No one could tell the emperor what was going on, and the embankment that could be preserved for decades was washed away in just two years after three million taels of silver, and he could guess that there must be something big in it if he thought about it with his toes.

The emperor was the first to call the Ministry of Industry Shangshu into the palace, "Call Feng Cheng to me." ”

He wanted to ask how the Ministry of Works had completed the construction of the embankment after allocating the money to the Ministry of Works.

Feng Cheng quickly entered the palace and looked at Gonggong Zhao with inquiring eyes at the door, hoping that Gonggong Zhao would give some hints.

Zhao Gonggong is a popular man in front of the emperor, his weight is not light, he has never been arrogant, he has always been very good at being a man, and he must not offend the courtiers, even if the Ministry of Industry in front of him is going to suffer. So, the corners of his mouth flattened, and he said to Feng Cheng in a very low voice, "The big flood in Hengchuan County, the embankment was washed away, and the disaster stretched for thousands of miles. ”

Feng Cheng was shocked all of a sudden.

Gonggong Zhao opened the door of the imperial study for him, opened the curtain, and invited him in.

Unable to allow Feng Cheng to ask any more, he carried his heart and entered the imperial study.

The emperor looked at Feng Cheng with a dark face, and threw the song fold to him, "Feng Cheng, look at it yourself, you tell me what is going on with the embankment in Hengchuan County?" ”

Feng Cheng hurriedly took the fold, looked at it at a glance, and his face showed disbelief and shock, and immediately looked at the emperor in a little panic, "Your Majesty, this, this minister doesn't know how to be like this......"

The emperor gritted his teeth, "Didn't you tell me at the beginning that if the embankment in Hengchuan County was built, it could be protected for decades?" It has only been washed away in two years, and my three million taels of silver have been lost, not to mention, the disaster has stretched for thousands of miles, and how many people have been affected? ”

Feng Cheng immediately knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, when the minister went to Hengchuan County, he surveyed the topography many times, and discussed with Lord Fang and the local craftsmen for many days. ”

"But what's going on now?" The emperor looked at him, "It's only been two years. ”

Feng Cheng looked at the fold again, still in disbelief, "Your Majesty, what is said in this fold is true?" ”

"You ask him." The emperor pointed to Zheng Changming.

Zheng Changming arched his hand to Feng Cheng and said what he said to the emperor again.

Feng Cheng heard that it was ten days ago, looking at what Zheng Changming said that he had noses and eyes, and he also believed eight or nine points, his face turned even whiter, and recalled, "Your Majesty, after the minister personally went to Hengchuan County to investigate, he and Lord Fang formulated a plan to build the embankment. Half a year later, Liu Tuo returned to Beijing and reported to his ministers, saying that according to the plan, the embankment in Hengchuan County had been completed. ”

"Where's Liu Tuo?" The emperor asked.

"A year ago, Liu Tuo was filial piety for three years due to his mother's illness, and now Ding is worried at home."

"Where is Liu Tuo's hometown?"

"In Zhaohe County, more than 700 miles away from the capital." Feng Cheng knew very well about the former squire of the Ministry of Works.

The emperor asked Zhao Gonggong, "How many days will it take to send someone to Zhaohe County to escort someone back?" ”

Zhao Gonggong calculated for a while, and immediately said, "Send the Ouchi guards to ride the fastest horse, and it will take six or seven days to go back and forth." ”

The emperor nodded, called the leader of the Ouchi guards to come in, and ordered, "Send two people to the hometown of Liu Tuo, the former squire of the Ministry of Works, and escort Liu Tuo back to Beijing in the shortest possible time." Then send someone to Hengchuan County to understand the disaster situation in Hengchuan County. ”

The head of the Ouchi guard should be bowing his head.

The emperor looked at Feng Cheng with a calm face, "The dam in Hengchuan County was washed away by the flood, as the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, you have the unshirkable responsibility, and from today onwards, you will be dismissed and investigated." ”

Feng Cheng didn't dare to intercede for himself, "Yes." ”

The emperor instructed the guards to take off Feng Cheng's black gauze hat, take off his official robe, and escort him back to Feng's mansion to wait for the investigation of the guilt.

After Feng Cheng was escorted down, the emperor convened the courtiers to discuss the matter.

The courtiers were also shocked by the fact that the flood in Hengchuan County had washed away the embankment and the disaster had stretched for thousands of miles, and Zheng Changming's wife and nephew Zhu Yan were called to the main hall and asked him to talk in detail about the situation of the flood in Hengchuan County.

Zhu Yan didn't know much about the situation of the flood in Hengchuan County, he just came from the direction of Hengchuan County, and on the way, he heard that the flood washed away the embankment and collapsed the houses raised by the people, and the people who didn't have time to run were killed and injured, and the pigs, horses, cattle and sheep were washed away, and the flood was very bad, no matter how much, he couldn't say it, after all, he didn't really pass by Hengchuan County, it was arranged by the East Palace.

