Chapter 779 How can this be a natural disaster? This is clearly a man-made disaster!
"Master Qian, we found another trapped person here!" an officer shouted loudly.
Qian Zhenyun immediately followed the sound.
Gu Qingchen followed quietly.
It was the house that collapsed the most severely, with almost all the bricks, tiles and wood piled together to form a huge mound of earth.
Qian Zhenyun directed the officers to clean up carefully.
"Slow down!" Qian Zhenyun's voice was filled with anxiety. "There are still people inside!"
He took action himself and dug away the rubble with his hands. Soon, a faint voice came from below.
“Help…Help…”
The voice was very soft and had a crying tone, like a child.
Qian Zhenyun moved faster. He moved heavy bricks with his bare hands. His fingertips were bleeding, but he didn't care.
Gu Qingchen looked at his bloody fingertips and his heart trembled violently.
She wanted to go forward to help, but she knew that her presence at this moment would only bring him trouble.
She could only stand by silently, watching him and praying for him.
Finally, a thin figure was carefully rescued from the rubble by Qian Zhenyun and several officers.
He was a boy about seven or eight years old, pale, covered in blood, and one of his legs was crushed into a bloody mess.
"Dad! Dad!" Qian Zhenyun shouted loudly.
Doctor Qian immediately rushed over with several of his disciples.
They quickly checked the boy's injuries, and Doctor Qian frowned tightly.
"This child is seriously injured." Doctor Qian sighed. "His leg bones are shattered. I'm afraid he can't be saved."
Qian Zhenyun's face suddenly darkened.
He looked at the dying child, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.
Unfortunately, although he studied literature and martial arts, he had no interest in medicine and knew nothing about it.
"Do your best to save him!" Qian Zhenyun said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we must save his life!"
Doctor Qian nodded, and immediately took his apprentices to carry the boy to a temporary clinic nearby.
Qian Zhenyun stood there, looking in the direction where the boy was being carried away, and clenched his fists.
He knew that this scene was just the beginning. In the face of this disaster, the power of an individual seemed so insignificant.
He needs more resources, more help.
At this moment, Gu Lu walked over and patted Qian Zhenyun on the shoulder with a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
"Zhenyun, the supplies from the Ministry of Internal Affairs have arrived, but the quantity is far from enough. Moreover, there are many areas in the south of the city, and we simply cannot take care of them all."
Qian Zhenyun nodded, of course he knew.
He looked at Gu Lu, his eyes gleaming with thought.
He knew that the prince would not give him any substantial help. All he could rely on was Gu Lu and himself.
He needs a way to mobilize more power.
"Brother, do you have any way to mobilize more people from Beijing?" Qian Zhenyun asked.
Gu Lu shook his head, a trace of helplessness on his face: "I have already brought all the people from the Dali Temple who can be mobilized. The Jingji Guard can only mobilize one team. If there are more, it will touch the bottom line of His Majesty."
He paused, then continued, "As for the Ministry of Revenue, the Crown Prince has already ordered that all disaster relief supplies must be allocated centrally by the Eastern Palace. It's simply impossible for us to transfer grain directly from the Ministry of Revenue."
Qian Zhenyun frowned tightly.
He knew that the prince was tightening his control over him step by step, making it impossible for him to escape.
He stood in the wind and snow, looking at the devastated land in front of him and the desperate and helpless victims.
He couldn't bear to watch them die.
He had to figure out a way.
Gu Qingchen stood not far away and heard their conversation clearly.
She knew that the difficulties Qian Zhenyun was facing now were more difficult than she had imagined.
The prince not only wanted to ruin his reputation, but also wanted him to bear the crime of "failing to provide disaster relief, resulting in casualties among the victims."
She was anxious, but she couldn't reveal her identity.
At this moment, she saw Qian Zhenyun's gaze suddenly fall on an area surrounded by officers not far away.
There, there were several people who looked like officials, pointing and gesticulating, as if they were arguing about something.
"What's going on?" Qian Zhenyun asked Gu Lu.
