Qingzhou is a land thousands of miles away, and for six months, not a single drop of rain fell.
In the fields, the seedlings are dry and there is no trace of new green. Even the small rivers beside the fields have stopped flowing, exposing the dry riverbed. In the mountains and fields, all the bark of the trees has been gnawed away.
On the official road, a group of hungry people were wandering around with their families in tow. They were all emaciated, skinny, dull-eyed, and lifeless, like walking corpses and lonely ghosts.
While walking, people fell down from time to time and never stood up again.
A severe drought swept across the entire Qingzhou. At first, the government organized Taoist priests to pray for rain, but after a few rounds, all the water vapor in Qingzhou was exhausted. No matter how clever the art of praying for rain was, it would not be enough. Give me a drop of rain.
The government of the Great Zhou Dynasty mobilized manpower and materials to provide disaster relief, and used work instead of relief to help the people.
In the first two months, there was no big trouble, but in the third month, tens of millions of people lost their grain harvest, which was a huge consumption.
It stands to reason that the Zhou Dynasty had established the world and had been at peace for a long time, so there was no shortage of money and food. It's a pity that all the grain stored in the state-owned Shuoshu and Qingzhou was sold off by officials and aristocratic families, leaving empty warehouses.
The food provided to the people was also blocked by disaster relief officials, and there was countless corruption. By the third month, even the imperial court's mobilization of materials from the two capitals and sixteen provinces for disaster relief was ineffective.
Because, for tens of millions of victims, no amount of food is enough. Qingzhou is like a bottomless pit, consuming countless amounts of money and food every day.
Qingzhou is not the only one in the world. Such disaster relief will definitely drag the imperial court into the quagmire.
Even if the court provides disaster relief, the people of Qingzhou still suffer heavy losses. Countless people lose their lives every day. The disaster breaks out, and demons and ghosts are born to cause chaos, making Qingzhou even more chaotic.
For several months, the imperial court was so busy with this matter that even party disputes came to a halt.
Before, the situation was peaceful and no major troubles occurred. But now, as the drought becomes more and more serious, the imperial court consumes too much and some supplies are insufficient.
Now, something finally happened.
Because of the corruption caused by corrupt officials, the food provided for disaster relief was filled with sand, gravel, and chaff, forcing the people to attack the government. The corrupt officials were killed on the spot, and all the wealthy families in the city were plundered.
At this time, the victims had no choice but to revolt, which became more and more violent. Within half a month, hundreds of thousands of victims had gathered to rebel and broke through several counties and cities. Before their eyes, the entire Qingzhou was about to become a land of war.
At this time, word quickly reached the capital, and the government and the public were shocked and discussed.
Some people advocated pacification, while others advocated mobilizing the army to quell the rebellion. Both sides insisted on their own opinions, and no one accepted the other, and the quarrel was fierce.
Late at night, the prince's residence.
In the room, the lights were brightly lit, and the bronze animal-head incense burner was burning with fragrance, which was like a cloud of smoke, making people feel relaxed and happy, and all distracting thoughts were swept away.
Prince Li Xian was leaning on the document, holding a volume in his hand. However, although he was reading a book, his eyes were actually wandering and he was not focusing on the book.
In the blink of an eye, a year and a half has passed, and it will be two years soon.
Li Xian sighed quietly, closed the book, walked to the window, looked at the bright moon in the sky, and felt a touch of sadness in his heart.
He is sixty-two years old.
How many sixty-twos can there be in life?
He came to the bookshelf and took off the bronze mirror on it. On the mirror, there was a face with sharp features, the corners of the eyes were covered with crow's feet, the hair on the temples was all white, and there was a faint worry between the eyebrows.
Two years ago, he listened to Su Ming's words and thought that his father could still hold on and did not act rashly. Sure enough, after a serious illness, his father was in good health even though he had been on the bed for a long time.
When his father was seriously ill, he was ready to act, and the King of Qi, who had placed his confidants, was reprimanded by his father, and his subordinates also lost a lot of power.
This made him dare not act rashly and keep a low profile.
Seeing that the two-year period was approaching, he was getting older and older and his health was getting worse, which inevitably made him feel anxious. The severe drought in Qingzhou and the rebellion of the victims made him realize that this was an excellent opportunity.
"Squeak!"
The door opened slowly, and a middle-aged scribe walked into the room. He shook his feather fan, not slow or fast, and showed his own magnanimity.
After entering the room, he first saluted Li Xian and then asked, "What is the important matter that His Highness summoned late at night?"
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
"Sir, the chaos in Qingzhou has spread far and wide. The court is also in a state of confusion and has no clue. What should we do?" Li Xian came to the wooden couch by the window and made two cups of tea.
The fragrance of tea lingered, refreshing, but the middle-aged scribe did not move at all. Instead, he frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. He was thinking about the chaos in Qingzhou and what it had to do with the prince.
Time passed bit by bit, and Li Xian did not speak, but sipped the tea leisurely, without any anxiety.
After a while, he picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. The tea entered his mouth, and his lips and teeth were fragrant. Then he showed a smile, looked at the prince, and slowly said, "Your Highness, you want to prevent the rebellion of the victims from happening this time." Making a fuss about it?”
Hearing this, Li Xian showed a hint of surprise on his face, and then turned into a smile, "He is indeed Gu's wise man, he can tell at a glance."
"You are right, Gu Zheng wants to make a fuss about this rebellion."
"According to past practice, we can either dispatch the local army to quell the rebellion, or recruit surrender to pacify. There are only two ways to go. I think the Dukes in the court will definitely choose to surrender and pacify. When the time comes, our chances will not be the same. Is it coming?"
The middle-aged scribe picked up the teapot and filled it with tea for the prince and himself again, already making a plan in his mind. He was seen waving his feather fan, with an indifferent look on his face, and slowly spoke, "Your Highness, you mean to let our people go to recruit surrender, take in those refugees, and lay a secret?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, Li Xian showed a half-smiling look and nodded at him, "You, you have been with me for so long and you are still hiding your clumsiness. If you have any ideas, just say so. I won't blame you. "
The middle-aged scribe put away the smile on his face and said very solemnly, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I am not hiding my clumsiness. It's just that if this plan goes astray, it will easily reveal flaws. If the matter is exposed, Your Majesty will be in trouble." , it’s not easy.”
Li Xian shook his head slowly and his expression became serious, "I know, but it is precisely because of this that I have to do it. If I don't do it, I'm afraid I will never have the chance to do it again."
At the end of the sentence, the words were full of loneliness and sadness.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room became heavy. The middle-aged scribe didn't speak anymore. He understood the prince's thoughts. He was already sixty-two years old and in his sixtieth year, it was still unknown how long he could live.
If you don't do some things, you may never have the chance to do them again.
Thinking of this, a look of determination appeared in his eyes, "Since His Highness is going to do it, I will give my full support!"
