When Nangong Yan heard the news, he was furious, knowing the seriousness of the matter.

Not daring to delay at all, he immediately went into the palace, ready to report the situation to the emperor at the morning court.

In the morning court, the atmosphere was particularly solemn.

Nangong Yan stepped out, holding the secret report in both hands, and spoke in a loud voice with suppressed anger: "Father, there has been a major change in the disaster relief work in Qingzhou.

I have received a secret report that Liu Chang, the prefect of Qingzhou, colluded with grain merchant Sun Fu, embezzled disaster relief grain, replaced new grain with old grain, and falsely reported losses to enrich himself.

The people of Qingzhou have already suffered serious disasters, and this is even worse! ”

When the emperor heard this, his face instantly turned pale, and the dragon table was slammed heavily:

“How can this be possible!

I am wholeheartedly devoted to disaster relief, but these corrupt officials dare to be so bold and reckless, disregarding the lives of the people. Their crimes are simply unforgivable! ”

Prime Minister Wang was also filled with indignation. He stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, these corrupt officials are really despicable. If they are not severely punished, it will not be enough to appease the people's anger, and if they are not severely punished, it will not be enough to rectify the country's laws!"

Prince Nangong Ye stepped forward, his expression serious: "Father, disaster relief in Qingzhou is urgent. If there are corrupt officials, we must investigate them as soon as possible, recover the embezzled grain, and give justice to the people.

I am willing to go to Qingzhou in person to investigate the matter. Prince Nangong Yan of Zhennan is familiar with the situation and can assist me. I will definitely get to the bottom of this corruption case. ”

The third prince Nangong Yi continued, "If His Royal Highness Crown Prince goes there in person, the truth will surely come to light.

I suggest that in addition to investigating corruption, we also need to re-examine all matters related to disaster relief in Qingzhou to ensure that subsequent disaster relief work is not affected. ”

The fourth prince Nangong Hua also stood up and said, "Third brother is absolutely right.

At the same time, additional supervisory officials can be dispatched to monitor the allocation and distribution of relief supplies throughout the process to prevent similar incidents from happening again. ”

In the court, ministers expressed their anger towards corrupt officials and their concerns about the relief workers.

The emperor took a deep breath and tried to calm down: "Prince, this investigation is a difficult task. It concerns the reputation of the court and the welfare of the people. You must act cautiously and do not let me down.

Yan'er, you must fully assist the prince and make sure to catch all the people involved in the case and recover all the embezzled food and property.

I will definitely punish these corrupt officials severely according to the law. If the circumstances are serious, all nine generations of their clan will be executed to serve as a warning to others! ”

The Crown Prince and Nangong Yan knelt at the same time and accepted the order: "Your sons obey your orders!"

The emperor looked at the ministers and said, "The rest of you, my dear ministers, must also perform your duties to ensure the continuous supply of disaster relief materials and the smooth implementation of other disaster relief measures.

The people of Qingzhou are still suffering, and I don’t want to hear any more mistakes! ”

All the ministers responded in unison: "We obey your order!"

After adjourning the court, Crown Prince Nangong Ye and Prince of Zhennan Nangong Yan immediately began to prepare for their trip to Qingzhou.

We selected a group of elite officers and soldiers and experienced supervisory officials to form an investigation team.

Nangong Yan sorted out the clues and evidence he had collected before, and discussed the investigation plan in detail with the prince.

"Your Highness, we must make quick decisions when we go to Qingzhou this time.

Since Liu Chang and Sun Fu are so bold, they may have other forces behind them. We must act carefully to avoid alerting the enemy. ”

Nangong Yan said with a serious look.

The prince nodded in agreement: “You are right, Brother Yan.

We will investigate secretly first, and then take action after we have more solid evidence, and we must strike immediately. ”

A few days later, the prince and Nangong Yan led the investigation team to Qingzhou.

Instead of making it public immediately, they quietly moved into a secluded mansion and began a secret investigation.

Nangong Yan used his connections in Qingzhou to contact some common people who had been oppressed by corrupt officials and some righteous petty officials.

From them, we got more details about the corruption of Liu Chang and Sun Fu.

The crown prince personally led the supervisory officials to carefully check the distribution records of relief food and warehouse inventory.

After several days of hard investigation, they finally got the hard evidence of Liu Chang and Sun Fu's corruption, including account books, witness testimonies and clues of their secret transfer of property.

After obtaining solid evidence, the prince and Nangong Yan decided to close the net.

That morning, at daybreak, the Crown Prince and Nangong Yan led soldiers and suddenly surrounded the Qingzhou government office and Sun Fu's grain store.

Liu Chang was still asleep when he was awakened by a burst of noisy footsteps.

He hurriedly put on his clothes and walked out of the room. He saw the Crown Prince and Nangong Yan leading the soldiers standing in the yard. He was so scared that his face turned pale: "Prince... Crown Prince, Prince Zhennan, what do you mean?"

The prince looked at him coldly and said, "Liu Chang, your crime has been exposed, why don't you surrender?"

As he said this, he placed a stack of evidence in front of him.

When Liu Chang saw the evidence, his legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground, but he still tried to argue: "This... this is all slander. Someone is deliberately framing me."

At this time, the officers and soldiers also brought Sun Fu in.

As soon as Sun Fu saw Liu Chang, his legs softened and he knelt down: "My lord, I confess that we were all in collusion. I shouldn't have been greedy. I beg the Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhennan to spare my life!"

Nangong Yan shouted angrily: "Take these two away and bring them back to the capital to await their fate!"

