Chapter 112: Hell on Earth
The beginning of a disaster is often not a deep feeling, but the aftermath of the disaster is what is truly unbearable.
The Guanzhong area has always been prosperous. The endless plains and fertile soil are the lifeline that nourishes Dayong. Now it is completely buried in loess mud. Moreover, the Yellow River has backflowed, flooding, and countless houses have been destroyed. The victims are all starving. Most importantly, it will take many years to restore the prosperity.
The memorial sent back only described it in four words: hell on earth.
Things were being transported there in an endless stream, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled. It was summer, and the sun was shining brightly. Local officials requested that medicines and other things be delivered as soon as possible.
Many female officials also began to request through the six ministries that they follow the supplies and soldiers to the disaster area. They were the ones who knew the supplies best and knew how to distribute them.
The emperor did not hesitate and was about to use someone. At this time, what he should guard against was corrupt officials.
It was not until the Mid-Autumn Festival that a rough calculation was finally made. The number of people whose deaths were registered was nearly 800,000, not counting those who were not registered. The actual death toll was as high as one million.
The emperor's edict of repentance was written with sincerity and heartfelt emotion, and everyone in the court shared the same sorrow. The emperor and his ministers seemed to be acting like a rare wise ruler and wise ministers.
By mid-September, there were still aftershocks, and different voices began to emerge in the court, saying that too many things were being sent there. If they continued like this, even if Dayong was emptied, there would be no good outcome.
Some people even advocated relocating people living near the earthquake's epicenter, saying that this would be better than the current situation. Some even said the disaster was a natural punishment for the local people's lack of moral integrity...
Some of the nonsense was naturally rebuked by the emperor, but he really could not bear it. The affected area was too large and the death toll was too high. Every day when he opened his eyes, he was short of money, food and other things.
The most important thing is that in recent years, too much emphasis has been placed on coastal merchants, and food has been decreasing year by year. Now, even if you have money, it is not easy to buy food.
This has also led to many new problems. The price of food in the disaster area is already sky-high, and the price of food in the south has also skyrocketed. This is no longer a situation that can be solved with money.
In addition to food, there are also various urgently needed items for people's livelihood such as oil, salt, cloth, etc. I heard that many people can only use tree bark and leaves to cover their bodies, gnaw on grass roots and other things, and drink dirty water.
All kinds of situations came to mind all at once.
The emperor, let alone going to the harem, spent every day in the Qinzheng Hall living a life worse than death, and the eunuchs and palace maids were the first to suffer.
Even though Zhao Changning lived in seclusion in Kunning Palace, people often came to him crying for help. With Dayong in chaos, the decision makers were undoubtedly under tremendous pressure.
An earthquake directly brought out the scabies in the court of Dayong. Without the ability to solve the problem, many people began to talk after the event. At this time, someone finally praised Mingxuan and praised him for his foresight. If they had listened earlier, the situation might not have been so serious.
There is no other way, and remediation is also a form of attitude. The emperor temporarily transferred Mingxuan there.
Although the court's attitude was very positive, money and things were the main focus. It was true that they were positive at the beginning, but when it came to loss of interests, those people backed off and it was also true that they did not want to take the money.
Lack of money and supplies meant death, and those who died were all ordinary people. But ordinary people were also divided into different classes, so what did it have to do with others? As time went on, even the most active people in the court gradually died down.
Mingxuan submitted petitions for money and things countless times, but eight out of ten times they were just empty promises. Disaster relief was a very difficult task, and many people wanted to make the people suffer, after all, they would not have to suffer.
Such a tragedy will naturally affect the harem.
Zhao Changning didn't know whether the emperor's treasury had paid out any money, nor did he know how much money the Ministry of Revenue had taken out, but one thing was certain: these people must have money.
She sighed. Mingxuan was still fighting hard in the front, she couldn't just ignore him, so she turned around and went to find the Queen.
"Now that disaster is imminent and people's lives are suffering, why don't you bring the eldest princess to pray for blessings and donations, devoting your own efforts and setting an example for the officials and women of Dayong? Perhaps you can even raise some money to save lives."
The Queen breathed a sigh of relief. "I wanted to talk to you about this yesterday, but the Emperor is so worried now that I didn't want to bother him. When I heard you say that today, I immediately understood."
Zhao Changning smiled. Ever since the Queen rescued the little palace maid, she knew that the Queen was worthy of being the mother of the country. She was upright in her conduct and would not lose her humanity even if she suffered injustice.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor will surely be very happy that you have such a heart." She said softly, "Your Majesty, this time, you'd better put the eldest princess first."
