Shandong, Jinan, Governor's Mansion, an old man wearing a red official robe, a rhino horn belt that belongs to a second-class official belt around his waist, and leather boots on his feet, looked at the report sent by the people below with a sad face. This person is the governor of Shandong, Lu Shude.

Lu Shude, the word and Cheng, alias Funan, Zhili Songjiang Prefecture Huating County (now Songjiang District, Shanghai) people, Jiajing Yichou Jinshi, Wanli six years (1578), the Nanjing Guozi Priest Wine, changed to Taichang Temple Shaoqing, and the Department of Hanlin, Guanglu, Honglu, to resentment Feng Bao, wandering in the south and seven Nim, footprints all over the nine columns. In the ninth year of Wanli, he served as the servant of Nanjing. In the ninth year of Wanli, he was promoted to Nanjing Taifu Siqing and changed to Beijing Taifu Siqing. Wanli ten years to the right capital of the imperial history of Shandong.

Shandong has already had a locust plague this year because of drought, and now, there has been a food panic, Lu Shude had to sigh and discuss with his subordinates what to do. After all, this is less than a year after he took over as governor, and this incident broke out.

A middle-aged man about forty-five or sixteen years old on the side comforted: "Lord Lu don't worry, I am relying on the capital in Shandong, and now I should immediately send someone to report to the emperor, and asking the emperor to send someone to relieve the disaster is the top priority." This person is Shandong's political envoy, Zhang Chucheng, this person is the core figure of Zhang Juzheng's faction, because of the impeachment of Zhang Siwei, Zhang Juzheng's trust, so he became Shandong's political envoy.

After hearing this, Lu Shude groaned slightly, and then said with a smile: "This little thing, where is it worth bothering the emperor, I think it's better to forget it, let's find a way to solve it ourselves." "It's no wonder that Lu Shude didn't dare to tell Wanli, after all, he had just taken office, and this incident happened, if this incident stabbed the sky, his black gauze hat was afraid that it would not be guaranteed.

When Zhang Chucheng heard this, he hurriedly explained: "My lord, now the grain shortage in my Shandong is no longer controllable, and there are large and small food shortages in the following 6 prefectures, 15 prefectures and 89 counties, and now there are people who have begun to flee the famine, if the adults don't control it anymore, I'm afraid it will be ......."

When Lu Shude heard this, he waved his hand and said indifferently: "That's as exaggerated as you said, my Shandong is also a big grain-producing province, even if we can't be self-sufficient, we can buy from neighboring provinces, you don't need to say much, I have my own measure." Then, he drove Zhang Chucheng away with an impatient face.

Seeing that he was only thinking about his official position, Zhang Chucheng no longer talked to him in vain, Zhang Chucheng immediately took people to the village near the outskirts of the city to specifically investigate the extent of the disaster.

Zhang Chucheng approached a village, only to see that the people inside were lying on the ground weakly, the trees had already been cut down by the hungry people, leaving only bare trunks, the well at the entrance of the village had long been dried up, and the scorching sun shone on the faces of the hungry people, as if to roast them, Zhang Chucheng saw this situation, his heart also sank, and said secretly: "I didn't expect that this famine is more serious than I imagined, there are so many hungry people near the capital of Shandong, so if it is other places, isn't it more difficult?" ”

Zhang Chucheng saw that the hungry people were so hungry that they were already dizzy, so he asked his entourage to distribute the physical goods and water they carried with them to the hungry people, and when the hungry people saw that there was food, they immediately rushed towards Zhang Chucheng and others, and soon swept away the food.

Zhang Chucheng didn't dare to look at them when he saw this, and at this time, some hungry victims surrounded Zhang Chucheng and shouted: "Brothers, this old man still has food to distribute to us, let's tie him up and exchange him for food, okay?" As soon as these words came out, the victims echoed them. completely forgot how Zhang Chucheng helped them just now, and now they only have one thought, that is, to live, as for the rest, courtesy, righteousness and shame, let's fill in the stomach first.

