activa-t Chapter 217 Everyone is hungry and will fight for food
Chapter 217 Everyone is hungry and will fight for food
"How ridiculous!" Emperor Tianqi was so angry that he slammed the dragon throne with his big hand and stood up with a livid face.
"The drought in Qianpu Prefecture in the north has lasted for more than three years, and the number of rioters has increased instead of decreased. In order to prevent the situation from getting worse and becoming irreversible, I have decided to send troops to suppress it. Do you have any candidates, my dear ministers?"
The fact that riots continued for more than three years showed that a policy of appeasement was not feasible. Emperor Tianqi made his position clear in the court that tough measures had to be taken.
"Your Majesty, I do not agree to send troops to suppress them. The rioters are all ordinary people. They just robbed because of natural disasters and poor harvests. They became rioters because they could not eat."
The Minister of Revenue was the first to stand up and oppose the imperial court sending troops to suppress the rebellion. Sending troops means fighting a war. Are you kidding me? Fighting a war doesn't cost money?
"Your Excellency is wrong. A mob is a mob. How can they be called ordinary people if they kill officials of the imperial court?"
Zheng Jingxin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, refuted his statement, saying that this person wanted to send troops to kill these mobs. Otherwise, there would be no punishment for those who killed officials, and those people would kill officials when they were unhappy, treating them like tofu that could be cut at will.
"I second the motion! A mob is a mob, they must be killed to serve as a warning to others!" These people are so bold that they even dare to kill officials. If they go out, will they also be killed? These officials must be too insecure.
In the court, officials were arguing over whether the rioters should be killed. The scene was more lively than a vegetable market.
"Ying Jian, do you have any objection to this?" Emperor Tianqi was annoyed by these people's quarrels. He wanted to end the dispute in the court as soon as possible, so he called on the Grand Censor to express his opinion.
"Your Majesty, since Lord Xu said that the people became mobs because they had no food to eat, we should find a way to let them have enough food to eat and turn them back into ordinary people." Ying Jian thought about it, weighed the pros and cons and expressed his thoughts.
"Lord Ying, it's easy for you to say it. It's not easy to feed the victims." Ying Jian was really daydreaming, and Zheng Jingxin waved his sleeves.
"You, Zheng Jingxin, don't have this ability, but others do." Ying Jian crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"You..." He actually humiliated him in public. Zheng Jingxin was so angry that his body was shaking.
"Who has the ability? Do you dare to go?" The Minister of Personnel asked his colleague beside him in a low voice. Anyway, he didn't dare to go.
"I dare not. They are all mobs, lawless and have killed many of our colleagues. Who would be so stupid as to rush there to die?"
"Yeah, if it was that easy, we would have done it long ago. Why would we have to wait until now?"
"Hmph, just talk and no action!" Zheng Jingxin looked at Ying Jian who was standing in front of him and really wanted to punch him.
"We couldn't have predicted the drought. Agricultural production in Qianpu Prefecture in the north hasn't recovered yet, and there's no food. How can we possibly feed the people?"
The officials started arguing among themselves again, and the noise was so loud that Emperor Tianqi wanted to drag all of them out and chop them into pieces. They were all useless speeches and there was no effective solution at all.
"Adjourn the court!" Emperor Tianqi was afraid that he could not suppress his anger and would really kill everyone, so he quickly walked into the back hall. The eunuch chief hurriedly announced the adjournment of the court in the main hall and chased after him.
"Ying Jian, how do you think we can feed the mob and turn them back into ordinary people?" Ying Jian would not speak without a purpose. The calm Emperor Tianqi firmly believed this and summoned him alone after the court session.
"Your Majesty, this may be difficult for others, but it is easy for someone." Ying Jian was entrusted by Cao Qiaoyi to find an excuse to get Yang Biao out of the capital, a place of trouble.
Cao Qiaoyi had come to Beijing to report on his work not long ago, and he already knew about the feud between Xie Xiyao and Yang Biao. Xie Xiyao was not to be feared, but his father, the Duke of Anguo, was not a good person. In order to protect Yang Biao, he asked Ying Jian to take action.
