vrcanaries Chapter 145: Master Zhang’s Advice
Chapter 145: Master Zhang’s Advice
The emperor came back from his lunch stroll and saw that the table was already filled with countermeasures submitted by his ministers.
"It seems that I have wronged you, my dear ministers. Look, it's only been one noon, and you have come up with so many countermeasures. You are indeed worthy of being a minister of Daqi. Now, if we talk properly, won't everyone be more sober?
I'm afraid it will take several days to understand the intentions of my dear ministers after reading so many of these countermeasures. It's a waste of time. Liu Hong, you read them out and let the ministers judge who wrote the best. "The emperor sat at his ease, a smile on his face, but it was even more terrifying than if he hadn't smiled.
After hearing the emperor's order, female official Liu Hong slowly picked up the article with both hands and began to read it aloud without any emotion.
"The Great Revelation is in peril. The mandate of heaven hangs in the balance. With the protection of our emperor, dangers abound. Fortunately, our emperor is wise and has set a precedent for the world..."
"Stop, don't read these nonsense next time, just get to the point." The emperor refuted Liu Hong.
The minister whose name was read out turned red and then dark, and then dark and then red again. He was feeling lucky that the emperor did not ask him to read out who wrote the article.
"Yes. Natural disasters cannot be cured, but we can open warehouses to provide relief and adapt to the situation."
"Such a long article, and only these few words are used? It seems that I am too happy too early." The emperor glanced at the crowd below and saw that everyone lowered their heads, fearing that they would be exposed by the emperor.
"Alright, let's move on to the next one. The order of these articles will be shuffled, and there's no need to read out the names. Let everyone judge whose article is truly substantial."
Then, in the main hall, Liu Hong recited a few sentences and changed the next one. He recited a few sentences and changed the next one. The officials below lowered their heads even more. At this time, no one even noticed that they were hungry.
"I personally believe that natural disasters must follow certain patterns. Before a typhoon turns, livestock and poultry chirp incessantly and flee in panic. Frogs croak constantly, even biting each other. Floods are preceded by torrential downpours. Before a severe drought, there's no rain at all. We can analyze the weather, climate, and hydrology, and take precautions based on local conditions..."
Liu Hong read a longer article this time, and the other ministers were a little surprised after hearing it, because the questions raised by the author of this article were traceable, and the suggestions put forward were also refreshing. The emperor listened carefully, nodded from time to time, and this time his smile was much more sincere.
"Who wrote this article? Please come forward quickly so I can ask you in detail." The emperor was very pleased and said with a kind smile.
After a while, an official at the back came forward.
"Your Majesty, the article was written by me." He knelt down and kowtowed.
The prime minister on the side turned slightly to look at the official, with some confusion in his eyes, and then he remembered who he was.
"So it's Lord Lu. I remember Lord Lu is currently an editor in the Hanlin Academy, a seventh-rank official. I didn't expect you to have such profound insights. Please share your thoughts with me."
Lord Lu did not expect that the emperor could actually remember his name and clearly know where he was working. He was very touched. He thought of himself, Lu Shuang, who was already in his forties this year. He had passed the imperial examination in his twenties, but because of his poor family background, he had no one in the court and no one to promote him. He had been in this position for more than twenty years. He thought that the emperor would definitely not remember his name. Hearing the emperor say this, he suddenly felt a desire to serve the country and wanted to work for the emperor.
He blurted out all his thoughts, plans, etc. At first, he was able to restrain himself, but later, seeing the emperor's encouraging eyes, he had no more scruples. He talked about every possible natural disaster and put forward some suggestions.
"Well, well, Lord Lu, I never thought you were so knowledgeable. I was right. Where did you learn all this?"
"Your Majesty, I am a farmer's son. My parents taught me how to observe the weather and how to use it to help with farming. Therefore, I have always been interested in observing the development of all things. I also learned some of this by consulting the ancient books in the Hanlin Academy. There are many books in the Hanlin Academy that need to be compiled, and I took advantage of my position to do so."
"That's right, that's right, Prime Minister. What kind of position do you think a talented person like Lu Aiqing should have?" The emperor asked the prime minister beside him.
"Your Majesty, an official like Lord Lu who speaks with substance should be given important positions."
"Then Lord Lu will serve as a tutor and wait on me."
This can be said to be a promotion of several levels. If it were not for the emperor's order, Lu Shuang would not have been promoted so quickly.
"Your humble servant thanks the emperor for his favor." Lu Shuang kowtowed quickly.
Seeing that the beating was almost over, the emperor ordered the meal to be served. The imperial kitchen had already prepared the meal in advance according to the emperor's order.
When the ministers saw the food in front of them, no matter how hungry they were, they did not dare to make mistakes and all chewed slowly.
When they thought they could go back, the emperor started asking people to read articles again.
Lu Linlang and Lord Xu shared the same opinion and immediately summoned other lords to explain the situation. This time the officials were very receptive. They had also been in Chongshui for many years and believed in the words of the priests.
Everyone hit it off and started discussing the construction of water conservancy projects.
Lord Zhao and Lord Li also received Lu Linlang's letter. They believed it without a doubt and sent people to Chongshui to learn their handling method. Then everyone in Hezhou Prefecture knew the news.
The common people were more accepting of this kind of thing. They heard that it was predicted by the great witch of Chongshan. Although they were a little panicked at first, they changed from panic to cooperation after the government came up with a solution.
After all, no matter how scared they are, they still have houses and land here. As long as they prepare in advance, they can always overcome the difficulties. But if they leave, where can they go in this big world?
When Taoist Zhang heard about this, he calculated for a long time and then sighed deeply.
"Miss, Taoist Zhang is looking for you." Xing'er said as soon as she got home.
"Miss Lu, I also have some suggestions for what might happen."
"Master Zhang, your opinion is also very important."
"I heard you were planning to build water conservancy projects. I did some calculations and suggest focusing on these areas in Chongshui."
Taoist Zhang took out a map and pointed out several locations.
Lu Linlang looked at the several points he had selected and judged based on their geographical locations that these were indeed the best locations.
"Thank you, Taoist Zhang. The places you mentioned are indeed very suitable. I will discuss it with Lord Xu and the others."
"Oh, I have another question. Yangchun and I have been in the mountains for a long time. When I heard you talk about the Chongshan people, I also had a guess in my mind."
"Could it be iron ore?" Lu Linlang had an idea.
"So you have the same idea. Yes, we did find a mine on this mountain, and I think the arrows in Qiujia Village were sold to them by the Chongshan people."
"I thought it was strange at the time, but so much has happened in the past few days. Now that I think about it carefully, I'm afraid it's just what you said."