The courtiers mentioned the three million taels of silver allocated by the household department for the construction of the embankment in Hengchuan County, and there was a lot of discussion for a while.

The emperor listened to the courtiers, and he couldn't discuss the reason for how to provide disaster relief for a while, and his face was very different.

"You say, how to provide disaster relief, who can come up with a charter for me?" The emperor looked at the courtiers and felt that there was a lot of noise, and at the critical moment, there was no practical one.

"Your Majesty, the old minister feels that the exact situation of Hengchuan County is still unknown, and it is really impossible to formulate a disaster relief charter, so he should send someone to Hengchuan County to investigate before he can provide specific disaster relief." ”

Although the emperor knew that what he said was reasonable, he still said, "Hengchuan County is thousands of miles away from the capital, how much time do you have to delay when you send someone to go and turn back?" Can the court afford to wait, can the people afford to wait? ”

The head of the household also knew that the people couldn't afford to wait, so he immediately said, "Your Majesty immediately issued an order to let the local warehouse open and release grain!" ”

When he mentioned this emperor, he was angry, "The excerpts of the reports from all over the country have not been submitted to the present until now, and after such a disaster, shouldn't the excerpts of the reports from all over the country be sent to the imperial court as soon as possible?" ”

It was still relying on the people who came back from Hengchuan County to get the news, what did the officials eat.

The courtiers had no one to speak, and they all knew in their hearts that every time there was a disaster, they would report to the court at the first level, and when they arrived in the court, they would take more than half a month, and more than a month.

So, the deliberations were discussed from noon to evening, and before the specific candidates for the disaster relief in Hengchuan County were decided, the emperor waved his hand tiredly and said that he would discuss it tomorrow.

On the evening of the same day, Xiao Ze went to the excerpt and asked to go to Hengchuan County for disaster relief, and the excerpt was very moving, saying that he shared the worries of his father and the emperor and gave the people disaster relief as soon as possible.

The emperor read Xiao Ze's excerpt in its entirety, and did not approve it, but pressed it.

On the morning of the second day, Zhao Jiang, the head of the household department, asked for an order to go to Hengchuan County for disaster relief, he said in the court, "The household department is in charge of disaster relief, Hengchuan County has such a big flood, how the household department wants to relieve the disaster, I don't know the details, and I can't agree on a charter, the old minister went back and thought about it for a night, please ask Your Majesty for permission, and the old minister personally took people to Hengchuan County for disaster relief." Only by going to the local area to understand the disaster situation can we better enable the household department to cooperate with the disaster relief. ”

The emperor looked at Zhao Jiang and said slowly, "Last night, the crown prince went to Hengchuan County for disaster relief. ”

Zhao Jiang was stunned.

The courtiers were also stunned.

The Donggong faction was ordered by the prince, and many courtiers immediately responded, saying that the prince loves the people like a son, and since he has this love for the people, His Majesty should be allowed to play, let the prince go out of Beijing, help the people, and also experience the suffering of the world, so as to better relieve the worries of the people.

Ling Hua has already arranged people, just waiting for this moment, so, there are also many courtiers out of the ranks, Yan Hengchuan County is thousands of miles away, and it is a place of disaster, the prince has no experience, and there are many troubles in the place of disasters since ancient times, the prince is the body of the prince, can not go out of Beijing, and the court is not no one, there is no need for the prince to risk himself.

The two factions suddenly became inseparable.

The neutral faction stood still, allowing the two factions to argue and quarrel back and forth, the emperor sat on the top seat, listened for most of the hour, and then waved his hand, and the courtiers suddenly stopped the noise, stood up in the rules, and no longer pointed at the other party's nose and scolded what was his intention.

The emperor looked at Xu Zizhou and Shen Yi'an, "Xu Aiqing, Shen Aiqing, what do you think?" ”

Shen Yi'an and Xu Zizhou glanced at each other, and the two of them came out together.

Xu Zizhou is now a senior official, so he spoke first and arched his hand, "Back to Your Majesty, the minister also thinks that the prince's golden body and the situation of the disaster in Hengchuan County are unknown, so he should not go in person." ”

Shen Yi'an then gave up his hand and echoed Xu Zizhou, "Back to Your Majesty, the minister seconded what Lord Xu said." Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried about the people and goes in person, he should not go in a hurry, but should send someone to check the specific situation of the disaster, and then discuss whether it is suitable for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to go there as appropriate. ”

The emperor nodded, turned his gaze, and looked at Xiao Zhen, who had been silent and regarded himself as a wooden man, "Xiao Zhen, what do you think?" ”

Xiao Zhen was stunned, he didn't expect the emperor to call him, in the past few years, he was in the court, he was just an ornament, his good father never reused him, did not give him an important position, did not give him rights, he stood in the court, just every day, he didn't need to say anything, he never participated in anything in the court, anyway, he wouldn't ask him.

The emperor did not like his harshness, and the courtiers knew it.

The reason why he has been able to stand here all these years is also because of his rules, not to cause trouble or trouble. It's really the sun coming out in the west today.

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I'll give you a more update tomorrow