Gu Lu took a look and his face turned grim. "It's the Ministry of Works. They said the houses in this area collapsed because of poor design and shoddy workmanship. They're shirking responsibility and arguing endlessly."
A cold light flashed in Qian Zhenyun's eyes.
He strode over.
"My Lords, now is not the time to argue."
"Right now, the most important thing is to save people!"
When several officials from the Ministry of Industry saw him, their expressions became somewhat unnatural.
Of course they knew that Qian Zhenyun was the prince's tutor, and they also knew that he was now in charge of disaster relief.
"Master Qian!" One of the Ministry of Works' assistant ministers bowed and said perfunctorily, "We are currently discussing how to find the root cause of the building collapse so that we can prevent such incidents from happening again in the future."
"The root cause?" Qian Zhenyun sneered, "The root cause lies with you officials who are just sitting there doing nothing but eating and drinking!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of several officials from the Ministry of Works changed.
"Mr. Qian, what do you mean by this?" The Minister of Works' tone was filled with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"What do you mean?" Qian Zhenyun's gaze swept over them, with a hint of undisguised sarcasm. "Of the money allocated by the capital to the Construction Department every year, how much has flowed into your pockets? And how much has been used to build these shoddy projects?"
"Now that heavy snow has fallen, houses have collapsed, and the people are suffering, you are here shirking responsibility and arguing endlessly! Are you worthy of the official hats on your heads? Are you worthy of His Majesty's trust? Are you worthy of these innocent people?"
Qian Zhenyun's voice was chilling, making the officials present feel tremendous pressure.
They didn't expect that Qian Zhenyun would dare to accuse them so bluntly in public.
"Mr. Qian, please stop slandering us!" another official couldn't help but retort. "The house collapsed because of a natural disaster. What does it have to do with us?"
"Natural disaster?" Qian Zhenyun took a sudden step forward, his eyes blazing with anger. "What a natural disaster! If you hadn't cut corners on construction, how could these houses be so vulnerable? If you hadn't disregarded human life, how could these people be displaced and their lives hang by a thread!"
He pointed at the ruins and shouted, "How can this be a natural disaster? This is clearly a man-made disaster! It was created by corrupt officials like you!"
Qian Zhenyun's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the ruins.
When the disaster victims around heard Qian Zhenyun's words, anger ignited in their eyes.
Before, they just thought it was their bad luck and that God was blind. But now, after hearing Qian Zhenyun's words, they suddenly realized.
It turns out that this is not just a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster!
It was those corrupt officials who caused their families to be destroyed!
"Well said!"
Suddenly, a clear voice was heard from the crowd.
Gu Qingchen walked out of the crowd. She took off her hood, revealing a pale but determined face.
Her eyes fell on the faces of the officials from the Ministry of Industry, with undisguised sarcasm in them.
"My Lords, Qian Zhenyun is right." Gu Qingchen's voice was cold and firm, and was particularly clear in the wind and snow. "How can this be a natural disaster? This is clearly a man-made disaster!"
She walked up to Qian Zhenyun and stood side by side with him, facing the Ministry of Works officials with sullen faces.
"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is willing to step forward and thoroughly investigate this matter!" Gu Qingchen's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty. "I want to see which officials dare to be so audacious and disregard human life under the feet of the emperor!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
The officials of the Ministry of Industry changed their expressions drastically.
They didn't expect that Gu Qingchen from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would appear here!
Moreover, she actually said such words in public!
This is simply a slap in their faces!
Qian Zhenyun looked at Gu Qingchen, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He didn't expect that she would appear here.
What was even more unexpected was that she would stand by him so high-profile and speak up for him and these innocent people.
Gu Lu also came over. He looked at Gu Qingchen with a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Qingchen, you're here." Gu Lu's voice was filled with a hint of relief.
"Brother Lu." Gu Qingchen nodded, her eyes still fixed on the officials from the Ministry of Industry. "These people cannot be let off!"
