3 Chapter 003
◎Taoist Immortal Warning◎
The original book does describe the signs before the country's demise.
The princess hit a pig, the Prince of Jin got drunk, the Prince of Qi had a high fever, the Queen fainted, and the Emperor exploded the furnace; all of these were mentioned.
In order to "torture" them, Xiao Wang no longer cared whether there were too many or too dense coincidences.
Several people looked at each other with serious expressions.
Instead of comforting them, Xie Mingzhuo added fuel to the fire: "None of this is the key. The most important thing is that the novel describes abnormal weather this year. On April 15th, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and northern Henan suddenly experienced heavy snowfall, freezing the wheat. The farmers were faced with a hopeless harvest, and out of despair, they rose up in rebellion."
"Ah?" Meng Qi was surprised. "The peasants rebelled and attacked the capital because they couldn't survive? But three months is too fast."
Xie Mingzhuo shook his head: "Not three months."
"What is that?"
"If I remember correctly, Henan was hit by a severe drought last year, leaving many refugees on the land. The snow in April was the final straw that broke the camel's back."
Meng Qi frowned: "Didn't the imperial court provide disaster relief?"
"Anyone who understands feudal dynasties' disaster relief efforts will understand," Xie Mingshuo sneered. "Local officials embezzling money is commonplace."
"Wait, April 15th is Shaoshao's lunar birthday. Is there any connection between them?" Meng Qi suddenly thought of it.
Xie Mingzhuo nodded. "The book highlights the extravagance of Princess Rong'an's birthday banquet, creating a sharp contrast with the starving and cold refugees."
"Today is March 21st. Fortunately, there is still time." Xie Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not until this moment that he truly felt the pressure of this position. The lives and property of millions of people depended on him, and not everyone could afford it.
At least he can't.
All he wants is for his family to be safe and sound.
Meng Qi said in a deep voice: "I still feel something is wrong."
"That's right," Xie Mingzhuo agreed. "As far as I know, the capital has no less than 200,000 troops. It's impossible for a group of unarmed, hungry people to capture the capital so easily."
Xie Mingshuo: "No matter what secrets are hidden here, what we need to do is to solve the problem at hand. Three months is too short. I still want to start a second career here."
"Rumors, snowstorm." Xie Mingxuan briefly summarized.
Xie Changfeng couldn't help but say, "Now that we're all awake, the rumors should be self-defeating."
"It's not that simple," Xie Mingshuo waved his hand. "As long as the truth has happened, the rumor won't die out, unless there's even more explosive news that happens to refute the previous rumor. That would be perfect."
Meng Qi: "You work in the media industry, what do you think we should do?"
"Let me think about it first." Xie Mingshuo held his head with both hands and closed his eyes.
"What do you think? How about I abdicate?" Xie Changfeng suddenly said. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was a good idea. "There must be many people who want to be emperor. Let someone else take over."
Xie Mingzhuo raised his eyebrows. "After the personnel changes in our company, the newcomers will marginalize the direct descendants of the predecessors. No matter who becomes the emperor, we will not end well."
"If, after all our efforts, the country is still doomed, how about we escape early?" Meng Qi suggested, "We can bear the infamy, as long as our family survives."
"In the feudal era, being an unregistered resident, without land or property, and looking okay, the ending is self-evident." Xie Mingzhuo shook his head. "Even if I were incredibly powerful, I couldn't protect all of you."
Meng Qi: “…”
"I really can't think of a solution, so maybe we can just live happily for three months." Xie Mingxuan said calmly, "We're already dead, so every day we live is a bonus."
Xie Mingshuo raised his head and said, "If you want to lie down, go ahead and do it yourself. Don't take me with you."
"So what do you say we should do?"
"I..." Xie Mingshuo was speechless for a moment, and said weakly, "Actually, I have an idea, but it's still quite difficult to implement it in practice."
Xie Mingzhuo's eyes showed encouragement: "Tell me about it."
"Is the snowstorm you mentioned true?"
"The content of the novel is authentic, but the actual situation is not." Xie Mingzhuo did not say anything definite. No one could guarantee whether the time-travel god would play a joke on them.
"No matter what, the victims must be relieved and appeased. However, we already provided relief last year, and the treasury is definitely not enough. Officials below may not necessarily follow orders. There are too many problems involved. If the money and food are given, but the victims are hungry, they may still choose to revolt. The treasury is empty and cannot support 200,000 troops in the capital. It will become a vicious cycle."
As Xie Mingshuo was talking, he became discouraged: "If it really doesn't work, then let's just give up."
