sounds of gongs and drums.

The bustling scene today seems to coincide with the market day in Pei County.

Zhu Yijun was engrossed in reading when a voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.

"Master Jinlun, Commander Luo has already deployed defenses in Pei County. Please enter the city, Master."

Upon hearing the commotion, Zhu Yijun turned around and saw Sun Jigao, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, standing behind him with a rather stern appearance.

He naturally knew why Scholar Sun looked like this, but pretended not to notice.

The emperor raised his hand and beckoned to Jiang Keqian, Li Rusong and others not far away, and led the way down the city wall.

Sun Jigao quickly bypassed the imperial guards and followed behind the emperor.

After taking only a few steps, Sun Zhuangyuan couldn't contain himself any longer. He leaned closer to the emperor and said plaintively, "Golden Wheel Monk, can't you really use a different title?"

Young Master Zhu, isn't Young Master Zhu perfectly fine? Why replace him?

Even if he's called a young general or a young nobleman!?

Zhu Yijun, supporting himself on the edge of the city wall, descended the steps. Upon hearing this, he didn't turn his head, but silently chuckled with his back to Sun Jigao.

Today he was dressed in a monk's robe, brocade boots, a jade belt around his waist, and a bamboo hat to keep out the rain, looking like a strange mix of things.

It was precisely because of this attire that Zhu Yijun experienced the joy of Emperor Wuzong.

He righteously rejected Sun Jigao's advice, saying in an old-fashioned tone, "I am doing this to express my gratitude to my ancestors."

“In the past, the Wu Temple claimed to be the Great Protector of the Nation and the Secret Teachings of the Temple of the Great Celebration of the Western Altar, and it occupied Bandan.”

"As the saying goes, the lineage is orderly, so what's wrong with me calling myself the Golden Wheel Dharma King?"

In truth, Zhu Yijun was a contemporary sage who combined the highest traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Sun Jigao, a top scholar in the imperial examination, was speechless for a long time in the face of the emperor's words.

Zhu Yijun didn't give Sun Jigao a chance to continue his attack, and smoothly got down to business: "How are the taxes set by the officials in the counties of Xuzhou? How much are they actually collected?"

After the emperor returned and made an appearance, he specially brought along Sun Jigao, the advance officer from before, which was obviously useful.

When it came to serious matters, Sun Jigao had no time to dwell on the emperor's title.

He quickly got into character: "So that the Golden Wheel Dharma King knows that the tributes from various counties in Xuzhou, whether in terms of amount or type, are relatively fixed."

“太祖至孝宗时，每年征收税米26177石4斗6升3合2勺，内荒地5571顷73亩，实在行粮地31944顷94亩，该徵折色银40631两6钱4分。”

"Up to the second year of the Jingtai reign, the tax exemption was increased and reduced. The actual area was 30498 hectares, 30 mu, and 9 fen, and the total tax levied was 39406 taels, 1 fen, and 6 li of silver."

The reduction in land tax in Xuzhou was not, to a large extent, a bad policy, but merely one of the effects of the Yellow River floods.

In short, the land tax in Xuzhou has always been around 4 taels, which is not a large amount.

“At the beginning of the Hongzhi reign, an additional 151 taels, 6 mace and 9 fen of silver was levied to make up for part of the shortfall.”

"During the Jiajing era, due to the population increase during the Spring Festival, the number of people in Xuzhou varied, and the Ministry of Revenue had to impose additional levies. However, just two years later, the Yellow River flooded in Xuzhou, and the additional levies were exempted by Emperor Shizong."

Upon hearing that Emperor Shizong had voluntarily exempted taxes, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but glance at Sun Jigao with curiosity.

He put his hands together and chanted Amitabha: "When the mind arises, all phenomena arise; when the mind ceases, all phenomena cease."

Sun Jigao's face darkened.

It was one thing for the emperor to dress up as a monk, but he actually started reciting Buddhist verses and mocking his ancestors—who couldn't tell that the emperor was implying that Emperor Shizong's exemption of taxes was "the arising of the mind," and his subsequent frenzied accumulation of wealth was "the extinguishing of the mind"?
Zhu Yijun's hands were empty, subtly implying that he would need to buy a string of Buddhist prayer beads later on the street. He maintained the nonchalant demeanor of a high-ranking monk and continued to ask, "What about the grain transport tax?"

