The time soon came to mid-February, during this time, there were no major incidents in Luoyang, and Wu Yong's life was also peaceful.

On this day, Wu Yong was studying with Liu Hong, the son of heaven, in the Huaguang Palace, when Cao Jie, a regular attendant, suddenly came in and said, "Your Majesty, great joy! Just now, the slave maid got the news that Hanoi County Taishou wrote that the Yellow River was clear, more than 400 miles, and it was seven days and nights. Liu Hong was stunned for a moment, and then said with great joy: "Really? ”

"Such a big thing, how dare the slave and maid deceive Your Majesty!" Cao Jie fell to his knees with a thud, and then handed over a roll of silk silk to the Son of Heaven.

Liu Hong took a look at it, and said happily: "Cao Jie, you go to Zhao Gongqing to those who have more than 600 stones to discuss matters in the Deyang Palace." ”

"Yui!" Cao Jie responded and hurriedly retreated. After Cao Jie left, Liu Hong, the Son of Heaven, suddenly asked Wu Yong: "Wu Yong, do you think I will become a generation of Ming Jun?" ”

"Uh~" Wu Yong was a little confused when asked, how could he be so decent, and suddenly asked this.

"If you Han Ling Emperor were a Ming Emperor, there wouldn't be so much infamy in the future." Of course, this is what Wu Yong thinks in his heart, and it is impossible for him to say it.

At the same time, I had a realization in my heart that the reason why Liu Hong asked this must be related to the clear water of the Yellow River that Cao Jie said just now.

At this time, Wu Yong also remembered some legends about the water of the Yellow River. The water of the Yellow River has been turbid since ancient times, so it has existed since ancient times

"Jumping into the Yellow River can't wash it away". The ancients also used to take it

"The water of the Yellow River becomes clear" is a metaphor for rare and difficult things, so there is

"It is difficult to see the Yellow River clear in a thousand years". Jingfang's "Yi Chuan" said: "The river is clear, and the world is flat." Zhang Heng's "Returning to the Field" recorded: "In order to envy the fish in the river, the river is clear. "The Biography of Huang Quan of the Three Kingdoms Shu Zhi" recorded: "If the guest has the safety of Mount Tai, the lord is in danger of being tired." But it is closed to wait for the river to clear. These accounts speak of the ancients

"Heqing" is a symbol of auspiciousness in Shengping. In fact, there is a legend about the Yellow River, some people say that the Yellow River is a sage.

This is because after the Yellow River flows out of Qinghai, when it passes through Shaanxi and Shanxi, the soil on both sides of the Loess Plateau is relatively loose, resulting in extremely serious soil erosion, so the color of the Yellow River is relatively turbid for a long time.

But in reality, not the whole river is turbid, and in some sections it can become clearer.

Because the ancient people were more superstitious and believed that if the water of the Yellow River became lighter, it would be a good omen, so there would be such a statement by the Qing sage of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River is the second largest river in China. The Yellow River Basin is the earliest developed area in China, creating a splendid ancient culture, and is the most important birthplace of Chinese civilization, so it has been valued by the Han people since ancient times.

The Yellow River flows over a vast area, and while it has benefited people, it has also brought many disasters due to its large sediment content, frequent flooding, and diversion.

Because the ancients were limited by the level of scientific cognition, they believed that things in nature and in the human world were sacred

Natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes are all regarded as being governed by the "heavens".

The phenomenon of the "Son of Heaven" doing bad things and being punished by God. In ancient times, people often pinned their hopes on the emperor for the strength of the country and the happiness of the people, however

"Respect for God and Diligent Government",

After all, a Ming monarch who "loves the people like a son" is rare. People like clear river water, or are used to seeing clear river water, so there is

The saying "the sage comes out, the Yellow River is clear" hopes that God will give a Ming monarch to benefit the world, and at the same time make the Yellow River clear.

From this, there is

"The Yellow River is clear, the sage is out". For example, Luo Guanzhong, a family in the early Ming Dynasty who wrote "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms", wrote a poem: "There is a saint life in the whole world, and the earth, mountains and rivers serve the spirit." The dust and turbidity should be eliminated, and the Yellow River will be clear for a while", which reflects this kind of dream sustenance.

