Chapter 43 Prefect Lü Yuan
Lu Yuan, the governor of Hexi Commandery, received the news immediately after the dikes in Huai County and Pu County collapsed on the 14th.
Although he didn't personally oversee the repair of the dike, instead having his son-in-law, Zhou Boshan, the prefectural magistrate, gain merit alongside the Prince of Jiannan, he did personally inspect the dike after it was completed.
The fact that Hexi County was able to repair the dikes was a great achievement for him, so he kept a close eye on it.
He was impressed by the construction of the dam, and it seemed that the Prince of Jiannan must have spent a lot of money on it. However, no matter how much money was spent, it was all worth it if it could bring him achievements, fame, and popular support.
And yet, this very dam was destroyed?
Moreover, these two villages and fields happened to be closer to the two county towns of Ninghe. This flood came suddenly and quickly, directly submerging more than a dozen villages in the two county towns.
Not only were their fertile fields and family property gone, but thousands of ordinary people were also taken away.
Merit instantly became a death warrant, and Lü Yuan immediately summoned people to discuss the matter.
He first ordered people to investigate whether the dike had been damaged by human intervention, then personally wrote a memorial and ordered it to be sent to the imperial court by fast horse, and also sent a secret letter to the Xiao family.
After doing all this, he ordered his officers and soldiers to keep an eye on Huai County and Pu County, to prevent the disaster victims from wandering to other counties, let alone coming to the prefectural city.
But with such a big matter, it's hard to say what the higher-ups will say about right and wrong.
Whether it was a "natural disaster" or a "man-made disaster," whether someone framed him, or whether the dike was indeed poorly constructed, these were not things he could decide.
He simply follows whatever result his superiors ultimately give.
If it's a natural disaster, then it's because the dikes weren't built well. He'd find a group of people to kill and hack them down, and that would be considered his job done.
If it was a man-made disaster, then someone framed him, and he should find out who destroyed the perfectly good dam. As for who should be implicated behind this, we can only wait for the higher-ups to decide.
He also sent people to the neighboring counties of Huai and Pu to instruct the magistrates to prepare some rice and grain. If any disaster victims did flee there, he told them to cook some porridge and distribute it to the people, as a way to show the court what they were doing.
Thus, he had done all that he, as the prefect, could do.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
Lu Yuan stood by the window, gazing at the torrential rain outside, his heart still unsettled.
However, Zhou Boshan, the prefectural magistrate whom he had sent to inspect the damage to the dike, was terrified.
He had helped build the dam alongside the Prince of Jiannan. Now that the dam was in trouble, the Prince of Jiannan, with his high position and power, would certainly be fine, while he, as the prefectural magistrate, might become the scapegoat and a discarded pawn of the Xiao family.
No, he has to do something.
He hurriedly returned home and asked someone to fix his luggage. He needed to go to Huai County and Pu County to see what was going on.
But before that, he must first leave himself a way out.
"Someone come here." He called out to his attendant and whispered, "Go and find out which craftsmen and villagers built the dikes in Huai County and Pu County. Once you find them, give the list to the local magistrate and say that these people stole the building materials and used inferior ones. Tell them to kill all these villagers and craftsmen."
He couldn't be a scapegoat; he could only let the villagers and craftsmen die in his place.
==
The disaster relief team from Beijing set off promptly at 5:00 AM on the 15th.
The relief team consisted mostly of officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Works, plus eight imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, totaling thirty people.
Qin Xiao also ordered the Ministry of War to transfer 300 soldiers from nearby Jing'an County and other places, and another 300 men from the city's garrison to escort the disaster relief team.
The city defense army was formed after the original Qin family army was split up. They are loyal to Qin Xiao, so it would be safer to have them escort you.
The journey from the capital to Hexi Prefecture would only take a little over a day at a fast pace, but this time the entourage carried relief supplies and a number of civil officials, and the continuous heavy rain and muddy roads made the journey even slower.
Qin Xiao did not travel with the group. Instead, he led Jian Hongzhuo, the Minister of Works, and several officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau to Huai County and Pu County, the areas in Hexi Prefecture most severely affected by the disaster.
The construction of temporary dikes is of paramount importance. The sooner they go, the sooner they can stop the flood from spreading and prevent more areas from being inundated.
Chu Jiubian stayed behind with the team and was given the highest command authority.
On the day of departure, he only gave everyone a little over an hour to eat and rest at noon. The rest of the time was spent traveling non-stop. Finally, before it got completely dark, they arrived at an official post station.
