Jiangnan, this once warm and fertile land, is now shrouded in an unprecedented drought.

The scorching sun hangs high in the sky, relentlessly baking the earth, as if intent on completely draining all life from it. In the fields, crops that were once lush and green now wither under the sun's harsh glare, their leaves curling and yellowing, drooping helplessly towards the cracked earth. The cracks resemble the parched lips of the land, silently voicing despair.

Ponds have dried up, and fish flap desperately in the muddy remnants, a struggle on the brink of death. The people, gazing upon this lifeless scene, are filled with fear and helplessness. Each day, they can only pray for rain under the relentless sun, the light of hope in their eyes growing dimmer.

Just as the people were on the brink of desperation, the Court finally took action. Steam waterwheels began operations.

The massive wheels turned slowly, emitting deep and powerful sounds, like ancient war drums announcing the struggle against the drought. Simultaneously, Fang Immortal Dao and Dragon Tiger Mountain set up altars and performed rituals, ultimately conjuring a torrential downpour.

The people poured out of their homes, cheering and shouting as they reveled in the long-awaited rain. Children laughed and ran through the rain, while the adults, with tears in their eyes, knelt down toward the sky, grateful for the Court's lifesaving grace.

However, this seemingly joyful scene left the Southern nobles on pins and needles, filled with fear and unease.

They knew very well that the central power of the Court, capable of controlling the weather, had acquired a power beyond their imagination, perhaps one day becoming like the mythical Heavenly Court.

This undoubtedly posed a massive threat to the privileges and benefits they had long enjoyed in the region. Their painstakingly maintained power and wealth seemed to be on the verge of collapse in this storm.

But the people did not care about the nobles' worries; in their hearts, the Court was their savior. With the drought resolved, the prosperity of Jiangnan, a land of fish and rice, was sure to surpass the past.

The Court seized the opportunity to extensively publicize the disaster relief efforts in the gazettes and newspapers. Every post station had eye-catching gazettes posted, describing the Court's achievements in vivid language. The postmasters were tasked with narrating the thrilling story of this disaster relief action to every passerby.

Although the details of the story inevitably became exaggerated and distorted during dissemination, this did not affect the Court's desired outcome—to stabilize public sentiment.

In fact, the personnel of the Ministry of Industry, Fang Immortal Dao, and Dragon Tiger Mountain were well aware that the Court had nearly exhausted its resources for this action to relieve Yingtian Prefecture's drought, almost emptying its reserves.

To extend such methods across all of South Zhili, let alone nationwide, was nigh impossible.

But the Court's leaders understood that the political significance of this action far exceeded the practical disaster relief effect. It was like a shot of adrenaline that stabilized the public morale shaken by the drought.

Originally, everyone thought that once public sentiment was scattered, it would be nearly impossible to rally, but Xu Gongming, with his forward-thinking strategy and astounding wisdom, accomplished this seemingly impossible task.

For a moment, everyone secretly marveled: What couldn't be accomplished by Xu Gongming in this world?

Yet, in fact, there was something!

Although Xu Qing successfully resolved the White Bone Lotus Cult, the Snowfield Living Buddha behind the cult continued to hide like a ghost in the depths of the shadows.

During the thrilling battle at the Canal, Xu Qing clearly sensed the presence of the Evil Buddha nearby. The evil and powerful aura made every nerve in his body tense.

He searched the battlefield thoroughly, missing no corner, engaging in every confrontation with full force, hoping to expose the mastermind lurking in the shadows. But in the end, even though all the Devils of the White Bone Lotus Cult were eliminated, he never found the true form of the Snowfield Living Buddha.

Clearly, the other party employed an exceedingly profound secret technique, manipulating everything from the shadows.

Reluctantly, Xu Qing had to choose to return to Yingtian Prefecture. The Vajra Demon King he summoned had a time limit, and once it expired, he would lose this powerful aid.

He knew that as long as the disaster was not completely resolved, refugees would continue to emerge, and wherever there were refugees, new cults would proliferate like wild weeds, just as in the previous dynasty's downfall.

...

...

"Reporting in, the salt merchants' private ports have been successfully sealed off by us. However, they are stubbornly denying any collusion with the cult. They've unified their stories, insisting that the grain ships heading to Yu Hang were for purchasing grain to aid the Court's disaster relief." Yan Shan hurried over, an anxious and helpless look on his face as he reported to Xu Qing.

In this operation, they committed a substantial amount of manpower and resources, hoping to expose the salt merchants' collusion with the cult and deliver a severe blow to this force, but unexpectedly, they encountered stubborn resistance from the merchants.

The result was quite less than satisfactory.

"Where exactly is the three hundred thousand dan of Jiangnan japonica rice?" Xu Qing casually glanced at Yan Shan.

"They adamantly deny its existence. Regarding the millet mixed with white bones at the private ports, they claim it was secretly sabotaged by the cult, putting on an innocent facade, saying they wouldn't have noticed if the Court hadn't sent people in time." Yan Shan spoke as he nervously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

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