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

Liu Zhong kicked a constable to the ground and shouted angrily, "This is a deadly attack! Burning down the post station and poisoning it—how can we travel in peace without finding out who's behind this?"

Lin Yue glanced at the yamen runner who was terrified and shook his head.

"This person is at most a lowly errand boy, not even a proper postmaster."

He glanced up at the still-burning fire at the post station, where a dozen or so shivering postmen and porters stood under the eaves.

"There are dozens of people in the post station, including the postmaster, post clerks, couriers, and laborers. The real culprit is hiding among them. How can we tell in a short time?"

Even if they find out, so what? Killing a few insignificant lackeys does nothing to achieve anything of importance.

Liu Zhong was still somewhat unwilling: "Are you really not going to interrogate them, just let them go like this?"

"There's no time to waste with them."

Lin Yue grabbed the horse that had somehow returned, mounted it, and the chestnut warhorse neighed, its hooves pawing at the ground and splashing mud and water everywhere.

"The siltation of the Songjiang River has become a major problem. The water level of Taihu Lake is still rising. If this continues, several counties downstream will be flooded."

Our top priority is to solve the flood; these other minor issues are insignificant.

He put two fingers together and pointed southeast.

"Huating is the seat of Songjiang Prefecture, and all important matters are handled there."

As the saying goes, "To catch the thief, first catch the king." Let's rush to Huating tonight, take down those in charge of the government office, and the mastermind behind it will naturally come to light!

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhong kicked the constable again: "Get lost! If I see you again, I'll chop you up with one stroke!"

The constables, as if granted a pardon, scrambled and fled into the night.

Liu Zhong sheathed his sword, mounted his horse, and muttered under his breath, "Scholar Lin is kind-hearted. If it were me, even if I couldn't get anything out of him, I'd still give him a few dozen lashes to vent my anger!"

"Liu Qianshi, you are mistaken." Li Da quickly urged his horse forward to help Lin Yue lead the horse and guide him.

"Scholar Lin is not a man of petty benevolence and kindness; he truly has the world in his heart and does not care about personal gains or losses!"

The fire at the post station and the poisoning of our tea were clearly intended to kill us, yet the scholar put aside his personal grievances and prioritized the lives of the million people in Songjiang Prefecture. His actions are truly benevolent and virtuous.

Li Da's words contained both flattery and heartfelt sincerity.

Since following Lin Yue south, he had become accustomed to the scholar's ruthless methods and had personally witnessed him working tirelessly through the night to help those in need.

Despite being assassinated at this moment, they were able to let the investigation of the murderer go unpunished so as not to delay disaster relief efforts.

This spirit of disregarding personal safety, prioritizing the people over oneself, and seeking only to save the masses from suffering, is beyond ordinary compassion.

Scholar Lin, he is a true gentleman.

The swift execution of the county magistrate was merely Lin Xueshi's tactic, not a reflection of his volatile temper.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhong seemed to understand something and did not refute it further. He simply tightened the reins, and the resentment in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sense of admiration.

"Further words are useless; we must hurry on our way."

Lin Yue squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, and the chestnut warhorse neighed and charged forward.

"Keep up!" Liu Zhong shouted, and the imperial guards spurred their horses to follow.

The imperial guards quickly assembled and set off under the cover of night.

As the group crossed the Qingpu border, a sudden gust of wind arose, followed by a torrential downpour.

The thick old locust tree was uprooted, its roots and mud torn from the ground, and the rain lashed down, chilling people to the bone.

Lin Yue was blown off balance and his horse was thrown about, the reins almost flying out of his hands.

"Scholar Lin, hold on tight!" Liu Zhong grabbed the reins to help Lin Yue steady himself.

Li Da shielded his face with his robe sleeve: "This wind is very unpredictable; it seems it won't stop anytime soon. Scholar Lin, should we find a sheltered place to rest?"

"We can't rest! It's just that the wind is strong!" Lin Yue said through gritted teeth.

"Huating is the seat of Songjiang Prefecture. If the magistrate of Huating oppresses the people like the magistrate of Wu County, the disaster will likely spiral out of control!"

