Chapter 107 Is it a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?
Looking at Su Ruochen bowing, Xu Chong was not too surprised.
How could a twelve-year-old who could survive a natural disaster and walk thousands of miles be so simple-minded?
Apart from anything else, the scent of tea could definitely not be hidden from Su Ruochen.
"No need to be polite."
Xu Chong nodded, "How do you feel now?"
"Well……"
Su Ruochen straightened up, looking a little embarrassed. "At least it won't endanger my life, and there won't be any restrictions on the path of martial arts... but after so many years, I've formed a habit."
"That's good."
Xu Chong immediately smiled evilly, "Come, tell me in detail."
"say what?"
Su Ruochen immediately became alert.
"What else can I do, Supervisor?"
Xu Chong lowered his voice and asked, "What does that portrait look like?"
"this……"
Su Ruochen struggled a little, then his eyebrows flew with joy: "She looks to be in her twenties. Her appearance can only be called decent, but her figure, wow, wow, wow, oh and more, the woman's arms..."
Before he could finish his words, Su Ruochen's mouth was slammed shut by a huge force, and he could only make a humming sound .
"This...Master Supervisor?"
Xu Chong felt a chill on his back and looked around.
"If Deputy Supervisor Xu wants to see it, go back to the Observatory and I'll show it to you. Why bother listening to this loudmouth chattering here?"
The ethereal and elusive sound condensed into a line and poured directly into Xu Chong's ears.
"Okay, I'll be there soon."
Xu Chong bowed in the direction of the Imperial Observatory, patted Su Ruochen on the shoulder, and floated away.
"woo woo woo woo……"
Su Ruochen felt like crying but had no tears.
Not long after, Xu Chong reached the top of the observatory.
Yuan Shouyi stood with his hands behind his back as usual, quietly watching the sea of clouds.
The tea set on the table disappeared, and was replaced by an unfolded scroll.
Xu Chong had nothing to be embarrassed about, so he moved over and took a closer look.
His facial features were ordinary, just as Su Ruochen had said.
But as for her figure...there's nothing eye-catching about it at all. It's obvious that Su Ruochen exaggerated.
As for age, just looking at the portrait, Xu Chong felt that he was a little older than Su Ruochen said, probably closer to thirty.
In addition, the woman was holding a swaddled baby in her arms, but the baby's face was blank and no facial features were drawn.
"This is my younger sister who is from the same mother as me."
Yuan Shouyi said calmly, "It's not what Su Ruochen randomly guessed."
"Well……"
Xu Chong's eyebrows twitched.
What my sister said seems to be even more excessive, right?
"My late mother was originally a maid of a young lady from an aristocratic family. When the young lady entered the palace to become a concubine, she also followed her into the palace to become a maid."
Yuan Shouyi continued, "Fortunately, the late emperor's concubine was kind-hearted. A few years later, she married my mother to a seventh-rank official in Beijing."
“And then there was me.”
"When I was four years old, my younger sister was born."
"In the same year, the late emperor's concubine gave birth to a prince."
"Fortunately, my late mother became the prince's wet nurse, and I became his companion."
“Time just goes by year after year.”
"The prince became the crown prince, and the concubine became the queen."
"It is natural that I will have a successful career as an official... If I were not naturally indifferent and idle, I would not have had any difficulty in entering the cabinet."
At this point, Yuan Shouyi paused, his tone slightly lowered, "Until my sister who married far away wrote to me, saying that she had given birth to a baby boy, and hoped that I, the uncle of the Supervisor, could go over and name the child and bless him."
"What happened?"
Xu Chong lowered his head and looked at the baby without facial features in the portrait.
It was obvious that something unexpected had happened.
"My sister is getting married in Bingzhou."
Yuan Shouyi replied.
"Drought in Bingzhou?"
Xu Chong's eyebrows twitched, and he suddenly remembered Dou Tianyuan's words.
Twenty-eight years ago, Yuan Shouyi had a falling out with the current emperor, who was still the crown prince!
Calculating the time, it was exactly the 42nd year of Wenchang when a drought broke out in Bingzhou!
“It’s the drought.”
Yuan Shouyi nodded. "I haven't been able to meet them. My sister's appearance can be inferred based on her age. Even if there are some deviations, at least she looks like her. But this child... I haven't even seen his father."
"But……"
Xu Chong hesitated for a moment but still asked: "What does this have to do with His Majesty?"
"Because of the Imperial Family Festival."
Yuan Shouyi replied.
"The Imperial Ceremony?"
Xu Chong was stunned.
"The Imperial Family Grand Ceremony takes place once every ten years, and the preparations alone are extremely tedious."
Yuan Shouyi did not choose to answer directly, "First, we need to check and verify the royal roster, second, we need to divine an auspicious day and time, and third, we need to prepare for the ceremony."
"These three matters are handled by the Imperial Clan Bureau, the Imperial Observatory, and the Ministry of Rites. It will take several months to complete them."
"According to tradition, the announcement will be made in June, the event will be officially held in September, and will last until the end of the year."
"Originally, this matter has nothing to do with the disaster, and it has nothing to do with me either."
Yuan Shouyi said in a low voice, with an inexplicable look on his face, "But that year, the grand ceremony was moved forward to June."
"June?"
Xu Chong's face showed enlightenment. "We have already passed the initial stage of the disaster, so you were unable to... But I still don't understand how this has anything to do with His Majesty."
