T/N: Here’s an extra chapter to make up for my lateness!

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Lu Yuan, the governor of Hexi Prefecture, received the news immediately after the dams burst on the 14th.

Although he hadn’t overseen the dam repairs personally, and instead had the son-in-law of the Xiao family, Zhou Boshan, gain some merit by working with Jiannan-wang, he had indeed personally inspected the dams after their completion.

The repair of the dams in Hexi Prefecture had been a great achievement for him, so he had kept a close eye on it.

He was impressed by the construction, and it seemed that Jianan-wang had spent a considerable amount of money on it. But no matter how much money was spent, it was all worthwhile if it brought merit, fame, and popular support.

And yet, these very dams had burst?

This flood had come rapidly, submerging more than a dozen villages in the two counties bordering the Ning river.

Not only were their fertile fields and family property gone, but thousands of common people had also lost their lives.

Merit had instantly become a death warrant, and Lu Yuan immediately summoned his people to discuss the matter.

He first ordered people to investigate whether the dams had been damaged through human intervention, then personally wrote a memorial and had it sent to the Imperial Court by fast horse. He also sent a secret letter to the Xiao family.

After doing this, he ordered the soldiers to keep an eye on Huai County and Pu County. They were not to allow refugees to wander into other counties, much less come to the prefectural city.

With such a major incident, it was difficult to say what the higher-ups would think.

Whether it was a “natural disaster” or a “man-made disaster,” whether it was someone’s plot or the dams had indeed been poorly constructed, these were not matters he could make a decision on.

He would simply go along with whatever his superiors decided.

If it was a natural disaster, then the dams hadn’t been built well. He would find a group of common people and kill them – and that would be it. He would have finished his task.

If it was a man-made disaster, then someone was being framed. He would find out who destroyed the perfectly good dams, and as for who turned out to be involved, he would just wait for the higher-ups to handle them.

He then sent men to the neighboring Huai and Pu counties to instruct their magistrates to prepare some grain. If any refugees did indeed flee there, porridge should be cooked and distributed to the common people as a show for the Imperial Court.

He had done all he could as a governor. 

The rest was up to fate.

Lu Yuan stood at the window and gazed at the torrential rain outside, his heart still unsettled.

But Zhou Boshan, the prefect he had sent to investigate the damage to the dams, was terrified.

He had helped build the dams alongside Jiannan-wang. Now that there was a problem with them, Jiannan-wang, with his high position and power, would surely make it out of this unscathed. But he might very well become a scapegoat, a discarded pawn of the Xiao family.

This couldn’t be. He had to do something.

He hastened home and ordered that his luggage be packed up. He needed to go to Huai County and Pu County to see what was going on.

But before that, he needed to leave a way out for himself.

“Come here.” He summoned a servant and ordered in a low voice: “Go and find out which craftsmen and villagers from Huai and Pu counties built the dams, and give the list to the local magistrates. Claim that these people stole dam construction materials and substituted inferior ones, and order them to have them all killed.”

He couldn’t become a scapegoat. The only option was to have the craftsmen and villagers die in his place.

*

*

The disaster relief contingent was ready at exactly maoshi on the 15th. It consisted of mostly officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Works, plus eight Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, for a total of thirty people.

Qin Xiao had also ordered the Ministry of War to transfer over three hundred soldiers from the neighboring Jing’an County and other places, and another three hundred men from the City Defense Force to escort the relief team.

The City Defense Force had been formed after the original Qin Family Army was split up. They were extremely loyal to Qin Xiao, and the relief team would be safer with them present.

The journey from the capital to Hexi Prefecture would take a little over a day by fast horse, but this time, the procession was carrying silver and grain. There were also many civil officials, and the unceasing heavy rain and muddy roads caused the group to move even slower.

Qin Xiao did not remain with the group. He led Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo and several officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau ahead to Huai and Pu counties, the areas most severely affected by the disaster.

The construction of the temporary levee was of paramount importance. The sooner they went, the sooner they could stop the flooding from spreading and prevent more areas from being inundated.

Chu Jiubian stayed behind and was given the highest command authority.

At noon on the day of departure, he only gave everyone a little over an hour to eat and rest. The rest of the time was spent traveling non-stop, and they finally arrived at an official post station before it was completely dark.

When Qin Xiao led his men through the area earlier, he had notified this post station to prepare for the arrival of the disaster relief team following behind.

So as soon as Chu Jiubian and the others stopped, the postmaster led a group of minor officials to meet them.

“This humble official, Postmaster Shi Jitong of the Dongyang Post Station, greets the Grand Tutor and superior officials.”

“No need for formalities,” Chu Jiubian said.

