"Min Feng just arrived in Jiangnan and stayed in Yingnan Mansion for several days, during which he only inspected the river embankment twice. He and the officials from the Ministry of Industry were indulging in food and drink, accompanied by beautiful women, having a brazenly good time."

The Emperor, when he spoke about this, had a mocking smile playing on his lips.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qing’s heart sank. This must be Gu Chengyu’s doing; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t know about these things.

When Gu Chengyu was ordered by the Emperor to go to Jiangnan, Xia Qing had a bad premonition. Therefore, he summoned his trusted aides overnight to discuss countermeasures.

He also wrote a letter that evening and sent it to Jiangnan. Could it be that Min Feng did not receive his letter? Otherwise, why would he act so recklessly?

Previously, when Min Feng and Hu Maoshen traveled together, their audacious behavior was not problematic.

Hu Maoshen is someone he somewhat understands, even though the person is not directly associated with his faction. However, Hu Maoshen would not dare offend him. So as long as Min Feng doesn’t go overboard, Hu Maoshen would turn a blind eye.

Moreover, Li Taixing, the Magistrate of Yingnan Mansion, showed goodwill towards Xia’s family frequently last year, suggesting perhaps he wanted to abandon his original allegiance and turn to Xia’s side. Still, Xia Qing thought this person too cunning, so he had always ignored him.

Hu Maoshen dared not pursue, and Li Taixing only wishes to curry favor. Min Feng went to Jiangnan to have a legitimate excuse for career advancement.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated one point. He did not expect the disaster in Changtian Prefecture to become so severe, and the Emperor, defying the opinions of the court, sent Gu Chengyu to Jiangnan.

Gu Chengyu had long been on the opposing side with him. Now going to Jiangnan, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to seize evidence against him and Min Feng, would he?

"Emperor! The other day, I mentioned that Min Feng had been in the officialdom for less than three years, previously compiling documents at the Hanlin Academy. How inexperienced he is with such situations! Changtian Prefecture’s flood is a significant matter; sending Min Feng seems beyond his capability. Even for Gu Shaoqing, it’s questionable whether he can handle this heavy responsibility, right?"

Xia Qing, who is he? In an instant, he calmed down. After all, this is hardly a significant issue. Even if the Emperor wishes to punish Min Feng, there are no legitimate grounds.

It’s only been a few days in Jiangnan; it’s still early! Yet, to prevent the Emperor from flying into another rage, he decides to send a trusted aide to warn Min Feng thoroughly once they return to the mansion.

What exactly is He Zhongkuan doing? Previously, he was instructed to keep an eye on Min Feng, providing guidance and making the right interventions. He was supposed to report any inappropriate behaviors by Min Feng immediately via letter.

But now, the Emperor received the report while he was left in the dark; how can someone not be furious?

Thinking about this, Xia Qing became quite dissatisfied with He Zhongkuan and planned to deal with him upon return.

He had relied too heavily on He Zhongkuan these years, noticing He Zhongkuan had gotten somewhat arrogant. Just an adviser, who does he think he is?

"Let’s not talk about incompetence for now, but about Min Feng accepting a hundred taels of gold, are you aware of this?"

The Emperor kept a close eye on Xia Qing, his sharp gaze undiminished in his aged, triangular eyes.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qing was greatly shocked. Accepting a bribe? A hundred taels of gold?

His face turned grim; this fool! Of all times, why stretch his hand now?

"What? A hundred taels of gold? Is this Shidu Min really so greedy? Just arrived in Jiangnan, and he started lining his pockets with silver? He is utterly senseless; this matter must be severely punished!"

"I’ve heard that Assistant Reader Min is of humble origin, so it’s normal for him to be eager for money. Alas, it was wrong; he shouldn’t have been sent then. I opposed it before, see, now..."

"Being humble isn’t an excuse! Is there a shortage of officials from humble origins in our court? Not to mention, Gu Shaoqing too comes from a farming background; yet, how come he didn’t take advantage to line his pockets?"

The grand hall immediately filled with murmurs; the buzzing was widespread. Among them, some people even brought up Gu Chengyu for comparison.

Making comparisons would be one thing, but they were particularly loud about it, their words full of scorn towards Min Feng which greatly angered Xia Qing!

Xia Qing blew his beard and stared angrily, scanning the room. He knew for sure it was these old acquaintances, who frequently jabbed him with comments.

Now that Min Feng is in trouble, they certainly would not miss the chance to ridicule him.

Xia Qing barely restrained the fire in his belly; now was not the time to chase these down.

"Emperor! How would I know about this? Yet, I have some doubts; I humbly ask the Emperor to clarify."

The Emperor nodded slightly, a smile separating from the flesh, making Xia Qing feel uneasy.

"Emperor, may I know where the news came from? Is there any witness and evidence? Otherwise, without substance, anyone could be slandered. Moreover, who is the one who bribed? What are their motives?"

The Emperor snorted coldly, "Only when faced with truth will you acknowledge it."

"The briber was Li Taixing from Yingnan Mansion; evidence and witnesses are all present, though not yet escorted back to the capital. As for the source of the information, you need not know. Besides, the motive is simple; it pertains to the leaking issue of the river embankment in Yingnan Mansion."

...

"Sir, more and more disaster victims are gathering outside the city; I just went around with Ming Yan, and many people have run out of food, even the wild vegetables within a ten-mile radius are gone. The two porridge kitchens in the city were closed today."

Ming Mo hastily entered the study, reporting with a serious expression.

Gu Chengyu got up from the armchair, pondered for a moment, then asked, "Has the rice price in town gone up again?"

Ming Mo nodded, "Two days ago, coarse rice was thirty wén per catty; today, it has risen to forty wén, yet the people are still flocking to buy. As soon as the rice shops open, people pour in, emptying the shops quickly."

Jiangnan is affluent, with fertile land. The climate is warm, suitable for growing rice, and the grain yield is far better than in the Northern regions.

Thus, every year, grain from Jiangnan is transported via the Tianya River to various distant prefectures, as Tianya River is one of the most important waterways of the Dayan Dynasty.

Normally, after paying taxes, what’s left should suffice for personal consumption.

Of course, those impoverished families, owning merely two acres of land, are excluded.

Last year at this time, coarse rice was eight wén per catty, now it’s soared to forty wén per catty. The grain in other prefectures has also increased in price, though not as drastically as in Hangtian Prefecture!

"Are those the two rice shops that opened their doors?" Gu Chengyu stroked his chin, formulating a plan.

"Yes, only those two opened to sell rice. Other shops not only withheld sales but during investigation, I found they are hoarding massive amounts of grain. The Xia family’s rice shops were the most active; they even went to the countryside to incite the locals to sell grain."