The prefectures along the canal all had to pay tribute taxes.

Moreover, the tax on grain transport also had to cover the cost of fire damage.

For example, the three provinces of Zhejiang, Huguang, and Jiangxi, as well as the prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang in Zhili, transported a total of 2.5 million shi of grain to Beijing every year. At least 20% or 30% of the grain was lost along the way. The missing portion had to be distributed to the "grain households" in the prefectures along the canal—adding rice to the boats and exchanging it for grain.

These taxes also constitute a large portion of the total tax revenue.

As the advance officer, Sun Jigao's job was to consult local chronicles and investigate local customs. He also made thorough preparations before his incognito visit with the emperor.

At that moment, he almost blurted out: "Your Majesty... According to the Venerable Master, since the sixth year of Yongle, the court has issued an imperial edict setting the annual grain tax at 12337 taels, 1 mace, and 3 candareens, promising 'never to increase the tax'."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but interrupt: "Never increase taxes? Monks don't lie."

Sun Jigao pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he wasn't a monk.

However, the imperial court did not disappoint the emperor's distrust.

He thought for a moment and explained to the emperor: "On the surface, no additional grain transport tax has been levied, but local government offices often have excessive revenue and expenditure and have levied many other taxes under various pretexts."

“Since the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, the rivers, sluice gates and banks have been subject to unauthorized taxation, which has caused harm to the people and no benefit. Although there have been repeated imperial edicts to investigate and reform this practice, it has not been stopped.”

Local government revenue comes from many sources.

According to the original design, legitimate items such as summer taxes, autumn grain taxes, corvée labor, and grain transport taxes should have been able to cover Xuzhou's revenue and expenditure.

But that's how local government offices are; they like to collect taxes decades later.

It even reached the point where the central government repeatedly issued edicts to investigate and reform, but could not remove him.

Zhu Yijun sighed, "Forgive me, forgive me: Xuzhou is a place of outstanding people and abundant resources. They must be very clever when it comes to inventing pretexts."

Sun Jigao nodded vigorously: "The name is indeed novel."

"For example, when people conduct land and real estate transactions, the government provides contract paper and writing materials, and collects commercial tax of about thirty-five taels of silver."

“Every few years thereafter, they would say that the tax bureau had changed or its address had changed, and the state government would use this as a basis to order the official seal to be re-stamped as proof, and repeatedly collect the relevant taxes.”

"For example, in the early years of the Zhengtong reign, the Ministry of Revenue was ordered to abolish the tax bureau in Xuzhou, which had an annual tax revenue of less than three thousand strings of cash. Xuzhou stopped paying taxes to the higher authorities, but continued to collect taxes from the lower authorities."

"For example, during the Zhengde era, Xuzhou, under the pretext of selecting and training militia by imperial decree, levied an additional commercial tax of 119.45 taels, which was incorporated into the regular tax to help with annual expenses. However, the county magistrate collected far more than that, reportedly receiving several thousand taels. This even led to a civil unrest that year."

"There are also some unclear and confusing accounts, such as fundraising, levies, transit taxes, berthing taxes, canal-side commercial taxes, and shop business taxes..."

Sun Jigao rattled off a long list of dishes in one breath.

Zhu Yijun listened quietly.

After Sun Jigao finished speaking, he shook his head and said, "Don't bring up things that everyone knows in the 'Collected Statutes' and 'Gazetteer of the Prefecture.' Tell me what you, as the vanguard officer, have seen and heard."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew by, almost blowing Zhu Yijun's straw hat off. Zhu Yijun quickly tightened the loose straps again.

The emperor's persistent questioning made Sun Jigao break out in a cold sweat; thankfully, he, as the advance officer, had actually done his job.

He followed the emperor down the city wall, and after standing still, he slowly spoke: "According to the people along the way, it is not uncommon for patrols, archers, and canal transport to intercept and extort money. The amount is as little as three or five coins, or as much as six or seven taels. They plunder every feather that passes by."

