Chapter 416: Deterrence
After half an hour, they still hadn't come up with a safe solution. The urgent situation at the moment was not only the problem of the rebels last night, but also the Zhangjiawan wharf was occupied by the rebels, and the city would soon face the problem of shortage of supplies.
A lack of food in the city would be fatal.
"Your Majesty, we should seek help from the surrounding provinces." suggested a general.
Emperor Ming Cheng said coldly: "Apart from this suggestion?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Elder Xu said, "As early as the news of the Jianning rebels reached the capital, His Majesty had already ordered General Pei Xin to mobilize the army back to the capital. Calculating the time, it will take less than half a month to arrive."
That’s why we discussed it for so long.
What everyone is asking is a useless question.
This was the first time Qin Chi learned about this issue.
Emperor Mingcheng should have sent a secret decree. If he said it at this time, it is very likely that the city has been sealed off and the city is under the control of Emperor Mingcheng, so he does not mind telling the news. In fact, as long as the army sets out, it will not be able to hide for many days. The rebels will not raid the imperial city. Qin Chi suspected that Yan Jiangnan and others may have received the news, so they made a feint to the east and attacked in the west to occupy Zhangjiawan first.
Both sides knew the military strength of the capital.
Emperor Cheng of the Ming Dynasty didn't have any idea before, but he should know it now.
For now, we can only defend the imperial city and wait for rescue.
"Minister Qin, do you have any suggestions?"
Seeing the silent Qin Chi, Old Xu suddenly asked. Seeing Qin Chi looking up at him in surprise, he explained, "You are the youngest here. Young people are energetic and have active minds. Maybe they can find a way to crack it. Unlike the old guys, they have to think about what to say several times and look ahead and behind."
"Replying to Master Xu, I am still inexperienced, far less experienced than my predecessors, and I can't think of a solution for the moment. However, the most important thing now is that in addition to defending the city, we also need to appease the people in the city to prevent the escaped rebels from causing chaos in the city and shaking people's hearts. The second thing is the grain merchants in the city..."
What Qin Chi said is indeed a problem that urgently needs attention in the city.
The discussion just now was only about solving the problem of the rebels, and no one has paid attention to the problems that may occur in the city, especially the problem of food, which is still the top priority. If the price of food is raised, it is likely to cause panic among the people.
Emperor Ming Cheng also thought of this problem at the same time.
He asked the court officials to think of ways to stabilize the situation in the city. Finally, Emperor Mingcheng said, "The matter of stabilizing the people's hearts and prices in the city will be handed over to Qin Aiqing. If necessary, you can ask the Jinyiwei to assist you."
"Your Majesty, I obey your order."
Qin Chi responded respectfully, but he was actually feeling speechless.
He is the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry. Shouldn't the Ministry of Revenue be in charge of things like prices? Even if it is not handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, the Military Affairs Department should be responsible for it. It should not be his turn.
It was almost noon.
A group of ministers suddenly heard sounds of execution and screams coming from outside.
Emperor Mingcheng led his group out of the palace gate.
I saw Jixiang leading people to clean out the spies in the palace and capturing more than a dozen palace maids and wanting to beat them to death.
"Ah! Admiral, I am innocent. That thing is not mine. Someone framed me..."
"Spare me, ah!!"
The screams never ceased to be heard.
It sounded eerie, and the person coming over sounded like someone I had bumped into by accident, which scared me to death.
Emperor Mingcheng said indifferently: "There is no need for those who have two minds to live."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right."
An official nearby echoed this.
Emperor Cheng of the Ming Dynasty brought people to this bloody scene in order to intimidate and warn them. Anyone who should understand will understand.
Immediately, Emperor Ming Cheng ordered people to leave.
Qin Chi was going to find the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Minister of Revenue Xia Wei was silent, "His Majesty said to find the Embroidered Uniform Guard when necessary. Are you going to do it right after leaving the Qianqing Palace?" Seeing that Qin Chi was not hiding anything, he couldn't help but remind him.
