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

Lin Yue drew his sword and strode forward, his boots treading on the stone slabs of the county jail, leaving dark red trails of blood behind him.

The stench of blood from the execution of the county magistrate had not yet dissipated, and mixed with the musty smell and dampness wafting from the dungeon, the cramped space created an intense sense of oppression.

Lin Yue stopped in front of the trembling county yamen officials. The group of people huddled in the corner, slumped on the ground, their official hats askew and their robes disheveled, completely lacking their former domineering arrogance.

"Who is the registrar?" Lin Yue's voice was not loud, but it attracted attention.

The crowd suddenly stirred, dozens of pairs of alarmed eyes darting around before finally all turning to a thin scholar in the corner.

He was about thirty years old, his face was as pale as paper, and the few sparse strands of his beard trembled uncontrollably with fear. His blue clerk's robe was stained with mud, making him look particularly disheveled.

Before Lin Yue could ask any more questions, his knees buckled and he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the stone slab heavily with a dull thud.

"Your Excellency, spare my life! I am Wang Qian, the registrar! Please spare me!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, and blood quickly seeped from his forehead, mixing with the dust on the ground to form a dark red stain.

"Whatever questions the Imperial Envoy may have, I will answer them without reservation. I only beg Your Excellency to spare my life!"

Lin Yue slowly bent down, the tip of the eight-sided Han sword in his hand pointing downwards, gently touching Wang Qian's neck.

The cold blade, carrying the chilling aura of metal, sent a shiver down Wang Qian's neck, while the strong smell of blood made him tremble all over.

"The waters of Taihu Lake have risen, and the riverbanks have breached. Is the county government aware of this?"

Wang Qian's teeth chattered uncontrollably, making a clicking sound. He didn't dare to look up and quickly said...

"I know, a decision was made at the end of April!"

The East and West dikes of Taihu Lake breached one after another, flooding more than 200,000 mu of farmland outside the city, and submerging all the houses in the lower-lying areas!

"Why aren't you providing disaster relief? Why aren't you reporting it?" Lin Yue tightened his wrist slightly, and the blade instantly sliced ​​through the skin on Wang Qian's neck.

Wang Qian was so frightened that his body went limp and he almost collapsed to the ground. He could only support himself with his hands and choked out a sob.

"I wanted to provide relief, but the county magistrate and local notables wouldn't allow it."

He shouted rapidly, panting heavily.

"The local gentry in Wu County, led by Zhang the wealthy man and Li the rich man, have long been eyeing the fertile fields in the polder area!"

As soon as the floodwaters rose, they took their servants and lent money everywhere. The interest compounded, and the displaced people couldn't repay their debts, so they had no choice but to use their land as collateral or sell themselves into slavery!

The county magistrate not only ignored the situation but also took the opportunity to seize a hundred acres of prime farmland. He then lent the grain stored in the granary to local gentry under the guise of safekeeping, only to sell it off at inflated prices.

He paused, as if afraid Lin Yue wouldn't believe him, and then quickly added.

"The county also reported the disaster situation, and I wrote the report no less than three times!"

The first time the document was sent to the Suzhou prefectural government office, it disappeared without a trace. The second time, a yamen runner was sent to deliver it personally, but the runner returned saying that the prefect was busy dealing with errands from the capital and had no time to look at it. The third time, the document was simply intercepted by the county magistrate, who said that the country had just been pacified and that Jiangnan would surely be peaceful; reporting disaster was an ominous sign and might anger the court!

Lin Yue frowned.

Prefect of Suzhou?

At this time, the prefect of Suzhou was named Tang Zong, courtesy name Zhengchuan, a veteran official who had served under the Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle emperors.

During the Jianwen era, he rose to fame for exposing the bribery of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Chen Ying and was promoted to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong. At the beginning of the Yongle era, Zhu Di, recognizing his uprightness, transferred him to the position of Prefect of Suzhou.