The Queen's eyes flickered as she nodded gently, "I understand, but I'll have to trouble you to arrange it again."
The emperor was deeply moved when he heard that the eldest princess had consulted the empress and led the concubines, maids and eunuchs to raise nearly 800,000 taels of silver.
He immediately took the eldest princess with him and gathered some people in the Qinzheng Hall.
"...My daughter is very thoughtful. She is still too young to understand how important these 800,000 taels are to the common people, but I do. I feel deeply ashamed that I am not even as good as a mere child..."
The eldest princess walked up to the emperor and whispered, "Father, this is what a daughter should do. As a princess, I should share your worries."
The emperor patted the princess's head and sighed, "There are still three million taels of silver in the treasury. I will give it all. If I can save even a few, I will not be worthy of the people's support..."
Qi Yuwei had always been in favor of disaster relief. He immediately knelt down and said, "I sorted through my belongings last night and was able to come up with 30,000 taels. It's a little too little, so please don't laugh at me."
It's easier when someone takes the lead, and those who don't want to take it are forced to pay a little price.
Only Xu Jiawen remained motionless. It was not that he didn't want to, but he really had no money. Everyone knew it, and no one mocked him.
Someone also suggested, "Now that we are facing a major disaster, not only are the victims suffering, but the country's borders are also difficult to defend. This money is definitely not enough. It would be better to levy some taxes in the areas that are not affected by the disaster, and then reduce or exempt them when the situation improves..."
The eldest princess, although still young, already possesses the dignity of a princess. In addition, Zhao Changning talks to her every day without any taboos, so she is no longer the naive little princess.
"No." The little girl's face was extremely solemn, and her face was a little red because of anger.
The emperor had been listening attentively, but when he heard his daughter's sharp shout, he couldn't help but frown, "Yao'er, don't be rude."
Zhou Min also said to the princess in a genial manner: "Every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country. Although the princess is young, she probably doesn't understand."
The eldest princess angrily turned to the emperor and said, "Father, the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of every man. Even when times were peaceful, taxes were still levied continuously, and every grain of rice was used to support the royal family and even you officials. Now, why don't you say that the hungry people in the world are the officials' responsibility? Now that the world is not at peace, you still want to target those poor people, saying that the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of every man. Is this the right way to say it? They have been supporting us all the time. Shouldn't this responsibility be our primary responsibility? How can it be that the responsibility has become the responsibility of the people who have never had a good day? What use are we then? If an enemy country invades in the future, you won't even care about the families of your soldiers. How can you still expect them to fight?"
The emperor's eyes suddenly changed when he looked at his daughter. Seeing that the others had nothing to say, he broke the deadlock.
"Now that the situation has been resolved, it's better to take it one step at a time. Everyone, go home and make preparations."
After everyone left, he pulled his daughter aside and asked, "Did your aunt teach you these words?"
The eldest princess nodded hesitantly and said timidly, "I think my aunt is right. If we treat the people like this now, they will definitely not support us. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
She continued, "Aunt also said that there have been too many births and deaths on this land. We have been in Dayong for over two hundred years, but the wheat has only been ripe two hundred times. Not to mention natural disasters, man-made disasters, and famines. The people are suffering. Father, you must not use such a bad idea."
The emperor touched his daughter's head and said nothing.
This time, a total of five million taels were collected and turned into various things, which were gradually sent to the disaster area from all directions. They were mainly distributed by female officials. In this disaster, female officials were the most eye-catching presence.
They are more considerate and more able to soothe people than men. The unique system makes them more united internally, without corruption and complaints.
Together with General Mingxuan, everyone cooperated seamlessly, and those who clamored to abolish female officials were no longer heard.
But the disaster was too severe, the aftershocks continued, the death toll increased, and mass graves were dug one after another, but they were eventually abandoned. I heard that the corpses in some places attracted many wolf packs, and those places were completely abandoned.
As time went by, by the end of October, most of the remaining people still could not be resettled, and many gradually fled to various places. Bandits were rampant again, and even rebels appeared in some places.
After the great disaster, there was a great epidemic, and some strange diseases also followed their exile route all the way to Yujing.
Fortunately, everything is under control.
The New Year of the ninth year of Cheng'an was very hasty and dull. The entire imperial city was still shrouded in the disaster, and even the newborn baby could not attract the emperor's attention.
The queen has been working diligently in the harem without any complaints. Even when the fourth prince came to pay his respects to her, she accepted it with a smile, as if that incident had already passed.
"Do you think he will really make that little bastard the crown prince?" The queen's eyes were dim, and her tone was filled with hatred.
Zhao Changning shook his head, "My Lady, I don't know either."
