Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Rong Tang said, "My spouse and I originally planned to escape the summer heat in Suzhou city, but my family owns several estates nearby. Before coming here, my mother reminded me to check on them. So, these past few days, I've been touring the area with Huaijing, hearing from the estate managers about the impending flood season."

He smiled casually, took a sip of tea to give Jiang Shanxing time to react, then continued, "I don’t really understand these matters. I heard the autumn harvest has not been gathered yet, which might be impacted. Our family’s assets in Jiangnan are modest, just a few thousand acres of farmland and some shops. I can’t help but worry after hearing about the flood risk. Since you are here, Prefect Jiang, I wanted to ask if the flood season really is imminent and how this year’s rainfall will affect the harvest?"

It was the first time Rong Tang called Su Huaijing 'my lord' in front of others, but Su Huaijing, unusually, didn’t indulge in savoring the moment. He just sat aside, idly playing with the waist token of the Prince Ning Xuan's heir, casting his gaze nonchalantly onto Jiang Shanxing’s face.

Many things for him were optional, not mandatory.

In the event of an inevitable natural disaster, the political achievements he planned to gift Cheng Chengming were just mere numbers.

The reduction of losses, the saving of several villages, relief provided to numerous disaster victims, quelling of several rebellions…

Since the founding of Dayu, as recorded in the chronicles, droughts, floods, snow disasters, locust plagues… Disasters, big and small, have occurred every few years, nothing unusual.

When such disasters struck, local officials were held accountable afterward, while those who made special contributions, including princes, were promoted and rapidly rose in rank.

This was the political achievement Su Huaijing originally intended to give Cheng Chengming.

He analyzed situations from a standpoint of absolute rationality and self-interest, planning the most suitable course of action.

But all his plans were discarded the moment Rong Tang, with his shining eyes on a rainy morning, said, "Let's go to Jiangnan."

He should have known, his own little Buddha was such a smart and kind-hearted person. The disasters he could see, Rong Tang wasn’t entirely blind to.

And having seen them, regardless of how weak his ability was, he always wanted to try and save someone.

Just like that early spring night, when the young lord, on the verge of coughing himself unconscious, rescued him from Fengyue Tower.

Thus, along the way, Su Huaijing had Xingfeng gather grain and stockpile medicine. He couldn’t change fate, but at least he could reduce the number of people starving and try to prevent the epidemics that inevitably followed the floods.

Su Huaijing originally thought that this world was of no importance to him.

The life or death of its people meant nothing to him.

He sought revenge, to kill Emperor Renshou, to expose his hypocritical facade, to vindicate his parents and siblings.

From his perspective, everyone in this world was an accomplice.

But from Rong Tang’s perspective, the world's common people, fishermen on the lake, farmers in the fields, scholars in the villages... countless ordinary people working from dawn till dusk, were all innocent. They shouldn’t be treated as disposable pawns in political struggles.

So, Su Huaijing tried to understand from Rong Tang's viewpoint.

Once he changed his perspective, Su Huaijing wanted to know if the destination and residence Rong Tang had chosen were truly worth traveling thousands of miles from the capital.

These millions of people were still irrelevant to him; it was just that if Rong Tang wished to save them, Su Huaijing would certainly do it for his sake.

His gaze lowered, he idly caressed the waist token, the fragrance of tea spreading through the hall. Jiang Shanxing, seated in a lower chair, went from respectful to somber.

Like Li Changfu, he was a fourth-rank official, over fifty years old, having served in most of the country. And yet, now he was earnestly bowing to two men not yet twenty.

"Your Highness is wise and discerning. This year's flood season… I fear it will be disastrous!" Jiang Shanxing spoke gravely, his expression filled with sorrow, his back bent as if aged a decade in a moment.

Rong Tang's eyes narrowed, and he remained silent for a long while.

Jiang Shanxing, fifty-three years old, from Longxi, graduated as an imperial scholar in Yuanxing's third year. He started as a county magistrate in Minnan, and after several promotions and transfers, became the Prefect of Suzhou.

In the summer of Qingzheng's ninth year, with abundant rainfall in Jiangnan, Jiang Shanxing sensed something amiss. He frequently inspected the river mouths and levees, wrote to the governor reporting the rising water levels and dropping temperatures, fearing a flood. He requested the governor to investigate, organize villagers to repair the levees, and prevent disaster.

The governor of Jiangnan, Lu Junxian, received his letters but ignored them. Despite ten urgent letters sent, Lu Junxian didn't reply to any.

