King of Song

Chapter 146 "Preparing for" the Rain
September in the south of the Yangtze River is originally a time when the autumn is crisp and the scenery is pleasant.This year, because of the autumn rain, it has become extremely cold and humid, and there is always a musty smell in the air, which makes people very uncomfortable.

In the early morning, the autumn rain that stopped at dawn began to rain again, and a rain curtain had already been hung under the eaves outside the window.Beauty is beauty, but the spectators have no interest in appreciating it, and even feel disgusted and sigh.

After getting up, Mu Sihong coughed repeatedly, clutching her chest and frowning.Lin Zhao couldn't help feeling a little worried. The sequelae of the stab wound finally showed up. The lung lobes were damaged, and he coughed whenever it was cloudy and rainy. The current climate in Hangzhou made his condition worse.

"Sihong, why don't you go to Bianjing to live for a while?" Lin Zhao felt that if Mu Sihong temporarily left Hangzhou and went to relatively dry Bianjing to recuperate, the situation might be relatively better.

Mu Sihong shook her head lightly: "No, I want to stay in Hangzhou with my husband!"

Lin Zhao also sighed helplessly, and suggested several times, but Mu Sihong didn't care at all.He still served very carefully and thoughtfully at night, which made him feel very guilty.

"Well, I have ordered Yutong to invite a doctor to take good care of you... Also, the quilt has been made, and it will be of great benefit to you to be warmer!"

"Well, husband, don't worry, I'm fine!" Newlywed Yaner, how could Mu Sihong be willing to leave her husband.The most important thing is that she wants to take advantage of this period of time to give birth to a child for her husband earlier.Firstly, this is a woman's dream, and secondly, it will help stabilize her position in the future.

However, my body is very unsatisfactory, and I don't know how long it will take to get my long-cherished wish fulfilled?
"Well, I have something to go to the yamen, stay at home obediently, take good care of your health!" Lin Zhao ordered and went out.But in his heart, he was thinking that he must find a famous doctor as soon as possible to diagnose and treat Mu Sihong. The lung disease must be eradicated as soon as possible.

The continuous autumn rain in Hangzhou is very troublesome, not only Mu Sihong's physical condition, but also the lives of the people in Qiantang.If this continues, I'm afraid something big will happen.

In the county government, Yu Xuan reported the latest news about the disaster to him, and the situation was very pessimistic.

"Young Master, only [-]% of the autumn harvest in Qiantang County has been completed, and a large amount of grain has been left in the fields. It has been raining for days...it has already rotted!"

"Thirty percent... Then the tax in Qiantang County this year..."

Yu Xuan shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that taxes will be lost. Not only this year, but because the autumn sowing has been delayed, next year's production reduction or crop failure will be equally serious... Moreover, there may be a famine, and we need to open warehouses for disaster relief!"

The role played by Yu Xuanzi in the county government is equivalent to that of a master, so far as he is concerned, he is quite competent.Moreover, his professional quality is also good. Not long after he took office, he has already handled all affairs in an orderly manner.

"Open a warehouse for disaster relief? How much food is stored in Qiantang County?" Lin Zhao felt the seriousness of the situation more and more.

Yu Xuan shook his head and said, "I've already gone to investigate, there aren't many... and some of them have become damp and moldy due to poor preservation..."

"How about that?"

Yu Xuan pondered for a long time, and said: "Nowadays it is raining heavily, rivers and floods make it difficult for boats to sail, and it is too late to transport food...not to mention that it is not only Hangzhou, but the whole south of the Yangtze River is raining heavily, and there is no food to be transported...the only thing we can count on is Changping Cang Already!"

"Chang Ping?" Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. This thing can't be moved lightly.

"Young Master... This is also a helpless solution, but if you don't make preparations early, I'm afraid there will be a famine..." Yu Xuan suggested: "Young Master, you can consult the Lord Zhizhou first? Then make plans!"

Lin Zhao also felt that it was necessary to communicate with Zhao Bian first.

When he came to the state government office, Lin Zhaocai found that Zhao Zhizhou was standing by the window, looking at the dense lead clouds in the sky, and the unrelenting rain, he was equally worried.

"Master Zhizhou, County Magistrate Lin please see me!"

Only then did Zhao Yan come back to his senses, and when he turned around, he saw Lin Zhaopo in a panic, with wet forehead and shoulders.Even with coir raincoats and bamboo hats, it still can't stop the cold wind and autumn rain.

"Hurry up and bring some dry cloth and serve hot tea so that Dongyang can warm up!" Zhao Yan was always polite to Lin Zhao.

"My lord, you are welcome!" While speaking, an attendant brought a dry cloth for Lin Zhao to wipe the rain.

Lin Zhao took the dry cloth and wiped off the rain on his forehead and neck. He looked down and saw that his shoulders and chest were completely wet. If he wanted to wipe it, he would have to be disheveled. This is especially true in front of the characters.

Seeing Lin Zhao's hesitation, Zhao Bian knew it with an embarrassed face, and said with a smile, "There's no need to be formal, just dry off, drink a cup of hot tea, and don't catch a cold!"

Lin Zhao was also blunt, and unbuttoned his jacket to wipe off the water stains on his neck and chest.The moment he unbuttoned his clothes, a blue color flashed across his chest, and the jade pendant of the rising sun and auspicious clouds flashed outside.On a cloudy and rainy day, the light was not good, and when the jade pendant fell into view, a trace of surprise and doubt flashed in Zhao Yan's eyes.