"Oh, who is this someone you are talking about? How can he have such ability?" Emperor Tianqi became interested when he saw that there was such a capable person in his court.
"Your Majesty, you have also met this man." Ying Jian didn't know whether what he did was good or bad for this young man.
"I have seen it too?" Emperor Tianqi was confused. He was wondering when he had seen it.
"Just tell me directly." He really had no impression, so he didn't bother thinking about it.
"The third place winner of this year's imperial examination is Yang Biao!" Ying Jian knelt on the ground and saluted him.
"Oh, it's him." Emperor Tianqi remembered the handsome young man who made him look up when the rankings were announced in front of the palace that day.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ying Jian leaned down and fell to the ground.
"Well, my dear Lord Ying, what do you mean?" Emperor Tianqi noticed his abnormality and walked over to help him up.
"Your Majesty, one of the candidates for the Crown Princess, Lady Xia, married this Yang Biao." Ying Jian didn't dare to stand up and confront him.
"Oh, then Xia married him." Emperor Tianqi immediately let go of his hand and walked to the main seat and sat down.
"Draft an imperial decree to appoint Yang Biao as the prefect of Qianpu Prefecture and to take office immediately." The original prefect of Qianpu Prefecture had been killed by the mob, and the seriously injured prefect was about to die. After being silent for a long time, Emperor Tianqi finally stood up.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ying Jian dared to stand up only after seeing Emperor Tianqi leave. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and he finally passed this hurdle.
But could Yang Biao, a weak scholar, really be safe and sound when he became the prefect of Qianpu Prefecture? The mobs there were crazy about killing officials.
"The imperial edict has arrived!" The eunuch came to the Hanlin Academy to announce the edict. Everyone in the Imperial Academy put down their work, quickly tidied their clothes, and knelt in the yard to receive the edict.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims:" The eunuch stopped reading here and glanced at the kneeling people.
"Qianpu Prefecture has suffered from drought for more than three years. There is a lot of work to be done, and the people are restless and rioting. I hereby appoint Yang Biao as the prefect of Qianpu Prefecture. You must take office immediately and go to Qianpu Prefecture to comfort the people and let them live a rest. I hope you will live up to my high expectations and work hard to encourage the people. I decree this!"
The eunuch finished reading and took the imperial edict. He did not recognize Yang Biao, so he raised his hand holding the imperial edict and said, "Yang Biao, accept the edict!"
"Your servant Yang Biao accepts the imperial edict!" Yang Biao got up from the ground, stepped forward and took the imperial edict with both hands. What was this? He hadn't even read enough of the books in the Hanlin Academy.
"Hey, Yang Biao, you got promoted, directly to the fifth rank. I'm so envious of you!" Xu Ruocheng congratulated him with a smile. What's so envious about that? Even if you were promoted to the first rank, it would be a dead end wherever you go.
"Yang Biao, are you okay?" The incident of the mob killing officials in Qianpu Prefecture was known to everyone. Huang Zewan looked at him with sympathy.
"Yang Biao, take the imperial edict to the Ministry of Personnel to get the appointment document and the prefect's seal." Seeing him standing there in a daze with the imperial edict in his hand, Hanlin Huang Junhao urged him.
"Okay," Yang Biao went to the carriage and horse parking area of the Hanlin Academy and led his horse to the gate of the Hanlin Academy.
"Master, why are you out so early?" What happened? It was not yet time for him to leave his post, but he was already leading his horse out, not to mention waiting for someone to greet him.
"Hurry up and gather all the brothers. Except for the guards at the Jinlou and the Silk Shop who will not move, everyone else should wait for me at the city gate and come with me to Qianpu Mansion." After saying that, Yang Biao jumped on his horse and rushed to the Ministry of Personnel.
"Sister, it's bad!" When Xia Yuxuan heard that Emperor Tianqi appointed Yang Biao as the prefect of Qianpu Prefecture, he wondered if he had offended someone in the court.