Chapter 531 Rain Curtain
The sky was thick and dark, with heavy clouds covering it. The air between heaven and earth was unusually gloomy, with strong winds blowing past, giving off a rather sad and miserable feeling.
Heavy rain poured down and flowed into the sacred water of Yiluo. Lightning and thunder sometimes pierced the dark clouds, suddenly revealing a ray of light, making the people shivering in the heavy rain chant for the protection of the Lord of the Four Seasons.
In the torrential rain, a magnificent holy city, like a wild beast hidden in the mountains, is looming. It is the capital of the Han Dynasty, the pearl Chang'an!
But at this moment, Chang'an seemed a little lonely, with a hint of dusk.
Countless raindrops fell on the city and on the streets. Before they formed a flood, they flowed through the drainage facilities designed by the Mohist disciples and also merged into the Yiluo River. The river water was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The rain kept falling and the thunder was roaring, but it seemed that the raindrops were not falling on the city, but on Emperor Liu Yang in Changle Palace.
He stood by the window of the palace with his hands behind his back, looking at the rain that covered the sky and the earth. The thunder seemed to strike his heart. His face was full of solemnity, and he somewhat ignored the naked beauty behind him.
Wind, frost, rain and snow!
This great power of nature is a huge disaster for mankind. Humans always say that they want to transform nature, but in fact they migrate along with the changing courses of rivers.
A flood or a heavy snowfall is enough to destroy a powerful empire. Even a slight change in temperature can cause large numbers of humans to die like weeds.
The beauty walked slowly by, her slender waist like a fairy. She was extremely beautiful, and her every move, every frown and smile was full of grace. She was charming and enchanting, with all kinds of charm.
With this kind of beauty, I'm afraid only supermodels like Wang Wenjun, Xi Shi and Ji Lingjun can surpass him. Even Wang Wenjun's daughter is held back by Luo Bai, and can only be compared to him.
The only regret is that this is a man.
The cool breeze blowing in from the window brought with it a hint of coolness from the raindrops, causing goose bumps to appear on his creamy skin.
He was obviously a man, but he was more gentle than a woman, and his voice was a little magnetic, "Your Majesty, I know you are worried that the heavy rain will cause a flood, but how can we mortals interfere in the affairs of God?
It's raining heavily outside and it's very cold. I'd be heartbroken if you caught a cold.
It’s better to close the window and go back to bed.
I finally came back to your side, and I am worried day and night. I just want to be closer to you, fearing that one day I will leave your side."
Feeling the arms around him and the warm body temperature, Liu Yang sighed slightly, "Long'er is right, but don't worry, Father Emperor collapses, you won't be driven away again, no one can separate us again."
Long Qing leaned into Liu Yang's arms and asked rather sadly, "Your Majesty, after you marry the queen, will you still be close to me?
After all, I am a man and cannot give birth to a prince for you."
Listening to Long Qing's sad and sobbing voice, Liu Yang's heart was broken. He hugged his soft body tightly and said, "Don't worry, Long'er. I will not touch the queen even if I marry her. The world is full of vulgar women. How can anyone compare to Long'er?
As for the prince, I don't care. It's just an adopted one anyway.
Besides, the Han Dynasty law does not stipulate that the queen must be a woman. I have made you the queen, and you will be the empress dowager in the future. Who can say that you are not the queen?"
Long Qing leaned in Liu Yang's arms, a hint of relief and complacency flashed in her charming eyes, especially when she heard the last few sentences, her eyes blossomed with infinite spirit.
Liu Yang closed the window heavily and hugged Long Qing to rest. As the window fell, the eunuchs and palace maids guarding outside the window dispersed and closed the palace door.
"Boom boom boom."
A pair of anxious footsteps walked into the outer hall. It was a rather young eunuch wearing a straw raincoat. An elderly eunuch in the hall stepped forward and whispered, "Keep your voice down! Your Majesty and the noble lady are resting!
I'm sorry for disturbing you, please be careful of your skin."
The young eunuch was shocked to hear the nobleman here, and then he said anxiously in a low voice: "Emperor, the Prime Minister came in the heavy rain to ask to see Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's a big deal."
The old eunuch was also shocked that the Prime Minister actually asked to see His Majesty in such weather.
How powerful was the prime minister of the Han Dynasty?
In the absence of the Grand Marshal or the General, the Prime Minister can handle 99% of the Han Dynasty's affairs on his own and only report to the emperor later.
The prime minister has the decision-making power on most affairs, while the emperor has both decision-making power and veto power. This is the result of expanding the prime minister's power.
If the emperor wanted to monopolize power, he could either find reasons to keep the position of prime minister vacant like Liu Dan, or find reasons to frequently change the prime minister like Liu Dan.
Delaying the Prime Minister's important business...
But the old eunuch thought for a moment, sighed slightly, and gritted his teeth and said: "We can't disturb your majesty and the nobleman. If we offend the nobleman, no one can save us.
If we have offended the Prime Minister, as long as you say a few words for us, His Majesty will not do anything to us.
Let the Prime Minister wait."
In this palace, the words of the noble lady are the imperial decree. If you offend His Majesty, there are people who can protect you, but if you offend the noble lady, you can only pray to the King Su for protection from the Heaven.
