Chapter 186: The upheaval in Yinzhou, another wave of turmoil...
Ji Cui huddled in his cell, awaiting his order to be exiled to the frontier.
Spending his days in the dimly lit dungeon, he had long since lost count of how many days and nights had passed.
He thought: Since the corrupt official has been convicted, then he made the right move by leaking the information to Yang Fuchen. Even if he is exiled for three thousand miles or dies on the way, he will have no regrets.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside, and the constables shouted, "Flood! Flood! Everyone, run!"
At the same time, a pool of reddish-brown muddy water flowed in from outside, seemingly endless, and soon turned the dungeon floor into a swamp.
All the guards in the prison were terrified and rushed out of the dungeon, scattering the keys to the gate on the ground.
Ji Cui looked up blankly. Was it raining heavily again?
The prisoners inside the cell erupted into chaos, shaking the doorframe and crying out, "Sir, officers, take us all out with you! We don't deserve to die!"
"Sir, don't run away! Save me! Save me! I have a fortune in my family, I'll give it all to you!" the prisoner begged, tears streaming down his face.
Ji Cui remained motionless, his mind blankly thinking that dying sooner was better than not, so he could go down and reunite with his parents sooner.
He lowered his head and quietly awaited death.
He paid no attention to the rustling sounds coming from outside the cell until the chain locking the door fell to the ground with a "thud".
The newcomer was fat and unkempt, with only her eyes shining brightly. She grabbed Ji Cui's hand urgently, "My beauty, let's run away together!"
Ji Cui looked up in shock, "Hu Die... how is it you? Weren't you supposed to be beheaded?"
"It only costs a little money." The situation was dire, and there was no time to explain further. "My beauty, come with me quickly."
Although the officials had all fled for their lives, it was uncertain whether they would return; opportunity waits for no one.
She grabbed the man and ran through the narrow passage. The prisoners' cries for mercy echoed from both sides, but Magistrate Hu ignored them and felt a strange sense of pleasure.
Upon exiting the dungeon, the floodwaters outside reached up to their calves, and countless people were fleeing in all directions; it was complete chaos.
Magistrate Hu had already surveyed the route and led his men up the mountain along the path. She had buried gold in the mountain beforehand, and once she had retrieved the valuables, she would head straight east to Huzhou Prefecture, where they would live as a happy couple incognito!
Thinking about recent events on the way, she was furious. "That lecherous Zheng! It's bad enough that he's a cripple and made me endure the ridicule of my colleagues for so many years, but he also cuckolded me for so long. And to make matters worse, he even brought his mistress here, forcing me to run around like a stray dog!"
"Once I'm settled, I'm definitely coming back to dig up his grave and feed the bones to the dogs!"
Magistrate Hu, having heard no response for a long time, turned around in surprise to find the beautiful maidservant pale and bloodless.
She thought he was terrified because he was being pursued.
He held her in his arms and comforted her gently, "My beauty, there's no need to worry. I've already made arrangements for our escape route. I ordered the dikes to be blown up. Right now, with the floodwaters raging, the officials and common people are too busy trying to escape to bother arresting us."
"Although I can no longer hold an official position, I can still provide you with endless wealth and honor. Then we can have two more adorable and chubby babies, and live a leisurely and comfortable life."
Ji Cui forced a smile, finding it absurd. He felt nauseous and vomited in the roadside bushes.
Magistrate Hu was extremely anxious and patted his back gently. "Did the bailiffs feed you spoiled food?" If she knew his name, she would definitely not let him off the hook.
Ji Cui brushed her hand away, staggered to his feet, and when Magistrate Hu tried to help him up, he slapped his hand away again.
She then realized that the maid was different from usual; her silence was filled with deep sorrow, and she didn't know where this emotion came from.
He hurriedly tried to comfort her, saying, "My beauty, don't be sad. I will never let you suffer if you stay with me."
Ji Cui's lips were deathly pale, and her beautiful eyes lost their luster, becoming dim and silent.
His words were as weak as a feather, "You blew up the dam?"
Magistrate Hu thought his actions had frightened him, and breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he explained to his beloved servant, "This was a last resort. It's because Prefect Tang took the money and didn't do the job. My wife was just giving her a small lesson." Prefect Tang was the top official of Yinzhou Prefecture.
"Furthermore, these lowly commoners threw stones and rotten vegetable leaves at us during the trial. I remember they even bruised your forehead. They deserve to die! Those opportunistic petty officials deserve to die even more!"
He treated his beloved wife like a precious gem, reassuring her step by step: "I've cleaned this up very well, and no one will know that I did it. Our future will be smooth and peaceful."
Ji Cui found it utterly absurd and gave a bitter laugh. It's all about money; these people will do anything for money—helping corrupt officials who wreak havoc on the village escape, blowing up dikes and disregarding the lives of millions of people. This world is truly rotten.
Seeing that he couldn't reason with him, Magistrate Hu sighed and then took his beloved servant's hand and continued forward.
She buried the gold under a dead tree stump, saying, "My beauty, please wait a moment while I dig out the treasure and then we'll leave."
The magistrate buried it quite deep, and it took a full quarter of an hour to dig it out. Just as she was about to turn around and boast to her beloved servant while holding the heavy box, a stone hit her hard on the back of the head.
