Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Tens of thousands of disaster victims could only fill their stomachs with thin porridge every day, but Ma Zhuo embezzled so much grain and used it to brew wine during the great famine.

The brewing techniques of that era required an average of four to five catties of grain to produce one catty of wine.

Yan Zhen looked at the mountain of grain and almost laughed in anger. She took it upon herself to act first and ask for permission later, and directly beheaded Ma Zhuo. The entire Ma family was thrown into the imperial prison.

The following day, more than 70,000 shi of grain were transported into the city's granaries.

When Zhang Liao returned from the disaster relief site, he looked at the endless grain transport team and his face turned ashen.

Nighttime, at the Li residence.

With a crisp "snap," the oil lamp burst into a flame in the night, standing out starkly in the deathly silence.

Inside the study, eleven officials, including Li Ru and Zhang Liao, looked at each other, all with solemn expressions.

Xu Fang was the only one not included.

After a long pause, Zhang Liao tentatively asked, "Do you think Xu Fang reported Lord Ma's affair?"

A blue-robed official who usually clashed with Xu Fang said indignantly, "Who else could it be but him! Lord Ma is his superior. If we bring him down and then curry favor with that princess, wouldn't he be able to climb the ranks?"

Another official of the same rank as Xu Fang said, "I think this matter is inseparable from Xu Fang. That princess has only been here for a few days. How could her subordinates have found out about Ma Zhuo's secret room so quickly and even uncovered his brewery outside the city? Someone must have informed on him."

Li Ru's expression was solemn: "Now that things have come to this, it doesn't matter whether Xu Fang did it or not. The princess is determined to punish us. With Lord Ma's example as a warning, what should we do next?"

A hint of ferocity flashed in Zhang Liao's eyes: "Even a powerful dragon can't defeat a local snake. If she insists on standing up for herself, then let her leave her life here to accompany her short-lived crown prince husband!"

Li Ru said, "The Crown Prince's death was an accident. If she also loses her life here, we will all be punished. It's too risky and not worth it."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Zhang Liao said irritably, the thought of that plague god still living in his mansion sent chills down his spine.

Everyone here is an official in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, and we usually know each other well. But now that Xu Fang has become a traitor, no one knows who will be the next to be denounced and have their property confiscated.

“We can’t hit her or kill her. For now, the only thing we can do is cooperate with her in disaster relief,” Li Ru said. “The sooner we finish the disaster relief, the sooner she can leave, and we’ll be safe.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao glanced at Li Ru from head to toe: "Lord Li, are you frightened by her?"

Li Ru countered, "Could it be that Lord Zhang is not afraid?"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Zhang Liao sneered, speaking sarcastically. "If you don't have the skills, you shouldn't take on the job. I dare to accept those things because I'm not afraid of not being able to handle them. I'm not like Lord Li, who suffers from a shrew at home and is scared out of his wits by a greenhorn girl in the officialdom!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ru immediately flew into a rage: "You..."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, their colleagues quickly intervened, saying, "Okay, stop arguing."

Is now the time to argue?

"Say less, all of you!"

After much persuasion, the two finally calmed down, but the incident disrupted everyone's plans, and they quickly dispersed.

The study in the Li residence returned to silence. Li Ru sighed and dragged his weary body back to his bedroom next door.

He was just about to rest when he opened the door and saw a woman in red sitting behind his desk, holding a scroll and looking at his paintings. He was instantly jolted awake, and all his fatigue vanished in an instant.

"Greetings, Princess!" Li Ru knelt down and performed a deep bow, while subtly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

The study is right next to the bedroom, so the princess must have heard everything her colleagues said.

Yan Zhen didn't rush to wake him up. She calmly rolled up the painting of galloping horses in her hand and said, "Lord Li's painting skills are superb. I admire them very much."

"Your Highness is too kind," said Lord Li, who was sweating profusely.

Yan Zhen picked up a painting scroll from the table and handed it to Li Ru: "I heard that Lord Li likes to collect paintings by famous artists. This is the 'Ladies Strolling in the Garden' painting that was found in Ma Zhuo's mansion. It is worth a fortune. You have made a contribution by reporting the matter of Ma Zhuo's house being confiscated. This is a reward for you."

Li Ru dared not accept the reward: "No, I dare not accept it. It is all my duty as an official. I dare not accept any reward."

"Take it." Yan Zhen stood up. "This princess is fair in rewarding and punishing. I will not let those who embezzle or accept bribes go unpunished, but I will not forget those who have made contributions either—get up."

Li Ru then carefully got up, taking the painting of the ladies as if it were a hot potato.

Yan Zhen looked at the cold sweat that kept pouring down his forehead and said with a smile, "Lord Li, there's no need to be nervous. I always keep my word. As long as you cooperate with me to do a good job in disaster relief, I will not only ensure your safety, but also help you rise to a high position in the future."

Li Ru hesitated for a moment, then nodded and cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."

After employing both kindness and severity, Yan Zhen planned to leave.

Li Ru called out to her, stammering, "Princess, is my wife... alright?"

After he finished speaking, he quickly explained, "Before I entered officialdom, my wife endured many years of hardship with me, earning money to support the family, serve my parents-in-law, and pay for my studies. As a result, she developed many health problems and needs to take medicine regularly. I didn't mean anything by it; I'm just worried about her health..."

Yan Zhen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam Li is very kind. Yesterday she even arranged to make Ye'erba (a type of steamed rice cake), saying that she wanted me, a guest from out of town, to try the local specialty of Sichuan and Chongqing."

Lord Li breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this: "It was my wife who disturbed the princess."

Lord Li watched Yan Zhen's figure disappear through the moon gate before collapsing onto the threshold, clutching the scroll in a daze.

Yan Zhen boarded the carriage parked at the back gate of the Li residence. Recalling Lord Li's frightened appearance, a smile appeared on his lips.

The saying goes, "Strike the snake at its vital spot." Li Ru, this local tyrant, has been completely outmaneuvered by her.

Profiteering from national disasters is a common occurrence throughout history.

Before coming to Sichuan, Yan Zhen had guessed that the disaster relief efforts would be difficult, so he did his homework on the local officials in advance.

On the night she arrived in Sichuan, she led more than twenty people to sneak into the Li residence and kidnapped Li Ru's wife.

Li Ru came from a poor family and entered officialdom through the imperial examination. He was a smooth and worldly man in the officialdom, but what was rare was that he did not take any concubines or mistresses during his decades in office. He only had one wife, whom he had married before he entered officialdom.

As expected, Li Ru had deep feelings for Madam Li, and his face changed drastically when he saw her tied up.

Despite the difficult situation, he agreed to cooperate with Yan Zhen for the sake of Madam Li's safety.

The information about the secret room in Ma Zhuo's house, as well as the locations of the three wineries outside the city, were all provided by Li Ru.

He was Yan Zhen's breakthrough in dismantling this group of corrupt officials who protected each other.

As for Xu Fang, he was merely a cover for Li Ru.

She has now planted a nail between them, sowing discord between them, making things much easier from now on.