Chu Jiubian quickly finished reading the rest of the letter, and the more he read, the heavier his heart became.

When Qin Xiao arrived at the governor’s manor in Hexi Prefecture, he found that Governor Lu Yuan had committed suicide by poison in his bedroom and left behind a suicide note.

He confessed in this note that as the governor, he had failed to protect the common people. Even after the dam was breached, he had ordered people to frame and kill innocent civilians and craftsmen in order to shirk responsibility.

Now that he knew that Ning-wang himself had come to provide disaster relief, his heart was in turmoil and he felt guilty and deserving of death. Thus, he took his own life in order to atone for his sins, and only asked that Qin Xiao spare the lives of his family.

After reading the suicide note, Qin Xiao immediately summoned the local prefectural commandant.

The local official system in Great Ning was somewhat different. In areas under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court, the highest level was the prefecture, comparable to a province in modern times. The highest administrative official was the governor, and the highest military commander was the prefectural commandant, each of the two keeping to their own areas of business.

Next came the county, with the highest-ranking official being the magistrate, and then came the districts and townships.

In areas governed by the vassal kings, they and their own “mini-courts” were the highest level of government office, followed directly by prefectures, counties, and townships.

For example, Guizhou and Guangxi, which had failed to take action during the previous drought, had also been fiefdoms of a vassal king during Emperor Chengzong’s reign. It was only later that they were taken back, and since Emperor Yingzong never took charge of them, the highest administrative official there was the magistrate.

Currently, both magistrates there had been escorted back to the capital by Qin Chaoyang. The regions would be temporarily managed by disaster relief officials from Southern Zhili, but Qin Xiao would send people to take over governance later on.

That said, after Qin Xiao finished reading Lu Yuan’s suicide letter that morning, he summoned the Hexi Prefecture Commandant and ordered him to lead his men to arrest all of Lu Yuan’s family members. The prefectural governor’s manor was also to be surrounded.

Qin Xiao then kept back two officials from the capital who had come with him and tasked them with uncovering the truth behind Lu Yuan’s “suicide.”

He himself continued onward to Huai and Pu counties with Jian Hongzhuo and the other Ministry of Works officials – led by Cui Jin, the Hexi Prefecture registrar.

These two counties were closely connected, which saved them the effort of traveling between them.

It was said that Prefect Zhou Boshan had gone to the disaster area to oversee the situation, but it was unknown whether he had managed to control the state of affairs.

Chu Jiubian read the last part of the letter: This place is shrouded in mystery, and this lord is unable to save the situation by himself. Hoping that the Young Master will come to my aid.

The dignified Regent was quite adept at showing vulnerability.

But Chu Jiubian had no intention of laughing at him.

He burned the letter and quickly donned his raincoat, then told the postmaster to wake everyone up and have them pack their belongings for departure.

Chu Jiubian sat in the carriage, listening to the sound of people bustling around outside. His eyes held a dark and unfathomable expression.

If they traveled through the night, they should be able to reach Hexi Prefecture by tomorrow afternoon.

Qin Xiao had sent the letter before noon today, and Chu Jiubian had received it tonight. This indicated that given Qin Xiao’s speed, the relief team would arrive in the affected counties tomorrow. The other party may have already returned to the prefectural seat.

If Qin Xiao didn’t manage to return in time, Chu Jiubian would directly take the relief funds and supplies to the two affected counties without lingering in the city.

But taking into account the darkness of night, strong winds, and heavy rain, the team’s journey would undoubtedly be much more difficult than during the daytime.

If they happened to get stuck on the road, it would take even more time.

With this thought in mind, Chu Jiubian lifted the carriage curtain and lightly beckoned with one hand.

Within two breaths, a guard completely covered in armor lifted the curtain and entered the carriage. He went down on one knee and bowed his head, avoiding eye contact with Chu Jiubian.

This was the guard Qin Xiao had originally sent to protect him. He was quite obedient, and it was convenient to send him to run errands and handle some affairs.

Chu Jiubian bought three remote controlled high-powered waterproof flashlights from the System Mall and handed them to the guard, instructing him to attach them to the first and last carriages. His own carriage was in the middle, so one should be attached there as well.

Once all of the lights were on, the whole team would be able to see the road clearly.

The guard acknowledged the order and withdrew without asking a single unnecessary question.

