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

"With the death of the magistrate, the officialdom of Wu County fell into chaos. Without the protection of the government, the local gentry dared not act rashly for a time. The officials and servants below were leaderless, making it easier to extract confessions."

This chaotic lull was the time I bought, enough for me to uncover the corruption network and stabilize the situation of the displaced people.

Liu Zhong frowned slightly, still somewhat puzzled: "Even if we're in a hurry, we can just detain and interrogate him. Why do we have to kill him? Put him in jail first, torture him to extract a confession, and we might just get the truth out of him."

Lin Yue raised an eyebrow and said, "Liu Qianshi has been in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a long time, so he should know the character of these seasoned officials."

Having spent decades in officialdom, they had long since honed their slick skills. Confessions obtained through torture were either fabricated confessions or evasive statements.

Even if we obtain a genuine confession, will people in Nanjing believe it?

Most of the officials in the three judicial departments had ties with local gentry in Jiangnan, and would certainly use torture as a pretext to reject confessions, thus giving them room to overturn the verdict.

Liu Zhong suddenly realized and nodded subconsciously: "Scholar Lin is absolutely right. Without solid evidence, it is indeed difficult to convict someone based solely on a confession."

In that case, killing him is justified.

Lin Yue glanced at him and thought to himself.

Liu Zhong's political awareness is really low; he actually believed the excuses Liu Zhong made up on the spot.

He killed the magistrate of Wu County simply to use his head.

Given the nature of Ming Dynasty civil officials, it's questionable whether a few dozen Imperial Guards could even survive leaving Suzhou Prefecture, let alone investigate corruption in several prefectures in Jiangnan.

What he wanted was not for a few individuals to be brought to justice, but for a way to properly resettle the disaster victims in Jiangnan.

Lin Yue stepped down from the platform, each step aggravating the wound on his thigh, causing fine beads of sweat to appear on his forehead, which he forcefully suppressed.

His scarlet official robes stood out among the starving people, and when they saw him approaching surrounded by a group of burly men, they all dispersed to keep some distance.

A child, about seven or eight years old, so thin he was just skin and bones, broke free from his mother's hand and stumbled to Lin Yue's feet. He looked up, his chapped lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound. He just knelt down and kowtowed several times.

Lin Yue bent down and carefully helped the child up. Looking at the dry skin and protruding bones, she suddenly remembered the child who had choked to death.

He bent down and instructed the child's mother, "Remember to eat in small bites, drink plenty of warm water, and don't choke."

Lin looked around at the disaster victims and felt that there was something important to be done.

Disaster victims are the most vulnerable group, yet they are also the most powerful force at present.

They were driven to ruin by natural disasters, man-made calamities, and corrupt officials, and their hearts were filled with resentment.

Now that he has executed the county magistrate, he has given these refugees an outlet for their frustrations. He opened the granaries to distribute grain so that these refugees would know that following him, Lin Yue, would lead to survival.

Now that thousands of starving people have gathered in Wu County, with their support, he has the means to resist even if the officials of Jiangnan unite to fight back.

Lin Yue snatched the blood-stained head from Li Da's hand and held it high above his head.

Lin Yue shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Fellow villagers, look at this dog's head!"

This is Pang Mian, the magistrate of Wu County. When the Taihu Lake breached its banks, tens of thousands of acres of fertile land were flooded, causing the villagers to lose their homes and become homeless.

And this scoundrel, instead of organizing government relief efforts, he just watched you starve to death, and even kicked you when you were down!

He slammed the man's head to the ground with a loud thud, startling the surrounding victims who instinctively took a half-step back.

"That damned magistrate secretly sold the imperial relief grain to the local gentry, turning your life-saving grain into piles of silver!"

He withheld reports of the disaster, falsely reported peace to Nanjing, and allowed local gentry to lend money and seize the land of their fellow villagers, selling them into slavery when they were desperate.

Shouldn't such a corrupt official be executed?!

His words ignited the long-suppressed anger of the disaster victims, and someone immediately responded loudly.

"Kill them! They deserve to be killed!"

Lin Yue raised his hand to quiet the room, and the scene gradually quieted down.

He turned and bowed towards Nanjing, his expression solemn: "His Majesty in the capital is already aware of the severity of the floods in Jiangnan and the suffering of the people!"

Upon learning that corrupt officials were harming the people, His Majesty was furious and bestowed upon me the Imperial Sword, granting me the power to act expediently. He ordered me to execute the treacherous officials and open the granaries to provide relief!

"Today I behead Pang Mian to seek justice for my fellow villagers!"

These words made the atmosphere even more enthusiastic.

The county officials shrank back, their faces ashen, and they exchanged furtive glances, filled with terror.

Lin Yue's words clearly indicate that he intends to investigate thoroughly.

Now that the floods in Jiangnan have reached the ears of the emperor, I wonder if those of us who work for Pang Mian will be implicated.

The disaster victims were completely overjoyed and moved. Countless people knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of Nanjing, their foreheads hitting the ground with a thud.

"Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is a holy emperor!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for upholding justice for us! These corrupt officials deserve to die!"

"Lord Lin is a just and upright official!"

Cries and screams rose and fell, and many people cried so hard they nearly fainted.

Li Da, standing behind Lin Yue, was already sweating profusely and trembling in his legs.

He secretly glanced at Lin Yue's back, his heart pounding wildly.

Li Da was a palace eunuch and knew more details. His Majesty had clearly only bestowed a sword and a third-rank official robe, and had never said anything like "slay the treacherous minister"!

To put it bluntly, Lin Yue's words constituted falsely conveying an imperial edict, which, according to the "Great Ming Code," was a capital offense punishable by immediate execution!

He wanted to speak up and dissuade them, but seeing the angry crowd of disaster victims around him, he swallowed his words and could only lament inwardly.

This Scholar Lin is incredibly audacious; he's risking his life like this!

What if His Majesty blames us?

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhong's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

So it was an imperial edict from His Majesty! Oh dear, Lord Lin, you should have said so earlier! If you had, you would have been eager to chop off the magistrate's head.

In an instant, Liu Zhong's psychological burden was greatly reduced, and his strong body stretched out considerably.

Lin Yue was mobilizing the disaster victims when he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats. Amidst the flying dust, a fast horse broke through the crowd and galloped straight towards them.

The man on horseback was dressed in leather armor, with an official badge hanging from his waist, and shouted loudly.

"I am an envoy of the imperial court. Who is the magistrate of Wu County? Come here immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue's eyes lit up instantly, and his face lit up with joy.

He turned to Liu Zhong and shouted sternly, "Liu Qianshi, seize him!"

Liu Zhong was taken aback and subconsciously reached out to press the Embroidered Spring Knife.

The relief that had just been felt was replaced by hesitation. This man claimed to be an envoy of the imperial court. To apprehend him, at least his identity should be verified and documents should be presented. How could they be so hasty?

Liu Zhong hesitated, but the disaster victims around him did not.

"Did you hear that? Hurry up and go! The imperial envoy said he's going to capture him."

"This guy looks like an official too, should we fight him?"

"Who cares who it is? Lord Lin is distributing disaster relief and grain; whoever he says he'll do, he'll do."