Chapter 207.1: Preventing Trouble From the Mouth, Returning
This good mood of Le Cheng Emperor’s didn’t last for very long either.
As time pa.s.sed, continuous heavy rain fell in the south, causing a large-scale flood. Even if they’ve made preparations, many problems still broke out——-the dam collapsed. Furthermore, there were several areas that were just renovated last year. The several million taels of silver were wasted away just like this. And when opening the granary to release the grain, the granary turned out to be empty. The bags upon bags of grain were actually just sandstone on top of straw. The local officials didn’t take charge of helping disaster victims, and if not leisurely packing their bags and escaping, then it was just using this opportunity to stuff their pockets. There were further officials who colluded with merchants, artificially inflating the commodity prices. It wasn’t the disaster that made the commoners ruined and dest.i.tute, but rather them that made countless families fall apart. Even selling the son, and selling the daughter, were all considered light. There was further the tragedy of exchanging the children for food[1]!
Le Cheng Emperor fell into a thundering rage.
He issued a decree, seizing the official hat of a large batch of people, all arrested back to the capital. And towards the absconded officials, he issued an order of pursuit, and once caught, executed on the spot, including their wife and children, not a single one spared. And the relatives of those that don’t hold a post, he similarly sent people to keep an eye on, dealing with altogether after this matter settles. It was very obvious, for these people, the best ending was probably just exile.
And for those that had the thought, but still haven’t actually taken action, seeing Le Cheng Emperor’s such thundering methods, could only ‘lay down the banner and cease the drums’, fearing that they won’t be able to keep their little life, even implicating the entire family.
The only thing worth being gratified over was probably just the most important few dams didn’t have problems arising. Otherwise, one practically didn’t dare imagine the aftermath. However, although he’d previously issued an imperial decree, the blame falling on the people, the number of people ultimately wasn’t enough, the workload too big. In addition to submitting up to higher authorities may not necessarily be effective, in this short period of time, the effect was still limited.
And precisely at this time, Le Cheng Emperor received the memorandum submitted up by Kang Qinw.a.n.g from the capital. During this period of time, after reflecting over his mistakes, he already deeply recognized his mistake. The water disaster in the south this time caused countless people to be forced from home, dest.i.tute and homeless. He very much grieved inside, and also thought of how imperial father, for this matter, was unable to rest well or eat in peace. Since he was unable to pay his filial duties at imperial father’s side, then he was willing to set out as an imperial envoy for imperial father, heading to the south for disaster relief, resolving imperial father’s worries, and calm the people’s hearts, asking imperial father to please allow.
Le Cheng Emperor, after a moment of silence, wrote down one word on the memorandum: Granted.
Because these memorandums were all directly picked up and dropped off in Le Cheng Emperor’s hands, and Kang Qinw.a.n.g seemingly also concealed it well during the process of submitting up the memorandum, by the time Rui Qinw.a.n.g and them learned of this matter, it was already too late.
Rui Qinw.a.n.g and Gong Qinw.a.n.g were actually both plotting this matter, just looking at it presently, the existing state of affairs was severe. They both felt somewhat timid. One has to know, the situation at present can very easily lead to a revolt. If by chance encountered, towards people that have lost their rationality, there was no reason to speak of. Perhaps, they might even throw in their little lives. All say, ‘the body of gold doesn’t sit in a dangerous hall’, yet in the end, they got robbed by the one who was believed to not pose a threat at all? Wasn’t it ‘suspending all a.s.signments, and without a summoning, not to set foot outside the manor’? It has only been a month, yet already releasing out, even getting a.s.signed such an important job? Imperial father, as expected, you find us unpleasant to the eyes, right?
However, this incident also gave them a profound lesson———-when there’s an opportunity, don’t hesitate, and those that pose a threat, even if temporarily locked up, one definitely must not lower one’s guard. Otherwise, as soon as you slip-up, he will just rise again.
(T/N: To think that there was a day where Kang Qinw.a.n.g actually posed a threat to them, his mother would be so proud, although this matter was probably her idea lol.)
Since the matter was already decided, they were also powerless to remedy the situation. However, things were also just as they’d worried it would be like, and if Li Hong Yi were to encounter violent mobs, even coincidentally dying, then………..For this matter, it’s not like there wasn’t the possibility to take advantage of.
Li Hong Yuan coldly watched from the side. Regarding the flooding this time, his predictions were slightly off. Those people he arranged, although guarded the important areas, but he still underestimated those people below’s ability to pay lip service. As such, the disaster in the end was already outside of his calculations. Even if it was much better than in his past life, he was still dissatisfied. As a result, during this period of time, he was continuously suppressing his anger. However, aside from a few minority, no one knew what had caused this living Enma to be unhappy.
