Chapter 355 Qingxi Flood
In the early morning, before it was completely light, the ministers had already gotten up, washed, put on court robes and went to court.
The Taiji Hall of the Taiji Palace in Chang'an was solemn at this moment. After passing through layers of security checks, the civil and military officials walked into the Taiji Hall.
The civil and military officials knelt on the left and right sides, arranged in order of rank, and all of them held court tablets with serious faces.
No one spoke, and in this solemn hall, they were like statues, quietly waiting for the emperor to arrive.
Although everyone was confused in their hearts, why the court meeting that was originally cancelled was suddenly held again, no one dared to discuss it in this solemn hall.
"Your Majesty has arrived!" As the eunuch's shout echoed throughout the hall, Li Chengqian walked slowly in from outside the hall.
The civil and military officials began to kneel, and Li Chengqian walked past them and sat down in front of the throne.
"Greetings to Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!" The civil and military officials bowed and shouted long live the emperor
. "My dear ministers, please stand up!" Li Chengqian said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The civil and military officials stood up and knelt, waiting for the emperor to speak, and the court meeting officially began.
"If you have something to report, report it. If not, leave the court!" Wang Quan stepped forward and shouted.
The civil and military officials looked at each other. Now, apart from droughts and floods, these have been reported long ago. There has been no new situation recently, and there is nothing to report.
Could it be that the emperor sent people to notify every household just for this matter?
"Don't you have anything to say, my dear ministers?" Li Chengqian asked.
"Your Majesty! The current situation in the Tang Dynasty is that many places are suffering from droughts, and Huainan and other places are suffering from floods. These have already been reported to Your Majesty."
"The local governments are also handling it according to the instructions of the court. There is no latest situation, so we have nothing to report." Chu Suiliang stood up and said. "
Okay, since the Right Prime Minister said so, then I would like to ask, what is the situation of the flood in Qingxi, Muzhou, Huainan, and whether the disaster is serious." Li Chengqian said.
"As far as I know, although Muzhou also suffered a flood, it is not serious. The people can still survive, and there is no impact on tax collection." Chu Suiliang said.
The situation reported by the local authorities has clearly stated that the disaster in Muzhou was relatively minor and would not affect the taxation of the court.
He did not understand why Li Chengqian suddenly asked this question. Wasn't the investigation report already handed over to the emperor?
The emperor should not have not read it, so why would he ask this question.
Not only Chu Suiliang felt puzzled, but even Changsun Wuji and other ministers were puzzled.
The emperor first notified everyone to come to the Taiji Hall to convene a court meeting this morning, and then he did not ask anything, but directly asked about the situation in Qingxi County, Muzhou.
Combining the two, everyone suddenly felt that things were not that simple.
"Your Majesty! But what happened in Qingxi County, Muzhou? Why is Your Majesty so angry?" Li Ke stood up and saluted.
Qingxi County in Muzhou has high mountains and deep valleys, crisscrossing rivers, and abundant products. Because of this, the taxes levied by the court here are heavier than those in other places, and the burden on local people is much heavier than that in other places.
But even so, the people of Qingxi have no problems in life, and everyone is law-abiding.
Qingxi is one of the places where the Tang Dynasty levies heavy taxes. It is one of the few money bags in the Tang Dynasty. If something big happens in Qingxi, the court will have to collect less taxes.
Now the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Agriculture can't sit still. They are responsible for managing the money bag. If something happens in Qingxi, it means that the money bag will lose a lot of money, and there will be less oil and water this year.
"I received a report last night that Qingxi County suffered a flood that has not been seen in a century, causing countless families to be broken up and people
to die. However, local officials not only did not open the warehouse to provide relief, but also collected various taxes as usual." "The people were living in poverty, and even had to sell their children, become homeless, and starve to death on the streets."
"But you told me that Qingxi County was only slightly affected, and the people still lived and worked in peace and contentment, and lived a prosperous life."
"This is what you call a peaceful and prosperous era, but the people went from living and working in peace and contentment to becoming homeless, and from living a prosperous life to selling their children."
"How dare you talk nonsense with your eyes open, trying to deceive me, what is your intention? Open your eyes and take a good look." Li Chengqian was furious and threw the report sent back by the Jinyiwei into the hall.
If he had not read a history book in the future before he traveled through time, which recorded that a man named Chen Shuozhen raised an army and proclaimed himself emperor in the fourth year of Yonghui.
If there had not been this flood, Li Chengqian would not have thought of this matter, and might not have sent people to Qingxi County in Muzhou to investigate this matter.
Li Chengqian had just received the report, and he didn't know until he read it. He was so angry that his nose was almost crooked. The situation in Qingxi County was more serious than he thought.
Fortunately, the Jinyiwei tried their best to get food from other places, so as not to cause a riot. However, these food were just a drop in the bucket, which could solve the problem temporarily but could not completely solve the problem.
Facing the emperor's roar, the ministers remained silent, especially the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Agriculture, who dared not even fart.
"Your Majesty! The most urgent task is to come up with a countermeasure immediately to resolve the crisis in Qingxi County, otherwise, it won't be long before the people of Qingxi will rise up."
"By then, if the situation cannot be controlled, it is very likely to cause greater unrest and even spread to the entire Tang Dynasty." Li Ke said hurriedly.
After reading the memorial, they realized how urgent the matter was, which was completely beyond their imagination.
"It is clear that Qingxi has experienced a flood that is rare in a century, but it was concealed by local officials, and the supervisors sent to Qingxi did not report the truth, and it is obvious that they accepted bribes from the corrupt officials."
"First, put the censor who investigated Qingxi in the Dali Temple prison and interrogate him strictly. Anyone who is related to this matter will be severely punished." Li Chengqian said.
The court was completely unaware of this matter. It is obvious that officials protected each other and colluded with each other. The local officials deceived their superiors and lied to their subordinates. It must be related to the censor sent by the court. Otherwise
, the court knew nothing about such a big thing, and thought that nothing happened in Qingxi County, and still imposed heavy taxes on Qingxi.
This could really lead to a mass riot, and people would rise up in rebellion. Anyone who has anything to do with this matter must be severely punished.
"Di Renjie, the Minister of the Supreme Court!" Li Chengqian shouted.
"Your Highness Di Renjie is here!" Di Renjie stood up and saluted.
"I order you to be in charge of the trial of the court officials involved in this matter. Anyone who dares to hinder you in handling the case will be arrested and severely punished. I allow you to act as you wish and grant you a gold medal that will make it as if I were there in person. Seeing this gold medal is like seeing me in person." Li Chengqian said.
"Thank you, my Lord!" Di Renjie saluted.