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Chapter 130 Flood in the Capital City
Maybe God doesn't approve of pretending to be a ghost. Before August, a heavy rain that came without any warning and came with a fierce force washed away all the miracles from Hong Tao's body.

The rain was ordinary at first, but it showed no signs of weakening after one night. With the southeasterly wind that could blow down big trees, it became heavier and heavier, and it rained for two days and three nights.

Before the rain stopped, reports came from all over the suburbs of Beijing, with only one content: floods!The rain in the mountainous areas of western and northern Beijing was heavier and more rapid, causing flash floods in many places in just over a day.

It wouldn't be a big deal if it were just a flash flood. In this era, there were relatively few villages in the northern and western suburbs of Beijing. Most of them were built on the mountainside. Few people lived near rivers, especially rivers that were prone to flooding.

At most, the flood will block traffic for a period of time and submerge part of the farmland located in the natural flood discharge area.Anyway, farmers are self-sufficient, so they will be fine if they can endure it at home for a few months.

But this time the floods were so severe that the two water systems leading to the Haihe River in the east and west of Jingdong had no time to accommodate them and could only overflow to both banks.When they are full, a chain reaction begins. First, many tributaries overflow, and then the water in the urban area cannot be drained out, causing backflow.

Almost the entire city of Beijing except the Forbidden City and several highlands was flooded. The highest water level was more than one meter. Jinshui River, Taiye Pond, Jishuitan, and Nanhaizi were all full.

Naturally, the imperial court had to pay attention to this sudden disaster, so the cabinet ministers and the six ministers once again gathered in the east side hall of Yangxin Hall to hold court discussions with the emperor, intending to use the simplest process to make a decision on how to provide disaster relief. , what a way to save it.

The final decision was not to activate the "New Disaster Relief Law" for the time being. The reason was very simple. The emperor believed that the capital was not short of food. The canal would be restored as soon as the flood receded, and the existing food reserves would be enough to support it for two months.

But this result was obviously not recognized by more than half of the officials present. Although the emperor's words were reasonable and there were accounts from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to prove it, Li Tingji, the Minister of Rites, took the lead in censuring him.

"The constant rain in the capital is God's retribution for the palace and the evil ministers. Your Majesty has been married for a long time and is infertile. Don't take it seriously. The ministers are secretly forming a party. There is an ancient saying: If there is no peace, all rivers will boil. Today The matter is so sincere that I cannot just write about it through fasting and prayer, but also ask the suburban temple to help eliminate disasters."

The implication behind the words is that the emperor has been married for several years and still has no heirs, which is obviously unethical. There are also officials in the court who form cliques for personal gain. As a result, they offend God, which leads to natural disasters.It is useless to just recite sutras in the family temple. It is right to quickly bathe, fast, go to the Temple of Heaven to worship, and beg God to be lenient. "

"... What Li Shangshu said makes sense. I have been suffering from a hidden illness these past few days and cannot sit or stand. I'm afraid it would be disrespectful to God to go like this. Let's do this. Prince Fu has not left the capital yet, so he will go to the Temple of Heaven to worship on my behalf. I am The Emperor, King Fu is the Emperor's younger brother, we are all one family, God will be able to see clearly and will not blame you."

Should I go to the Temple of Heaven to worship?According to the usual practice, it should be done.The ancients did not know enough about natural disasters and could not explain them clearly, so they could only attribute them to God as punishment.Who should be punished?There are too many common people and it is difficult to find a target. There is only one emperor, and he has a big head. This hat is just right for him.

Whenever major natural disasters or earthquakes occur in history, the emperor usually comes forward to confess his mistakes to God on behalf of all the people. The more pious people have to write an edict to admit their mistakes and resolutely correct them, so that the weather will be smooth and the country and the people will be safe.

But Hong Tao doesn't like this thing very much. He has to admit if he's wrong, but he can't rush to criticize him if he's right.But he was unable to fight against the collective recognition of an era, so his eyes rolled and he was thinking.

Prince Fu is getting married in winter, and he is still living in the Tenth Prince's Mansion, which just comes in handy.If you don't go, you will be criticized by the officials in turn, so it is much better to find a substitute.

