The Empress said there would be an earthquake in Liangzhou, and it definitely will!
The Empress asked her to join forces with the Li and Liao people from several nearby prefectures and counties to provide disaster relief, and she went!
When the Li tribe was nearly wiped out, it was the emperor and empress who helped her, enabling her to successfully take revenge.
Subsequently, it was the Empress who provided them with affordable salt, iron, and other supplies, which enabled the Li tribe to quickly become wealthy.
Then, the emperor and empress ascended to the throne, and she, a Li person, was able to become a female chieftain whom the government wanted to befriend, all thanks to the emperor and empress.
Therefore, for Li Baozhu, the Emperor and Empress, especially the Empress, were her benefactors.
As her benefactor and idol, Li Baozhu would never say "no" to the Empress.
After receiving the message by carrier pigeon and the urgent report from 800 li away, Li Baozhu began to contact many tribes, gather the warriors of the mountain strongholds, prepare their own food and tools, and head straight for Liangzhou!
Early August!
There are only two days left until the first day of the eighth lunar month, and they must arrive before then!
"Your Majesty! Look! Suddenly, many snakes have appeared and are running away in the jungle ahead!"
The Li tribe has snake dens and a family tradition of catching snakes.
The Li tribe also has a tradition of raising venomous snakes and has a good understanding of the properties of various snake species.
But even the most familiar members of the tribe with the nature of snakes had never witnessed such a chilling scene—
Suddenly, countless venomous snakes appeared in the dense jungle.
They seemed to be frightened and desperately fled in one direction.
"Ten thousand snakes emerging from their dens! Disaster is imminent!"
Beside Li Baozhu was an elderly woman in her fifties.
She was dressed in bright ethnic clothing and wore extravagant silver ornaments on her head.
His eyes were deep and mysterious, and although he wasn't particularly old, his face was covered with deep wrinkles.
"Li Wu, are you sure?"
Li Baozhu looked at the old woman and asked in a deep voice.
It turned out that the old woman was a witch doctor of the Li tribe. In addition to treating the people of her tribe, she also had a major job—divination.
She watched the snakes scurrying through the grass, then the white birds whizzing overhead, her expression turning extremely serious. "Confirmed!"
She didn't look at Li Baozhu, but instead counted on her fingers and kept chanting incantations.
Finally, her gaze turned towards Liangzhou. "Your Majesty, the Empress is not wrong, Liangzhou is indeed facing a natural disaster!"
Animals have a more acute sense of perception than humans.
Wild animals, in particular, can sense danger in advance.
Ten thousand snakes emerged from their dens, white birds fled in panic, and countless small beasts also hurriedly fled from Yizhou in all directions.
"Deathly aura! An impenetrable deathly aura is heading towards Liangzhou!"
Li Wu pointed to the distant sky and said in a serious tone.
Li Baozhu squinted and looked carefully again and again, but she couldn't see any death aura at all.
However, since both the Empress and Li Wu have said so, there must be a problem.
"Hurry! Speed things up!"
"We must reach Liangzhou before tomorrow!"
Li Baozhu raised her hand and waved, then took the lead and headed towards Liangzhou.
...
The governor's residence.
The governor of Liangzhou was surnamed Li and came from the Guanlong Li clan, a prominent family.
Governor Li is forty years old this year and has two sons and one daughter.
Both sons were with her, but her daughter, who was about to come of age, was worried that she wouldn't find a good husband in the remote southwest, so she was sent back to the capital earlier this year.
The eldest son, Li You, is eighteen years old this year.
I've been studying abroad for years, which has delayed my marriage.
After returning from his studies abroad last year, Governor Li and his wife have been looking for a wife for him, hoping to find him a new wife as soon as possible.
As a result, before the wedding could take place, "trouble" struck.
"An urgent report from the capital: the late emperor appeared to the emperor in a dream, predicting an earthquake in Liangzhou."
"The Council of State issued an order instructing us, the officials of Liangzhou, to promptly notify the entire region that no one should remain indoors for the next few days."
"...This is just too absurd! All because of a dream?"
When Governor Li received the urgent report, he was speechless after reading its contents.
For a fleeting moment, he even considered rushing to the capital, grabbing the shoulders of all the ministers in the council hall, shaking them violently, and listening to see if there was water inside!
And what about the censors of the Censorate? Were their brains blocked or their mouths sealed?
Such an absurd decree was not only not impeached, but was even issued to local authorities!
Gentlemen, have you read the classics of the sages?
Do you still remember the saying, "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits"?
However, no matter how speechless Governor Li was, the decree had already been issued, and as the local official of Liangzhou, he had to carry it out.
Otherwise, he would be charged with both dereliction of duty and disrespect.
Despite carrying out the orders, Governor Li couldn't help but complain to others.
His eldest son, Li You, was his best emotional dumping ground.
“Father, the story of being appeared in a dream, though absurd, is ultimately related to the late Emperor.”
Although Li You is young, he has traveled extensively for many years, experiencing all walks of life and local customs, which has made him very open-minded and calm.
He had seen and heard too many "legends".
Ghosts and spirits are indeed invisible, but we can't deny their existence just because we haven't seen them.
There are too many inexplicable and incredible things in this world. They may not be ghosts or gods, but they are truly fantastical.
Li You adopted the idea that if you believe in something, it exists, and if it exists, it is reasonable.
It's just issuing an order to the entire region to raise the people's vigilance; it's not too much of a waste of resources and manpower, so we can give it a try.
If it were true, how many people would be saved?
Even if it's fake, there's no real loss.
Governor Li: ...That makes sense, but he just feels awkward about it.
He was a traditional scholar-official who grew up reading the classics of sages.
A dream message?
This isn't the kind of rhetoric used by charlatans to deceive ignorant and foolish women.
In the grand imperial court, with all the civil and military officials present, a mere dream-like rambling was taken as a decree!
Governor Li felt that all the officials in the court were useless cowards who held their positions without doing any work and were subservient to the emperor!
Li You: ...Father is good in every way, except that he is too unrestrained.
Despite being born into a prestigious family and possessing considerable abilities, he was sent to the remote Liangzhou as governor.
Unfortunately, Father didn't realize that it was his own problem. Instead, he thought that the bigwigs in the Council of State and the officials in the Ministry of Personnel were jealous of talent and blind to good judgment!
Sigh, never mind. Judging from Father's expression, he'll probably just pay lip service while secretly going against it.
That would easily give others cause for gossip.
Li You stopped trying to persuade him and instead secretly began making various arrangements.
In the days that followed, Li You was incredibly grateful for his past actions.
Otherwise, not only would the father's career be in jeopardy, but the consciences of both father and son would also be forever troubled.
On the first day of the eighth month, Li You led his family's retainers to a small county town under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou.
This place is the "epicenter" repeatedly emphasized in government orders.
Li You didn't quite understand the meaning of "epicenter," but since it was being emphasized, this place must be very important.
Li Baozhu also led the Li and Liao warriors from nearby prefectures and counties to the county seat...
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