When Qin Xiao led his men through the area earlier, he sent word to these post stations to prepare for the arrival of the disaster relief teams that followed.
Therefore, as soon as Chu Jiubian and his group stopped, the postmaster led a group of minor officials to greet them.
"This humble official, Shi Jitong, the postmaster of Dongyang Post Station, greets the Grand Tutor and all his superiors."
"No need for formalities," Chu Jiu replied.
"Yes." Without further ado, Shi Yicheng led everyone into the post station, saying as they walked, "Gentlemen, you have had a long and tiring journey. I have already ordered people to boil water and cook tea and rice, and the rooms have also been prepared for you. You may go back to your rooms to rest first, and I will have people deliver the tea and rice directly to your rooms."
Meanwhile, the minor officials were helping the soldiers transporting grain to settle their ranks, feed the horses, and invite everyone to the main hall for a meal.
There were many official post stations under the jurisdiction of Daning, which provided a place for officials to rest while traveling.
Dongyang Post Station was only of medium size, but the postmaster, Shi, was organized and efficient, so he was able to handle so many people at the same time without the station becoming chaotic.
Chu Jiubian and the other officials went up to the second floor. There were quite a few rooms, but with more than twenty officials present, it was impossible for each of them to have a room.
Therefore, apart from Chu Jiubian and Chao Shun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who had single rooms, all the other officials had two people per room.
Chu Jiubian entered the bedroom and saw that hot water for washing had been prepared, and it was even a bathtub.
It seems that among the entire group, only he, a first-rank official, received such treatment.
The rain hadn't stopped all day, and Chu Jiubian had endured the bumpy, muddy journey.
Therefore, he didn't pretend to be polite and didn't say anything like he wanted to suffer like everyone else.
He took off his clothes, and the messy, crisscrossing scars on his body were almost invisible. His fair and smooth skin showed a pearly luster under the flickering lamplight.
However, his shoulders, arms, waist, hips, and legs—almost all the places that might bear weight—were bruised to varying degrees.
These were all caused by the bumpy ride in the carriage.
Chu Jiubian ignored all that and went straight into the bathtub to thoroughly wash himself.
The warm water washed over my body, relieving my fatigue.
After soaking for a while, Chu Jiubian came out of the tub and changed into clean undergarments.
Clothes inevitably get a little damp, but there's really nothing you can do about it in this kind of weather.
He ordered someone to carry the water out, and after eating a bowl of hot soup noodles, Chu Jiubian's nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed completely.
He put on his coat, left the room, and went downstairs.
The soldiers had washed up and changed into drier clothes. They were eating and loudly telling some slightly risqué jokes.
Upon noticing Chu Jiubian descend, some soldiers immediately straightened their faces, stood up, and bowed to him.
Then, everyone else stood up and bowed, saying in unison, "Grand Tutor."
Most of them were very respectful, but some harbored resentment and showed it on their faces.
Chu Jiubian didn't care. The forced march had indeed been tough on these soldiers who were constantly soaked in the rain, so it was normal for them to be a little temperamental.
The shouts of the soldiers downstairs carried up to the upper floor.
The civil officials upstairs all came out of their rooms upon hearing the news. As they approached Chu Jiubian from behind, they guessed that he had something to say.
Chu Jiubian walked downstairs, followed by the officials behind him.
"These past few days have indeed been tough on you all," Chu Jiubian said gently. "However, the floods have been severe, and the people of Hexi County have been displaced and are living in constant fear. They are only able to survive by waiting for this batch of money and grain from us."
"We will arrive in two more days. Please hang in there. I will remember your contributions and thank you on behalf of the people of Hexi County."
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 terrified. They hurriedly bowed back and said, "I dare not," their waists bowing lower than the last.
These soldiers were used to rough work; they had experienced far more tiring training sessions than this on ordinary days.
And this is their job, so although they feel it's hard work and have some complaints, no one will say anything.
Now that a high-ranking official like Chu Jiubian was speaking to them so gently and saying that he remembered their contributions, the crowd naturally had no complaints.
It's just a two-day hike; I can grit my teeth and get through it.
This is what it means to be in a position of power.
Their so-called "kindness" is enough to make subordinates grateful to tears.
However, unlike them, the twenty-odd civil officials did not look too good.
They were not as strong as the soldiers, and some had never left the capital before. To travel through such harsh winds and rain was almost fatal.
"Achoo!" Chao Shun, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, couldn't help but sneeze.
Chu Jiubian looked at him, and the other party hurriedly bowed, wanting to apologize, but then sneezed twice in a row.
This was quite impolite in front of his superior, and Chao Shun blushed, repeatedly apologizing.