“Yes.” Without further ado, Postmaster Shi led the group to the post station. He said as they walked: “You lords have had a long journey. I have already ordered people to boil water, prepare tea and food, and situate your rooms for you. Please feel free to rest in your rooms first. I will have tea and food delivered directly to you.”

Meanwhile, the minor officials helped the soldiers transporting grain to settle in, fed the horses, and invited everyone else to the main hall for a meal.

There were many official post stations under Great Ning’s jurisdiction, which also provided officials a place to rest while traveling.

Dongyang Post Station was only of medium size, but Postmaster Shi was an organized and methodical person. Therefore, even faced with so many people at once, the post station didn’t seem chaotic.

Chu Jiubian and the other officials went up to the second floor. There were quite a few rooms, but with over twenty officials present, it was impossible for them to each have their own room.

So apart from Chu Jiubian and Chao Shun, a secretary for the Ministry of Revenue, the rest of the officials had to share with one other person.

When Chu Jiubian entered his bedroom, he found that hot water for washing had been prepared, and there was even a bathtub.

It seemed that among the entire group, only a first-rank official such as himself could enjoy such treatment.

The rain hadn’t stopped all day, and Chu Jiubian had endured a bumpy, mud-laden journey.

Therefore, he declined to pretentiously say that he would rather suffer like everyone else.

When he removed his clothes, the erratic, criss-crossing scars on his body were nearly invisible. His fair, smooth skin gleamed with a pearly luster under the flickering lamplight.

However, his shoulders, arms, waist, and hips – almost all the places that might bear weight – were bruised to varying degrees.

This was all caused by the lurching carriage ride.

Chu Jiubian disregarded the bruising and went straight into the bathtub to give himself a thorough wash.

The warm water washed over his body, relieving his fatigue.

After soaking for a while, Chu Jiubian got out of the tub and changed into clean undergarments.

The clothes had inevitably gotten a bit damp, but there was nothing to be done about it in this kind of weather.

After ordering that the water be carried out and eating a bowl of hot noodle soup, Chu Jiubian’s nerves, which had been tense the whole day, finally relaxed.

He put on his coat, left the room, and went downstairs.

The soldiers had washed up and changed into drier clothes, and were currently eating as they chatted loudly and told risqué jokes.

Upon seeing Chu Jiubian come down, some of the soldiers composed themselves and stood up to bow to him.

The rest then followed suit, saying in unison: “Grand Tutor.”

Most of them were very deferential. But some of them harbored resentment, and it showed on their faces.

Chu Jiubian paid it no mind. The forced march had indeed been hard on these soldiers who were constantly soaked by the rain, so it was normal for them to be a bit temperamental.

The soldiers’ shouts carried up to the second floor.

The civil officials all left their rooms when they heard it, and when they came up behind Chu Jiubian, they guessed that he had something to say.

Chu Jiubian walked the rest of the way downstairs, with the officials following behind.

“These few days will indeed be tough on you all,” Chu Jiubian said gently. “However, the flooding is severe, and the displaced common people of Hexi Prefecture are living in constant fear. They are waiting for this batch of money and grain that will ensure their survival.”

“We will arrive two days from now. Everyone, please bear it a little longer. This official will remember your contributions, and on behalf of the common people of Hexi Prefecture, I thank you all.”

After speaking, Chu Jiubian bowed to the crowd.

None of them had ever seen a superior bow to them before, and they were all extremely apprehensive. They quickly bowed back and said: “We dare not.” This time, the angle of their bows was lower than before.

These soldiers were accustomed to rough work, and on ordinary days, they had experienced training sessions much more tiring than this.

This was also their job, so although they felt it was toilsome and had some grievances, none of them said anything.

Now that a high-ranking official like Chu Jiubian had spoken to them so gently and told them that he would remember their contributions, they naturally had no complaints.

It was just a two-day march. They could grit their teeth and push through it.

This was what it meant to be in a position of power.

Such so-called “kindness” was enough to move subordinates to tears.

However, unlike them, the complexions of the civil officials were not very good.

They were not as robust as the soldiers, and some had never even left the capital before, let alone endured the hardship of traveling in such intense wind and rain. They had lost nearly half their lives during the journey.

“Achoo!” Secretary Chao Shun sneezed uncontrollably.

Chu Jiubian glanced over, and the other party hurriedly bowed. He tried to apologize, but ended up sneezing two times in a row.

This was quite impolite to do in front of a superior, and Chao Shun blushed as he repeatedly apologized.

Chu Jiubian then looked at the other civil officials, whose faces were all ashen. They had indeed suffered a lot.

