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

"You know about the floods in Wu County, but you only focus on taxes. What the people lack now is rice to survive, not empty promises of tax reductions!"

What's the point of paying taxes when people are about to die? Are the lives of ordinary people not more important than your tax collection assessment?

"You knew about the flood in Suzhou, why didn't you report it to the imperial court?"

Tang Zong was silent for a moment, then said, "Regarding the flood, I just sent a messenger yesterday to deliver a memorial using the 800-li express courier service."

"Damn it, it was only reported yesterday?" Lin Yue laughed angrily.

"The breaches in the East and West dikes of Wu County have lasted for more than a month!"

The people have been struggling in the mud for over a month, without food or shelter, and you only reported it yesterday?!

Lin Yue's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth: "I came from Danyang. Along the way, there were refugees everywhere. The able-bodied fled the disaster, while the old and weak died."

There were even cases of cannibalism! Cannibalism!

Lin Yue grew angrier as he spoke, and suddenly drew his eight-sided Han sword from his waist.

Holding a sword, he strode forward, approaching Tang Zong step by step, shouting sternly at him.

"Wang Qian, the registrar of Wu County, told me that he had submitted disaster reports three times, but all of them disappeared without a trace!"

Is it because you're afraid of taking responsibility, afraid that your political enemies in the court will fabricate charges against you, that you suppressed the news?

"As the prefect of Suzhou, you possess the prefectural government office, yet you only care about collecting taxes; you deserve to die!"

Just as Lin Yue was about to swing his sword, Liu Zhong lunged forward and grabbed his wrists holding the sword with both hands.

"Student Lin, please calm down. This is different from the county magistrate. The prefect is a fourth-rank official; he absolutely cannot be killed!"

A gasp rang out from the crowd of refugees. Several young men clenched their fists and squeezed forward half a step to help Lord Lin, but were stopped by the imperial guards.

Li Da was also sweating profusely and quickly grabbed Lin Yue around the waist.

"Scholar Lin, think it over! To kill a fourth-rank official without authorization, even with His Majesty's bestowal of a sword, is a capital offense!"

Lin Yue struggled desperately, and if Liu Zhong hadn't held him down, Tang Zong would have already lost his head.

Facing the flashes of sword light, Tang Zong's face was pale, but he straightened his back.

His gaze swept over the head on the wooden pole in front of the carriage, and he sighed, "Imperial Envoy Lin was full of passion for the country and its people, but the affairs of the world are chaotic and complex, and nothing is ever accomplished so easily."

His lips trembled, and his chest heaved: "I did not mean to suppress the news, but I was afraid that the memorial would be submitted... Moreover, I really did not expect the flood to be so severe."

Lin Yue was pulled away by Liu Zhong and Li Da, still cursing angrily.

"You damned official! You were demoted to Suzhou because of your old grudge against Chen Ying, and you've been so timid and hesitant ever since!"

"Are your petty calculations for your official position and the factional struggles at court more important than the lives of millions of people in Suzhou?!"

Taking advantage of everyone's momentary lapse in attention, Lin Yue kicked out, striking Tang Zong squarely in the abdomen.

With a muffled thud, Tang Zong fell heavily to the ground.

"How dare you strike the Prefect!"

The Suzhou Prefectural Magistrate strode forward and shouted angrily. The Suzhou Assistant Magistrate echoed his words, and the yamen runners behind him gripped their fire sticks and formed a half-circle around him.

Upon seeing this, the imperial guards drew their embroidered spring knives, the sheaths adorned with phoenix belts clanging as they confronted the constables.

Tang Zong pushed himself up and waved to stop the Suzhou officials from doing so.

He sighed deeply and said softly, "Perhaps you are right."

His gaze swept over the group of refugees, his eyes filled with exhaustion and shame.

"The magistrate of Wu County is dead, and the situation has spiraled out of control. The most urgent task is to provide relief to the disaster victims."

If you want to open the granary for disaster relief, I will give you the key; if you want to interrogate your subordinates, I will order my men to cooperate.

