After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

A moment later, Yang Tinghe walked in, wearing an overcoat.

He looked sleepy and displeased: "Second brother, what are you doing? In the middle of the night..."

"Big brother, something terrible has happened."

With a serious expression, Yang Tingyi recounted Yang Shen's discovery.

After hearing this, Yang Tinghe became completely sober.

The study was silent, with only the flickering candlelight.

"Shen'er, describe the shape of that gap again in detail."

Yang Shen described it in detail, and even found paper and pen to draw the shape of the notch.

Yang Tinghe stared at the blueprints for a long time before slowly saying, "It is indeed suspicious! When I was observing the administration of the Ministry of Works, I saw several blueprints of dike breaches. A breach caused by natural erosion would not be this shape."

Yang Tingyi exclaimed excitedly, "I will submit a memorial tomorrow to impeach the emperor and request the court to thoroughly investigate the breach of the Wuqing dike!"

"Wait a minute." Yang Tinghe raised his hand to stop him. "Impeachment? Impeach whom? Say the dike was deliberately damaged? Where's the evidence? Just Shen'er's eyes? Just this sketch?"

"this……"

Yang Tingyi was speechless, but insisted, "I am an imperial censor; I cannot ignore such a matter!"

Yang Tinghe's voice was cold and stern: "Unauthorized breaching of the dikes and causing floods is a capital offense, a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family! If you impeach the wrong person, it will be considered falsely accusing an official of the court and disrupting the government. At best, you will be demoted and exiled; at worst... think about it yourself."

Yang Tingyi's expression shifted uncertainly. He was well aware of the implications. Although censors had certain privileges when reporting matters based on hearsay, the consequences of such serious accusations would be unimaginable without concrete evidence.

"But brother, if someone is truly responsible for this disaster, how can we live with ourselves if we don't report it? These past few days, when I've been patrolling the city, I've seen disaster victims every day. They're barely clothed, starving, and their children are crying from hunger... If it's truly a man-made disaster, then these people have been killed!"

Yang Tinghe remained silent for a long time, unable to make up his mind.

This matter is far too significant for him to control.

If someone were to breach the dike, how much land in Wuqing County would be flooded?

And who will ultimately get these lands?

This is a big business deal!

In the business, those vagrants were served at the dinner table.

Yang Shen looked at his father, then at his second uncle, and suddenly spoke up: "Father, Second Uncle, perhaps... we don't need to impeach him directly."

The two of them turned around at the same time and stared at Yang Shen.

Yang Shen slowly said, "We can try a different approach. Second Uncle is the Imperial Inspector, and he has the authority to investigate matters in and around the capital. With a large influx of disaster victims from Wuqing County into the capital, it is reasonable for Second Uncle to be involved in the resettlement and relief efforts of Shuntian Prefecture."

A glint flashed in Yang Tinghe's eyes: "Continue!"

Yang Shen continued, "Second Uncle can first submit a memorial, not mentioning that the dikes have been breached, but only stating that the flooding in Wuqing is unusually severe and the disaster is different from previous years, requesting the court to send officials to investigate the causes of the disaster and the relief efforts. This way, he can fulfill his duty as an imperial censor without giving the court any grounds for criticism. If the court sends officials to investigate, they will naturally discover the truth."

Yang Tingyi's eyes lit up: "Great idea! This way we have a clear plan for both advancing and retreating!"

Yang Tinghe remained cautious: "Who should we send to investigate? What if the people we send are actually part of their group? Wouldn't that alert them?"

"I do have someone in mind..."

Yang Shen paused for a moment, then said, "Li Chun, the heir of the Earl of Xiangcheng, commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, and commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

-----------------

It was midnight at the Wuqing County brick kiln.

Steam still rose from the kiln opening, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold autumn night.

Wang Shouren led his men on a tour and, seeing that everything was as usual, returned to the makeshift thatched hut. By the light of an oil lamp, he opened the small notebook he carried with him and recorded what he had seen and thought that day, especially the subtle adjustments to the reaction effects of saline-alkali soil with lime and river mud.

Just as he was engrossed in writing, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps and commotion came from outside the shed.

"This is it!"

"Where's that kid? Get out here right now, Third Master!"

Wang Shouren put down his pen, stood up, and slowly walked out of the thatched hut.

At the entrance to the kiln, torches flickered and shadowy figures could be seen, numbering at least twenty or thirty.

The leader was still Liu San, whose nose was red and swollen. Besides the thugs from earlier that day, there were also more than a dozen constables dressed in black uniforms beside him!

