Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 77: Earthquake in the Northwest
At the hour of Yin in the early morning, Zhu Qiyu left the palace on time and rode in a sedan chair towards the Meridian Gate.
Through this period of regency, especially after the Emperor's return, he felt more and more that many things were very different from what he had imagined. For example, the Duke of England would be crowned King. If such a proposal had been made in the past, it would have been unthinkable. But now, it had been decided step by step.
The title finally agreed upon by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites was Prince of Jing'an, which used the name of Jing'an Prefecture of Jiaozhi Provincial Administration, and also meant pacifying Annan. The meaning is self-evident.
Moreover, this title cannot be given casually. The attached requirement is that the vassal must be established within one year. In other words, the court will use military force against Annan within one year.
In the current Ming Dynasty, besides his brother the emperor, the most capable fighter is Duke of Ying, Zhang Fu, who is also going to the battlefield. The second most capable fighter, Chen Mao, the Marquis of Ningyang, is still suppressing the rebellion in Sha County, Fujian, and has not returned yet. The third most capable fighter, Jiang Gui, the Marquis of Dingxi, has just passed away, and Wang Ji, the Earl of Jingyuan, has taken over his position as the General of Suppressing the Barbarians, and is still suppressing the rebellion in Luchuan, southwest China...
This is also the reason why my father decided to give up the Nurgan Regional Administration and the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration. Although the Ming Dynasty seems to be prosperous now, it is actually at the end of its strength due to internal and external troubles and cannot afford to resort to war.
It is hard to imagine what would have happened to the Ming Dynasty if the Battle of Tumubao had failed...
Zhu Qiyu was resting with his eyes closed in the sedan chair when he suddenly felt it stop. He opened his eyes and asked, "Why did it stop?"
"Your Majesty, someone is blocking the sedan chair ahead."
"Oh?" Zhu Qiyu was a little surprised and asked, "Who is it?"
"He looks like a scholar, his identity is unknown, should we chase him away ..."
"No!" Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "Let him come forward."
The guard came forward and searched, then let the man go.
"Student Chen Beilin from the Imperial Observatory pays respect to His Majesty the Prince of Qing !"
Zhu Qiyu lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and asked, "What do you want?"
Beilin knelt on the ground, holding up a petition in both hands, and said: "Students impeach Li Shimian, the director of the Imperial Observatory, and all the officials of the Imperial Observatory for being idle and disregarding the lives of thousands of people and the Ming Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu stepped out of the sedan chair and asked with a frown, "What's going on?"
"I am a morning sergeant at the Imperial Observatory. I recently discovered something strange in the northwest and speculated that an earthquake would occur in the near future. So I reported it to the Imperial Observatory's Lingtailang, Supervisor and other superiors, hoping to report it to the court and give early warning to reduce casualties in the disaster area. However, all the officials of the Imperial Observatory ignored me. In a hurry, I had a quarrel with Supervisor Li Shimian and was dismissed. It was a helpless act to stop your highness's sedan chair today. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyu asked in confusion: "You said there was an earthquake in the northwest, do you have any evidence?"
Beilin said: "Students observed the sky for three consecutive days. There was a solar eclipse during the day, and a ground light appeared at night. The Wei star was cut off, and the pivot star was scattered. The effect of the earthquake was obvious. This is the precursor of the earthquake."
Zhu Qizhen paced a few steps and asked again: "How sure are you?"
"Students...students..."
Beilin looked a little hesitant, but when she thought of the conversation with Brother Song yesterday, she immediately became resolute and said, "I am sure that there will be an earthquake in the northwest. If the court does not warn us in advance, the sky will collapse, the earth will split, the rivers will backflow, the land will be barren, and the people will suffer. Your Highness, please be cautious for the sake of the people!"
Zhu Qiyu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Follow the sedan chair and follow me to the palace!"
The sky was already dawning, and all the ministers gathered in front of the Meridian Gate, waiting for the palace gates to open at the hour of Mao.
Everyone gathered in groups of three or five, chatting together. Usually, King Qing arrived early, but no one knew why he came so late today...
"His Royal Highness Prince Qing is coming!"
Someone shouted, and everyone looked over. It was indeed the sedan chair of Prince Qing, and they all came forward to pay their respects.
Zhu Qiyu got off the sedan chair, clasped his fists in return, then walked to the front of the crowd, waiting to enter the palace.
At this time, someone noticed that there was a young man following King Qing, who looked very unfamiliar, and they couldn't help but whisper about it.
Among the crowd, there was a man with a strange look on his face, who quietly came to a sedan chair.
Li Shimen, the director of the Imperial Observatory, is 75 years old this year and has long reached the age of retirement. He has submitted his resignation three times recently, but the Prince of Qing has not approved it. As he is old and afraid of the cold, he stays in the sedan chair and waits until the palace gate opens before going out.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Li!"
Li Shimian opened his eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"
The person outside whispered, "The person next to His Royal Highness Prince Qing seems to be Beilin from the Imperial Observatory!"
After hearing this, Li Shimian couldn't help but frowned, then stepped out of the sedan chair and asked, "Where is it?"
"That's the one standing behind King Qing."
Li Shimian walked forward slowly and took a closer look. It was indeed Beilin.
He was so angry that his beard stood up. This kid actually dared to quarrel with him in front of everyone in the Imperial Observatory. He had lost all his face, and yet he dared to come here?
"Old minister Li Shimian greets His Royal Highness Prince Qing!"
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said, "Li Jianzheng, please don't be polite."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Li Shimian raised his head, looked at Beilin, and asked, "Your Highness, why is this person here?"
Beilin was young and energetic. Just as she was about to speak, she was pulled back by Zhu Qiyu.
"Li Jianzheng, I was just about to ask you, is this person from the Imperial Observatory?"
"Not anymore!" Li Shimian shook his head and said, "This person was disrespectful to his superiors and did not follow the rules. He has been dismissed and has nothing to do with the Imperial Observatory now."
"That means he was originally from the Imperial Observatory?"
"Your Highness, I am just a Sichen, and I have no rank."
"What are Si Chen's duties?"
"In the Imperial Observatory, Si Chen is responsible for telling time."
Zhu Qiyu asked again: "How is this person's job?"
"Ha!" Li Shimian said with a forced smile, "Neither praise nor criticism, it's not bad."
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said, "This person claims to have discovered a strange phenomenon in the sky, which indicates that there will be an earthquake in the northwest. What do you think, Li Jianzheng?"
"Your Highness, don't listen to this man's nonsense!"
Li Shimian shook his head vigorously and said, "He is just a morning master, how can he understand the stars? I have observed the stars at night and there is no disaster in the world. This person is exaggerating and trying to gain popularity. He just wants to gain fame. I have seen many people like him. Your Highness, don't be fooled by him!"
Beilin couldn't help it any longer, and pointed at Li Shimian's nose and cursed: "Old man, you are in a high position but do nothing, you are just sitting there doing nothing, you are just doing nothing, you have no shame!"
Li Shimian was so angry that his face turned pale and he almost had a heart attack.
"You ignorant boy, you are making alarmist statements. Come, arrest this daring lunatic and punish him for his disrespect for his superiors!"
Beilin lost her temper and jumped up and down, shouting, "Heaven hates those whom I dislike. Heaven hates them!"
At this time, it was already the hour of Mao and the palace gates were wide open.
"alright!"
Zhu Qiyu interrupted the quarrel between the two and said solemnly: "Let's go to the palace and tell them what happened!"