Chapter 1112: The Wude Office Reports

"The disaster in Hezhong indeed showed signs early on, but the officials failed to respond in time. When famine broke out, they suppressed the reports, intending to control the victims and contain the impact of the disaster within their borders. Only when the starving masses surged beyond concealment did they finally report to the court for aid!"

Inside the Qionglin Garden, Emperor Liu, who had been staying there for nearly a month, listened to the report from Li Chongju, Commissioner of the Wude Office.

With a "smack," Liu Chengyou hurled the book he had been pretending to read onto the desk: "What were the local censors doing? What was the Hedong Administration Commission doing? Such a major incident — no investigation, no report. What do they think they're doing! And what were the Wude Office's agents in Hedong doing? Did they notice nothing?"

"This An Shouzhen has quite the nerve. Does he think that under the bright heavens above, he can deceive the court?"

He had originally thought there might be false reporting of the disaster in Hezhong, but never expected the investigation to reveal suppressed reporting. Both were deceptions of the court, the same in nature, but the consequences were far more severe — because under famine, with such official response, the common people naturally suffered greatly, turning a natural calamity into a man-made disaster.

Liu Chengyou's barrage of questions was broad in scope, essentially scolding every department with supervisory duties. This was understandable — there were always people who liked to jump out and challenge his bottom line. He did not forbid problems in the localities; what angered him was the negligence of officials below, even deceiving him like this.

Facing the furious emperor, Li Chongju naturally offered his apologies, though his expression remained calm, for he knew the emperor would not actually punish him over this. The Wude Office's intelligence network was indeed tight and vast, but the realm was so large that it was impossible to cover everything — there were plenty of places where their surveillance was incomplete or simply out of reach.

"How many died?" Once his emotions settled, Liu Chengyou asked.

"The exact number is not yet known, but according to reports, the local starving masses largely sought to save themselves, and local worthies distributed relief to their hometowns. Thus, although the granaries were opened late, not many starved to death!" Li Chongju answered.

"If I go a single day without food, I can barely bear the hunger. Relief was delayed by nearly a month — can you imagine how the starving people of Hezhong managed to survive?" Liu Chengyou said coldly.

Looking at Li Chongju, Liu Chengyou directly instructed him to transfer the Wude Office's investigation files on the Hezhong famine to the Hall of State Affairs, and summoned an interpreter to convey the decree — the chancellors were to deliberate on the matter, and the Three Judicial Offices were tasked with conducting a full review of all personnel involved in dereliction of duty and negligent governance during the case.

It was easy to foresee this would be another political earthquake — not only was the nature of the offense egregious, but it also implicated the An clan, one of the Great Han's top aristocratic families. An Shouzhen, Prefect of Hezhong, was the direct nephew of An Shenqi, the Commandery Prince of Xiangyang. Perhaps considering this connection, one could understand why the Hezhong affair had developed as it had — many people seemed to have lost their sight and hearing.

Liu Chengyou simply could not understand An Shouzhen's reasoning. What possible benefit was there for him in deceiving the court and concealing the disaster? If he feared that severe disaster consequences would harm his career advancement — he was hardly some rootless commoner from a humble family.

Moreover, past precedents showed that when facing disasters, timely response and proper handling that kept the people safe were points in one's favor — after all, moments of crisis were the truest test of a person's ability.

Of course, Emperor Liu was not about to speculate on An Shouzhen's psychology — he only looked at results now. More rationally, Emperor Liu did not simply take the Wude Office's one-sided account at face value, but handed the matter to the relevant authorities for continued investigation and adjudication. Still, the fact that the court was already investigating, yet the Wude Office had now directly transferred detailed intelligence, was also a warning to the supervisory departments.

On another note, Hezhong Prefecture was a major prefecture — traditionally prosperous, rich in local products. Every year Emperor Liu would sample the local Fengqi pears, and it also benefited from its salt ponds — truly a land of treasure.

But in recent years, disasters had struck frequently — earthquakes, floods, droughts, locust plagues, torrential rains — nearly every common calamity had occurred. Logically speaking, after so many years and so many rounds of trials, it should never have escalated into a famine of this magnitude. This showed that the fault lay not with heaven but with men. With such considerations in mind, one could expect that the punishment of those officials would show no mercy whatsoever.

