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

As Lin Yue ran frantically out of the city, the officialdom in Nanjing was in complete uproar.

Inside the residence of Li Zhigang, the Minister of Rites, several cups of tea had long since gone cold.

Li Zhigang was sitting with three officials from Songjiang, leisurely discussing countermeasures, when they heard the news that Lin Yue had led the Imperial Guards out of the city with an imperial sword. His face turned ashen instantly.

With a crash, Li Zhigang slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground, scattering shards of celadon porcelain everywhere.

"Useless, a bunch of useless people! They can't even keep this much information a secret."

The trusted advisor quickly stepped forward and bowed: "My lord, please calm your anger. What should we do now?"

"Send men immediately!" Li Zhigang ordered urgently, his face contorted with rage.

"I'll take this handwritten letter and rush to Songjiang Prefecture overnight. Tell Wang Ji and his gang to cover up any trace of their actions. If they dare to leave even the slightest loose end, we'll all lose our heads!"

Wang Ji was the magistrate of Huating County.

Thanks to Emperor Yongle's alteration of historical records and his large-scale reassignment of local officials, the local gazetteers of Songjiang Prefecture from the Jianwen period to the early Yongle period are basically blank in terms of the appointment and removal of officials at all levels. Even the identity of the local fourth-rank prefect is unknown.

After giving his instructions, Li Zhigang, without bothering to clean up the mess, hurriedly changed into his everyday clothes and headed straight for the residence of Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue.

When he saw Xia Yuanji, a warm smile spread across his face: "Brother Wei Zhe, it's been a long time. I've come to bother you today."

Xia Yuanji warmly greeted him and gestured for him to sit down: "May I ask what brings Lord Li here?"

"To be honest," Li Zhigang leaned closer, feigning concern.

"Just now I received a document from my hometown that the floods in Jiangnan have become so severe that all the dikes have been submerged and countless people have been displaced."

I have heard that Brother Wei Zhe is skilled in flood control. Now that the people of Jiangnan are suffering, I have thought long and hard and believe that only your personal presence can quell the floods and appease the people.

Li Zhigang deliberately raised his voice, his words full of sincerity and admiration.

"Now the floods in Jiangnan are rampant. Southern Zhili is the foundation of the country's wealth and the lifeline of the Grand Canal. Once the disaster spreads, not only will millions of people suffer, but the Grand Canal transport in the capital and the supplies for the northern expedition will also be affected."

"Brother, you are not only well-versed in hydrology and water conservancy, but also adept at procuring provisions and providing relief. You will surely enable the disaster victims to quickly resume farming. Such talent and courage are unmatched in the entire court."

"For the sake of the country and the people," Li Zhigang said, bowing respectfully.

"Only if you personally go to Jiangnan to oversee the flood control efforts can the disaster be quelled and the overall situation stabilized. I am willing to strongly recommend Lord Xia to His Majesty, hoping that the people of Jiangnan can escape their suffering as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Xia Yuanji's eyes.

Li Zhigang said a lot of things, which were nothing more than flattery, and he also implied, both openly and subtly, that the local officials of Songjiang Prefecture would give him strong support.

But why did Li Zhigang do this? If he was truly confident of making a contribution, why didn't he do it himself?

Lin Yue, along with the Chen family, beat the drum to appeal, and the news of Jiangnan's concealment of disaster relief and embezzlement of relief funds had already spread throughout the officialdom. Li Zhigang's sudden recommendation of him at this moment was too suspicious.

However, Xia Yuanji quickly figured out the reason.

Li Zhigang was from Huating, Songjiang Prefecture, and the flood happened to occur near his hometown.

Whether Li Zhigang's actions stemmed from genuine concern for his hometown or an attempt to buy time and cover up local misdeeds is difficult to say.

After a long silence, Xia Yuanji slowly spoke: "The floods in Jiangnan are a matter of national importance and no small matter."

I appreciate Lord Li's recommendation, but this matter needs to be reported to His Majesty. Moreover, flood control requires the overall planning of provisions, laborers, and other resources, which involves a wide range of issues. Please allow me to first verify the flood situation reports from various regions and formulate a plan before making a final decision.

Li Zhigang's smile froze. Seeing Xia Yuanji trying to evade the issue, he had no choice but to bow and leave.

"I hope Brother Weizhe will make a decision soon; the people of Jiangnan are all waiting for you."

Xia Yuanji watched Li Zhigang's departing figure and fell into deep thought.

He suddenly realized that the floods in Jiangnan were probably not simple, and even if he wanted to deal with them, he couldn't do it now.

Cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents. It is common knowledge that the more one's hometown land is, the more one should annex it; the more natural disasters occur in one's hometown, the easier it is to make money.

It must have been tough for Lin Yue who went there; hopefully he can get out unscathed.

He thought Lin Yue was a pretty good young man, and he was energetic.

......

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the twilight. Lin Yue, along with Liu Zhong and the imperial guards, spurred their horses on and arrived in Danyang territory in less than half a day.

Just after passing the pass on the official road, the scene before him made him suddenly pull on the reins.

Along the roadside, in the ditches, and under the big trees, there were crowds of ragged refugees. The old, weak, women and children sat together, and the children cried incessantly from hunger. Their emaciated appearance was a stark contrast to the peaceful scene near Yingtian Prefecture.

"That's not right." Lin Yue frowned. "Danyang is only a little over 120 li from Yingtian Prefecture, how could there be so many refugees?"

After finding a post station and quickly eating a simple meal, Lin Yue led Liu Zhong out of the post station and headed straight for the nearby gathering place of refugees.

He saw a man in patched tunics adding firewood to the campfire, so he went up to him, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked.

"Brother, I apologize for bothering you, but I was passing through this area and saw a large number of refugees gathered on both sides of the official road. I wonder what the reason is?"

The man looked up and sized up their clothes. He didn't recognize the crimson robes of the third-rank officials, but he did recognize the embroidered spring knife at Liu Zhong's waist.

The man thought for a moment and decided not to lie to the Imperial Guards, but to tell the truth.

He sighed deeply: "What else could it be? They can't survive anymore."

The war has been going on for the past few years, and a lot of fields have been abandoned. We were finally hoping for peace so that we could settle down and grow some crops, but this year, the rain has been nonstop since the beginning of spring.

The water level of Taihu Lake has risen alarmingly. Half of the polder fields where we live are flooded. They are in even worse shape; their houses and crops are completely submerged. If they don't escape, they'll just starve to death.

Lin Yue looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a large number of refugees with their families.

Many people lay on straw mats, already on the verge of death.

Lin Yue then asked, "Did all these people have their homes destroyed by the flood? Where are they planning to go?"

The man's lips moved, but he remained silent.

Seeing this, Liu Zhong stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Scholar Lin is asking you a question, just answer the truth."

The man flinched before whispering, "Where else can we go? We're trying to sneak into Yingtian Prefecture."

However, Yingtian Prefecture was strict in its investigations, and the cities and prefectures of various states and prefectures did not allow refugees to enter freely, supposedly to prevent them from causing trouble.

Ahead lies Yingtian Prefecture, which they cannot enter; behind them lies their ancestral home, but their fields have long been flooded.

With no other option, they could only huddle together by the roadside and wait, hoping for a meal.

"Hmph!" Lin Yue sneered upon hearing this, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Zhenjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture are neighbors, only a hundred miles apart. It is a place right under the emperor's nose, yet there are so many displaced people!"

Yet, not a single report about the flood was submitted to the imperial court. Were these local officials blind, or were they doing this on purpose?!

His gaze swept over the emaciated refugees, his tone growing increasingly urgent, filled with barely suppressed anger.