at night.
Liu Bian hugged Tang Ji and was sleeping soundly.
Drowsily, he felt the bed shaking a little, but ignored it, frowned, and continued to sleep.
But the shaking in the bed continued to increase and soon turned into shaking.
Liu Bian woke up with a start, looked at the swaying curtain, picked up Tang Ji, rushed out, and shouted at the same time: "Earthquake! Earthquake!"
When Liu Bian ran out of the door, Pan Yin ran over in a panic and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you okay?"
Liu Bian put Tang Ji down and felt the tremors on the ground and the trembling trees and walls not far away. He looked solemn and said: "Password, order everyone to leave the house and hide in an open place. No one is allowed to hide under the eaves." Exit! Send an order to Zhao Yun and order him to take people to protect the officials. Send an order to Luoyang to immediately treat and comfort the people. Dian Wei, send someone to take your grandmother, the King of Bohai, to Yongle Palace. Now, protect me. Go to Yongle Palace."
A crowd of people responded in panic, surrounded Liu Bian, and walked towards Yongle Palace.
Although the tremors were not severe, everyone was still worried, staying away from the wall and walking quickly towards Yongle Palace.
There was a chaos in the palace. Although Pan Yin and others tried their best to comfort them, as the ground was shaking, the chamberlains and palace maids were still shouting in panic and running around scramblingly. Fires even appeared in many places, as if there was a fire. .
This was even more true outside the palace. The entire Luoyang County seemed to have been turned upside down, with countless people panicking and running around like headless flies.
Under an earthquake, there is no hierarchy!
When Liu Bian arrived at Yongle Palace, Queen Mother He rushed out with disheveled hair, folded her arms with both hands, and said frightenedly: "Bian'er, Bian'er, are you okay?"
Liu Bian quickly held her hands down and said, "Don't be afraid, queen, I'm here, everything is fine."
Queen Mother He finally calmed down a bit, still holding Liu Bian's arm with one hand, and looking around in shock.
The tremors on the ground are slowly weakening. There are tiles on the roof and walls, and the bricks are falling, making a heart-stopping sound.
Liu Bian and a large group of people stood in the open space in the courtyard, maintaining calm and waiting quietly.
He could not yet tell whether Luoyang was the epicenter of the earthquake or was affected by aftershocks.
Everyone was restless, anxious and fearful, surrounding Liu Bian.
This was not the first earthquake in Luoyang City. Every earthquake caused countless casualties.
Not long after, Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie were also brought over by the imperial guards. Empress Dowager Dong followed closely behind Liu Xie with a fearful expression.
Liu Xie's face was sullen, his eyes full of fear.
Liu Bian looked at them and said with a smile: "Grandma and the emperor's brother, don't worry, it's not a big earthquake."
The two nodded reluctantly, their faces stiff and speechless.
Empress Dowager He had no time to confront Empress Dowager Dong, so she pulled Liu Bian's arm, her face pale.
I don't know how long it took, but Pan Yin took a step closer and whispered: "Your Majesty, it seems to have stopped."
Liu Bian felt the stability under his feet, stared around, nodded and said: "Don't move, just wait."
Pan Yin and others understood and stood still.
Earthquakes don't just stop, they may strike back at any time.
After a while, Liu Bian breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It's probably an aftershock. It's okay. Grandma, queen mother, and the emperor's brother don't have to worry. Go sit over there for a while and have a rest."
Everyone nodded reluctantly and walked towards the pavilion.
Liu Bian looked at them, turned back and whispered to Pan Yin: "Inform Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Dong Zhuo, Liu Cao Shangshu, Jiu Qing, etc. to enter the palace. Send the Luoyang Order and order him to do a good job in the aftermath and comfort the people in Luoyang City. .Also, find out where the earthquake happened."
"Yes." Pan Yin didn't dare to relax, his eyes were uneasy and he bowed back.
Liu Bian turned around and saw that the chamberlains and maids in the palace were already hurriedly putting out the fire and cleaning up everywhere.
He took a deep breath, rubbed his cheeks, walked to the pavilion with a smile, and comforted Empress Dowager Dong, Empress Dowager He, Liu Xie, Tang Ji and others.
Everyone nodded reluctantly, too shocked to have the strength to speak.
The maid brought hot tea and poured it to several people.
Empress Dowager Dong, Empress Dowager He, Liu Xie, and Tang Ji picked up the tea cups and took a sip. Then their expressions relaxed, as if they were in a trance and sober.
Queen Mother He calmed down for a while, glanced at Queen Mother Dong, stretched out her hand to hold Liu Bian, a smile emerged, and said: "It's still Bian'er who came to save my mother as soon as possible. My mother's love for you is not in vain."
