I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 493: A Strange Vision from Heaven Warning People
The earthquake came quickly and went away too quickly.

A quarter of an hour later, the earthquake disappeared without a trace, and the coffin of Emperor Qing and the tablet of the ancestor were safe and sound.

Zhu Yijun said to Qi Yan: "Ask Chen Ju to the Imperial Observatory. They have copied the seismometer. Ask them to find out which direction the earthquake is coming from. Then ask the Supervisory Office to send a letter to the provincial governors, prefectures, counties and garrisons in that direction to inquire about the situation.

Tell the military and political officials that if an earthquake occurs in the area, immediately start disaster relief. The local garrison, whether it is the town guard, camp guard, guard, or navy marine battalion, immediately put on a combat readiness posture and start disaster relief, with saving lives as the top priority.

"Ask Li Chun to go to Shuntian Prefecture to check the damage to the capital and its environs, and notify Fang Liang to strengthen the capital's defenses.

Feng Bao, go to Ciqing Palace. My mother, the Crown Princess and others are all keeping vigil there. Check the situation. Inform Liu Yi to strengthen the defense inside and outside the Forbidden City. "

After the people named left one by one, Li Chunfang hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, there is a white rainbow in front of us, and an earthquake behind us. I am worried that there are people with ulterior motives in the court and the public opinion is surging."

Zhu Yijun stared at Li Chunfang for a while, then moved his eyes away from him and swept across the faces of other ministers.

"Public opinion is overwhelming, as long as we stand firm, it will be fine. Lord Ruzhen, please return to the Supervisory Office. Mr. Shuda, please return to the Cabinet. If there are any military and national emergencies, please handle them as appropriate."

"As you command."

"The late emperor's coffin and the tablets are safe and sound. You don't have to worry. Let's continue to follow the filial piety."

Soon, Feng Bao reported back that Empress Chen, Crown Princess Xue and others who were keeping vigil at Ciqing Palace were all safe and sound. There was no damage in the Forbidden City, except for a few broken jars, a few shattered bowls, and a few broken flower pots, but most of all, everyone was frightened.

Chen Ju reported that the seismograph of the Imperial Observatory had responded and the earthquake originated from the northwest of the capital.

Hu Zongxian, who was on duty at the Supervisory Office, immediately sent a royal letter, ordering the Yanqing, Bao'an, Xuanhua areas and garrisons northwest of the capital to conduct a thorough investigation and report as soon as possible.

At the same time, an imperial edict was sent to the provincial governments and border towns of Zhili, Shanxi, Liaoning and other places, asking them to investigate the disaster situation and ordering the military and political officials to make all-out efforts to carry out disaster relief if there were any disasters, with saving lives as the primary priority.

Li Chun reported that Shuntian Prefecture had sent people to investigate and found that 121 houses had collapsed in the five cities of the capital, burying more than 400 people. Neighbors rushed to help search for people, and police patrolmen and guards were also dispatched in time. Everyone rescued most of the buried people from the rubble.

The final count showed that 31 people were killed and 279 were injured.

Zhu Yijun nodded. Compared with previous earthquake records, this number of casualties was considered good.

"Shuntian Prefecture Governor Liu is guarding the body in the front hall, and the person who is temporarily in charge of the prefecture is Shao Yin Pan Yinglong?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Thanks to Shao Yin Pan's quick response and timely action. When I returned to the palace, Pan Yinglong was still patrolling the streets."

"Well, Feng Wu is a man who is brave enough to take on responsibilities."

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said to Li Chun, "Send the secret decree to Song Gongliang. In this emergency, tell him to keep his eyes open."

"Yes!"

One day after the earthquake, at night, the streets were still very tense.

Teams of police patrols and guards lined up to patrol the streets and alleys to prevent thugs from taking advantage of the chaos to commit crimes.

The night watchman was holding a lantern and walking slowly, his hoarse and old voice floating in the silent night sky.

"During this emergency, beware of fire and theft. Close doors and windows, and sound the alarm if something happens! There are soldiers on all sides, and we will catch anyone who starts something!"

Pan Yinglong was dressed in official uniform and riding on a black horse. Behind him were four officials from Shuntian Prefecture, namely the chief adjutant of the Municipal Hall and the Police Patrol Department, as well as twenty military academies of the Guard Army, and behind them were 160 police patrol soldiers.

The deputy chief of the police patrol department pointed to the front and said, "Shao Yin, the front is Mingshifang. After inspecting there, the inspection of the entire East City will be completed."

The city hall said thankfully: "Nothing happened tonight."