After returning to the capital, Liu Chang and Sun Fu confessed to their crimes after a joint trial by the three courts.

When the emperor heard the result of the interrogation, he was furious. He beheaded Liu Chang, Sun Fu and all the other people involved in the case, and their nine clans were also implicated.

On the day of the execution, the execution ground was surrounded by people.

When Liu Chang and Sun Fu were taken to the execution ground, Liu Chang suddenly struggled madly and shouted loudly: "It's unfair!

I know I was wrong, please have mercy on me, Your Majesty, and spare my life! I will never dare to do it again! ”

Sun Fu also cried out: "It's all because of my greed. I beg the Crown Prince and the King of Zhennan to have mercy and let us go!"

However, their cries were drowned out by the angry shouts of the people.

Liu Chang's servants were being held captive by the soldiers, crying heartbreakingly, "My Lord, how could you be so foolish!

Our whole family has been harmed by you! ”

The child next to her was so scared that he cried loudly and hugged his mother's legs tightly.

Sun Fu's family was also grief-stricken. His old father collapsed on the ground, beating his face and saying, "What a sin!

How are we going to live in the future? ”

The people watched this scene and shouted and cursed.

The old man who smashed the bowl before also came to the capital. Seeing the corrupt officials' scene, he was so angry that he trembled all over and shouted loudly: "Are you afraid now?

What were you doing during the drought?

You have caused so much harm to so many families, and this is your retribution! ”

The young man also glared angrily: "Good chop!

This kind of corrupt official should not be kept alive, even if he dies a thousand times, it will not satisfy our hatred! ”

Cheers and curses were heard all around, and the people's long-suppressed anger was finally vented.

As the executioner's hands rose and fell, the corrupt officials received the punishment they deserved.

“Good cut!

These corrupt officials deserve such an environment! ”

The old man who had smashed the bowl before shouted loudly.

"That's right, you guys have caused us so much trouble, you should have died long ago!"

The middle-aged man also roared.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking charge of this matter for us and getting rid of these two evils for the people of Qingzhou!"

People in the crowd kept shouting.

As the executioner's hands moved up and down, the corrupt officials received the punishment they deserved, and the people applauded.

The problem of corrupt officials was solved and food was distributed in full to the people.

But the impact of the drought continues, and water shortage has become a pressing problem.

Nangong Yan and the Crown Prince had in-depth exchanges with local experienced farmers and water conservancy craftsmen, and decided to build small dams and reservoirs on several dried-up rivers in Qingzhou to intercept the rain that might arrive in the rainy season.

At the same time, the people were organized to dig wells and look for water sources.

When Bai Linglong heard the news, she was extremely anxious and rushed to help immediately.

She knew very well that during drought, people's longing for water was like longing for dawn in darkness.

Bai Linglong entered her own mysterious space, which contained inexhaustible resources.

She used the space to bring tap water into a special barrel, and also added spiritual spring water with magical effects.

This spiritual spring water not only makes the water sweeter, but also can regulate the body and strengthen the physical fitness if consumed for a long time.

Every morning, Bai Linglong would appear at the disaster relief site on time.

Behind her is a large bucket filled with water. Under the sunlight, the water in the bucket sparkles with crystal light, as if it is the hope of life.

"Everyone line up, everyone has clean water to drink!"

Bai Linglong's clear voice rang out at the resettlement site, and the originally noisy and chaotic crowd immediately formed a long queue.

A young mother held her child in her arms, her eyes full of gratitude: "Princess, thank you so much.

My child has not had clean water for several months, and his lips are cracked and bleeding. ”

Bai Linglong smiled, scooped a bucket of water for her, and said softly: "Hurry up and give the child some. This water is good for the body."

A strong young man took the water and drank it loudly. After drinking it, he wiped his mouth and said, "Princess, where did you get this water?

We are working so hard here that we are sweating profusely. Finding water is harder than climbing a mountain. ”

Bai Linglong smiled mysteriously: "This is a gift from God, drink it with confidence, you will get better."

In this way, Bai Linglong worked tirelessly to deliver water to the people every year.

Her appearance was like a beacon of light in the darkness, bringing hope to the desperate people.

The people drank the water that Bai Linglong brought, and their originally cracked lips became moist again.

His dull eyes gradually became brighter, and his body gradually got better with the nourishment of the spiritual spring water.

On the third day, the sky was suddenly overcast and the air became humid.

The people who were queuing for water noticed something was wrong and looked up at the sky.

"It looks like it's going to rain!"

A child pointed at the sky and shouted excitedly.

"Really?

Please bless me, I hope it doesn't all be in vain. ”

An old man clasped his hands together, his face full of anticipation.

Just as he finished speaking, raindrops as big as beans began to fall.

“It’s raining!

It’s really raining! ”

The crowd instantly became excited, with cheers and cries intertwined.

The people released the containers in their hands and cheered and jumped in the rain.

Some of them knelt on the grass and kowtowed to the sky; some opened their arms to welcome the long-awaited rain.

"Thank you, old man, and thank you, Princess Zhennan!"

Someone in the crowd shouted loudly.

“Yes, the princess not only brought us water, but also brought us hope.

If the princess hadn't brought us water every day, we wouldn't know if we could have held on until tomorrow. ”

"Princess Zhennan must be a goddess, otherwise how could she create so much clean water and make our bodies better?"

"Princess, you are our savior. We will never forget your kindness!"

The people gathered around Bai Linglong, talking in a flurry, and everyone's face was filled with excitement and joy.

Bai Linglong looked at the cheering people, her eyes flickered.