Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 79 Heaven and Earth are not benevolent and treat all things as straw dogs
While playing the victim, Li Shimian did not forget to secretly glance at Beilin beside him and found that she was scared silly.
snort!
Young people really don’t know their place. You are far from being qualified to fight with me!
I am an important official who has served in four dynasties. With just one word in front of the emperor, I can make you die without a burial place.
Plop!
Beilin knelt on the ground, bowed her head and said: "Long live the emperor!"
Li Shimian was even more proud, wiping his tears and saying, "This old minister requests the emperor to severely punish this man and rectify the government!"
Under everyone's gaze, Zhu Qizhen said, "Belin, why are you so scared? What did you tell me yesterday?"
Beilin lowered her head and said, "I was drunk yesterday and didn't know that the emperor was here in person. I was a little abrupt in my words. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, Li Shimian's face changed. What's going on?
Did this kid meet the emperor yesterday?
No wonder he dared to be so arrogant, and the Jinyiwei didn't care. It's bad, the situation is not good...
"I just want to ask you, how sure are you of what you said yesterday?"
Beilin hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind and said, "I am sure that there will be an earthquake in the northwest, and it will happen soon!"
"Humph!" Li Shimian sneered, "You little brat, you've only read a few days of books, and you dare to speak nonsense here?"
Beilin refused to give in and cursed, "Old man, what's the point of reading so many books?"
"I……"
Li Shimian subconsciously reached out his hand, but when he saw Beilin's vicious look, he retracted his hand.
"Belin!" Zhu Qizhen put away the smile on his face and said seriously, "This is a serious matter, you have to think it through before you speak!"
"I dare to guarantee with my life that the strange phenomenon in the northwest is definitely a precursor to an earthquake. Please, Your Majesty, issue an order immediately to evacuate the people and minimize the losses as much as possible!"
"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"
Li Shimian sneered repeatedly, and then said: "Since ancient times, natural disasters and man-made disasters have always been warnings from heaven. You said there was an earthquake in the northwest. Does it mean that the emperor is behaving improperly and unfairly?"
Hearing this, Beilin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Ever since the emperor returned from the Northern Expedition, several major cases have occurred in the capital, especially the recent sensational case of Shanxi merchants colluding with thieves, which implicated at least several thousand people. If an earthquake occurred at this critical juncture, wouldn't it mean that the emperor's actions had angered God?
But, there is nothing wrong with my observation...
Seeing Beilin in confusion, Zhu Qizhen sighed softly and said, "Li Jianzheng, I want to ask you a question."
Li Shimian immediately felt his face light up and said, "Your Majesty, please speak!"
"Heaven and earth are not benevolent, and treat all things as straw dogs. What does this sentence mean?"
Li Shimen was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "When the straw dog is not yet laid out, it is placed in a box, covered with embroidery, and the corpse priests are in full guard to lead it; when it is laid out, passers-by step on its head and back, and the old people take it and cook it."
"Your Majesty, please be more straightforward."
Li Shimian nodded and said, "Heaven and earth are not emotional and treat all things equally. In other words, no matter what happens to all things, it is their own behavior and has nothing to do with heaven and earth. Heaven and earth let nature take its course, and everything is like the wind blowing in the night, moistening everything silently."
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "Do you think this sentence is correct?"
"Your Majesty, this sentence comes from Laozi's book. Laozi is Confucius' teacher, so it cannot be wrong."
"Well!" Zhu Qizhen asked again, "Since heaven and earth treat all things equally, why do they send down disasters?"
“This…this…”
Li Shimian was immediately in a dilemma and could only say, "Since it is a secret from heaven, I dare not speak rashly."
Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly and said, "First you said that the heaven and earth have no feelings and everything in the world should go with the flow, then you said that the heavens will send down disasters. Which one is right?"
Li Shimian was speechless. After thinking about it, he could only shake his head and said, "This old minister is stupid. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"A warning from the heavens? I pay you salaries every day so that you can blame me?" Zhu Qizhen's face suddenly changed, and he said coldly, "When you go back, think carefully about whether the Imperial Observatory is still necessary!"
"Death to this old minister!"
Li Shimen was so frightened that he didn't know what to do and had to lower his head.