The Minister of Works' face turned pale and blue. He forced himself to remain calm and bowed to Gu Qingchen.
"Miss Gu, you are wrong! The house collapsed because of a natural disaster and has nothing to do with us. As a girl, it is not appropriate for you to meddle in the affairs of the court!"
"Government affairs?" Gu Qingchen sneered. "The people are displaced, their families are broken up, isn't that considered government affairs? You officials, sitting in office doing nothing, aren't you also responsible for government affairs?"
She pointed at the collapsed buildings and her voice suddenly rose: "How much silver does your Ministry of Works take from the national treasury every year? Where does all this money go?!"
"My Zhenguogong Mansion is willing to step forward and conduct a thorough investigation of all the accounts of the Construction Department! I want to see which officials dare to be so corrupt and pervert the law, and disregard human life, right under the feet of the Emperor!"
Gu Qingchen's voice was filled with an unquestionable majesty, which made the officials present feel a huge pressure.
They never expected that this little ancestor of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would be so powerful and ruthless.
What they didn't expect was that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would stand up so clearly and seek justice for Qian Zhenyun and the people affected by the disaster!
"Ms. Gu, what are you doing..." An official wanted to open his mouth to refute, but was frightened by Gu Qingchen's sharp eyes.
"I am doing justice for the heavens!" Gu Qingchen's voice was resounding in the wind and snow.
She looked at the victims behind her and shouted, "My fellow villagers, don't worry! My Zhenguogong Mansion will never sit idly by and watch what happened today!"
"For all the people injured in the collapsed houses, the Zhenguogong Mansion will bear all the medical expenses!"
"For all the homeless victims, the Zhenguogong Mansion will provide you with temporary shelter and food!"
"For all the houses that collapsed due to shoddy workmanship, the Duke of Zhenguo will pay to rebuild them for you!"
Gu Qingchen's voice was like a warm current, warming the hearts of all the victims in this snowy and icy place.
They looked at Gu Qingchen, their eyes filled with shock, gratitude and hope.
They didn't expect that at this desperate moment, a girl from a wealthy family would stand up and seek justice for them!
"Thank you, Miss Gu!"
"Miss Gu is so kind and generous. We will never forget her!"
The victims knelt down one after another to express their gratitude to Gu Qingchen.
Gu Qingchen ignored their kneeling. She just looked at the Ministry of Works officials with sullen faces, and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"My Lords, are you still going to continue shirking your responsibilities?"
The face of the Minister of Works had turned pale.
He knew that Gu Qingchen's appearance had completely disrupted their plans.
The intervention of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has escalated this matter to a level that they cannot control.
His lips trembled, and he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word.
Qian Zhenyun looked at Gu Qingchen, his eyes flashing with complex light.
He knew that she stood up for him.
He knew that she was using the reputation and financial resources of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to help him overcome this crisis.
He felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but also a hint of worry.
Her high-profile involvement in this matter would undoubtedly cause strong dissatisfaction from the prince.
He looked at Gu Qingchen with a questioning look in his eyes.
Gu Qingchen didn't look at him. Instead, he coldly ordered the officials from the Ministry of Works, "Brother Lu, take all these people back to the Dali Temple! Thoroughly investigate!"
"Yes!" Gu Lu immediately took the order and directed the officers to take away all the officials from the Ministry of Works.
The officials of the Ministry of Industry looked pale as death. They knew that this time, they were finished.
Gu Qingchen looked at their backs as they were taken away, a cold look flashing in his eyes.
She turned around and looked at Qian Zhenyun, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
"Mr. Qian, now you can let go and do disaster relief work properly."
Qian Zhenyun looked at her, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.
He knew that she was helping and protecting him in her own way.
A warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart.
He knew that everything he did was not in vain.
She is worth everything he gives.
The snow was still falling, but the ruins in the south of the city were no longer filled with dead despair.
Gu Qingchen's appearance was like a ray of light, illuminating this land shrouded in darkness.
It also illuminated Qian Zhenyun's heart.
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