EMHTC -Chapter 75 Shocking! The Young Man Strips in Public!

Liang Rui: “…”

So this man thinks he did something?

For a moment, Liang Rui felt both amused and helpless. Nonetheless, he quietly accepted the blame that Xu Yanmiao seemed all too eager to hand over.

The Prefect of Xinghua, however, clearly had no immediate plans to target Liang Rui. Ignoring Princess Wanshou’s subtle retreat, he curved his lips into a smile.

“Your Highness, regarding the disaster situations in Xinghua Prefecture, Tingzhou Prefecture, and Gutian County of Fuzhou Prefecture, I’ve completed the records. Should I deliver them to the yamen or to your temporary residence?”

“Send them to the yamen. I’ll review them there after inspecting the affected areas.”

The prefect gave a slight bow and, as though he had only come to report this matter, left immediately after speaking.

Princess Wanshou was momentarily stunned, a pang of guilt rising in her chest.

“Actually, he is a good official.”

It’s just that his methods for promotion were a bit extreme, but at least he didn’t harm anyone. Her earlier instinctive retreat—had it been too hurtful?

“When I first arrived in Fujian, the provincial governor was flippant and unreliable. This prefect was the first to step forward and sternly reprimand him. Later, I learned that the Tingzhou Prefecture’s magistrate was previously a reckless man who did nothing during a severe drought. He neither opened the granaries to distribute grain nor comforted the victims. He even suggested banning frog hunting, claiming such an act would move the heavens to bring rain.”

As Princess Wanshou recounted this, she suddenly thought of how Xu Yanmiao had earlier exposed the Xinghua prefect’s lies. A flicker of nervousness crossed her face.

Could this story… also be fabricated by the prefect?

She waited in silence for a while, listening for Xu Yanmiao’s inner voice. Only when she noticed the young man’s expression turning confused did she finally relax.

—It seemed this story was true.

Princess Wanshou continued, “It was the Prefect of Xinghua who decisively took action, gathered thirty to fifty strong men, and detained the Tingzhou magistrate, taking over the prefecture to aid the disaster victims.”

Liang Rui nodded slightly. “Indeed…” He paused, glancing at Xu Yanmiao. After confirming there was no rebuttal from his inner voice, he added, “…indeed a commendable official.”

Detaining a magistrate without authorization was a risky move—no one could predict whether the Emperor would punish such an action. For someone to take such a gamble for the sake of the people was truly rare.

Xu Yanmiao also remarked, “This man, though he… well, in any case, he is genuinely working for the people.”

The other two were well aware of what likely followed that “though” and silently agreed to avoid revisiting that painful topic.

“The disaster relief is now in its final stages.”

Princess Wanshou spoke clearly: “The affected farmlands in various regions have been surveyed and recorded into registers, and relief funds have already been applied for with the Ministry of Revenue, though they have not yet been delivered.”

“The draft registers of the disaster-affected households are also complete, detailing the names of disaster victims, whether they own cattle, livestock, granaries, or have any means of livelihood, as well as their level of poverty—whether they are extremely poor or relatively poor. The number of men, women, and children in each household, along with the head of the household, is recorded. Tomorrow, these registers will be used for distribution of relief. For those with abandoned houses, their names and household details have been recorded. Should they return, relief will be issued upon verification.”

“Even before the official relief funds arrive or the draft registers are fully organized, the immediate relief—one month’s worth of rations—has already been distributed to the households by local officials before we arrived.”

After a pause, Princess Wanshou added, “Each household receives five cups of rice per day; children and the weak receive half that amount.”

Liang Rui’s expression remained neutral, but his tone softened significantly. “Your Highness has worked tirelessly over these past days.”

Although the disaster relief process is outlined by the court, for a first-timer, it is rare to articulate such intricate details without being personally involved.

He remarked, “Fortunately, Fujian has had abundant harvests in recent years, and the local granaries are well-stocked. Otherwise, the relief would have had to be in the form of silver instead.”

For disaster victims, receiving food is far more practical than receiving money. After all, during times of disaster, buying rice relies entirely on the conscience of merchants and the court. The merchants’ conscience determines whether they exploit the disaster to inflate prices, while the court’s conscience determines whether it intervenes to stabilize grain prices.

Liang Rui then carefully inquired about the issue of refugees. As they discussed, they suddenly heard a voice calling from a distance, “Your Highness!”

Turning their heads, they saw it was Lian Hang, clerk from the Ministry of War.

Lian Hang ran all the way over and, barely catching his breath, raised his voice. “Your Highness! The court’s relief funds have arrived!”

Princess Wanshou blinked. “Finally!”

Though it seemed like the relief had arrived shortly after Xu Yanmiao and the others, the application for these funds had been sent to the capital over a month ago—before the “brilliant minds” of Fujian had even suggested issuing treasure notes. The month-long delay was entirely due to the transport time.

As the lead figure in this mission, Princess Wanshou nodded slightly at Liang Rui, who offered a respectful bow. “Your Highness, please give your orders.”

Princess Wanshou’s dark, grape-like eyes sparkled with excitement. “I…” She steadied herself and spoke seriously. “As per the usual procedure, after the registers are finalized, we will issue relief tickets to each disaster victim. These tickets will be required to claim the funds. We will continue with this practice.”

“Fujian has eight prefectures. I am responsible for Fuzhou Prefecture, Xu Yanmiao for Tingzhou Prefecture, the Minister of Revenue for Quanzhou Prefecture, Master Liang for Zhangzhou Prefecture, and Clerk Lian for Yanping Prefecture. The remaining prefectures—Xinghua, Shaowu, and Jianning—will be handled by their respective local officials.”

