Chapter 328 Rebellion
In the twenty-fourth year of Zhaoming, at the end of the year and in the depths of winter, a sudden blizzard struck the southwestern prefectures.
This snow came unexpectedly, a rare extreme cold disaster that has occurred only once every few decades.
Snowflakes fell continuously for several days, like goose feathers, covering the mountains, plains, and the entire earth.
In the deepest parts, the snow was up to an adult's knees.
Before His Majesty ascended the throne, there was a severe drought in Hebei Province, which caused many deaths.
Therefore, after Your Majesty ascended the throne, you promoted water conservancy, repaired canals, and built numerous granaries.
In recent years, the Great Qi has suffered from numerous natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and locust plagues, but thanks to effective prevention and timely relief efforts, these disasters have not escalated into major catastrophes.
However, the severity of this snowstorm in Southwest China far exceeds that of the drought in Hebei in the past.
The heavy snow collapsed one thatched hut after another, burying countless people under the snow.
Livestock in the mountain pastures froze and starved to death, and herds of cattle and sheep lay dead in the snow.
The few winter crops that were already growing in the fields were all buried under a thick "white blanket," their life cut off.
Although these years have been prosperous and the national treasury is full and the grain reserves are sufficient.
However, the southwest region is characterized by high mountains, treacherous roads, and numerous ravines.
Now, heavy snow has blocked the mountains, and the plank roads are frozen, making it difficult to move even on foot, let alone by car or horse.
The imperial court prepared disaster relief grain and warm cotton clothing and quilts, but they could not be delivered at all.
In an instant, cries of despair filled the air, and the deaths and injuries were horrific...
The region most severely affected by this disaster is Tibet.
Although Tibet had been conquered by the Great Qi for more than 20 years, the court established a Protectorate to govern it carefully, promoted Sinicization, reduced taxes, and tried to dissolve the barriers and appease the people.
But friction has continued over the years.
The remaining old nobles in the area never truly submitted and continued to create chaos, intending to overthrow the country.
The panic caused by this snow disaster gave them an opportunity to exploit.
They sent people to mingle among the disaster victims, inciting the masses to blame the natural disaster on "foreign rule," and telling everyone that as long as they drove away the Qi people, they could regain divine protection and obtain food and warmth.
The immense panic brought about by the severe cold, hunger, and death destroyed daily order and shook people's hearts.
Many Tibetan refugees were indeed misled by this, setting fire to the Protectorate General's offices and massacring the prefectural officials.
The riots arose and quickly spread.
Surprisingly, several officials of the Great Qi Dynasty actively joined the rebellion, cheering it on and offering advice.
The leader was Xu Jingze, who was the third-ranked scholar in the same academic year as Tu Qing.
He had held a grudge ever since he lost the imperial examination to a woman.
Moreover, after becoming an official, his career was always unsuccessful, and his promotions were repeatedly blocked.
In contrast, Tu Qing, a fellow student, won Li Yuanzhao's appreciation with his talent and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Right Chancellor, wielding immense power in the court.
Therefore, he felt even more strongly that it was all women who were blocking his path.
Seeing no hope for a career in government, he started to think of other things.
Five years ago, Xu Jingze took a risk and accepted bribes from several male students, secretly revealing the imperial examination questions to them.
However, the truth was quickly revealed.
After the incident, Li Yuanzhao spared his life but issued an edict to exile him to the southwest.
The five years of exile did not diminish his hatred; on the contrary, it deepened his resentment.
He increasingly felt that it was Li Yuanzhao's new policies that had allowed women to crowd out men's career paths, thus blocking his own path to advancement.
He believed that all his misfortunes stemmed from the rule of this empress and from this "upside-down" world.
Therefore, he and the old nobles of Tibet hit it off immediately.
One side wants to overthrow the country, while the other wants to "return to the right path".
He not only united with some disillusioned officials who were also dissatisfied with women in power and whose careers had been thwarted, but also took the initiative to act as a strategist for the rebels and planned the rebellion.