The guard moved like mist, but his obvious presence on the roof of the carriage was still noticed by some of the soldiers.

They knew he belonged to Chu Jiubian, and simply supposed he was checking on the status of the silver and grain, so none of them thought too deeply about it.

Their greatest concern at the moment was how inconvenient and arduous it was to travel at night.

“Yesterday, we were able to rest at a post station and get some sleep, but now we’re being forced to travel all night. I don’t know what Lord Chu is thinking.”

“Indeed. Even if we set off later tomorrow, we could still reach Hexi Prefecture by nightfall. Why the rush now?”

“I can understand him being in a hurry, but with such heavy rain, the roads are muddy and treacherous. It was fine during the day, but we can’t even see the road clearly right now. I’m afraid I’ll sink into the mud every few steps.”

“Why don’t we go and talk to him? We can always leave earlier tomorrow, and it will save us from marching at night.”

The civil officials thought similarly, but they had all noticed Chao Shun’s reaction today.

As a secretary for the Ministry of Revenue, Chao Shun was the highest-ranking official among them. While he had initially been respectful toward Chu Jiubian, ever since falling ill, he seemed to hold more fear and awe for him.

When Chu Jiubian said that they needed to travel overnight just now, the other party was the first to voice his support, and even started ordering people around. He was incredibly attentive, and showed no signs of his previous high fever. 

Everyone guessed that Chao Shun had recovered so quickly due to the efficacy of Chu Jiubian’s medicine, so he was grateful to him because of it.

Others spoke of Chu Jiubian’s identity as an immortal.

They believed that Chu Jiubian had given Chao Shun an immortal elixir, and that the official’s awe and fear had grown when he sensed the immortal’s divine power.

However, not many people possessed such a mindset. After all, these junior officials hadn’t had the opportunity to meet Chu Jiubian before, and even the “miracles” circulating around the capital were all hearsay, half true and half false.

Even those who boasted of their own intelligence saw that Chu Jiubian ate and lived like everyone else and had nothing special about him aside from his hair, and came to the conclusion that the rumors were wrong – that this Grand Tutor Chu was simply a normal person.

Therefore, their current reluctance to contradict Chu Jiubian was not due to fear of his divine status, but simply because he was a superior official. 

If the sky fell, the taller person would hold it up. These low-ranking officials didn’t want to be the first to stick their necks out.

Ultimately, these civil assistants were better at assessing the situation than the military officials were.

So in the end, it was one of the temporary captains among the soldiers who took charge and approached Chu Jiubian.

“My Lord,” the captain said respectfully, clasping his fist in a salute,“This humble official has something to report.”

Chu Jiubian lifted the window curtain and looked outside.

The moonlight was entirely obscured by clouds, and it would be no exaggeration to say that it was pitch black outside. Only when the curtain was lifted did the light from the oil lamp shine out and illuminate the captain’s features.

The captain didn’t look up, knowing from the light that his superior had given him permission to speak.

At the same time, hundreds of subtle glances were cast in their direction.

Knowing that the captain had approached Chu Jiubian to offer suggestions, although nothing could be heard over the sound of the rain, everyone’s attention was so focused on him that even his subordinates slowed their pace somewhat.

“What is it?” Chu Jiubian’s voice was cold and distant.

The captain continued: “My Lord, this road is difficult to travel at night, and the carriages and horses might become stuck. How about we wait until tomorrow morning to set off?”

The official road was straight, so there was no fear of taking a wrong turn.

But the current road was not paved with gravel. It was all dirt, and had become quite bumpy and uneven over the years. The soil had indeed become soft under the rain, and getting stuck was a very real danger if one didn’t take caution.

The rain showed no signs of abating, and was also accompanied by the occasional flash of lightning and muted rumbles up in the clouds.

Chu Jiubian rubbed the remote control in his hand.

The flashlights had already been strapped to the roofs of the carriages. As they were a product of the System, they had amazing specs, and the remote control could work from as far away as one kilometer.

So when he pressed the switch now, all three powerful flashlights would light up.

Chu Jiubian glanced at the distracted soldiers outside. Seeing that everyone’s attention was focused in this direction, he pressed the switch.

In an instant, the three carriages were cast in a glow as bright as daylight, and the powerful flashlights illuminated the road for a hundred meters both ahead and behind.

