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

"Scholar Lin," Li Da finally stepped forward, his voice soft.

"It's late, you should get some rest."

We have limited provisions and supplies, and there are thousands of refugees along this official road. Even if we distribute all our provisions, it will be a drop in the ocean and we won't be able to save them all.

We still have tasks to complete and cannot afford to delay any longer.

The refugees were like ants, stretching for miles. The food and provisions they carried were only enough for the imperial guards to use and travel along the way. To ask them to provide relief to all the disaster victims was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Lin Yue looked at the figures huddled in the mud, remembering the tragic deaths of the mother and child, and felt unwilling to watch them starve to death under the emperor's nose.

Seeing Lin Yue remain silent, Li Da sighed and said, "Natural disasters are merciless. Every year there are floods, and how many people have died?"

"We're here on official business, after all. The core of the flooding in Jiangnan lies in Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures; those are the most critical areas. Ascertaining the extent of the disaster is the most important thing to do."

Lin Yue turned around abruptly and said sternly, "It's just a flood of Taihu Lake, why has it caused so many refugees to be scattered all over Zhenjiang Prefecture, which is a hundred miles away?"

It is clearly a case of rampant corruption, with officials deceiving their superiors and subordinates, using the flood as an excuse to seize farmland and withhold relief grain, driving the people to the brink of despair!

His brows furrowed, his face showing deep worry: "Even Zhenjiang Prefecture, which borders Yingtian Prefecture, is like this. What must Suzhou and Songjiang Prefectures, as the epicenter of the floods, be like? They've probably already become hell on earth!"

At this point, the sorrow in Lin Yue's eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a ruthless glint.

"Since those officials don't want to provide disaster relief, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Bring me paper and pen!" Lin Yue suddenly shouted. "I need to immediately submit a memorial to His Majesty, detailing the dire situation in Jiangnan!"

Back in his room at the inn, Lin Yue quickly spread out his brush and ink, dipped his brush in the ink, and the tip of the brush moved swiftly across the paper, splashing ink everywhere.

He cited classical texts and recounted the tragic disasters of past dynasties.

"During the chaos of Wang Mang's reign, people ate each other, and white bones covered the fields. During the Yongjia era of the Western Jin Dynasty, the world was starving, and people even exchanged their own children to eat."

"The Jiangnan region is currently suffering from severe flooding. Officials are covering up the truth, relief grain has been embezzled, and displaced people are crying out for food. The roads are littered with corpses of the starving. If this is not dealt with strictly and swiftly, it may lead to popular uprisings and shake the very foundation of the nation!"

He then shifted his focus, his words resounding: "Your Majesty is a wise and enlightened emperor who has swept away the dust from the world and rebuilt the universe. You should know that the people's hearts are the foundation of the nation."

Corrupt officials in Jiangnan are rampant and treat people's lives like dirt. If they are not severely punished, how can the people be appeased?

Your subject, Lin Yue, is willing to stake your life on the fact that what you said is true. I humbly beg Your Majesty to punish me severely. I will gladly accept your death!

After finishing his memorial, Lin Yue threw down his pen, splashing ink onto the paper and spreading it into a dark blot.

He hesitated for a moment, his expression first wavering, then becoming incredibly resolute, before speaking to Liu Zhongdao.

"Liu Qianshi, take your men back immediately and exhume the remains of that mother and child... Send the child's remains, along with this memorial, to Nanjing to present to His Majesty!"

Liu Zhong thought for a moment, then bowed and accepted the order, quickly leaving.

He just needs to deliver it; there will definitely be someone else to handle this.

A moment later, he returned, his face ashen. He strode up to Lin Yue, cupped his hands in greeting, and reported back, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Scholar Lin, the mother and child have disappeared."

"What do you mean by missing?" Lin Yue was taken aback, his face full of confusion.

Liu Zhong lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "When my men arrived at the burial site, they found only an empty pit, and the remains had long since disappeared."

Based on my guess, it seems... he was poached.

"He was poached?" Lin Yue was struck dumb, her whole body trembling. She stood there stunned, speechless for a long time.