Princess Wanshou was well aware that Xu Yanmiao had been discreetly selected to claim credit, but there were levels to how one earned merit. The lowest was idly waiting for glory while doing nothing, while the highest…

“Xu Lang,” Princess Wanshou asked him, “The position of Tingzhou Prefect is currently vacant, leaving the heaviest burden and the most tedious tasks. Can you handle it?”

—The highest level, of course, was when the organization entrusted you with the most critical responsibilities.

Before everyone, Xu Yanmiao answered calmly, “I can!”

Xu Yanmiao had never dealt with disaster relief before, but it was clear that most of the Fujian officials had meticulously compiled the draft registers beforehand. The records handed to him were exceptionally complete and detailed, requiring only that he disburse the relief funds step by step.

Though he was alone, the accompanying Jinyiwei numbered quite a few. Two of them were assigned to each office to distribute the funds. History’s countless bloody lessons had taught every dynasty in Huaxia this one principle: if relief personnel could be sent from the capital, use them. Never rely on local clerks. Being natives, they could easily deceive both the people and the authorities.

Xu Yanmiao instructed the Jinyiwei to carry out their duties properly, then changed into plain clothes and ventured alone into the countryside.

He didn’t have much knowledge of disaster relief, but as a modern person, he understood one simple truth: “You have to go among the people.”

To find out if the people were faring well, if the relief funds and rations were reaching them, and what they needed, he had to see for himself to avoid being misled.

Going door to door, he knocked and, under the pretense of asking for water, struck up conversations with the villagers.

To his relief, many households had rice in their kitchens—not a lot, but enough to show that the government’s disaster relief supplies had indeed been distributed.

The only downside was…

Xu Yanmiao rubbed his round belly and went to relieve himself in the wild for the third time.

—He’d drunk too much water.

“I’ll have to come up with a better excuse next time. If I get water poisoning, it’ll be over…”

Muttering to himself, Xu Yanmiao stepped out from behind a large tree. After walking about fifty paces, he suddenly heard crying. His right hand instinctively gripped the flintlock pistol he’d painstakingly pulled from his waist as he cautiously approached the sound.

“Thank goodness… His Majesty arranged for me to learn how to use this pistol.”

It was a woman.

Xu Yanmiao tensed, gripping the pistol tighter.

Having grown up in an era of information overload, he knew better than to judge someone’s strength by their gender.

Stopping twenty paces away, he called out loudly, “Madam! Why are you crying?”

Startled, the woman tried to stand but stumbled and fell backward. Xu Yanmiao instinctively took half a step forward but held back from rushing over—mainly because she managed to support herself on the edge of the field and, after a few breaths, slowly stood up, revealing a tear-streaked face.

From twenty paces away, Xu Yanmiao began talking to her. His pleasant appearance worked to his advantage, and the woman quickly let down her guard. In a thick, tearful voice, she explained, “The village wants to pray to the River God for rain. They’re offering me as the River God’s bride.”

Xu Yanmiao’s expression turned solemn. “This matter—is the local official not addressing it?”

The woman lowered her gaze. “The prefect approved it.”

Xu Yanmiao quickly searched the system but found no record of the Tingzhou Prefect approving such a thing. Puzzled, he wondered if the woman was lying to him. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he checked the Xinghua Prefect instead. Sure enough, he found the culprit.

To gain promotion, the Xinghua Prefect had come up with a twisted idea: conduct a ritual to appease the River God. If it rained, he would claim the credit. If it didn’t, he would pretend it had never happened.

Xu Yanmiao furrowed his brows deeply. “What about your family? Did they also… agree to this?”

The woman’s face showed a bitter expression. “I am a qing ji.”

Xu Yanmiao froze for a moment before realizing what she meant—qing ji was a refined term for a young or apprentice courtesan. Taking a closer look, he noticed that beneath her heavy makeup, her youthful and delicate features were faintly discernible.

—She was indeed a minor.

And courtesans had no family to rely on.

Xu Yanmiao grew anxious. “I’m an official of the court, a civil officer from the Ministry of Personnel. Come with me—I will take responsibility for you!”

The woman’s face lit up with joy, and she instinctively took two steps forward but abruptly stopped. She looked at Xu Yanmiao with alarm. “No! I cannot leave!”

“Huh? Why not—”

“The villagers come to check on me every stick of incense. If they don’t find me, the whole village will search, and, sir, you’ll be beaten to death!”

A stick of incense burned in about five minutes.

Xu Yanmiao pressed on. “I’ll go get help to save you!”

The woman shook her head again. “The ceremony starts in two quarter-hours.”

Two quarter-hours—thirty minutes. That wasn’t nearly enough time for him to go and return.

Xu Yanmiao pinched his fingers in frustration, at a loss.

The woman’s expression became a mix of complexity and gratitude. “Thank you, sir. You are kind and a good official. But I am just a filthy person from the world of courtesans. I’m not worth risking your life for. Please, leave quickly. The villagers will be here soon.”

Then, she saw the young man lowering his head and starting to take off his clothes.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “…Sir?”

The young man swiftly shrugged off his outer robe and tossed it to her. Then, he flashed her a radiant smile. “I have delicate features. If I dress as a woman, no one will notice the difference.”

“You must also remove your outer skirt, drape this robe over yourself, and head to the nearest yamen. Look for the people distributing relief grain—they are from the Jinyiwei. Show them this robe as proof, and they will believe you. As for me, don’t worry—I can hold them off until you return.”

If not, well, he wasn’t afraid to die anyway.