Thirty-nine people died, 120 were seriously injured, nearly 200 were slightly injured, and more than 20 were missing. See <>
A disaster cast a shadow over the newly prosperous Ji'an County and Yuzhou.
Too many people went to work in the mines, which caused nearly half of the people in the two places to lose their important labor force. More than 30 households were also holding funerals, and the whole city was in mourning.
Fortunately, all the seriously injured people were rescued, and except for those who died after being rescued, no one died of serious injuries, which made most people very grateful to Feng Yuheng. They also watched with their own eyes as Princess Ji'an and the Sixth Prince went into battle together to save lives. Princess Ji'an used up all the medicinal materials in Baicaotang, and the Sixth Prince, with such a noble status, personally drew blood for the blood donors. Later, he personally participated in the rescue and worked with the officers and soldiers to dig people out of the mine.
Feng Yuheng held a collective funeral for all the victims after the golden 72 hours, and continued to dig for the missing in the next few days. However, in such a disaster, there were bound to be some bodies that could not be dug up. People knew that the so-called missing was actually death.
On the seventh day, Feng Yuheng announced a compensation plan for all the victims and seriously injured - each victim would receive a one-time compensation of 2,000 taels of silver; the seriously injured would receive free treatment at Baicaotang for life, and each would receive a one-time compensation of 1,000 taels of silver; the lightly injured would receive free treatment until they recovered, and each would receive a one-time compensation of 300 taels of silver; the missing would receive the same treatment as the victims.
This compensation is a sky-high price in this era. Even the Sixth Prince Xuan Tianfeng was a little shocked when he heard it, and at the same time he smiled bitterly. His Ninth Brother's Sister-in-law is really rich! Little did she know that the thing Feng Yuheng lacked the most was money, because before she left the capital, she went to the Sheng Palace and the Eighth Prince's party to rob a lot of people.
The people originally still had a lot of resentment. Even though Baicaotang tried its best to treat them, their loved ones would never come back. They didn't know if those who were seriously injured could ever recover. If they didn't, the family would lose an important labor force and would have to bear the cost of the injured's medicine for the rest of their lives, which was no different from being dead.
However, when Feng Yuheng announced such a compensation plan, people's resentment disappeared. Two thousand taels, one thousand taels, even if the injury was minor, they were given three hundred taels. Not to mention that they could not earn this much silver in their lifetime, even if the whole family worked for two or three lifetimes, they could not earn two thousand taels of silver! Princess Ji'an is so kind. This is a good princess who truly cares about the people!
For a while, people began to express their gratitude to Feng Yuheng again, and the pain of losing their families was finally eased a little. .. And Feng Yuheng did a good job in the aftermath. She asked people to investigate the families of the victims and the seriously injured. If there were only lonely elderly people left at home, they would form a follow-up team to go to the door every few days to help with some things, buy some necessary rice and grain and send them to ensure that these people could live a normal life.
A disaster was finally suppressed, and people began to devote themselves to the follow-up work. Some continued to deal with the funeral, and some sorted out the mine and rebuilt the temporary residence at the foot of the mountain. When something happened in the mine, people died and were injured, there were not enough people, and they had to recruit new people. However, it was very convenient to recruit new people this time. Feng Yuheng's high compensation plan was equivalent to a big advertisement for her mine. People were willing to come here to work, because if something happened, at least their families would be protected. To put it bluntly, even if they died, it would not matter. Two thousand taels of silver was more than enough for the family to spend even if they just lay down.
Feng Yuheng also had further contact with the miners through this disaster and got to know a lot of them. Among them was a young man named Xu Jiang, who was about 25 or 26 years old. He was very smart, honest, and could read a lot of words. He was also very popular among the miners. He was only slightly injured this time, all skin injuries. After being treated by the doctor of Baicaotang, he was fine and did not delay his work. Feng Yuheng also gave them 300 taels of silver as compensation for those who only suffered such minor injuries. He felt very sorry, so he worked hard and kept busy, wanting to do as much as possible to be worthy of the 300 taels of silver.
Feng Yuheng saw that this young man was honest, not stupid, and could read. The original person in charge here had died in the disaster, so she simply promoted Xu Jiang and let him be in charge of the mine in the future.
Xu Jiang didn't expect that he would not only get money but also get promoted. He was so excited that he kept kowtowing to Feng Yuheng and solemnly promised her that he would handle the affairs of the mine well and let the princess rest assured.
Feng Yuheng had nothing to worry about. The mine was close by, so she could come over often. If Xu Jiang did something wrong at first, she could teach him step by step.