He gripped the horse's flanks tightly with his legs, patted the horse's neck, and said, "Keep going! Hurry to Huating!"

The imperial guards immediately formed a crescent shape and moved with difficulty in the raging wind and rain.

Broken branches and pebbles were blown about by the wind, the road was muddy and slippery, and the warhorse slipped and fell to its knees several times, only to be pulled up by the combined efforts of the crowd.

After struggling for two hours, the wind subsided and the rain thinned, and the group finally arrived in Huating County.

But the scene in Huating County before their eyes made everyone gasp in shock.

Huating County is located in a low-lying area and is currently experiencing severe flooding.

Half of the mud-brick houses were submerged in water, with roof tiles floating on the water, and people were struggling to wade through the water.

The drainage ditches in several main streets and alleys had long been silted up, and the turbid water, carrying weeds and wood debris, could not be drained at all.

"The flooding is too severe; the water can't drain away at all!" Liu Zhong reined in his horse.

Lin Yue dismounted, his boots stepping into the puddles.

He shouted at the old man wading through the water, "Old man! How long has Huating County been flooded? Where is the county magistrate? Why hasn't he opened the granaries to distribute grain or organized drainage?"

The old man, soaked to the bone and panting heavily, said, "Sir! The flooding has been going on for almost three days, but the strong winds have made it even worse."

Lin Yue frowned upon hearing this and pressed, "What about the magistrate of Huating? Where is he?"

"...I don't know either." The old man shook his head. He was just an ordinary citizen; how would he know about important figures?

Lin Yue's gaze swept across the county town, and a surge of murderous intent rose in his heart.

If the magistrate of Wu County has been killed, it wouldn't be unreasonable to kill the magistrate of Huating County as well.

"Liu Zhong, take half of the imperial guards to the government office and arrest the magistrate of Huating. The rest of you come with me to dredge the drainage ditches!"

He pointed to the drain at the street corner, which was blocked by debris, and said, "Without draining the water, people don't even have a place to stand, so how can we provide disaster relief!"

Li Da quickly said, "Scholar, your leg injury has not yet healed; how can you go into the water?"

"I can't worry about anything else!" Lin Yue stepped into the puddles.

"The people are almost starving, what's my little injury? Everyone, lend a hand and move the stones blocking the canal!"

Lin Yue leaped into the water, which was half his height, grabbed a half-exposed blue stone, and moved.

Upon seeing this, the able-bodied men immediately gathered around, and it took seven or eight of them working together to lift the stone away from the canal opening and throw it into the open space next to it.

Even after removing the stones, the floodwater showed no signs of receding.

The newly cleared ditch can hardly drain any water.

An old man, leaning on a shovel and panting, said, "Sir, this won't work! The bottom of the canal is too silted up, and the water level outside is higher than in the city; the water can't drain out!"

Lin Yue straightened up, his brows furrowed as he looked at the water that still reached above his chest.

He kicked away the splinters of wood at his feet and was thinking of a solution when he saw Liu Zhong rushing over.

Liu Zhong was soaked to the bone, and his scale armor and leather armor had been removed at some point.

"Where is he? We haven't found the magistrate of Huating County?" Lin Yue asked in a deep voice.

"According to the yamen runners, three days ago, as soon as the heavy rain started, Wang Ji took his family and fled down the Huangpu River in a covered boat!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue angrily said, "He escaped quite easily; he's lucky to be alive."

Where is the prefect of Songjiang? Is he anywhere? Is there no one in charge at the prefectural office?

Songjiang Prefecture and Huating County share the same city. Huating County is the city of Songjiang Prefecture. According to regulations, the prefect should be stationed in the city to oversee all affairs of the prefecture, but he is nowhere to be seen at this moment.

Liu Zhong shook his head blankly.

"Scholar, you are unaware of this," Li Da said. "The prefect of Songjiang Prefecture has been transferred, and the assistant prefect was killed. For the past six months, neither a prefect nor an assistant prefect has taken office."