"You said earlier that the people of Hezhong saved themselves — how? By hunting in the mountains? Fishing in the waters? Digging wild vegetables? Gnawing on tree bark?" After a moment of deliberation, Liu Chengyou had fully returned to his usual composure. Looking at Li Chongju, he said: "The local worthies distributed relief to their hometowns — surely not for free? Even if such benevolent gentry existed, could they exhaust their family fortunes? Could they save all the starving masses?"

Faced with this barrage of questions from Emperor Liu, Li Chongju was somewhat at a loss for how to answer. But soon Liu Chengyou revealed his true concern: "I hear that during every famine, it is the perfect opportunity for wealthy landlords and powerful families to annex land. The people, desperate to survive, are forced to sell their land at rock-bottom prices and take shelter with the rich households. What is the situation in Hezhong?"

"Your servant will arrange for an investigation!" Li Chongju reported. He never spoke rashly about matters he did not understand.

"Anything else?" Emperor Liu adjusted his mindset quickly and asked again.

Seeing this, Li Chongju bowed slightly and continued: "A household slave of the Xiangyang Prince's mansion committed adultery with one of his concubines. They were reported, and the adulterous pair was executed by private punishment!"

Hearing that it involved the An clan again, Liu Chengyou's brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at Li Chongju — surely today was not specifically meant to put the An family in a bad light.

But to this, Emperor Liu only smiled faintly: "The Xiangyang Prince was a hero of his generation — able to command soldiers to secure the frontiers and guard the four directions. Yet in managing his household, he proved lacking, and such a face-damaging scandal emerged. One can see — no man is perfect!"

It was easy to imagine — An Shenqi was nearly seventy, unable to satisfy his concubines, whose unfulfilled desires led to adultery. Not exactly difficult to understand. The key issue was that An Shenqi managed his household poorly and governed it without strictness.

The matter of An Shenqi ended there — there was no way they would expose the scandal of a dignified Commandery Prince. As for the issue of private punishment, what needed to be ignored would be ignored. Homicide cases were major cases, but in many situations, in many people's eyes, the lives of some insignificant people truly counted for nothing — cheap as weeds. Of course, that adulterous pair had also courted death through their own actions.

"Imperial army generals Li Jixun, Dang Jin, Han Lingkun and others frequently associate with the Duke of Rong. This month alone there have already been two gatherings of heavy drinking — and when they drink, they always get drunk!" Li Chongju continued, his voice almost devoid of emotion.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's expression darkened slightly, but he soon smiled lightly: "I see! Since the Duke of Rong's love of wine is known throughout court and country, these men are either old friends or drinking companions — no great concern. When I find the time, I should also pay a visit and beg a few cups of wine..."

"The Duke of Ying passed through Luoyang, entered his family home, and left in less than an hour, coming straight to the capital. It is said he clashed verbally with his father over matters of family conduct — the Duke of Ying disapproved of his father's ostentatious display and extravagant spending in Luoyang."

Hearing this piece of news, Liu Chengyou smiled with amusement: "Old Master Chai must be seventy by now, yes? The Duke of Ying is too harsh on the old man."

That was what he said, but he was quite satisfied with Guo Rong's conduct. Liu Chengyou asked directly: "Do you know where Guo Rong has reached?"

"Calculating the pace of travel, he should have already entered Kaifeng territory!"

"Yan Tuo!" Emperor Liu called out directly. The head palace eunuch hurried over to await orders.

"Take my imperial carriage to Xiangfu Post Station and wait there. When the Duke of Ying arrives, bring him directly to the Qionglin Garden!" Emperor Liu commanded.

"Yes!" Yan Tuo dared not delay and immediately acknowledged the order.

From Emperor Liu's attitude, one could see that the earlier disturbances and those inexplicable criticisms were merely a natural "tremor" — the Duke of Ying, Guo Rong, remained in the Great Han emperor's eyes a pillar of the state, enjoying the highest treatment.

"You have worked hard as well. There is chilled melon prepared in the hall — enjoy it before you go about your duties!" Facing Li Chongju, Emperor Liu once again showed a genial countenance.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Chongju — a man of imperial guard origins who had transitioned from military to political service, serving as Commissioner of the Wude Office and commanding the vast intelligence and surveillance apparatus for nearly twelve years now.

Setting aside everything else, the very fact that Emperor Liu had never once considered replacing him spoke volumes about his extraordinary nature.