"Your Majesty, I have received a report concerning Qianye Prefecture in Xiangyang. Refugees are everywhere, and the various counties are actively working to manage them. However, the County Magistrate of Jade Peak County has allowed the refugees to besiege the town without providing any guidance. He has even stood by and watched as they fight and steal from one another outside the walls, to the point that disease has begun to fester. Eventually, unable to bear their suffering, the refugees rioted and stormed the town, resulting in countless deaths and injuries among the townspeople..."

Lu Su listed over a dozen charges against the County Magistrate of Jade Peak County, both major and minor, before concluding solemnly, "...All of his crimes are detailed in this report. I implore Your Majesty to see the truth!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Liang’s expression darkened with fury. He roared, "Bring it to me!"

The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Ceremonial Office hurried forward to retrieve the memorial, presenting it to Emperor Liang with the utmost respect and caution.

As Emperor Liang scanned its contents, the anger radiating from him grew even more intense.

Meanwhile, toward the back of the officials assembled on the left, a middle-aged man broke out in a sweat. His face was fraught with anxiety, yet he did not dare step forward to object.

He knew the Zhu Family had gathered so much "evidence" and was finally making its move.

This was Chang Wuli, the sole pillar of the Chang Family at the Imperial Court.

Chang Wuli kept glancing at an elderly man standing second from the front in the opposing line of officials. Seeing him with his eyes closed, seemingly resting and utterly unconcerned, made Chang Wuli even more anxious. ’I wonder what Elder Zheng is thinking.’

But he also silently cursed his incompetent nephew, Chang Younian.

’It was a perfectly good plan! If he’d succeeded, the entire Zheng Family faction would have advanced, and our rivals would have been weakened.’

’But now he’s made such a mess of things!’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

Just then, another official stepped out from the ranks, also holding a memorial, and spoke urgently:

"Your Majesty, those are baseless claims. According to the reports I have received, the refugees in Qianye Prefecture have almost all fled the famine in Linchuan. In the neighboring Guang’an Prefecture, which is part of Linchuan, the famine is so severe that the dead line the roads for miles. Most people had no choice but to flee to the nearest sanctuary, Qianye Prefecture in Xiangyang, with Jade Peak County being the closest town. The number of people was simply overwhelming. County Magistrate Chang could not possibly allow them all into the town, so he had no choice but to let them camp outside the walls. He even arranged for porridge and water to be distributed daily, all in an effort to..."

The official who had stepped forward held his memorial in both hands, his body bowed as he listed the various commendable measures that had been taken, refuting Lu Su’s charges.

He seemed to be arguing that all the charges were based on twisted logic that completely ignored the facts of the situation.

The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Ceremonial Office immediately went to retrieve this memorial as well.

After Emperor Liang finished reading it, his expression softened somewhat, but his face remained grim. He leaned forward, his eyes sweeping over the two officials below without saying a word.

Among the highest-ranking officials at the front—nine on each side—all listened with placid expressions, showing no reaction whatsoever to the affair.

Seeing someone step forward to argue the case, Chang Wuli felt his heart relax slightly. ’This means the Zheng Family is still backing the Chang Family.’

However, another official aligned with the Zhu Family then stepped forward. He began to refute the so-called relief measures, making sweeping generalizations and forcefully emphasizing several of the main charges:

"...Your Majesty, to stand by while a plague emerges, only to then treat it for the sake of earning merit for a cure—this is a vile act that shows a wanton disregard for human life!

Did he ever consider that if the plague got out of control, the death toll would far exceed that of the drought? By then, an entire county town—and all the villages under its jurisdiction—would have become a city of the dead, a collection of desolate, lifeless settlements! That would be the most horrifying event since the founding of the Liang Kingdom!

What’s more, this man actually conspired with members of the local Noble Race to seize the grain shipment!

This was the Court’s disaster relief grain, on which the lives of tens of thousands of people depend! For the County Magistrate of Jade Peak to act in such a way is to show a blatant disregard for the law, treating the laws of Da Liang as if they are meaningless! This is a crime so heinous it warrants the execution of his entire clan and the confiscation of all their property! I beseech Your Majesty to issue an edict for the immediate arrest of this wicked official!"