“Lord Chu,” said Zhang Ziliang, the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, “This humble official has already ordered some cold-prevention medicine to be prepared. How about we serve it to everyone first?”

Personnel from the Imperial Medical Academy had come along for disease-prevention purposes, and naturally needed to ensure the health of these officials and soldiers.

Chu Jiubian nodded: “Go ahead.”

Physician Zhang sent people to fetch the medicine, and everyone downed a bowl of it.

Chu Jiubian was unwilling to endure this hardship, but he didn’t want to stand out, so he drank a bowl as well.

“Tomorrow, we’ll work a little harder. Everyone get up early – we’ll depart at dawn,” Chu Jiubian instructed.

Everyone’s impression of Chu Jiubian had improved considerably, and nobody put up any protest.

However, when everyone gathered the next day, they found that Chao Shun had not come down.

An official from the Ministry of Revenue knocked on his door and went inside, then quickly ran downstairs and reported to Chu Jiubian: “My Lord, Secretary Chao seems to have a high fever.”

Chu Jiubian frowned and immediately went upstairs.

Physician Zhang was quick to follow.

Upon entering the room, Chu Jiubian immediately felt that it was unusually damp and cold. His gaze swept across the windowsill, and he spotted some water stains that hadn’t been wiped clean.

His eyes were slightly cool as he glanced toward the bed.

Chao Shun lay there with an abnormally flushed face, his brow furrowed and his breathing hot and heavy.

Physician Zhang stepped forward to examine him, and said with a frown: “Lord Chao indeed has a high fever. It needs to be brought down quickly.”

But the way he was now, it would be difficult for him to travel while delirious from fever.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t keep everyone waiting, but Chao Shun was a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, and the person sent to oversee the relief effort. If he didn’t come along, there would be no one to oversee the money and grain.

If any oversight occurred, the Ministry of Revenue, or at least Chao Shun himself, could only be considered to have “erred due to illness,” and wouldn’t have to bear too much responsibility.

Expressions varied throughout the room, and everyone looked to Chu Jiubian for his decision.

Chu Jiubian gazed coldly at the person on the bed, then turned and called over a junior official from the Ministry of Revenue, saying: “You stay here and take care of Lord Chao. We’ll leave two soldiers and an Imperial physician with you. All of you should catch up when he’s feeling better.”

Having said this, he pretended to reach into his sleeve, but actually took two fever-reducing pills from his spatial storage. He handed them over to the junior official and said: “Take these pills. Give him one now, and if his fever doesn’t go down by tonight, give him the other one.”

The junior official hurriedly agreed. He respectfully took the pills, and couldn’t help but feel relieved.

It was wonderful that they wouldn’t have to join the fast march.

Physician Zhang’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of the two pills.

Previously, His Majesty had suffered from a persistent high fever that was brought down with the help of Grand Tutor Chu, presumably through the use of similar pills.

He just didn’t know how this thing was made. If it could be made more widely available, then high fevers wouldn’t be so dangerous.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy had originally planned to come in person on this disaster relief mission, but Chief Physician Zhang insisted on offering a lot of benefits to secure a spot on this none-too-easy expedition.

His thought process was that if there was indeed an epidemic in Hexi Prefecture, Chu Jiubian might perform another miracle and produce some divine medicine.

At that time, as the chief physician, he was certainly the most likely person to have access to it.

If he possessed such a medication, he would be the most likely candidate to become the new academy head after the current one stepped down.

Therefore, although staying to take care of Chao Shun would save him from the suffering of this forced march, he was unwilling to do so.

He wanted to be with Chu Jiubian at all times, and ideally, to serve him well. Leaving a good impression was the key to getting him the benefits he wanted.

Although he had no interest in staying behind, many others would jump to take this opportunity to leave the disaster relief team and relax.

An imperial physician surnamed Li was extremely adept at reading people, and when he saw that Chief Physician Zhang didn’t immediately volunteer to stay, he knew that he must have other plans.

Such a good job would belong to whoever snatched it first.

So Physician Li stepped forward and bowed, saying: “Grand Tutor, this physician would like to stay and take care of Lord Chao.”

Chief Physician Zhang glanced at Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian nodded in agreement, then summoned two soldiers from the City Defense Force and instructed them to look after Chao Shun and the others. Then he led the disaster relief team on their way.

It was still dark, and the rain showed no signs of letting up.

Chu Jiubian shut his eyes and leaned against the wall of the carriage. It was lined with soft cushions and brocade quilts, but the road was difficult to travel on, so he couldn’t even take a nap.

Qin Xiao should have arrived at their destination by now. He wondered how things were going.

Hopefully it hadn’t reached the point of no return.