And it was commonly used by the ancients

"River Qinghai Banquet" or

"Heqing Haiyan" is a metaphor for the peaceful and prosperous times. Therefore, if during the reign of any emperor, there is a phenomenon that the water of the Yellow River becomes clear, the emperor, the officials, and the people will be very surprised, thinking that it is an auspicious omen, singing praises of virtue, and it will be officially recorded in the history books.

For example, from the beginning of December in the fourth year of the Yongzheng Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, by the beginning of the following year, the water of the Yellow River in the five provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu gradually cleared.

This

The scale of "Heqing" is relatively large and lasts for a long time, so the influence of public opinion is also very large. In getting

After the report of "Heqing", Emperor Yongzheng couldn't help but be overjoyed, and comforted his father Emperor Kangxi, who was buried in the tomb, and went to the Yellow River to worship the river god, and promoted a group of relevant officials to a higher level.

This is not enough, Emperor Yongzheng also wrote more than 2,000 words of "Ode to the River Qing", and ordered the governor of the river Tian Wenjing to build it in the Qingkou of the south of the Yangtze River

"Imperial Yellow River Clarification Monument", the "Ode to the River Qing" was engraved on it to thank the river god. These actions of Emperor Yongzheng are obviously to show his merits and set up a memorial arch.

At that time, he had not long been on the throne as emperor, and the legitimacy of his accession to the throne was questioned by many people in the government and the opposition. just right

"Heqing", so Emperor Yongzheng couldn't wait to take it

"Saint from heaven" calls himself a saint. Wu Yong immediately understood the meaning of Liu Hong, the son of heaven, who asked this sentence, he thought that the clear water of the Yellow River was God's recognition of him, and he also had the potential to become a generation of Ming monarchs.

Wu Yong is now the soul of the next generation, so he naturally knows the messy things that Liu Hong will do in the future. After thinking about it, Wu Yongzheng said: "The kid is young and doesn't know what Mingjun does. But there is a cloud in "Zuo Biography": everyone can't do it. The doctor is in charge, and he is still in charge of the public, and he makes good use of it? The so-called Shang Zhaomin in the "Shangshu Oath" is the same, and the ten people in Zhou are the same, and everyone is also. The approximate meaning of this sentence is that the monarch must know how to make good use of people, so that the monarch and the minister can be of one heart and one mind.

After hearing this, Liu Hong laughed and said, "This is very in line with my intentions!" At this time, Emperor Yang Ci suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, when Emperor Huan, there was a scholar Xiangkai who once wrote to the clouds: the river is turbid and anti-Qing, yin desires are yang, and the spring and autumn lins should not be seen, and Confucius thinks it is different." ”

"Lao Chen also thinks that the Yellow River is inherently turbid, and if the water of the Yellow River suddenly becomes clear, it is an abnormal phenomenon, which is not a good sign." Liu Hong frowned and said, "Is the teacher a little too worried!" Seeing Liu Hong's reaction, Yang Ci couldn't continue to persuade him, so he could only smile bitterly: "I hope the old minister thinks too much!" At this time, Wu Yong also suddenly thought of a proverb in later generations,

"The water of the Yellow River is clear, and there will be a catastrophe." The reason for this proverb is that the turbid water of the Yellow River itself will surprise people if it becomes clear one day.

For the feudal and superstitious ancients, this is an extremely unusual phenomenon, and it must be some kind of hint from heaven.

In fact, in the future,

The saying "the Yellow River is clear, there will be a catastrophe" actually has a certain scientific basis. The clear water of the Yellow River means that the water level is falling, and if it falls, it will be drought, and drought means that everything will wither and lose its vitality.

According to historical records, the Yellow River

After the "water is clear", it is ushered in a great drought, and after the great drought, there will be a major flood, although the high soil and high slopes are peaceful

The "Yellow River" has been covered with greenery and forests, but there are immeasurable risks hidden under the green, the Loess Plateau has soft soil, the adhesion is not light, and heavy rainfall after greening is very likely to cause flooding.