"Solutions are invented by people," Xie Mingzhuo soothed. "When one side is in trouble, all others will come to its aid. Disaster relief doesn't necessarily require money and grain from the national treasury."
"There's a snowstorm in three provinces and the national treasury has no money. Who can we count on?" Xie Mingshuo was still a little pessimistic.
Xie Mingzhuo: "Wealthy businessmen and gentry."
"Could they be so selfless?"
Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "As long as you can give them what they want, they will naturally be willing to trade. However, it may violate the ancestral etiquette and the scholars will make a fuss again."
"Don't worry about that. I'm a professional at organizing public opinion." Xie Mingshuo suddenly perked up. "As long as we have money and food, everything will be easy."
He lowered his voice: "My idea is..."
The plan was unanimously approved by several people.
"Okay, today's family meeting ends here. Let's get started without further ado." Xie Mingshuo stood up.
Xie Changfeng said, "Wait a minute, the emperor is obsessed with alchemy and has never been very interested in government affairs. Even if I have the emperor's memories, they are just memories."
Several people understood what he meant.
Having memories only means gaining relevant common sense and facial recognition, but it does not allow you to use the original body's skills for your own benefit.
Xie Changfeng thought he was not qualified for the position of emperor, and he was also a little worried about being seen through by those shrewd ministers.
Xie Mingshuo laughed heartily: "You are the emperor now. It doesn't matter what you become. Even if you are not wearing any clothes, your ministers will only praise your dragon robe for being so majestic."
"..." Xie Changfeng was furious, "You stinky boy, you can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth!"
Xie Mingzhuo coughed lightly and said, "Just a reminder, you can call me whatever you want in private, but when there are outsiders around, you still have to pay attention to the respectful terms."
All four of them responded.
The golden sun sets in the west, and the sunset glows like a gorgeous brocade spread across the sky, making the imperial palace under the sky look even more magnificent.
Outside the prince's residence, the eunuchs and palace maids were waiting quietly.
The door finally opened from the inside.
Wu Shanqing, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, immediately stepped forward, bent down and waited for his master's instructions.
But then an unfamiliar voice sounded behind the emperor: "Father, this is Master Wu, right?"
Wu Shanqing suddenly raised his head and met the young man's bright eyes in a trance. He couldn't help but blurt out: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi, do you recognize this old servant?"
No, when has His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi ever recognized anyone?!
*
Song Youtian returned home at dusk.
His father was the magistrate of Daxing County in the capital, and he had just taken office in November last year. The family of four all lived in the government residence.
The doorman was drowsy. He opened his eyes when he heard the noise and woke up when he saw him. He suddenly woke up and rushed over with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Sir, why are you back?!"
Song You: “…”
"No, I mean, why did the young master come back?" The doorman said incoherently, "That's not right. The young master was not at the princess's mansion, so why did he come back?"
Song You: “…”
"I'm a fool, please forgive me, sir." The doorman slapped himself and shouted at the top of his voice, "Sir, you're back! You're back!"
So, the entire county government knew that Song Tanhua, who was abducted by the princess, actually walked back on his own!
If the county clerk knew about it, it would mean that everyone in the capital would know about it.
Song You felt that he had never been so embarrassed in the past eighteen years.
County Magistrate Song invited his friends, fellow students, teachers and others in the court to his home to discuss the matter, intending to write a joint letter to continue to put pressure on the emperor.
Suddenly, he heard someone report that his son had returned, and he was shocked.
What? My son is back?
But they had only written half of the memorial!
Song You braved the scorching gazes from the others and stepped into the main hall, greeting his father and other elders.
"Brother You, why are you back?" County Magistrate Song looked at him carefully. Seeing that he was dressed neatly and didn't look like he had been abused, he didn't know how to comfort him for a moment. He only said dryly, "I'm glad you're back. You've suffered."
Song You: “…”
Thinking about how they were passionately preparing to have a big fight when they approached the main hall just now, he felt that he had come back at the wrong time.
Perhaps because their rare great ambition to say no to the powerful was interrupted, they did not seem so surprised.
Song You laughed at himself and felt a little disheartened.
"Brother You?"
Song You excused himself: "I'm tired, I'll go back to my room and rest first."
Leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.
In the Qianqing Palace, a family of five lived happily together.
Wu Shanqing stood by, glancing at His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi who was enjoying dinner elegantly and chatting and laughing with his family. Shock and confusion kept surging in his heart.
Didn't they say that the King of Qi had a high fever after falling into the water? Could a high fever actually turn a fool into a normal person?
It seems that the one treating King Qi was Imperial Physician Zhang. Could it be that they had underestimated Imperial Physician Zhang before?
