Chapter 720: Thunderous Waves of the Dragon Boat Race

Urgent in upholding justice and hating evil as if it were an enemy—these eight words may be precious virtues for ordinary people, but for those in official circles, they are utterly fatal weaknesses. Even Du Zhen, who often spoke up for others in front of the emperor, never thought he could take on all the injustices in the world and help those who suffered. Before setting off this time, Zhang Yue simply gave him four words as guidance: “Have a clear conscience.”

Thus, since taking office, Zhang Yue naturally took these four words as his principle, gradually sorting out various matters. But when he finally inspected the provincial treasuries and warehouses, he found that the grain reserves in Guangfeng Warehouse of Guangzhou Prefecture were nearly exhausted, and those in Xiangshan County and other places were also at extremely low levels. It turned out that there had been continuous floods in the Pearl River basin for several years. Following established procedure, the provincial administration provided relief first and reported later. Over the years, tens of thousands of bushels of grain were distributed as relief. Coupled with hurricanes and storms the year before and the year before that, which caused many houses to collapse, areas such as Zhaoqing Prefecture in Guangzhou Prefecture suffered severely. Moreover, the Maritime Administration, a crucial institution, fell outside the provincial administration’s jurisdiction. The entire Guangdong provincial administration couldn’t even afford to repair the imperial examination halls, often having to rely on donations from wealthy merchants—in other words, imposing burdens on them.

So, after Peng Shisan returned, he lamented that Qiu Guoyong was only about the same age as him but appeared at least ten years older. Zhang Yue paid no attention to this and instead thought that this Qiu family official was indeed a shrewd man who knew how to take advantage of situations. These days, since the issue with Qin Huaijin had been resolved, he, along with the other two officials, submitted direct memorials. They also responded to the imperial edict with fourteen suggestions regarding farmland irrigation, encouraging farming, and maritime affairs. He originally wanted to say a few kind words to comfort the emperor, but after much consideration, he gave up the idea because he wasn’t in the capital.

At this moment, he called Fang Jing, Li Guoxiu, and Rui Yixiang over. Seeing the three young men sitting upright, he asked, “Xiao Fang, earlier I took you out in public, and everyone knew you were similar to my younger brother. Even Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang were regarded with higher esteem. Now that you three are being eagerly invited to various banquets, have you gained anything from it?”

Although the words were addressed to three people, Fang Jing knew the first one should be himself, so he straightened up and said, “There are indeed many who sent out invitations—ranging from local nobles to wealthy merchants, a total of fifteen or sixteen families. The local elite families are there only for show; they are all well-known scholarly families. No matter who becomes the governor, they will surely show them respect, so we merely treat them politely. As for those wealthy merchants, though they claim to be locals, upon examining them one by one, we found that the richest families among them are constantly scheming against each other, while those of middle status stick closely together. Moreover, compared to the local nobles in the Jiangnan region who actively donate money to build bridges, roads, and academies, these local merchants are more focused on making more money.”

After Fang Jing finished speaking, Li Guoxiu quickly interjected, “Young Master Fang is right. Merchants in the north turn their money into gold, silver, or copper and bury it underground, or they buy land. But local merchants usually reinvest their earnings in business. If they make a big profit, they rise even higher; if they suffer losses, they lose everything. That’s why over the past few decades, the leading figures among Guangdong merchants have kept changing.”

“Another point is that even the moderately wealthy local farmers are willing to send their children to academies. Every year, many students go from private academies to county or provincial schools to take exams,” said Rui Yixiang, taking a different approach. He paused briefly, then, seeing Zhang Yue nod encouragingly at him, he added, “The three of us tried to check the exam results over the years. Although Guangdong isn’t as good as Jiangnan, there are still quite a number of successful candidates.”

“Good, very good. It’s impressive that you’ve managed to gather so much information in just a few days. It must have been tough for you. After all, this kind of worldly work outside of studying is new to you, but it will become easier as you gain experience. Next year is the time for the autumn exams. The examination hall in Guangdong is in terrible condition. Since you’re a successful candidate, Xiao Fang, take these two with you to visit it and raise some money to renovate it.”

Fang Jing had always admired Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie, so he made every effort to follow in their footsteps by advancing through the imperial examinations. Naturally, he was extremely dissatisfied with the dilapidated examination hall in Shuntian Prefecture. Without waiting for Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang to respond, he immediately agreed without hesitation. As he stood up, the other two could only follow suit. Once the three left the room, Zhang Yue faintly heard two voices complaining and couldn’t help but smile.