There were several carriages parked outside the palace.
In the heavy rain, the horses seemed extremely restless and kept pacing, just like the mood of the prime minister and his men. In the carriage, several important officials of the imperial court anxiously asked each other, "What's going on?
Why hasn't Your Majesty summoned us to the palace yet?"
The Prime Minister was also very puzzled. "Although dark clouds are covering the city, it is noon. Your Majesty should have just finished his meal and is dealing with state affairs."
"yes!"
This is what these people don't understand. Although the dark clouds blocked all the light, it is still daytime and it is office hours.
No one could have imagined that the emperor had been overthrown, and the eunuchs in the palace, limited by their power, did not dare to disturb him.
After a few more sticks of incense had passed, everyone's faces turned very ugly. These people were all practical people in the court, and each of them was very intelligent.
"hateful!
There must be a problem in the palace, and the news must not have reached Your Majesty's ears. These dog eunuchs actually dared to cut off communication between China and the outside world!
Damn it!
Everyone was clear about the emperor's temper. Although he was sometimes unclear, generally speaking, he was just mediocre. It was impossible for him to refuse the prime minister's request for an audience. It must be that the eunuchs in the palace did not pass the news in.
"It's really inconvenient not to have a token to freely enter and leave the palace!"
Another person sighed, and this made everyone start to sigh. Since the death of Grand Marshal and General Bowang Wulie Hou, no minister had been able to get the ivory card that allowed them to enter and leave the palace freely.
“What should I do now?
This is a matter of life and death. If I can't see Your Majesty today, do I have to wait forever?
We don’t know how many people will die every moment we wait, this is Guanzhong!
After the flood there will surely be a drought!
If the casualties are too severe and the epidemic spreads, the land of abundance will be transformed into a living hell in an instant."
The younger official among the group whispered, his face filled with anxiety and dissatisfaction.
Floods are such a terrifying thing that, in just a quarter of an hour, let alone a day, they can roar and destroy a county, washing away everything that humans have worked so hard to build.
Floods are breeding grounds for plagues. There will be a major plague after a flood. This is the experience of our ancestors. It is what the powerful fear the most. Plague is something that affects all living beings equally.
Seeing this, the Prime Minister, who had been silent the whole time, said slowly, "We can't wait any longer. Pass my order down and immediately dispatch counties around Chang'an to evacuate danger.
Immediately dispatch envoys to all counties and prefectures, requiring them to deal with the situation in the same way as in previous years' floods. They must send people to protect the farmland on both sides of the river and prevent the river from bursting its banks, and they must ensure the safety of the food stored in the warehouses.
Otherwise it’s all over!”
Once the river breaks its banks, the food stored in the granaries in Guanzhong will be in trouble. Next year, all the people in Guanzhong will have to go to Guandong to beg for food, and it is unknown how many people will starve to death.
"Prime Minister!"
“No way!”
Several people looked at the prime minister in shock. The prime minister's power was indeed great, but not to this extent. This was essentially a wartime act. The prime minister was mobilizing troops from the Guanzhong counties to deal with possible disasters.
The prime minister smiled and said, "I was about to submit my resignation to His Majesty the Emperor. What is the value of a prime minister who goes against His Majesty in every way?
It's been a year.
The court has not been able to accomplish anything, and the emperor always rejects the prime minister's opinions. Isn't the emperor's intention obvious?
I would like to thank the Emperor for his kindness in sparing my life. I would like to take this opportunity to resign from my position as Prime Minister."
Before one wave subsides, another wave rises!
The Prime Minister actually doesn't want to do this anymore!
This was another heavy blow to everyone, but after hearing the prime minister's reasons, they were speechless. The confrontation between the prime minister and the emperor was indeed too intense, which was not a good thing for the court.
After all, politics is the art of compromise. Unless one can defeat an entire country alone, even a great man like King Loven would have to make great compromises.
Everyone could only sigh and say, "Why is it so? Why is it so?"
The prime minister made up his mind, but seemed to relax suddenly. He had been playing against the emperor all along, which had been very stressful. After all, the emperor held the power of life and death. Now that he had figured it out, the pressure suddenly eased.
"Let's go and do something!"
The rumbling sound of the wheels was lost in the howling wind, in the darkness of the dark clouds covering the city, splashing water, and then disappearing.
————
The fifth year of Lingyou, summer.
There was heavy rain in Guanzhong for several days. The rivers were upside down and the houses and farmland were in danger.
The prime minister and ministers wanted to see the emperor, but they were blocked at the palace gates and could not see him. The ministers were panicked and said, "There is a great chaos coming, and we cannot see the emperor. What can we do?"
The prime minister sighed and said, "Golden seals and purple ribbons, a salary of ten thousand taels of silver, are not as good as a eunuch. When this business is over, I should resign and leave. It will be enough for me to be a rich man."
The scholars were quite resentful, so the emperor gave gold to the prime minister to comfort him.
Ten months later, the prime minister resigned and returned home. The inner palace was at peace, and the eunuchs were respected by people at that time. - "Book of Han·Biographies of Eunuchs"
(End of this chapter)
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