Outside the Duke of Dingguo's Residence.
A carriage and more than ten imperial guards were waiting.
When Gao Yang saw this, he directly led Lv Luo into the carriage. However, when he saw the delicate face of Shangguan Wan'er, he was surprised.
"Why is Master Shangguan here?"
Shangguan Wan'er sat upright, her face cold. "The Emperor has given an order for me to accompany you to Linjiang City."
Gao Yang pondered for a moment, then quickly understood.
He sat down casually, nodding. "Of course, after all, it's the people of an entire city. There can't be any mistakes."
Shangguan Wan'er was somewhat surprised, her eyes landing on Gao Yang.
She hadn't expected Gao Yang to realize so quickly the true purpose behind Empress Wu Zhao sending her along.
"Young Master Gao is indeed intelligent. No wonder His Majesty holds you in such high regard," Shangguan Wan'er slowly spoke.
"High regard? Why?"
"So it seems His Majesty's evaluation isn't just for me. If I'm not mistaken, there should also be Master Cui, the top scholar, right?"
At this, Shangguan Wan'er's face changed dramatically.
She instinctively asked, "How did you know?"
Seeing her reaction, Gao Yang understood everything.
He calmly asked, "What authority will I have on this mission?"
Shangguan Wan'er replied in a low voice, "As the Inspector General, you will be overseeing the whole world on behalf of His Majesty, holding the power of life and death. Everything in Linjiang City, from the county magistrates to the common people, Young Master Gao can command!"
"And does that include you?" Gao Yang asked.
Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment before nodding.
According to the imperial decree, unless Gao Yang went too far, she too would have to follow his orders.
"Master Shangguan, take a look at your legs," Gao Yang suddenly said.
At these words, Shangguan Wan'er's face turned pale, and the temperature inside the carriage seemed to drop by eight degrees.
"Young Master Gao, isn't that a bit too forward?" she replied.
Gao Yang touched his nose, realizing the situation.
Shangguan Wan'er wielded an imperial sword granted by Wu Zhao, but as long as he was in Linjiang City, he was the one in charge.
This would be easy.
A group of merchants profiteering from the national disaster by hiking up grain prices.
A cold light appeared in his eyes.
Lv Luo felt the atmosphere in the carriage grow tense. Her face turned pale, and cautiously, she shifted her slender legs toward Gao Yang.
"Young Master, would you like to take a look at my legs instead?" she asked softly.
The group fell into silence.
The carriage quickly passed through the gates of Chang'an, and after taking a few more glances at Lv Luo's beautiful legs, Gao Yang lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the towering Chang'an city in the distance.
"..."
Two days later.
Linjiang City.
County Magistrate Du Jiang stood at the gates of the county office with a group of officials.
"How long until the Imperial Inspector arrives?" Du Jiang asked in a deep voice.
A scribe with a mustache, standing nearby, looked toward the distance and said, "Don't worry, County Magistrate. The Inspector General is probably almost here."
"The grain prices are soaring. The four major grain merchants—Qian, Zhao, Han, and Lin—are all scheming. They've raised the price from forty to a hundred wen per dou. ["wen" refers to a unit of currency. "dou" ,a traditional Chinese unit of volume, roughly equivalent to 10 liters.]
The people can't afford it, and how can this magistrate not be anxious?" Du Jiang said, his eyes showing fatigue.
These past few days, he had tried everything, but even with the granaries open, the grain prices continued to rise uncontrollably!
He was almost desperate.
The merchants were exploiting the national disaster, taking full advantage of the continuous floods in Linjiang City to make a fortune.
Now, he could only pin his hopes on the Imperial Inspector sent by the court.
Otherwise, tens of thousands of people in Linjiang City might starve to death!
"Magistrate Du, someone is coming from afar," the scribe suddenly said.
Du Jiang looked up and saw, at the end of the road, a group of soldiers in armor riding warhorses, with a carriage slowly approaching.
When the carriage stopped, Gao Yang lifted the curtain, stepped out, and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"We've finally arrived!"
Gao Yang sized up Du Jiang, observing the man in his forties, wearing a blue robe, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.
Beside him, Shangguan Wan'er held the imperial edict and coldly said, "Magistrate Du, this is the Imperial Inspector appointed by Her Majesty, responsible for overseeing the disaster in Linjiang City. From this moment on, all matters in Linjiang City, large and small, will be under the command of Young Master Gao!"
Du Jiang took the imperial edict, confirmed its authenticity, and his face turned pale with shock.