"There are also those like the headman, who intercept merchants at the border passes, sometimes traveling dozens of miles away, extorting money from travelers. If they receive a large bribe, they are allowed to pass privately; if they do not receive a bribe, they are captured by the authorities and subjected to severe torture."

"However, perhaps because Your Majesty traveled there, I did not witness such a scene myself."

It's impossible to see that.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand dismissively: "There is no pure land in this world."

"As early as the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, someone impeached Xuzhou, saying that Xuzhou had secretly seized the power to collect taxes such as the large-volume tax and the customs duty tax. In order to avoid the central government's inspection, they even appointed agents with permits to collect taxes at the bridgehead and roadside."

“They have ‘unofficial staff’; at most, Sun Qing could only see a few thugs who bully and dominate the market.”

Sun Jigao bowed and accepted the instruction.

When Peicheng was first built, it had four city gates: the east gate was named Yongqing, the south gate was named Huiyuan, the west gate was named Hengxiu, and the north gate was named Gongji, each with a gate tower.

In the 25th year of the Jiajing reign, the city walls were expanded and reinforced with stones and bricks. The names of the city gates were also changed: Changchun Gate in the east, Shuiqing Gate in the west, Laixun Gate in the south, and Gongchen Gate in the north.

The group stood before Lai Xun's gate, with Luo Sigong leading the way and Jiang Keqian following behind with two soldiers.

Despite their menacing appearance, the group managed to clear a space in front of the bustling city gate.

The emperor looked around, while Sun Jigao kept talking.

"Furthermore, in my opinion, the daily expenses of the local government offices in Xuzhou are often levied on merchants and the local canals."

“It is called ‘He Mai’, but it is actually a form of forced acquisition at low prices or exorbitant rents. If a shop refuses to pay, it will be accused of smuggling, and the consequences range from confiscation of property to exile.”

Zhu Yijun paced back and forth at the foot of the city wall, looking at the notices posted on the wall as he continued to summarize: "In the end, it's mostly about intercepting and collecting commercial taxes."

The business environment in local prefectures and counties is terrible!

Sun Jigao nodded: "From the early years of the Chenghua reign to the present, the commercial tax paid by Xuzhou has always been a fixed amount of 13118 taels, 5 mace, 3 candareens and 5 li, and has never been increased."

"But according to the accounts of Xuzhou that we have roughly reviewed, the amount of various commercial taxes that the local government has instigated is probably over 18 taels!"

"It is said that after the former prefect Zhang Zhan took office, he once exempted additional commercial taxes and gate taxes, but less than half a year later, he had no choice but to restore the previous amount."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun laughed in exasperation.

The central government's quotas for land, grain transport, commerce, tea, salt, and tribute all add up to less than 100,000 taels of silver. But in Xuzhou, the commercial tax alone is almost twice the total of all regular taxes, not to mention other annual levies, fixed levies, and miscellaneous levies—making it seem as if the central government didn't allocate any regular taxes to the local areas.

The problems are deeply entrenched!
"The former prefect? ​​After this incident, Zhang Zhan should have been removed from his post?"

Not many people are well-known in history. Zhu Yijun knew nothing about personnel at the prefect level, and even the Ministry of Personnel only had a few pages of records to his knowledge of.

Many personnel appointments and removals are made with the opinions of local leadership teams as a primary consideration.

Zhang Zhan is a figure whose reputation in official circles is extremely polarized.

Some say this fellow is an incompetent official who only seeks fame and prestige, causing chaos among his colleagues and drawing complaints from the people wherever he goes.

Either say that he was upright and honest, had outstanding talent, and was dedicated to clarifying the ways of the world, which is why his colleagues resented him.

Just like this abolition of additional commercial taxes and gate taxes, it can be said that it disregards the local realities and caters to wealthy merchants, or it can be said that it is to lament the hardships of the people and eliminate long-standing malpractices.

It's difficult to distinguish between the central government located far away in the capital.

However, the Southern Tour itself was meant to fill this information gap, and visiting wise and capable people was one of the main purposes along the way.