Chu Jiubian then looked at the other civil officials, whose faces were all pale, indicating that they had indeed suffered a lot.
“Lord Chu,” said Zhang Ziliang, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, “I have already ordered some medicine to be prepared to prevent colds. Why don’t you give it to everyone first?”
The Imperial Medical Academy personnel came along this time to prevent the spread of disease, and naturally, they also needed to ensure the health of these officials and soldiers.
Chu Jiubian nodded: "Go."
Immediately, Judge Zhang ordered someone to fetch the medicine, and everyone ate a bowl of it.
Chu Jiubian was unwilling to endure this hardship, but he also didn't want to become independent, so he ate a bowl as well.
"Let's work harder tomorrow, get up earlier, and set off at dawn," he instructed.
After this ordeal, everyone's impression of Chu Jiubian improved considerably, and no one responded at this moment.
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 the door and went in, then hurriedly ran down to Chu Jiubian and said, "My lord, Lord Chao seems to have a high fever."
Chu Jiubian frowned and immediately went upstairs.
Judge Zhang hurriedly followed.
Upon entering the room, Chu Jiubian first felt that the room was unusually damp and cold. His gaze swept across the windowsill and he saw some water stains that had not been wiped clean.
His eyes were slightly cool as he glanced at the bed.
Chao Shun lay on the bed, his face flushed an abnormally, his brows furrowed, and his breathing hot and heavy.
Judge Zhang stepped forward to examine him and frowned, saying, "Lord Chao has a high fever and needs to be brought down quickly."
However, he is currently delirious from the fever and it is difficult for him to travel.
Chu Jiubian couldn't keep everyone waiting here, but Chao Shun was a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue and the person in charge of the Ministry of Revenue sent for this disaster relief effort. If he didn't go, no one would be in charge of overseeing the amount of money and grain.
If any oversight occurred, the Ministry of Revenue, or at least Chao Shun himself, could only be considered to have "mistakenly acted due to illness," and would not have to bear too much responsibility.
The people in the room had different expressions, and they all looked at Chu Jiubian, waiting for his decision.
Chu Jiubian coldly looked at the person on the bed, then turned around and called over the minor official from the Ministry of Revenue, saying, "You stay here to take care of Lord Chao. I'll also leave two soldiers and an imperial physician for you. They'll come up as soon as they're feeling better."
After saying that, he pretended to reach into his sleeve, but actually took out two antipyretics from his spatial storage and handed them to the young official, saying, "Take these pills. Give him one now, and if the fever doesn't go down by tonight, give him another one."
The junior official hurriedly agreed, respectfully accepting the gift, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It's so good that we don't have to follow the fast march.
When Judge Zhang saw the two pills, his eyes lit up.
Previously, His Majesty had a persistent high fever, which was brought down with the help of Grand Tutor Chu, presumably using similar pills.
It's just that we don't know how this thing is made. If it could be made more widely available, then high heat wouldn't be so dangerous.
The Imperial Medical Academy originally planned to come in person for this disaster relief mission, but Zhang, the Imperial Physician, insisted on offering many benefits to secure this not-so-easy task.
He was thinking that if there really was an epidemic in Hexi County, Chu Jiubian might perform a miracle again and produce some divine medicine.
At that time, as the judge of the court, he would certainly be the most likely to come into contact with the prescription.
If he possesses such a prescription, then he would be the most likely candidate to become the new head of the academy after the head of the academy steps down.
Therefore, even though staying to take care of Chao Shun would save him from the suffering of continuing the rapid journey, he was unwilling to stay.
He just wanted to follow Chu Jiubian around at all times, and ideally, serve him well and leave a good impression so that he could get more benefits and get what he wanted.
He didn't want to stay, but many others wanted to take this opportunity to leave the disaster relief team and relax.
One of the imperial physicians, Li, who was guarding the room, was very good at reading people. When he saw that Zhang Yuanpan did not immediately say that he wanted to stay, he knew that the other party had other plans.
Such a good job is best left to whoever grabs it first.
So the imperial physician Li stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, I am willing to stay and take care of Lord Chao."
Judge Zhang looked at Chu Jiubian.
Chu Jiubian nodded in agreement, then summoned two soldiers from the city's defense forces and instructed them to stay and look after Chao Shun and the others before leading the disaster relief team on their way.
It was still dark, and the rain showed no signs of letting up.
Chu Jiubian closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage. The carriage was lined with soft cushions and brocade quilts, but the road was difficult to walk on, so he couldn't even take a nap.
