General Constitution of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 154 The Jiangnan Flood
The water of Taihu Lake whizzed by under the protection of the night. Fortunately, the people in Wuxi had already experienced it. When they heard something was wrong outside, they helped the old and the young to hide in a high place first.

It is late spring, and the rain in the south of the Yangtze River is relatively heavy.

Until dawn, inside Longhai Temple in Huishan.

Lu Huai yawned, looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and sat down on the recliner under the eaves to drink tea.

However, Qin Qiliang, the magistrate of Wuxi, stood outside Lu Huai's room respectfully and respectfully like a retinue.

"Sir, last night there were 17 breaches in the lake weir of Taihu Lake."

Hearing this number, Lu Huai was slightly satisfied.

He didn't come here for these fields, these fields are all the family properties of dignitaries in the court.

The money soaked in the water is all the money of those "nobles".

One can count as one, and the more people who hate Ning Jue, the better.

As for these fields being sold at a low price due to disasters, it is a matter of the way to buy something in the chaos.

"How does the county official plan to report to the imperial court?"

Qin Qiliang said in a low voice: "The lower officials are going to report thousands of deaths, hundreds of injuries, and over ten thousand displaced persons."

There was a look of contempt on Lu Huai's face.

"Thousands of people? Qin Xianzun is too petty."

"Sir, do you mean...?"

"More than [-] were killed, tens of thousands were injured, and hundreds of thousands were displaced."

Hearing this, Qin Qiliang was also startled.

"Mr. Lu, this, this... can't be a joke."

"Do you think I'm joking with you?"

Lu Huai's expression suddenly became serious.

Qin Qiliang's calf could not help but feel slightly weak.

"However, the flood caused such casualties overnight, can the imperial court believe it?"

"Then wait for the court to issue an order, and then you can defend yourself after the order is over."

"If this is the case, the imperial court's imperial envoy will come down..."

Before Qin Qiliang could finish speaking, Lu Huai interrupted impatiently: "If the court finds out, it's because Qin County respects and loves the people like a son, so it's too much to report the disaster."

"In this way, the victims have benefited, the county honor has gained a clear name, and the court is except for traitors. If the victims want to hate, let them hate Ning Ke and go away. After thousands of years, in the history books, who dares to say that you are the Qin County Honor no?"

Lu Huai's cake painting is very big and very tempting, it's hard not to be tempted by Qin Qiliang.

"The next official understands, so I'm going to help the disaster!"

An unusual flood caused the officials of the entire Changzhou government to change their appearance.

The disaster relief and the opening of the warehouse seemed extremely active, but it made Ning Jue and others in the Wuxi County Government Office look like a different kind.

In the county government office, Gu Qingnong has been singing "Li Sao" since a few days ago.

"Qian Xian, more than a dozen lake weirs were breached last night. Although the disaster was not serious, the Shangshangtian in Wuxi has been almost flooded. This year's royal rations may not be delivered, and the court may even ask for disaster relief."

Ning Jue sat in the hall, but there was no disturbance in his heart.

"Imperial grain? I'm afraid it's not just imperial grain."

"How many acres of these flooded fields belong to the common people?"

Gu Kexue twisted his beard and said: "Someone is going to pull those elders and gentlemen who are facing upwards into the water."

Zou Wang said earlier that most of the fields under his name do not belong to the Zou family.

These good fertile fields by the lake, it is impossible to kill ordinary people, even Zou Wang may not have many.

As soon as the sound of the pipa in the county government stopped, Gu Qingnon panicked and said, "Official, are you really not going to help the disaster?"

"What am I going to do? Even if they got the head for Ning, they still have to use their energy to help the disaster. When I go, they want to prevent me from taking credit. In the end, it is the victims who suffer."

"What should be blocked, what should be reported for disasters and disasters, the rain and dew will be given to the common people, Lei Tingning will shoulder it, let them go."

Ning Jue waved his hands meaninglessly.

With slightly rosy eyes, Gu Qinglong raised the pipa again.

The music reverberated in the Wuxi county government again.

Finally, I was able to listen to a song quietly.

Ning Jue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and even hummed softly beside him.

"Not only for Yu Yihui, but also for Yu Yihui."

"I also have good intentions, even though I died nine times, I still haven't regretted it."

"..."

If it was just a whip, Jiangnan would not have reacted so violently.

But Ning Jue has even exposed all his family and family, and even wants to admit defeat.
-
In Qingning Palace.

Yuan Wei came in front of Zhu Zaiyu carrying a bamboo basket of scrolls, looked at Zhu Zaiyu flatteringly and said: "Your Highness, this is the candidate for the crown princess sent by the Marquis of Jingshan, you should take a look, Your Majesty... Your Majesty too this means."

Zhu Zaiyan stared at the two dark circles under his eyes and the bamboo basket in front of him. Obviously, because of Jiangnan whipping, Zhu Zaiyan hadn't slept well for a while.

"Master Ning was far away in the south of the Yangtze River, exposed to frost and dew, and cut thorns, so that the new law could make progress. These few days, Master Ning's report was forced by those gentry to start killing people from the gate of the city, as if he had changed himself. , if Master Ning is like this, how can Gu have the face to choose a concubine?"

"Mr. Yuan, let's take a look at Gu for the time being. I will choose again after a year of being alone. There is no rush."

Yuan Wei looked at Zhu Zaixun dumbfounded.

I think what's going on?

Gao Gong stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Jiangnan is the most resistant to the whipping law. More than 270 gentry have died in resisting the new law, and 54 people have committed suicide by leaving a letter. The clansmen of various prefectures have also been killed or injured. More than 20 people have been beaten to death by the villagers."

