"I'm not a panacea, how can I have such an effect?" Shen Yu found a comfortable position in Shang Junlin's arms.
"A Yu is more effective than any panacea for zhen." Shang Junlin buried his head in Shen Yu's neck, his voice slightly muffled.
"Then give His Majesty a hug," Shen Yu patted the man's head, "so that His Majesty can deal with government affairs more energetically."
Shang Junlin tightened his arms around the person in his arms.
"Were the officials in Subei sent by His Majesty later?" Shen Yu looked at the booklet spread on the table.
It was sent back by Fang daren from Subei, and there were other officials beside him.
Fang daren brought officials from Jing City. Every time they arrived at a new place, they would be shocked speechless by the tragic situation there. They originally thought that the first small city they passed was already very bad, but the further north they went, the more they found that it was just the tip of the iceberg. The more they saw, the more shocking it became.
Every time they arrived at a place, they would gather the people together after giving them porridge and do something that they could. When they recovered some of their strength, they would exchange it for more food according to how much they worked. They also had them help and relieve the local people who were unable to move.
In the booklet written by Fang daren, he described in detail the current situation of every place they passed. Just the written description was enough to make people feel despair.
"Some were directly promoted from the local area," Shang Junlin rubbed Shen Yu's fingers, "Zhen almost completely changed the upper level officials in Subei. The imperial court didn't have many people that could be used, so they only sent some people over. Most of them were promoted from the local area."
That year when Subei was lost, if Shang Junlin didn't lead troops to arrive in time and fight back the Northern Desert Army, it was hard to say if Da Huan would still be Da Huan today.
Shang Junlin didn't want to listen to their excuses, so he directly chopped them down to comfort the souls of the soldiers who had died because of their dereliction of duty, and also to avenge the innocent people who had died. On the day of the execution, the entire city watched, and all of them applauded and cheered.
Amidst the smell of blood, Shang Junlin had all the officials in Subei watch the execution with their own eyes. Some of the officials had lived like princes for many years and had never seen such a scene before. Their faces were pale and they did not dare to watch.
However, each of them was guarded by two burly soldiers. As long as they tried to dodge, they would be stopped.
Shang Junlin was also using this opportunity to warn the newly promoted people that if they could not defend Subei well, they should go down and accompany these people.
He also took this opportunity to completely separate the military and political power in Subei. Under the bloody means, no one dared to refute. Since then, Subei was peaceful for a long time.
Shang Junlin and Shen Yu talked about the past, "Zhen thought that they would learn to be obedient. Indeed, they did learn to be obedient. They didn't dare to do anything blatantly and only did some small actions in private. They also thought of ways to prevent the news from spreading to the capital."
Shen Yu said, "The greed of people is always endless. After getting a little, they will want more. Over time, their greed will grow and they will never be satisfied. It has been seven or eight years since that incident. Time can wear away a lot of things, but it can also change a lot of things. The officials promoted by Your Majesty may be trustworthy, but after so many years, no one can guarantee that they will not change at all. "
Shang Junlin said, "People's hearts are fickle. Zhen knows that very well."
Shen Yu said, "After the truth is found out, punish those who should be punished and reward those who have made contributions. After so many years, Your Majesty is no longer the same as before. There is no need to be constrained by a lack of manpower. In order to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, Your Majesty can set a time limit for appointment. After the officials sent to Subei have served for a certain number of years, Your Majesty can return to the capital."
The officials in Subei were divided into three categories: the Subei Army, the officials transferred from the capital, and the local officials. It should have been a tripartite situation, but according to the news from the Hidden Dragon Guards, the latter two had been mixed together. They had also planted people in the Subei Army. Moreover, there was the shadow of another force among the three.
"If the time limit is set, the officials sent from the capital will be less likely to stand on the same side as the local officials. Compared to Subei, they should want to return to the capital, the center of power. Then, they will spontaneously watch over Subei for the court in order to make their resumes look better."
Shen Yu lowered his eyes and continued, "Once the time limit is up, they will return to the capital. Everything that happens in Subei will only become a stepping stone for their promotion."
As long as their interests were not tied together with the officials in Subei, there was no need to worry that they would work together and harm the court.
Shang Junlin seriously thought about it and realized that this was indeed a good idea.
The mobility of the officials in Dahuan was not high. Unless they were particularly capable or had connections in the court, most of them would be sent to a certain place and most of them would stay there.
If it was not a special place like Subei, there were many benefits to this. The more familiar the officials were with a certain place, the easier it would be for them to manage it.
However, the most important thing right now was the disaster in Subei. As long as the drought did not subside, they would not be able to relax.
Official Fang and the Hidden Dragon Guards were in the open and in the dark, trying to understand the situation in Subei.
Official Fang continued to lead the officials north. The further north they went, the more serious the disaster became. The officials from the capital also became more silent.