Qin Xiao should have arrived at the destination by now, but I wonder how things are going.
Hopefully, it hasn't reached the point of no return.
==
To reach the two disaster-stricken counties in Hexi Prefecture, one must pass through the prefecture city.
Qin Xiao led Jian Hongzhuo and his group for a day and a night, and when they arrived at the city of Hexi County, it was already the morning of the 16th.
As dawn broke, heavy rain blurred the view.
Because Qin Xiao and his group were not with the disaster relief team, the officials in the county town seemed unaware that they would arrive ahead of schedule and did not greet them outside the county town.
However, to get to Huai County and Pu County, Qin Xiao needed local officials, so he rode his horse and took Jian Hongzhuo and the others to the prefectural governor's mansion before getting off.
A soldier went up and knocked on the door.
Before long, a servant came to open the door, yawning.
Upon seeing the group of people outside, he was startled.
Why are there sergeants here?!
"Where is your Lord Lü?" the soldier knocking on the door asked coldly.
The servant stammered, "You...you are......"
"Lord Ning has come in person," the soldier said in a deep voice. "Quickly summon your Lord Lü."
"Yes! Yes!" The servant was so frightened that he forgot to open his umbrella and ran all the way to the backyard.
Qin Xiao lifted his foot and led everyone directly into the courtyard.
==
The rain subsided slightly around noon on the 16th.
The relief team found a spacious place and set up a temporary shed with tarpaulin, where everyone made do and had a meal.
Chu Jiubian ordered someone to boil water, put some medicine to prevent colds in it, and told everyone to drink it.
After resting for more than an hour, the group set off again.
After a long day of travel, everyone felt unwell, both physically and mentally. However, because Chu Jiubian spoke to them so gently, they all felt they could endure it a little longer.
After traveling for two days, many soldiers began to complain about Chu Jiubian and the other civil officials.
Thinking about it, these officials are lucky; they don't have to be exposed to the wind and rain in their carriages, unlike us rough men who suffer and don't get any real benefits.
Especially Chu Jiubian's carriage, which was large and spacious, with soft cushions and blankets inside. It's possible that while they were struggling to make their way, he was sleeping in the carriage.
In reality, Chu Jiubian couldn't even sit still, let alone sleep.
Moreover, this so-called spacious carriage was actually the same as that of other civil officials; it only appeared spacious because Chu Jiubian was the only one there.
However, inside the carriage at this moment, there was not only Chu Jiubian, but also a bodyguard and a man who had been brought there bound hand and foot.
The man was wearing a dark blue official robe, his mouth was stuffed with cloth, and his eyes were full of terror.
This person was none other than Chao Shun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
With his hands tied behind his back, Chao Shun knelt facing Chu Jiubian, kowtowing repeatedly with tears and snot streaming down his face.
Chu Jiubian looked down at him, his eyes devoid of emotion.
Chao Shun sobbed, as if he had a lot to say, and he looked utterly disheveled.
Chu Jiubian signaled to the guards to remove the cloth from his mouth.
After speaking, Chao Shunneng immediately said in a trembling voice, "My lord, spare my life! I know I was wrong! Please spare my life, my lord, since I did not cause any serious consequences!"
He kowtowed repeatedly, but dared not look Chu Jiubian in the eye.
The pressure from the other party was too strong; he could even feel Chu Jiubian's tangible killing intent.
You'll die!
Chu Jiubian really wanted to kill him!
He has elderly parents and young children to care for; he can't just die like this.
Therefore, disregarding everything else, Chao Shun pleaded desperately, "Please spare my life, sir! Please spare my life! I was truly forced into this situation!"
After a long pause, when his voice had become hoarse, Chu Jiubian finally spoke: "Four hundred thousand taels of silver."
Chao Shun's voice abruptly stopped.
"How much are you planning to embezzle this time?" Chu Jiubian's voice was cold and flat.
This morning, as soon as he entered Chao Shun's room, he felt it was damp and cold. There were still water stains on the windowsill, which meant that the official from the Ministry of Revenue had left the window open all night and deliberately made himself sick.
Having a high fever and being delirious, one naturally cannot keep up with the rescue team immediately.
Once he leaves the group, it may take him a long time to catch up.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had no one else to rely on, and there were too many things in Hexi County that required their supervision and personal arrangement, so there were always oversights and areas where they were powerless to do their best.
Once disaster relief begins, the relief funds will be consumed to varying degrees every day.
The Ministry of Revenue's responsibility was to keep clear and accurate records of these accounts, confirm the whereabouts of every penny, and ensure that the money was used for disaster relief.
