Chapter 152: Shocking! The Young Man Strips in Public! (1 / 2)
Liang Rui: “…”
So this man thinks he did something?
For a moment, Liang Rui felt both amused and helpless. Nonetheless, he quietly accepted the blame that Xu Yanmiao seemed all too eager to hand over.
The Prefect of Xinghua, however, clearly had no immediate plans to target Liang Rui. Ignoring Princess Wanshou’s subtle retreat, he curved his lips into a smile.
“Your Highness, regarding the disaster situations in Xinghua Prefecture, Tingzhou Prefecture, and Gutian County of Fuzhou Prefecture, I’ve completed the records. Should I deliver them to the yamen or to your temporary residence?”
“Send them to the yamen. I’ll review them there after inspecting the affected areas.”
The prefect gave a slight bow and, as though he had only come to report this matter, left immediately after speaking.
Princess Wanshou was momentarily stunned, a pang of guilt rising in her chest.
“Actually, he is a good official.”
It’s just that his methods for promotion were a bit extreme, but at least he didn’t harm anyone. Her earlier instinctive retreat—had it been too hurtful?“When I first arrived in Fujian, the provincial governor was flippant and unreliable. This prefect was the first to step forward and sternly reprimand him. Later, I learned that the Tingzhou Prefecture’s magistrate was previously a reckless man who did nothing during a severe drought. He neither opened the granaries to distribute grain nor comforted the victims. He even suggested banning frog hunting, claiming such an act would move the heavens to bring rain.”
As Princess Wanshou recounted this, she suddenly thought of how Xu Yanmiao had earlier exposed the Xinghua prefect’s lies. A flicker of nervousness crossed her face.
Could this story… also be fabricated by the prefect?
She waited in silence for a while, listening for Xu Yanmiao’s inner voice. Only when she noticed the young man’s expression turning confused did she finally relax.
—It seemed this story was true.
Princess Wanshou continued, “It was the Prefect of Xinghua who decisively took action, gathered thirty to fifty strong men, and detained the Tingzhou magistrate, taking over the prefecture to aid the disaster victims.”
Liang Rui nodded slightly. “Indeed…” He paused, glancing at Xu Yanmiao. After confirming there was no rebuttal from his inner voice, he added, “…indeed a commendable official.”
Detaining a magistrate without authorization was a risky move—no one could predict whether the Emperor would punish such an action. For someone to take such a gamble for the sake of the people was truly rare.
Xu Yanmiao also remarked, “This man, though he… well, in any case, he is genuinely working for the people.”
The other two were well aware of what likely followed that “though” and silently agreed to avoid revisiting that painful topic.
“The disaster relief is now in its final stages.”
Princess Wanshou spoke clearly: “The affected farmlands in various regions have been surveyed and recorded into registers, and relief funds have already been applied for with the Ministry of Revenue, though they have not yet been delivered.”
“The draft registers of the disaster-affected households are also complete, detailing the names of disaster victims, whether they own cattle, livestock, granaries, or have any means of livelihood, as well as their level of poverty—whether they are extremely poor or relatively poor. The number of men, women, and children in each household, along with the head of the household, is recorded. Tomorrow, these registers will be used for distribution of relief. For those with abandoned houses, their names and household details have been recorded. Should they return, relief will be issued upon verification.”
“Even before the official relief funds arrive or the draft registers are fully organized, the immediate relief—one month’s worth of rations—has already been distributed to the households by local officials before we arrived.”
After a pause, Princess Wanshou added, “Each household receives five cups of rice per day; children and the weak receive half that amount.”
Liang Rui’s expression remained neutral, but his tone softened significantly. “Your Highness has worked tirelessly over these past days.”
Although the disaster relief process is outlined by the court, for a first-timer, it is rare to articulate such intricate details without being personally involved.@@novelbin@@
He remarked, “Fortunately, Fujian has had abundant harvests in recent years, and the local granaries are well-stocked. Otherwise, the relief would have had to be in the form of silver instead.”
For disaster victims, receiving food is far more practical than receiving money. After all, during times of disaster, buying rice relies entirely on the conscience of merchants and the court. The merchants’ conscience determines whether they exploit the disaster to inflate prices, while the court’s conscience determines whether it intervenes to stabilize grain prices.
Liang Rui then carefully inquired about the issue of refugees. As they discussed, they suddenly heard a voice calling from a distance, “Your Highness!”
Turning their heads, they saw it was Lian Hang, clerk from the Ministry of War.
Lian Hang ran all the way over and, barely catching his breath, raised his voice. “Your Highness! The court’s relief funds have arrived!”
Princess Wanshou blinked. “Finally!”
Though it seemed like the relief had arrived shortly after Xu Yanmiao and the others, the application for these funds had been sent to the capital over a month ago—before the “brilliant minds” of Fujian had even suggested issuing treasure notes. The month-long delay was entirely due to the transport time.
As the lead figure in this mission, Princess Wanshou nodded slightly at Liang Rui, who offered a respectful bow. “Your Highness, please give your orders.”
Princess Wanshou’s dark, grape-like eyes sparkled with excitement. “I…” She steadied herself and spoke seriously. “As per the usual procedure, after the registers are finalized, we will issue relief tickets to each disaster victim. These tickets will be required to claim the funds. We will continue with this practice.”
“Fujian has eight prefectures. I am responsible for Fuzhou Prefecture, Xu Yanmiao for Tingzhou Prefecture, the Minister of Revenue for Quanzhou Prefecture, Master Liang for Zhangzhou Prefecture, and Clerk Lian for Yanping Prefecture. The remaining prefectures—Xinghua, Shaowu, and Jianning—will be handled by their respective local officials.”
Princess Wanshou was well aware that Xu Yanmiao had been discreetly selected to claim credit, but there were levels to how one earned merit. The lowest was idly waiting for glory while doing nothing, while the highest…
“Xu Lang,” Princess Wanshou asked him, “The position of Tingzhou Prefect is currently vacant, leaving the heaviest burden and the most tedious tasks. Can you handle it?”
—The highest level, of course, was when the organization entrusted you with the most critical responsibilities.
Before everyone, Xu Yanmiao answered calmly, “I can!”
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