Sun Jigao nodded: "Back then, Li Shidi, the then Imperial Inspector of Fengyang, impeached Zhang Zhan for misconduct, erratic governance, and undermining public morale."

"Zhang Zhan could not defend himself, so the Ministry of Personnel ordered him to stay at home."

"However, later on, Pan Jixun, the chief of river management, recommended Zhang Zhan and got him a position as a river management doctor."

Sun Jigao paused, then pointed to the Sishui River flowing alongside the city: "Today is the day when the Sishui River Management Office is on holiday, so Zhang Zhan should be at home in Pei County."

In the sixth year of the Jiajing reign, the Yellow River breached its banks at Xuzhou, rushing into Jimingtai in Pei County, flowing eastward through the Grand Canal into Zhaoyang Lake, where silt and sand accumulated, severely obstructing the waterway.

The chief river official then petitioned Emperor Shizong to temporarily establish an office in Pei County to assist in river management.

In the thirty-seventh year of the Jiajing reign (1558), the Yellow River breached its banks northeast of Cao County, flowing towards Danxian Duanjiakou and then splitting into six branches that entered the Grand Canal, converging with the Xu River. The entire 250-mile stretch of the old course from Xinji in Cao County to Xiaofuqiao in Xuzhou was silted up.

In the 44th year of the Jiajing reign (1555), the Yellow River breached its banks at Zhaojiaquan in Xiao County, causing widespread flooding northwards. The Grand Canal, stretching over 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) from Pei County, became silted up, and the area extending 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) upstream from Xuzhou was also flooded.

At this time, the Yellow River's southward course was extremely turbulent, and the temporary river management office in Pei County became a permanent office.

Zhu Yijun clicked his tongue: "If Shangguan wants to go on a pilgrimage, he can always accommodate Sun Wukong."

As long as the superior is willing to do things, an upright official will not be buried—with Pan Jixun as guarantor, Zhu Yijun has become somewhat inclined towards Zhang Zhan.

The river management is quite good.

The local financial problems of Xuzhou had been repeatedly investigated and reformed by several emperors, but could not be resolved by a single prefect.

Even if the emperor himself came, there would be few good solutions.

After hearing all this, Zhu Yijun gained a general understanding of Xuzhou.

"As you sow, so shall you reap." He chanted Amitabha again, "Let's go into the city and take a look."

It was clear that the emperor had made the decision on the spur of the moment and included a visit to Zhang Zhan in his itinerary. The emperor ended the conversation, turned, and strode into the city, with the others quickly following.

Entering the city through the Lai Xun Gate, there is a commercial street that runs through the north and south gates together with the Si River. It is called Shunhe Street, with shops lining the streets and customers coming and going. Locals call it Xiaojiezi (Little Street).

Because it's market day today, there are many small vendors on both sides of Shunhe Street, well, they're basically mobile vendors.

You can often see teenagers squatting on the side, helping their elders to hawk their wares.

However, experiencing local customs and traditions is more than just watching the spectacle.

Sun Jigao, a refined scholar with the best appearance, took the lead, pulling along the people along the way, chatting about this and that.

"Sir, I have something to ask you."

"Who are you going to hit!?"

"I need to find out something!"

"The imperial examination? I've never been to school!"

Sun Zhuangyuan was conscientious and responsible, but the group of people were burly and fierce-looking, so he was not well received.

"Auntie, I have something to ask you."

"I understand, I understand, we all live and work in peace and contentment..."

Sun Jigao was furious, but he also knew the reason for the people's fear, so he could only look helplessly at the emperor.

Zhu Yijun naturally understood the look in his eyes and readily agreed: "Scholar Sun, please do as you please."

Sun Jigao received approval, shook off the crowd, and slipped into the throng alone.

Without his civil officials by his side, Zhu Yijun felt much more at ease.

He followed the aroma of the pastries to the center of the street.

Zhu Yijun looked at the peddlers on the street, picked a stall that was selling fresh meat, and went over to it.

"Gentlemen, how much is this meat?"