Is this what Uncle Yong said?Zhao Yan's heart was shocked, and he stared straight at Lin Zhao. When he wanted to see clearly again, Lin Zhao had already wiped off the water stains and put the jade pendant in.After all, it was left behind by his mother, so it was extremely precious. On weekdays, Lin Zhao kept it close to him and rarely showed it to others.

After Lin Zhao wiped off the water stains on his body, he looked up and found that Zhao Yan was staring at him with a strange look in his eyes.

This...Lin Zhao suddenly felt a little unnatural, and said awkwardly, "My lord..."

"Oh?" Zhao Yan really lost his mind this time. After waking up, he still looked at Lin Zhao intentionally or unintentionally, with a lot of thoughts in his heart, doubts, inexplicable, curiosity, shock... many emotions came to mind middle……

Could it be that there are flowers on my face?Or does this old man have any special hobbies?Lin Zhao's expression was unnatural, and he coughed a few times involuntarily.

Zhao Yan was completely awake this time, returning to his usual seriousness, and said, "Dongyang, drink tea and warm up your body!"

"Well, good!" Lin Zhao took his mind off this time, picked up the teacup and drank it down in one gulp.

Zhao Yan asked: "Dongyang, what are you doing here?"

Lin Zhao then said: "My lord, it's like this. The autumn rains have been continuous recently, and the autumn harvest has been seriously affected. The planting has also been delayed because of this. If this situation continues, it will wait until the next year..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yan already understood, nodded and said: "What Dongyang said is true, the old man also has the same worry, and I am worried about it!"

"I have investigated, and the grain harvested in Qiantang County is only [-]%..." Lin Zhao said worriedly: "The rain is still falling, and the sowing in autumn has been delayed. Wait until the next spring, summer... Qiantang, and even Hangzhou may happen. famine!"

This is also something that Zhao Yan is extremely worried about. He knows that Lin Zhao is definitely not alarmist.Even though Hangzhou has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times and is very rich, it cannot withstand two consecutive seasons of almost no harvest.

Big families or wealthy families may have some food in stock, and the situation may be better.It will be ordinary poor people who suffer, and life will be miserable by then.

What I am most worried about is the situation of selling fields and land, and going out to escape famine for food.This is exactly the problem that Wang Anshi's reform was to solve. Suddenly, Hangzhou seemed to have an excellent opportunity, which was very suitable for implementing the young crop law.

However, there is a premise that the situation must be stabilized. If the young crops borrow money, the people will not be able to repay it, and problems will arise again.Lin Zhao didn't think so much for the time being, the most important thing is to stabilize the lives of the people.

Zhao Yan said: "What you see is only Qiantang County, and the situation in Hangzhou is even worse. At that time, not only Hangzhou, but the entire Liangzhe Road will suffer famine, and the situation will be very difficult!"

Lin Zhao replied: "I'm very worried, so I came here to ask Lord Zhizhou for advice. I'm afraid it's better to prepare early for such a situation!"

"Being able to come to find this old man, Dongyang must already have an idea in his mind?" Although Zhao Bian is known for his integrity, he is a mature man after all, and he knew it when Lin Zhao spoke.

Lin Zhao knew that he couldn't hide it from Zhao Zhizhou, so he said directly, "I'm afraid we have to make preparations to open warehouses to release food and help the victims."

"But there is not much food in the official warehouses in Hangzhou, I'm afraid..." Zhao Yan felt particularly troubled because of this.

"My lord, there is food in the Changping warehouse, can I move it lightly?"

"Dongyang really thinks so?" Zhao Bian was still a little excited, although he also had such thoughts.However, there is not much storage in the official warehouse in Hangzhou. Now the demand for disaster relief is completely uncertain. At that time, the only way to use the grain stored in the normal warehouse is to use it.

You must know that Changping warehouses are located in Qiantang County and Yuhang County. In normal times, he, the prefect, can be transferred, as long as he informs Sinong Temple, and he will add it later.

But the current situation is unusual, the emperor happened to issue an edict to implement the young crop law in Qiantang County and Yuhang County, so that the grain in the Changping warehouse would not be used lightly.Zhao Yan was still struggling with what to do, should he write a letter to Bianjing to ask the emperor for an order?He didn't have much hope for that.

Originally, the local jurisdiction of Changpingcang was in his prefect, but now, he had to seek the opinions of his two county magistrates instead.

It was a bit difficult at first, but now it's all right. Lin Zhao said this himself, so things will be much easier to handle.What is especially rare is that Lin Zhaoneng has this kind of thought. In order to save the people, he did not hesitate to put aside the emperor's order.And the approach is more rational, not blind!
In contrast, Cai Jing, the magistrate of Yuhang County, was young and energetic, and hastily started to implement the Young Crop Law from the very beginning.As a result, this kind of thing was encountered at the beginning stage, and the result is still unknown.

Lin Zhao nodded and said, "Yes, the implementation of the new law is also for the purpose of enriching the country and strengthening the army, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment. With such a serious disaster happening right now, I understand the priorities. I will explain to the officials later."

"Very good!" Zhao Yan looked at Lin Zhao and clicked on him repeatedly, and greatly appreciated the young county magistrate.It is very rare at his age that he can keep the people in his heart at any time, and not only seek success, but only care about his future.

Excellent quality is worthy of praise, not to mention that Cai Jing is the number one scholar, and now the two are compared, and the judgment is immediately judged!

It was rare for this young subordinate to have such a heart, and Zhao Yan felt that out of a public heart, he had to show his support.Coupled with some other reasons, Zhao Zhizhou is determined to spare no effort to support Lin Zhao this time.

"Dongyang don't worry, this old man is the magistrate of Hangzhou, and the responsibility he should have is absolutely unshirkable!" Zhao Zhizhou said impassionedly!
(End of this chapter)