The Yellow River is the river with the largest sediment content among the major rivers, and it is often said that there is a bowl of water and half a bowl of sand.

It is precisely because of the excess sediment carried that the above-ground rivers form in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. And it is precisely because it contains too much sediment that the color of the river turns yellow, so it is named the Yellow River.

The Yellow River has a lot of sediment because the vegetation in the upper reaches of the Yellow River is seriously damaged, and without the protection of vegetation, it is easy to form a large area of water and soil water, and it is precisely because of this erosion that deep ravines are left on the Loess Plateau.

Once it rains, the loess, which is not protected by vegetation, flows into the Yellow River under the transport of the water, and becomes the sediment in the Yellow River.

It also made the color of the Yellow River dyed yellow. After understanding the source of sediment in the Yellow River and the reasons why the water turns yellow and muddy, then we can also think of why the Yellow River is clear and there must be a catastrophe.

If the water in the Yellow River is clear, then the sediment in the Yellow River will be greatly reduced. The Yellow River is a big river, and the whole Yellow River is not just a river, but a complete water system, which is what we often call the Yellow River Basin.

In order to make part of the Yellow River clear, it can be inferred that it has encountered drought, and only in the event of drought and a great drop in precipitation can it be possible to greatly reduce soil erosion and the sediment content in the Yellow River.

In fact, it is easy to understand that the water flow of a river that is usually very clear will become turbid after heavy rain.

The Yellow River is a huge basin with many tributaries, and if only one or two tributaries become clear, then this will not affect the overall situation of the Yellow River.

If the Yellow River becomes clear as a whole, it means that there has been a widespread and prolonged drought in the entire basin of the Yellow River.

Only when this happens, will the Yellow River become clearer. Therefore, this is the scientific basis for the saying that the Yellow River must have a catastrophe when the water is clear, which is actually the relationship between the sediment content of the river and the amount of rainfall.

Although Wu Yong knew this, he saw Liu Hong's attitude towards Yang Ci, and when the words came to his mouth, he stopped in time.

Obviously, Liu Hong has fallen into a huge fantasy at this time, and it is not something that can wake up in a few words. So Wu Yong was silent all the way and followed Liu Hong, the son of heaven, to the Deyang Palace.

Liu Hong wore twelve crowns on his head, sat on the dragon chair, and when he saw the arrival of hundreds of officials, he couldn't wait to ask: "What do you think of this Heqing incident?" The officials and ministers should have discussed it in advance, and they didn't want to embarrass the Son of Heaven, so they bowed together and said: "Your Majesty just added a dollar service, and auspicious rui fell from the sky, this is a sign of Mingjun!" Liu Hong laughed, and then said: "Since it is auspicious, there should be a court decree." Herald: The people are tired and trapped in the levy. I hope that the officials will benefit me and the people, and cleanse the corruption to pray for rest. His order is full of 100 stones, and if he is over 10 years old, he has special talents and has to run for election. The descendants of Zang officials shall not be examined. Put an end to the false and false entrustment. so that the honest and honest keepers may believe in their conduct. Each Ming Shou Division, will be watched after the convulsion. ”

"Your Majesty." The ministers bowed again. Seeing this, Liu Hong smiled again, and then asked, "Do you still have something to discuss?" At this time, Liu He, the secretary of the Shaofu Dynasty, came out and said: "Liu Yan, the assassin of Jizhou, said in his book that Bohai County was flooded by an earthquake, and the bad residents were dozens of miles away, and the people of the county were more than 1,000 families. Please rule on Your Majesty. "Haiyi, commonly known as a tsunami, is a catastrophic wave.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are also one of the more serious types of disasters. I don't know whether Liu He intended it or not, when Liu Hong wanted to be Mingjun, Chaoyi did this.

Liu Hong glanced at the ministers and said, "Edict: Disasters have been going on for many years, especially in the Hebei Department. It is better to get rid of the real wounds and support the poor, and the people still abandon their jobs and die endlessly. Suspicious counties are lazy and undeclared. "Yi" is beautiful "loss and benefit", and "book" says "peace and security are beneficial". He ordered the Ministry of Hebei not to collect this year's field rent and drafts. ”