However, if someone were to tamper with the accounts, a lot of money would disappear without a trace.
With so many detailed accounts, it was impossible for Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao to verify each one. In the end, it would be impossible to know how much money was used for legitimate purposes and how much flowed into the pockets of certain people.
However, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao are not easily fooled; they are very likely to discover that there are problems with the accounts.
As the person in charge of the Ministry of Revenue in this disaster relief effort, Chao Shun would be the first to be punished if there were any problems with the accounts.
He was scared, so he deliberately made himself have a fever and broke away from the group.
By the time he caught up, the accounts were already in disarray, and all the money he could have embezzled had been taken.
If Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao hold him accountable, he can use his illness and inability to arrive as an excuse to shift the blame onto his subordinates, thus extricating himself from the whole affair.
But in doing so, he would be safe, but the disaster relief funds would not be used properly, and the affected people would suffer more and more people would die.
Chao Shun burst into tears: "I bear the future of the entire Chao family on my shoulders. If I don't do this, then my family will... will..."
The Chao family was a small clan, and they could only find refuge by relying on a powerful family.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached where he is today, and along the way, he has long since become one with that big tree.
I can't live without it, and I dare not disobey it.
He couldn't stop those people from embezzling the disaster relief funds, and he knew that if something went wrong, he would be the biggest shield, the expendable pawn.
Therefore, he had to make himself seriously ill. Only in this way could he possibly 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 court and the intricate power structures behind them.
The official in front of me, a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, did not come from a particularly low social standing. The Chao family behind him was among the middle to upper ranks of powerful and influential families in the capital.
However, they were able to get to where they are today thanks to the Qiu family.
It is clear that the Qiu family is the one trying to embezzle funds from the disaster relief efforts.
Chu Jiubian thought of Qiu Heng, the Minister of Justice. The man always appeared upright and incorruptible, but from the auction incident to the overdue payment for fine salt, and now to his plan to embezzle disaster relief funds.
Everything that Minister Qiu did was anything but honorable.
"I'll give you a chance to make amends," Chu Jiubian said.
Chao Shun was almost moved to tears: "Please give your orders, my lord! I will go through fire and water to accomplish this for you!"
"You don't need to go through fire and water," Chu Jiubian said calmly. "You just need to guarantee that all 400,000 taels will be used for disaster relief. Even if you are short by a single coin, there will be no more Chao family in the capital."
Chao Shun shuddered uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his back.
If the Qiu family wants to be greedy, but he refuses, then the Qiu family will definitely not let him go.
But if he lets the Qiu family embezzle the money, Chu Jiubian will not let him off the hook.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, either way leads to a dead end.
Unless he lets the Qiu family continue to embezzle, he will have to patch up the hole himself.
But just how big is the Qiu family's appetite?
Can the Chao family afford to make up for it?
"You still have a fever, go and rest," Chu Jiu argued.
Despite the words being meant to show concern, Chao Shun felt only fear.
He kowtowed three times before getting out of the carriage.
However, his steps were weak, and after stepping out of the carriage, he stumbled and fell off the carriage, crashing into the muddy ground with a thud.
The soldiers who were closer all saw it and were filled with surprise and doubt.
Wasn't Chao Shun supposed to stay at the post station to recuperate?
When did you catch up?
When did Chu Jiubian get into his carriage?
Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Chao Shun scrambled to his feet and stumbled to the carriage he had been riding in. With the help of the soldiers, he climbed into the carriage and never came out again.
Before long, the two soldiers who had been left at the post station rode back on fast horses, bringing back Physician Li and the minor official from the Ministry of Revenue.
The four of them were soaked to the bone and looked quite disheveled, but none of them dared to complain and quietly joined the group.
When others asked what had happened, they dared not say much, but when they looked at Chu Jiubian's carriage, the awe and fear in their eyes were hard to hide.
The atmosphere in the group was somewhat subtle, with everyone harboring suspicions, but there was less resentment.
They walked like this until dusk, and finally arrived at another official post station.
The group went inside to settle in and rest.
After taking a bath and eating, Chu Jiubian calculated that he would be able to enter the territory of Hexi County by tomorrow evening. At that time, he would not rest and would go straight into the county city.
Just as he was about to rest, the guard suddenly knocked on the window and handed in a letter.
It was a letter from Qin Xiao.
Chu Jiubian immediately got up and picked it up.
He opened the letter and read only the first line before his heart sank completely.
[The governor of Hexi Commandery, Lü Yuan, committed suicide out of fear of punishment half an hour before we arrived at his residence.]
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