Zhang Juzheng also said: "Among the south of the Yangtze River, Wuxi is the worst. Although Brother Ning went to Wuxi to sit in town, there is already a trend that cannot be suppressed. I have heard the news, and many gentlemen in the court have already made preparations. "

Zhu Zaiyu's heart tightened immediately.

"Where are all Mr. Mai's letters?" Zhu Zaiyu got up and casually asked the servant behind him.

The servant hurriedly took Mai Fu's secret letter.

"His Royal Highness, Mr. Mai's letters are all in the Supervisor of Rituals. The ancestors haven't delivered them to us these few days."

Zhang Juzheng hurriedly persuaded: "Your Highness, don't panic."

"Jiangnan has Mr. Cheng's protection, so there should be no serious problems. It's just the memorabilia of the gentlemen, and I'm afraid His Highness will need to mediate from it again."

At this moment, Yi Tiwei quickly ran in from outside the hall.

"His Royal Highness! An urgent report from the south of the Yangtze River! Flood disasters in Wuxi have hit counties in succession. The summer grain in the south of the Yangtze River this year may not be as good as half of previous years!"

The faces of Zhang Juzheng and others changed.

"Where did such a big disaster come from in Wuxi?"

"The memorandum said that it was a sudden flood. There was a lot of rain. More than a dozen places on the Taihu Lake Weir were broken, and it was already spreading all over the place. In addition, Gu Kexue, the Ministry of Rites of the Southern Capital, impeached Ning Jue for ten crimes, causing the people to hang upside down. To bring down this calamity, I ask the Son of Heaven to set things right."

Zhu Zaiyu frowned and stared at the playbook in front of him.

"...Yesterday in Xishan, more than [-] people were killed, tens of thousands were injured, and the displaced are not counted..."

"Bullshit!"

Zhu Zaiyu threw out the few melodies sent by Na Tiwei.

"That's a flood! The governors of the prefectures knew so quickly that tens of thousands of people have died? It's even [-] grains of rice, and it would take half a night to count them!"

"Report to the emperor, and issue an order."

Zhang Juzheng picked up the memorabilia on the ground, glanced at Zhu Zaiyu and said: "Your Highness, I think I can't warn you."

"how?"

"Those gentlemen are probably waiting for an order from the Highness."

Zhang Juzheng arranged the playbook neatly again, and placed it on Zhu Zaixun's desk again.

"As soon as the imperial court announces the edict, the local officials will report again, and once they come and go, they will send imperial envoys to investigate."

"Decree to warn that these catastrophes that they falsely reported will indeed be investigated."

"But those small disasters in Wuxi will also be turned into major disasters by the imperial envoys."

"Then let's just look at it like this?" Zhu Zaiyu looked at Zhang Juzheng suspiciously, but Zhang Juzheng pointed to the west lightly: "Wait, but what we are waiting for is not Jiangnan."

Played by Jiajing so many times.

Zhang Juzheng also understood.

Jiajing knew it in his heart.

It's not the time to move the East Palace, just sit here honestly.

And to the west of the Forbidden City.

Standing in front of the imperial case, Jiajing frowned and looked at the memorial of Jiangnan's disaster report in front of him.

"wrong."

"Yan Song and Xu Jie are pretending to be dead in the cabinet again?"

Huang Jin had no choice but to bow his head in embarrassment: "No...the two old elders each went to a bedroom."

"What did you say?"

"It is said that Donggong is going to choose a concubine quickly."

"Xu Jie and Yan Song have been holding back for a long time, and then they made such a fart?" Jiajing noticed something wrong and hurriedly said: "This is not a fart, let the prince hurry up, I am still waiting to hold my grandson. "

"Here."

Jiajing walked up to Lu Bing with the memorial book in front of him and said, "Wenfu, I still remember that when Gui E just proposed a whipping method, the place where the pilot was was Jiangnan."

"At the beginning, there was no storm at all, and the whipping method was still the same. It will be done in two years, and the traffic will be unimpeded. Let's see what happens in the south of the Yangtze River this time."

"Break out, kill people, commit suicide, and you're short of raising the flag to rebel."

Jiajing sat back on the recliner angrily.

Lu Bing hesitated for a moment, and then said in a low voice: "Is it because Gui Wenxiang used to have the prestige of the cabinet?"

Aware of Jiajing's application to pretend to be 13, Lu Bing casually throws out the most impossible answer.

Jiajing couldn't help laughing and said, "Cabinet prestige? Gui E, the cabinet prestige, was almost beaten to death by Yang Shen at Zuoshunmen. Will it be easier to go to the south of the Yangtze River?"

"I think there is a problem with the whipping method. The gentry thinks it is profitable, so there is no conflict."

"This time in the south of the Yangtze River, what we are fighting against is not the whipping method, but what we are fighting against."

Jiajing had already noticed that there was a problem with the whipping method.

Otherwise, this whipping method would not have been tried for nearly 30 years, and it has not been pushed away from the southeast all the way to Sichuan.

Jiajing stretched out his finger, leaned on the armrest and pointed at Lu Bing, saying: "Find someone to go down to see what's wrong with the whipping method, and report it to me as soon as possible."

"Here."

"Ning Jue's two shots really hit two jujubes." Jiajing changed the subject: "Tell the prince that if he doesn't choose a concubine, then I will choose for him. When I finish choosing for him, he will not be too big. Married, I will put him directly on the kang one night."

"I always learn everything from a courtier. If he, Ning Jue, becomes a monk, wouldn't my Ming Dynasty want more Emperor Wu of Liang?"

Huang Jin reminded softly from the side: "My lord, about the flood, gentlemen who are facing upward..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiajing simply interrupted Huang Jin's words.

"If you don't report it, let them make trouble."

"Here."

(End of this chapter)