“There is no need for Governor Zhang to be polite. The situation in Xiangzhou is serious, so there is no need to fuss over formalities.” Qing Yun lifted the curtain to take a look. The father and daughter at the city entrance were brightly dressed, and their faces were rosy even under this harsh environment. It seemed that they did not live in the same world as the victims outside the city.

His eyes turned on the woman with her head down, and Qing Yun indifferently moved his eyes away. It seems that this father and daughter do not know that the one who came from the Capital is not just any imperial envoy but the Grand Prince himself. Otherwise, this Zhang Lin would not have treated him like any other imperial envoy. He would have presented his daughter, who is engaged to General Zhenbei.

Great Yan is not too heavy on the defense between men and women. Still, it is not approved by the public for unmarried women to expose themselves. For the sake of glory and wealth, this Zhang Lin does not even care about his daughter’s reputation.

Zhang Lin and his daughter Zhang Luoyan glanced at each other and were a bit strange. Usually, all the envoys were aware of the marriage between Zhang Luoyan and Qi Yue. They often greeted Zhang Luoyan with a few words, but now it was just a cold sentence of dismissal.

There was a bad feeling in his heart, but Zhang Lin glanced at the carriage and the five or six guards behind it. Then, put his mind at ease and said, according to his usual method of dealing with these envoys: “Sir has been traveling for a long time, why don’t you settle down first? This official has set up a banquet in the house, please come.”

“Oh? That’s very good.” Qing Yun gently lowered the curtain, and he didn’t have time to follow the Governor’s play. The situation in Xiangzhou is serious and can no longer be delayed. Tonight, he will make the Xiangzhou governor spit out the disaster relief money he swallowed intact!

The group advanced to the Governor’s residence, and the young guard at the end spat at Qing Yun’s carriage. This group of imperial wimps looked like they were going to eat Zhang Lin’s flesh at first glance. Still, after a meal at the Governor’s residence, they were like defeated soldiers, ignoring the matter of Xiangzhou, and some even directly fled!

After the departure of these officials, Zhang Lin, the Governor of the people, began to collect the people’s money even more. Therefore, in the eyes of the young guard, these officials from the court and Governor Zhang Lin are the same!

If only……if only the Third Prince could come, it would be nice, the young guard silently thought. Although this Zhang Lin returned to his old ways after the Third Prince left, he stops for a few moments, at least when the third prince is in. Just these few moments will be able to make the people of the whole of Xiangzhou grateful.

Not only did the young guard think so, but when they entered the city, the victims hunched over on the roadside at the city walls all looked over with hopeful eyes when they saw the officials from the Capital. Some bold people even asked the guards quietly, “Are they from the Capital? Is it someone sent by the Third Prince?”

“No……” the guard can only shake his head with a bitter face, “I heard that now the Grand Prince is in power, the one who came is the imperial envoy sent by the Grand Prince ……”

These words let the victims who came to inquire suddenly seemed to have exhausted bodies and sat disheveled in the corner. Such serious flooding, the farmland was destroyed by fire, the river banks were covered with floating corpses, and then there were imperial envoys who came to upset the Governor……

No one welcomed Qing Yun’s coming because they were afraid of Zhang Lin’s tactics. The officials came one by one, but none of them brought the result they wanted. Instead, they made Zhang Lin’s exploitation more intensified.

The officials from the Capital are not good news for the people of Xiangzhou, but rather a huge piece of bad news. Seeing the carriage from the Capital advancing towards the Governor’s residence, the people of Xiangzhou, who were standing on the street watching, even had resentment in their hearts towards the Grand Prince who had sent this imperial envoy. If the Grand Prince had ascended to the throne, they had no idea what their days would become……

When Qing Yun arrived at the Governor’s mansion and saw the furnishings, he knew what kind of life Zhang Lin lived in Xiangzhou. The Governor’s mansion was a place for Zhang Lin to entertain guests. It was probably even more “humble” than his private residence.

Zhang Luoyan secretly looked at her father, and her slightly shrewd eyes showed a burst of suspicion. She knew that the Grand Prince is in power, and it was not clear whether the official he sent were as good as the previous ones.

Zhang Lin gave his daughter a reassuring look and gave her a wink.

