Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 909: Grand Court Meeting at the Palace of Heavenly Purity
"Hurry up, everyone, hurry up, go."

The streets were filled with the urging voices of the court officials hurrying on their way. They were in a hurry and inevitably bumped into each other. In front of the Meridian Gate, Chongwen Gate, and Xuanwu Gate in the Imperial Palace, many court officials' carriages and sedan chairs stopped here. They hurried to get off the carriages, and then entered the palace in groups of three or five, heading towards the Qianqing Palace.

In the open space of the Qianqing Palace, ministers arrived one after another. The Eastern Prince Mu Shi and the Northern Prince Shui Rong arrived early. Even several cabinet elders had already stood still, as if they had expected this day to come. There was no surprise on their faces.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong looked back and saw many court officials arriving one after another. He looked at Mu Shi who was calm and composed beside him and asked:

"Brother Mu, has your wish come true?"

The question was a bit strange. Others might not know, but the two of them had been making small moves during this period, so how could they not know the meaning.

Mu Shi smiled slightly, his face rosy, no longer looking weak as before. Hearing these words, he smiled as if there was something meaningful in them.
"Brother Shui is the same. I heard that the money from Jiangnan has been spent. I wonder what Brother Shui is busy with secretly after spending so much money. Or should I say, Brother Shui and I are both busy."

"Haha, oh my, Brother Mu really understands me. The time has come, and I don't know what Brother Mu should do. Or is this urgent news a coincidence or an uncoincidence?"

Shui Rong no longer continued to puzzle over the mystery. Although things were as expected, they happened too quickly. Mu Shi also turned his head and asked;

"Brother Shui, why do you say that? Some things have been predicted long ago. They are just going according to plan. How can it be a coincidence?"

"Brother Mu, listen to what I have said. This is what I expected. Don't you think it happened too quickly? Since the main force of the Taiping Sect is in Linshan County, no matter how brave the detachment under Runan City is, they could never force Wei Xiangping into such a situation. I am afraid there must be something else going on. This is something I cannot understand."

On the way here, Shui Rong was still thinking about how to get the emperor to agree to let him lead his troops south at the court meeting, and to rescue from Xihe County. However, after thinking about it, he felt that this matter was too unexpected, so he had doubts in his heart, so he asked,
"Oh, could it be that Brother Shui is afraid? Wei Xiangping of Runan only has 30,000 troops under his command. The actual number is still unknown. Even if we recruit young and strong men, there is no time to train them. A small army, as long as there are too many people, it will be difficult to defend the city. The Taiping Sect lacks anything except people."

Although he said this, deep down, Mu Shi was a little unsure. Regarding asking for help, he could just submit a memorial. Why would he make it a hasty journey of 600 miles? Even if there were a lot of bandits, defending the city should not be a problem. What he said just now was just to deal with it.

"That's true."

Shui Rong believed it, and this was also an excuse.
Seeing more and more people coming to the open space, he kept silent.

At this time, Zhang Jinyu had also hurried over. Seeing that many officials had already arrived, he walked towards the nobles. Many dukes and earls greeted them and made way for the front seats. Zhang Jinyu did not avoid them this time. He would definitely lead the army southwards. He would need more people to rescue the people, so he would need to argue with the court officials. It was inconvenient to talk in the back.
Why hasn't the Marquis of Xiangyang come yet? I was a little puzzled. I turned around and saw the three princes staggering to the front of the hall. This means they can go to court now.
Just thinking,

There was another sound of footsteps, and a large group of people rushed in. The Marquis of Xiangyang was among them. Before he could say hello, a eunuch in front of the Qianqing Palace shouted:

"Silence, the courtiers line up to enter the palace,"

A loud shout,
The noisy officials immediately shut up. They lined up according to their ranks and walked into the hall together, standing in two rows. In the cold hall, Emperor Wu had already entered the hall first and sat steadily on the dragon throne. Dai Quan stood in the center of the hall. When he saw the court officials coming in, he immediately shouted;
"Go up!"

"Long live the Emperor Wu, long live the Emperor Wu."

All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground and cheered. The Emperor Wu had a stern face and no expression. He glanced at the court officials and saw that they were all here. He then took a closer look at Marquis Luo Yun and Marquis Bao Ning. Thanks to these two people, he had a plan in advance.

"Everyone loves you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

There was a rustling sound of people rising. With so many old ministers present, their movements were a little slower. Several old dukes were still in good health, but most of the civil servants were very old and looked decadent.