They had never seen such a hellish scene. In the past, they had at most learned about the disaster through various documents. How could words compare to the shock of seeing it with their own eyes?
The more they saw, the more they disagreed with the inaction of the officials in Subei. This was especially so when they heard more than once from the locals that if the disaster relief team had come earlier, perhaps not so many people would have died. The resentment in their hearts reached a peak.
"There were so many people. They could have saved their lives if they were willing to give them a share of the Subei Army's military pay …" The young official who spoke was choked with sobs.
No one made a sound. No one who saw this scene could make a sound.
In a destitute and dilapidated house, the emaciated mother did not have a single piece of good flesh on her body. Her child was curled up in her arms, a piece of flesh still wet in his mouth. It was obvious that the mother had bitten off the flesh from her body. Even in death, the mother stared at her child with wide eyes …
"If only we had come earlier. If only we had come earlier, perhaps we could have saved this mother and child."
The house was filled with the thick stench of blood. No one complained about the pungent smell. They only felt a stabbing pain in their hearts.
Along the way, they had seen all kinds of tragic scenes. They had thought that after seeing so much, they would become numb. It was only at this moment that they realized that no matter how many times they saw the scene in front of them, they could not become numb.
"Official Fang, can we really save Subei?" After a long time, a young official could not help but ask. His face was full of confusion.
"Of course we can," Lord Fang replied firmly. "We've already saved many people along the way. The imperial court has also collected enough supplies. Everyone, hold on for a few more days. They'll be here soon."
Lord Fang looked at everyone's faces one by one. He knew that what he had seen and heard in the past few days had a great impact on these young officials. He also knew why they were so confused. It was because he had experienced the same thing in the past.
"Everyone, cheer up. News has come from His Majesty. This time, there are people from all over the country who are willing to come and help. The disaster relief fund is also donated by the people of Daheng. Subei will not be abandoned by anyone in Daheng!"
The main city of Subei.
In the magnificent main hall, young women in thin dance dresses danced to the music. Men in luxurious clothes raised their cups in celebration.
"That Fang Jun, are we going to let him continue like this?"
"Don't ruin Official Fang's plan. If he wants to see the real disaster in Subei, then let him see. He volunteered to work with the refugees. If he is accidentally injured by the refugees, it has nothing to do with us. Official Xun, don't you think so?"
Xun Zhao calmly looked around and drank the wine in his cup. "Of course. It's not that we haven't tried to persuade him, but he is stubborn. If something really happens, how can we be blamed?"
"Exactly. Come, let's continue drinking."
Xun Zhao finished feigning civility with them and returned to his residence. Although he was not the highest official in Subei, his status was not low. When he returned home, the housekeeper came to greet him.
"Official Fang, have you drunk?"
"Yes. Official Fang invited me, so I couldn't refuse. There were many colleagues at the banquet and they even talked about the refugees. Since ancient times, the refugees have been a difficult problem to solve."
The housekeeper's eyes flashed. "Official Fang, you should wash up first. I will order a bowl of hangover soup for you."
Official Fang rubbed his forehead. "I am a little dizzy. Help me in."
In the darkness, a black robe silently streaked across the night sky.
In an inconspicuous corner, a middle-aged man in a grey robe turned out of the courtyard and walked all the way to the corner of the street.
There was an inconspicuous horse carriage parked there.
"Did you find anything?" An emotionless voice came from the horse carriage.
"Official Fang, everything is as usual. There are no suspicious people in the residence." The man in the grey robe replied carefully.
Xun Residence.
Xun Zhao rubbed his aching temples. He purposely said those words to the housekeeper in the courtyard just now so that he could pass the news to the Hidden Dragon Guards hiding in the Xun Residence. The housekeeper was also a member of the Hidden Dragon Guards in disguise. However, there were other spies in the residence. The person in charge of passing the news was someone else.
The Capital.
The resources collected from various places were transported to Subei. The Capital was the first to receive the news and also the first to take action. The other places that were slightly further away would set off later.
Other than the doctors, some young adults were also summoned from various places.
The scorching summer was coming to an end. After a rain in the Capital, the weather had cooled down significantly.
"Is it still not raining in Subei?" Shen Yu looked out the window at the pitter-patter of raindrops.
"No." Shang Junlin frowned. "Although it rarely rains in Subei, it is rare for there to be no rain for several months like this year."
There was already a discussion among the commoners about why there was no rain in Subei for several months. Droughts were often accompanied by locust plagues. Subei had already suffered a locust plague in May or June. Otherwise, there would not have been no harvest.
"If there is no rain for a long time, I am afraid there will be bad rumors."
Shen Yu's words became a prophecy. Within a few days, rumors began to appear in various places.
It was said that the drought in Subei was a warning to the emperor not to do anything unkind and not to break the ancestral rules.
It was obvious that every rumor was directed at Shang Junlin's actions during this period.
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