"Wu Shanqing," Xie Changfeng ordered according to the plan, "go and call the director of the Imperial Observatory."
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory was responsible for observing celestial phenomena and formulating calendars, which was equivalent to the National Astronomical Observatory in later generations. The Director of the Observatory was the Director of the Observatory.
They observe the weather every day, record it, summarize it and report it. If they encounter abnormal astronomical phenomena, they must also report it in time.
Before the imperial court held important celebrations or made major decisions, it would ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate auspiciousness or inauspiciousness.
In general, their work covers astronomy and astrology.
People at that time were very interested in metaphysics.
The director of the Imperial Observatory was an old man in his fifties, with white hair and beard, a thin figure, and he wore a fifth-rank green robe with a white pheasant patch embroidered on his chest.
When he arrived, dinner was over and the dishes had been cleared away. Xie Changfeng was sitting upright in the main room, and the other four were sitting on his left and right.
The Supervisor knelt respectfully and said, "Your humble servant Chu Jun wishes to see the Emperor live long, the Empress live a thousand years, the Prince of Qi live a thousand years, the Prince of Jin live a thousand years, and the Princess live a thousand years."
"No need to be so polite, get up." Xie Changfeng habitually said politely, "Is dinner ready?"
Chu Jun has always been a tool in the court. Others would not even include him in their cliques, let alone gain the emperor's favor.
At this time, the emperor summoned him privately and asked about whether he had dinner, which made him so excited that he burst into tears.
When he paid his respects just now, he specifically mentioned his full name because he was worried that the emperor had forgotten his last name.
"I have used it. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." He stood up and wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeves.
Xie Changfeng was shocked. He didn't say anything, so why was he crying?
He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Chu, I called you here to ask you if there are any unusual celestial phenomena in recent days?"
Chu Jun's mind was working at high speed.
Today, all members of the royal family are unconscious, and rumors are spreading in the streets. Your Majesty must have called him here to save the royal family's reputation.
He immediately said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I have recently observed the celestial phenomena and found that the sun and the moon are in conjunction, the five planets are in a line, and the river is clear and the clouds are auspicious. This is truly an auspicious sign!"
Five people: “…”
If it weren't for the novel's plot guidance, they would probably have believed it.
Of course, Chu Jun's answer was exactly what they wanted.
"Good! Good! Good!" Xie Changfeng praised repeatedly, clapping his hands in delight. "Mr. Chu is indeed worthy of being the Supervisor. He is indeed well versed in astronomy and astrology. I will reward you."
Chu Jun knelt hurriedly and said, "I am terrified. This is my duty. I am ashamed to accept your majesty's reward."
"I will reward you if I say so. I will give you a hundred taels of gold."
"I bow to thank you for your grace."
Xie Changfeng stood up from his seat and helped him up personally, saying with great reliance, "I encountered something today, and I don't know whether to be happy or sad. My dear, are you willing to help me solve this problem?"
"I am deeply honored to be able to answer your Majesty's questions." Chu Jun couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Mingxuan, come here." Xie Changfeng waved his hand.
Xie Mingxuan cooperated and walked closer, then stood back beside him.
"Mr. Chu, what do you think of the King of Qi?" Xie Changfeng said with a smile.
Chu Jun looked up as he was told. He was shocked and took two steps back, his beard trembling. "Unpolished jade and pure gold! His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi has washed away the dust of the past, experienced all kinds of things in the world, and has been reborn! This is an auspicious sign from heaven, great joy!"
Everyone: “…”
Xie Changfeng held his face tight and continued, "You're right. After I passed out today, I seemed to have seen a Taoist immortal in a trance. The immortal said that I had a connection with Taoism. Because I shouldered a heavy responsibility in the human world, he helped me accumulate merit. He not only enlightened the King of Qi, but also gave me some warnings."
"It turns out that Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and the three princes suddenly fell unconscious because a Taoist immortal appeared in their dreams. The high fever of Prince Qi was also due to the enlightenment of a Taoist immortal. I congratulate Your Majesty."
Chu Jun was very sensible and followed the emperor's wishes to determine the nature of the royal family's coma.
As for how His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi woke up, who would find out?
Compared with other reasons, it is obvious that "Taoism and immortals enlighten people" are more acceptable and convincing to the people.
Seeing the emperor's expression becoming increasingly amiable, Chu Jun continued, "I wonder what the Taoist warning Your Majesty is referring to?"
"Alas, this is exactly what worries me." Xie Changfeng said his most crucial line, "The Taoist said that in mid-April, there will be heavy snow."
Chu Jun was stunned.
Your Majesty, would you please listen to what you are saying?
【Author’s words】
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