The second prince and a grain merchant were mocking the crown prince.
Second Prince: "Why did they buy so much old grain?"
Jia Liang: "Exactly. The new grain will be coming in soon. We'll raise the price again then. Let them cry over their old grain."
Second Prince: "Hahaha!"
The second prince had just finished laughing.
Suddenly, a bolt from the blue startled the Second Prince.
Before the second prince could react, dark clouds filled the sky and thunder rumbled.
The sky, which had been clear and sunny just moments before, suddenly began to rain down with large raindrops.
Jia Liang was dumbfounded: "What's going on? Why is it raining at this time? It absolutely can't rain at this time!"
The rain grew heavier and heavier, eventually turning into a downpour.
Those farmers who failed to be mobilized by Xu Ziming were filled with regret.
At this point, it's too late to rush to harvest in the fields.
The wheat was soaked by the heavy rain in no time, making it difficult to harvest. Even if it were harvested, the wheat would spoil in a few days of rain.
Xu Ziming gazed at the heavy rain outside, his heart filled with endless emotions.
Luckily, I listened to Chiu Chiu.
Otherwise, we'll have to watch our crops get flooded.
Fortunately, he conducted a thorough inspection and reinforced the river embankment, doing everything he could to prepare for the heavy rain.
If he hadn't heard what Chuchu said, his fate would definitely have unfolded as Chuchu predicted.
The river breached its banks, flooding fertile fields and leaving farmers with nothing. It would be strange if the emperor didn't punish him. Just thinking about it is terrifying.
This action earned Xu Ziming a very good reputation among the local people.
The farmers looked at the wheat they had harvested ahead of schedule, feeling both gratified and grateful.
If it weren't for Xu Ziming, their entire season's harvest would have been ruined.
"Lord Xu is such a good man! Where can you find such a good official these days!"
"Yes! Lord Xu is our upright and just official! From now on, I will only serve Lord Xu!"
"I heard that Lord Xu used all his own salary to subsidize us so that we could keep our food supplies. How can we possibly thank him enough!"
"How about we write a joint letter to the imperial court and ask the emperor to promote and reward Lord Xu?"
"Okay! Let's do it this way! No matter what the outcome, we've done our part!"
It rained for three days and three nights, and there was no sign of it stopping.
Many sections of the river embankment have been washed away by the heavy rain.
The river flooded the people's crops and houses, leaving many people homeless.
The farmers were full of complaints.
Soon, a large number of disaster victims poured into the capital.
The emperor was furious and punished a large number of officials.
The most urgent matter is maintaining stability. The Emperor allocated a large amount of grain from the national treasury for disaster relief, but it is far from enough.
Outside, grain prices soared, to the point where grain was extremely scarce.
Just when the emperor was at his wit's end, the crown prince took out all the grain he had stored and gave it to the emperor so that he could use it for disaster relief.
The emperor was very pleased and praised the crown prince in front of everyone in the court.
The Emperor said, “The Crown Prince truly lives up to his title as the heir apparent. At this critical moment, he has generously donated funds to help the country and its people overcome their difficulties. My beloved ministers, those who have money should contribute money, and those who have grain should contribute grain. Please do your part!”
Upon hearing that they were asked to donate money, everyone was reluctant and lowered their heads.
The Emperor looked at the Second Prince: "Second Prince, aren't your subordinates in charge of the largest granary? What, even at this point, are you still unwilling to donate some grain?"
The second prince was in a difficult situation. He had originally planned to make a fortune by selling off the old grain, but this had turned out to be the case.
Now that his father had come to challenge him, the second prince could only bite the bullet and say, "I'm sorry, Father, we've run out of food too!"
The Emperor: "No grain?! The biggest grain merchant has no grain? Are you implying that I'm stupid, or that you're trying to commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor?"
The second prince was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and said, "Your subject wouldn't dare!"
The Emperor rolled his eyes at the Second Prince: "You dare not?! Then what about grain? If there's no grain, pay for it! As a prince, you should set an example!"
The second prince had no choice but to respectfully reply, "Yes, Father."
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