Zhu Yijun is now living the life of a versatile Martin, never forgetting his persona, and addressing someone as "benefactor" is second nature to him.

The stall owner was a tall, middle-aged man—a butcher, in the village, was a respected and valiant figure.

He was accompanied by his family, with his wife handling the accounts, and his son and daughter helping to carry meat, call out to customers, and do odd jobs.

When a customer approaches, the stall owner's first reaction is to become quite wary.

Although the visitor was dressed as a monk and had a kind face, he was followed by seven or eight burly men, and was not someone to be trifled with—who knows if he was Lu Zhishen reincarnated?

The stall owner looked him up and down, stammering for a long time before finally not daring to speak.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun smiled kindly and said, "Don't be afraid, benefactors. I am the Golden Wheel Dharma King, the master of the secret teachings and the head of the Western Altar, of the Great Protector of the Nation and the Bao'an Temple. I am on my way to the Western Paradise to seek the true scriptures."

"These men are guards sent by the government; they are not bad people."

Li Rusong, a newly appointed imperial guard, was still unfamiliar with the emperor's temperament. Upon hearing this, he nearly choked on his own breath.

The stall owner's son, naive and innocent, immediately peeked out from behind his father: "Oh! I've read Journey to the West. Are you like Tang Sanzang, surrounded by seemingly fierce monsters, but actually all good people?"

Before he could finish speaking, his little head was pressed back behind him.

The middle-aged male stall owner held his son down and smiled obsequiously at Zhu Yijun: "Holy monk, you also buy meat?"

Clearly, they don't believe a single word.

Zhu Yijun ignored the stall owner and instead looked at the little boy who had spoken earlier with some surprise.

It's not that having read Journey to the West is surprising, but rather that this little boy speaks Mandarin in a refined manner—neither the southern-style "Hongwu Zhengyun" nor the northern-style "Zhongyuan Yayun," but rather the "Putong Guanhua" that Xiong Dunpu promoted a few years ago.

"Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart; it doesn't matter," Zhu Yijun casually replied to the stall owner, then asked curiously, "Young benefactor, are you speaking Standard Mandarin?"

The stall owner's wife seemed to be a Buddhist; upon hearing a profound Buddhist verse, her eyes immediately lit up, and she became a firm believer.

Seeing that the holy monk had asked a question, she immediately interrupted and said, "Hey, it was just a few years ago when a high-ranking official with connections came to the county, shouting something about 'all under heaven speaking the same language, and all people united as one,' and he messed around with all sorts of nonsense in the official schools and private academies."

She didn't explain how she was messing around with it, so she obviously wasn't quite sure either.

Zhu Yijun knew in his heart that the so-called high-ranking official who had connections to the heavens was probably Xiong Dunpu.

It seems that this guy's constant demands for money and power weren't just an excuse; he's actually doing his job seriously.

In all these years, the Ming Dynasty has taken a multi-pronged approach to promote education, from newspapers to dictionaries to Mandarin, and it has been somewhat effective.

Seeing that he couldn't get rid of the trouble in front of him, and that the stall owner was still trying to strike up a conversation, he quickly interjected, "What kind of meat does the holy monk want?"

They clearly wanted to close the deal quickly and get rid of the customer.

Zhu Yijun clasped his hands together, his face showing compassion: "Sitting is meditation, walking is meditation. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. How can we not try the local specialties? Do you have any fresh dogs here, benefactor? Could you spare a few for this humble monk?"

When the emperor was traveling, food was a very troublesome matter.

For this type of meat, you can only buy live animals that are kept alive for two days and are still full of life before they are qualified to be cooked.

But the stall owner's expression changed upon hearing this, and he quickly corrected himself, "Holy Monk, you should call it fragrant meat, fragrant meat! There are just two left in the stall, I can sell them to you cheaply, Holy Monk."

Zhu Yijun was taken aback: "What is this, benefactor...?"

Seeing that the group of people looked and spoke with accents that they were indeed from out of town, the stall owner hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice to explain the situation: "Our county magistrate is superstitious and believes in heretical religions. He insists that dog meat is taboo."

"We couldn't openly disobey, so we changed the name of our stall."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun immediately gasped!
They've already fought their way this far!?

