Chapter 42 Departure for Disaster Relief
Thunder rumbled intermittently, and the room was pitch black.
Chu Jiubian's heart pounded heavily and rapidly.
The dikes have breached! The dikes in Hexi County have breached!
Was the flood in the original story truly unavoidable?
He quickly shook off all his complicated thoughts and asked, "How much was flooded?"
In the darkness, Qin Xiao's deep eyes were like a bottomless, icy pool, and his voice carried a chilling undertone.
"Two county towns and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land."
Hexi Prefecture was a prosperous prefecture with thirteen counties under its jurisdiction. Five of these counties were adjacent to the Ning River and were also the areas most frequently affected by floods in previous years.
Among these counties bordering the river, even the smallest county has 20,000 residents.
Two county towns, that's nearly 50,000 people!
"Was the message sent to anyone else?" Chu Jiu asked.
Qin Xiao said, "Officials of the second rank and above have been summoned to the palace for a meeting."
"What about the Prince of Jiannan..."
"Qin Lie personally went to keep an eye on it."
Qin Chaoyang had just returned in the rain this morning. Chu Jiubian had planned to deal with the prefects of Guizhou and Guangxi tomorrow, but he never expected such a thing to happen today.
The construction of the dikes in Hexi County was overseen entirely by the Prince of Jiannan. He had previously boasted of his achievements and won back the hearts of the people, which made him quite famous.
Now that something has happened, we'll see how he reacts.
"Let's go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation." Chu Jiubian lifted his foot to walk out.
Qin Xiao grabbed him: "Get dressed."
Chu Jiubian then realized that he was only wearing an inner garment and hadn't even bothered to put on his shoes, so he hurriedly went back to the inner room and quickly dressed himself.
Xiao Xiangzi and the others were also alerted. They had already run to the outer hall to wait, carrying raincoats and hand warmers.
With such strong winds and rain, using an umbrella is useless.
Chu Jiubian put on a raincoat, took the hand warmer, and left the courtyard with Qin Xiao, heading quickly towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
They had walked this road many times, but never before had it felt so heavy.
Chu Jiubian followed Qin Xiao closely, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
From the start of the dam repairs, Qin Xiao had been sending people to keep an eye on things. Because of the hint from Xiao Wendao, the Vice Minister of Works, the people below dared not be careless in their work. All the materials used were of the best quality, and the craftsmen ate well and worked well.
After the dam was completed, Qin Xiao had it inspected bit by bit to ensure that every possible breach was properly repaired.
The Prince of Jiannan handled this task very well.
But now the dam has still collapsed. Chu Jiubian doesn't think that a dam built with such good materials could not withstand even a few days of torrential rain.
So it's not a natural disaster, it's a man-made one!
Furthermore, the widely circulated achievements of the Prince of Jiannan were likely orchestrated not only by the Xiao family but also by others with ulterior motives, with the aim of elevating Baili Hai to an absolute high before dragging him down.
A fall from a great height is inevitable.
Who is trying to attack the King of Jiannan?
Or rather, who in the capital got restless first and decided to target the Xiao family?
Two county towns, tens of thousands of people, and thousands of acres of fertile land—the people behind this are truly ruthless.
Chu Jiubian felt as if something was stuck in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Suddenly, he stumbled and splashed up a cloud of mud.
Qin Xiao immediately supported him. Chu Jiubian stood firm and continued walking forward without stopping, and Qin Xiao did not let go of his arm.
Meanwhile, lights were lit up in grand mansions and courtyards throughout Beijing.
The Imperial Guards went door-to-door to announce that officials of the second rank and above were to be summoned to the palace for a meeting.
These ministers and vice ministers had already put on their official robes and raincoats, and were waiting for a summons to immediately go out and get into their carriages. Xiao Huaiguan and Xiao Wendao from the Xiao family were even sitting directly in their carriages waiting.
Upon receiving the summons, everyone immediately headed to the palace.
The main courtyard of the Xiao family.
The maids carefully helped Xiao Yao put on his undergarments, and the servants carried away the water he had just used for washing to dispose of it.
The lights inside flickered, casting shadows on Xiao Yao's pale, sickly face.
Her once beautiful face had become emaciated in just a few days, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.
He had lost a lot of weight and looked sickly.