Left with no choice, Jiang Shanxing wrote to send a letter to the capital by express courier for the cabinet ministers, but it was intercepted by Lu just outside Suzhou. Lu furiously accused him of fear-mongering, overstepping his authority, and deserving punishment.

Jiang Shanxing was trapped in Suzhou, his superiors not believing his predictions about the rainfall. Unable to send out his reports, he was stuck in a dilemma. As the official responsible for the people's welfare, he could only inspect the levees barefooted every day, using his own money to quietly gather villagers to reinforce the embankments, avoiding panic.

But what he could do was like a drop in the bucket, at best saving some local people. Once the floodwaters gathered, releasing them would still cause disasters.

If the court didn’t send water management experts and troops southward, after the disaster passed, there would inevitably be rebels, leading to an even greater crisis.

This was a vicious cycle; any sensible official wouldn't allow such a massive disaster to occur on their watch. But Lu Junxian, softened by the spring waters of Jiangnan and muddled by sweet wine, with eyes like those of a fish, could only see the dishes on his table, the gold in his chest, and the slender waists in his bed, oblivious to the hungry infants and the elderly struggling to survive.

Rong Tang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "May I ask, Prefect Jiang, why have you been visiting repeatedly these past days?"

For three consecutive days - the first was an accidental miss, the second for grain collection, and today, had Jiang Shanxing been any later, or had they left earlier, they would have missed each other again.

Jiang Shanxing said, "I take the liberty to request the young lord to write to Prince Ning Xuan, informing him of the hidden dangers in Jiangnan, and to ask His Majesty to dispatch officials and troops southward as quickly as possible, to prevent endless disaster from the delay."

Rong Tang pressed his lips together, not immediately agreeing.

Sitting in the chair, he looked up at the elder bowing to him without making a sound.

Su Huaijing stood up, replaced his tea with a fresh hot cup, and then stood beside Rong Tang, smiling and looking down as he asked, "Prefect Jiang is concerned for the people, and we are deeply moved, but—"

He paused, his eyes containing a hint of frost, "What if your judgment is wrong?"

Jiang Shanxing stood up and quickly said, "After predicting the flood, I visited several nearby villages along the river. The farmers all told me the water levels this year are unusual and could lead to difficulties."

Su Huaijing's eyes brightened at this, showing a hint of admiration.

Some local officials rely on old scholars, seeking advice at the slightest trouble. But questions like this year's harvest, the abundance of rainfall, the increase or decrease of pests… these are best asked of the farmers who have been close to the land for generations.

They might not understand grand theories, but their life experience is certainly more extensive than that of those scholars.

Still, Su Huaijing did not commit but said, "Even if you all say so, natural disasters are unpredictable. If the young lord rashly writes to the capital, and Prince Ning Xuan reports to His Majesty, who will bear the crime of deceiving the emperor if the flood does not occur?"

Jiang Shanxing responded, "I will bear the responsibility myself."

Su Huaijing nodded, seemingly in agreement. Jiang Shanxing's eyes brightened, ready to speak, but Su Huaijing shifted the topic, asking, "But this letter will bear the seal of Prince Ning Xuan's mansion, and the writer is the Prince's heir. You, merely a fourth-rank prefect, how can you assume a crime that rightfully belongs to Prince Ning Xuan's household?"

"In other words, why should the responsibility that you and the Jiangnan governor should bear fall upon my husband?" Su Huaijing's voice was light, his lips curved in a smile, clearly adopting an attitude of a bystander. Meanwhile, Rong Tang, sitting beside him, hadn't spoken a word from the start.

Jiang Shanxing's face turned pale, his lips tightly pressed, his figure seeming to stoop even more.

He wanted to plead further, but Su Huaijing smiled, raised his hand, and gestured for him to leave, "Prefect Jiang, please return. Don't waste your time here."

The dismissal was too direct, leaving Jiang Shanxing no choice but to leave, quickly escorted out of the mansion by a servant.

Standing at the mansion gate, he looked at the newly renovated residence for a moment, sighed deeply, then turned to get back in his carriage, heading towards the river mouth.

In the hall, after the guest's departure, not a sip of tea was touched.

Su Huaijing walked over and looked down, "What a pity, it was specially bought tea."

Rong Tang looked up at him, asking, "Why didn’t you agree?"

Su Huaijing turned around, tilted his head, and opened his eyes wide in surprise, "It's clear that Tang Tang didn’t want to agree. Why are you asking me?"

Rong Tang remained silent, maintaining eye contact with him.

After a moment, Su Huaijing laughed.

He sighed softly, walked over to Rong Tang, urged him to drink some hot tea, then said, "Prefect Jiang is a good official, right?"