Even the eunuch standing nearby found it incomprehensible. Wei Chao looked at the stall owner in astonishment: "Dogs are one of the six domestic animals in Confucianism. Your county magistrate is going a bit too far with the breakdown of etiquette!"

Chickens, pigs, dogs, and other domesticated animals were recognized by Confucius and Mencius as edible meat. This is blasphemy and betrayal of one's teachers and ancestors!

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but press on, "May I ask the name of this county magistrate?"

This was common knowledge, so there was nothing to hide. The stall owner lowered his voice and cupped his hands in the direction of the county government office: "Our county magistrate's surname is Xiao, and his given name is Jiucheng."

Zhu Yijun responded with an "oh".

Xiao Jiucheng, no wonder.

This fellow rose through the ranks to become the magistrate of Huzhou. He was particular about clothing, especially white, which he considered unlucky, so he ordered a ban on wearing white.

This incident was even satirized by Xie Zhaozhe, a subordinate, who wrote a poem: "Why did the white-robed official offend the majesty? He frightened the magistrate so much that his face turned as white as frost," which became a major joke at the time.

Zhu Yijun found it both infuriating and laughable that officials had lost their Confucian faith: "Very well, then I'll trouble you with two pieces of fragrant meat."

The stall owner nodded repeatedly: "Holy monk, please follow me."

Zhu Yijun nodded to Wei Chao, signaling him to follow.

After the stall owner left, the female stall owner stayed behind to watch the stall.

While paying the bill, Zhu Yijun casually inquired about a few things, such as who was the most brutal and vicious in the area, whether they had powerful backers, whether business was good or bad, and whether the land survey would affect the butcher shop.

Those who believe in Buddhism are the easiest to fool, and the female stall owner was very open with her knowledge—if it were a male stall owner, he would probably have immediately chased them away with a knife.

"What was the most difficult place? Besides the Yellow River floods, what else could it be?"

The common people can tolerate bullies, thugs, and corrupt officials, but when it comes to the Yellow River, which forces people to leave their homes, they truly feel a deep sense of sorrow and lament.

"...In the third year of the Longqing reign, the dike in Pei County breached. We sealed the wellhead, abandoned our ancestral home, and hid outside for more than half a year until the dike was repaired before we dared to come back and tidy up."

"As a result, the following year, there was another heavy rain throughout the autumn, and the Yellow River, Huai River, and Si River all swelled up. In April of the fifth year of the Longqing reign, the Yellow River once again broke through eleven dikes in one fell swoop!"

"In our area, there's some kind of shoddy dam that collapsed in the first year of the Wanli Emperor's reign and collapsed again in the third year. We haven't had a few days of peace!"

"It wasn't until after the fifth year of the Wanli reign that things started to get a little better."

Zhu Yijun became increasingly silent as he listened.

Since ancient times, the Yellow River has been of paramount importance for governing the country and bringing prosperity to the nation.

Throughout history, countless floods have breached their banks and shifted their course, resulting in the deaths of countless people, the loss of farmland, the destruction of cities and towns, and the alteration of landscapes. The people on both banks have suffered immeasurable pain, and the disasters have been immense and the sins grave.

The pain of the times, when it falls on an individual, is truly compounded.

The family of four who run the butcher shop in front of us are clearly quite wealthy, and they have managed to return to their hometown after several migrations. But outside of them, who knows how many corpses and starving people have been buried on both sides of the Yellow River without a trace.

Zhu Yijun, the fake monk, revealed genuine compassion on his face and comforted him, saying, "The imperial court's river management often takes years and months, so the results are a bit slow."

I wanted to say that better days were ahead, but I was afraid it would sound sarcastic, so I could only express it tactfully.

The female stall owner scoffed at this, saying, "If we stop building such shoddy dams, we'll see results sooner."

This was the second time he had said this, and Zhu Yijun was somewhat concerned.

He thought for a moment, then refuted the question instead: "Isn't it common for the Yellow River to be turbulent and frequently breach its banks? Female benefactor, please don't let anger get the better of you."

The female stall owner got flustered when questioned by the high monk.

