“I just asked around and found out that Lord Cai has been living in the porridge tent these past few days. He’s been drinking the same watery porridge and eating nothing but tree bark and wild herbs that he dug up himself!” Lin Ming looked at the pale-faced Li Qiushui and said, “Lord Cai, go and bring your mother out.”
“Yes.”
Cai Ming hurried into the porridge tent and found a ragged old woman. She was so thin from hunger that she couldn’t even walk steadily. As soon as she saw her son, she burst into tears. “Mother! I’ve failed you! I made you suffer through the same watery porridge with me! I’m worse than a pig or dog!”
The old woman trembled as she held onto Cai Ming and cried, “I’ve lived long enough already. Just having some thin porridge to drink is good enough for me. But you! You’re a dignified official of the court—how could you stoop so low and suffer with the refugees?”
Tears welled up in Cai Ming’s eyes. “If I eat a little less, I can save three or four more people. It’s worth it. If I die from starvation, please cook me and feed the people. That way, I’ll have repaid your kindness in raising me!”
“How can this be happening…”
The scene before her completely shattered Li Qiushui’s expectations. Her face went pale and her body trembled. “How could a corrupt official be living like this?”
Lin Ming retorted, “You don’t still think he’s a corrupt official, do you, Envoy Li?”
“No investigation, no right to speak. Next time you try to execute someone, use your brain first.”
Li Qiushui was both furious and ashamed, left speechless. She could only suppress her frustration and say, “Yes, I will remember Lord Envoy’s guidance.”
Lin Ming said, “Lord Cai, you’ve done well in this disaster relief. I’ll report your merit to the court. Now tell me, how much porridge is left in the porridge factory?”
Cai Ming trembled, “None! Not a single grain is left! The food meant for three days has already been stretched to the limit!”
Lin Ming asked again, “Then what about Yuzhou’s granary?”
Cai Ming paused, then replied without hesitation, “You mean the public granary? There’s plenty there—enough to feed the refugees thick porridge for at least half a month! But that grain is allocated for officials’ salaries and this year’s tax obligations. Governor Wei instructed that without imperial permission, not a single grain may be touched!”
Upon hearing that, Lin Ming’s dark brown eyes flashed with a sharp chill. He sneered, “So what is this Governor Wei doing now?”
“I heard he’s praying in a shrine at his residence, begging the heavens to bless the people.” Cai Ming answered sincerely. “Governor Wei is known throughout Yuzhou for being clean and incorruptible. He’s also a devout Buddhist and lives a simple, vegetarian life.”
“Has he ever stepped foot into the disaster areas?”
“Not once. He said one must be sincere in prayer, so he hasn’t done anything these past few days—not even attending to official affairs.”
Lin Ming nodded, then asked several other local officials and civilians. Their answers were all the same.
Soon, Lin Ming summoned a commander of the imperial guards and whispered a few words.
The commander’s expression turned serious. “Understood!”
With a gesture, 200 imperial guards charged mightily into Yuzhou City.
“What did you send them to do?” Li Qiushui asked in confusion.
“Two missions, split into two groups,” Lin Ming replied expressionlessly. “One group will go to the Yuzhou granary, open the storehouse, and distribute the food. Save the refugees from disaster.”
Li Qiushui was stunned. “Opening the granary is no small matter. Don’t we need to report to Chang’an and await Her Majesty’s decision?”
“I have the right to execute first and report later.” Lin Ming sneered. “By the time the court sends a reply, the people of Yuzhou will already be dead. I can’t wait that long.”
“Fine!”
Knowing the urgency of the situation, Li Qiushui didn’t argue further.
“And the other hundred?” she asked.
“They’re executing the second mission,” Lin Ming said coldly. “Wipe out Governor Wei and his entire household.”
His words exploded like thunder. Li Qiushui’s face turned ashen, and she nearly collapsed. “You… are you insane?”
“Without any reason, you’re going to kill a Governor’s entire household?! And Governor Wei is a well-known upright official! Lin Ming, even as an imperial envoy, you can’t just kill without cause!”