Gasps of shock from the crowd were accompanied by the slight jostling of the horses as the whole procession was stirred up.

“What’s going on! How is it already dawn?!”

“It’s not dawn – it’s that we have light while the rest of the world is still dark!”

“It’s…..it’s Lord Chu…..”

Everyone looked toward Chu Jiubian’s carriage and were dazzled by the white light shining from the roof. They were tense and frightened, but such feelings were accompanied by a strange tremor of excitement.

This was a miracle! 

They were actually witnessing a miracle!

The captain next to Chu Jiubian was the most astonished of all. He felt as if he had just said “it is difficult to travel at night,” and then daylight suddenly dawned.

He almost reflexively looked up at the person in the carriage, and it only took a moment for his look of astonishment to change to one of terror.

The outside was now bright, but the carriage had gone dim.

The captain could only see Chu Jiubian’s delicate face illuminated by the warm yellow light of the oil lamp. His dark, tousled hair slightly obscured his brow and eyes, while the long, silver-white portion cascading over his shoulders seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly glow.

He was like a banished immortal.

The captain’s heart pounded wildly in his ears, and his legs went weak.

“Can we go now?” Chu Jiubian asked quietly.

Just as he finished speaking, a clap of thunder rang out, and the captain’s weak legs nearly sent him to his knees.

The captain’s teeth chattered as he met Chu Jiubian’s indifferent eyes: “W-we can.”

Chu Jiubian fortunately lowered the curtain after receiving his reply – otherwise, the captain wouldn’t have been able to stay upright.

Once the initial panic subsided, the crowd moved quicker than ever.

Everyone packed their luggage and belongings with absolute haste, and dared not voice further objections or opinions. Only one word was on their minds – miracle!

To turn night into day in an instant – what else could this be but a miracle?!

Driven by curiosity, some people surreptitiously glanced toward the roofs of the carriages, only to be blinded by the intense light. They dared not look again, and the awe in their hearts intensified.

Could that be the sun?

In order to travel at night, Lord Chu actually borrowed the sunlight!

Was this a method of the gods?

Lord Chu truly was a deity!

Inside the carriage, Chu Jiubian watched his Faith Value soar by thirty points.

The convoy jostled along the way, but thanks to the light, the journey was relatively smoother.

As dawn broke, Chu Jiubian turned off the lights and ordered his guard to retrieve them.

The guard handed the items over to him with deference, but just as he was about to leave, Chu Jiubian stopped him and handed him some cold medicine he’d prepared in advance: “Take one of these.”

When he gave out medicine to the convoy before, he had also prepared some for the guards, as catching a cold was the biggest concern when traveling at night.

The guard was somewhat surprised, and his composure cracked just for an instant. But he accepted it smoothly and performed a silent kowtow before leaving.

After traveling all morning, the convoy indeed entered Hexi Prefecture around noon.

It was only a half hour’s march to the affected counties, so Chu Jiubian had everyone head straight there without stopping to rest.

The group now listened to him without question. His word was law.

The convoy trudged slowly forward, but they didn’t encounter a single refugee all the way to the gates of the city.

Had all of the refugees in Huai and Pu counties been settled?

Or was it that these places were too far away from the prefectural seat, so the refugees settled in county towns and cities along the way?

Chu Jiubian frowned slightly. Something felt amiss.

The massive disaster had affected tens of thousands of common people in two counties, and an untold number of villages and farmland had been submerged. It was impossible for all of these refugees to stay put. Many would have naturally fled to larger cities and towns.

Unless these people had been restricted to their hometowns by the authorities and were unable to leave at all.

Thinking of what Qin Xiao’s letter had said about Prefect Zhou Boshan having gone to the disaster area two days prior, Chu Jiubian immediately had a guess in mind.

If the other party had really ordered that all of the refugees were to be gathered in one place, would they have enough food?

Could they guarantee that people wouldn’t die from starvation or disease?

And if they did die, how was it handled?

Were the bodies burned, or left to soak in the rain and mud?

If it was the latter, so many rotting corpses in addition to the filth from the rainwater and flooding would be a breeding ground for disease!

Or perhaps they had resorted to even more ruthless and decisive measures…..

But hopefully, the truth was not as he imagined.

