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

The State of Chu was thriving and experiencing a period of prosperity.

Meanwhile, the state of Wu was in a state of increasing decline.

Let's go back to the seventh day of the first month, which was the first day of the conscription in the State of Chu.

The disaster in the two states of Wu worsened further due to the overly abstract disaster relief efforts of the imperial court and local authorities, and the situation quickly spread throughout the country.

More and more people are fleeing famine, and everywhere you can see groups of people eating the leftovers.

As the new year arrived, the Great Wu region was a desolate wasteland, with plains covered in white bones and no sign of human habitation for miles around.

Along with this came the growing scale of bandits and thieves, which became the greatest threat to the Great Wu court.

However, none of this in the Wu Kingdom affected Wu Ji's mood for relocating to the Ziwei Palace.

Inside the magnificent Ziwei Hall, Wu Ji devoutly worshipped and bowed to the Three Pure Ones.

The six officials behind him bowed and listened attentively, waiting quietly for the sage to speak.

After a long while, Wu Ji finished his greetings and got up to sit on the Bagua platform in the center.

"May the sage live a thousand years!"

Xu Qian and the officials from the six ministries knelt down in unison to offer their congratulations.

"Rise, all of you. I am in a good mood today, so let's skip the formalities."

It was clear that Wu Ji was in a very good mood. He then said to the eunuch beside him, "Bring them the sesame balls fried in vegetable oil."

These were all placed on the tablet of the Grand Ancestor of Taiqing by the immortals of the Heavenly Dao Sect; they possess an ethereal aura.

"Yes."

Plates of sesame balls were delivered to the officials of the six ministries, and everyone was moved to tears.

"Thank you, Sage, for bestowing this celestial food, which will help you ascend to the ranks of the immortals soon."

Amidst the chorus of compliments, Wu Ji smiled broadly and heartily.

They were then given vegetarian food such as glutinous rice balls, and the emperor and his ministers enjoyed a harmonious and pleasant time together.

One of the officials, who was over fifty years old, did not touch his chopsticks and remained with a gloomy expression.

After a vegetarian meal, we naturally got down to business.

Wu Ji took the damp silk cloth handed to him by the eunuch and wiped his hands: "I heard that the unrest among the people has been getting more and more intense lately, is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, there are indeed civil unrests, but they are all within a controllable range. Your Majesty need not let such trivial matters spoil your mood."

"Humph."

Wu Ji gave a light snort and continued speaking.

"Are they really just minor matters? But I've heard that bandits roam freely outside the capital, and refugees are everywhere."

The disaster spread throughout the country, leaving countless people starving; it was a true human tragedy. Could all of this be a fabrication?

Xu Qian was taken aback and didn't know how to reply for a moment.

"Is that true?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Wu Ji added another sentence expressionlessly.

Xu Qian hurriedly said, "Please, Your Majesty, judge for yourself. This is merely an exaggeration by the common people."

In reality, the disaster was already under control; it was just that the people felt the food they received was less than expected, so they gathered and rioted.

"Is that true?"

Wu Ji's voice carried a hint of imperial majesty.

Xu Qian simply replied, "Your Majesty's words are absolutely true."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

But at that moment, the official with a livid face stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

Upon hearing this, all the officials held their breath.

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji's face darkened.

Since he began his cultivation, he has always preferred to be addressed as a saint; he hasn't heard the title "Your Majesty" for a long time.

Looking up, one could see a thin, weathered old man with a resolute expression standing upright in the main hall.

Wu Ji had just served him a vegetarian meal, but he was the only one who hadn't touched it.

Hai Ruxian, a principal clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.

"Hai Ruxian, you must not be disrespectful before a sage. Get out of here immediately."

Upon seeing Hai Ruxian, Gao Zhan immediately reprimanded him and kept giving him meaningful glances.

However, Hai Ruxian completely ignored Gao Zhan's gaze and stood calmly in front of Wu Ji.

"What do you want to say?"

Wu Ji asked.

"Your Majesty, I must submit a memorial. The disaster situation in Wu is so severe that it is urgent."

“In the outskirts of Wu County alone, more than two thousand corpses of starving people were collected yesterday.”

"If the imperial court does not provide timely disaster relief, the nation may be in grave danger!"

His words were firm and resonant, echoing throughout the spacious Ziwei Hall.