These people all had fierce expressions and looked menacing.

The people stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Liu San completely disregarded these peasants, hands on his hips, and yelled, "Where's that clueless brat from earlier today? Where's he hiding? Get out here, Third Master! I'll beat the shit out of you today, you're lucky you've done all that!"

Wang Shouren parted the crowd, stepped forward, and calmly said, "Our young master has returned. I am now in charge here. What are your suggestions?"

Liu San squinted at Wang Shouren, noticing his ordinary cloth robe but unusual demeanor. Remembering his powerful backer, Liu San's courage swelled: "Who do you think you are? I'm looking for that brat who dared to make a move!"

"I am the manager here. The young master is not here. You can speak to me if you have anything to say."

"good!"

Liu San, with his nostrils flared, said, "That brat dared to hit me, this score can't be left unresolved! Protection money, doubled! Six hundred taels a month! In addition, you'll compensate me for medicine and emotional distress... rounding it up, a thousand taels! Pay up now, or I'll smash up your shabby kiln right now and throw all of you peasants in jail!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouren chuckled softly: "Our Great Ming Code stipulates many taxes, such as commercial taxes, market stall taxes, and customs duties. But I wonder which article stipulates this protection fee? We operate a brick kiln here, and we will pay the taxes due to the Wuqing County government in accordance with the law. As for this nameless and purposeless protection fee, I'm afraid I cannot comply."

Liu San was taken aback; he hadn't expected the other person to be a scholar.

He immediately flew into a rage: "The law? In Wuqing County, I am the law! Constable Zhang!"

The head constable, known as Constable Zhang, was a burly man with a full beard. He stepped forward, his hand on his iron ruler, and barked with an air of official authority: "You've gathered here to collect soil for brick-making. Do you have any official documents? Your behavior seems suspicious; you might be bandits hiding here! If you know what's good for you, quickly call your employer out and come with us to the county office to report! Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless when carrying out our duties!"

The people present became agitated, their faces showing even greater fear.

It's human nature for ordinary people to fear officials, let alone these people who distort the truth and are simply looking for trouble.

Wang Shouren remained unfazed, his gaze sweeping over Constable Zhang and the assembled constables. He slowly asked, "Constable Zhang, is it? As a member of the public service, your duty is to apprehend thieves and protect the people. Why do you, without even investigating the matter, accompany this tyrant who extorts merchants and terrorizes the streets? Is he related to you? Or has he promised you some benefit? Does the magistrate of Wuqing County know that you are openly colluding to collect so-called protection money?"

Constable Zhang, somewhat embarrassed, shouted sternly, "You unruly scoundrel! How dare you criticize the government and question the county magistrate? I think you're tired of living! Brothers, seize this madman!"

Liu San shouted triumphantly from the side, "That's right! Take him down! How dare he disrespect my brother-in-law? He's really asking for trouble!"

"Oh! So he's the magistrate's brother-in-law. No wonder he's so arrogant."

Wang Shouren nodded, his tone remaining calm, as if he were recounting a trivial matter.

"Scared now?" Liu San sneered. "Too late! Officer Zhang, what are you waiting for? Arrest him! Let's see if he still dares to talk back when he's in jail!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhang, the head constable, sent several bailiffs swarming forward like wolves, ready to seize Wang Shouren.

When the officials tried to forcibly arrest people, the common people rushed forward with shovels and carrying poles, and the scene immediately became tense.

Head Constable Zhang pointed at the crowd: "Rebellion! Rebellion! Do you want to rebel? The Wuqing County government is handling cases; anyone who dares to obstruct them will be treated as an accomplice! Arrest them all!"

Although the refugees were angry, their momentum faltered when faced with the charge of rebellion.

Wang Shouren said loudly, "Gentlemen, please hold your fire. I'll go with them."

"Manager Wang, you can't go!"

The crowd looked anxious and tried their best to stop them.

Wang Shouren turned around, gently shook his head at the crowd, and said, "Everyone, continue working, take good care of the kiln, and wait for the young master to return. Don't worry, our Great Ming Dynasty has its own laws and justice."

Having said that, he walked towards Officer Zhang and said, "Let's go!"

Officer Zhang hadn't expected him to cooperate so readily, and scoffed, "You're smart to know what's good for you!"

Liu San, still not satisfied, rushed over and pointed at Wang Shouren's nose: "Now you know how to back down? Let me tell you, you'll be in big trouble in the county jail! And that little brat, he can't hide forever. I'll come back for him tomorrow!"

Wang Shouren glanced at him disdainfully and strode out of the kiln.