Afterwards, I personally submitted a letter to His Majesty resigning from my official post to atone for my sins against the people.

Lin Yue curled his lips in disdain, showing no gratitude whatsoever, and continued to hurl insults.

"You fame-seeking scoundrel! When the people were starving to death, you didn't care. Now that something terrible has happened, you're thinking of resigning and apologizing. Why don't you commit suicide to atone for your sins?"

Tang Zong's face turned pale and then red. His lips moved, but he ultimately did not refute and remained silent.

Seeing that there was no possibility of killing anyone, Lin Yue sheathed his longsword and said in a resounding voice.

"Immediately open the granaries to distribute food to the disaster victims within Suzhou's borders, and requisition houses to resettle the displaced people. No one should be allowed to freeze or starve to death!"

"I will do my utmost to help the disaster victims," ​​Tang Zong said in a deep voice.

"Ha, that sounds nice, so why didn't you provide relief before?"

Lin Yue sneered and continued.

"I will continue downstream to investigate the flood situation in Songjiang Prefecture."

He glanced back at Tang Zong, pointed to the head in front of the carriage, and said in a cold voice.

"If I ever hear even a single word about the withholding of relief supplies, leading to the starvation of refugees, then Pang Mian's fate will serve as a warning to you!"

You'd better pray that by the time I return, the disaster situation in Suzhou will have improved.

Don't blame me for not warning you.

Tang Zong stiffened and slowly nodded.

The officials of Suzhou Prefecture remained silent, and no one spoke out.

Like Liu Zhong, they were misled by Lin Yue's information and assumed that Lin Yue's arrogant actions were due to a strict investigation order issued by Zhu Di, so they dared not take any countermeasures.

Ultimately, at most they were just incompetent, not guilty of any serious crime in the strict sense.

It was the norm for feudal officials to neglect disaster relief; those who actively participated in disaster relief were the exceptions.

Upon seeing the disaster relief efforts in Suzhou Prefecture, cheers erupted from the crowd of refugees, with shouts of "Long live Lin Qingtian!" and "Long live the Emperor!" echoing throughout the city gates of Suzhou Prefecture.

Lin Yue then mounted his horse again and rode without stopping toward Songjiang Prefecture.

The Chen family, father and daughter, fled from Shanghai County. The flood situation in Songjiang Prefecture was probably even more severe than that in Suzhou Prefecture.

Liu Zhong led the imperial guards to clear the way, and the group quickly left.

Tang Zongli stood beneath the gates of Suzhou, watching Lin Yue and his entourage disappear into the distance, speechless for a long time.

In his youth, he harbored the ambition to "establish a life for the people" and vowed to benefit all under heaven while holding the books of sages.

Early in his career, he dared to defy his superiors, worked tirelessly for the people, and impeached Chen Ying for accepting bribes. His pure and patriotic heart was as burning as the blazing sun.

But the successive demotions and ups and downs in his official career made him realize that speaking frankly and offering advice in officialdom does not necessarily earn him rewards; only by being prudent and protecting himself can he be promoted and make a fortune.

Upon his reinstatement as the prefect of Suzhou, he treaded on thin ice during the Yongle reign, with Chen Ying's faction eyeing him covetously. He restrained his sharp edges, learned to blend in with the crowd, and acted haphazardly.

But is this really right?

When did he start valuing his official hat more than the common people?

Since when has the lofty ambition to benefit all under heaven turned into a calculation of self-preservation?

Tang Zong looked at his hands, the hands that had once written such passionate words, and fell into deep thought for a long time.

If Imperial Envoy Lin dared to forge ahead without hesitation, why couldn't he do the same?

Tang Zong made his decision; he would devote all his efforts to disaster relief and submitted a memorial to the Yongle Emperor, explaining the advantages and disadvantages.

Tang Zong was not one to seek fame or fortune!

Thus, a memorial detailing the floods in Jiangnan and praising Lin Yue was sent to Nanjing.