"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Queen Li."
Luo Peiyu arrived at Jiaofang Palace carrying a small box.
She bowed respectfully and reported.
Xie Yuan nodded. "Bring it here."
The young eunuch, quick-witted and agile, hurriedly took the box and presented it to Xie Yuan with both hands.
Xie Yuan opened the box and took out a small paper tube.
The paper tube was sealed with lacquer, and the seal was intact and had not been opened.
Xie Yuan twisted hard and opened the paper tube.
Take out a small roll of paper from inside, unfold it, and you'll find a small strip of paper.
The note read: "Arrived in Yi County on the 29th of July." Li You, the Prefectural Governor, also arrived in Yi County with over a hundred men, including his retainers and officials.
Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow. She wasn't surprised at all that Li Baozhu had arrived in the epicenter before the first day of the eighth lunar month.
Because Li Baozhu is his little fan, she will believe whatever he says, no matter how reliable or absurd it is!
But, Li You of the Prefectural Governor's Office?
Xie Yuan was unaware that he had unconsciously uttered the words "Li You of the Prefectural Governor's Office".
Luo Peiyu knelt at the lower end and, upon hearing Xie Yuan's murmur, mistakenly thought it was her own Empress asking her a question.
She quickly straightened her back, raised her buttocks slightly, and assumed a proper sitting posture.
"Your Majesty, Li You is the eldest son of the Governor of Liangzhou. He has studied abroad for many years and has gained considerable knowledge."
At this point, Luo Peiyu seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Speaking of which, he also has some connection with Yuwen Hao."
"In his early years, Li You and Yuwen Hao were of similar reputation, both being talented individuals from prestigious schools. However, Yuwen Hao wrote several exceptionally brilliant poems in succession, instantly overshadowing Li You in fame."
"Furthermore, Yuwen Hao is a few years older than Li Younian, which proves what Your Majesty said: 'One should become famous as early as possible,' so—"
Yuwen Hao suppressed Li You and became a famous scholar.
Li You, on the other hand, is more like a younger brother who follows in the footsteps of his seniors.
Xie Yuan: ...
She never expected that Li Baozhu would randomly meet someone and get involved with Yuwen Hao.
This person is truly persistent.
Xie Yuan didn't harbor too much malice towards Yuwen Hao. To be honest, she neither liked nor disliked him.
To her, Yuwen Hao was nothing more than a stranger.
But, for some reason, ever since this person came back, there have always been some messy rumors.
And of these rumors, there are always a few that relate to me.
This gave Xie Yuanzong the illusion that he had been kidnapped.
I feel very uncomfortable!
There was also a bad feeling about it.
Forget it, the eldest son of the governor's mansion who had competed with Yuwen Hao for the limelight was still thousands of miles away, and Xie Yuan felt that he would not have any interaction with him.
"Therefore, Governor Li did not pay much attention to the decrees issued by the Council of State to Liangzhou."
Xie Yuan shook his head, clearing his mind of those irrelevant thoughts.
She astutely grasped the key point: the person who went to the epicenter was not Governor Li himself, but his son.
Or perhaps Governor Li simply didn't believe the court's "prediction" and didn't take the decrees issued by the Council of State Affairs seriously;
They either believed it, but not entirely, treating it as just another piece of information that might not matter.
Otherwise, Governor Li should go there in person.
"Is this person simply stubborn and inflexible, or does he simply not care about the lives of ordinary people?"
Although it was inappropriate to make a judgment too early, Xie Yuan was very dissatisfied with Governor Li's unenthusiastic attitude.
Even if the idea of a "dream message" seems absurd, it concerns the lives of ordinary people, and even if it turns out to be a false alarm, it's better than regretting it later.
Governor Li was so passive; regardless of his abilities, he was not a good official who was wholeheartedly devoted to serving the people.
As for Li You, he was able to be as famous as Yuwen Hao, who was in his twenties, when he was only a teenager. Although he ultimately failed to surpass Yuwen Hao, they were once considered equals, which shows how talented he was.
Furthermore, his ability to go to the epicenter alone, whether at the behest of Governor Li or due to his own insistence, demonstrates that he is a valuable asset.
"..." Luo Peiyu did not echo Xie Yuan's dissatisfaction.
She was an embroidered-robe envoy, someone who gathered intelligence for the Empress. Her job was to be objective, not to offer subjective commentary.
"Okay, I understand!"
Xie Yuan nodded, temporarily putting Li You's matter aside.
She continued to inquire, "Will the guards left behind by the Prince of Yue's residence arrive soon?"
Xie Yuan had more than just Li Baozhu as a fan in Lingnan.
As the queen of the Li tribe, Li Baozhu was the leader of the original tribes such as the Liao and Li people, and was able to gather thousands of warriors.
But in the end, Li Baozhu was just a grassroots force.
Xie Yuan also had an official arrangement—to be a personal guard left behind at the Yue King's residence!
"Your Majesty, a thousand personal guards and three thousand engineers have all set off and will surely arrive in Liangzhou before the first day of the eighth month."
Luo Peiyu reported the truth.
"Yes, excellent!"
Upon hearing the words "engineering battalion," Xie Yuan felt half relieved.
After an earthquake, whether it's for emergency rescue and disaster relief or post-disaster reconstruction, a professionally trained engineering battalion should be the best rescue force.
“Your Majesty, that’s not all. Even that tomb raider Hou Jingting led his 'special team' to Liangzhou.”
Seeing that Xie Yuan's mood had improved considerably, Luo Peiyu also cracked a lighthearted joke.
"Hou Jingting? Heh, stop calling him a tomb raider!"
Xie Yuan felt quite accomplished about this special talent he had discovered in Lingnan.
Yes, a sense of accomplishment!
Tomb raiders, what a shameful profession.
In ancient times, if tomb raiders were caught, they would either be beheaded or exiled.
Xie Yuan, however, took a different approach, discovering another method used by tomb raiders—digging tunnels! (Read more)
Hou Jingting played a crucial role in enabling the Yuling Tunnel to be completed so quickly.
With successful examples, Helian Jue decided to further explore the role of tomb raiders.
Hou Jingting directly issued a "Jianghu Order," recruiting more than a dozen colleagues to form a special team specifically responsible for engineering construction.
This small team of tomb raiders will also play a significant role in this disaster relief effort.
"Li Baozhu's civilian squad, the Yue Prince's personal guards and tomb-raiding squad, plus Li You—"
All three forces converged in Liangzhou.
Xie Yuan felt that he had done everything he could think of and deployed all the available resources.
We have done everything we can; now it's all up to fate.
On the fourth day of the eighth lunar month, at dawn, Xie Yuan sat in the Jiaofang Palace, discussing state affairs with a group of female officials.
Suddenly, the cup on the table in front of Xie Yuan began to tremble.
Xie Yuan's heart suddenly raced, a chill ran down his spine, and the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.
An earthquake struck!
"Oh no! The earth dragon has turned over!"
"The earth really shook? The late emperor appeared in my dream, and it was actually true?!"
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