Zhang Luoyan got a sign from her father and immediately stumbled a little. The golden butterfly on her head immediately twitched and made a strange and pleasant sound, attracting the attention of everyone in the residence.

“Look at you, why did you bring out the jewelry from the bride price given by General Qi? What should we do if we drop it?” Zhang Lin reprimanded in feigned anger.

When Zhang Luoyan heard her father’s words, instead of being frightened, she stomped her feet delicately and pouted with her red face, “The General gave it to me, why can’t I wear it?”

With Zhang Luoyan’s movement, there was another fluttering movement, and the two wings of the butterfly were flapping vividly. It is unknown if this is deliberate or not, but the fluttering butterfly was simply unobstructed in front of Qing Yun’s face when she turned around.

Qing Yun swept a glance at the golden butterfly and sneered in his heart. Regardless of whether they personally went out to greet him or invite him to the banquet, this father and daughter were just using Qi Yue to pressure him.

“Oh? This is indeed a perfect match for Miss Zhang. Since it is a gift from her fiancé, it is appropriate to wear it at any time.” Qing Yun finished his sentence with a cold tone and then looked at Zhang Lin, the Governor, with a sharp gaze, “I would like to talk to the Governor about disaster relief. I wonder if the Governor has time?”

The guards who followed Qing Yun from the Capital heard His Highness’s different tone from the previous days and could not help but glance at Qing Yun in surprise. Afterward, they explained to themselves that the scenery of Xiangzhou must have made His Highness extremely annoyed. Otherwise, why did he show such coldness in his words?

Zhang Lin heard Qing Yun praises the hairpiece on Zhang Luoyan like the other officials and immediately smiled and stroked his beard. Qing Yun’s obviously cold tone of voice was ignored.

Which of the imperial envoys from the Capital did not have opinions about him, only to flee with their tails tucked between their legs as soon as they were threatened by Qi Yue’s name?

“Sir, there is no hurry. Let’s have dinner first before we talk about business matters!” Zhang Lin guided Qing Yun toward the lobby.

Hearing Zhang Lin’s words, the coldness in Qing Yun’s heart could barely be concealed and spilled out. There were people dying of hunger in Xiangzhou every moment, but this Governor Zhang Lin still wanted to talk about the business after dinner?

He would be interested to see what the dinner is like at the Governor’s residence!

The dinner began, and exquisite dishes were served on the table. Qing Yun looked at the big fish and meat on the table and had no appetite at all. Throughout Xiangzhou, the people were mourning and starving, but the Governor ate well, and his daughter also had the heart to worry about the decoration on her nails.

Even the guards following behind Qing Yun were angry at the sight of this whole dinner table. This entire Governor’s residence, is it not made of flesh and blood of the people of Xiangzhou?

Qing Yun had no appetite as he looked at the table full of fish and meat. Still, this Xiangzhou governor did not think it was enough, rambling to Qing Yun to introduce the dishes.

Introducing the dishes was a pretense, and flaunting the utensils used to serve them was the real reason. Whenever he introduced something, he would reprimand the servant in a pretentious manner, “How dare you! How can you take out the things in the bride price given by General Qi?”

And that Zhang Luoyan seems to know what her father has done. From time to time, she helps out, either reprimanding her subordinates for spoiling the letters sent to her by General Qi or showing off the jewelry she carries.

Of course, this letter was made up by Zhang Luoyan. She was married off to Qi Yue by Emperor Hongming for nearly two years. At first, she was looking forward to when General Qi would marry her back to her family. But day after day, this Qi Yue seems to have forgotten her. They do not have the courage to go to the border to find Qi Yue to urge the marriage, so they can only hold back.

Zhang Luoyan was highly dissatisfied. Initially, she was a bit guilty of what her father had done, but now she feels that it is normal for her father to take advantage of Qi Yue’s reputation to get some benefits.

This father and daughter, one after another, introduced every piece of furnishing in the house.

They thought these words were a deterrent to the officials from the Capital. After all, in Zhang Lin’s opinion, those sent as imperial envoys are important officials who care about the country. The primary task of important officials is to take care of the overall situation, so they naturally do not dare to offend Qi Yue and cause unrest, especially in the case of Emperor Hongming’s serious illness.

