The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 120 Natural Disasters and Man-Made Calamities (It will still be a bit late tomorrow)

Deeply shocked, Xie Jin finally stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Scholar Lin, what are you doing? Zhang Chengye is an official appointed by the imperial court, and Wang Huai'an is a prominent local gentry. To arrest them so rashly without interrogation could cause trouble!"

Lin Yue was looking down at the account books when he heard this. He looked up and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Since when did Scholar Xie start to like following people around?"

Xie Jin choked for a moment, then asked seriously, "What exactly do you intend to do by arresting these people?"

"Execution is the natural choice," Lin Yue said calmly. "Colluding with internal and external forces, betraying the country and the enemy, with the blood of the people on their hands—what use is there in keeping them alive?"

"When to execute him?"

"Now."

"No! Absolutely not!" Xie Jin was shocked and quickly stepped forward, raising his voice several decibels.

"Scholar Lin, although these people deserve to die a thousand deaths, they should be punished according to the law. You have privately executed officials of the imperial court and local gentry, which is a crime of unauthorized killing!"

He sighed, his tone softening: "Back then, it was because of my upright character and outspoken advice that I ended up in this predicament."

You are capable of governing the country with your literary skills and breaking through enemy lines with your martial prowess; you are a pillar of the court. However, your actions are too radical and reckless. His Majesty may tolerate you once, but it is hard to say whether he will tolerate you a second time.

This time you will surely be impeached and arouse His Majesty's suspicion. At that time, not only will you be in danger, but all your previous achievements may also be in vain. Why bother?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue paused but did not look up: "I am naturally aware of what Scholar Xie said."

"Under normal circumstances, I would naturally be happy to wait for torture, but the coastal people have suffered so much, they can no longer wait for the three judicial departments to go through the procedures."

Watching Zhao Hu escort the man away, Lin Yue paced back and forth, stroking his chin, feeling as if he had forgotten something.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly remembered that he had only dealt with the few traitors who had previously mingled with the Japanese pirates; their families had not yet been dealt with!

"Bring those two Japanese pirates who understand Chinese over here!" Lin Yue ordered.

Before long, the two Japanese pirates were brought before the guards. Their knees buckled and they knelt on the ground, trembling like leaves, their heads almost touching the ground.

"I ask you," Lin Yue leaned forward, his voice low, "those Han Chinese who were with you earlier, do you know where they are from? What relatives do they have?"

Upon hearing this, the two men immediately kowtowed repeatedly, scrambling to reply in broken Mandarin.

They were terrified and dared not hide anything they knew. They guessed and even blurted out the location of the money they had vaguely heard.

After listening, Lin Yue slowly nodded and turned to the Imperial Guard beside him, instructing, "You shall set off immediately to see Magistrate Huang Ziwei at the Songjiang Prefectural Office."

"Issue my oral decree: based on the names and addresses provided by these two, arrest all the family members of the traitors and bring them to justice for rigorous interrogation!"

"If any gold, silver, or grain smuggled by traitors is discovered, it shall be confiscated immediately and the perpetrators shall be severely punished according to the law!" He paused, his tone growing increasingly stern. "If any family members are aware of the situation but fail to report it, or even help conceal the stolen goods, they shall all be convicted and exiled three thousand miles away, never to return home!"

"Only those who are completely unaware or have never received any favors can be pardoned."

The Imperial Guard clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Understood!"

"Go, and come back quickly, don't let a single person escape!" Lin Yue waved his hand.

A draft of rainwater swept in, making the room flicker between light and shadow.

Xie Jin, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but step forward and persuade him, "Scholar Lin, please listen to what I have to say."

Lin Yue turned around at the sound of his voice, his face showing impatience: "Scholar Xie, do you have something to say?"

"I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should speak it or not," Xie Jin said with a worried expression, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Then I won't talk about it," Lin Yue sneered.

Xie Jin paused slightly upon hearing this, but continued, "Although Scholar Lin has an imperial edict to accompany Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean and is in charge of Korean tribute and coastal Japanese pirate affairs, in the end, you are merely holding the nominal title of Korean deputy envoy."

"Since you lack the authority of the Three Departments to verify your credentials and do not have the power to handle local affairs personally granted by His Majesty, how can you possibly command the officials of the Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures?"

"This matter involves too many people. The officials and gentry in Suzhou and Songjiang are deeply entrenched, and it is not something that can be resolved by simply arresting people."

In my opinion, you should immediately stop, draft a memorial to the throne, seal all the witnesses and evidence, and send it to the capital by fast horse to report to the court. That is the right course of action.

At this point, Xie Jin's tone became somewhat complicated.

He was always proud and arrogant, and he had always been half-approving and half-disdainful of this emperor who was born on horseback, but he did acknowledge the decisiveness of the Yongle Emperor.

So he added, "Your Majesty is wise and exceptionally intelligent, and you uphold justice and guide the people. As for the matter of colluding with the Japanese pirates, harming the country, and corruption, you can submit the evidence, and Your Majesty will make a fair judgment."

After listening, Lin Yue suddenly chuckled softly: "It's rare for Scholar Xie to say a few good words about His Majesty."

But how can Your Majesty handle all the important affairs of the world perfectly on your own?

He took a step forward and looked out the window. The sky outside was gray, and a continuous drizzle was falling.

"Since June, there have been continuous heavy rains in Jiangnan, causing the water level of Taihu Lake to rise. Xia Yuanji and his men have been slow in controlling the floods, and now there are signs of heavy rains again in August."

This is a natural disaster.

Lin Yue abruptly withdrew his hand and slammed it heavily against the window: "But besides natural disasters, there are also man-made disasters!"

This group of officials who received salaries from the imperial court and local gentry who owned land embezzled funds meant for flood control while also tipping off Japanese pirates and sharing the spoils!

Their money and supplies are grown by relying on the blood and sweat of the people!

If the officials of Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures do not obey my orders, then I will have no choice but to take drastic measures.

Lin Yue fell silent at this point, gazing out the window.

Another trip to the south of the Yangtze River, and this time we're racing against time again.

Lin Yue closed his eyes, feeling a pang of regret.

If he had known that Xia Yuanji's flood control efforts would be so slow, he shouldn't have given up on the Jiangnan region so easily, and he shouldn't have placed all his hopes on the court's regulations and the rules of officialdom.

He shouldn't have trusted the efficiency of Ming Dynasty officials, even in the first year of the Yongle reign.

Lin Yue looked out the window again. The sky was gradually brightening, a pale blue, making it impossible to tell whether it was dawn or dusk.

"What...what do you mean by that?" Xie Jin was shocked for the umpteenth time today.

He suddenly raised his voice, his beard trembling slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

"You just said that if officials disobey orders, they should be killed without hesitation. What exactly do you mean by 'killed without hesitation'?!"

Xie Jin's heart pounded wildly.

He had already suspected this, but he still couldn't believe it.

Although Lin Yue is brave and fierce, he is ultimately a graduate of the Hanlin Academy. How could he be so reckless? Is he going to start another massacre in Jiangnan, causing untold suffering among the officials?

Lin Yue did not answer immediately.

He gently opened the window, letting the cool raindrops fall on his face.

He stood there in the rain, silent for a long time.

Finally, he slowly turned around.

The dim light fell on his face, half-light and half-shadow, his expressionless face, except for his pair of bloodshot eyes, which were frighteningly bright.

He looked at Xie Jin, whose face was deathly pale, and said calmly, "Xie Jin, with the heavy rains in Jiangnan, I fear both natural disasters and man-made calamities. Have you really considered these things?"