Pan Yinglong shook his head and said, "It's too early to say that. This morning, Shuntian Prefecture issued an official document, asking each district to organize personnel to patrol the district and guard against scoundrels.

The people of Dongcheng are either rich or noble. They all have guards and servants in their mansions. There must be a large number of people patrolling everywhere. No blind villain would dare to take action here.

There are many civilians and poor families in the South City. Only when the South City is safe and sound, the capital can be considered safe and sound. Which city gate is closest to Mingshifang?"

"To answer Shao Yin's question, Chongwenmen is located at the west gate of Mingshifang, exit Chongwenmen Street, and walk south to reach Chongwenmen."

"Okay, after inspecting Mingshifang, we'll go out of Chongwenmen and head to South City."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. We still need to go to South City to check? The place is so big that it would take until dawn to go around there.

Thinking of this, everyone felt disappointed.

It's New Year's Day, and they still have to work overtime. Being an official is really like being treated like an ox or a horse. Damn it!

Pan Yinglong noticed the expressions of the crowd and said, "The Xiyuan Silijian has issued a decree that after the 26th, all the government offices in the capital and Zhili who work overtime for disaster relief will receive a supplementary allowance, which is twice the normal allowance."

Get the money!
Everyone’s hearts were immediately warmed!
We don't mind being treated like slaves. The important thing is that you have to feed us and give us some grass from time to time!
Following the Prince of Xiyuan is really promising.

Yes, the prince will soon ascend the throne and become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Oh, following such a monarch, the more you work, the more motivated you will be.

Hearing that they would receive double the allowance, everyone took patrolling the city as their own business. The head of the police patrol said, "Shao Yin, it is a curfew now. All the inner and outer gates of the five cities are locked. No city gates may be opened without reason."

"Very good, Xiao Dushi has thought ahead, is brave and responsible." Pan Yinglong praised, "I went to the Supervisory Office during the day to get the approval document, and then went to the Governor of the Beijing Camp, Lord Gu, to get the token. As long as you don't go out of the outer gates of the five cities, you can enter and exit the inner gates of the five cities at will."

"Shao Yin is very thoughtful."

Everyone flattered him.

Pan Shaoyin came from the court of General Hu Gong, the Chief of Military Affairs. It is said that he made great military achievements in suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast and managing the South China Sea, and was promoted to the position of Zuo Shaoyin of Shuntian Prefecture.

The Left Shao Yin of Shuntian Prefecture and the Left Deputy Envoy of the Provincial Administration Department were both from the third rank. After the implementation of the new official system, official ranks became more valuable. It was no longer a mess where the second rank officials were everywhere and the third rank officials were worse than dogs. From the third rank, one was a big official.

He was promoted to a third-rank official at the age of thirty. From the perspective of the whole court, only the commander-in-chief Wang Duxian could surpass him.

The future is bright!

You have to curry favor with them.

Everyone stood straighter, raised their heads higher, and their eyes became sharper.

He wished that a group of bandits would appear in the alley so that he could rush up to them and fight them to the death. It would be best if he could get some minor injuries so that he could perform well in front of Pan Shaoyin.

Damn it! Bandits, where the hell are you hiding?
The sound of horse hooves of Pan Yinglong and his party gradually faded away over Mingshifang. In the study of a mansion, there were several people sitting, and the one sitting at the head was the owner, Wang Lin.

On the left are Yu Youding, Gao Yongchun, Cheng Wenyi, Li You, and Zhao Zhongyi; on the right are Ding Shimei, Zhang Chong, and Dong Chuanze. There are five or six more people below them, all of whom are of noble caliber and talented, and are the pillars of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Lin stroked his beard with satisfaction, but also felt a little regretful.

During the day he invited four people, Wang Shizhen, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue and Yu Youding. These four people were well-known throughout the country. With their joining, the morale would be boosted and more righteous people would be gathered.

As a result, the first three were cunning and only the least cunning Yu Youding came.

Well, no matter how small a sparrow is, it still has two taels of meat.

After all, he was a top scholar in a certain subject and one of the three most famous scholars in the world in the Renxu year.

Wang Lin said, "Nowadays, treacherous officials are in power and heresy is rampant. Hu Zongxian and other treacherous officials are the legacy of the Yan Party. They deceived the emperor and indulged in war. They have launched expeditions to the north and south, and now they are launching an expedition to the east, which has put the national treasury in a tight spot.

The local authorities followed the strict orders, exploiting the people and squeezing their bones and marrow. The wealthy families were particularly affected and went bankrupt one after another. On one hand, the people were living in poverty, and on the other hand, the people's wealth was squandered.

