Chapter 98 The Disease of Losing One's Heart
"Do you perhaps know the inside story?"
The emperor looked at Shen Cong with curiosity.
Shen Cong nodded.
"Does Your Majesty still remember the falling out between Lady Song, the wife of the Marquis of Anping's heir, and her father, Song Cheng, a few days ago?"
The emperor said, "I remember this matter. I even issued an edict to demote Song Cheng. What does this have to do with the Song family knowing that a heavy rain was coming?"
Shen Cong: "That's right. Among the dowry that the Song family got back from the Song family, there were 100 mu of dowry fields in Chixian County."
On August 26th, Madam Song took her daughter to the Red County to collect her dowry fields.
Song's daughter, Li Nanke, was playing in the fields when she discovered a group of snakes slithering across the edge of the field. She exclaimed in alarm, which attracted the attention of the village head.
The village head was an experienced farmer. After examining the snake, he said he had seen it cross the road for two or three days in a row.
Zhuang Tou said, "An old saying goes that when ants move house and snakes cross the road, a torrential downpour is coming. This is a sign that a rainstorm is imminent."
Upon hearing this, Li Nanke became very worried that the heavy rain would flood the crops in the fields, so he cried and begged Song to harvest the crops early.
The emperor was utterly astonished.
"Li Nanke? I remember that Li Mu, the heir apparent of Marquis Anping, is still quite young. How old is his daughter?"
Eight years old.
Gasps filled the entire hall.
The emperor's voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"You mean the Song family rushed to harvest the crops and sent people around to warn of a possible downpour just because an eight-year-old girl cried a few times?"
What normal person would do something like that just because a child is crying?
Moreover, it concerns such an important matter as grain collection.
The courtiers in the hall also found it utterly absurd.
Shen Cong curled his lips into a smile.
"It's not so much that Song listened to her daughter's crying and fussing, but rather that she believed the deduction of her own estate manager."
Moreover, Madam Song and Li Mu had been married for many years and had only this one daughter, whom they cherished dearly.
Your brother saw that little girl with his own eyes. Song Shi listened to everything she said, and even informing the surrounding villages was Li Nanke's idea.
The person sent made it very clear, describing the unusual situation on her estate and her family's speculations, as well as that they had begun to rush to harvest grain. Whether we should buy or not was up to us to decide.
Duke Xin stepped forward and said, "That's right, that's what my family's estate manager reported as well."
Wang Youxiang echoed this.
"Your subject agrees."
The emperor glared at the two of them with annoyance.
"Then why didn't you answer when I asked you earlier?"
Duke Xin and Wang You exchanged a glance.
Duke Xin was a military general, and he spoke his mind directly.
"This matter is somewhat absurd. My family has received a favor from the wife of the Marquis of Anping's heir, and I fear Your Majesty will punish us if I speak of it."
emperor......
This is indeed quite absurd.
It all started with a joke and a few tears from an eight-year-old girl.
The emperor thought about it and couldn't help but chuckle.
Wang Youxiang said, "Normally, no one would take the crying of an eight-year-old child to heart."
But Li Nanke discovered the snake passage, and she cried and demanded that the grain be harvested. Her mother believed her without question, which saved many people in our Great Chu from the disaster of the rainstorm.
"This is all due to His Majesty's great grace, which has enabled our Great Chu to be so blessed by Heaven, even mitigating the impact of natural disasters."
The emperor was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Duke Xin couldn't help but glance at him sideways.
That old man knows how to talk; how come he was a step too slow?
"The Right Chancellor is absolutely right. It is only because His Majesty's virtue matches that even an eight-year-old girl can be so intelligent. In the future, our Great Chu will surely produce many talented people."
The ministers responded enthusiastically.
"Your Majesty is ordained by Heaven, and all spirits obey and follow you."
"May Heaven bless our Emperor, for he is divinely mighty and wise."
The emperor listened with a smile, and the irritation he felt from the breach of the Changyuan dike vanished.