Lin Yue felt something was amiss. Historically, Tang Zong was considered a benevolent official, so why would he suppress the flood?

"How much grain is left in the county?" Lin Yue snapped out of his thoughts and asked coldly, the blade still pressed against Wang Qian's neck.

Wang Qian's body trembled even more violently as he spoke with difficulty.

"Only three thousand koku left..."

Seeing Lin Yue's sharp gaze, he quickly added, "At this time of year, the county government's reserve granaries hold at least 10,000 shi of grain, enough to cope with ordinary famines."

Most of the grain in the reserve granaries has been sold by the county magistrate, and not a single grain of the local gentry's famine relief grain has been handed over. The sold grain has nothing to do with me.

The purpose of setting up reserve granaries in county governments during the Ming Dynasty was to regulate grain prices and provide famine relief. Wu County, as a county attached to Suzhou Prefecture and a wealthy area along the Taihu Lake, should have had far more grain reserves than ordinary prefectures and counties.

Three thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) is less than a fraction of what it was in previous years. Let alone providing relief to tens of thousands of refugees, it's likely that the government won't even be able to pay its own wages and salaries.

Lin Yue snorted coldly, flicked his wrist, and sheathed the sword, bloodstains spreading down the clerk's neck.

"You shall immediately open the granaries and distribute grain, providing relief according to the number of people."

"Each person shall be given eight measures of rice daily. Anyone who evades this quota will be strangled by the clerks or killed by the officials. Anyone who knows of such a deception and fails to report it will be punished the same way!"

"Yes! Yes! This humble official will go immediately!"

Wang Qian felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He didn't even bother to wipe the bloodstains from his head and scrambled towards the granary.

......

News of the disaster relief efforts spread rapidly, reaching every corner of Wu County.

Within half an hour, thousands of disaster victims had flocked to the open space outside the county government office.

They were all famished and weak, supporting the old and carrying the young, dressed in rags.

The Imperial Guards, armed with embroidered spring knives, formed a human wall around the granary to maintain order, but the weak disaster victims still couldn't help but surge forward.

Lin Yue stood on the high platform of the granary, his scarlet official robe fluttering in the wind.

Liu Zhong, standing beside him, had his hands on the embroidered spring knife at his waist, his brows furrowed and his expression grave. He was clearly still upset about Lin Yue's killing of the county magistrate.

His gaze swept over the densely packed refugees below, his expression complex.

"Liu Qianshi, do you think I'm acting recklessly and without restraint?" Lin Yue asked calmly without turning his head.

Liu Zhong paused for a moment, then decided to speak frankly: "It was indeed too hasty. Even if a seventh-rank official is guilty, he should be escorted to Nanjing and handed over to the three judicial departments for trial and sentencing. How could he be executed in court?"

This move is not only illegal, but may also be impeached by officials in Beijing.

Although the scholar has the authority granted by His Majesty to act expediently, the unauthorized execution of an official is ultimately a serious matter.

Lin Yue chuckled coldly, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery and helplessness.

He countered, "Why do you think I killed him the moment I arrived?"

Liu Zhong shook his head and said frankly, "I don't know."

In his view, even if the county magistrate needed to be dealt with, detention, interrogation, and confiscation of his property were all reasonable methods, and there was no need to rush into such a brutal killing.

"What we need now is not whether the procedures are compliant, but time," Lin Yue said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the distant Taihu Lake.

"The officials in Jiangnan are deeply entrenched, and the local gentry collude with the government. If I were to investigate and collect evidence step by step, first summoning them, then checking their accounts, and finally reporting to the authorities, the whole process would drag on for who knows how long."

I fear that within three days, the corrupt officials of Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures will be in cahoots, destroying account books, transferring stolen goods, and compiling fabricated testimonies. Even with the help of the Imperial Guards, it will all be for naught.

He turned to look at Liu Zhong: "Only by killing the ringleader by surprise can we disrupt their formation."