What is even more hateful is that little boy Li Zhi, a sinner of the orthodox teachings, who spread heresy to slander the people.

They occupied the Imperial Academy and Yi Nian Public School, preached heresy, slandered the saints and vilified Confucianism, had no father or king, devalued morality and praised profit, abandoned virtue and kept vulgarity. They took liberation and directness as their learning, bewitching people's hearts, and the poor scholars in the village schools all respected and believed in them. Moreover, many young people with lofty ideals and heroic deeds admired them.

Wang Lin said with great sorrow.

According to his words, there are few good people in the court nowadays, all of them are treacherous and corrupt officials. Even Gao Da Huzi, a former loyal disciple of the Holy Religion, has wavered in his stance.

For the sake of his own future and personal gain, he colluded with the treacherous party.

Wang Lin even specifically pulled Li Zhi out and gave him a severe scolding.

Ever since this guy deceived the crown prince, he has squeezed out the righteous people who uphold justice and righteousness and controlled public opinion. This is simply a stab in everyone's heart.

Without the power of public opinion and unable to influence the general situation in the court, can the Qingliu still be called the Qingliu?

Wang Lin shouted in a hurry: "My fellow wise men, we can no longer sit idly by and do nothing. If this continues, the Holy Religion will not exist, and the country will no longer be a country. We will be sinners of the Holy Religion and fail the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and a few followed suit but with flickering eyes.

"The heavens have eyes, and they cannot stand to see the evil and wickedness of the Ming Dynasty running rampant, and the foul smell everywhere, so they use strange phenomena to warn people. A white rainbow pierces the sun and an earthquake follows. Why?
This is a warning from heaven: the Ming emperor has failed to implement virtuous policies, and the political system is in chaos; the channels for speech are closed, and treacherous people are in power."

Wang Lin's words were agreed by everyone, and they all spoke up to echo him.

Gao Yongchun had a look of deep sorrow on his face. “All the principles of cultivating the mind and nature, the methods of understanding the spirit and the transformation, the mechanism of the interaction between heaven and man, and the signs of survival and death, have been written down.

If you do not serve your master carefully, the disaster will be obvious; if you do not fear and respect Heaven, the disaster will be subtle. Now Heaven has given us a warning through a vision. We should bravely present our book, admonish our ruler and father, and inform the people below, and explain the meaning of the vision.”

Ding Shimei said angrily: "When a country is about to rise, there must be auspicious signs; when a country is about to fall, there must be evil. See the yarrow and tortoise shells, and move the four limbs. Now the heavens are warning us. If we don't fight back, the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed by these treacherous officials!"

Everyone was talking at once, and some were so angry that they could not hold back their tears. They wished they could cut off their fingers and swear an oath with blood, and swear an oath to heaven to eliminate evil, uphold justice, and safeguard the holy religion, so that the Ming Dynasty could return to the right path of following the ancestral system, rectifying the laws of nature, promoting benevolent governance, and promoting moral governance.

Yu Youding was terrified when he heard this. Damn, he accidentally fell into a den of thieves today.

Among the three outstanding students of the Renxu examination, Shen Shixing has been getting closer and closer to Zhang Juzheng in the past two years, and Wang Xijue has gained the favor of Zhao Zhenji. In the final analysis, they all favor the new policy.

Yu Youding was influenced by his two friends and was also inclined to the new policy, but he was open-minded, or to put it bluntly, heartless. So Wang Lin pulled him over, thinking of pulling a line to string three big fish.

Yu Youding carefully concealed his thoughts, with a look of solidarity on his face. He glanced around and met the gaze of Dong Chuanze opposite him.

Well, there's something wrong with this kid.

Ding Shimei, Zhang Chong and Dong Chuanze were all students and former officials of Xu Jie, and belonged to the Jiangnan lineage.

After Xu Jie resigned from his post as prime minister and returned to his hometown, the Jiangnan faction was divided into five parts. One part was won over by Zhang Juzheng, most of them defected to the Prime Minister Li Chunfang, and another part prepared to set up their own faction.

Ding Shimei and others belong to the last category.

Now that he had enough fame and experience, he decided to create his own world.

Yu Youding and Dong Chuanze's eyes met in the air, sparks flew, and then they moved away.

Dong Chuance shouted, "Mr. Jijin, tell me what to do!"

Everyone immediately agreed, "Yes! Lord Ji Jin, you said it, we will do it! With everyone's united efforts, we will definitely be able to eliminate the evil and support the government!"

Wang Lin was delighted to see that the morale was high, and he said, "Everyone, we should do this."

(End of this chapter)