These words are tantamount to slapping everyone in the face, including Wu Ji.

"Hai Ruxian, what do you mean by that? Didn't the imperial court already distribute disaster relief grain?"

"Your Majesty, not a single grain of the disaster relief grain issued by the court has reached the people. The reason why the disaster has worsened is due to the corruption of local officials and officials in Chaoyang."

"Now the price of grain in the disaster area has risen to twenty taels per shi, and what's being sold are all disaster relief grains issued by the imperial court!"

Hai Ruzhen poured out her heart, and eventually even knelt down in the main hall.

"Sage, please do not believe his nonsense. It is true that there is unrest among the people, but it is completely under control!"

Gao Zhan panicked. Seeing Wu Ji's increasingly ashen face, he immediately stepped forward to "clarify."

"Ruxian, how can you speak so blatantly before a sage? Get out of here at once!"

But Hai Ruxian retorted righteously, "Everything I just said is true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you are welcome to leave the palace and take a look. You will then know whether what I said is true or false."

"With the nation in peril, at a critical juncture of survival, if we cannot resettle the refugees fleeing the famine, our Great Wu may face annihilation!"

"In various parts of the southeast, peasant uprisings broke out, and starving people spontaneously organized to attack and capture the government offices of nearby counties and towns."

"On the border between Wu and Chu, hundreds of thousands of people were waiting to flee into the territory of Chu to escape the famine."

“In the plains and suburbs of various places, there are horrific scenes of wild dogs devouring corpses everywhere.”

"Your Majesty, please take a closer look. Those are all your subjects!"

"Can you really bear to watch them all become less and less human?"

The Ziwei Hall was completely silent. The originally harmonious atmosphere was instantly ruined by Hai Ruxian's impassioned speech.

Wu Ji's cheeks twitched uncontrollably, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

He wasn't angry that his subordinates were embezzling disaster relief grain, but rather that Hai Ruxian's words were tantamount to pointing the finger at him.

"Xu Qian! Tell me the truth, is what Hai Ruxian said true or not? Tell the truth!!!"

The last sentence was almost shouted out.

Xu Qian hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I still need to carefully verify the specific details before I can make a decision."

"Then go quickly!"

"Yes!"

This annual meeting between the emperor and his ministers ended abruptly with Hai Ruxian's heartfelt words.

……

The following day, inside the Ziwei Palace, Xu Qian respectfully stood guard beside Wu Ji.

"How's the check going?"

"In response to Your Majesty, it is indeed true that, as Hai Ruxian did, the situation among the people is extremely precarious."

Wu Ji frowned, then asked, "Have you found out how many people died?"

Xu Qian hesitated for a long time before replying, "According to the Ministry of Revenue, 7,300 people starved to death."

"What about in reality?"

Xu Qian's lips twitched: "About 1.5 million, and there are still 4 million displaced people."

Wu Ji fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

After about half a cup of tea's time, his voice rang out again.

"What do you think we should do now that such a big incident has happened?"

Xu Qian lowered his head and replied, "The national treasury is empty and unable to afford such a huge amount of disaster relief funds. Every day, people are fleeing to the border of Chu to survive..."

Wu Ji interrupted him directly: "Immediately notify the border garrison commander to completely seal off the passes. Not a single civilian should be allowed to escape."

They are all my subjects, how can they become subjects of another country? I will not allow it!

Xu Qian asked in bewilderment, "But Your Majesty, wouldn't sending these people to the State of Chu be a perfect way to get rid of this troublesome burden?"

"When did I say I wanted to get rid of this burden?" Wu Ji retorted. "These are all my people, and I will naturally find a way to rescue them!"

"Immediately seal off the border crossings and notify the Chu Kingdom that all Wu citizens who have fled into their territory must return on time, or Wu will sever all diplomatic relations with them!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian was stunned, unable to believe that such an order would come from Wu Ji's mouth.

But Wu Ji wasn't stupid; he did this to avoid damaging his prestige among the people of Da Wu.

Sages are never wrong; it is only those who misinterpret their intentions who are wrong.

As for the people starving to death, that's not important. After all, who doesn't die in the end?

"Also, what should be done with Hai Ruxian, who has no respect for the emperor and has committed treason and disrespect for the emperor?

"I know."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If you can't solve the problem, then solve the problem.

That way, everything can get back on track.