"Belin!"
Beilin was startled and quickly replied: "The students are here!"
"I'm going to make it clear, if what you said is really alarmist, I will punish you for deceiving the emperor!"
Beilin said with a determined look: "Students dare to guarantee it with their lives!"
"Well, follow me to the Imperial Study!"
After finishing speaking, Zhu Qizhen stepped down from the dragon throne and said without turning his head, "Prince Qing , continue the morning court!"
"As you wish!"
Everyone watched the emperor leave, and Li Shimen was still kneeling on the ground, at a loss as to what to do.
Zhu Qiyu sighed and said, "Li Jianzheng, get up!"
"Old minister, old minister...I am old..."
Li Shimian suddenly choked up and could not say the following words.
Zhu Qizhen took Beilin out of the Fengtian Hall and went straight to the imperial study.
"I believe in you, please don't let me down!"
"Every word the student said is true!"
"Well!" Zhu Qizhen pointed to the memorials beside him and said, "These are all the memorials from Yan'an Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture in the past month. You want to find clues, right? I'll give you one day. Tomorrow morning, I want to know the result!"
Seeing the table full of memorials, Beilin did not show any fear, but her eyes lit up.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will find the clues even if I have to give up eating and sleeping!"
After saying this, he opened the first memorial with great interest, quickly scanned it, then shook his head, put it aside, and picked up the second one.
Zhu Qizhen quietly retreated and said to Huai En: "You just wait here. If he has any needs, try to meet them."
Huai En nodded repeatedly with two big dark circles under his eyes, but he was secretly complaining in his heart, I haven't slept all night, and I have to stay here to serve others, how can I live!
"Also, find someone to go to the Three Thousand Battalion's base and tell them that we can't train anything here. Let Li Zhen get ready for a field training!"
Huai En nodded, then shook his head and asked, "Where is the field battle that the emperor mentioned?"
"Don't worry about this. I will arrange it when the time comes."
"Oh, okay, I'll send someone over right away!"
Maybe because he got up a little early today, Zhu Qizhen went back and took another nap.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Huai En came to the Qianqing Palace out of breath, and it seemed that the matter was urgent .
Zhu Qizhen had just woken up and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Mr. Bei said, he said...he found it!"
Zhu Qizhen looked out the window. It was only noon, and Beilin had already finished reading all the memorials?
"I'll go take a look!"
"No need, Your Majesty!" Huai En took a breath and said, "He's here, waiting outside the palace."
"Xuan!"
Soon afterwards, Beilin came hurriedly and bowed to pay her respects.
"Students pay their respects to His Majesty..."
"Alright, alright!" Zhu Qizhen couldn't wait any longer and said hurriedly, "Have you found the exact location?"
Beilin held five memorials and said, "Your Majesty, I have found out that the earthquake occurred in Suide Prefecture, roughly centered in Mizhi County!"
"Mizhi County? What's the evidence?"
"Your Majesty, please look!"
Beilin took out a memorial and said, "This is from Yulin Prefecture. Half a month ago, they reported that water levels in several wells in Mizhi County suddenly rose and gushed out in large quantities. This is a precursor to an earthquake."
"Anything else?"
"Yes, the memorial from Suide Prefecture also mentioned that the springs suddenly dried up and yellow mist appeared for many days. Also, the memorial from Yan'an Prefecture said that a light was seen in the north. According to my students' guess, it was roughly in the Mizhi area."
Zhu Qizhen paced back and forth, and suddenly asked, "You finished reading so many memorials in just half a day?"
"Your Majesty, you don't know that I only look for information related to the earthquake. When I read the memorials, I read ten lines at a glance and ignore the other content. Naturally, I am much faster than the emperor in reviewing the memorials."
Zhu Qizhen nodded and asked, "I remember you said that the earthquake would take about ten days to half a month?"
Bai Lin frowned and shook his head, saying, "The date the student mentioned yesterday was based on observations of astronomical phenomena. Looking at this information today, I'm afraid it won't be more than ten days, maybe seven or eight at most."
"Seven or eight days?"
Zhu Qizhen's expression became more and more serious. After thinking for a while, he suddenly shouted, "Fan Zhong!"