She quickly explained, "Master, I'm not just making this up."

"In the fifth year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Zhan, a physician, came here to manage the water. He ousted several corrupt officials and rebuilt the river embankments in Lijia Gou and Longzitan."

"The dikes had breached every year before, but in the three years that followed, the Yellow River rose again, and we managed to weather the floods every time!"

Zhu Yijun was not surprised to hear the name Zhang Zhan again.

In the fifth year of the Wanli reign, a major flood occurred. The Yellow River breached its banks at Dangshan, the Huai River at Gaojiayan, and the Si River at Peixian. Almost half of the country was affected by the flood. It was at that time that Pan Jixun needed both manpower and money to undertake several large-scale projects.

It seems that Zhang Zhan won the hearts of many people at that time.

As for whether it's bean curd dregs or not, I'll probably have to ask Dr. Zhang in person later.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun casually asked for directions, saying, "It seems that Physician Zhang is a benevolent official who benefits all people. How could this humble monk not pay him a visit?"

"Does the female benefactor know where to find the residence of Zhang Zhan, the river hermit?"

It was just a routine question for directions.

Unexpectedly, the female stall owner sighed inexplicably upon hearing this.

Just as Zhu Yijun was wondering, the female stall owner said, "The holy monk can no longer pay his respects, but by coming now, he can still chant sutras for Zhang Langzhong to help him pass on to the afterlife."

"Just walk along the small street to the end, head north, and not far away is the East Gate. There are funeral notices hanging at Zhang Shanren's mansion, you can see them at a glance."

After saying that, he handed over the change he had prepared.

Zhu Yijun was taken aback.

Is Zhang Zhan dead?

dead again?
Zhu Yijun could not hide his astonishment and turned to look at Jiang Keqian.

The latter shook his head slightly, indicating that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had not reported anything suspicious when they scouted the location in advance, so their death must have been reasonable.

Zhu Yijun, filled with doubt, looked at the female stall owner and asked, "May I ask, female benefactor, when did Doctor Zhang go there? And why?"

No wonder he's suspicious; after all, he's only now going on these incognito visits because of that incident in Tianjin.

The female stall owner, unsuspecting, answered every question: "Alas, they said that a few days ago they were on their way to Huai'an to see their superior, but as soon as they left the county, the carriage went out of control and crashed into the donkey cart in front. The scene was so chaotic that they said the donkey was trampled to death. Today is the seventh day after its death."

Zhu Yijun was somewhat relieved.

Fortunately, they didn't die right before or after me.

Just as he was about to press for more information, the female stall owner craned her neck and looked around furtively.

Once the passersby had gone far away, she leaned closer to Zhu Yijun and winked, saying, "This is really strange. Everyone in our village says that someone killed him. Zhang Dashan was investigating corruption in the river management just a few days ago, and then he died mysteriously."

"Of the six or seven officials who accompanied the carriage, only Zhang Langzhong died."

"And then there are the coachmen on their way, who somehow got a pawn ticket for six thousand taels of silver, cashed it in overnight, and ran off. In my opinion..."

The female stall owner was talking about the rumors in the county when she noticed her husband walking back. She quickly stopped talking and got back to her butcher shop business.

The people behind the emperor all seemed to be deep in thought.

Jiang Keqian hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and asked the emperor, "May I look around?"

Zhu Yijun nodded, somewhat lost in thought.

When Wei Chao and Sun Jigao returned to their posts, they saw the emperor standing there with his head down and brows furrowed, seemingly deep in thought.

"Your Majesty... Dharma King..."

Sun Jigao was a civil official, so he could at least speak up for him. He stepped forward and called out softly.

Zhu Yijun came to his senses.

Upon seeing that it was Sun Jigao, he couldn't help but put his hands together and sincerely recite a Buddhist verse: "All sentient beings fear the consequences, but this poor monk fears the causes."

Under Sun Jigao's bewildered gaze, Zhu Yijun patted Sun Zhuangyuan on the shoulder and murmured, "The poor business environment in local prefectures and counties is ultimately due to the terrible state of officialdom."

(End of this chapter)