A terrible thought surfaced in his mind: in these years of war and famine, who else but starving refugees would dig up the bones of the dead?

Perhaps the remains of that mother and child have already become food for others.

After a long silence, Lin Yue suddenly clenched his fists, and the anger and grief that had been building up in his chest exploded. He roared at Liu Zhong.

"Liu Zhong! Take men and search among the refugees, retrieve the remains!"

Liu Zhong was about to respond when he saw Lin Yue suddenly raise her hand to stop him, and then sit back down in her chair, looking dejected.

"Forget it." Lin Yue looked exhausted. "Even if we find them, what good will it do? It's just another pity for one unfortunate person."

The guest rooms at the inn were cramped and small, with the oil lamps flickering dimly.

Lin Yue slumped in the wooden chair, her eyes vacant, lost in thought.

The room was silent.

Lin Yue suddenly stretched out his right hand, his gaze falling on his fingers.

This time, he didn't hesitate at all and took a big bite.

Crimson blood gushed out instantly, dripping from his fingertips.

Ignoring the pain in his fingertips, he forcefully wrote the three characters "Lament of the Vegetable Man" at the end of the memorial, his brushstrokes sharp and powerful, penetrating the paper.

Inside the guest room of the inn, the air suddenly seemed to freeze.

Li Da looked astonished, first staring blankly at Lin Yue's bleeding fingers, and then his face turned ashen after seeing the three characters "Cai Ren Ai" and the content written on them.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but could not make a sound.

Liu Zhongli stood by the door, his pupils suddenly contracting, his hand on the knife tightening abruptly, the metal armor clashing together with a soft clang.

He could clearly see the handwriting on the memorial. Cai Ren's poem was like a thunderclap, making him catch his breath. His gloomy face turned ashen, and his teeth clenched so tightly they creaked.

Both of them froze on the spot, their eyes fixed on the memorial.

......

As Lin Yue hurried to Suzhou Prefecture, the memorial was also sent to the capital.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Di received the memorial handed to him by Hou Xian, opened it, and frowned slightly as he looked at the bloodstains on it.

What exactly is Lin Yue up to? Why is he pulling that blood-and-blood letter thing again?

Even if it was to demonstrate the severity of flooding in Jiangnan, and to seek power, there was no need to do it again and again.

He has already bestowed upon them a precious sword and ordered the emperor's personal guards to accompany them; what more do they want?

Unfolding the memorial, the handwriting was sharp and forceful, and the opening line was "Floods in Jiangnan, people are eating each other."

Zhu Di chuckled and shook his head, slamming the memorial onto his desk.

"Absurd! Zhenjiang Prefecture is only a hundred li from Yingtian Prefecture, right under the emperor's nose. How can there be so many refugees? Are the local officials all blind?"

He bent down to look again, his gaze sweeping over the officials' corruption and the withholding of relief grain, but he still didn't find anything amiss.

Official corruption is commonplace and nothing to worry about; it was entirely within his expectations.

But when Zhu Di's gaze fell upon the three words "Lament of the Vegetable Man" written in blood at the end, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"The Lament of the Vegetable Man"

The husband and wife starved to death together in a year of famine, it's better for the concubine to go to the vegetable market.

.....

After three days, only my soul remains, my flesh is gone; where can I find my husband as the setting sun casts its twilight glow?

.....

How many were buried alive, their bellies filled with blood? Fortunately, the crows and kites didn't peck at them too early.

Zhu Di read it word by word, and his heart trembled.

"If you don't want someone who's about to die, then you need fresh meat... "

Zhu Di suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the heavy sound of footsteps.

After a long while, Emperor Yongle kicked over the imperial desk and roared.

"You corrupt officials! A bunch of deceitful and treacherous officials!" Zhu Di's eyes widened in fury. "I've been kept in the dark!"

Zhu Di turned to Hou Xian, his voice booming like thunder: "Summon Ji Gang! Enter the palace immediately!"

Hou Xian bowed and quickly withdrew.