Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Meng Shuping grew even more suspicious. "Didn't he say he rushed over in a hurry? Then how did he have time to groom himself so meticulously? At least make the lie sound believable! Does he think we're blind?"

"But if I'm not mistaken, did he just look down on Guan Siming? Does that mean he already knows about Guan Siming's reputation? Wow, bad news travels fast!"

Guan Siming was furious. Could this Prefectural Governor Wu have been secretly gathering information about him? Just a local official dared to look down on him?

He snorted. "Prefectural Governor Wu, do you think we're fools? There isn’t even a speck of dust on your boots. Claiming you rushed here in a hurry is pretty hard to believe, isn’t it?"

Meng Shuping chuckled twice. "He really does think they’re fools. Otherwise, why would he put so little effort into lying to them?"

The other young masters, already discontented from being sent all the way here and suffering poor accommodations, also started finding fault. "That’s right, Prefectural Governor Wu, do you think we’re easy to fool because we’re young?"

"Let me tell you, even though I might not be the most capable, I’m a good judge of character. Just one look at you, and I can tell you’re not a responsible official! Look at your outfit—is that suitable for work?"

"Tell us, have you been neglecting the disaster victims?"

Meng Shuping was astonished. "A power move! This is definitely a power move, isn’t it? Can you believe it? Even here, these guys still dare to act so arrogantly! Look, they're not even respecting the Prefect of a whole prefecture!"

Seeing these young masters, who held no official positions, daring to overpower him, the Yunzhou Prefect’s expression turned sour. He cautiously looked at Guan Siming. "Might I ask what official position this young master holds?"

Guan Siming slouched bonelessly in his chair. "None."

The Yunzhou Prefect’s face fell. "Then what right does this young master have to question me?"

Meng Shuping said gleefully. "He may hold no official position, but his mother is the Eldest Princess. I bet the Yunzhou Prefect can't afford to mess with him. Even if he’s the local power here, Guan Siming has strong backing! If he files a complaint to the Emperor, do you think the Emperor would let it slide?"

The Yunzhou Prefect froze, his face stiffening. This person was the Eldest Princess’s son? But when had he offended him? Why was this young man targeting him?

Guan Siming said with a smug smirk. "I am here on the orders of my uncle, the Emperor. Why would I not have the right to question you?"

Although the Yunzhou Prefect’s idea of "acting on the Emperor’s orders" might differ from Guan Siming’s, having been sent all the way here, did they expect him to endure disrespect from local officials?

The Yunzhou Prefect quickly changed his attitude, forcing a weak laugh. "So you are the Eldest Princess’s son. My apologies for the disrespect."

Guan Siming smiled smugly. "Now that you know, remember this: don’t even think of deceiving me. If you do, I won’t go easy on you."

Knowing he couldn’t afford to offend the young man, the Yunzhou Prefect could only swallow his anger. "Yes, yes, of course."

Jiang Cihe, after watching the exchange, cleared his throat. "Prefectural Governor Wu."

The Yunzhou Prefect hurriedly responded, "Yes, Your Highness? What are your orders?"

Jiang Cihe said, "On our way here, I saw large numbers of disaster victims driven outside the city walls, some even fleeing to the mountains. If left unmanaged, they might turn to banditry. Some are already attempting to rob passing merchants. Can you explain why you’ve handled things this way?"

The Yunzhou Prefect appeared to be acting nervous. "Your Highness, you may not be familiar with such situations, but these disaster victims are hard to control. If we let them into the city, I fear it would disrupt public order. What if riots or robberies occur? The city’s residents would surely complain. But rest assured, Your Highness, I have properly taken care of those outside the city."

Meng Shuping couldn’t help but say mockingly. "He talks as if he knows everything. If he really understood, how could things have gotten this bad? They’re about to become bandits in the mountains, and he calls that ‘properly taken care of’? How dare he still try to deceive us at this point? Does he think we’re as foolish as the others? But then again, those spoiled young masters clearly know nothing—who else would he try to fool?"

Shi Yue, infuriated by the Yunzhou Prefect and Meng Shuping’s remarks, slammed his hand on the table. "What do you mean, ‘you may not be familiar with such situations’? Do you think you’re the only one who knows anything? If you’re so knowledgeable, why are there so many bandits? Do you know I was almost robbed by them? Wu, if I had been harmed, could you bear the responsibility?"

His father was the Minister of Works. Even if he was useless, having grown up in such an environment, he couldn’t possibly be completely ignorant. Besides, if the Yunzhou Prefect had properly managed the disaster victims, would he have nearly been robbed and frightened?

The Yunzhou Prefect felt completely confused. Who is this guy? He cautiously asked, "Are you also a relative of the Emperor?"

He couldn’t possibly be another son of the Eldest Princess, could he?