The physician beside him put away the silver needles and said respectfully, "Master, the toxicity of this datura will not disappear in a short time, but you are no longer as dependent on it as you were at the beginning. I think that if you can get through two more drug cravings, you will be able to quit."
There is no antidote for datura, but the imperial physicians conducted experiments on the three surviving dancers and discovered that as long as they endured the agonizing pain of addiction time and time again, they could gradually become less dependent on it.
However, it's uncertain whether it can completely eliminate toxins from the body.
Even if one has gradually broken free from dependence, the toxins in datura are so potent that there is a high chance of re-exposure and re-addiction.
Xiao Yao responded indifferently. After the physician and maids left, a dark figure landed in the room and knelt on one knee to pay his respects.
"Has the King of Jiannan informed them yet?" Xiao Yao asked.
The guard replied, "We have already notified him, and the prince will enter the palace immediately."
Although the Prince of Jiannan remained in the capital, he did not live in the palace, but in the mansion bestowed upon him by the late emperor.
Besides the Jiannan Prince's Mansion, there were twenty or thirty other mansions in that area. Seven of them belonged to the seven princes who were currently in their fiefdoms, while the rest were rented by officials in the court, such as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
The Jiannan Prince's Mansion was brightly lit, and many people were hurrying around inside, clearly having received news of the dam breach.
Qin Chaoyang and one of his bodyguards crouched in the darkness, keeping an eye on the main courtyard where Baili Hai lived.
The main courtyard's sleeping quarters, which were already dimly lit, were now completely illuminated.
Maids and servants hurried back and forth.
Fifteen minutes later, the door to the sleeping quarters finally opened.
Instead of Baili Hai, two servants and a pretty young eunuch came out first.
The young eunuch coldly directed the two servants to leave through the side gate at the back, and one of the servants was carrying something wrapped in a straw mat on his shoulder.
It's a human!
Qin Chaoyang's expression changed slightly, and he said to his subordinate, "Follow me, I'll come find you later."
The guards agreed and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye, following closely behind the two servants.
Qin Chaoyang continued to wait for another quarter of an hour before he saw Baili Hai emerge.
He was wearing a straw raincoat and bamboo hat, and his pale and gloomy profile flashed by as he boarded the carriage.
Qin Chaoyang lightly tapped his foot and followed, heading towards the palace.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Imperial Palace.
The young emperor was still half asleep, but was woken up by Eunuch Hongfu and made to sit in the main seat of the council hall.
Hong Fu stood beside him, facing Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao on the seats on either side.
The six ministers and vice ministers stood facing each other, forming two rows inside the hall.
“Your Majesty,” Wang Zhiyuan, Minister of Rites, stepped forward first and said, “The task of repairing the dikes in Hexi Prefecture was entrusted entirely to Prince Jiannan and the Ministry of Works. Now that such a major oversight has occurred, I believe that Prince Jiannan and the Ministry of Works should bear full responsibility.”
“Minister Wang, you make it sound so easy,” Xiao Wendao, Vice Minister of Works, retorted. “When Prince Jiannan was repairing the dike, he worked diligently day and night. The materials used for the dike must have been better and more expensive than those specified by the court. Moreover, every batch of bricks and stones had acceptance documents and records, with absolutely no oversights. There must be something fishy about the dike’s breach.”
"Strange?" Minister of Revenue Su Sheng scoffed. "Is Vice Minister Xiao trying to say that the Prince of Jiannan and the Ministry of Works did not embezzle any funds, and that the flood in Hexi County can only be attributed to natural disaster?"
“The breach of the dike in Hexi County was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.” Xiao Wendao frowned and said firmly, “Your Majesty, Your Excellency, I believe that the breach of the dike in Hexi County was caused by someone deliberately sabotaging the dike and trying to frame the Prince of Jiannan.”
"What evidence do you have?" Su Sheng glanced at him, his eyes cold. "Every year, the imperial court allocates funds to repair the dikes, but Hexi County is plagued by floods every year. This is because the Ministry of Works is greedy and embezzles too much, which is why the dikes are never repaired and now they have been breached! This is the truth, and everyone knows it."
“I know for sure. My Ministry of Works has been working diligently, and the entire staff hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for more than half a month because of the dike repair project.” Xiao Wendao looked coldly at Su Sheng. “As for the Ministry of Revenue, they keep delaying the payment for the dike repair. If it weren’t for the Prince of Jiannan paying out of his own pocket to cover the shortfall, the dike might not have been repaired to its original condition.”
