Wei Yunlan didn’t know whether the tragedies that occurred in the Yong Dynasty in the following years could have been avoided if the prince had not passed away prematurely.
All I know is that the benefits of the prince being alive far outweigh the disadvantages, both for the Wei family and for the people.
At the very least, the crown prince, who was personally educated by the late emperor and has a good reputation, is definitely better than the second prince, who secretly stole military equipment and disregarded the lives of the people in order to seize the throne.
And the most important point is that if the prince can really succeed to the throne one day, he will definitely re-investigate the witchcraft case in the harem five years ago that caused the queen to commit suicide to prove her integrity. By then, the false charges against the Wei family will be cleared, and the Wei family will naturally be able to clear their names and return to the capital.
Wei Yunlan did not completely place his hopes on the prince, but if there was such a shortcut, why not take it?
The prince died in the palace, and the cause of death was not announced in the palace. However, Chen Feng and Xue Linglong had discussed the matter privately. They both speculated that the prince's death must have been caused by someone in the palace, either the imperial concubine, the second prince, or the current emperor who had long disliked the prince.
No matter who did it, there are many crises in the palace, and we have to find a way to warn the prince in advance.
But now she is far away from the capital. How can she get in touch with the prince?
Wei Yunlan frowned and thought, not knowing that he had resolved the crisis invisibly.
…
The saying that "the dragon on earth is turning over is the result of the stupidity of the present generation and the punishment from God" spread more and more fiercely in Beijing.
No one dared to discuss the emperor's right and wrong openly, but privately they all agreed with the rumor.
After all, the disasters that Dayong has experienced in recent years are more than those in the past few decades combined. Especially this year, first there was the flood in Tanzhou, and then there was this earthquake disaster. Nearly half of the territory of Dayong was affected by the disaster.
In addition, the northern barbarians were ready to make moves, and Xiliang invaded from time to time. Just ten years after the death of the previous emperor, the once prosperous Dayong had fallen into such a precarious situation.
How sad and lamentable!
The atmosphere in the court was more solemn than that among the common people, and the disaster situation in each state was urgently reported to the court within 800 miles.
The cabinet ministers were so worried that their hair dropped.
Not to mention anything else, in Hanzhou alone, the number of casualties far exceeded 10,000. In the worst-hit county, due to ground fissures, half of the city's residents were buried alive underground.
Even if all the military officers under the command of Hanzhou were mobilized, they would not be able to rescue them.
How to provide disaster relief and comfort the people affected is a difficult problem.
The bigger problem is what to do with the food and fodder transported to the west and north?
"Hanzhou has long been known as the largest granary in the northern part of Dayong. How could this disaster happen in Hanzhou!" Lord Cao, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, sighed for the umpteenth time today.
Whenever this disaster occurs after the autumn harvest, the situation will be much better.
"The people of Hanzhou, Suizhou, and Qizhou, the three states hit hardest by the disaster, have almost all fled to other states. Forget about collecting grain taxes from these three states this year."
"The border is short of food and grass. Without the harvest from these three states, if the other affected states reduce their grain taxes...how can we supply the frontline?"
As soon as the question was raised, everyone in the cabinet fell silent.
Everyone knew that the harvests in those three states had already been reduced, and the other states could not reduce taxes no matter what.
Even in some areas that were less affected, the situation will not only not be alleviated, but will be aggravated.
But in this case, how can we appease the people?
"Unless... Your Majesty is willing to follow the example of the late emperor and issue an edict of repentance."
The person who said this was a senior official named Lu from the cabinet. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was pulled back by his colleague next to him, who lowered his voice and said, "You are crazy!"
"Have you forgotten what happened to the Inspector General's Guard?"
The emperor has become more and more irritable in the past two years. Anyone who dares to advise the emperor to issue an edict of repentance at this time is probably thinking that his life is too long.
Fortunately, the emperor was not here at that time.
After being reminded by his colleagues, Lord Lu hurriedly shut up. After all, he was not like Lord Wei, who had a cousin who was a concubine in the palace and whose daughter was married off as a foreign marriage. If he angers the emperor, no one will plead for him!
However, no matter how much Lord Lu prayed in his heart that his words would not reach the emperor's ears, Emperor Xiaoren still knew what everyone in the cabinet was discussing today.
"An edict of repentance?"
Emperor Xiaoren had a gloomy face and said coldly, "I'm afraid Lu Guangwei's head is no longer wanted."
"Your Majesty, calm down." Imperial Concubine Ling personally poured a cup of heat-clearing and anti-inflammatory tea and handed it to Emperor Xiaoren. She then went behind him and gently held his shoulders, saying in a soft voice, "You can only blame the bad weather. This is a natural disaster, not a man-made one. You can't blame your Majesty."
These words really touched Emperor Xiaoren's heart.
The anger in Emperor Xiaoren's heart was calmed down by these few gentle words. He patted the back of Concubine Ling's hand on his shoulder and sighed, "My beloved concubine is the most sensible. It would be great if the court officials and the people were as sensible as my beloved concubine."
Imperial Concubine Ling followed the Emperor Xiaoren's movements and stopped her hands, but she still leaned against him and said softly, "But it's not surprising that Lord Lu and the others came up with this idea. After all, the anger of the people needs to be calmed down..."
Emperor Xiaoren frowned subconsciously, and then heard Concubine Ling change the subject, "Witchcraft is against the harmony of heaven. I think when God asks for punishment, it is not your majesty's fault. Why don't you push out the real guilty person?"
The frown on Emperor Xiaoren's face suddenly relaxed, and he clapped his right hand under his seat and laughed out loud, "My beloved concubine still has a way!"
"Someone, call the prince!"
In the Eastern Palace, Qi Xu, who had been well prepared, raised the corners of his mouth slightly when he heard Eunuch Liu beside Emperor Xiaoren coming to call him personally.
Concubine Ling really did not miss any opportunity to bring him down.
And his father was as foolish as expected.
Everything went according to plan.
Soon, he would be able to escape from the cage that had imprisoned him for ten years, and experience with his own eyes the beautiful mountains and rivers of Dayong that his royal grandfather had described.
…
In Xiayya Village, in the west room of Mr. Xue’s house.
The two maids, with red eyes, gently wiped Wei Yunlan's legs with a handkerchief, "Miss, does it hurt?"
Of course it hurt. It was the first time that Wei Yunlan rode a horse for a long time. After traveling such a long distance on horseback, the insides of her legs were rubbed red and some places were even scratched, but she did not show it and did not even frown from beginning to end.
If they hadn't taken off her clothes and seen it, Ningshuang and Tingxue would not have known that their young lady's legs were so badly bruised.
Yu Qi, who was sitting nearby, heard the maids' exclamations and looked over. He caught a glimpse of the injury on Wei Yunlan's leg and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
This Miss Wei is indeed different from other noble ladies raised in seclusion. Her endurance alone is far superior to that of ordinary women. No wonder her master looks at her differently.
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