A lot of new miners have been recruited in the past few days, and Feng Yuheng has introduced a contract system. No matter whether they are new or old miners, whether they go into the mountains to mine or ensure logistics at the foot of the mountain, even the wives and mothers-in-law who cook and wash clothes are included. All mine workers must sign a labor contract, which clearly states each person's information, the year they joined the work, the monthly salary, the amount of deductions for leave and absence, the amount of overtime bonus, and the welfare benefits promised by the mine to each person. Everything is clearly written in the contract after signing, and no one is confused.
Because the mine was in Yuzhou, these contracts were taken to Yuzhou Yamen for filing. Qian Fengshou actively cooperated, and he thought this idea was really good. He discussed with Feng Yuheng about trying to implement it in Yufu. Feng Yuheng also had this idea, but Yuzhou was too big after all, and it was under the jurisdiction of Dashun. He was afraid that if it was directly promoted in Yuzhou, it would be resisted by merchants. So after the two discussed it, they decided to try to implement it in Ji'an County first. Feng Yuheng came forward, and the sixth prince Xuan Tianfeng wrote it. The "contract system" was launched from the county government, and all merchants were ordered to accept it without room for negotiation. From now on, merchants must sign such a contract when hiring workers, and the contract will be filed in the county government. Merchants who do not act according to the contract will be severely punished.
In Jun'an County, Feng Yuheng's words were like an imperial decree. Even if the merchants found it difficult to accept at first, they had no other choice, because their stores were opened in Ji'an County! And it was not just the merchants, Xuan Tianfeng's school also had the same system. He couldn't support a school by himself, and he invited many teachers to teach together. These teachers had to sign contracts and take what they were supposed to, and no one was exempt.
In just a few days, those merchants who originally felt a little awkward began to experience the benefits. With the contract, the workers felt safe and a sense of belonging, worked harder and more conscientiously, and their mental outlook was much better than before, which led to better business. So people understood that they didn't need to think too much when doing things in Ji'an County. As long as they followed the ideas of the Princess Ji'an, they would be right.
After the disaster, everything calmed down again, but for Feng Yuheng, this mining disaster had just begun!
She always believed that this was a man-made disaster, and she could basically guess who would have taken so many lives to cause trouble for her, but she had no evidence.
However, the evidence came quickly. On the third day after everything was settled, two middle-aged men in their forties came to the Princess Ji'an's residence and asked to see Feng Yuheng. The two were none other than the Eighth Prince, whose son died in the mine disaster. They disguised themselves as miners and lurked in the mine for several months, in order to destroy the entire mine at the order of the Eighth Prince, so as to strike Feng Yuheng and the Ninth Prince at the same time. Unexpectedly, Xuan Tianmo's viciousness far exceeded their expectations. Although he destroyed the mine, he also took the life of their only son.
The two could no longer bear it, so they reported it to Feng Yuheng, exposing the Eighth Prince's crimes one by one, and also provided a list of 23 people, all of whom were members of the Eighth Prince's gang lurking in the mine. One of them even told Feng Yuheng: "The princess offered a huge compensation, and this news has been sent back to the capital. The Eighth Prince should have received the news. Based on our understanding of the Eighth Prince, he will definitely try to use this method to drag down the princess. A new round of attacks from the mine should be coming soon, and the princess must be prepared."
Feng Yuheng listened to these words, and a chill gradually rose in her heart. In order to fight against her and Xuan Tianming, Lao Ba actually used such means? He didn't hesitate to sacrifice so many lives. If such a person sat on the throne in the future, how would he govern the world? She didn't dare to imagine it. Hatred suddenly rose, and an impulse to kill surged up, which she finally suppressed with great difficulty.
To be honest, if she wanted to kill Xuan Tianmo, it would be too easy. No matter how many masters there were in the Sheng Palace, they could not stop her with the cheating space and advanced weapons of the 21st century. But she couldn't do it. He was the biological son of Emperor Tianwu. If she killed him, Emperor Tianwu would not forgive her even if he knew the truth. The confrontation between Xuan Tianming and Xuan Tianmo was supported by Emperor Tianwu. No matter who was on either side, once they killed the other by assassination, no one would be able to sit on the throne. Emperor Tianwu would choose another one from other princes.
Feng Yuheng understood the feelings of a father, but that didn't mean she would let Old Eight off. She asked the two people in front of her, "Do you dare to go to the capital to file a complaint while ensuring your personal safety?"
The two were stunned and a little hesitant, but in the end they gritted their teeth and said, "How dare you! Our only son is gone, what hope do we have left to survive? Just consider it revenge for our son, and we'll do it!"
"Okay!" Feng Yuheng nodded, "I said I can guarantee your personal safety, so you can stay in Ji'an County for the time being. Don't go anywhere except the residence I arranged. I will write a memorial immediately, and you will go to the capital tomorrow. Don't look for others. Take my letter and go directly to the Seventh Prince. He will arrange everything for you."
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