Su Sheng neither denied that he had intentionally made things difficult for Su Sheng, nor did he admit it. He simply said, "The two days of torrential rain couldn't stop the rain. The Ministry of Works and the Prince of Jiannan probably didn't spend much money. It's good enough that they didn't embezzle or use inferior goods."
"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Is Minister Su now determined to have the Ministry of Works convict him of embezzlement?"
"If that's not the case, how was the shoddy dike built?"
Xiao Wendao bowed to the head of the table and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, there are many suspicious points about the breach of the dike. There must be some villains causing trouble. I see that Minister Su is now so eager to punish the Ministry of Works. Is he afraid that everyone will find out some inside story?"
This is an attempt to mislead people into suspecting Su Sheng.
"Everyone knows the inside story perfectly well." Su Sheng remained calm. "King Jiannan wanted both fame and real benefits, and treated the dam construction as a joke, so it was inevitable that things would turn out this way."
This is like trying to prove your innocence by throwing mud at someone else.
Chu Jiubian watched the clashes with a cold eye, his heart calm and unmoved, finding it all laughable.
Two counties in Hexi Prefecture were flooded, and tens of thousands of people were displaced. Yet these powerful and influential people are now trying to use this opportunity to attack their political enemies and think about how to gain more benefits.
His gaze swept over everyone, trying to see through their hearts.
Who is the mastermind behind the destruction of the dam?
Outside, the young eunuch brought over the latest news once again.
Qin Xiao took the letter and saw a few lines of text on the page, detailing the number of people affected by the flood and the areas affected.
The numbers are alarming.
He passed the note around to everyone, and it eventually ended up back in Chu Jiubian's hands.
Chu Jiubian looked closely, his brows furrowing.
Behind each of these cold, hard numbers lies a vibrant life.
At this moment, the little eunuch returned. Hongfu went out and said a few words to him, then turned around and went back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
“Your Majesty, my lord,” he said, lowering his eyes slightly, “His Highness Prince Jiannan is waiting outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He says that although the breach of the dike has nothing to do with him, he is willing to go to Hexi County in person to oversee the disaster relief efforts.”
Such a major incident, no matter how the dam was damaged, is inextricably linked to the King of Jiannan.
The common people don't know about the intrigue and backstabbing in your officialdom; they only know that this dike was built by you, the Prince of Jiannan, but now it can't even withstand a heavy rain.
The same praise the people had given him for his achievements will now come back to haunt him.
Therefore, Bailihai must take a proactive stance and assume some responsibility, which is the so-called "making amends for past mistakes".
After Hong Fu finished reporting, everyone in the hall knew what had happened, and scrutinizing gazes fell on Qin Xiao.
Chu Jiubian also glanced at the other party.
The man's eyes were indifferent, and his deep features appeared even more sharp under the flickering lamplight, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Xiao Wendao spoke again, saying, "Your Majesty, Jiannan King Rende is kind-hearted. Although the breach of the dike was not his fault, he was willing to take responsibility. Why not order him to go to Hexi County for disaster relief?"
"Having benefited from the dike repairs, Prince Jiannan is now eyeing disaster relief funds?" said Wang Pengyi, Vice Minister of Revenue, in a low voice.
"You're spouting nonsense!" Xiao Wendao retorted angrily. "His Highness is clearly trying to make amends for his mistakes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had said the wrong thing in his haste, and he couldn't help but look at Xiao Huaiguan, the Minister of Personnel.
Wang Pengyi seized the opportunity and immediately retorted, "Is Minister Xiao implying that His Highness Prince Jiannan has indeed made a mistake?"
“Minister Wang, there’s no need to fixate on that one word.” Xiao Huaiguan coughed lightly, covering his mouth, before continuing, “Since Prince Jiannan is willing to do this, why not give him a chance?”
He slightly raised his eyes, his cloudy gaze fixed on Baili Hong in the main seat, and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
After listening to the whole night, Baili Hong knew what had happened.
His little face scrunched up, and seeing that his uncle and teacher remained silent, he said, "You've all said so much, but why hasn't anyone suggested how to provide disaster relief?"
Shouldn't the most urgent task right now be discussing how to provide disaster relief?