To reach the two disaster-stricken counties in Hexi Prefecture, one must first pass through the prefectural city.

Qin Xiao led Jian Hongzhuo and his group for one day and one night, and when they arrived at the city, it was already the morning of the 16th.

As dawn broke, heavy rain blurred the view.

Because Qin Xiao and the others were not with the disaster relief team, county officials seemed unaware that they would be arriving ahead of schedule and didn’t greet him outside the city.

However, Qin Xiao needed local officials to go with him to Huai County and Pu County, so he rode his horse and took Jian Hongzhuo and the others to the prefectural governor’s manor.

A soldier went up and knocked on the door.

A short while later, a yawning servant opened it.

He was startled to see this group of people outside.

Why were these officers here?!

“Where is your Lord Lu?” the soldier who had knocked on the door asked coldly.

The servant stammered: “You…..you are…..”

“Lord Ning-wang has come in person,” the soldier said in a grave voice. “Quickly summon your Lord Lu.”

“Yes! Yes!” The servant was so frightened that he forgot to open his umbrella, running all the way to the back courtyard.

Qin Xiao stepped forward and led everyone to follow.

*

*

The rain subsided slightly around noon on the 16th.

The relief team found a spacious area and set up a temporary hut with a tarpaulin, where everyone made do and had a meal together.

Chu Jiubian ordered someone to boil water, then added cold-prevention medicine to it and had everyone drink a bowl.

After resting for a little more than an hour, everyone set off again.

After one day of rapid travel, everyone felt physically and mentally unwell, but because Chu Jiubian had spoken to them so gently, they felt that they could endure it a little bit longer.

However, after two days of rapid travel, many soldiers began to complain about Chu Jiubian and the other officials.

After some thought, these officials were quite fortunate. Inside the carriages, they were protected from the wind and rain, unlike these rough men who suffered hardships but received no real benefits.

Chu Jiubian’s carriage was especially large and spacious, with soft cushions and blankets inside. Who knew, when they were struggling to trudge forward, perhaps he was in there sleeping.

But the reality was that Chu Jiubian couldn’t even sit without jolting around, much less sleep.

Moreover, this “spacious” carriage was the exact same as those of the other officials – it only appeared spacious because he was the only one in it.

But at this moment, Chu Jiubian was not alone in the carriage. There was also a guard, as well as a man who had been brought inside bound hand and foot.

The man wore dark blue official robes, and a wad of cloth had been stuffed into his mouth. His eyes were brimming with terror 

This person was none other than Secretary Chao Shun.

With his hands tied behind his back, Chao Shun knelt before Chu Jiubian and kowtowed repeatedly with tears and snot streaming down his face.

Chu Jiubian gazed down at him, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Chao Shun whimpered and sobbed, seeming to have a lot to say. He looked a complete mess.

Chu Jiubian signaled the guard to remove the cloth in his mouth.

When he could speak, Chao Shun immediately said in a trembling voice: “My Lord, spare my life! This humble official knows his mistake! Please, My Lord, spare my life since I haven’t caused any serious consequences!”

He continued to kowtow, not daring to look Chu Jiubian in the eyes.

The sense of oppression emanating from the other party was too strong. He could even sense Chu Jiubian’s tangible killing intent.

He was dead!

Chu Jiubian was really going to kill him!

He had elderly parents and young children to care for; he couldn’t just die like this!

So regardless of anything else, Chao Shun pleaded earnestly: “My Lord, please spare my life! I really had no other choice!”

After keeping his silence, Chu Jiubian finally spoke when the man’s voice had become hoarse: “Four hundred thousand taels of silver.”

Chao Shun’s voice abruptly cut off.

“How much were you planning to embezzle this time?” Chu Jiubian’s tone was cold and flat.

The moment he entered Chao Shun’s room that morning, he had noticed the cold dampness and the water on the windowsill. It was obvious that this Ministry of Revenue official had left the window open all night, deliberately making himself sick.

Being delirious from a high fever, he naturally couldn’t go with the disaster relief team immediately.

And once he left the group, it would take him a long time to catch up.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had no one else to rely on. There were too many matters in Hexi Prefecture that required their personal supervision and arrangements, so it was inevitable that there would be oversights and areas where they lacked the ability to do their best work.

Once the disaster relief began, the relief funds would be consumed to varying degrees each day.

The Ministry of Revenue’s job was to keep clear and accurate records of all of these accounts, to confirm the whereabouts of every penny and ensure that it was all used for disaster relief.

But if someone were to tamper with the accounts, a great deal of money would vanish without a trace.