Empress Dowager Dong did not speak, her face was sullen, and she glanced at Liu Bian lightly.
Although he was extremely dissatisfied and even filled with hatred for Empress Dowager He and Liu Bian, the son of Empress Dowager He, Liu Bian was somewhat relieved to be able to think of him this time.
Liu Xie sat there quietly with a sullen face, confused by this royal brother.
Tang Ji was very happy, pursed her lips, and stared at Liu Bian with watery eyes, because she was hugged by Liu Bian to escape.
After a while, Pan Yin came up in small steps and whispered behind Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, the courtiers have all arrived at Jiade Hall."
Liu Bian nodded, took a sip of tea, and said to Empress Dowager Dong, Empress Dowager He and others: "Grandma, Empress Mother, I still want to appease the courtiers..."
Before Liu Bian could finish speaking, Queen Mother He said quickly: "Go ahead and take care of you. Just leave this place to your mother."
Liu Bian looked at Queen Mother He and wanted to remind her, but after thinking about it, he forgot it and turned around to go to Jiade Hall.
Queen Mother He watched Liu Bian's back, picked up the teacup, and drank tea gracefully. She glanced at Queen Mother Dong from the corner of her eye, with a smug sneer in her eyes.
Empress Dowager Dong ignored her at all.
When Liu Bian arrived at Jiade Hall, he saw nearly twenty people sitting in the hall.
None of these twenty people were relaxed. They all looked at each other and gathered together in twos and threes to whisper.
"I'll see you, Your Majesty." When Liu Bian came in, he immediately stopped talking and all raised their hands in worship.
After Liu Bian sat down, he smiled and said, "My dear friends, please excuse me."
Everyone stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Bian looked at his expression and said, "Are you all also frightened?"
Seeing Liu Bian being so calm, more than a dozen people felt less nervous. Xun You couldn't wait to raise his hand and said: "Your Majesty, based on my observation, I am afraid that this earthquake came from Sanfu."
Liu Bian's smile slowly faded and he said, "Can the Qing family be sure?"
Everyone else also looked at Xun You, their expressions changing again.
Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "Nine times out of ten."
Liu Bian nodded silently, his eyes revealing his thoughts.
This is not the first time an earthquake has occurred in the land of Sanfu. The key is that Sanfu was not only affected by earthquakes and serious disasters, but the Qiang invasion a few years ago also destroyed the land of Sanfu to pieces.
There are hundreds of thousands of victims who have fled Sanfu Land!
This earthquake will require a large amount of money and food for disaster relief!
Liu Bian looked around at the expressions of the courtiers in the palace and said, "What do you think?"
Everyone lowered their heads and no one spoke. Everyone knows the difficulties of the imperial court, but from ten years ago to now, the available methods of raising money have been almost exhausted.
Liu Bian nodded expressionlessly and said: "There must be a mess outside. Please go and appease the Qing family. I will come up with a solution regarding the money and food. Everyone except the Xun Qing family should go."
When the courtiers saw that Liu Bian was so easy to talk to, many of them looked guilty and hesitated to speak. They still raised their hands and said, "I will leave."
After everyone left, Xun You stood up, stepped forward and stood not far from Liu Bian, bowed and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, Ding Yuan, Cao Cao has captured a lot in Yanzhou, which may be able to make up for it."
"It's not enough for Yanzhou to provide relief."
Liu Bian directly rejected it, and then muttered: "I plan to set up a bank."
Xun You was thoughtful and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to use it to collect taxes on tea, salt, etc.?"
The so-called treasury in the Han Dynasty was itself a tax collection agency of a local county or government.
Liu Bian thought about it carefully and said: "No. In short, it means using the court as a guarantee, depositing a certain amount of principal, and assuming the reserve responsibility. The rich people will deposit the money, and the bank will pay a certain amount of interest according to the time agreement. .”
Xun You was startled and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to borrow money from aristocratic families?"
Liu Bian was still thinking about the feasibility and the gains and losses, and said: "You can't understand it this way. After the bank receives the money, it can lend it out, exchange it across states and counties, or mortgage or pawn it to earn a certain amount of interest... …”
Xun You was an extremely smart man. He understood it quickly and thought about it, saying, "Your Majesty, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, wealthy families and ordinary people have been very uneasy. If you use the imperial court as a guarantee, it may be of great use!"
Bandits are rampant everywhere, and even the wealthy families in Yingchuan have to flee. You can see other places! With the government's guarantee, too many people will be eager to deposit their money in banks!
Liu Bian was still thinking about the complexity and possible consequences, and said to himself: "I have to be careful to prevent it from going astray."