“Well said. Once the rain stops, I will reward Lady Song and her daughter.”
The ministers discussed some disaster relief measures, and at dawn, the temporary court meeting convened due to the torrential rain and the breach of the dike finally adjourned.
The torrential rain continued.
The officials left the palace in twos and threes.
Under the eaves outside the hall, Zhao Honggang had just been beaten with a board, his buttocks were a bloody mess, and he was in so much pain that he didn't even have the strength to groan.
Watching helplessly as his ministers bypassed him as if he were some great plague, he felt a mix of embarrassment and shame, making him wish he could faint.
A cold wind, carrying large raindrops, slanted down onto the porch, making him shiver and feel so cold he couldn't even faint.
When Han Zuoxiang came out, he instructed the eunuch to hold an umbrella and ordered two imperial guards to carry him onto the carriage.
Han Zuoxiang personally escorted him back.
Zhao Hong looked dejected and thanked Han Zuoxiang in a low voice.
"Thanks to my mentor today..."
Before he could finish speaking, Han Zuoxiang interrupted him with a grim expression.
"You are truly foolish. How dare you claim that Song Cheng personally witnessed the dikes of Chixian being in disrepair for many years? Do you even know who the magistrate of Chixian is?"
Zhao Hong looked completely bewildered.
Left Chancellor Han was even angrier.
"The magistrate of Chixian County comes from the direct line of the Xue family; he is a son born out of wedlock."
"The Xue family? Which Xue family?"
Zhao Hong didn't react for a moment.
Han Zuoxiang sneered, "Which Xue family could it be? The Xue family, the Empress's maternal family. That county magistrate is the Empress's half-brother."
Zhao Hong's expression changed, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Han Zuoxiang: "Why didn't the dikes breach in the capital? It must be because the Xue family got the news first and secretly repaired the dikes."
I was just saying that everything was fine a few days ago, so why did the Ministry of Works suddenly order all counties to inspect and repair the dikes? This is to cover up the Xue family's shame.
"And you! You almost brought this to His Majesty's attention! Do you even realize you nearly offended the Empress and the entire Xue family!"
Zhao Hong instantly understood the key point.
The county magistrate of Chixian was corrupt, so the dikes of Chixian must have been built with substandard materials, and the officials of the Ministry of Works were obviously aware of this.
Therefore, all counties were instructed to repair the dikes together, and the Red County was thus overlooked.
The reason why the dike in Changyuan County breached was probably because the county magistrate did not take the matter seriously and failed to repair the dike in time.
All the upstream counties were rebuilt, but Changyuan was not, which naturally made it the weakest link.
If he were to expose Magistrate Xue's embezzlement, he might not be able to leave the palace alive today.
After figuring this out, Zhao Hong was almost drenched in cold sweat.
Despite the pain, he got up and kowtowed to Prime Minister Han, saying, "Thank you so much, Master, for saving my life. From now on, I will obey your every command, no matter what."
Han Zuoxiang's expression softened slightly.
"Alright, you're injured. Go back and rest for a day, then go to Changyuan as soon as possible to atone for your sins."
As for your father-in-law's family, they won't be able to get up for the time being. Tell them that since they've developed a mental illness, they shouldn't go out and frighten people.
Zhao Hong understood.
"Don't worry, teacher, I will make the arrangements."
The carriage stopped in front of the Song family's house, and Han Zuoxiang ordered people to carry Zhao Hong inside.
Song Hui, Vice Minister Song, and Lady Zhang did not sleep a wink all night.
Seeing Zhao Hong being carried in, his body mangled and bloodied, Song Hui turned pale and rushed to greet him.
"Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Before Zhao Hong could speak, a palace attendant came to deliver an imperial decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Song Cheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, has lost his mind and has disturbed the hearts of the people in the land, causing trouble."
Considering his diligence during his many years in office, he is hereby exempted from the punishment of caning, but is demoted to a commoner effective immediately and permanently forbidden from ever entering the court again.
Song Shilang was struck dumb.
What did he just hear?
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