Chapter 710: Seeking Fame Intentionally

Yu Qian the next day showed up with dark circles under his eyes but full of energy, going to Chen Xun to demand money, grain, and official orders.

The relief funds and grain could not possibly all be transported from Jingcheng; most were still mobilized from local and nearby prefectures.

The imperial court maintained constant-grain warehouses in every region, but none could be opened without the Emperor's decree.

So Yu Qian only needed to bring silver and a small portion of grain from Jingcheng, along with his official orders, before departing.

Before leaving, he asked Chen Xun to look after Xue Shao.

Chen Xun: "... I heard you slept at the inn last night, sharing a bed with Xue Shao—just one night, and you're already this close?"

Yu Qian caught the bitterness in his tone and hurriedly said: "Not nearly as close as you, but he's a good official—he must be protected."

Chen Xun waved him off to leave quickly.

But Yu Qian didn't leave; instead, he glanced outside and asked: "What does His Majesty think of lifting the maritime ban?"

Chen Xun also glanced outside, then lowered his voice: "The Emperor is young and still has ambition; with enough encouragement, he'll act—but the imperial clan is another matter. Maritime trade is now largely controlled by them, and with support from the noble families, they're even less willing to lift the ban."

Yu Qian fell silent for a moment, then said: "Worms eating away at the state—the court's annual salaries and grants to them..."

Chen Xun clapped a hand over his mouth and whispered: "Hush! Do you think things aren't chaotic enough already? Go fix your disaster relief!"

Yu Qian turned and walked away.

Chen Xun sighed, standing in place for a long while before heading to the Grand Secretariat.

After Yang Shiqi's death, Yang Pu was promoted to Chief Grand Secretary, and Chen Xun rose to Minister of Revenue, only entering the Grand Secretariat this year—the least senior among them.

After yesterday's court session, the Grand Secretaries were individually summoned by the Emperor; today should be his turn.

Though Chen Xun said nothing in the palace yesterday, he privately agreed with lifting the maritime ban.

The founding Emperor imposed the maritime ban first because the realm had just been stabilized, domestic unrest still raged, and the court lacked strength to resist Japanese pirates;

second, maritime trade at that time brought the court little profit.

But times are no longer as they were.

We can no longer rely on tribute missions alone.

When the eunuch Sanbao sailed to the Southern Seas, the officials halted it because the cost was enormous.

Oh, the cost came from the state treasury—but the money brought back went straight into the Emperor's private coffers.

The state treasury truly cannot bear it.

Though Emperor Taizong claimed those funds were later used as military supplies for war,... they were never recorded in public accounts; no one could ever account for that murky ledger.

So maritime trade must be opened—allowing all the people of the realm to participate—only then can we collect customs duties; wealth must enrich the state treasury, and the treasury must serve the people...

So now, the question is how to tear this piece of the pie from the Emperor, the imperial clan, and the noble families.

Pan Yun was not worried about lifting the maritime ban.

Wealth stirs the heart—the silver mines were already known throughout the martial world; the court could never suppress public opinion.

If the court refuses to lift the ban, more people will become sea bandits and cross over to mine the islands.

But then, the roles will reverse—who knows which shore the sea bandits will land on?

Pan Yun, smirking, finished counting the grain and waved her hand: "Enough. Take it away."

The villagers immediately rushed forward to haul the grain away, to be distributed back in the village.

Xiao Lan hesitated, then stepped forward: "Priestess, Grandpa Dachun's family is still in jail."

An old man hurried over to stop her, whispering: "Priestess has already done enough to save us—don't trouble her further..."

Pan Yun smiled: "No trouble. If I can save them, I will do my best; if I cannot, then it means they cannot be saved."

The old man sighed: "I wonder if Xiao Jing and the others can come down—if they surrender, maybe they'll be spared, and spare us from being dragged down too."

Pan Yun: "Rebellion implicates many. Since no one in your families joined, you won't be implicated. Take your relief grain and return home—repair your houses, see if you can save the rice in the fields."

The old man agreed, and the villagers left together.

The grain and medicine Pan Yun purchased through the Wu Lin Alliance arrived in succession—not only did the villagers of Fen Shui Village come, but disaster-stricken villagers from across the county flocked to the county seat to claim supplies.

The gates of Yushan County, once sealed, now stood wide open; every day, crowds of refugees filled the streets.

Cai Cheng never expected his own donated aid hadn't even been converted into grain and medicine before Pan Yun had already brought so much—he felt a complex mix of joy and anxiety.

He ordered his secretary to draft a report to the prefecture, stating that Yushan County had solved its own relief grain needs; yet he worried Pan Yun would use this to win public favor and grow even stronger.

"What if I order the government office Runners to seize the relief grain and medicine she brought in?"

Wu the secretary hurriedly said: "My lord, she recruited refugees and village heads under the name of Mount Sanqing, bypassing the county government office entirely. If we forcibly take control, we'll only anger her..."