“They just said local merchants aren’t as generous as the gentry in Jiangnan. Yet the young master insists on sending them to raise funds. Could it be he wants to see them fail?”

Following the sound, Zhang Yue saw Amber coming over with a bowl in her hands. Since arriving in Guangzhou, she had seemed much more cheerful, and she wasn’t annoyed by his teasing either. Instead, she smiled and said, “I’m not that mean. If those merchants refuse now, they will indeed encounter setbacks. But this is just to let them experience what it’s like to face difficulties. Only after things are accomplished will they feel relieved—that’s the principle of suffering first and then happiness.”

Amber knew full well that Zhang Yue was training the three of them, but hearing his pompous explanation made her laugh. She then placed the bowl of fermented fruit soup on the table. “This was specially prepared by the young mistress, cooled with well water. Jingguan tasted it and said it was delicious, so she asked me to bring one bowl. I overheard something at the examination hall just now—there’s something I need to report to the young master. A few old maids who have served here for years said that there’s usually a lot of water during the Dragon Boat Festival in Guangzhou, and since the weather has been cloudy lately, we need to be careful.”

The Pearl River Delta has a dense network of waterways, and floods often occur. Therefore, the Guangzhou prefecture has a special official in charge of agricultural water management, and even the provincial administration has an advisor responsible for waterways and bridges. Hearing Amber mention this, Zhang Yue praised her for being vigilant and nodded, saying, “The provincial and local authorities have always been cautious about the water during the Dragon Boat Festival and have already made preparations. I’ve also ordered that any water-related issues must be reported directly without concealment. Previously, Advisor Xu suggested placing tarps on the rooftops of the back courtyard as a precaution, and I’ve agreed to that. Go tell everyone to prepare so they can take shelter if necessary.”

“I just happened to overhear it. It’s good that the young master has made preparations.”

Seeing Amber smiling as she prepared to leave, Zhang Yue remembered discussing the Qiu family matter with Du Wan the previous night. After pondering for a moment, he decided to be straightforward with her and called out to her. He gestured for her to sit on a chair nearby, then carefully explained everything that had happened to her. Finally, he said, “I originally planned to have Lao Peng and Lingxi accompany you to Chengmai County, but it seems there’s no need to rush there for now. Since your second uncle is here, I’ll find a good opportunity later to arrange a secret meeting for you. As for visiting your mother’s grave there, I’ll arrange that as well.”

Although Qiongzhou Prefecture wasn’t her hometown, the thought of being so close to it now somehow lightened the weight in her heart. Yet she never expected that just as Zhang Yue arrived, the Qiu family might be drawn into such a massive scandal. Hearing this, she suddenly stood up and knelt down, striking the ground three times with her forehead.
“Thank you, young master, for your earnest efforts to protect us.”
Those eight words seemed to take all her strength. Seeing this, Zhang Yue quickly helped her up. Noting that her forehead was red from the three strikes and her eyes were also red, he gently stroked her usually smooth forehead and handed her a handkerchief, instructing her to wipe her eyes properly. Then he shook his head helplessly.
“Why go through such a fuss? You’ve been with me for so many years, and I’ll always do what I can to help. Although it’s now impossible for you to return to your ancestral home, they’re still your relatives you care about. Besides, my uncle also asked me to take care of you before I left. Though the Qiu family has declined in power, there are still opportunities in the court. If they seize those, their descendants will have no worries about food and clothing. Alright, go back and find Lingxi. Wash your face first and cover your forehead—otherwise, if Qiuxhen sees it, that girl likes to dig into things, and you’ll suffer even more.”
Though it wasn’t the first time she felt Zhang Yue’s concern, Amber was still overjoyed. Protecting others sounded easy but was difficult in practice. Whether in the past or now, she had never been able to help him at all, yet he always thought carefully of her. Wiping her eyes vigorously, she was about to leave when suddenly a urgent voice came from outside.
“Sir, people from Qingyuan County and Foshan Town in Guangzhou Prefecture, as well as Sihui County in Zhaoqing Prefecture, have come to report that heavy rains have fallen continuously there. The water levels of the Beijiang and Suijiang rivers have risen sharply, and the local authorities have already sent laborers to build dikes!”
As this report came in, a bright white light flashed outside, followed by a loud thunderclap. Amber was startled by the sound. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue held her hand tightly that she realized what had happened. Regaining her composure, she pulled her hand back and said softly, “Young master, you have important work to attend to. I’ll go back to my room first.”

