Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Wu Ji roared angrily, and the eunuch beside him and an official in a red robe immediately knelt on the ground in fright.

"Feng Wei, you are in charge of the Ministry of War, tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Feng Wei replied, "In response to Your Majesty, those unruly people are defiant and recklessly collude with the bandits, which is why the number of bandits is increasing."

"Then why did it turn out like this?"

"Because the disaster was so severe and could not be properly and effectively handled, that's why..."

Feng Wei stopped mid-sentence.

He knew very well the temperament of the emperor before him; he would never admit any wrongdoing.

But Wu Ji had already discerned Feng Wei's unspoken meaning: "What are you trying to say? That the current situation of my Great Wu is all my fault? Is that right?"

"Your humble servant dares not!"

Feng Wei immediately knelt down and kowtowed, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Hmph, I just don't understand how wiping out a group of bandits could end up like this!"

Hu Ruzhen said he wanted to train a new army, and I had already sent the military pay. The pay was indeed delivered.

But the number of bandits has increased rather than decreased. How can this be explained?

Feng Wei whispered, "Your Majesty, training troops also takes time."

Wu Ji pondered for a moment and said, "There is time to train the troops, but do I have time? If we wait any longer, the bandits will be able to reach the capital!"

"If the bandits dare to invade the capital, your humble servant will do everything in his power to defend the imperial city and ensure His Majesty's safety!"

Feng Wei's words were very sincere, which finally calmed Wu Ji's irritable mood a bit.

"Okay, get up and talk."

"Thank you, Saint."

After Feng Wei stood up, Wu Ji asked again, "So how should we deal with the bandit problem?"

Feng Wei replied, "Your Majesty, I believe we should first write a letter to General Hu in the name of the Ministry of War, ordering him to intensify the training of the new army."

Furthermore, the unrest among the people has led to an increase in the number of bandits; therefore, efforts should be made to appease the public.

Wu Ji sat back down on the prayer mat: "I just don't understand, when there's no food, those disaster victims start to riot."

Now that the food has been distributed, the unrest has only intensified. Does this mean I made a mistake in distributing the disaster relief grain?

Feng Wei replied, "Your Majesty, the reason why there are more and more bandits is because some people are embezzling disaster relief grain."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji's face instantly turned ashen.

"Minister Feng, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that I took disaster relief grain?"

Feng Wei hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. That's not what I meant. Your Majesty is showing compassion for the people by distributing disaster relief grain. You are a benevolent ruler. It is all the fault of the local officials."

Wu Ji's lips twitched slightly as he said to himself, "Don't think I don't know what you're all thinking about me."

"Three million bushels of grain, just because I took one million, you want to lead the people to ruin my reputation, is that it?"

Feng Wei: "Your humble servant dares not!"

Wu Ji: "What else wouldn't you dare to do? When did you ever respect me? I chose to cultivate immortality precisely because I can't stand your despicable methods."

Let me tell you, the one million shi of grain I received is different from yours. You only want to use the grain to line your own pockets.

But I am taking the grain not for myself, but for the sake of all the people under heaven.

If you build more Taoist temples and sincerely seek the Tao, all suffering will eventually pass.

This million is spent on the people and must not be mixed up with other things. I am not as cold-blooded as you think.”

Feng Wei lowered his head and said, "I will always remember every little thing that the Sage has done for the Great Wu."

"Does keeping something in one's heart depend on words? What's the use of just saying nice things?" Wu Ji shrugged. "Let's get down to business: how to appease public opinion."

Feng Wei: "If we can punish a group of corrupt officials in front of the disaster victims and let them see the sincerity of the court in punishing local officials, it will surely be able to reunite the people's hearts."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji flicked his Taoist robe and said, "That's a good idea. Go and meet with Xu Qian, and have him tell the Ministry of Justice to do it the way you suggested."

"Wei Chen takes orders."

As soon as he finished speaking, a Taoist priest entered the Sanqing Hall.

"Your Majesty, this is the Longevity Pill sent by the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Daoist Changqing. It took a full eighty-one days to refine, and he specially sent it to Your Majesty for your consumption."

Upon hearing this, all the gloom on Wu Ji's face vanished instantly.

"I am truly grateful to Daoist Changqing. I will select ten thousand bolts of silk and ten thousand taels of gold from my treasury and send them to the Heavenly Dao Sect as a token of my gratitude. No matter how difficult the times are, we cannot neglect Heaven."

