Chapter 0032: The Powerful Minister Shen Manipulates at Will, Shen Daqiang Clings Stubbornly to His Misguided Ways
The return of the flood undoubtedly added to the misery of the common people’s survival.
The disaster relief grain in the city had already been embezzled to the point of near depletion. When the flood struck, the county office’s efforts to salvage it were too slow, and much of the grain was washed away. Some county magistrates, fearing that Shen Yuan would uncover their embezzlement of relief supplies, even pretended that the grain storage had been flooded and the rice swept away, showing no regard for the lives of the people.
Although Shen Yuan had emphasized on the very first page of the disaster relief manual that, to guard against a second flood, relief grain should be temporarily sealed underground, it was likely that these officials had not even glanced at it. Even if they had, they would not have followed the instructions.
Famine began to spread at an alarming speed across the hundred counties of Yi Province.
Without the assistance of Xie Chengze’s Shangfang Baojian, Shen Yuan, as the Shumishi, had no choice but to navigate carefully among the county magistrates. His current official rank was low, and he lacked the authority to execute these magistrates. Moreover, he could not kill them, for if a county were left without leadership, the starving populace would flee upon hearing the news. Refugees flooding into other unaffected counties would force those counties to shut their gates, barring them outside the walls.
At that point, borrowing, purchasing, or transporting grain would become impossible.
It was precisely this knowledge that emboldened these magistrates to act so brazenly.
“It seems County Magistrate Hu intends to play the fool,” Shen Yuan remarked. His white robes were stained with dust, yet they did nothing to diminish his composed and detached demeanor. He lowered his gaze, wiping the Azure Sword in his hand, his black boots pressing down on County Magistrate Hu’s left hand as his patience began to wear thin. “Do you truly believe that when Dongchuang Shifa, Xu Shiming will protect you?”
County Magistrate Hu knelt on the ground, his voice filled with rage. “This humble official does not understand what Lord Shen is saying! We local officials may not hold as high a rank or as much power as Lord Shen, a court-appointed official, but we cannot tolerate such humiliation! Does Lord Shen not fear that I will submit a petition to His Majesty, showing him how Lord Shen abuses his power and bullies others in Yi Province?!”
Shen Yuan was now obstructing the paths of those high-ranking officials. If such a petition were submitted, there would surely be those who would seize the opportunity to impeach him and end his official career.
This greenhorn, new to the official circles, was far too arrogant—he needed to be taught a lesson!
“Heh.” Shen Yuan chuckled softly. He leaned forward, exuding an oppressive aura entirely different from his earlier calm. His indifferent eyes held the cold detachment of one regarding the dead, and his voice was deep, like that of a powerful minister who could manipulate situations at will. He spoke disdainfully, “Then let us see whether I fall from power first, or County Magistrate Hu loses his head first.”
The Azure Sword in his hand swung abruptly toward County Magistrate Hu. The magistrate shut his eyes in terror, but no expected pain came. When he opened his eyes, he found the sword embedded in the gaps between his fingers, barely grazing his skin.
“You should be grateful that your value as a ‘witness’ has spared you,” Shen Yuan said with a faint smile, withdrawing the sword and turning to leave. “Guards, ensure County Magistrate Hu is protected and not allowed to leave! He is a crucial witness—we cannot afford any mishaps.”
County Magistrate Hu’s face turned pale.
Having served as an official for many years, he understood Shen Yuan’s meaning perfectly. Shen Yuan intended to use him as a witness—to have him testify personally upon returning to the capital, exposing the high-ranking officials’ corruption and abuse of the law.
Whether he was truly a material witness or not, as long as Shen Yuan insisted he was one, he would be unable to defend himself. The higher-ups were deeply suspicious and would surely choose to eliminate him before Shen Yuan returned to the capital!
This Lord Shen was using another’s hand to kill!
In that case, don’t blame him for being ruthless!
County Magistrate Hu, standing behind him, flashed a vicious and frenzied look in his eyes.
…
Shen Yuan mounted his horse and hurried toward Jiangdu Xian.
Though the flood had struck, and he believed Xie Chengze would be perfectly safe under the protection of Wuhen Wuji, he still needed to return to assess the situation in Jiangdu Xian.
Along the way, he intended to persuade Xie Chengze to use the embezzled funds they had collected to purchase grain from nearby prefectures and counties, providing relief to the people of Yi Province who had once again suffered from flooding.
But once again, Xie Chengze refused.
Shen Yuan was so furious he nearly choked on his breath.
Why did Xie Chengze always have ten thousand ways to make him angry and lose his composure?
“Second Prince!” Shen Yuan suppressed his rage and demanded, “Do you even care about human lives? Is money that important in your eyes?”
Xie Chengze felt wronged.
What was with this person? He had returned to Jiangdu Xian, yet instead of praising him for protecting the people so well, Shen Yuan immediately accused him of greed and endangering lives?
Was he really so despicable in Shen Yuan’s eyes? Even though he was clearly different from the original host?
The reborn Shen Yuan was not the least bit endearing.
Despite his generally good temper, Xie Chengze was genuinely angered. He turned away petulantly and retorted, “Yes, yes, yes. I don’t care about human lives. I’m greedy and lustful. Think whatever you want. Since you’ve already made up your mind, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Who didn’t know how to say hurtful words? He was an expert at using those scoundrel formulas!
Tch!
Shen Yuan was irritated by his attitude. He didn’t know if his expectations of Xie Chengze were too high or what, but he always lost his temper over the other’s minor flaws. However, for the sake of the people of Yi Province, he had to suppress all his emotions and humble himself, saying softly, “Your Highness, I beg of you.”
“Hmph, this prince cannot accept such a plea,” Xie Chengze sneered. “After all, I am a greedy and harsh person. Moreover, don’t blame your incompetence on me. If you can’t raise funds or grain, that’s your problem.”
In their previous life, without these embezzled funds, Shen Yuan had still managed to solve the problem. Shen Yuan could have gone after those who embezzled the larger sums to demand money, yet he specifically targeted him—simply because he was an easy target!
Shen Yuan understood the underlying meaning in Xie Chengze’s words.
He was implying that in their previous life, Shen Yuan had resolved the issue without these embezzled funds. But back then, with the Crown Prince’s delegation of authority, his actions had proceeded smoothly. Now, Xie Chengze wouldn’t even spare the Shangfang Baojian, creating numerous obstacles for him.
Moreover, he could afford to wait, but the people could not.
Yet Shen Yuan could not voice these matters aloud. Both of them were tacitly aware of the rebirth—Xie Chengze feared that speaking of it would lead Shen Yuan to kill him with a single stroke, while Shen Yuan feared that revealing it would give Xie Chengze a pretext to eradicate him and the Shen family.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuan knelt on one knee for the first time, compromising with the demeanor of a subordinate: “It is my incompetence. I implore the Second Prince to take pity on the people and grant them a way to survive.”
Seeing him so stubbornly deluded, Xie Chengze clenched the fist hidden in his sleeve, turned his back, and waved his hand, signaling Wuhen to drag the man out. “Lord Shen, the ways of heaven are unpredictable. You should ease your mind a bit. This is merely a small challenge. In the days to come…”
He let out a mocking laugh. “You’ll find even more challenges waiting for you!”
Shen Yuan, being dragged out: ?
Soon enough, Shen Yuan understood what Xie Chengze meant by “even more challenges.”