Back in Kaifeng, he had witnessed the panic among the people when floods came. At that moment, Zhang Yue had no other thoughts either; he nodded at her and hurriedly headed for the main entrance. Once he pulled back the yellow bamboo curtain, he saw countless white lights suddenly appearing in the sky, accompanied by continuous thunder. Dense raindrops fell from the overcast sky, and in an instant, it turned into a downpour. The sound of the rain and the rain curtain filled his ears and vision, while strong winds carried raindrops straight at him. It seemed as if nothing else existed between heaven and earth but wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

That night, the wind was fierce, the rain heavy, and the thunder loud. It didn’t stop even until early the next morning. Not to mention Zhang Yue, many people in the provincial government office also failed to get proper sleep. As the saying goes, in Guangdong, seven parts are mountains, two parts are water, and one part is farmland—yet even this land is overshadowed by its extensive water systems. Now, in addition to the Dragon Boat Festival floods, there were also storms coming from the sea. Thus, even officials and clerks accustomed to dealing with floods dared not underestimate the severity of this downpour. By the early morning of the third day, wet messengers kept arriving at the provincial government office, bringing news of widespread flooding.

“There’s the Guangji Granary in Qingyuan County, the Guangying Granary in Sihui County, and the Fengji Granary in Zhaoqing Prefecture… Although these granaries are built on high ground and reinforced, if the wind and rain become too severe, any damage to the grain will make relief efforts much more difficult…”

At such a critical moment, Xiang Shaoyuan, the Right Governor who had been resting at home due to illness, appeared in the second hall of the office for the first time. Unlike the other officials who had come from various places, he had served in Guangdong and Guangxi since he started his career, so he was well-versed in the local situation. Coughing as he spoke, he provided a comprehensive account. Yang Mian, the Right Assistant Governor in charge of agricultural water management, originally came from the Shandong Provincial Government but was responsible for finances and taxes, so he could only nod in agreement. Zhang Yue, who had remained silent until then, asked after he finished speaking, “Does Lord Xiang think this situation is dangerous?”

“It may not be the most dangerous. The prefectural city should be safe, but dealing with the aftermath will be the hardest!” Xiang Shaoyuan coughed violently for a while before saying slowly, “As I just said, it would be best if the dams remain intact. But those smaller dikes might not all be safe. As long as one breaks, residential areas and farmland will suffer damage, and then relief efforts will become an enormous challenge. This Dragon Boat Festival flood affects several prefectures and states, and our grain reserves in Guangdong are already running low!”

Hearing the words “post-disaster measures,” Zhang Yue immediately thought of how opportunists always took advantage of disasters, and he grew wary. With no grain in the government stores, merchants would exploit the situation to raise prices. Borrowing grain from other provinces in a short time was also no easy task. After pondering for a moment, he realized this was not the time to worry about such things, so he promptly sent orders to the affected counties, instructing officials to relocate people living in low-lying areas to higher ground.

After days of heavy rain, hurricanes, and floods, Zhaoqing and Guangzhou prefectures were particularly hard hit. In total, over 800 houses collapsed in these areas. Fortunately, thanks to the government’s effective measures, the number of deaths was much lower than during the dragon boat race flood in the 20th year of the Yongle era—only about 60 people died. However, many rural fields were submerged. Thankfully, clear skies followed the floods, and by June, the water had completely receded. Even so, the countryside, having survived the disaster, was still in a desolate state.

While the local people suffered greatly from the floods and the government offices were busy counting losses and preparing reports for the imperial court, military commander Li Long and inspector Yu Liang separately invited Zhang Yue to meet, claiming it was to discuss the flood situation. Looking at those two elegantly crafted invitations covered in gold ink and then at the thick stack of urgent flood reports on his desk, Zhang Yue felt an indescribable annoyance.

However, once he arrived, he realized that those two officials had no intention of discussing the flood at all—they were trying to subtly gauge the court’s attitude toward Qin Huaijin. Noticing that the two must have visited the Maritime Administration several times these days, Zhang Yue spent a long time thinking in his study. One wanted money, the other sought fame. With the floods causing shortages of grain and funds in Guangzhou prefecture, he couldn’t handle everything alone. He had no choice but to drag these two self-serving men along to find a solution!

“Someone, deliver invitations to Lord Li and Lord Yu. Tell them I’ll host a banquet at Piaoxiang Tower in this city in three days.”