"Yes, the servant knows."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch beside him immediately wrote it down.

Wu Ji was more enthusiastic than anyone else about seeking immortality and enlightenment, and he was never stingy with his money. Even though the imperial treasury was already running out of funds, he would spend it without batting an eye.

Holding the elixir of immortality presented to him, Wu Ji treated it like a priceless treasure, lifting his sleeves, carefully pinching it, and swallowing it in one gulp.

"It really is a miracle drug, hahaha."

Feng Wei lowered his head, and seeing Wu Jilong's delighted expression, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, then this humble subject will take his leave."

"Ah."

Wu Ji closed his eyes to absorb the medicinal power and felt a wave of comfort wash over him.

Upon hearing Feng Wei mention it, he simply responded with a soft "yes" and waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

……

Outside Yuncheng County in the Kingdom of Wu, tens of thousands of starving famine victims fled to this place, waiting for aid from the city.

They were blocked by rows of sharp, sturdy barricades and a group of armed soldiers, and could only huddle in an open space thirty paces away from the city wall, enduring the torment of hunger and longing for a bite of disaster relief food.

However, more than ten days have passed, and not a single grain of food has been provided to them by Yuncheng County.

These days, the refugees can only survive on small amounts of wild vegetables and tree bark, and the children are crying out in hunger.

Many people became weak from hunger, and some even starved to death.

This filled the displaced people with a profound sense of despair.

They had thought they would be rescued after arriving in Yuncheng, but now they find themselves in an even deeper predicament.

They began to doubt whether the government truly cared about their lives, and were filled with fear and unease about the future.

Some people began to complain and accuse the government of inaction, and some even began to organize to try to get the government's attention through protests.

But most people chose to remain silent, enduring hunger and pain in silence.

The idea that "the people will not fight against the officials" is still deeply ingrained in their minds.

They will only choose to rebel when they run out of food and can no longer survive.

squeak-

Just then, the tightly closed city gates opened.

The starving people seemed to see a glimmer of hope. They struggled to their feet and gathered around the barricade, waiting to see the grain carts arrive.

However, they were disappointed.

What came out were not grain carts, but three prison carts.

The officials in prison uniforms on the prison cart were already out of their minds, their hands and feet were tied with ropes, and they were in a daze.

After the prison van arrived in front of the disaster victims, a group of soldiers immediately took the three officials off the van and made them kneel in front of the victims.

Many people, upon witnessing this scene, immediately turned around and returned to their seats.

Nothing can arouse their interest except food, so it's better to save their energy.

Just then, a county constable led three men and strode up to the people.

He glanced at the crowd, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

He then opened the official document from the Ministry of Justice in his hand and began to read it aloud.

"This year, Hai and Lin prefectures suffered from floods, causing people to be displaced and lacking food and clothing."

To provide relief to the people, the imperial court specifically ordered the Ministry of Revenue to escort relief grain to the surrounding areas.

Unfortunately, local scoundrels were so audacious as to openly embezzle the relief grain allocated by the imperial court, making the situation even more urgent for the authorities.

Today, justice has been served. After verification by the Ministry of Justice, these corrupt officials who embezzled and abused their power have been brought to justice and their heads have been publicly displayed before the people.

This serves as a warning to all officials throughout the land: refrain from committing crimes and illegal acts…

After the county constable finished reading, he looked up and glanced at the document.

But no one echoed his sentiments, and his expression turned cold.

The clerk beside him whispered, "Sir, what are you waiting for? Execute him."

The county magistrate snorted coldly: "The imperial court is vigorously punishing corrupt officials, but the people are indifferent and apathetic. The world is truly going to the dogs."

The clerk said, "Sir, what do these unruly commoners know? We just have to do what they tell us to do."

The county constable glanced at the disaster victims who hadn't even stood up, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

"They're all a bunch of unruly people, they don't deserve any sympathy."

After saying that, he waved his hand.

The executioner standing behind the three officials immediately raised his butcher's knife.

"Execution!"

At the county constable's command, the broadsword swung down instantly.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft*

Soon, three heads fell to the ground.

The disaster victims who witnessed this scene acted as if they had just watched a play; after the heads fell to the ground, they immediately scattered and returned to their positions.

No one cheered throughout the entire event, nor did anyone do anything unusual about the scene.

The common people are honest, but not stupid.

Could three insignificant minor officials have embezzled so much grain?

It was just a charade.

Right now, my biggest concern is my belly.