Gao Yang, so young, was actually in charge of the lives and deaths of the tens of thousands of people in Linjiang City. Was this a joke?
But with the imperial edict in hand, Du Jiang, though dissatisfied, could only endure it.
"I, Du Jiang, County Magistrate of Linjiang, greet Young Master Gao," Du Jiang said respectfully, though the fatigue on his face was hard to hide.
"Magistrate Du, there's no need for such formality," Gao Yang said with a smile and a wave of his hand. Then he added, "I was delayed for two days on the road. How is the situation in Linjiang City now?"
Du Jiang felt a little more at ease. Gao Yang's attitude was at least decent for someone arriving in Linjiang City for the first time.
"Please, Young Master Gao," Du Jiang gestured for him to enter the county office.
As they walked, Du Jiang spoke. "These past few days, the heavy rains have finally stopped. Linjiang City is close to the river and already experiences a lot of rainfall. With the flooding this year, the people's harvest was poor."
"Meanwhile, the grain merchants have taken advantage of the situation, hoarding grain like crazy. In just ten days, the price of grain has soared from forty wen per dou to a hundred wen per dou. If I hadn't ordered the granaries to be opened, the price would have risen even higher."
"Additionally, the heavy rains have destroyed farmlands outside the city, leaving many homeless. A large number of refugees have poured into Linjiang City, needing urgent relocation, or there may be unrest..."
Shangguan Wan'er, upon hearing this, frowned and couldn't help but glance at Gao Yang.
The situation in Linjiang City was much more severe than the reports had indicated. Not only did they need to urgently lower the grain prices in the capital, but they also had to take care of the disaster victims. This was no easy task!
"Young Master Gao, how should we resolve this situation?" Du Jiang asked.
Gao Yang remained expressionless, silently listening, until he heard Du Jiang's question. Then, he smiled faintly and said, "This situation isn't hard to resolve."
The moment those words left his mouth, both Shangguan Wan'er and Du Jiang were stunned.
"Please, High Inspector, kindly teach me. On behalf of the ten thousand citizens of Linjiang, I thank you in advance," Du Jiang said, bowing respectfully.
This clearly showed that Du Jiang was a magistrate who cared deeply for the people!
Gao Yang looked outside the county office at the emaciated refugees, and then said slowly, "First, close the granaries in Linjiang City."
As soon as the words were spoken, Shangguan Wan'er was left in a daze.
Du Jiang's face was full of shock, and then, with a hint of anger, he spoke, "Young Master Gao, are you deliberately making fun of me?"
"Opening the granaries now won't even stop the rise in grain prices within Linjiang City. Closing the granaries? If I issue the order, the grain prices will surge past a hundred wen per dou!"
"With such sky-high prices, how could the common people afford it?"
Du Jiang felt that Gao Yang had lost his mind. What a terrible idea!
Shangguan Wan'er, too, was confused, though she didn't speak.
Empress Wu Zhao had ordered that all matters in Linjiang City be entrusted to Gao Yang, and unless absolutely necessary, she was not to interfere.
Gao Yang's expression remained calm as he said indifferently, "For years, Da Qian has either been facing droughts or endless rains. Our harvests have been poor."
"How much grain is left in Linjiang's granaries? Will it be enough to feed the ten thousand citizens of Linjiang for five days?"
Upon hearing this, Du Jiang was momentarily stunned.
"No... not enough. But if we close the granaries, the grain prices will rise again, and the people will be even less able to afford it."
"Young Master Gao, I must respectfully disagree with your suggestion."
Gao Yang fixed his gaze on Du Jiang. "Even if the granaries remain open, at one hundred wen per dou, how many of the common people will be able to afford it?"
Du Jiang's face changed drastically.
Before he could respond, Gao Yang continued, "And, I am not explaining this to you. I am giving you an order!"
"You have no choice in the matter!"
His words were domineering and filled with an undeniable tone.
Du Jiang clenched his fists. With the imperial edict in hand, if he dared to disobey, Gao Yang could even have him executed on the spot!
"I will immediately send people to close the granaries and post a notice," Du Jiang said reluctantly.
"But Young Master Gao should consider this carefully. Once the grain prices skyrocket uncontrollably, the responsibility..."
Du Jiang's voice carried a hint of warning. He was reminding Gao Yang to consider the consequences of his actions.
Gao Yang stood with his hands behind his back and said indifferently, "If, within seven days, the grain prices in Linjiang City do not drop, I will bear full responsibility for all consequences!"
"Even if it costs me my life!"