An earthquake occurred in Jinli Town, and the materials used for disaster relief can now be used legitimately.
When Yu Jin and his companions returned to their destination in the setting sun, more tents had been set up there, as well as a number of earthen stoves.
The whole town is destroyed, and we can no longer make do with feeding so many people.
"Li Zheng is back!"
The townspeople who stayed in the place where they were staying quickly gathered around and asked in unison, "Li Zheng, have you rescued the people?"
At this point, it was useless to hide it. Facing those eager eyes, he sighed, "Only Nini from Gousheng's family was rescued. The child was sent away by the prince to see a doctor. As for the others -"
Crying suddenly broke out.
"My child's father, I wish I hadn't let you go back then! Oh, oh, oh, if you leave like this, how will we, an orphan and a widow, survive——"
"Second brother, you shouldn't have gone back. You've only been married for two months, and you didn't even have time to leave a wife—"
Those who had no casualties in their families and no close relatives killed or injured did not cry, but their eyes were red and they were filled with fear: if they had gone back at that time, they would be the ones who died in the earthquake.
All this is thanks to King Yan!
A man dragged his wife and children to his knees in front of Yu Jin, raised his hand and slapped himself: "Prince, I was blinded by greed and blamed you in my heart... You saved my family, I kowtow to you, and I will set up a longevity tablet for you in the future, and pray for your safety and longevity every day..."
Another family knelt down and said, "My Lord, you are such a kind person. In order to save our lives, you even used money to support us to go back and seek death... There is no one more kind-hearted than you..."
Many people broke out in cold sweats.
If they hadn't had the money promised by the prince, they would have definitely gone back...
More and more people came and knelt before Yu Jin, expressing their gratitude.
The prince watched coldly, feeling a little unhappy.
How could these fools know that it was Erniu who saved them!
It was Erniu who predicted the danger, so Laoqi made up the lie that a god came into their dreams to warn them.
Looking at Yu Jian being bowed to by the people, the prince felt more and more upset: If he had known that an earthquake would really happen in Jinli Town, he would have taken the matter of the god appearing in his dream to warn him.
"There is no need to do this. I have only tried my best. It is you gentlemen who are really worried..." Yu Jin was not very interested in how to deal with the grateful common people. He simply said this and pushed Minister Zhao out.
Minister Zhao and other officials felt comfortable when they heard this: since an earthquake had occurred in Jinli Town, it was certain that the Prince of Yan would be respected by the people, and the fact that the Prince of Yan did not forget to mention their contributions was truly heartwarming.
Minister Zhao cleared his throat and was about to say a few words when he heard the crown prince say, "My fellow villagers, I am the crown prince of the current dynasty. I have come here to visit you. Please rest assured that you have suffered a disaster and the court will definitely provide you with a proper resettlement. I promise you that in addition to the silver promised by the King of Yan, each of you will also be given two taels of silver as relief to help you rebuild your homes..."
Minister Zhao and others turned pale when they heard this.
The subsidy promised by the Prince of Yan was already a little bit in excess of the court's disaster relief standards, but at least it could be made up. The Crown Prince said right away that each person would be given a subsidy of two taels of silver. It turns out that the money did not come from the East Palace. Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince think it was blown in by the wind?
Although Minister Zhao and others were anxious, they could not interrupt the prince's endless chatter in front of the people, and could only listen with gloomy faces.
Fortunately, it was late at night and no one noticed the black face.
"Thank you, Your Highness. May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years--" someone shouted.
"Thank you, Your Highness. May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years--" everyone shouted in unison.
When the prince heard this, his blood immediately boiled, and he said, "Give each household another roll of silk—"
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue felt dizzy and almost fainted.
The people of Jinli Town shouted even more fervently.
It takes no effort to shout a few times, and you can get both money and silk. It is really a huge benefit.
The prince was so excited by the people's loud shouts that he wanted to give something.
"Mr. Minister, we can't let His Highness continue talking, or we'll have to return to the capital with nothing!" In a hurry, the official didn't care about being polite and said in a hurry.
The prince had just thought of giving these common people some more benefits when someone pulled him hard from behind.
"What's wrong?" The prince turned around dissatisfiedly.
He had never enjoyed the sight of so many people bowing to him in gratitude. His emotions were high, so who would be so foolish as to disturb him?
Looking down, Erniu was wagging his tail not far away.
Seeing that it was Erniu, the prince's expression softened: "It's Erniu."
Erniu turned his head silently.
What does it have to do with it, you self-indulgent idiot.
Minister Zhao pulled the prince and was racking his brains for how to explain it. Seeing this, he wanted to rush over and kiss Erniu.
Erniu is truly a magical dog. Not only can he predict danger, but he can also take the blame at critical moments.
After returning to Wuji Town, the prince was still excited: "I didn't expect these people to be so easy to appease..."
Everyone's mouth twitched at the same time.
I really want to spit in the prince's face.
Is that good appeasement? Who wouldn’t be willing to say a few nice words to a fool who is giving them money? It doesn’t take any effort to say nice things!
Minister Zhao resisted the urge to scold, and calmed down his temper, saying, "Prince, do you know how much we need if we have two taels of silver per person and one piece of silk per household?"
The prince was stunned: "Gap?"
Minister Zhao held his forehead and said, "Your Highness, the imperial court has a set amount of money for disaster relief. If it exceeds the limit, where will the money come from?"
The prince was stunned.
Everyone could no longer bear it and said, "Yes, Your Highness, we cannot easily promise money. It will cause a lot of trouble. What's more, you also want to give a piece of silk, which will make the shortfall even bigger..."
The prince blinked.
Was he accused by his ministers?
The prince couldn't help but look at Yu Jin.
Lao Qi was praised for promising to give money to those people, but why was he criticized for giving the money?
"King Yan also promised money before!"
Minister Zhao twitched his lips and said, "Your Highness, the prince promised to give money because a dream alone was not enough to make the people evacuate with peace of mind. Money must be used as an incentive. Now, the earthquake has already occurred. There are rules for how to rescue the victims. Any increase or decrease will cause trouble..."
If you give too little, it will be trouble for the disaster victims; if you give too much, it will be trouble for them. This prince really causes trouble as soon as he opens his mouth. It would be better for him to stay in Wuji Town honestly.
Besides, how can the prince compare with the Prince of Yan? The Prince of Yan said at the time that if there had been no earthquake, the money would have come from the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
The prince looked unhappy: "Those people have lost their homes, so what's the use of a few taels of silver? Lord Zhao, please don't be so fussy. I'm tired and I'm going to sleep."
The prince walked away, leaving Minister Zhao almost fainted with anger.
A group of officials looked even more worried.
Minister Zhao sighed and said, "Forget it. I'll write an urgent report and send it to the capital."