With so many detailed accounts, it was impossible for Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian to audit them all individually, and whether the money would be used for a good cause or wind up in someone’s pocket remained to be seen.

But Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were not easily deceived; if there were any problems with the accounts, they were very likely to discover them.

And as the person representing the Ministry of Revenue in this relief effort, Chao Shun would be the first to be punished if any problems arose with the accounts.

He was afraid, so he deliberately gave himself a fever in order to break away from the group.

By the time he caught up with them, the accounts would already be in disarray, and all of the embezzled funds would have already been taken.

If Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao questioned him, he could use his illness and the fact that he wasn’t present as an excuse, then shift the blame onto his subordinates and completely absolve himself of responsibility.

He would be safe in doing so, but the disaster relief funds would not be utilized properly, and more death and suffering would be the end result.

Chao Shun burst into tears: “This humble official bears the entire Chao family on his shoulders…..if I didn’t do this, my family would…..would…..”

The Chao family was a small clan, and could only find refuge by relying on a powerful family.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached the position he held today. Having climbed all the way up, he had long since become one with that big tree.

He couldn’t live without it, and he didn’t dare disobey it.

He couldn’t stop those people from embezzling disaster relief funds, and also knew that when something went wrong, he was the most convenient expendable pawn.

Therefore, he had no choice but to make himself seriously ill. Only by doing this could he save his own life and protect the Chao family behind him.

During his time in the Ministry of Personnel, Chu Jiubian had gained a fairly thorough understanding of the officials in the Imperial Court and the intricate power structures behind them.

The official before him did not come from a particularly low social standing. The Chao family could be ranked in the upper-middle range among the powerful and influential families in the capital.

However, they were only able to get to where they were today thanks to the Qiu family.

And it was clear that the Qiu family was attempting to embezzle from the disaster relief funds.

Chu Jiubian thought of Qiu Heng, the Minister of Justice. The other party appeared upright and incorruptible, but from the auction incident to the overdue payments for fine salt, and now to the embezzlement of disaster relief funds, everything Minister Qiu did was the opposite of honorable.

“I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself,” Chu Jiubian said.

Chao Shun was nearly moved to tears: “Please give your orders, My Lord! This humble official will go through fire and water to get it done for you!”

“No need for you to go through fire and water,” Chu Jiubian said softly. “All you need to do is guarantee that all four hundred thousand taels of silver are used for disaster relief. If there is even a single coin missing, the Chao family will cease to exist within the capital.”

Chao Shun shivered uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his back.

If the Qiu family wanted the money, but he refused, they would definitely not show him mercy.

But if he allowed the Qiu family to embezzle the money, Chu Jiubian wouldn’t show him mercy.

He was caught in a dilemma. No matter which way he turned, he encountered a dead end.

Unless he allowed the Qiu family to embezzle and patched up the hole with his own funds.

But how big was the Qiu family’s appetite?

Could the Chao family afford it?

“You still have a fever. Go and rest,” said Chu Jiubian.

Despite the care in these words, Chao Shun felt only fear.

He kowtowed thrice before leaving the carriage.

However, his legs were weak, and when he stepped out of the carriage, he stumbled and crashed to the muddy ground with a thud.

Nearby soldiers saw this and reacted with astonishment and confusion.

Wasn’t Chao Shun supposed to be recuperating back at the post station?

When had he caught up with them?

And why was he in Chu Jiubian’s carriage?

Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Chao Shun scrambled to his feet and launched into a stumbling run toward the carriage he had ridden in previously. Soldiers helped him climb into it, and he didn’t come out again.

Before long, the two soldiers who had been left at the post station rode back on fast horses, Physician Li and the junior Ministry of Revenue official in tow.

The four of them were soaked to the bone and made quite a messy sight, but none of them dared to complain as they quietly rejoined the group.

They didn’t say much when others asked what happened, but when they looked toward Chu Jiubian’s carriage, the awe and fear in their eyes was difficult to conceal.

The atmosphere in the group was somewhat complicated. Everyone’s minds were swirling with confusion, but their resentment had lessened somewhat.

They marched on until evening, and finally arrived at another post station.

The group went inside to settle in and rest.

After bathing and having a meal, Chu Jiubian calculated that they would be able to enter Hexi Prefecture by tomorrow evening. At that time, they would go straight to the affected counties without rest.

Just as he was about to go to sleep, a guard suddenly knocked on the window and extended a letter to him

It was from Qin Xiao.

Chu Jiubian immediately got up and took it.

He opened the letter, and it only took reading the first line for his heart to sink completely.

We arrived at the prefectural governor’s manor half a shichen ago, only to find that Governor Lu Yuan had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

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Chapter 42 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 44