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

Zhu Di watched as Lin Yue was dragged away, his expression complex.

He certainly wanted to eliminate these problems, but Lin Yue's methods were too radical, immediately touching upon the interests of the princes, gentry, and merchants. A slight misstep could plunge the country into chaos.

His throne was hard-won, and the remnants of Jianwen's old officials were still watching him in the shadows, with assassinations occurring frequently. He simply couldn't afford any major upheaval at this moment.

"Alas... I know you also want to reform, but you are too hasty! The Ming Dynasty has just been stabilized and cannot withstand such turmoil."

......

Lin Yue was half-dragged and half-helped by two guards and driven out of the palace gates, and was once again kicked out of the palace.

Looking at the sky, Lin Yue realized it was getting late and decided to head home.

The Ming Dynasty was not like later times; it got dark by six or seven in the afternoon, so there was no way to have any nightlife.

As he approached his doorstep, two familiar figures huddled in the corner – the Chen father and daughter he had rescued from Chen Xiao's clutches.

Lin Yue quickly stepped forward and bent down to ask.

"Brother Chen? What are you doing here? Has something urgent happened?"

When Chen's father heard the familiar voice, he suddenly looked up and saw that the person looked to be only in his thirties, but appeared to be in his fifties or sixties.

As soon as he saw Lin Yue, he knelt down and pulled his daughter along, making her kowtow as well.

"My benefactor! Please have mercy on us and save my daughter and me!"

Lin Yue quickly reached out to help them up, and asked with a frown.

"Get up and speak quickly, the ground is very cold, be careful not to let the child get cold."

What exactly happened to Chen's father? Why has he come to Nanjing again?

Mr. Chen sighed deeply, his voice broken and intermittent.

"Our hometown is in Shanghai County. This year, Taihu Lake flooded. Our village is right on the banks of the Wusong River. Overnight, the floodwaters inundated our houses, submerged all the crops in the fields, and washed away our houses."

Shanghai County was established during the Yuan Dynasty and belonged to Songjiang Prefecture of Jiangzhe Province. It was an ordinary county town in the Jiangnan region.

"What about the rest of the village? Is there no one who can lend a hand?" Lin Yue pressed.

Mr. Chen shook his head blankly.

"Many people in the village fled the famine. Some went to Hangzhou, and some, like us, came to the capital. I begged all the way with my child and it took me a long time to finally find your mansion, my benefactor."

"My benefactor, we are truly desperate. Our crops have been completely washed away. If you don't take us in, my daughter and I probably won't survive much longer."

He became more and more heartbroken as he spoke, but not a single tear came out; he felt only deep numbness and exhaustion.

Hearing Chen's father's words, Lin Yue's doubts lessened slightly.

The incident with Chen Xiao when they reported to the authorities was very strange. This time, when the two of them arrived, they immediately shouted for help. I thought it was the same as last time, but now it seems that it was not deliberately arranged by someone.

After all, if it were fake, then Chen's father's acting skills would be too amazing.

Lin Yue supported Chen's father's arm, gesturing for the two of them to go into his house to avoid the storm.

Leading the Chen father and daughter into the house, the father froze on the spot as soon as he crossed the threshold, and the daughter behind him forgot to sob.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Lin Yue's house was completely bare. Inside, there was only a wooden table with a sloping back, two old bamboo chairs, and a hard bed in the inner room. Upon closer inspection, there wasn't even a single decent piece of furniture.

Although the Chen family were farmers, they at least had farm tools and furniture, and before the flood, they were actually in a better position than this place.

He couldn't help but ask, "My benefactor, you are a high-ranking official, how come you are so poor?"

Lin Yue sat down on the bamboo chair, rolled her eyes, and started to complain.

"It's all because of Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di. They printed paper money indiscriminately and used it to pay my salary. My meager salary is all in paper money. Recently, they even deducted three months' salary from my paycheck, so I'm penniless!"

Upon hearing this, Chen's father was quite surprised and seemed somewhat frightened. He glanced out the window, then at Lin Yue, and whispered.

"My benefactor, please be careful with your words! It's one thing for His Majesty to scold us a few times, but Emperor Hongwu pacified the land, giving us land to cultivate, food to eat, and reducing taxes. He was a great savior for us common people!"

Lin Yue was stunned. Was Zhu Yuanzhang really that prestigious in the vicinity of Southern Zhili?

So he immediately followed up on Chen's father's words with a smile and said, "What you said makes sense! Emperor Hongwu did indeed bring peace and stability to the people. The blame for the devaluation of the paper money still falls on Zhu Di. It was his incompetent son who was the emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't particularly brilliant in establishing economic and institutional frameworks, but his benefits to the common people were undeniable.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang strictly prohibited officials from going to the countryside. This was not to prevent officials from disturbing the people, but to completely forbid officials from going to the countryside.

If ordinary people saw officials disturbing the peace in the countryside, they could directly hand them over to the capital for punishment, which could be considered extremely contrary to the will of Heaven.

