Since that night in the Imperial Study when they "discussed state affairs together," the relationship between Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan has entered a completely new realm of mutual understanding.
By day, they were the emperor and empress. He dealt with his ministers in the Golden Palace, while she strategized in the Kunning Palace, beginning to plan the vast and intricate blueprint for the "Royal Women's Bank."
At night, they were the closest comrades and partners. The lights in the imperial study often burned all night long as the two of them studied the dusty yellow books of the Ministry of Revenue together, exploring the veins and ills of the empire's economy from behind those cold numbers.
Xiao Che had never imagined that something as tedious and boring as governing a country could become so...exciting. Lin Wanwan's endless stream of novel ideas were like keys, opening door after door to a new world for him, showing him what a powerful and prosperous empire should look like.
As a result, the atmosphere in the imperial court underwent a subtle change.
Regent Xiao Yuan remained at home, claiming illness. Although his faction of officials still occupied the majority of the court, they temporarily restrained their ambitions because they were unsure of the emperor's true intentions.
Meanwhile, on Xiao Che's side, the royalist faction, centered around several young and capable officials, was gradually establishing itself in the two key departments of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue under the guidance of Lin Wanwan's "KPI assessment method," eroding the territory of the old forces.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. Even the empty royal treasury no longer seemed so desolate, thanks to the plans for the future.
However, everyone overlooked one thing—the gears of fate never stop turning relentlessly because of mortal plans. Sometimes, a storm powerful enough to overturn the entire game will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly.
This day, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).
The morning court session proceeded as usual in the Golden Palace.
Xiao Che sat upright on the dragon throne, dressed in a black robe with twelve imperial symbols and a crown with twelve tassels, listening calmly to the reports from the court officials below. The jade beads hanging from the crown's tassels perfectly concealed the occasional glint of weariness in his eyes from discussing state affairs with Lin Wanwan late into the night.
Behind the throne, separated by a huge screen painted with a vast landscape of China, Lin Wanwan, dressed in her empress's everyday attire, sat quietly on a brocade stool. This was a special permission granted by Xiao Che; ever since their "discussion of state affairs," he had insisted that she attend the morning court sessions to gain a more direct understanding of the court's dynamics.
Today's court assembly was as calm as ever. It consisted of nothing more than local officials requesting repairs to the river embankment, or the Ministry of Rites seeking instructions on the upcoming Empress Dowager's birthday celebrations—trivial matters. The court officials lined up on both sides, occasionally stepping forward to present their reports, but their words were more cautious, lacking the usual sharp confrontations.
Xiao Che even had the leisure to glance at the Regent's faction, who stood at the head of all officials but remained indifferent, and sneered inwardly. He knew that this calm was just an illusion, and once his and Wanwan's plan was implemented, the stagnant court would surely be engulfed in a raging storm.
However, he never imagined that the colossal wave would arrive ahead of time in a completely different and even more terrifying way.
Just as the Minister of Revenue finished his trembling report on the spring tax revenue and was about to return to the queue, a shrill and hoarse scream, like a sharp arrow, pierced through the heavy doors of the Golden Palace and stabbed into the ears of everyone present!
"Urgent dispatch from Jiangnan! Urgent dispatch from Jiangnan!"
The voice came from afar, carrying a heart-wrenching urgency and sorrow; every word seemed to be shouted out with the last ounce of strength.
"Whoosh—"
The once solemn and majestic Golden Palace instantly erupted into chaos, as if a giant rock had been thrown into a pond!
The faces of all the civil and military officials changed drastically!
"Eight Hundred Li Urgent Message!" This is the highest level of emergency military intelligence in matters of national importance! It should never be used unless the border falls, the capital is in danger, or a major disaster strikes! The last time an "Eight Hundred Li Urgent Message" appeared was ten years ago when the Northern Barbarian army besieged the city!
At this moment, this scream, representing the highest level of alarm, actually came from the traditionally prosperous and peaceful Jiangnan region!
Xiao Che's body, which was sitting upright on the dragon throne, suddenly tensed up, and the tassels of his crown hanging in front of him swayed violently. He subconsciously gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly with both hands, and his knuckles turned slightly white from the force.
"Announce!" He uttered the word almost subconsciously, his voice tense with shock.
