A Fox Spirit Between Her Thighs - Chapter 21

The Empress Dowager had been preparing for many years since the reign of Emperor Hui. By the time her influence had taken root throughout the court, Li Yao was swiftly appointed Civil Affairs Inspector, holding a second-rank official title.

When the news spread that a woman had taken office, public opinion was sharply divided. Some praised it, claiming that the Great Wu Dynasty had opened new paths for women and governed with magnanimity, calling it the hallmark of a flourishing age. Others condemned the decision, arguing that women should stick to embroidery and household duties, not take up brush and seal. To appear in public was, in their eyes, a violation of womanly conduct.

Regardless of the public discourse, for the Li family, this appointment had become an inevitable step.

Linjiang was located in the southwest, far from the capital. The journey, with minimal stops along the way, took nearly a full month. Before they set off, Princess Li Yan allocated three hundred carts of grain from her personal lands in Li Yao’s name for disaster relief, to help bolster Li Yao’s achievements. Li Yao accepted the gift and added two hundred carts more on her own. Including several carts of supplies, the caravan, escorted by elite cavalry, arrived at Linjiang in great numbers.

Li Yao was not only an official but also the granddaughter of Emperor Wen. The officials were more wary of her imperial ties than they were respectful of her rank.

As the princess, acting under an imperial mandate, arrived in the modest and obscure Linjiang, Prefect Zhou Qin came forward with deep anxiety to receive her. After formal greetings, he ordered the grain carts to be taken to the granary. Li Yao remained cautious and instructed her accompanying soldiers to follow and guard them.

Zhou Qin’s eyes darted slyly. He said, “Your Highness has traveled long and hard. I have prepared a modest banquet to honor your arrival.”

Li Yao focused on the matter at hand. Her eyes carried a hint of fatigue, darkened faintly beneath, yet her noble bearing remained undiminished. She replied, “That will not be necessary. I will rest at the relay station. You are to post an official notice that grain will be distributed from the granary in seven days.”

The caravan followed the main road and approached the outskirts of the city. The rice seedlings along the way had begun to grow. Within the city, houses had been repaired, people were back at work, shops were open, and street vendors called out to passersby. It appeared that summer had returned and the floodwaters had receded. Though a few gaunt faces could be seen begging on the ground, overall the city seemed to be recovering.

Li Yao’s primary task on this journey was to inspect the dam and oversee the distribution of grain. From what she observed upon arrival, the situation in Linjiang appeared to be under control.

She entered the relay station, where Su Ya assisted her in washing up. This time, she had not brought Ning Yan along, anticipating that official duties would keep her too busy. Given the aftermath of the flood, accommodations and food would be difficult, and she did not want Ning Yan to suffer such hardship. However, seeing how smoothly everything was progressing, she could not help but begin thinking about more romantic matters. If Yan’er had been here, they might have explored the local life together.

Ning Yan’s thinking was far simpler. Li Yao constantly pestered her for dual cultivation. It was beginning to deplete her spiritual energy. She welcomed the separation, fearing that otherwise, her essence would be drained completely. After Li Yao left the residence, Ning Yan returned to her cave to cultivate. With royal energy and spiritual essence now at her disposal, her fox demon powers grew immensely. She could summon wind and rain with a flick of her hand, and crack mountains by stomping her foot. Wolves and bears, who were natural enemies to foxes, would now flee back to their caves upon sensing her presence.

The next day, Li Yao asked Zhou Qin to lead her to inspect the dam. The Magistrate Wu reported, “At first, there was only minor seepage at the base. But over time, the water infiltrated beyond the dam. The soil and rocks began to loosen. With the unusually heavy rainfall this year, the aging dam could not withstand the floodwaters. It collapsed completely.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yao sensed that something was wrong.

Two years ago, the Ministry of Works had submitted a report stating that the Linjiang dam showed signs of collapsing and requested one hundred thousand taels of silver for repairs. If Zhou Qin had known about the seepage from the beginning, it would have taken only a little manpower to fix it. There would have been no need to trouble the court. As prefect, he had the authority to act preemptively. That he waited until the dam had collapsed before making a report clearly indicated his desire to exploit the treasury.

Now that half the dam was destroyed, even five hundred thousand taels might not be enough to fix the damage. The dead could not be brought back, and the displaced refugees wandered without shelter. While the emperor bore responsibility for not being informed in time, the true crime lay with Linjiang’s corrupt officials. For their selfish gain, they plotted for years and endangered an entire city of people. Such hearts deserved condemnation.

Her brow tightened slightly. Li Yao pressed down her anger and said, “Magistrate Wu, immediately deploy workers to begin urgent repairs on the dam. All funds needed will be provided from my office.”

She did not want to alert the snakes in the grass too soon. Using the repair funds as bait, she hoped to lure out the real culprits. She had only brought twenty thousand taels for the daily expenses of the caravan and cavalry. Upon returning to the station, she quickly penned a letter to Princess Li Yan requesting funds.

For ordinary folk, ten thousand taels would be enough to live without worry. But Zhou Qin was already a regional governor, a fourth-rank official earning a salary of two thousand bushels. There was no reason for him to risk execution just to embezzle ten thousand taels. Unless this was not his first time, and he had succeeded many times before. If he truly held such unchecked power in Linjiang, then the protection of officials from top to bottom was deeply rooted. Who else might be implicated remained to be seen.

When she first entered the city, she had been somewhat comforted by the apparent efficiency of Zhou Qin’s flood recovery. But now, if he was indeed corrupt, how could he have had the people’s welfare at heart?

So many inconsistencies made Li Yao increasingly uneasy. This man clearly concealed his true face well. He was not nearly as straightforward as he appeared.

Within her room, Li Yao paced back and forth, restless. She finally decided to change into plain clothing and disguise herself as a commoner. Taking a few attendants with her, she ventured outside the city.

This time, she deliberately avoided the official roads. What she saw moved her to tears.

There were no rice seedlings. The fields were submerged under stagnant water. Not only had crops not grown, but seeds had not even been sown. Without spring and summer planting, there would be no harvest in autumn or winter.

Starving corpses lay strewn across the land. Those still breathing were emaciated to the point of resembling skeletons. A few young men, still able to move, grasped tree bark and roots with mud-caked hands, chewing and swallowing them.

This was a stark contrast to what she had seen earlier. Why were the fields along the main road full of vitality? Why did the city seem peaceful and orderly, with no sight of displaced refugees?

Li Yao ordered an investigation. Her attendant returned with a report: the rice seedlings along the official roads had been transplanted overnight from unaffected neighboring counties. The road into the city passed through the southern outskirts, while the refugees had been driven to the northern outskirts and left to die. Even those neighboring counties, already impacted by spring rains, had little to spare. Zhou Qin’s seizure of their seedlings had now plunged them into famine as well.

“This vile official! Deceiving superiors and suppressing the truth, hiding the disaster to save his own position, treating human life like dirt! A thousand deaths would not be enough to repay his crimes!” Li Yao shouted in fury.

Killing Zhou Qin alone would not be enough. She wanted to uproot every corrupt official in Linjiang and restore justice to the people.

No sooner had she finished her tirade than she saw a person collapse ahead. Starving refugees rushed toward the fallen man and began stripping off his clothes.

Li Yao did not have time to wonder. The people who pounced on him began to eat his flesh.

He seemed not yet dead. He let out a faint moan, his eyes open, watching himself being devoured.

The bloody scene was unbearable to witness. Li Yao covered her mouth and turned away, struggling to suppress the sickness rising in her throat.

This was hell on earth. No other words could describe it.