Magistrate Hu heard the cracking sound of her skull breaking. The scene before her eyes was like a mirror being struck hard. She was thrown to the ground like a heavy sandbag, and the box in her hand flew out, scattering gold and silver all over the ground.
After a long pause, she turned over in pain, her limbs convulsing, her eyes filled with confusion. "My beauty, why is it like this?"
"How could it come to this... how could it come to this..." Ji Cui murmured to herself, holding the blood-stained stone.
He suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, appearing mad, completely unlike his usual gentle and dodder-like self. "A corrupt official who has committed countless evil deeds, a treacherous and vicious official, actually asks me why I've come to this? Hahahaha..."
The blood on the stone seemed to seep into his eyes, staining the whites of his eyes red. "Heaven is blind and won't take you. Then I will." With that, he raised the stone and slammed it down heavily on the person on the ground.
Hot blood splattered on his left cheek. "This blow is for my parents, who died tragically as bandits," he roared, tears streaming down his face. "Hu Die, you will die a horrible death!!"
"Is money stained with human blood any good?"
The plump woman on the ground screamed repeatedly, writhing like a maggot, ugly and disgusting. Ji Cui laughed loudly while crying, and picked up a stone to break her knee, "This blow is for the people who died in the flood."
"You embezzled the money your fellow villagers used to buy their lives; every time you wake up in the middle of the night, you fear the vengeful spirits that will haunt you!"
Ji Cui's hands were covered in crimson blood, and tears streamed down her face along with her sobs. The sobs did not come from her throat, but were forcibly torn out from the deepest part of her chest.
"Heaven is so unfair, letting someone like you become a local official! You oppress the people and commit all sorts of evil deeds. Hahahaha, you blind, thieving God!"
He cried until his face was contorted and deformed, veins bulging on his neck, and he slammed his fist heavily on the ground.
"ah--"
He knew Hu Die was dying, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes lifeless.
At that moment, a hand trembled as it rose and gently wiped away the bloodstains on his left cheek, but before it could even touch the warm skin, it fell limply to the ground.
She gazed in a direction shaded by trees, her eyes gradually losing their luster, becoming dull and lifeless.
Tears welled up in Ji Cui's empty eyes and fell silently.
...
Such a strange thing has never happened in any dynasty.
The emperor has been on the throne for less than twenty years, and there has been a war, a three-year drought, a nationwide flood, and now this flood caused by human error.
During the Chengtai era, there were countless natural and man-made disasters. What does this indicate?
"Your Majesty, please issue an edict of self-reproach, widely praising yourself to the four seas, so as to bring peace to the world," the Imperial Censor submitted in his memorial.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chengtai's headache worsened, and he felt as if he were about to faint. Which of his ancestors had failed in their ancestral rites? Why would they treat her like this?
Fortunately, someone stepped forward to refute her: "Minister, you are not the Imperial Observatory, so how can you say that such natural disasters and man-made calamities are related to His Majesty? And ask His Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach?"
Emperor Chengtai felt relieved; finally, there was someone among the court officials who understood the situation.
Looking at the speaker, oh, it's Gao Qiu. He deserves a good commendation…
Gao Qiu turned and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, these repeated natural and man-made disasters are due to the instability of the nation's foundation and the dragon vein. I humbly request Your Majesty to establish the Fifth Prince as the Crown Princess, placing him in charge of the Eastern Palace, in order to secure the country and save the people from suffering!"
Emperor Chengtai clenched his fist in his sleeve, staring at Gao Qiu with a burning hatred. Everyone was eyeing her position, and he might as well make her issue an edict of self-reproach!
The pure stream and the muddy stream don't get along. Whenever the muddy stream submits a memorial or statement, the pure stream will be the first to jump out and oppose it.
Vice Minister Liu stepped forward and retorted, "The man-made disaster hasn't been quelled yet, and Lord Gao is already eager to seize territory for his master? What a good dog! Don't forget that the real emperor is still sitting on the throne. Besides, His Majesty has many daughters, has he ever said he intends to make the Fifth Prince the crown prince? Lord Gao, your intentions are as clear as day!"
Gao Qiu had never been so humiliated before, and his face immediately turned red with anger. "Is this how Minister Ning manages his subordinates?" He glared at Ning Yuanzhi, his eyes blazing with fury, wishing he could tear him to pieces.
Ning Yuanzhi's eyelids twitched, and he cursed inwardly for Liu Shilang's careless words, which offended even the Fifth Princess. If Liu were to ascend the throne, he would surely purge the Qingliu faction.
But words spoken are words that cannot be undone, and she could not deny or go back on her word: "It was Lord Gao who overstepped his bounds."
"you!"
The corrupt officials, unable to contain their anger, joined the fray, exchanging insults with the upright officials in court.
The entire Golden Palace was filled with smoke and chaos, and the verbal battle was even more intense than in a vegetable market.
"Enough!" Emperor Chengtai, unable to tolerate these shrewish women any longer, gritted his teeth and stopped them.
"Yinzhou Prefecture is now submerged, and the people are suffering from the disaster without relief, filled with resentment." She rubbed her throbbing forehead and called on Ning Yuanzhi. "Since your people say that the man-made disaster is not yet over, do you have any good solutions?"
"Or, who should be sent to appease the people and manage the flood?"
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