The aftermath of the earthquake lasted for four or five days before it completely subsided. Emperor Gan was eating and drinking in the villa, with concubines serving him, just like when he was in the palace.

The sound of stringed instruments could be heard in the courtyard. The ministers outside the courtyard, thinking of the dilapidated state of the capital, could not help but shiver and their eyes were filled with despair.

The emperor is so foolish, what will happen to Da Gan in the future?

Jinzhong walked out of the courtyard and saw the ministers nodding their heads. He said respectfully, "My Lords, please follow me. His Majesty has already risen."

Since coming to the villa, there were no ministers urging him to review memorials, so Emperor Gan completely let himself go. He slept until noon every day, listened to the dancers, and lived a very happy life.

In the study

Emperor Gan sat on the high throne, looking at the ministers kneeling below, with a smile on his face, and asked nonchalantly: "How is the capital? When can I return?"

The Minister of Revenue stepped forward, took out a memorial and began to count the damage done to the capital. He could clearly feel the gaze from above growing colder.

After reading it calmly, he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the capital has suffered severely. One-third of the houses have been engulfed, and the imperial palace is the worst hit."

"Not to mention when we'll be back, it will take at least a year or two just to repair it. Your Majesty, please transfer money from the treasury."

The Minister frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the fiefdoms suffer severe flooding every year. The national treasury must be prepared for floods. Otherwise, once it is used, there will be no way to provide relief to the flood victims."

"After a flood, there will inevitably be a plague. In previous years, it was well controlled, so there wasn't much of a problem. But the national treasury can't be touched. If it is touched, once the plague breaks out..."

The Prime Minister chuckled lightly upon hearing this, his tone provocative: "Master Shangshu, have you forgotten that the flood in the fiefdom occurred in June and July? There is still time."

"But Your Majesty has nowhere to stay. It is really inappropriate to keep handling government affairs in the other courtyard."

"Besides, the capital can be left unrepaired, but the Imperial Palace cannot be left unrepaired. If you keep staying outside, what if an assassin were to injure His Majesty? Can you afford it?"

Shangshu Qi's eyes were about to spit fire, and he said angrily: "Wen Ce, it's already this hour, and you are still trying to play tricks here. The lives of the people in the fiefdom are all at stake."

"The capital can be made do without repairs. We can wait until next year when taxes come in. It won't be too late to repair it then. But the flood in the fiefdoms only lasts for two or three months."

"If there's no disaster relief, the people can't survive. Unrest can be suppressed, but what if it's a plague? How can you suppress it?"

Prime Minister Wen Ce said calmly, "Minister Qi is right. Your Majesty, how are you going to deal with the palace? If you leave it in ruins, the whole world will laugh at you."

Emperor Gan frowned when he heard this. Yes, he was an emperor, but he didn't even have a place to stay.

He can stay in the other courtyard for the time being, but if his whereabouts are known to spies from other countries for a long time, they will surely come to assassinate him, and he cannot let this happen.

"Alright, my dear ministers, please stop arguing. I'm not going to touch the national treasury for now. Please help me find a way to raise money from merchants to repair the palace."

Prime Minister Wen's eyes flickered, and he said righteously, "In reply to Your Majesty, I am willing to help Your Majesty raise funds to repair the imperial palace before leaving Beijing."

The others looked over with inquiring eyes.

This old man suddenly changed his temper. Could it be that he wanted to take advantage of the merchants' money? If he goes too far, the merchants will leave the capital, and then the taxes in the capital will be...

Emperor Gan was delighted to hear this and said with emotion, "The Prime Minister is indeed deeply in my heart. I will leave this matter to you. Go to Jiudu and work hard. As long as you have made achievements, you can come back."

Prime Minister Wen knelt on the ground and saluted, saying respectfully, "Yes, I understand."

The others each received their errands and left the study.

When they parted, Minister Qi couldn't help but said in a deep voice, "It's true that Prime Minister Wen wants to raise money, but sometimes it's better to show mercy, so as not to suffer the consequences."

"Tsk, Minister Qi, you're overthinking it. I was just trying to relieve your majesty's worries. If it weren't for that damn thief stealing from the private treasury."

"Your Majesty, how could you be so wronged? Being forced not to return to the capital, this old minister feels very uncomfortable. Besides, those merchants are the people of Dagan. They deserve to contribute to Dagan."

Prime Minister Wen had a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with a chilling coldness.

Minister Qi suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "You old bastard are confusing the public. The merchants can make money because of their ability, not because they are tools for you to embezzle money."

"Which of those who have made it to the Four Great Families is a fool? Be careful, if you push them too far, they will all leave. You know what will happen to the taxes in the capital then."

No, he had no idea. As a prime minister who was demoted to Jiudu, he had already lost all his face.

How dare the four families leave? Everyone knows that the capital is at the feet of the emperor, and it is the most prosperous and profitable place. He doesn't believe that those people are willing to leave.

Prime Minister Wen's lips curled slightly, his eyes full of sarcasm: "Really? Well, we'll see. Alas, I'm leaving soon, and the capital will depend on you from now on."

After saying that, he turned around and laughed.

Minister Qi was so angry that he was shaking all over. This old man had planned everything out and was setting a trap before leaving. It would be strange if His Majesty did not vent his anger on them when the time comes.

No, he had to keep a closer eye on it. If this old man went too far, he could report it to His Majesty.

It's getting dark

The heads of the four great families gathered together, all looking somewhat solemn. Although their businesses were spread all over Dagan, the bloodline of the main family was all in the capital.

I thought the capital was prosperous and the safest place because it was under the emperor's feet. I didn't expect an earthquake to happen, and it was such a serious earthquake that it turned into ruins in an instant.

Mo Han, the black-clad man sitting in the high seat, said in a deep voice, "Everyone, do you have anything to say? What should we do next?"

The four great families in Beijing.

[Mu Qingchen of the Mu family is a century-old medical family with pharmacies all over Dagan. The Meng family has numerous restaurants. Wei Ge of the Wei family owns gold, silver, jewelry, jade, etc. Mo Han of the Mo family owns ironwork and carpentry shops.]

The other three looked at each other and were silent for a moment.

Mu Qingchen's gentle voice rang out: "Let's see what the court does first. If they want to target us, then there's no harm in leaving the capital to avoid their attack."

Meng Si waved the folding fan in his hand and smiled carefreely, but there was sadness in his eyes. Being a powerful king really made people...

"Well, I think what Brother Mu said makes sense, but before that, my Meng family should withdraw some of their troops first."

"I can't help it. I simply can't trust the people in the court. As you all know, the emperor's private treasury was robbed, and the national treasury is seriously empty."

"We are now like a piece of fat meat. Everyone wants to take a bite. There is no point in reasoning with those in power. There is trouble right under their noses."

Wei Ge was dressed in red, with a delicate face that made it difficult to tell whether he was male or female.

"Well, Brother Meng, what you said makes sense. Mo Han, what do you think? Your family runs a blacksmith shop and a carpentry shop. If you repair it in the capital, you can make a lot of money this time."