Rong Tang neither nodded nor shook his head. He couldn’t judge a person's character based on a single incident. A corrupt official with immense wealth could also toil for the welfare of the people, and an upright official could make unjust, false, and wrongful judgments leading to innocent deaths.

The official world is all murky waters, and trying to see through a single official’s true nature in such an environment is indeed foolish.

But Jiang Shanxing was indeed a good official, one who died in the line of duty.

After the disaster struck, although he couldn’t stop the floods caused by heavy rain, he did everything in his power to minimize the losses. Among the affected counties in Jiangnan, Suzhou suffered the least.

However, a major epidemic invariably follows a major disaster, an unchanging rule through the ages.

Despite his continuous hard work, Jiang Shanxing repeatedly visited the epidemic control areas to monitor the situation. Eventually, he fell ill, but with limited medical resources, he managed to survive the illness through sheer willpower.

Soon after, a group of displaced people gathered outside Suzhou City, planning an uprising. Jiang Shanxing personally went to pacify them but was stoned to death by the agitated victims who mistook him for a corrupt official.

He survived natural disasters and epidemics. As a local official unwilling to suppress the victims with force, he ended up being killed by the misinformed public.

Even the King of Hell would declare him wronged.

Su Huaijing leaned forward, looking straight into Rong Tang's eyes, earnestly asking, "Tang Tang is so smart. Guess, how much longer will this rain continue?"

Rong Tang silently recollected: "In the summer of Qingzheng's ninth year, on June 13th, heavy rain fell, continuing for seven days, breaking multiple riverbanks."

Su Huaijing said, "Today is the sixth day of June. I guess we have at most seven days before the rain starts."

Rong Tang was shocked, his eyes widened in disbelief, but he quickly relaxed.

Su Huaijing noticed his momentary reaction but thought he was nervous. He took his hand, "Seven days. We could rush back to the capital, but even without considering the rain and mud on the way, or whether the Prince will report to the court or if the Emperor will send officials and troops to Jiangnan, by the time they arrive, the flood would have already caused havoc."

Rong Tang pressed his lips together, silent, afraid that if he spoke, he would reveal his other plans to Su Huaijing.

Su Huaijing noticed his expression, smiled lightly, and said slowly, "Tang Tang is thinking of having Prefect Jiang host a banquet, invite the Jiangnan governor Lu Junxian, and then you attend, using your identity as the Prince's heir to pressure him into ordering immediate evacuation of people along the river and reinforcing the embankments. After the flood passes, they can return home?"

"...Not just that." Rong Tang finally spoke, looking at Su Huaijing, keeping the second half of his thoughts to himself.

— "I have leverage over him, a hold that will compel him to follow my orders."

Su Huaijing paused for a moment, then quickly understood, his eyes slightly brightening. He nodded with a smile, "I was negligent, thinking that just the identity of a prince's heir could sway the Jiangnan governor. Tang Tang, you wouldn't have come all this way without holding other cards in your hand."

He almost thought his little Buddha was simply overflowing with kindness, overlooking that with Rong Tang's nature and intelligence, he wouldn't have come to Jiangnan without some assurance, or it would just be witnessing the disaster and feeling unnecessary sorrow.

Su Huaijing's lips curled in a soft smile, his gaze fixed intently on Rong Tang, his voice clear yet serious, "But I don’t allow it."

He said, "I don’t allow you to put yourself in danger."

"Tang Tang, gambling with people's hearts is the most dangerous game. Any slight excess in your leverage could provoke a lethal response from the other party. I don't allow you to do this."

Su Huaijing still smiled, gently like the pure white lotus flower sitting next to a basket of lotus pods under the willow tree in the street the other day, with its tender yellow stamen, delicate and harmless.

Rong Tang swallowed involuntarily, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Su Huaijing's gaze followed there, speaking slowly and softly, "What Prefect Jiang needs is not just a secret letter sent to the capital; he needs someone who can truly make Lu Junxian obey."

The young lord's neck was slender and pale, with a delicate Adam's apple. Following the line of his neck upwards, there was a thin and sharp chin, lips pale and seemingly emotionless.

Su Huaijing's gaze lingered there and he smiled, "Tang Tang, guess what gift I have prepared for you?"

Author's note:

Su Su: Want to kiss my wife Cheng Lao Er: Hey! Dad, little dad, your resentful son is here! (Enters biting a flower) (Runs away scared by a look from Su Su) (Hastily goes to work) - After checking previous chapters, I corrected a bug. The number of people affected by the flood has been changed to several million.