“My Lord, we have arrived at the prefectural governor’s residence,” someone reported from outside the carriage.

Chu Jiubian exited the carriage, and the officials Qin Xiao had left at the residence to handle matters there came out to greet him.

Their leader was an official from the Ministry of War named Kou Zimo. Chu Jiubian was familiar with this person; he was one of the few people in court who openly sided with Qin Xiao.

He originated from the Qin Family Army and later rose to the position of section head in the Ministry of War. However, due to his low official rank, he had limited say in court and was unable to outwit the civil officials, so he was never able to offer much help to Qin Xiao.

Kou Zimo naturally knew of the relationship between Chu Jiubian and his family’s lord. He felt a sense of kinship upon laying eyes on him, and quickly stepped forward to greet him with a bow.

Chu Jiubian cut his greeting short, asking: “Has Qin Xiao not returned yet?”

Nowadays, who inside or outside of the court didn’t know that he and Qin Xiao were on the same side?

The story of their “love tribulation” was becoming more and more credible, and those not in the know actually believed that there was something going on between the two.

Qin Xiao did nothing to deliberately suppress or refute the rumors, and Chu Jiubian was even less likely to do so.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian usually didn’t mind demonstrating their special relationship in front of outsiders, such as by calling him by his full name.

Kou Zimo was momentarily surprised by his address of Qin Xiao, but he understood after a moment’s thought.

The two of them were family, so there was nothing wrong with calling each other by name.

Thus, he quickly composed himself and said: “Answering My Lord, Lord Ning-wang has not yet returned. A message arrived this morning which said that a method to plug the dam in Pu County has been found. Liu Junqi, an official in the Ministry of Works, has been left to oversee it. The fix should be completed today.”

“Right now, Lord Ning-wang should be in Huai County with Minister Jian from the Ministry of Works. The dam there was more seriously damaged, and plugging it will be much more troublesome.”

Chu Jiubian nodded, then asked: “Have the local county officials arrived with the grain?”

Upon receiving the news of the damage to the dams, they had immediately dispatched messengers to the surrounding counties and prefectures at breakneck speed. These officials were ordered to send all the grain they could spare to Hexi Prefecture, as well as officials, craftsmen, and soldiers to help alleviate the disaster.

That way, when Chu Jiubian and the others delivered the silver and grain, there wouldn’t be such a scramble.

Kou Zimo observed Chu Jiubian’s expression and carefully chose his tone as he answered: “Both Anyang County and Liucheng County sent grain, as well as several officials and craftsmen, but the grain only amounted to a few cartloads.”

The food supplies were nearly depleted.

If Chu Jiubian failed to arrive tonight, the refugees would be out of food.

For those displaced common people, life had lost all meaning. Many were in poor mental states, and while going without food for a night might normally just be skipping a meal, at a time where nerves were stretched and vulnerable, it could very well be the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

The refugees might riot. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Chu Jiubian frowned: “What about the food supply of Hexi Prefecture itself?”

It was impossible that such a large prefectural city wouldn’t have enough food to feed two counties’ worth of people.

“The night before we arrived with Lord Ning-wang, more than a dozen granaries experienced leaks from the rain, and the grain was all soaked. Also, when we inspected the grain, it was all old and stale, with much of it moldy. Even if it hadn’t been soaked with water, it was inedible.”

Moldy grain, granary roofs in disrepair – this governor of Hexi Prefecture was really playing with the lives of the common people. No wonder he committed suicide out of “fear of punishment.”

Kou Zimo said: “My Lord, please come in and rest for a while before we talk further. This official has already asked someone to prepare lunch and hot water.”

“No need,” said Chu Jiubian. “Bring all of the grain merchants in the city here.”

Since food was about to run out, he would just buy some more. Otherwise, the few cartloads of grain that was delivered wouldn’t last more than two days.

“Lord Ning-wang already sought them out.” Kou Zimo sighed. “Those grain merchants said that since grain prices are high in the south, they’ve already transported all of their grain there. They gave all they had left to His Lordship this morning.”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

What a coincidence, ah!

Once was a coincidence, but twice was a pattern.

The granaries in Hexi Prefecture were leaky and full of mold, and the local grain merchants were also out of grain. If the Imperial Court wasn’t able to come up with a solution, wasn’t it inevitable that the common people of the affected counties would revolt?