Liu Bian thought about it again and again, looked at Xun You with a serious look, and said: "Taicang will be the guarantee, and the minister will come forward to endorse it. The Qing family will also serve as the order of Taicang. We will draw up the details as soon as possible, select the personnel, and train them carefully. With Luoyang as the center, we will first lay out the surrounding areas." The county and the important officials of the court should come forward to guide and encourage wealthy families to save money!"
Xun You didn't expect Liu Bian to have such a fantastic idea, which might be able to solve the court's urgent needs. He solemnly raised his hand and said: "I accept the decree!"
Liu Bian stood up and said, "Without further delay, the Qing family should hurry up and prepare. As for the disaster relief in Sanfu, my central government has 30,000 gold and 600,000 silver. The Qing family will sell them to help the victims in Sanfu."
Xun You's expression suddenly changed, and his heart was shaken. He wanted to refuse, but after hesitating a few times, he said with firm eyes, "Your Majesty, these are borrowed by the imperial court from your Majesty's palace, and they will be returned in full in the future!"
He thought of the late emperor, the extremely greedy emperor who would do anything for money, even taking the lead in openly selling his official position. Today, could he use the money to help the victims?
The answer is yes.
Liu Bian waved his hand and said: "The land of Sanfu will be exempted from taxes for another five years. Pan Yin sent an order to Yushitai and Xingcao, and ordered them to take turns patrolling the land of Sanfu to arrest corrupt officials. Who dares to provide disaster relief? Anyone who manipulates money or food, no matter how big or small, kill them first and then report them!"
Hearing Liu Bian's murderous words, Xun You's heart trembled, and he raised his hand and said, "I obey your will!"
"The villain takes the order." Pan Yin said.
Liu Bian looked at Xun You and said: "In the name of Shangshutai, I order Bingzhou to receive as many victims as we can from Sanfu."
"I accept the order," Xun You said.
Liu Bian grunted, stood up and said, "If you pass on the decree, the imperial court will implement strict diligence and frugality from now on, and the palace expenses will be reduced by half."
Xun You looked at Liu Bian, his heart was shocked and his eyes were aching.
The young majesty in front of me is diligent, tolerant, caring for the people, wise, decisive, not greedy for money, lustful, and has no bad habits. He is completely different from the previous generations of emperors!
'The Holy King is alive! Xun You was so excited that he couldn't help but slowly knelt on the ground and bowed to the ground silently.
Liu Bian was still thinking about the Qianzhuang. When he saw Xun You suddenly kneeling down, he couldn't help being shocked and asked, "What else happened?"
Xun You woke up in shock and said quickly: "I have nothing else to do, I, I will leave."
Liu Bian looked at Xun You going out with a strange look on his face. He quickly calmed down and suddenly said: "Zhao Yun!"
Zhao Yun, dressed in silver armor, came out of the side door and said in an unusually crisp voice: "I'm here!"
Liu Bian thought for a while, looked at him, and said: "You take a thousand forbidden troops to escort King Bohai to the land of Sanfu, and inspect the disaster on my behalf. Remember, go in good condition and come back in good condition!"
Zhao Yun raised his hand and said: "I accept the order!"
Liu Bian nodded and took a breath, his expression not so nervous and flustered.
Although it was a sudden natural disaster, it was generally manageable.
Liu Bian looked at the increasingly bright sky outside the palace gate and said, "Change into casual clothes and leave the palace."
Pan Yin responded and called to Dian Wei.
Dian Wei nodded solemnly, and dispatched men in plain clothes to escort Liu Bian out of the palace.
Liu Bian left the Zhuque Gate, sat on the carriage, opened the curtains, and looked at both sides of the road.
"It's not as chaotic as I expected..."
Liu Bian looked at it for a while, his face softened slightly and he said softly to himself.
There was no panic scene. People were returning home one after another. There were not many people on the streets. Except for a few fires that were still being put out, everything was relatively stable.
"If the court is unfair, people's hearts are at odds; if you don't practice virtuous government, God is warning you!"
Suddenly, a man who looked like a Taoist priest walked out of the alley not far away, shouting in a long voice.
Behind him followed a group of children, chasing and shouting noisily.
Liu Bian turned his head and looked at the Taoist priest quietly. The sky was not bright enough to see his face clearly.
"The current emperor, since he came to the throne, has behaved wildly and made the world miserable. He slaughtered loyal people, harmed the people, and wasted the world..."
"God is warning that the country is in crisis because of one person's fault!"
"The moon is about to rise, the sun is about to sink; the king of the opposite sex will be destroyed by the Han Dynasty!"
As the Taoist priest walked, he sang and shouted loudly.
"Be bold!"
A group of Luoyang County officers rushed over and yelled: "You dare to slander the emperor, don't you want to live?"
The Taoist priest smiled brightly and said, "You said that I slandered the emperor. Which sentence were you talking about?"