If other people, even Wei Lin, came, they might have been bluffed by this father and daughter and would be slightly concerned about the strength of Qi Yue’s hands. But they met Qing Yun, who is the Grand Prince, so the father and daughter’s words did not make him hesitate but ultimately ignited the anger in Qing Yun’s heart.

He was expressionless, staring at the gold-colored jade glazed vase in the middle of the round table with indistinguishable anger. According to Zhang Lin, this jade vase is one of the most precious items in the bride price given by Qi Yue and is extremely loved by Zhang Luoyan, who likes to see it every day when she eats.

The Zhang father and daughter spoke until their mouths were dry. Seeing that there was nothing more to say, they stopped to drink water.

Qing Yun, who has not held the chopsticks, is sitting upright at the moment, with eyes full of majesty: “Have the Governor and his daughter finished? If you have finished, I have a few more words to say.”

Looking at Qing Yun’s attitude, Zhang Lin and his daughter froze in unison. Even the guards around Qing Yun held their breath and waited for Qing Yun to speak. They found that the previous anger of His Highness has been concealed and not shown. Now it is precisely a precursor of the Great Prince’s anger.

Qing Yun’s index finger tapped on the table. His gaze swept over all the things introduced by the two, and he sneered: “According to what the governor said, these are all the bridal gifts given by General Qi, but why are each of them engraved with the unique mark of an imperial gift?”

Zhang Lin paused, and cold sweat immediately ran down his face.

“Taking an imperial gift to entertain the guests, this crime of great disrespect by the governor cannot be excused.” Qing Yun’s voice became gloomy, “If the Northern General had taken these things to treat others, he would have been guilty of the same crime as you. Both are unforgivable sins!”

The Governor was dumbfounded by the phrase “unforgivable sins”. He had never heard anyone say such a thing to him since the match with Qi Yue.

He naturally knew that these things are imperial gifts. Still, the ministers usually thought that if Qi Yue dared to use even the imperial gifts for the bride, he must be extremely in love with the Governor’s daughter. But today, why is this official reacting in such an angry manner?

In fact, the bride price is not given by Qi Yue. Rather, after Emperor Hongming appointed the marriage, he thought that Qi Yue was far at the border, so he took it upon himself to give some goods and have someone from the General’s residence send it. However, he didn’t expect that Zhang Lin would think that it was Qi Yue who gave this bride price.

The tension at the table was high. Seeing that being soft would not work, Zhang Lin thought about the man’s humble carriage when he came. He believed that this man was not of high status, so he simply threatened directly: “What do you mean by that, Sir? You should think carefully. No one can rival the Northern army in the hands of General Qi in the whole Great Yan. And General Qi is extremely loving to my daughter. If something happens to my Zhang family, General Qi will be furious, and it would be troubling if he revolts.”

The more Zhang Lin said, the more confident he was in his heart. The words he said became more and more full of energy: “If I guessed correctly, Sir must be under the command of the Grand Prince, who will not dare to face General Qi if he wants to ascend to the throne.”

Looking at Qing Yun’s face getting worse and worse, Zhang Lin laughed and was incredibly proud: “Sir, you should see clearly. Even your master does not dare to touch me, Zhang Lin!”

As soon as Zhang Lin’s words fell, he saw the noble youth across the table gently open his lips: “Oh, how come this palace doesn’t know that he has to be afraid of that General Qi?”

At that, the youth untied the jade pendant on his waist and heaved it onto the table. On the lustrous white jade, the mighty dragon pattern is ringed with the word “Sa”.

This “pop” sound rang out in Zhang Lin’s heart. He looked at the jade pendant on the table in a daze.

This palace……this palace?

“Poof,” the Governor of Xiangzhou, who was originally so confident, fell to the ground with his chair.

Heavy rain rumbled across the sky. Thunder and lightning pierced the dark night sky with bean-sized raindrops.

In such a bitter rainstorm, the refugees in the city did not even have a shelter to hide from the rain and could only huddle in the corners.

Some people closed their eyes silently in hunger, while much more alive smelled the bursts of fragrance coming from the Governor’s house even amid pouring rain.

Oh, the Governor’s residence is hosting a banquet for the imperial envoy.

