Chapter 19: The Secret Envoy Delivers the Message

But as long as he remained patient, he knew it was only a matter of time before the old fox revealed his tail. To his surprise, however, Lord Zhang was even less able to contain himself than Chen Mu had anticipated.

That day, during the morning court, an official submitted a report that the Dongyuan region was plagued by locusts, resulting in a total loss of crops. A large number of refugees, left with nothing to eat, were forced to abandon their homes in search of sustenance elsewhere. After a moment of frowning contemplation, Chen Xingtian decided to delegate the handling of this matter to Chen Mu.

This was a matter of great importance to the people's livelihood, so Chen Mu dared not treat it lightly. He immediately summoned the relevant officials to his residence for a conference. Naturally, since the issue involved disaster relief, Lord Zhang, who oversaw the treasury, was indispensable.

After some discussion, all those present, including Chen Mu himself, unanimously agreed to allocate funds and grain at once for disaster relief. Swiftly, Chen Mu determined the amount of money and grain to be sent, based on the population and severity of the calamity in Dongyuan.

The next and most crucial question was this: which official should be dispatched to Dongyuan as the imperial envoy to oversee the distribution of relief?

No sooner had Chen Mu raised the question than Lord Zhang promptly stood up. “Your Highness, regarding the distribution of relief grain, I have a candidate to recommend to you.”

Naturally, the official Lord Zhang nominated was one of his own faction. Some of the other officials immediately echoed his suggestion, while others fell silent. Chen Mu’s instincts sensed something amiss at once.

By rights, when it came to selecting an imperial envoy, each official should have his own ideas and preferences. Rarely did the court display such uniformity of opinion. Moreover, a few of the silent officials had clearly intended to speak, but sat back down after Lord Zhang made his nomination, as if with words on their lips but unable to voice them.

As for Lord Zhang himself, he exuded perfect confidence, having made his proposal without a hint of hesitation. Clearly, he had come prepared. It was highly likely that they intended to manipulate matters during the relief mission.

With such suspicions in mind, Chen Mu tentatively suggested several other officials as candidates, but each was promptly rejected by Lord Zhang and his supporters for various reasons. This only confirmed Chen Mu’s suspicions.

Nevertheless, he raised no objections then and there, but instead approved Lord Zhang’s nominee.

When the matter was reported to Chen Xingtian, he too gave his immediate approval. The very next day, the official recommended by Lord Zhang set off for the disaster-stricken Dongyuan region, accompanied by the funds and grain provided by the court. After all, the livelihoods of countless people were at stake; the sooner help arrived, the better.

To this end, Chen Mu composed a special letter and dispatched it by courier to the local authorities in Dongyuan. In this letter, written in his capacity as Crown Prince, he expressed his sympathy for the region’s misfortune and included a brief account of the court’s relief efforts—how much money and how much grain were being sent. Though not itemized in detail, the main figures were clearly stated.

Chen Mu’s true intent was to inform the local officials in advance, so that they would know what assistance to expect and not be deceived should the imperial envoy attempt to misappropriate the funds or grain.

Dongyuan was not close to the capital, and with the envoy overseeing a large convoy carrying money and provisions, plus the time needed to distribute relief upon arrival, at least a month would pass before the envoy could return.

During this period, Chen Mu was more vigilant than ever toward Lord Zhang. Yet, this old fox, seasoned by years in officialdom, conducted himself as cautiously as ever, leaving Chen Mu with nothing to seize upon. Instead, it was Chen Xingtian who grew displeased with Chen Mu’s suspicions toward a senior minister of the court.

“My son, I know Lord Zhang has opposed you on occasion, but he acts for the good of the realm, though his words may be harsh and intemperate,” Chen Xingtian admonished. “As crown prince and the one now presiding over state affairs, how could you allow personal grievances to cloud your judgment?”

Chen Mu expressed his concerns, but Chen Xingtian remained convinced that he was overthinking matters. In the face of such censure, Chen Mu said no more. At such a time, further explanations were futile; only hard evidence could serve as proof.

Several days later, a courier on horseback arrived from Dongyuan, seeking an audience at the palace of the Crown Prince, bearing a letter for Chen Mu. Ordinarily, letters addressed privately to the prince were sent through official postal channels, but this messenger was clearly not a courier from the relay stations.

However, Chen Mu had previously decreed that anyone bearing a letter for him should be admitted without hindrance, so the staff at the gate did not bar the messenger’s way.

When word reached Chen Mu, he received the courier in person. At the sight of the man, a sense of foreboding filled his heart: the courier’s face was bruised and bloodied, his clothes torn and ragged, as though he had just survived a vicious fight.

“Who are you? Where do you come from? What happened to you?”

“Your humble servant is Li Biao, chief constable of Qingqu County in Dongyuan. I ended up like this because I was ambushed and pursued while delivering this letter,” the man replied, just as Chen Mu had surmised.

Without wasting words, Chen Mu opened the letter and began to read. The contents were just as he expected: a full account of how the imperial envoy embezzled the relief funds and grain, how he colluded with local officials, all laid out in detail. To Chen Mu’s delight, the letter was accompanied by a complete set of accounts: the allocated and actual amounts of grain distributed, meticulously recorded, with a list of the officials involved and even an estimate of how much each had pocketed.

What surprised Chen Mu, however, was that the name of the magistrate of Qingqu County also appeared on the list.

“What’s this? Wasn’t it your county magistrate who wrote this?” he asked.

Li Biao shook his head and replied frankly, “Your Highness, the letter was written by the county secretary, who also entrusted me to deliver it. Both he and I are from Qingqu County, and our entire families reside there. In the wake of this catastrophe, all the people of Dongyuan are desperately awaiting the court’s relief grain, yet these officials have seized it for themselves. Unable to tolerate such injustice, the secretary risked his life to keep these accounts and asked me to bring them to you, though I was nearly killed for it on the way. If I did not know how to defend myself, I fear I would not have survived.”

Chen Mu read through the letter several times, his expression growing colder with each pass. The situation was even graver than he had imagined. He had thought Lord Zhang merely intended to enrich himself by sending one of his own men to misappropriate some funds and grain. He had not anticipated that the corruption would be so widespread—from Lord Zhang and the imperial envoy all the way down to a mere county magistrate.

How little did Lord Zhang’s faction think of him, Chen Mu wondered, that they dared orchestrate such a vast scheme right under his nose! Were it not for the secretary and Li Biao’s perilous efforts, he would have been left utterly powerless this time.