He spread the word among the disaster-stricken people: "Since ancient times, Yin and Yang have been in order, and Heaven and Earth have been fixed! The throne of the emperor is ordained by Heaven and has always been inherited by men! For a woman to ascend the throne is to disrupt Yin and Yang and go against the way of Heaven! This once-in-a-century snowstorm is a severe punishment sent down by Heaven in its anger! It is to warn the world and punish the empress who has brought chaos to the country! We are all bearing the divine punishment for her!"
Historically, natural disasters have been regarded by people as signs of the ruler's moral failings and as a warning from heaven to the emperor.
Those who had lost their homes and were suffering from cold and hunger were already in dire straits and filled with despair. When they were further misled by such rumors, they instantly blamed all their suffering on the empress in the capital.
The rebels raised the banner of "killing the Empress and saving the Great Qi," and, along with more and more disaster victims, attacked and seized territory.
In an instant, the situation in the southwest spiraled out of control, and the riots escalated.
The scattered unrest coalesced into a large-scale riot, which spread rapidly, causing panic among the people of several previously peaceful prefectures in the surrounding area.
By the time the news reached the capital, the rebels had already captured two cities in the southwest, and their momentum was growing and their advance was fierce.
In the imperial court, Su Qingci had just finished reading the military report when the hall fell into a deep silence.
Many people secretly raised their eyes and cautiously observed the emperor on the throne.
Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Great Qi has never experienced such a serious internal strife.
Moreover, the rebels were using the slogan "Kill the Empress and bring about a great calamity."
This completely touched the emperor's sore spot.
They were filled with unease, fearing the emperor's wrath.
But to everyone's surprise, Li Yuanzhao chuckled softly, "No matter what they do, they can only bring up my identity as a woman."
"It seems that I am a really good emperor. They can't find any other decent crime to accuse me of besides this."
All the officials in the court were taken aback.
Tu Qing stepped forward to speak, “Your Majesty is absolutely right! Your Majesty has reigned for over twenty years, quelling internal strife, expanding the territory, ensuring the people live in peace and prosperity, and maintaining a full and abundant national treasury. The peace and prosperity of the world far surpasses that of any wise ruler in history. This recent unrest in the southwest is nothing more than petty villains using natural disasters to incite unrest. They dare not question Your Majesty's achievements, nor criticize Your Majesty's virtue and ability; they can only seize upon this vague matter of ‘men and women,’ which shows their guilty conscience and utter weakness!”
As soon as Tu Qing spoke, the other officials echoed his words.
"The Right Chancellor is absolutely right! The rebels' excuses are absurd; they are merely fighting like cornered beasts and will never amount to anything!"
"We humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict to immediately dispatch elite troops to reinforce the southwest, quell the rebellion, and eliminate the traitors!"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops there! I will surely wipe out the rebels!"
In an instant, voices calling for battle rose and fell throughout the hall, and the originally heavy and oppressive atmosphere was greatly diluted by this passionate emotion.
At this moment, Li Qianyuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, “Mother, the rebels are using the natural disaster to cause chaos and coerce the disaster victims. If we only resort to military force, it will inevitably harm the innocent and chill the hearts of the people. I urge you, Mother, to reconsider.”
Upon hearing this, Li Ganxu, standing to the other side, scoffed, "Royal Sister, aren't you being too soft-hearted? They've already attacked us, and you're still speaking up for them. Do you expect the court to plead with them to lay down their weapons? Such indecisiveness only makes the court a laughingstock for its weakness!"
Li Qianyuan turned to look at Li Ganxu, his voice steady, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. I am not speaking for the rebels. Those ringleaders should certainly be severely punished. But those disaster victims who were coerced are innocent victims of the snow disaster. They were only misled by rumors and did not truly want to rebel. If we suppress them indiscriminately, it will only make more people resent the court, giving the rebels an opportunity."
Li Ganxu immediately retorted, "Since they chose to join the rebellion, they are already traitors to the court! Since they have become traitors, they should bear the consequences that traitors deserve. How can you say they are innocent?"
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