“Faced with widespread death and starvation, doing nothing is the greatest crime,” Lin Ming’s face turned frosty. “What clean official? He’s lazy, neglectful, and does nothing—worse than the most corrupt. What the people need is a governor who brings them relief, not a ‘noble official’ who only cares about his reputation!”
“He gave only three days’ worth of food, and when things go wrong, he lets his subordinates take the fall. He hides behind rules while people starve to death. He guards the granary while tens of thousands die outside. Praying in a shrine while entire families perish—”
“If you take the post, do the job. Since he lacks the virtue for his position, I’ll kill his entire family!”
A corrupt official can be hated—but a “clean” one who does nothing is worse! Blindly following rules while people die deserves death!
His words struck hard, shattering Li Qiushui’s worldview. She stood there frozen, unable to respond. After a long moment, she collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat. “Lin Ming… you’ve just arrived and already killed a Governor. The court will not let this go easily!”
“Then let’s see what Her Majesty can do.” Lin Ming laughed loudly, arms crossed. “Since she dared to appoint me as imperial envoy, she must be prepared for the consequences.”
“Deputy Envoy, don’t just stand there. Let’s go to the next disaster zone—Huazhou!”
“Relax, relax…”
They traveled onward and arrived at Huazhou, where the disaster was even worse.
There were over a hundred thousand refugees, and outside the city, sixty or seventy thousand had already died. The crisis was dire.
Fortunately, Huazhou’s Governor had already opened the granary to distribute food, but it was like trying to quench a fire with a cup of water.
When the Assistant Governor of Huazhou voiced his frustrations, Li Qiushui suggested, “Why not seek help from the wealthy families in the city? Ask them to lend money to the court temporarily for disaster relief. When it’s over, the court will repay them with honors.”
He sighed, “We’ve already tried. Though those wealthy families are filthy rich, they’re all stingy misers. We managed to collect only about 1,000 taels of silver after begging them repeatedly.”
Lin Ming said sternly, “Then invite all the local wealthy households to a banquet at the Governor’s residence in my name. I’ll speak with them personally.”
Li Qiushui frowned. “Lin Ming, even though we represent the court, these local families reportedly have powerful backers in the capital. They may not give us any face.”
Lin Ming sneered, “Haven’t you heard the saying?”
“What saying?”
“When you’re out in the world, face is something you take for yourself.”
…
At the Governor’s Residence in Huazhou, the wealthy landlords and merchants had all gathered.
“Honored envoys, it must not have been easy to come to Huazhou.”
“Please stay a few more days, so we can host you properly!”
“I just spent 200,000 taels in Jiangnan to buy a Kunqu opera troupe. If Envoy Lin enjoys it, I’d be honored to gift it to him!”
These local lords treated the assistant Governor like air, but fawned over Lin Ming and Li Qiushui with flattery.
Lin Ming smiled and bantered with them, ignoring Li Qiushui’s glares.
“Huazhou’s women… how should I put it… their hips are rounder than those in Chang’an. Truly, the land nurtures its people well!” Lin Ming hiccupped drunkenly.
“Envoy Lin, you have such refined tastes. I’ll send a few of Huazhou’s finest beauties to you tomorrow. Round and perky—guaranteed!”
Lin Ming laughed awkwardly, “How could I accept such kindness? Wouldn’t I be stealing your women, Envoy Liu?”
“Nonsense! I hate wasting anything. Giving them to you, Envoy Lin, puts them to better use!”
“Then I’ll thank Envoy Liu! Truly generous, worthy of being Huazhou’s richest man!”
Everyone laughed. Dirty jokes flew freely.
“Shouldn’t we discuss proper matters now?” Li Qiushui could no longer bear it. She slammed her cup down and stood up.
Since Lin Ming couldn’t be relied on, she would handle it herself.
“You all are the wealthiest in Huazhou. In these times of crisis, the people suffer. We need your help to weather the storm.”