They sluggishly thought. Their hungry bodies could not help but move towards the Governor’s house as if it was good to smell the aroma.

In this way, many people have gathered over unconsciously.

The gatekeeper of the Governor’s residence looked saddened. Still, because of Zhang Lin’s obscene authority, he could only frown and drive the people away.

But it was no use driving them away. More people came from afar, smelling the aroma. They sat around, looking at the residence with eager eyes, praying that they could get even a tiny scrap of the leftovers.

Even the innocent children have forgotten to cry, biting their fingers and looking at the closed door of the Governor’s residence, like they were looking at the unattainable heaven.

Suddenly, there was a loud “boom” of thunder, and it seemed to be accompanied by the sound of the gates opening.

The refugees who were staying in front of the Governor’s residence rubbed their eyes and actually saw the gates of the Governor’s residence open. Several guards came out, and the leader of them said in a loud voice: “The Grand Prince has ordered that the Governor, Zhang Lin, is a corrupt and unworthy official. Therefore, he will be removed from the position of Governor and be executed at a later date. All the goods of the Governor’s residence will be confiscated and used for disaster relief in Xiangzhou. Anyone who interferes will be executed immediately!”

Once this decree was issued, the entrance to the Governor’s residence was like an exploding pot. All the refugees did not dare to imagine that they could see a scenario similar to the raid of their homes at the Governor’s residence. Everyone felt that they had been blown out by the previous thunder.

“Did you hear that? The Governor’s residence is going to be confiscated!”

“Disaster relief, food……we have food…… ” some women directly hugged their children, whimpering and crying. Even if this is a dream, let them have a moment of peace.

There was a lot of chatter at the entrance of the city. Sensing the commotion over here, refugees kept pouring in from all over, surrounding the entire Governor’s residence.

Everyone who heard the news ran around to tell others: “The Governor’s house was taken over, and the minister said that everything in the Governor’s house was confiscated for disaster relief!”

“No, no, no! It’s not a minister. It’s the Grand Prince. The Grand Prince himself ordered it!”

“The Grand Prince? Not the Third Prince?”

The news of the Grand Prince’s personal trip to Xiangzhou spread throughout the city along with the happy news that the Governor’s residence had been seized. Tonight is sure to be a sleepless night for the people of Xiangzhou.

There was a panic in the Governor’s residence. Still, the guards who had been discontented with Zhang Lin gathered at once. Under the leadership of the men led by Qing Yun, they turned the entire Governor’s residence upside down. Some even pointed out the location of several of Zhang Lin’s private residences and raided them with their men.

The young guard who was angry at the imperial envoy this morning quickly followed behind the guards from the Capital at this time and showed them the way: “This is the treasury, it’s full of gold and silver treasures. Over there is the granary, I’ll take you there!”

As he said this, he turned his head and fiercely wiped his tears with his back turned to the fire. Earlier today, he had resented the imperial envoy, not expecting that the incompetent prince in his eyes would personally come to Xiangzhou and not even stopping for a moment to completely eliminate this bastard!

His home is finally saved!

This little guard looked from a distance where the Grand prince was and then quickly followed the quarreling group in front of him. His gaze was unprecedentedly resolute.

Taking out the extremely abundant food from the granary of the Governor’s residence, Qing Yun did not pause and immediately had people set up a scaffold in the torrential rain to erect a large pot, and thick porridge was cooked.

The whole Xiangzhou city is bustling with excitement. The scene at this time is simply like a dream for the people of Xiangzhou. When the Third Prince came, Governor Zhang Lin’s little restraint alone could make them grateful, but today’s complete overthrow of the Governor’s residence made them feel restless as if they were stepping on clouds without a sense of solidity.

It wasn’t until the day dawned slightly and a bowl of hot porridge was served that they genuinely felt what it meant to be happy. Several properties of both the Governor’s residence and Zhang Lin were vacated to accommodate these homeless refugees. Qing Yun even opened the city gates to allow the people outside the city, whose situation was even more miserable, to enter the inner city where the terrain was higher. He also sent some people to build sheds for people to live in.

Since then, the people of Xiangzhou have been looking at the Governor’s residence where the Grand Prince is located, just like they were looking at the residence of the gods.

No one has ever pulled them out of their misery like the Grand Prince. To them, the Grand Prince is like their new parent.