It would be really difficult for the ministers to deal with the emperor's shamelessness, especially if he pretended to be sick. He couldn't take off his pants on the spot to verify his identity.If you are lucky enough to be lucky, it is better than not going.

"I heard that many houses in the city were destroyed by the flood, and more than a thousand households were affected. How should I comfort them?" The first wave of offensive was blocked, and Hong Tao immediately began to counterattack. "The Ministry of Household Affairs opened a warehouse for [-] Shiping!" The largest organization for disaster relief was the Ministry of Household Affairs. No one could hide from the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, so he simply took the initiative to put forward disaster relief suggestions.

Flooding is a method used by the government to stabilize food prices. This flood affected the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal and capsized more than [-] canal boats, which is likely to trigger an atmosphere of panic.If residents in the city stockpile grain in large quantities, grain prices will rise. At this time, the Ministry of Household Affairs will open official warehouses to sell grain at a fair price, which can indeed play a certain role.

"Merely making a living is not enough. The homes of the people affected by the disaster have been destroyed. No matter how stable the price of food is, they can't afford it and they will still go hungry!" But the emperor was not satisfied and raised a more practical question.

"This year's Autumn Fu has not yet been confiscated, and Taicang's treasury is empty..." As soon as he heard that he wanted money, Zhao Shiqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately became dark-faced and refused to pay for it at all.

"The treasury is empty, the treasury is empty! The royal family's salary has been halved, and I and the palace are about to eat rice bran, but the treasury is still empty. Is there a big hole under Taicang? No matter how hard the rake pulls back the money, it will always remain empty. Can’t fill it up?”

Of course Hong Tao knew that Taicang was empty. Since the middle of the Wanli Dynasty, the court had been starved of food from time to time.The strange thing is that since he came to the throne, he has not accomplished any political achievements. All he has done is to reduce expenditures, and there has been no major war. The situation in Taicang has not only not improved, but has become increasingly poor.

The money saved was not spent on national infrastructure construction, nor on military operations. It did not reduce or reduce taxes for the common people, and it did not fall into the hands of the emperor. So where did it all go?In fact, everyone knows the answer, saying it is just for disgusting people to play, and it has no effect at all.

"..." Sure enough, when they heard that the emperor wanted to settle accounts, the six ministries, nine ministers and the cabinet's bachelors all fell silent.

"I'm scared, your majesty, please take a closer look!" Only Zhao Shiqing couldn't remain silent. He was in charge of the household department. Wasn't he scolding a bald man in front of a monk?

"Mingcha... I dare to guarantee that there is no problem with the accounts of the Household Department. Forget it, let's talk about the victims. They can't wait. If they don't eat for a day, they will starve to death.

It doesn't matter if the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money, I still have loyal people who can help us. Just before you came, Matteo Ricci, the monk of the Europa Temple, asked the officials to send a message and was willing to donate 3 taels of silver to help the people affected by the disaster in the capital.

Winter is about to come, and with a mere 3 taels, I can only take care of food and drink, and have no time for anything else. What will happen in the future?I know that Taicang is empty, so I will not embarrass you all. All people affected by the disaster should go to Huangzhuang to work.

I didn't intend to ask for this money. Our Ming Empire is so powerful and powerful, how can we rely on the charity of a few monks to survive?Now it seems that I have to take it even if I don’t want it. Taicang has no money, so we can’t watch the people starve all over the city.Alas, if things continue like this, the inheritance of our ancestors will probably be destroyed in my hands...and you too! "

Account checking department?This request is both very reasonable and extremely shameless.If the accounts are not evenly kept, wouldn't it be a waste of time for so many people who have attained the rank of Jinshi and come from a Jinshi background.

The investigation must be carried out, but not now. Just wait. When it is possible to check, no one needs to tell me. This account must be calculated carefully.At that time, it will no longer be a formality with thunder and rain, and it will not be complete until two Taicangs are confiscated!

But now is not a good time to say harsh words. The victims who cannot afford to eat will not scold the Minister of Hubu or the Yushi of Zuodu. The first person in the queue, besides God, may be the emperor.

(End of this chapter)