“Now, please contribute what you can—money or grain. Think of it as a loan to the court. When the disaster ends, it will be repaid double, and you will also be honored.”
The room fell silent.
The wealthy men exchanged glances and said nothing.
Li Qiushui gritted her teeth. “Without the nation, there is no home. If the refugees revolt, do you really think your wealth will remain safe?”
Cough “Envoy Li, you’re mistaken. If the refugees riot, the court will send troops to suppress them. That’s what we pay taxes for—to protect our property. If they can’t even do that, what’s the court good for?”
Li Qiushui was furious. “You insolent scoundrels! You dare shift blame onto the court? We carry the imperial banner! We represent the Great Duan Emperor! Insulting me is insulting Her Majesty!”
“No offense, Envoy Li. But perhaps you didn’t know—my surname is Liu, and I belong to one of the Six Great Clans.”
Envoy Liu’s voice was domineering. “For example, that’s Lord Wei across from you—he’s a distant relative of the palace eunuch Wei Zhongxiang. The man to your left, Lord Gao, is the younger brother of the Empress Dowager. All of us here have powerful backing. You, a mere envoy, how much influence do you really have?”
He even brought up the imperial court—Six Great Clans, powerful eunuchs, the inner palace…
These were not people she could afford to offend.
“Envoy Li, whether it’s in politics or business, the same rule applies—relationships matter. Envoy Lin understands this well. No wonder he’s already an imperial envoy at such a young age.”
Seeing her go silent, Envoy Liu smirked victoriously and stepped forward to offer wine. “Of course, we still respect the court’s dignity.”
“I, Liu, will lead by example—donate 500 taels. No need to repay. Just my little contribution to the Empire.”
“I’ll donate 300.”
“One hundred—”
The total ended up just over 1,000 taels.
Li Qiushui laughed bitterly. “Should I thank you all for such generosity? For saving the court’s face?”
“We’re all friends. As long as we donate something, you can report to the court, and everyone stays happy. Win-win, right?”
“Come now, let’s eat and drink, forget the gloomy talk!”
The Assistant Governor tried to smooth things over but was completely ignored.
Envoy Liu turned to Lin Ming, “Envoy Lin, you’re the official envoy. You’ll approve, won’t you?”
Lin Ming stood, accepted the donation notes with a smile, and said, “Of course!”
Everyone nodded in satisfaction.
Envoy Lin really gets it. So much better than that sour-faced woman.
“Let’s all toast Envoy Lin! May he rise to greater heights!”
Envoy Liu raised his cup with a broad grin.
Everyone lifted their cups…
But then, Lin Ming’s smile turned strange.
“I was going to toast you all too… but before that, there’s something I need to make clear.”
He clapped his hands.
Two carts were wheeled in—piled with extravagant gifts.
“These are the gifts you gave me, Lin Ming. Just one luminous pearl here is worth tens of thousands of taels. Altogether, this is worth over 500,000 taels!”
He then held up the donation slips, face turning cold.
“And this… this is what you gave to the Empire and the disaster victims—1,150 taels in total.”
The mood shifted instantly. Envoy Liu stammered, “Envoy Lin… are you drunk?”
Lin Ming’s words came like cannon fire. “In this time of great disaster, the rich exploit the weak, squeezing the people dry!”
“I investigated you all. Some of you hoarded grain for profit. Some bought up refugee land for dirt-cheap. Some even snatched away the wives and daughters of starving men.”
“You have vast lands and wealth, yet prey on the people. And local officials know your crimes but do nothing—can’t tax you, can’t punish you.”
“If the Great Duan Empire collapses, what use are you to me?”
Lin Ming slowly raised his wine cup… and poured it on the ground.
“This cup is your farewell toast. Your execution drink.”
BANG!
Armored imperial guards burst through the doors.
“What you dared not tax—I will. What you dared not kill—I will.”
“With imperial authority, I execute first and report later.”
He tossed aside the cup. “Leave no one alive!”