However, in the face of their gratitude, the Grand Prince appeared in front of them, bowed deeply, and apologized: “I have let the people suffer from exploitation. I have not done my job well, and I can’t apologize enough, so how dare I accept everyone’s gratitude?”

This noble young man’s words were so sincere that he even changed what he addressed himself as. After this event, the people of Xiangzhou became more convinced of the Grand Prince. Meanwhile, the impression of the Third Prince in their hearts has slowly faded. After all, it is obvious which one is better than the other.

After solving Zhang Lin’s matter, Qing Yun did not relax but focused on controlling the floods. Both embankments on both sides of the river are still strong, which is why Zhang Lin dares to be so lax about managing the flooding. However, the river has been rising like crazy. There will always be a day when the embankment breaks, so Qing Yun had to send people to dredge the channels connected between the river and the lakes. Although some of the farmland has to be sacrificed, there will be two lakes to store water in the south, and flooding will no longer be a problem.

Due to the lack of manpower, Qing Yun was busy transferring people from the surrounding counties. In contrast, the arrested Zhang Lin and other people served as laborers. After all, this group of people are not very honest. To prevent them from rebelling, Qing Yun inspected the riverside day by day and won the praise of the people of Xiangzhou.

Today, he inspected the riverbank in the light rain as usual but saw a commotion at the construction site.

“Your Highness, be careful! Let this subordinate go and explore first.” The guard following Qing Yun is now full of admiration for Qing Yun and immediately moved through the crowd to ask questions.

As soon as he saw the graceful figure kneeling on the ground amidst the crowd, Qing Yun understood that Zhang Luoyan was acting like a demon again.

Qing Yun did not impose severe punishment on Zhang Luoyan but only reduced her to a slave according to the law of Great Yan. Now, there is not enough workforce in Xiangzhou. Although she has turned from a lady into a maid, it is still much better than those who died of disease and starvation.

Zhang Luoyan was dressed in plain light clothes, and her face was miserable as she knelt in the muddy water. She cried with Zhang Lin, and at first glance, these two people seemed to have suffered greatly, and Qing Yun was like the villain.

When she saw the figure of the Grand Prince, Zhang Luoyan knelt facing him and said with tearful eyes: “Grand Prince! I know that my father has done many wrong things, but my father has been the Governor of Xiangzhou for many years. He has been diligent and honest in the past years, and only in the past two years has he made faults. The punishment of having him killed is too heavy, so I beg you to allow my father to make up for his mistakes.

Without waiting for the top of Zhang Luoyan’s head to touch the ground, Qing Yun spoke out, “You don’t need to kowtow to me, nor do you need to implore me.”

Qing Yun’s words caused Zhang Luoyan to freeze, and then she heard the youth’s clear and crisp voice turn stern: “Turn your head and look behind you. Look at the corpses recovered from the river. Look at the refugees who couldn’t get enough food and clothing. Look at the children who are so thin that they are only skin and bones. Zhang Luoyan, you need to kowtow and plead to them. If the people of Xiangzhou agree to release Zhang Lin, this palace will retract the order without saying a word!”

The young man’s serious words made Zhang Luoyan involuntarily turned her head in response to his motions. She saw pairs of eyes full of anger and hatred, making Zhang Luoyan feel panic in her heart. She was unable to stand up for herself, so she immediately covered her face and ran away.

The official road outside Xiangzhou City was flooded, and the water splashed as the horses trampled on it.

Qi Yue finally entered the territory of Xiangzhou with his team. Although he hurriedly came, he thought Xiangfeng did not have many people around him, so he defied the Third Prince’s resistance and pulled out a team from the three groups he brought.

After all, in every natural disaster, there will be refugees to appear. Although the youth has martial arts to protect him, the natural weakness of his body assures that there may be other situations. Thinking of this, Qi Yue once again resented the Grand Prince who sent the young man to control the situation.

He wanted to let the Grand Prince know that although the young man was dedicated to the people and ignored his own safety for this reason, he was not one he could bully!

Moving in along the official road, the more Qi Yue walked, the more tightly he frowned. He walked all the way but did not see a refugee, only a flooded field remained.

