The Female Assistant of Wei Yuyan Shuangfei

The drought was still brewing, and its far-reaching impact had already affected half of the Song Dynasty. The court had no choice but to issue an imperial decree to allow the people of the prefectures in Jinghu South Road and Jiangnan West Road to flee.

As for the places to escape, the government also clearly pointed out that the people could go to Chaozhou and Meizhou on the coast and Xizhou and Minzhou in the bitter and cold areas.

Tens of thousands of people can only be accommodated in these four states. Xie Shuting knew the court's intentions without having to think about it.

As long as the escape begins, the people who can reach the four states will probably lose 60%. This is a common tactic used by those in power, and it is also a helpless tactic.

The necessary preparations were made before the drought, and the necessary precautions were taken afterwards. In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed, giving the people suffering from the drought a chance to breathe.

Xie Tingwen looked at the red clouds in the sky, and suddenly a thought came to his mind. He murmured to himself: "Morning glow does not go out, but evening glow travels thousands of miles. Could this glow mean..."

Uncle Qin took a quick look and seemed a little excited, saying, "Master! If what Wu Lizheng said was right, it should rain in the next few days."

When Wu Lizheng was talking with Xie Tingwen that day, although Uncle Qin was far away, he still heard some of what they said.

Xie Tingwen could not hide his excitement and hurriedly ordered his servants to prepare for the rain. At the same time, he asked someone to notify Wu Yang, the head of Shanghe Township, to prepare for flood prevention.

After all, the Red River is the lifeline of Laigu County and Pingyang County, so we naturally cannot be careless.

However, a day passed and the sky was still clear. Xie Tingwen couldn't help but feel suspicious. Could it be that he had made a wrong judgment?

The next morning, when the familiar red cloud appeared in the sky again, Xie Tingwen became more and more excited.

Xie Shuting stood in front of the window, looking at the red clouds in the sky, and sighed: "It should rain heavily tomorrow."

"Miss! Isn't it good to have heavy rain?" Lian Xi asked softly.

Xie Shuting shook her head and said nothing. She knew very well that the disaster brought by this rainstorm was more serious than the drought, so much so that the flood submerged Bianjing.

Sure enough, on the morning of the third day, the long-awaited heavy rain poured down.

The drought was relieved, people cheered, ran wildly in the streets, and kowtowed to the sky in gratitude.

Xie Shuting looked at the rain outside the window and said with a little worry, "This drought is half a month later than in the previous life. Does that mean this rainstorm will also last half a month longer than in the previous life?"

Xie Shuting's concerns were soon confirmed. Just as he expected, the rain lasted for a month, and the occasional stop was always at night.

"Last night the wind was strong and I lay drunkenly listening to the rain hitting the bamboos. The seven strings were broken and the five notes were chaotic. I could not sleep that night. I looked for a pianist and played a girl's song together. Thinking of you, the wind and rain moved me; hating you, the wind and rain were heartless."

As soon as Xie Shuting finished speaking, Lian Xi quickly wrote it on rice paper, and greeted her with a flattering smile: "Miss! I will help you include this poem in your poetry collection."

"Yeah!~"

Xie Shuting nodded calmly, looking at the raindrops outside the window, and said in a deep voice: "Xi'er! Is father in the county government?"

"It was a little rainy this morning, so the master went out with Uncle Qin to inspect the situation in the city."

"Oh!~"

Xie Shuting felt more at ease. If she was just in the county town, she wouldn't have to worry too much.

But the vague worry in her heart would never go away, as if there was an inexplicable bond that no one knew about.

Bianjing.

The Yellow River burst its dikes, and the water level of the Bian River rose sharply, affecting seventeen counties in Jingdong Road, eighteen counties in Xijing Henan Prefecture, and many prefectures and counties.

Bianliang, which originally had well-developed waterways, was unable to control the situation. The water level of the Bian River directly poured into the gate of the imperial palace, and many people had to hide in high places.

Emperor Song Zhen looked at the memorial in his hand, his face became more gloomy as he looked at the Minister of Works and said, "Zhang Huaiyuan! The Yellow River burst its dike, why did you report this only now?"

Zhang Huaiyuan calmed himself down and leaned forward quickly to say, "Your Majesty! Bianjing has become a swamp, and the post horses cannot send back news in time, but I have sent people to check."

"Check."

Emperor Song Zhen angrily threw the memorial in front of Zhang Huaiyuan and said in a deep voice: "Do you know how many people will die in the flood for every day of delay?"

"I am terrified."

Seeing that Emperor Song Zhen was already angry, Zhao Qian hurriedly spoke to appease him: "Father! I think it is not appropriate to pursue the crime in this matter. We should arrange people to go to the disaster relief immediately."

Seeing this, Zhao Pu hurriedly leaned forward and said, "Father! Your son will review the matter."

Emperor Song Zhen naturally knew that disaster relief was the top priority at the moment, so he calmed himself down and said, "Prime Minister Xiao! What do you think?"

Emperor Song Zhen's sudden question startled everyone present, and their eyes subconsciously focused on the old man sitting nearby.

Although the old man's hair and beard were all white, his integrity made people dare not look down on him. He sat there quietly, like a towering mountain, giving people a sense of calmness and majesty.

This person is none other than the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, Xiao Yi, Xiao Zixuan, also known as Prime Minister Xiao.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi slowly stood up and stroked his hand, saying, "Your Majesty! The six ministries have their own regulations for drought and flood disasters. We can just follow the plans of previous years. However, this old minister feels a little uneasy."

"Xiao Xiang means..."

Xiao Yi didn't dare to play dumb. He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Drought is not like flood. After the flood, there will be an epidemic. The government should take more precautions."

Xiao Yi's words were not alarmist. After all, this kind of situation has happened too many times in history.

After this flood, the death rate from epidemics was higher than that caused by drought and floods.

"I wonder what Prime Minister Xiao thinks?"

"Your Majesty! In my opinion, we should send people from the Imperial Hospital to inspect the affected areas so that we can find the epidemic and solve it in time, instead of waiting for the government to report it."

"Your Majesty! I also think that what Prime Minister Xiao said is very true." Zhao Pu echoed.

Emperor Song Zhen nodded secretly. He was quite convinced by Xiao Yi's words. If there really was an epidemic, with the fierceness of the epidemic, the number of casualties would be tens of thousands.

Thinking of this, Emperor Song Zhen's eyes sternly turned to look at Zhang Huaiyuan and said, "Master Zhang! You will stay in the capital to dredge the waterway of the Bian River, arrange for people from the Ministry of Works to inspect the counties, and draft the imperial edict together with Prime Minister Xiao and the six ministries, and bring people from the Imperial Hospital with you."

"I obey your command." Zhang Huaiyuan leaned forward and responded quickly.

"Official!~"

Xiao Yi stroked his hand and said, "Now the flood is approaching the palace gate. I am worried about your safety. Please move to Shengde Villa."

"This..." The three people present were all shocked.

The official's move could be covered up with a simple word, but in the eyes of those who are interested, it might be a hidden suspicion that the artifact has changed hands.

Only Xiao Yi, the prime minister, dared to say this; other officials did not dare to speak out even though they had the intention.

Even Zhao Pu, who was only half a step away from the throne, did not dare to speak at this moment to cater to Xiao Yi's request.