She was very calm and did not care about the Queen's lingering feelings for the Emperor, because things would eventually reach that point.
History books are filled with various experiences in the hope that future generations can remember the lessons, but she has read so many books now, and looking back at all dynasties, she has not read in history books that anyone can avoid mistakes. The mistakes made by the predecessors are still being made by the later generations.
No matter who becomes the crown prince, it will not affect what she wants to do. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. Who says that small people don't have good opportunities?
It took two full years, the tenth and eleventh years of Cheng'an, for the shadow of the earthquake to slightly dissipate.
The Fenwei Valley, including the surrounding area for hundreds of miles, became a wilderness. The raging waves of the Yellow River never subsided. In just two years, the earthen walls and houses were covered by vines, wild beasts were rampant, and there was no trace of human beings at all.
However, the shadow brought by the earthquake always loomed over the court. The empty treasury, the devastated Dayong, the dead officials and female officials, and the frequent disasters in various places all showed that the impact of the earthquake was still there, especially with the enemy countries watching covetously.
The emperor has been toiling away day and night these past few years, not daring to complain, and his health doesn't seem to be very good.
Just at this time, in the middle of summer, Yu Zhaoyi's child broke out with chickenpox.
This was not a serious problem, but several children in the palace also caught chickenpox.
The atmosphere in the palace, which had finally relaxed a little, became tense again. Everyone was in danger, fearing that they would get sick, especially the concubines with children, who didn't even dare to leave the house.
But chickenpox still ignored distance, and almost all of the fourteen children, except the older ones, under the age of five were infected.
When the emperor heard the news, he fell ill all of a sudden. He didn't dare ask his concubines to take care of him, so he had to close the Qinzheng Hall and only leave three palace maids who had had chickenpox to serve him.
Yunsheng happened to be one of them.
The eldest princess came back from school that day and saw her aunt holding a piece of yellow silk in her hand and looking blankly. "Aunt, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Changning smiled and put the things into his sleeves. "It's okay. How are you today?"
She saw a tiny red mark on the princess's face and scratches from nails on her neck. She frowned and asked, "What happened?"
The eldest princess shook her head. "It's Huo Xun's fault. She's always disliked me and has been trying to trip me up in secret. Humph, wait until I grow up, and see how I'll retaliate."
Zhao Changning held the yellow silk in his sleeve, and his hands tightened involuntarily.
She made up her mind that this was her best chance. If she missed it, she didn't know how long she would have to wait.
It had been a long time since she last felt that kind of pleasure that made her blood boil, her limbs seem to be burning, and it rushed into her brain and exploded her scalp, almost drowning her whole body.
This was the long-lost power that was hitting her heart. She finally longed for the arrival of power again, more strongly than ever before. Power was still so charming, like a peerless beauty. Just a wave of the hand and she would kneel down on her own initiative.
"Good girl." Zhao Changning's throat tightened. He gently stroked the eldest princess's cheek and said softly, "It's great. We've grown up."
The crescent moon hangs like a hook on the willow branches, its light is as clear as jade, insects are still singing, frogs are croaking, and the summer wind is hot.
Finally, when night fell, Zhao Changning hurried to the queen's bedroom, sweating profusely.
The ice basin in the bedroom exuded a chill that made her shiver slightly unconsciously.
Chunyun held the candle, rubbing her eyes and sighing, "Changning, what are you doing?"
Zhao Changning looked solemn as he lowered the curtains, took out the yellow silk in his hand, handed it to the queen, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I just received news that the emperor intends to make the fourth prince the crown prince."
The queen suddenly came to her senses and started crying without saying a word. What she feared finally became a reality, shattering all her expectations.
She didn't even dare to look at the yellow silk, she lifted the quilt and was about to walk out.
"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Zhao Changning asked quietly, "Are you going to see the Emperor? Are you really going?"
The Queen couldn't get over the threshold no matter how hard she tried. She gritted her teeth and wiped away her tears, "He has no heart, he is not a human being, I hate him, I hate him..."
Her legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground, covering her face and crying bitterly, but she didn't dare make any loud noise and could only sob.
Zhao Changning helped her up and said calmly, "Your Majesty, we have to make a decision. If he really becomes the crown prince, then none of us, including the eldest princess, will be able to survive in the future."
The Queen now has only one daughter and has experienced a lot, especially accumulated disappointments. She is no longer the same person she used to be.
For the first time, she calmly wiped away her tears. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepened, and her eyes burned like fire. She said coldly, "Changning, the emperor has never had chickenpox."
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The author has something to say: Changning: It’s nothing special, just practice, don’t worry [helpless][helpless][scatter flowers]
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