Seeing all the court officials standing still, Emperor Wu raised his hand, took out three secret letters and placed them on the imperial desk. Dai Quan personally walked over and took them in his hands, then folded them back and distributed the three memorials to several cabinet ministers and princes in the front row.
Then, the voice of Emperor Wu was heard;

"Today, three urgent reports came to the capital. One was written in blood by Wang Ziteng of Daliang City, south of the capital. The court's army of more than 100,000 was defeated by the Taiping Sect and was trapped here. Another was a letter of request for help from Wei Xiangping of Runan. After being besieged for several days, it was discovered that the rebel army was actually the White Lotus Sect that had revived. Finally, there was a memorial from Jiangnan. What on earth were those mediocre officials doing to neglect their duties? How could the stable Jiangnan end up in such a mess? My dear ministers, what should we do?"

Emperor Wu suppressed his anger and explained the contents of the three memorials, which made the court officials tremble in disbelief. The Taiping Sect was so powerful that it was understandable that it was defeated, but Wei Xiangping of Runan said that the White Lotus Sect was sweeping in, which was unbelievable. Ten years ago, almost all the top leaders of the White Lotus Sect were killed or injured, and there was no trace of them. How could they have surrounded Runan city overnight? It was incredible.

The faces of the ministers in front of them changed when they read the urgent documents. Not to mention the battle situation in the south of Beijing, who would take responsibility for such a big mistake in Jiangnan? It was unheard of that the Jinling prefectural government actually took in the pirates. However, the inside story needed to be thoroughly investigated.
As for the military heroes, a message was sent later. After receiving the letter, the faces of several old dukes and princes suddenly changed, especially the Prince of Dongping Mu Shi and the Prince of Beijing Shui Rong. The shock in their eyes was beyond words. It was actually the White Lotus Sect that besieged Runan City. How could this be possible?

Zhang Jinyu was even more confused. Regardless of whether the White Lotus Sect was real or fake, the chaos in the south was clearly a sign of the end of the dynasty. He also didn't know whether the Zhou family's retired emperor really wiped out the White Lotus Sect or just pretended to do so. It was a big deal as soon as he came out. The towns of Runan were almost gone in the blink of an eye. Then Jiangnan and Xihe County would be in danger, especially Xihe County, where there were bandits everywhere. If the White Lotus Sect went in and caused trouble, there would be a riot in the south of Beijing, which would threaten Jiangnan.

The key point is that there was also trouble in Jiangnan at this time. Tsk tsk, a phrase came to my mind: misfortunes never come singly. The ancients were right.

When everyone in the temple was quiet,
On the military merit side, Xiangyang Marquis Bai Guangju was the first to step forward and bow;
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"Stand up and speak!"

Emperor Wu did not waste words, and spoke briefly and to the point. Bai Guangju stood up and bowed again, and replied;
"Your Majesty, I have read the three memorials. The first thing is to rescue Daliang City. Since the Taiping Sect has such strength, it means that the main force is there. The court needs to reinforce it as soon as possible. As for Runan City, I still don't believe it, or it is incredible. The White Lotus Sect was suppressed by the court more than ten years ago. The high-ranking members of the sect, including the leader, have long been executed. Now it has reappeared. Is it the real White Lotus Sect or the thieves flying the banner of the White Lotus Sect? It is still unknown. If Runan cannot be defended, it should retreat to Shizhou, Xihe County, and guard the gates tightly to wait for reinforcements."

Finally, there was the memorial from Jiangnan. Those were matters for civil officials, and Bai Guangju had no intention of interfering, so he just brushed them off.
"As for the flood in Jiangnan, there is indeed something strange about it, and the court should hold local officials accountable."

After saying that, he stepped aside to make room.

At this time, at the signal from several old dukes, many barons came out and said;

"Your Majesty, I second this motion,"

Seeing the active participation of the nobles, the civil officials lined up and looked at the elders in the front row, as if waiting for a signal. Shen Zhongxin could not hold back and was about to step out of the line, but was pulled by the elder Gu in front of him and stopped.

Shen Zhongxin hesitated, slowed down his pace, and then stopped. After a while, the Prime Minister Li Chonghou cleared his throat, walked tremblingly to the center of the hall, stood and saluted.