“General……is this Xiangzhou disaster already so serious? Surprisingly, no one survived?” An officer came up to Qi Yue and asked.

“No.” Qi Yue said seriously, “Look, although there are no refugees, there are also no floating corpses in the water, indicating that to avoid the plague, those floating corpses have been removed. It will take effort to get the floating corpses, so the victims must have settled down.”

“General, there seem to be people in that direction! And there are many of them!” An extremely sharp-eyed scout called out towards Qi Yue.

Qi Yue gazed at it and said at once: “Go over and take a look!”

Seeing Zhang Luoyan run away, Zhang Lin and other people in the ditch did not cease but have stood up with a fierce face. Their eyes fiercely looked at the youth whose nobility was not diminished even if they were in the mud.

Qing Yun watched these people’s movements and indifferently pulled the corners of his mouth.

These strong and sturdy people are Zhang Lin’s most trusted people. They usually help Zhang Lin and are used to committing crimes. For the first time, they were arrested as criminals, so how can they be obedient?

The hard work for four or five days in a row has made them burst with anger. Qing Yun had expected that they would explode sooner or later, so he brought only one guard with him today to give Zhang Lin and the others a chance to explode.

Zhang Lin slowly got up from the ground. The previous panic and fear of knowing that the youth was none other than the Grand Prince had dissipated, and his eyes had regained their usual shrewdness. It was only because he was too surprised to learn of Qing Yun’s identity that night, coupled with the oppression of the imperial class, that he panicked and let the Grand Prince, who appeared to have just reached his peak, have the upper hand.

Now, Zhang Lin has calmed down and has long begun to secretly plan. There are not enough workers in Xiangzhou. Most people have already suffered from the floods and are weak, while the people from the neighboring counties have not yet arrived, so the leading force for flood control is none other than Zhang Lin and his men.

Although the guards from the Governor’s residence who submitted to Qing Yun are also present and some refugees are still physically fit to help, they are still inferior to Zhang Lin’s gang of able-bodied fighters.

So seeing that the Grand Prince is alone, how can Zhang Lin still hold back?

Zhang Lin slowly walked forward. Despite the wretched state, he had recovered his strength. He looked at Qing Yun and said with a cold smile: “The Grand Prince is too inconsiderate. I am tired of dredging the river with my old bones, not to mention other things, I should make up for my mistakes, right? But what do you mean by your previous words? Are you forcing us to rebel?”

As soon as he said the word “rebel”, the fighters around him immediately stepped forward and looked at Qing Yun intently.

The refugees around him saw that the situation was bad and immediately ran over to support them. They gathered around Qing Yun. Although still physically weak, they bravely picked up their hoes and confronted Zhang Lin.

Without hiding behind the refugees, Qing Yun pushed aside the people in front of him and looked at Zhang Lin with mockery in his eyes: “Oh? I wonder who gave you the courage to rebel at this moment? Could it be Northern General Qi Yue again?”

Seeing that the Grand Prince is still so calm and unhurried, Zhang Lin’s hand holding the farming tools tightened. But sweeping over this group of rabble refugees and a lone guard behind the Grand Prince, he immediately became bolder. He sneered in his heart, the Grand Prince is still too young to know to bring more people around. How could he let him take advantage of the situation?

With this in mind, Zhang Lin walked forward with his head held high, holding his hoe in his hand and shouting: “How about I rebel today? Listen, brothers. If General Qi knows that the Grand Prince has treated his unmarried wife and father-in-law like this, he will certainly be furious. Today, I will simply rebel on behalf of General Qi!”

Just after the words fell, Zhang Lin’s proud ambition has not dissipated. They heard a neat sound of horse hooves, and a team of imposing and powerful soldiers came around from the side of the river and quickly arrived in front of the people.

Although this team’s number is small, a thick smell of blood came from the standing soldiers. The dark, sharp armor was a frightening sight for the people.

Suddenly, the man in the lead pulled the reins of his horse, and the group of divine black horses neighed. The two hooves bucked high, and the man on the horse flew in the fine rain with his scarlet cloak following his movement.

Before Zhang Lin could figure out what was going on, he heard the leading man’s majestic voice mixed with brooding anger ring out, “The Northern General wants to rebel? How come I, Qi Yue, have no idea about this?”