The child's innocent tone revealed pure confusion, leaving everyone present speechless.
Suddenly, a soft laugh escaped her lips.
Everyone turned to look at Qin Xiao.
The same applies to Chu Jiubian.
Qin Xiao raised his hand and placed the teacup on the table.
With a crisp sound, the porcelain cup was instantly covered with damaged patterns, but it did not shatter completely.
Beneath the teacup, however, the mahogany table instantly developed spiderweb-like cracks, as if a gentle touch would cause the table to shatter completely.
"Did you hear that?" Qin Xiao raised his eyes, a faint smile still playing on his lips, but it only sent chills down one's spine.
Everyone except Chu Jiubian kept their eyes down and didn't speak.
Only now did they finally realize that they should have come up with a solution today, instead of thinking about how to crush the Xiao family or how to make Jiannan King make amends.
Qin Xiao didn't expect them to say anything.
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Tens of thousands of people from the two counties have been displaced. His Majesty needs a solution. What are you doing?"
"Shifting blame, attacking each other, arguing about who's right and who's wrong, who's innocent and who's guilty." Qin Xiao's tone was calm, yet it sent chills down one's spine.
He said, almost emphasizing each word, "Is this the court of your four great families?"
These words caused the expressions of everyone present to change slightly.
Qin Xiao was implying that those who controlled the court only cared about their own interests and had no regard for the people.
If these remarks were to get out, they would lose all their reputations.
Wang Pengyi was about to say something, but Qin Xiao continued, "The Ministry of Revenue should immediately allocate 400,000 taels of silver for disaster relief, and the Ministry of Works should send people to build temporary dikes to hold back the flood."
"My lord, the Ministry of Revenue can't come up with the money..." Su Sheng had just started to speak when Qin Xiao cut him off, "Isn't there still hundreds of thousands of taels of silver owed to you under the salt agreement? Go ask whoever owes you for it."
The agreements with the four major salt families all stipulated that an initial payment would be made, with profits to be distributed later.
However, after the agreement was signed, the major families dragged their feet on paying the money and never received it all.
Su Sheng lowered his eyes and agreed.
Xiao Wendao wanted to bring up the matter of inviting the Prince of Jiannan to Hexi County again, but Jian Hongzhuo, the Minister of Works who was usually not very prominent and his superior, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Your Excellency, I am willing to personally go and supervise the construction of the temporary dike."
The hall fell silent.
All eyes were on him, but he seemed completely oblivious.
Qin Xiao looked at him, and after a few breaths, he said, "Granted."
Xiao Wendao looked up at Jian Hongzhuo's back, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
Xiao Huaiguan glanced at him, and seeing that he did not move, he bowed and said, "Sir, this flood has a wide reach and causes great harm. I'm afraid it requires a high-ranking official to supervise it."
They know how well the dam was built, so they will definitely be able to clear Jiannan King of any suspicion of embezzlement later.
However, we should also try to secure disaster relief for the Prince of Jiannan. If this task is handled well, it will be another great achievement.
"I will personally keep an eye on things." Qin Xiao's words caused everyone present to change their expressions.
If Qin Xiao hadn't gone, they could have easily found a way to eliminate anything that was detrimental to them, and in the end, the damage to the dam could only be blamed on a natural disaster.
Even if it was man-made disaster, it would be enough to kill a group of craftsmen or local officials to settle the matter.
But if Qin Xiao goes, it will be very difficult for them to do anything else.
But they also knew that once Qin Xiao made up his mind, he would definitely go.
It seems this matter is ultimately not going to end well.
Chu Jiubian's gaze swept across everyone's faces, clearly seeing the murderous intent and determination that flashed in their eyes.
Sacrificing pawns to save the king, it seems quite a few scapegoats will have to step forward.
"We'll depart first thing tomorrow morning." Qin Xiao gave the orders one by one. "The Ministry of Revenue should send the silver to me before dawn tomorrow. The officials from the Ministry of Works who are to go should also be waiting outside the capital before dawn. The Ministry of Personnel..."
He looked at Chu Jiubian and said, "The Ministry of Personnel should also send someone to lead the dispatch of officials from nearby counties to assist in disaster relief."
From the very beginning, apart from Baili Hong, only Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao sat in the seats next to Baili Hong.
Even after the others arrived, Chu Jiubian did not get up.