If that really happened, then who would take the blame for such a huge blunder?

Would it be Jiannan-wang? Or the Emperor?

The people behind this hadn’t left any unused tricks up their sleeves. They intended to utterly lay waste to the situation.

However, there was one point of suspicion: the people behind this indeed wished to achieve such a result, and had cut off all of the grain supplies they could, but why did the refugees still have enough grain to last until the Imperial relief convoy arrived?

“Find someone to lead the way. We’re heading to Pu County at once,” Chu Jiubian said.

The grain they’d brought from the capital was enough to feed the two counties’ worth of people for two days, and these two days were enough for Qin Xiao to come up with another solution. And even if they couldn’t source any food, Chu Jiubian still had the System.

The problem was that he didn’t have enough Faith Points at the moment, so he would need to collect more when the occasion presented itself.

However, he didn’t want more faith points from Nanjiang. He wanted them from the people of Hexi Prefecture.

He couldn’t always be the one to save these people – they needed to be allowed to save themselves.

By using their contributed faith points to purchase grain and save their lives, Chu Jiubian could also grow his reputation. It was a win-win scenario.

Led by a local county official, the disaster relief team arrived safely in Pu County.

Liu Junqi, a senior official with the Ministry of Works, was rushing about in a raincoat as he directed people to repair the dam. His voice was hoarse from shouting.

He only turned around when someone notified him that the disaster relief convoy had arrived, and quickly approached when he caught sight of them.

Chu Jiubian lifted the carriage curtain to set his eyes on this scene.

Liu Junqi was a student of Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, but he now seemed to be a man of action.

This must be one of those conscientious officials Qin Xiao had mentioned who was still entangled with one of the great families.

But the Wang family?

Chu Jiubian felt it necessary to inquire about this with Wang Qichen. If this Liu Junqi was a man of good character and not some great villain, then he could be appropriately promoted.

A senior official of the Ministry of Works, eh? The next highest rank he could attain was naturally Deputy Minister of Works.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes to hide the dark glint in them, and when he looked up again, he had regained his cool, indifferent demeanor.

“Greetings, Grand Tutor.” Liu Junqi bowed.

Chu Jiubian got out of the carriage, and a soldier rushed over to hold an umbrella for him with an extremely deferential expression.

Liu Junqi took note of this. He also discovered that not just this soldier, but everyone in the disaster relief team whether they be civil or military officials, regarded Chu Jiubian with awe.

The forces behind these people were actually quite complex and deeply entrenched, and they could be spies or informants for one faction or another. Yet now, without exception, they had become so deferential.

How had Chu Jiubian managed to subdue all of these people in just a few days?

Liu Junqi suppressed his astonishment.

Without wasting words, Chu Jiubian got straight to the point: “I’ll leave you two days’ worth of food and 100,000 taels of silver. The Ministry of Revenue will assist you, and I’ll send someone to deliver more grain in two days’ time.”

“Yes,” Liu Junqi replied at once.

Just when he was worried about running out of food the next morning, the Imperial disaster relief team arrived and relieved his immediate crisis.

He was aware of the food situation, and that it would be difficult to obtain more grain in a short period of time. But the man in front of him was Chu Jiubian, and all sorts of variables could change in his presence.

So he would just wait patiently for good news.

“By the way,” Chu Jiubian asked casually, “why didn’t we see many refugees in Pu County on the way here?”

The refugees here all had food, temporary shelters, and blankets to keep them warm. Logically, they should be in good condition, but they all looked lifeless.

Liu Junqi’s expression immediately turned grim: “My Lord may be unaware, but more than half of the 20,000 common people in Pu County have died, and the ones remaining were lucky enough to have survived until Lord Ning-wang’s arrival.”

Ironically, if not for the high death count, there wouldn’t have been enough grain to last until Chu Jiubian arrived.

Chu Jiubian’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked: “What did that Zhou Boshan do?”

Liu Junqi was astonished that he had guessed the truth so quickly.

“That Prefect Zhou was indeed involved,” said Liu Junqi. “To prevent the refugees from flocking to other counties and causing a chain reaction, and in order to plug the breached dam…..”

He took a slow breath before saying in a trembling voice: “He actually ordered the common people to jump into the river and use their bodies to plug the hole!”

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Chapter 43 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 45