"Your Majesty, I want to say a few words," "Come here, bring a chair for the Prime Minister, and let him sit in the front and talk,"

Emperor Wu put down his hand, and the anger in his heart suddenly dissipated. Xiangyang Hou's words might not be unreasonable. Seeing that Li Shoufu looked bad, he could only let him rest for a while.
"Thank you, Your Majesty,"

After a while, the eunuchs brought a chair and placed it in front of the courtiers. Li Chonghou thanked them and sat down with the help of his son Li Chaosheng. Then he spoke,
"Your Majesty, every word the Marquis of Xiangyang said makes sense. Things should be prioritized. Daliang City is the gateway to the Central Plains and must not be lost. Wang Ziteng is also a cautious person. In addition, the Daliang City governor, Lu Daiyuan, is a veteran of the battlefield. Even if the enemy army retreats to the city, they will inevitably suffer huge losses. Therefore, the most urgent task is to reinforce Daliang City and mobilize the soldiers of the Beijing camp."

He couldn't help but let him speak. The priorities of the matter were clear at a glance. His Majesty couldn't speak, so he had to do it for him. The Emperor Wu nodded. This was the main thing.
"The army of the Beijing camp is now under the command of Marquis Luo Yun. Marquis Bao Ning has checked the number of soldiers and their food and wages. There is no need to worry. However, I don't know whether the bandits outside the city mentioned by Wei Xiangping of Runan are the White Lotus Sect. Although the White Lotus Sect was wiped out ten years ago, it is still unknown whether it will revive. Prime Minister Li, what do you think?"

This was what made Emperor Wu vaguely uneasy. For more than ten years, there had been almost no news about the White Lotus Sect, and only the evildoers of the Taiping Sect were wreaking havoc throughout the world. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the White Lotus Sect revived, and their plans were very big. The Central Plains was the foundation of the Great Wu Dynasty. If there was turmoil, the whole world would be in danger.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, the so-called White Lotus Sect, as the Marquis of Xiangyang said, is still unknown whether it is true or false. Even if it is true, it has jumped out today and has nowhere to hide. Although Wei Xiangping of Runan is asking for help urgently, we cannot be too anxious. If we can't hold on, break out to Shizhou in Xihe County and guard the gates tightly. The court will send powerful people to Jiangnan to reorganize the army, led by the commander of the Jiangnan camp, and cross the river to help immediately. It doesn't matter whether it is the White Lotus Sect or not."

Li Shoufu is indeed a man with sharp eyes. He saw the problem at a glance. No matter what religion it is, if all the people are killed, it is useless to say any religion. As for the Jiangnan incident, there are too many strange things in it. It is better to be stable.

"Well, well said. Prime Minister Li is indeed a pillar of the court. In this case, let's solve the minor issues first. What should we do about the flood in Jiangnan?"

At this time, Li Chonghou did not speak again. Someone must be worried about the Jiangnan issue. Sure enough, the rarely seen Zhongshun King Zhou Jianan from the Wuxun side came out first and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I do have some insights into Jiangnan,"

"Oh, you have an opinion, tell me about it."

Hearing that King Zhongshun had something to say, Emperor Wu did not stop him and let him speak. Zhou Jianan's face lit up and he stood up and spoke;
"Your Majesty, although the flood in Jiangnan is severe, Jiangnan is rich and disaster relief is not a problem. Strictly order the officials of the Jiangnan prefecture to block the gaps in the dikes and open the government granaries to provide disaster relief to the people. If the granaries are not opened for disaster relief and there are too many victims, they must be sent outside the Great Wall, as in the past."

Just a few words stunned all the officials in the hall. This was not a suggestion at all, it was just nonsense. Even Zhang Jinyu didn't believe it. Could it be that Prince Zhou was drunk and still not sober? The war in the south was so urgent, where would the ships be to transport the victims? Besides, if the people left, who would farm the land? It was still okay for the military officials to keep quiet, but the civil officials must have been furious.
really,

Before the emperor could speak, Shen Zhongxin could not hold back and stepped out to denounce him.
"Your Highness is wrong. Disaster relief is disaster relief, but we must also bring the criminals and officials involved to justice. Jiangnan is a rich land that used to be the purse of money and grain for the court. Now there is a famine here, and a war is imminent in the south of the capital. Where will the grain come from? The Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with silver. The grain produced in Anhu, the capital, is the guarantee of the safety of the capital. It cannot be used without authorization. It is needed by hundreds of thousands of troops in the capital camp. Your Highness transported the people away, so can you not pay for the silver?"