"Because I received a letter from my sister at the end of February."
Yuan Shouyi turned around and looked at Xu Chong deeply, "The prince wrote a letter in early March, proposing to advance the grand sacrifice."
"What!!!"
Xu Chong cried out in horror, his heart was in turmoil, and even the rules for calming the mind were of no use.
The prince wrote a letter proposing to move the grand sacrifice forward.
It doesn't look like there's anything worth talking about.
But the problem is...
When studying Jiang Zhihong, Xu Chong had already gained a detailed understanding of the drought in Wenchang in the 42nd year.
He clearly remembered that the drought broke out in late April!
If the prince wrote the letter in order to let Yuan Shouyi stay in the capital instead of going to Bingzhou, what does that mean?
This means that the prince, or the late emperor, knew the location of the disaster in advance!!!
And it’s at least two months ahead of schedule!
"By the time I knew about the drought in Bingzhou, the grand sacrifice had already been announced to the world, and intensive preparations had begun. It couldn't be interrupted at all... at least it wasn't something I could interrupt."
Yuan Shouyi turned to Yun Hai and said, "By the time the grand ceremony was over, it would have been September. If I had rushed to Bingzhou, I would have been unable to find my sister's family."
"You... doubt His Majesty..."
Xu Chong hesitated to speak, not knowing how to describe it.
"I don't know. Maybe."
Yuan Shouyi shook his head. "Although I was only at the seventh level of Tongmai at the time, I had no problem dealing with a drought, and it was even more than enough to save a few people... I couldn't find his motive."
really.
Xu Chong nodded.
Drought is a disaster that takes a long time to develop, affects a wide range of areas, and has far-reaching consequences.
And it is the crops, not the people, that are most directly affected.
People died because of lack of food.
With the strength of the seventh level of Tongmai, it is impossible for him to be threatened by drought.
Assuming that the prince at that time did predict the location of the natural disaster in advance, then trying to keep Yuan Shouyi in the capital was definitely not for the purpose of protecting Yuan Shouyi.
But the question is, if it is not this, what is the real purpose?
Could it be... Lou Youzhi? !
Xu Chong narrowed his eyes.
Judging from the brief encounter, Yuan Shouyi is not a kind-hearted person, but he is definitely not a bad person either.
If Yuan Shouyi had gone to Bingzhou that year, it is very likely that after seeing the tragic situation of the disaster, he would have helped Lou Youzhi to ask the imperial court for food as soon as possible.
What would happen then?
If we had had food, the disaster would have been resolved smoothly and so many people would not have died.
If he could not get the food, Yuan Shouyi would immediately suspect the current emperor, or the royal family, of the disaster, instead of being unable to find the motive and wavering between suspicion and no suspicion as he is now.
In this way, the truth will be exposed.
If these inferences hold true...
The royal family could predict natural disasters in advance and had the ability to relocate the people before the disaster occurred, but they did nothing.
No, it’s not about doing nothing, but deliberately maintaining natural disasters to ensure that enough people die in every natural disaster!
Why didn’t Lou Youzhi get the food?
Was it some minister who disliked him and wanted to harm him on purpose?
No.
It's the royal family!
It is Emperor Qing who stands above all other living beings!
Even more so, if you think about it more deeply...
Xu Chong recalled a guess he once had.
Natural disasters are actually created by the royal family!
"Even the rules of the blessed land cannot appease..."
Yuan Shouyi looked at Xu Chong and asked suspiciously, "What did you think of?"
He saw clearly the change in Xu Chong's expression just now.
"Nothing... nothing."
Xu Chong forced a smile.
"All right."
Yuan Shouyi did not force it and said, "Later, I asked His Majesty whether he had known the location of the natural disaster."
"What does your majesty say?"
Xu Chong's eyes narrowed.
"Your Majesty did not answer my question directly."
Yuan Shouyi shook his head. "He only told me that the real name of that thing is not a natural disaster."
It's not a natural disaster...
That is a man-made disaster.
Xu Chong's mood continued to sink.
"After so many years, if it weren't for this portrait, I might have forgotten what my sister looked like."
Yuan Shouyi sighed, walked to the table, and picked up the scroll, "What a pity for that child."
“…”
For no reason, Xu Chong felt a chill in his heart.
Yuan Shouyi's expression was so natural and harmonious, just like someone who was remembering an old friend.
"that……"
Xu Chong swallowed his saliva and asked, "After coming to Zhentian, have you never returned to the capital?"
"No."
Yuan Shouyi shook his head, "I have never even been outside the Imperial Observatory."
"…This matter is so complicated that it is far beyond the ability of a mere deputy supervisor like me to sort it out."
Xu Chong sighed and clasped his fists: "I will take my leave first."
Yuan Shouyi waved his hand.
Xu Chong flew down.
It was not until he returned to his own courtyard and closed the door that he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Damn it... The biggest problem person in the Imperial Observatory is actually him?!"
Xu Chong just felt his scalp tingling.
He never left the Imperial Observatory.
Why?
It’s not that Yuan Shouyi doesn’t want to leave the Imperial Observatory, but that Yuan Shouyi dares not and cannot leave the Imperial Observatory!
Xu Chong remembered the files sent by Dou Tianyuan.
Like Xie Changkong's files, they were all produced by the Blood Robe Guards and had realms noted.
And Yuan Shouyi's realm...
Wash your body nine times.