Shi Yue lifted his chin. "No, so what?"

The Yunzhou Prefect immediately, his respectful act disappeared. "Then, young master, please refrain from interrupting. We are discussing serious matters."

Shi Yue said with a cold snort. "I am discussing serious matters too. What, if I’m not a relative of the Emperor, I can’t question you? Let me tell you, I’m also here on the Emperor’s orders!"

Having said that, he felt quite pleased. Although he hadn’t come willingly, he had to admit, throwing his weight around in front of the Yunzhou Prefect felt rather satisfying!

Meng Shuping gloated. "Ha! He plays favorites based on status. Does he even know who this is? This is the son of the current Minister of Works! Does he think he can afford to offend him too? Tch, tch. First, he offends the Eldest Princess’s son, then the Minister of Works’s son. Does he even want to keep his official position?"

The Yunzhou Prefect was speechless. What was the Emperor thinking? Sending one of his sons to handle disaster relief was one thing, but why send these clearly spoiled young masters? Wasn't he afraid they’d mess things up?

No matter how dissatisfied he was, he didn’t dare say it aloud. He couldn’t afford to offend either the Eldest Princess or the Minister of Works! Surely the others weren’t also beyond his reach?

Just as he thought this, he heard Meng Shuping’s voice again. "I’d love to see him offend every single person here. After all, every one of these young masters has powerful backgrounds. Maybe then he’ll behave properly?"

The Yunzhou Prefect’s expression twisted. Were these young masters really all so well-connected? He had a bad feeling. Dealing with proper imperial envoys was one thing, but he knew all too well how troublesome these unreasonable, spoiled brats could be.

After a long pause, he said reluctantly. "Young master, you wrong me. Even with proper settlement, some disaster victims are naturally rebellious and will still turn to banditry. Right now, the government is busy with relief efforts and lacks the manpower. Once the refugees are stabilized, we can send troops to clear out the bandits."

Meng Shuping was at a loss for words. "I don't buy that. What do you mean, ‘naturally rebellious’? If people can live decently, who would cause trouble? I think Prefectural Governor Wu is neglecting his duties, maybe even embezzling, forcing people into desperation."

Shi Yue didn’t care whether the disaster victims were naturally rebellious. He said, displeased, "These are just excuses! I think this is entirely your failure to handle the situation properly. How dare you shift the blame onto others!"

The Yunzhou Prefect never expected that at his age, he’d be lectured by a bunch of youngsters. He was fuming, but no matter how furious he was, he could only suppress it. "Yes, yes, it’s my fault. I will do my best to make amends."

Seeing the Yunzhou Prefect bow his head, Shi Yue finally relented. "You’d better!"

Seeing that the Yunzhou Prefect had been properly put in his place by Guan Siming and Shi Yue, Jiang Cihe finally said, "Now, report to me on the current situation of the disaster victims."

Afraid that Guan Siming and the others would find fault again, the Yunzhou Prefect didn’t dare try any tricks this time. He briefly reported the flood-affected areas, the number of disaster victims, grain prices, and other details to Jiang Cihe. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance to deal with the imperial envoys; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known some of this information.

After hearing the Yunzhou Prefect’s report, Meng Shuping was suspicious. "He says they’ve run out of grain right after we arrive? What a coincidence! Could he be embezzling?"

Earlier, they had heard from disaster victims that their rations had been even worse a few days ago. It was only when news of the envoys’ arrival spread that conditions improved. If there was no foul play, how could that be?

The Yunzhou Prefect was furious but didn't show it. Without evidence, such accusations were baseless! But he now realized that these words hadn’t been spoken aloud. Even if he wanted to refute them, he had no way to do so. He could only hope Jiang Cihe and the spoiled young masters wouldn’t dwell on this.

Jiang Cihe frowned. It seemed there were many problems to solve. First, grain prices in the city had skyrocketed, meaning the silver they brought wouldn’t be enough to buy sufficient grain for relief. Second, epidemics often followed floods. Although the Yunzhou Prefect hadn’t mentioned it, he might be hiding the truth.

Third, the Yunzhou Prefect and possibly other local officials might be corrupt. If they were tasked with handling the situation, they might sabotage the efforts.

He asked the Yunzhou Prefect, "Do the wealthy families in the city have grain reserves?"

Although he rarely dealt with such matters, he found the price increase unreasonably high. Even with the flood, prices shouldn’t have risen so drastically. Someone must be hoarding grain and driving up prices.

The Yunzhou Prefect hesitated. "They might have some? But they are law-abiding citizens. We can’t just forcibly requisition their grain, can we?"

Meng Shuping raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Law-abiding citizens? Why does that sound so strange coming from him? His own conduct as an official is questionable. What kind of ‘law-abiding citizens’ would he be referring to? I suspect collusion between officials and merchants!"