The cold words did not give him any face, making Prince Zhongshun's face turn pale. He wanted to curse him, but he was short of words and didn't know how to start.
Just when the situation was getting serious, Lu Wenshan, the Minister of Personnel, coughed and stood up;

"Minister Shen, the prince has good intentions. He has thought of these things and is also concerned about disaster relief. He is afraid that Jiangnan will be in chaos."

After saying this, he bowed deeply to the Emperor Wu who was sitting on the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is not to hold people accountable, nor to open the granaries for disaster relief. The government warehouses have grain that can be used, but the government granaries need to ensure the supply of the army, which is the most important thing."

Unfortunately, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Prince Zhou with a sneer.
"Humph, Lord Lu, that's easy for you to say. The nine counties were flooded, and countless people were affected. The grain in the government warehouse can't hold out for a few days. Why don't you use the grain in the government warehouse? In the end, it's still the same as what I said, and the people still have to be sent away."

These civil servants were full of twists and turns in their minds. Whether it was right or not was not their own way, but they didn't know that Lu Wenshan shook his head and kept silent.

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes and thought for a while. It seemed that someone in Jiangnan wanted to conceal something. But now, stability is the priority. Let's take care of the military affairs in Jingnan first. Lu Wenshan said so, so he should have a countermeasure. After making up his mind, he asked;
"Since Lord Lu has a solution, I wonder what it is and whether there is a solution."

"Your Majesty, I am ashamed that I have not yet,"

Lu Wenshan was filled with shame, and stood there with his fists clasped, motionless. It was simply weird. More court officials were suddenly confused. What did this mean? The military heroes all looked over. Elder Lu had also suffered this day.
Zhang Jinyu, who was standing at the front, could not believe that Lu Wenshan, the old fox, would be so straightforward. Who could believe it?
King Zhongshun was a little stunned, and then he couldn't help laughing. This old villain actually had this day. He was about to open his mouth to reprimand him, but he didn't know that at the end, a thin figure at the end of the civil servants came out and said loudly;
"Your Majesty, I have a solution."

Suddenly,

All the important officials in the hall turned their heads and looked back, with some surprise, confusion and doubt in their eyes. How could a small censor not use the grain in the government warehouse to provide disaster relief?

Emperor Wu looked normal. He looked up and saw that the person who was speaking was a stranger, but very young. Could it be that Lu Wenshan had also arranged this? What did this old man want to do?
At this time, Dai Quan seemed to have seen the emperor's puzzled look. Eunuch Dai turned around and walked to the front of the dragon throne, lowered his head and whispered;
"Your Majesty, this man is Su Chong, the censor of the Six Ministries, and a student of Lord Lu."

As expected, Emperor Wu verified what he had thought in his mind. It was Lu Wenshan's work. He glanced at Lord Lu with deep meaning in his eyes. Perhaps he noticed Emperor Wu's gaze, and his hunched body lowered a lot.

"Okay, stand up. Since there is a way, tell me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Although Su Chong was very excited, he also knew that the matter was serious, so he clasped his fists and said;

"Your Majesty, the flood in Jiangnan has affected nine counties. The grain in the government treasury cannot wait for long-term disaster relief. The government warehouse cannot be easily moved to provide food and wages for the Jiangnan camp. Therefore, the solution to the disaster relief in Jiangnan lies in those wealthy families. I have a plan to change to a combination of relief, and the dilemma will be solved."

As soon as the words fell, a buzz of discussion rose in the hall.
"Humph, you are just trying to attract attention. You are just a censor. What good strategy do you have?"

The nobles still do not avoid people, and there are many jealous people among the civil officials.

"Reform and relief, the dilemma is solved by itself. It is easy to say, how to solve it by itself,"

"That's right. There's no benefit. They are rich people. Who would give them food? It's ridiculous."

Even Zhang Jinyu frowned. This method was quite familiar, but no matter how good the policy was, it would not work if it was not implemented properly. As the saying goes, there are countermeasures for every policy. How to solve the dilemma by reforming and providing relief? Looking at the civil officials, many officials were talking and shaking their heads. Father-in-law Qin Ye and Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion stood behind, bowing their heads and saying nothing. On the military officials' side,
Zhang Jinyu looked back and saw Jia She standing there like a transparent man, not daring to move. Only the princes in the front row, especially His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, looked back at him from time to time. What did this mean? Could it be that he had told His Majesty about going to war together? This was good, with His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin as a cover, he could talk about many things. However, swords were blind, and he didn't know what the people of the Taiping Sect had eaten to be so fierce.
Just as I was thinking about it, a sharp voice came from the front!

"quiet!"

(End of this chapter)