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

"It's only May now. Even if there's more rainfall in the Taihu Lake basin than usual, the disaster shouldn't have spread this far!"

According to the regulations of our dynasty, local areas must report disasters within a specified period, and the government can then provide relief. Haven't you ever seen the government distributing relief grain and resettling disaster victims?

The man was reluctant to speak, but seeing Liu Zhong's less-than-pleasant look, he once again chose to follow his heart.

Speaking out might offend the county magistrate, but not speaking out now would offend the Imperial Guard.

"Food relief? What is food relief?"

Ever since the fields were flooded, no one from the government has come. Instead, the gentry's servants are pressing for rent even more urgently, saying that even though the land is flooded, the rent cannot be reduced.

Clearly, Lin Yue received the answer he had expected, but he was still furious.

Hearing about a flood from afar is nothing compared to the shock of seeing it with your own eyes.

Looking at the crowds of refugees before him, and recalling Li Zhigang's unusual recommendation in the imperial court, he felt deeply indignant.

The floods in Jiangnan are indeed more than just a natural disaster; it seems that the Ming Dynasty officials involved will have to be executed.

Lin Yue didn't ask any further questions, but silently walked towards the gathering place of refugees.

Under the setting sun, the scarlet official robe stood out against the twilight, with Liu Zhong and the imperial guards following closely behind.

After taking only a few steps, the stench of decay and mold, mixed with moisture, assaulted my senses. The smell of the dying and various filth wafted into my nostrils, making me want to vomit.

The ground was muddy, and the sticky mud clung to the soles of Lin Yue's boots, making each step feel unusually heavy.

"My lord, my lord, my sir... I beg you..."

A faint groan came from the side ahead, and Lin Yue looked in the direction of the sound.

A woman huddled under a broken wall, her body tattered and her shrunken clothes unable to conceal her emaciated frame. Her skin clung tightly to her bones, and her ribs were clearly visible.

Lin Yue could see clearly that her hair was dry, tangled, and covered in mud, but her eyes were gleaming with a wild, beast-like light as she looked at him.

It was a pure, hopeful gaze, filled with a strong will to survive, so intense that it made one afraid to look directly at it.

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then quickly stepped forward.

The woman's withered, bony hand suddenly gripped the hem of Lin Yue's robe with astonishing force.

"My son...please, have a way to live," the woman's voice was muffled. "He's only two years old, please, adults..."

The woman struggled to her feet, trying to push the child behind her out, but as soon as she got up a little, she collapsed to the ground, splashing mud and water everywhere.

The blinding light suddenly went out, leaving only a deathly silence, except for the hand that was still gripping the nobleman's clothes tightly.

Lin Yue froze, looking at the woman's face, only to realize that her eyes were very cloudy and mottled, not as bright as he had perceived.

Lin Yue bent down and pushed her arm aside, revealing a child.

The child was so thin he was just skin and bones, but his belly was slightly bulging and his head looked unusually large, which was very disproportionate to his small body.

He stared blankly at the adult in front of him, his lips cracked and bleeding. He didn't even have the strength to cry.

Suddenly, the child became frightened. He struggled to his feet and tried to leave, but his strength was too weak, and days of hunger had left him unable to even walk.

Lin Yue quickly helped the child up; the child's skin felt like cold stone to the touch, and the jagged bones were very sharp and uncomfortable to the touch.

"Quickly, bring the grain!" Lin Yue's eyes widened as he turned and growled at the guards behind him.

A moment later, the eunuch Li Da brought over some warm rice porridge.

Lin Yue squatted down and personally fed the child.

The child's eyes shone with the same light as his mother's.

He ate very quickly, and some of the porridge went into his trachea.

He coughed violently, his face instantly turning bluish-purple, his eyes widening, and a strange hoarse sound coming from his throat.

"He choked! He choked!" Lin Yue panicked and shouted loudly to the people around him.

The group of people who were with him quickly approached, but faced with such a young child, they were all talking at once and didn't know what to do.

Lin Yue pushed through the crowd and quickly picked up the child.

He tried hard to recall all the first aid knowledge he had learned, whether it was the Heimlich maneuver or some other method, and tried all sorts of methods in turn.

Unfortunately, it was of no use.

Lin Yue could feel the fleeting life slipping away in his hands. His cough grew weaker and weaker, his limbs gradually stiffened, and his already cold skin became even colder.

Moments later, the child's head lolled to one side, his eyes lost all their light, and he lay limp in Lin Yue's arms, his face turning bluish-purple, no longer breathing.

"ah!!!"

Suppressed anger suddenly erupted, and Lin Yue let out a low roar.

But no matter how much it flares up, life cannot be saved.

After a long while, he gently placed the child beside the woman, and the mother and child were reunited.

"Dig a grave! Give them, mother and child, a proper burial!"

Lin Yue turned around and roared at the Imperial Guards, his voice trembling.

The imperial guards silently obeyed the order and quickly dug a hole in the ground with their embroidered spring knives.

Lin Yue then walked alone to the canal outside Danyang City.

As the evening breeze blew, he stared blankly at the canal in front of him, lost in thought.

The Tuyang Canal is the lifeline of the grain transport in Jiangnan and an important section of the Grand Canal. In the early years of the Hongwu reign, tens of thousands of laborers were conscripted to repair it. The blood and sweat of countless people poured into building this embankment, and countless grains were transported along it to the capital, supporting the prosperity of the court and the ambition of the northern expedition.

But today, the canal remains open, yet the people living along its banks cannot even get a full meal.

The common people, who should have been the beneficiaries of this canal and the actual producers of wealth in the Jiangnan region, died of famine and the indifference and corruption of officials right under the emperor's nose.

The canal water was still flowing quietly, its surface dark and lusterless.

Lin Yue's gaze drifted along the river into the distance, and the woman's withered hands and the child's bluish-purple face reappeared clearly in his mind.

Lin Yue's anger surged; his chest tightened, and he wanted to roar and curse.

But they didn't know where to begin their rant.

Who are you cursing? Aren't all feudal officials in the Ming Dynasty like this? The magistrate of Wu County was actually only of average to low quality. According to the laws of the court, he didn't actually commit any major mistakes.

The river wind grew colder and colder, making people's cheeks feel stiff.

The misty spray gradually blurred one's vision.

Lin Yue raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky. His scarlet official robe swayed slightly in the evening breeze, and his sleeves fluttered.

On the embankment not far away, Li Da and Liu Zhong stood quietly, and no one came forward to disturb them.

Li Da pulled his sleeves tighter; his expression was numb, a man from a poor background.

Liu Zhong stood ramrod straight, his hands resting on the embroidered spring knife at his waist, silent as an iron tower.

His gaze fell heavily on Lin Yue, watching that crimson figure sway in the night.

Suddenly, faint moans and cries came from the riverbank, mingling with the sound of the wind, making them difficult to hear clearly.

Perhaps it was the refugees by the river who were weeping, Liu Zhong thought.

The evening breeze continued to blow, and the mist grew thicker. The three people stood silently in place.

Only the sobbing sounds from the riverbank, intertwined with the cries of the displaced people in the distance, lingered for a long time beside the empty official road.