While other emperors sought to expand imperial power and extend it to the countryside, Zhu Yuanzhang went against the grain, strictly limiting the power of officials, making it as if Ming Dynasty officials were in prison, while ordinary people could leave the country with just a travel permit.

Lin Yue continued to ask Chen's father for more information.

"Tell me again about the floods in Shanghai County. Just how severe were they? Jiangnan is a prosperous region; how could it have driven our people to such a desperate situation?"

Mr. Chen sighed, "The water in Taihu Lake is rising, and the river is overflowing..."

"Has the government not provided any disaster relief?" Lin Yue pressed.

"Disaster relief?" Chen's father shook his head with a bitter smile. "The county government only distributed grain once, and most of it was withheld by the local gentry and village head. We ordinary farmers only got a few handfuls of coarse rice per family, which won't last more than a few days."

Later, when someone went to the county government to file a complaint, they were beaten and thrown out. They were told that continuing to cause trouble would be considered spreading rumors and inciting public unrest. It was said that the same thing happened in several other disaster-stricken counties nearby.

Lin Yue was shocked. The local gentry were withholding relief grain, and the people were displaced. This was terrible. Why was there no news from the court? Could it be that the officials were concealing the extent of the disaster?

Thinking of this, Lin Yue immediately knew that it was time for him to play a role.

Natural disasters, man-made calamities, corrupt officials and inaction—he used to kill indiscriminately, and then he was framed and killed by those who benefited from the system. What a wonderful idea!

Lin Yue was pondering how to write his memorial when a sudden "gurgling" sound broke the silence.

It turned out that the youngest daughter of the Chen family beside her was hungry. She lowered her head, her face full of embarrassment.

Lin Yue quickly stood up: "We've been so busy talking! Come on, I'll take you out to get something to eat!"

Restaurants were already thriving in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty, with taverns and food stalls dotting the streets and alleys, and even food delivery services similar to "takeout".

As long as you have money, you can send someone to place an order at a restaurant, and the restaurant will send someone to deliver the food to your door. The delivery fee is 2-4 coins, which is about the price of a pound of rice.

Nanjing in the early Ming Dynasty truly lived up to its reputation as the capital of the nation.

The city walls stretched far and wide, and the streets were well-organized. Official streets such as Chang'an Street and Hongwu Street were wide and flat, wide enough to accommodate nine carriages running side by side. Pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, creating a bustling scene of peace and prosperity.

However, like other dynasties, the Ming Dynasty also had problems where government property was often inexplicably seized, and the streets of Nanjing were gradually encroached upon.

"Boss, three bowls of wontons, two plates of steamed buns, and go buy a piece of plum blossom cake for the child." Lin Yue sat down at the wonton shop.

The Chen father and daughter had been hungry for a long time. As soon as the wontons were served, they didn't care that they were hot and swallowed them in small bites.

While eating wontons, Chen's youngest daughter held a soft and glutinous plum blossom cake, looking at it from left to right as if it were a work of art, reluctant to eat it for a long time.

Seeing their famine-stricken state, Lin Yue was about to say something more comforting when he suddenly heard the sound of approaching hooves, accompanied by shouts from his attendants.

"Make way! Everyone, get out of my way!"

Diners around the stall quickly made way for it, and several horses stopped directly in front of the stall. The leader, wearing a black brocade robe and with an arrogant face, was none other than Zhu Gaochi, who had just been granted the title of Prince of Han.

He dismounted and strode over with several guards, grabbing Lin Yue by the collar and glaring angrily.

"You pedantic scholar! I have no grudge against you, so why have you repeatedly slandered me before the Emperor, causing me to be sent all the way to Beiping?"

Zhu Di acted swiftly, and the imperial edict was sent out by fast horse. Zhu Gaoxu was already somewhat angry about being enfeoffed as the Prince of Han, but when he found out the next day that he had been sent to Beiping, he was even more furious.

Upon investigation, he learned that it was Lin Yue who had said it, so he immediately led his men to find him and confront him.

When an ordinary person is questioned by a prince, they would be trembling with fear and repeatedly apologize, but clearly our Lin the Censor and Lin the Scholar are no ordinary people.

Lin Yue pushed Zhu Gaoxu's hand away, showing no fear, and instead sneered and scolded him.

"Your Highness, you have quite the temper! Everything I said was for the sake of the country and its people; how could it be considered slander?"

Lin Yue stood up, raised his voice, and attracted the attention of those around him. He once again used the old-fashioned tactic of establishing a position before speaking.

"The established system of the dynasty dictates that the eldest son of the legitimate wife shall inherit the throne!"

As the eldest son of the legitimate wife, Zhu Gaochi was rightfully made crown prince.

As the second son, you were granted the title of Prince of Han. Beiping is an important town in the northern frontier. His Majesty entrusted you with this important task because he trusts your bravery and martial prowess. Yet you regard it as a trap.

Could it be that the Prince of Han harbors ambitions to spy on the Crown Prince, or perhaps he is unwilling to serve the Ming Dynasty wholeheartedly?