Looking at the approaching hungry people, Zhang Chucheng's face did not change, and the entourage around him drew their swords, surrounded Zhang Chucheng in the middle, and shouted: "What do you Diao people want to do? This is the political envoy Zhang, how dare you kidnap Zhang? This is a great sin to exterminate the Nine Clans! When everyone heard this, they immediately stopped, although they also wanted to live, but they didn't dare to kidnap the second grade master, so the situation froze all of a sudden.

Zhang Chucheng put aside his entourage, walked to the middle of the victims, and said apologetically: "Fellow villagers, my Zhang Chucheng is not in good power, and now it is another catastrophe, I Zhang Chucheng is guilty, I hope the villagers will give me a chance, I will guarantee that I will give the villagers a way to live." With that, he bowed to the crowd.

One of the victims sneered and said, "How can we believe you, you have empty mouths and white teeth?" You officials, where do you care about the life and death of us ordinary people, I see that all officials in the world are the same. ”

After Zhang Chucheng heard this, he was also embarrassed. After all, this governor is really thinking about suppressing this matter.

Zhang Chucheng sorted out his mood, and then said with a smile: "I have a way to live, I don't know if you folks are willing to go?" ”

When everyone heard this, they immediately shouted: "As long as there is a way to live, of course we are willing to go." ”

Zhang Chucheng said solemnly: "You can escape from the famine and go to the capital, if this matter goes straight to heaven, not only you, but also Shandong will be saved." ”

Although Zhang Chucheng wanted to report directly to the emperor, but he also thought that this governor had a good relationship with the current cabinet assistant Zhang Siwei, and he was afraid that it would not be of much use to rely on him alone, but it would be different with these disaster victims, as long as His Majesty saw that he felt good, when the time came, he would let them bring his letter and hand it to Zhang Yun, so that maybe he could directly bring down one of Zhang Siwei's arms.

After hearing this, the victims also talked a lot, saying that they had everything, and the older ones were against it, saying that if they wanted to die, they would have to die on the kang head of their own family, and the young people were eager to try.

After the discussion stopped, Zhang Chucheng asked those who were willing to go to take a step forward, and found that most of them were young and strong men, and there were also a small number of people who dragged their families, Zhang Chucheng asked them to pack up first, and distribute some food to them tomorrow, so they asked them to go to the capital quickly.

After Zhang Chucheng came back from the suburbs, he originally wanted to persuade Lu Shude again, but as a result, this person really didn't want to live, so he had to suppress the matter. Lu Shude also ordered that no one should talk about the disaster, isn't this covering his ears and stealing the bell.

Zhang Chucheng sneered in his heart: "I have done my duty, since you want to die so much, then I will help you." ”

Late at night, Zhang Chucheng's study, Zhang Chucheng took out a pen and paper, and began to write: "Minister, Shandong political envoy Zhang Chucheng, impeached Shandong Governor Lu Shude, deceived the upper and lower, regardless of the life and death of the victims, I Shandong broke out of the disaster, the minister suggested to Lord Lu, immediately asked the court for disaster relief, as a result, Lord Lu dragged on and on, the disaster situation in my Shandong has almost reached the point of uncontrollable, there are frozen bones on the road, the people are easy to eat, some people because of eating Guanyin soil, swelling to death, the minister knows that the king of the king, to share the worries of the king, It's really helpless to report Shangguan today. Of course, the disaster situation that Zhang Chucheng said was still a bit exaggerated, after all, in order to make the emperor hate Lu Shude even more in his heart, Zhang Chucheng had to write about the situation of the victims even worse.

After writing, Zhang Chucheng stretched his body. Then, he asked the servants to take the letter to Beijing City to go to Zhang Yun and Zhang Jingxiu. After doing all this, Zhang Chucheng also returned to bed satisfied and slept beautifully. In the dream, he dreamed that he overthrew Lu Shude, and finally became the governor of Shandong, and later he also entered the cabinet and became the elder.