Shen Zhaochen, who was studying in Wenshu, arrived late.

Upon seeing Qin Mu at the entrance, they were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to go in or out.

Deep down, he longed to get along well with his old friends.

But reason told him that he had to stay away from this person, or he would be in trouble again soon!

Qin Mu was not so oblivious as to not notice his hesitation.

He had something to say, so upon seeing this, he said, "Shen Zhaochen, come out, I have something to say to you."

"Just stay a foot away from me, there won't be any problems!"

Shen Zhaochen also knew that as long as he didn't get too close to Qin Mu, nothing would happen.

Upon hearing that the other party had something to do, he finally mustered up the courage to step out.

Seeing him walk this way, Qin Mu turned and left.

When the two arrived at a deserted place, Qin Mu told him about Anping County and the situation outside.

Of course, the upcoming earthquake and the potential policies the court might introduce were also mentioned.

He believed that with Shen Zhaochen's intelligence, even if he was shocked for a moment, he would be able to respond after he came to his senses.

As expected, after he finished speaking, Shen Zhaochen immediately raised several questions.

"Given the current situation, is it possible for the county examination in February to proceed as scheduled?"

What about the prefectural and provincial examinations? Will they be held this year in the autumn?

The imperial court encourages eligible commoners to marry. Is this aimed at ordinary families, or at families with official titles and wealth, or even aristocratic families?

Or is it only targeting the people affected by the disaster in this area?

Furthermore, how did the imperial court know that there would be more earthquakes?

When exactly did this happen? Were there any plans to relocate the local population?

Based on the information Qin Mu had previously obtained from Chi Yu, combined with Magistrate Fang's response and the current attitude of the imperial court, he spoke in a half-truthful manner:

"The earthquake affected a wide area, making migration impossible."

Let alone earthquakes, even with the current snow disaster, or the previous freezing rain and torrential rain disasters, the imperial court never considered relocating the people.

You are well-read and should know that this is impossible!

The issue involves too many aspects; announcing it in advance would only cause panic among the people and give those with ulterior motives an opportunity to cause trouble.

Furthermore, the population of these prefectural cities is as high as several million.

With so many people, how do we arrange things? And where will the food come from? These are all problems.

The massive migration of people inevitably involves countless unforeseen events along the way.

Shen Zhaochen, having consulted historical records, naturally knew what the Great Migration meant.

In the face of such a natural disaster, fleeing is undoubtedly a dead end for ordinary people.

It's so cold, with freezing rain and snow all the time. Spending the night outside could easily lead to freezing to death.

Moreover, it's easy to get hungry when it's cold, so you tend to eat more.

If there is no food or water, it is highly likely that people will resort to cannibalism.

Thinking of this, Shen Zhaochen felt a lump in his throat.

Seeing his expression, Qin Mu knew he understood the key point, so he continued:

"Instead of doing that, it would be better to leave them where they are and let the local officials manage them strictly."

Regardless of the situation elsewhere, Anping County has at least minimized casualties.

As far as I know, the imperial examination will be held as scheduled.

Shen Zhaochen, you just need to focus on preparing for the exam, you don't need to think about anything else.

However, your younger sister is also of marriageable age.

I'm telling you this so you can understand the situation outside and, incidentally, think about how to resolve your sister's marriage.