The palace door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure staggered in, then fell heavily onto the smooth, golden bricks of the hall with a thud.
It was a messenger whose human form was almost unrecognizable.
His tattered postman's uniform, soaked with mud and blood, clung tightly to his body. His face was covered in dried blood and deep scratches, his lips cracked like parched earth. He looked like a demon crawling out of hell, radiating an aura of death and despair.
He struggled to lift his head, staring intently at the direction of the dragon throne with bloodshot eyes that seemed about to burst. He pulled out a bamboo tube from his bosom, which was wrapped in layers of oilcloth but was still soaked with water, and with his last bit of strength, he raised it high.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Jiangnan... Several prefectures in Jiangnan have joined forces... A petition written in blood... Reporting to the throne..."
Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side and he lost consciousness completely.
Two eunuchs rushed forward. One carried the messenger down, while the other quickly took the heavy bamboo tube from his stiff hands and respectfully presented it to the emperor's desk.
The entire Golden Palace was now deathly silent.
All eyes were fixed on the seemingly ordinary bamboo tube that carried the devastating news. Even the regent and his senior ministers abandoned their usual nonchalance, their faces now showing unprecedented solemnity.
Xiao Che reached out, his fingertips trembling slightly. He forced himself to remain calm, took the bamboo tube, broke the wax seal, and poured out a scroll of a report that was slightly wrinkled from being soaked in moisture.
As he slowly unfolded the report, a strong stench of blood assaulted our senses.
The report was indeed written in blood! Each dark red character was shocking, as if it were the lament of countless wronged souls!
"Your humble servants... the Governor-General of Jiangnan... weep and kowtow as we submit this memorial..."
Xiao Che's gaze followed the blood-red words, reading them one by one.
The contents of the report unfolded before his eyes like an apocalyptic panorama—
"...Since the beginning of summer, torrential rains have continued for days, causing rivers to overflow and dikes to collapse...The lands of Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huzhou have become a vast swamp...Thousands of acres of fertile fields have yielded no harvest; more than a dozen cities have been submerged...Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes and become displaced...After a long period of starvation, the horrific sight of people exchanging their own children for food has emerged in the cities...The dead are everywhere, and a plague is on the horizon...The tragedy is unbearable, and the nation is on the verge of collapse! We earnestly beseech Your Majesty...to quickly distribute funds and grain to save the people from this suffering..."
Every word was like a red-hot iron hammer, slamming hard into Xiao Che's heart!
Before his eyes appeared the apocalyptic scene of corpses strewn across the fields and raging floods. He seemed to hear the desperate cries of hundreds of thousands of displaced people!
The nation is no more!
These four bloody characters, like four unshakeable giant mountains, crashed down, making it almost impossible for him to breathe!
how so?
In the reports from a few days ago, it was just an ordinary summer flood in Jiangnan. Why... why did it suddenly become so severe?!
"Clatter".
A bead of cold sweat slid down Xiao Che's forehead and dripped onto the blood-red report, spreading a small patch of even deeper red.
The report in his hands suddenly felt incredibly heavy. He wanted to read it, but found his hands trembling slightly.
The entire Golden Palace remained deathly silent.
All political maneuvering and factional strife become so insignificant and laughable in the face of this massive natural disaster that threatens the very survival of the nation.
Throughout the court, whether they were royalists or members of the regent's faction, everyone's face was filled with the same shock and horror.
They were all completely stunned by this sudden, apocalyptic scene.
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan's heart was already in her throat. Although she couldn't see the contents of the report, she could already guess the seriousness of the matter from the messenger's miserable state and the reactions of the court officials.
Her heart involuntarily tightened for Xiao Che.
She subconsciously raised her head and looked behind the blurry outline of the screen at the familiar emoji area above Xiao Che's head.
Upon seeing this, her heart instantly felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave!
There, the cartoon characters that were usually arrogant, cunning, or heartwarming had all vanished without a trace.
Instead, a huge, thick dark cloud appeared, seemingly capable of swallowing up all light!
Within the dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the wind howled, filling the air with an apocalyptic sense of oppression and despair.
And in the very center of those churning dark clouds, two large characters, radiating an ominous aura, slowly emerged, like the heaviest judgment bestowed by heaven—
[The sky has fallen.gif]
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