The leading officer was stunned by him and could not repeat the story.
However, a younger officer behind him said loudly: "The current emperor, since he came to the throne, has acted wildly and made the world miserable. He slaughtered loyal people, harmed the people, and wasted the world. You are going to kill the nine-year-old!"
The Taoist priest looked calm, shook his head and said, "You don't study, and you don't know history. These are the words of Emperor Sejong, could I make them up?"
The officers were stunned. They didn't know whether it was true or not, but they couldn't think of anything else to say. They looked at each other, not knowing how to help.
Seeing this, the Taoist priest smiled brightly and said, "These words of mine have their origins and are not slanderous by me."
Pan Yin looked ugly, walked into Liu Bian's carriage, lowered his head, and said, "Your Majesty, do you need someone to deal with it?"
Liu Bian was sitting in the carriage, his face was as usual, and he said, "Let's take a look."
Pan Yin stepped back and turned to look at the man with cold eyes.
The officers were at a loss and were whispering.
"Catch him, we can't let him continue to talk nonsense!"
"He is so bold and shouts on the street. Looking at the clothes he is wearing, you don't know which high-end family he comes from. Don't ask for trouble."
"Then we can't just let it go, right? It won't be easy to explain to the higher authorities."
"Then, drive him away?"
"Okay, get away!"
Before the officer could take action, the Taoist priest said with a smile: "If you drive me away, it will damage your sanctity and make it very difficult for your county magistrate."
"What's so hard to do!?"
Wang Lang was not far away, striding over with a large number of people.
The Taoist priest looked at Wang Lang, his smile unabated, and said, "Wang Jingxing."
Wang Lang snorted coldly and said: "Whenever there is a disaster, there must be rumors. Evil people are spreading rumors wantonly! Come on, arrest them!"
The Taoist priest was calm and said: "Wang County Magistrate, you are also a person who has read a lot of poetry and books. You don't know which of the villain's words is a rumor and which is a lie? God is giving you a warning. You should reflect on yourself. Why are you putting the cart before the horse and being afraid? To others?"
Wang Lang said expressionlessly: "Your words are enough to fool the ignorant people, but they have no use on me! Take them back and torture them with your words and deeds to see if you have any instructions!"
The Taoist priest's smile disappeared, and he looked at Wang Lang calmly and said, "Wang County Magistrate, do you dare to make a bet? I predict that the emperor will fast, reflect on himself, and offer sacrifices to the gods. He may even change the Yuan Dynasty and issue an imperial edict to sin against himself."
Wang Lang's eyes became colder and he said: "Gag his mouth! Put him in jail, if he talks nonsense again, pull out his tongue!"
The officer immediately responded to the order, knocked down the Taoist priest, tied him up, and carried him away.
The Taoist priest said calmly and loudly: "County Magistrate Wang, please distinguish right from wrong and understand justice!"
Wang Lang snorted and said to the other officers: "Continue to patrol. If there is any violation of law, we will make arrests. All matters will be borne by this county!"
"Your order!" the officers responded loudly, their tone less hesitant than before.
Liu Bian looked at Wang Lang through the curtains and said with a smile: "Wang Lang is indeed a talented person. It is just right for him to be placed in Shanyang County."
"Let's go, turn around." Liu argued.
Pan Yin responded and ordered the plainclothes guards to turn around.
Wang Lang turned his head and looked at Liu Bian's carriage, without thinking much, and continued walking forward.
The city of Luoyang was affected by aftershocks. People were injured, houses collapsed, there were fires, and bandits took the opportunity to cause chaos. Wang Lang was going to be very busy these days.
Liu Bian walked around in a circle before returning to the palace when the sky became bright.
On the way back to Jingfu Palace, he asked Dian Wei, "Dian Wei, are there many rumors like this outside the palace?"
Dian Wei lowered his head, looked at the back of Liu Bian's head, and said, "I don't know, but as long as there is a disaster, there will definitely be rumors about anything."
Liu Bian nodded and said: "Pan Yin, sent a message to the Chancellor's Desk, explicitly prohibiting all rumors and lies. Anyone who takes the lead in creating rumors and spreading them wantonly must have ulterior motives!"
"Yes." Pan Yin responded.
Liu Bian returned to the study, feeling a little sleepy. Before he could close his eyes and fall asleep, a man hurried in through the small yellow door and whispered a few words into Pan Yin's ear at the door.
Pan Yin's expression changed immediately, he waved his hand, came to Liu Bian, and said in a low voice with a straight face: "Your Majesty, Chief Huangfu Jian sent news that Jian Shuo was found in Runan."
Two updates of 9,000 words, please vote for me~~
(End of chapter)