As the Grand Tutor, a first-rank official of the current dynasty, he is qualified to sit here.
However, Chu Jiubian stood up and accepted the task in his capacity as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
He was going to Hexi County with Qin Xiao to provide disaster relief.
Not only because he was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but also because he had grain in his hands.
Four hundred thousand taels of silver sounds like a lot, but in reality, it would be expensive everywhere. The most urgent task is to build temporary dikes to prevent the flood from inundating more counties.
This is a considerable expense. After that, we still need to build shelters to settle the disaster victims, provide compensation to the families of the drowned, distribute porridge daily, and provide medicine for disease prevention, etc. This money will probably run out soon.
They shouldn't be gone for more than a few days, and with An Wuji and Hong Fu, who has already taken power, in the palace, there's no need to worry about Baili Hong.
Outside, the rain was pouring down. The officials who had received the order hurriedly left the Hall of Mental Cultivation to prepare what needed to be prepared.
Time is tight and the task is heavy, everyone needs to get moving.
At the foot of the steps outside the main courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Jiannan, Baili Hai, stood in the rain without an umbrella or raincoat. His thin figure swayed precariously, and he made a very convincing display of self-reproach and pitifulness.
Upon seeing the crowd emerge, Baili Hai finally seemed unable to stand, staggering and collapsing to his knees.
Xiao Wendao rushed forward to help him up, and the others offered a few perfunctory words of concern before urging him to leave.
"So many people in Hexi County have suffered because of me, I really..." Baili Hai's voice choked with emotion.
Wang Pengyi, watching from the back of the crowd, almost rolled his eyes, disregarding all decorum.
Xiao Huaiguan said with heartache, "Your Highness, how can this be blamed on you? You are just too kind-hearted."
As they were talking, a palanquin carried by eight men came from the end of the palace road. On it sat the dignified Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan, whose face was filled with anxiety and worry.
After the officials paid their respects, they left without lingering, leaving only the grandfather and grandson weeping uncontrollably until Baili Hai fainted. Only then was Xiao Ruohan taken to Cining Palace to see the imperial physician.
Inside the house, Qin Chaoyang appeared out of nowhere, covered in mud.
Hong Fu had already taken Baili Hong to the bedroom, but the child was no longer sleepy and was pestering Hong Fu to tell him the deeper meanings behind what everyone in the palace had said that night.
Hongfu then explained and taught him everything in detail.
Therefore, in the council hall of the east courtyard, there are only Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian sitting opposite each other, as well as Qin Chaoyang who has just returned.
Qin Chaoyang put the straw mat he was carrying on his shoulder down on the ground, opened it, and revealed a corpse.
Chu Jiubian frowned.
"Why is it a child?" he asked.
Wrapped in this straw mat was a boy of about ten years old, with no outer clothes on, just this straw mat.
Therefore, once the straw mat was opened, the shocking wounds on the child's body were fully exposed.
Qin Chaoyang's expression was also not good. He said, "This child was carried out from the Jiannan King's bedroom."
With just one sentence, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao instantly understood everything.
“I had someone investigate. The child’s name is Sun Xiaotian, and he is the son of a farmer.” Qin Chaoyang looked at the two of them. “His mother used to sell silk flowers on the convenience street.”
silk flower?
Chu Jiubian recalled the day he returned from building the dam at Bailihai. He had bought a silk flower at a high price on Bianmin Street, and people praised him for his benevolence and love for the people.
What a benevolent and loving King Jiannan!
Qin Xiao's gloomy gaze fell on the child's head.
The child's hair was deliberately cut short, so short it was almost...
"Take him away and bury him properly," he said.
Qin Chaoyang agreed, wrapped the child up, and took him away.
Only Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian remained in the room.
Silence spread, while the storm raged outside.
“That child looks like me,” Chu Jiubian suddenly said.
Almost simultaneously, the tea table next to Qin Xiao, which had cracked, collapsed with a crash, and the teacup fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Chu Jiubian looked at Qin Xiao's gloomy face and slowly blinked.
"Go pack your things, we'll leave at 5 AM." Qin Xiao stood up and strode out the door.
Chu Jiubian looked at the two raincoats placed side by side against the wall, and after a moment he got up, put on one of them and returned to Yaotai Residence.
Before dawn, the disaster relief team led by Qin Xiao set off for Hexi County in the heavy rain.
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