Cai Cheng flushed with rage, flinging his sleeve: "Furious! Does she mean to emulate Wang Mang? Throughout history, those who buy public favor are traitors!"

"Shh—" Wu the secretary glanced warily outside and whispered: "Lower your voice—many government office clerks and runners have already gone to collect grain and medicine. Mount Sanqing's prestige is now extremely high; Pan Yun's reputation far surpasses even her senior brother's."

With the steady flow of grain and medicine, Pan Yun became a celebrity across Yushan County and its two neighboring counties.

From seventy-year-old elders to five-year-old children—you might not know the county magistrate's name, but you'd know the woman who fed you and gave you medicine to prevent disease: Pan Yun!

Countless beams of merit-gold flew toward her; the merit she'd lost from killing too many in Japan slowly recovered.

Wang Feiyin, when no one was around, took some hard-to-handle treasures outside, and upon returning, handed Pan Yun a list: "I've arranged everything. Take a look."

Pan Yun took it and read.

In just two days, Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries across southern Jiangnan began charitable acts—setting up porridge stalls and stockpiling grain, allowing refugees to claim rations with their grain bags and household registers.

When asked, they said: "Donated by Daoist Pan Yun of Mount Sanqing, in joint relief efforts with 【X】 Daoist temple or Buddhist monastery."

The people, after receiving grain, clasped their hands in thanks to the temples and monasteries—and then added their gratitude to Daoist Pan Yun, the donor.

Thus, Daoist Pan Yun became not only the kindest Daoist in Jiangnan, but also the wealthiest Daoist in Jiangnan.

Influenced by the temples and monasteries, local gentry, wealthy merchants, and landlords all generously donated money and grain.

No matter how much or little, it was their heartfelt offering.

As a result, southern Jiangnan, once broken and lifeless, instantly came alive—everywhere, people tore down dangerous houses, moved timber to rebuild, and swept the streets.

Kunshan County was no different.

Dai Rong had already prepared to die to atone for his crime, when grain suddenly fell from the sky—he came back to life at once.

"It was delivered by a man named A Xin, who said his master was performing good deeds for his elderly family members, so he sent ten carts of grain."

Dai Rong was overjoyed and kept exclaiming: "Good, good, good! Quickly bring out the last jar of wine from my home—I'll treat Brother A Xin to a drink. From now on, he's my brother."

"My lord, shall we still steal grain from the Changping Granary tonight?"

"Shut up!" Dai Rong glanced warily outside, then whispered: "Steal? What are you talking about? That's grain being distributed—I have the inspector's official order… No, we didn't steal. Once the disaster passes, we'll find a way to buy grain and make up the accounts. Only we few know about distributing the grain—no one else must hear of it."

"Yes."

Dai Rong was a very flexible man.

Although Xue Shao had left him the order, he felt it better to first distribute the grain and keep the order on hand—if things failed, he could produce it to save himself;

if he later replaced the grain and balanced the books, the boat would vanish into the stream, and no one would ever know.

For the past two days he had been torn between blaming Xue Shao or taking the blame himself.

He had nearly killed himself to atone, yet grain had suddenly arrived—clearly heaven still favored him and did not wish him to die.

Dai Rong joyfully went to receive the grain.

Chen Wen distributed grain through his soldiers, and he had a natural advantage: he had connections within the navy.

All he needed was to claim he was helping wealthy merchants transport grain, pay a small fee, and they could ship grain from Shandong and Guangdong to Jiangnan.

Grain from Shandong was used to aid Zhili and Zhejiang; grain from Guangdong was shipped to Jiangxi and Fujian.

Pan Yun did not know that nearly one-third of the grain she had commissioned the Wu Lin Alliance to purchase passed through Chen Wen's hands.

Thus, before the imperial court's relief grain arrived, the people and soldiers of Jiangnan had already saved themselves; when Yu Qian hurriedly reached Zhili, the refugees' faces already bore smiles—though beggars and refugees still lined the roads, none sat idle, but all rolled up their sleeves to help clear collapsed houses.

Yu Qian, upon learning the truth, said: "Truly, when all hearts are united, nothing is impossible."

He then decided to travel to Jiangxi to meet this Pan Yun Daochang, whose fame spread throughout Jiangnan.

He wanted to see this man who troubled the Emperor and earned Xue Shao's endless praise.

Was her publicizing of herself, her pursuit of reputation and prestige, deliberate or accidental?

Wang Zhi, who had rushed to Yushan County, now sat in a tea stall and asked Pan Yun the same question: "Daochang Pan, your reputation soars to the heavens—was this deliberate, or accidental?"

Pan Yun had just seen off a group of refugees and, parched, lifted the teapot and drank deeply.

When she was satisfied, she set down the teapot, exhaled deeply, and answered frankly: "Deliberate."

Wang Zhi had not expected such candor; a smile spread across his face as he asked teasingly: "You're a Daoist—why seek fame?" (End of Chapter)