Outside the palace, thunder rumbled. A bolt of earth-shattering lightning exploded in mid-air, causing people to lose their balance.
Official Zhao Shu has never seen such heavy rain, not since he ascended the throne, but since he was born in Bianjing.
The people in the left and right palaces were also surprised and confused. After seeing the official family, they hurriedly paid tribute.
"Zhang Maoze!"
"I'm here."
Just as the official was about to cry out, he saw Zhang Maoze appearing behind him.
The official grabbed Zhang Maoze's hand and said, "How bad is the water?"
Zhang Maoze said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the water has risen from the Bianhe River. I heard that the flood has reached the Daxiangguo Temple. All four corridors have been flooded. The monks in the temple have no way to escape. Now the ditches along the streets cannot drain water."
The official said: "The terrain of Daxiangguo Temple is higher than that of Bianhe River."
The officials immediately hurried to Chongzheng Hall, only to see more than ten ministers coming to the hall sparsely. It was already past the time of the morning court, but only so many ministers came, and none of them was in power.
The official was taken aback, and the feeling of losing control of the situation came to his mind.
Are these the only civil and military officials left in the Manchu Dynasty?
Why don't they come to see me?
Could it be that my words made the ministers angry? Could it be Jia An, Sima Guang and the others behind this? They have an excuse not to come to me and plan to secretly establish a new king?
Thinking of this, the officials couldn't help but feel excited. Facing the ministers, they didn't know how to say a word and left the Chongzheng Hall in a hurry.
The official walked a few steps, then stood up on a pillar and asked, "Where are Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang, Ouyang Xiu and others? Don't they come to see me either? If other ministers don't come, they won't come either?"
The eunuchs all looked at each other in shock, and Zhang Mao said: "Xianggong Han and Xianggong Zeng, they lost their dynasty due to rain and have sent someone to report it."
The officials were confused and asked Zhang Maoze: "What about Wen Xianggong? What do you think we should do now?"
Zhang Maoze said: "The only thing we can do is wait."
An eunuch said: "Now there is water on all sides of the palace gate. I don't expect the civil and military ministers to be able to walk through it. Now the only way is to open the water gate to release the flood."
Another eunuch said: "But the palace city is on a high ground. If the water leaks to other places..."
At this moment, the official was sitting on the royal chair, looking breathless, like a person who was about to drown. After hearing the eunuch's words just now, he said as if he had grasped a life-saving straw: "Immediately convey my decree. Open the door! Release the flood!"
Zhang Mao looked at the official and said, "Your Majesty..."
The official said to Zhang Mao: "Zhang Duzhi, this is the only thing I can do now..."
Zhang Mao didn't dare to say anything after hearing this.
The ministers immediately followed the emperor's order and opened the Xihua Gate to release the flood. Suddenly the flood came like a torrent, first collapsing the east hall, and then rushing to the guard room.
No one said hello to the palace attendants in the squad room in advance. They were caught off guard and were swept up by the flood, including their houses and the horses in the stables.
The attendants stretched out their hands to call for help, but they could only follow the waves. Some people managed to survive by holding on to the pillars, while others and their horses were washed away by the flood...
The flood from Xihua Gate not only flooded the guard squad room, but also washed away along both banks of the already overflowing Bianhe River. Countless houses were washed away, and people and animals were involved. When a wave hit, countless people struggled. Never surfaced again...
Zhao Shu, an official, was sitting in the palace in fear. An hour after he opened the Xihua Gate and released the water, he saw that Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang and other prime ministers had not arrived yet.
The official said to the left and right: "I can't sit here. I want to go to Xuande Tower to take a look."
After that, the officials insisted on climbing to the Xuandemen Gate Tower. Looking around, they saw that the bottom of the palace city had almost become Zeguo.
At this time, the heavy rain had just stopped, but almost two-thirds of Bianjing was submerged in water. Countless people were climbing on rooftops and trees, crying for help.
The officials were taken aback and asked: "How did Bianjing City become like this?"
Neither the left nor the right dared to answer.
After a while, someone reported: "Several gentlemen are here."
The officials were overjoyed to see Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang, Wen Yanbo and other ministers finally arriving.
"Your Majesty, I just heard that Xihua Gate was flooded? Who did it?" Han Qi asked the official as soon as they met.
The official was originally happy to see Han Qi, but now he admitted: "It was my idea."
Han Qi couldn't help but pause when he heard this.
Han Qi remembered that when he visited Xuandemen, the late emperor was still there. It was the Lantern Festival, and Aoshan was placed here. The emperor and the people had fun together. As the prime minister, Han Qi also sat on the gate tower to watch the scenery.
But now, looking around, Bianjing City has become like this.
The king and the people are happy together?
Due to the high terrain of the palace, it was subject to rain, so the officials opened the Xihua Gate and released the water. The king fed all his people to fish and shrimps. Now it was a big mistake, and the king and the people were not happy.
Han Qi wanted to say: "If the officials had attacked the South Embankment earlier, this would not have happened!"
However, Han Qi didn't say anything. Zeng Gongliang and Wen Yanbo both heard the words and tried to persuade him.
However, although Han Qi didn't say anything, the officials didn't know what he meant. His face was uncertain at the moment.
The official looked at the lives of the people in the capital below and suddenly said, "It's all my fault...it's all my fault."
"I shouldn't be the emperor... Whoever wants to be the emperor can do it."
When the official said this, Han Qi, Wen Yanbo and others were shocked.
Only officials can recover from their illness. If they blame themselves and get sick again, or say something about not being an emperor, then Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang, Wen Yanbo, etc. will all take the blame.
The emperor was supported by several of their ministers. If the officials make any mistakes now, doesn't it prove that they chose a foolish emperor?
Han Qi said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to blame yourself. No one can say clearly about this flood. It is all the fault of our rulers who did not think carefully."
Wen Yanbo said: "Your Majesty, I am guilty of the same crime as Han Qi."
Seeing that the prime ministers took the initiative to take responsibility for themselves, the officials stopped blaming themselves a little.
"Your Majesty, it looks like a small boat!"
Although it was raining at this time, groups of soldiers were seen driving small boats through the streets of Bianjing City.
When everyone saw the boats going in and out of deep water, and where there were people attached to their houses, they picked the people up from their houses and then used the boats to take them to places where they were not exposed to water.
Such a small boat can only accommodate five or six people, but there are many boats, as many as fifty or sixty.
The soldiers rescued the trapped people one by one. After being rescued, these people cried with joy... In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people were saved and made safe.
The officials and rulers who saw this scene on the Xuandemen Tower were all surprised and happy.
The official said to the left and right in a trembling voice: "This preparation was made in a hurry. Which official did this?"
Han Qi and Zeng Gongdian nodded, and immediately hoisted an eunuch down from the top of the city in a hanging basket to inquire.
Soon the eunuch returned to the city in a hanging basket and reported to the officials: "Your Majesty, these people are soldiers of the Third Division and Jiaoyin Prison, and these small boats have been prepared a long time ago."
"The soldiers just said that they all followed the orders of Taichang Cheng Zhang Yue to sail the boat to save people!"