The others that were similarly unhappy, however, didn’t dare to pull down their face in front of him. Discontent, yet unable to express it, don’t know how sullen that was.
Towards their fights in private, Li Hong Yuan was already able to guess without needing to investigate. In reality, them wanting to kill Li Hong Yi, speaking from a certain perspective, Li Hong Yuan didn’t have any objections. Those brothers’ lives had nothing to do with him. In his eyes, they actually weren’t worth anything either. However, if Li Hong Yi really dies, the balance on the surface will shatter. Don’t think that there was still an old four contending against Li Hong Ming. With just Li Hong Ming’s abilities, without a power-wielding eldest brother suppressing on top, he can cleanly have the other brothers that pose the slightest threat all sorted out in order to solidify his absolute position as the crown prince.
However, although easy to say, Li Hong Yi wasn’t that easy to kill. Never mind that there was still an Empress over there scheming for him and advising him, Le Cheng Emperor will also s.h.i.+eld and protect him. At Le Cheng Emperor’s current age, to want to see them have brotherly love, amicable and respectful to one another, the whole family harmonious and happy, was impossible. Him wanting to maintain the peace on the surface didn’t mean that he was just completely unaware of the dangers in the dark. Since he clearly knew that this journey in itself exist a certain level of danger, he certainly will reinforce the troops.
The so called ‘the prince breaking the law was the same crime as the people’, that was actually just an enormous joke. If one has an Emperor old man, even if one commits a crime, that was also just something solved with one line. Even if for the sake of giving a so-called explanation, it was also just randomly finding someone to take the fall. Even if it was beheading to show the public, who can know for sure who that person getting beheaded really was? And after that period pa.s.ses, one was able to call the wind and rain again. As such, to put it bluntly, the lives of high officials and n.o.bles were very valuable, and the lives of the imperial sons and grandsons were even more valuable. Every Emperor say they view the people as their own children, but in reality, the one life of his son was probably even more important than the hundreds, thousands, or even millions of lives of the commoners. Perhaps, in Le Cheng Emperor’s decree, there was already an order of ‘if one encounters violent commoners, just slaughter on the spot’.
Li Hong Yuan’s only attachment in this lifetime was Jing Wan. As for the country, should just be taking care of in pa.s.sing, a tool that was for the sake of propping up the sky for Jing Wan. Towards that position, he really wasn’t that eager to obtain, even feeling a bit dispensable. As long as it wasn’t any one of his brothers sitting on there, letting him feel threatened, even if his old man were to sit for a few more years, even sitting even longer than in his past life, it all didn’t matter.
Carrying this kind of mindset, Li Hong Yuan also decided to help out a little. Of course, don’t count on him actually sending people to protect. At most it was just giving some instructions to the people in the south. If he comes across life-threatening troubles, then just help out where one can, and when there’s no danger, just cause trouble for him. However, if even the heavens want his life, then there was nothing to be done.
Since the flooding in the south was severe, the people in the imperial summer residence naturally also lost the interest to play around. Of course, these for the most part were actually done for Le Cheng Emperor to see. If one at this time were to still spend money like flowing water and play around, one will certainly get ruthlessly skinned alive.
Because separated by too far of a distance, these people probably have only ever heard of the word ‘flood’ before, never knowing that when there’s too much water, how terrifying it would be, and how great of a damage it can cause. Without personally experiencing, without personally witnessing, it was actually very difficult to imagine that kind of scene where everything is destroyed, especially those young ladies of the boudoir, and the wastrel n.o.ble sons that indulge in pleasure. Perhaps, they would even grumble in complaint, because of a bunch of lowly peasants disturbing their life.
However, Jing Wan knew what that scene was like, and even if in this lifetime, she has never seen before, in her past life, she’d seen quite a bit on tv before, and also once personally experienced it before. Although she has never encountered the most dangerous moment of when that huge flood descends, yet she has seen an entire area of houses all submerged in water, and the originally flouris.h.i.+ng scenery getting replaced by a vast body of water. And the water that originally was the source of life became a beast that devoured everything.
[1] This is very true of history, during times of disaster, poor commoners in desperation for food would give away their children in exchange for food. This line originates from ‘Gongyang’s Annals on Early History’, it’s noted that this annal was probably the work of multiple authors during the Han dynasty. Flooding is one of the most common natural disasters in ancient chinese history, the Yellow River practically explodes every other year.