"I don't want to either, but the rebels who have escaped outside have not been completely eliminated. It is necessary now. Otherwise, how can I and the few people in the mansion complete the tasks assigned by His Majesty?" Qin Chi not only had to go to the Jinyiwei to borrow manpower, but also had to go to Jingzhao Prefecture and the Military Affairs Department to borrow people. "Regarding the grain merchants and other issues, I have to trouble Minister Xia to help."
He always needed to know how many grain merchants and grain shops there were in the capital, and who had the most grain stockpiled. He also had to look through the files of the Ministry of Revenue or ask the people in the Ministry of Revenue to provide a list.
Xia Wei understood what he said, "This is a small matter. I'll pass it on and have someone compile a list."
"Thank you for your help." Qin Chi bowed to him gratefully.
Xia Wei politely returned the gift.
The two of them still had some distance to go. Xia Wei looked around and saw that the nearest one to them was several feet away. He approached Qin Chi and whispered, "Your Majesty is not right. Have you noticed?"
"You mean . . . powder?"
As Qin Chi spoke vaguely, he tapped his face lightly with his fingers.
Xia Wei raised his eyebrows, "Did you notice that?"
"I found it when I looked up."
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
Most ministers did not dare to look directly at Emperor Cheng of Ming.
Qin Chi and others were no exception, but when Old Xu called his name, when he looked up at Old Xu, he secretly glanced at Emperor Ming Cheng a few times.
In the past, Qin Chi would have ignored it. But since he had done makeup for Song Jin, he had studied it a few times in private and paid attention to it. He soon noticed that Emperor Mingcheng's complexion was not as rosy as it should be. After a few more glances, he realized that it was powder.
It was very common for men to wear makeup during the Qin and Han dynasties.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, some men used lip balm and incense in addition to powder and facial cream. Yan Xianqing especially loved spices and often used pepper to fumigate his clothes. When you get close to him, you can smell pepper.
However, Emperor Ming Cheng might have paid attention to his appearance when he was young, but after he got older, he seldom paid attention to his appearance. At least since Qin Chi entered the court as an official, he had hardly ever shown powder when he saw Emperor Ming Cheng.
This time it has.
So, what are you hiding? Your sickly look!
After the rebels entered the palace, news from the palace was blocked.
What happened in the palace last night was not heard outside. However, it was impossible for Emperor Mingcheng not to be angry about such a big thing. Last time, Emperor Mingcheng had a lucky escape from death because of the "rejuvenation" incident.
It doesn’t mean that there is nothing wrong with the body.
There won't be any problems in the short term.
Now, the rebels are causing chaos, and major events are happening one after another. Given Emperor Mingcheng's hot temper, it is difficult not to get angry. However, the illness needs to be concealed...
This is going to be a big deal!
Xia Wei didn't dare to think about it any further.
He decided to keep today's discovery to himself.
On the contrary, Qin Chi acted as if nothing had happened. He went to ask the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to send for someone. Coincidentally, Captain Chen brought people to help. Then he went to the Ministry of Revenue and the government office, and then to the office of the Five Cities Military Department. He asked people to keep an eye on the shops in the upper city to see if anyone was taking advantage of the national crisis to make a fortune, and to give timely reminders.
It was a busy day.
Qin Chi missed lunch again.
Qin Ba came over with a food box and placed it on the table in front of Qin Chi. He then reported the situation in the city outside, such as hearing that the elder was seriously injured by the rebels last night and was lying at home waiting.
"Young Master, something happened in the mansion of Marquis Wu." Qin Ba said again in a low voice.
Qin Chi was surprised, "Wasn't his family there last night?"
"It was the escaped rebels who went to the mansion of Marquis Wu. The women in the mansion were either dead or raped by the rebels. Among them was Miss Wu..." Qin stopped there.
Qin Chi has not yet taken action against the Wu family.
The Wu family is having bad luck again? Did the rebels go to the Wu family on purpose, or did they go there unintentionally?