Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 35 Hongzhi is furious

On the red walls and bluestone roads of the Kunning Palace, Emperor Hongzhi had a sullen face and walked briskly.

The eunuchs followed anxiously behind him. Fortunately, the earthquake lasted only for an incense stick of time, and the entire palace building was slightly damaged, but it did scare people quite a bit.

The livid look on Emperor Hongzhi's face was not due to fear, but to anger.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Heavenly Might is still there. Please slow down. It is not appropriate to go to the Yangxin Palace at this time."

Eunuch Huai En was anxious. When he heard that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was determined to go to the Yangxin Palace, his heart almost jumped out of his throat. What if something bad happened...

"I believe in the Imperial Observatory! I believe in the Ministry of Rites!"

"I want to be crushed to death in the Yangxin Palace. Let them give me a lavish burial!"

The usually mild-tempered Emperor Hongzhi unexpectedly became so furious that the eunuch Huai En was terrified for a moment.

It was late at night and the aftermath of the earthquake was still there, with slight shaking still occasionally felt.

The four elders of the cabinet, senior officials of the six ministries, and the director of the Imperial Observatory were arriving at the Qianqing Palace as quickly as possible.

The door of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was open, and Emperor Hongzhi sat upright, looking outside with a gloomy look.

The officials, headed by the cabinet, had cold sweat on their foreheads. The elderly Xu Pu took the lead and knelt on the ground, kowtowed and requested the emperor to leave the Yangxin Palace to prevent any accidents.

The Minister of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Observatory felt chilled in their hearts, and their bodies became even colder in the cold winter, yet their backs were sweating profusely.

"Your Majesty's health is of the utmost importance. I, your humble servant, sincerely request that Your Majesty go out of the palace to prevent any natural disasters."

Xu Pu knelt down and shouted earnestly, and then the six ministries shouted together.

Emperor Hongzhi said in a resounding voice: "Didn't the Imperial Astronomical Observatory say that there was no sign of the earth dragon turning over?"

"The Minister of Rites is not a righteous man who maintains his subordinates. Xu Qiong, you have earned so much reputation in the Ministry of Rites. Why don't you let me die in the Yangxin Palace and then step over my corpse and go to the Cabinet?"

Hearing the emperor's words, Xu Qiong's face turned black. He kept kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I don't mind dying. I only ask Your Majesty to take care of my body and not be hurt by natural disasters."

Now that he had been accused of being disloyal, unfilial, and unfaithful to his father and his king, it would not be possible for Minister Xu to settle the matter by simply dying.

This will affect his entire Xu family!

Emperor Hongzhi pointed at the group of people kneeling outside and said, "Come in, everyone!"

No matter how afraid of death all the ministers were, they had to bite the bullet and walk into the Yangxin Palace.

It was unknown how many people would be affected by the earthquake in the capital, so the court had to provide disaster relief as soon as possible, and the issue of punishment would be discussed later. Emperor Hongzhi still restrained his anger, and ordered the six ministries of the cabinet and Shuntian Prefecture to work together, and dispatched the Five Military Governor's Office to cooperate with Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Affairs Department for disaster relief, and made sure to do a good job in rescuing the people.

After the officials left, Emperor Hongzhi was somewhat distracted. He walked outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation with his hands behind his back, looking up at the dark night sky. The dim lights illuminated his obscure profile. He could not help but murmur in a low voice: "If I had listened to the prince, if I had not been submissive, if I had the courage..."

Everything can only be assumed. When he regrets, he realizes that he has never been destined to be the greatest emperor in history and can only look up to the sages of all ages.

……

Shuntian Prefecture, Huaihua Hutong, was a scene of devastation everywhere. Those who had managed to survive had dazed looks, staring at the ruins with blank eyes.

In the cellar of Madam Wu's house, Chen Ce felt grateful for having survived a disaster.

Before entering the cellar, Chen Ce had seen the cellar from the corner of his eye. This cellar was not too big. It was an ice cellar with a very low temperature. In the Ming Dynasty, any wealthy and powerful family with a little bit of conditions would have such an ice storage room to store ice for a winter and use it in the summer. But Chen Ce was very curious. Madam Wu was not a noble, but just an ordinary person like himself. This house was also very dilapidated. Why was there such an ice cellar inside?
There is no ice left in the cellar, so it seems the previous owner has not used this place for a long time. But how did Madam Wu know about such a place?

Chen Ce didn't know how long he had been here. At first the ground was still shaking, but now it has calmed down. He tried to cooperate with Madam Wu to push open the cellar door.

The results speak for themselves.

There are a lot of collapsed civil engineering and building materials piled on top, making it difficult to push them away.

Fortunately, there is a large amount of water and food stored here, which should be enough for the two of them to survive for a few days.

There was no light in the dim cellar, and they could only locate the place by listening to the sound. Chen Ce curiously asked Madam Wu, "You put the food and water here in advance, so you are worried that there will be a dragon turning over?"

"Uh-huh."

Chen Ce felt the other party's voice was trembling. He was a little confused and planned to light the fire starter he carried with him.

"No, don't light the fire."

Madam Wu's voice was still trembling. Although she used to be quiet, she was neither humble nor arrogant, and she would not be afraid of quarrels with anyone. For some reason, she seemed to have encountered a ferocious beast now.

"This is our... hope."

Chen Ce then realized that if there was no one up there and the fire sticks were used up, how could they notify the people up there that they were still alive?

It is not practical to light a fire now. The thick smoke will not notify the rescuers above and they will suffocate to death.

However, Chen Ce is still optimistic now. He has finally survived. Sooner or later, someone will come to clean up the ruins. There is food and dry supplies here, enough for them to sustain for a while.

The dark cellar fell into absolute silence again. Chen Ce asked tentatively, "Where are you?"

"this."

Chen Ce groped over and touched Madam Wu's hair. Only then did he realize that she was curled up in a ball, her body trembling slightly, completely different from the decisive and resolute person who had tried to save him before.

Afraid of the dark? Or afraid of dying here?
Chen Ce was suspicious, but he didn't say it out loud. He encouraged, "Don't worry, we will definitely get out alive."

He was responded with a long silence, and then Chen Ce felt a pair of hands wrapped around him, holding him tightly, as if he was holding on to a life-saving straw.

Her body was very soft, but it was constantly shaking and trembling violently. She only calmed down a little when she hugged herself.

Chen Ce became even more curious. She didn't know what Madam Wu had experienced, but what she knew was that she looked very different from Xunri.

Although Madam Wu was not a lady from a wealthy family, she was capable and decisive in making decisions at critical moments. If she had not seen the world, an ordinary peasant girl in the Ming Dynasty would not have possessed these qualities.

It's not to belittle farmers. In this era when the literacy rate is only one in ten thousand, there are so many restrictions on small peasant women. You can clearly feel the difference.

Chen Ce didn't say anything. He just sat quietly beside the small bed, letting Madam Wu hug him.

Chen Ce didn't know how much time had passed, one hour, two hours?

Madam Wu fell asleep quietly in his arms. Chen Ce put her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and groped his way through the dark space, carefully exploring every corner of the cellar, trying to familiarize himself with the environment here as much as possible.

Thanks to Yan Zi and Daoyou for the monthly ticket, thank you very much

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(End of this chapter)