Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Bian Yuanli and others howled several times, "Your Majesty, please issue an order."

Sitting on the dragon throne, the emperor lowered his brows and did not respond.

Outside the palace, thin clouds blocked the morning light, and the golden bricks of the Golden Throne Hall seemed not so bright.

"Have you remembered everything?" Yu Shizhang raised his chin slightly, looked at the kneeling people, and whispered, "You should have a clear idea of ​​who belongs to whom."

Shen Zheng held the tablet in her hand, her eyes glided over the back of Prime Minister Cui's head, and she nodded slowly.

At this moment, she felt that human hearts were very strange, and she also felt that this court meeting was extremely boring.

She looked down at the Tongzhengshi who was still lying on the ground.

I couldn't help but wonder - what was the other person thinking when he hurried over?

Are you thinking about the people affected by the disaster and needing to report it in time to rescue the victims, or are you thinking... there will be another good show to watch today?

Just as she began to make malicious assumptions about others, the emperor finally took action.

Like Shen Zheng, he looked at the prostrate Tongzheng Envoy and asked, "Any further details?"

The Minister of Public Administration could finally hold his head high.

Recalling the postman's words, he trembled and said, "Your Majesty, the postman said that in Luoxia Village... only the low-lying areas on the west side are hot. The areas on the east side, close to the mountain, are normal. When there's no sun, the ground is as cool as usual and you can still walk barefoot on it."

It's clearly the same village, but half of it is scorching hot, and the other half is normal...

Such a strange situation made many officials feel scared.

Could it be that... what Bian Yuanli said was right?

The emperor's brow darkened, and he called to the envoy, "Continue."

The eyes of all the officials fell on the Tongzhengshi one after another, and cold sweat covered his forehead and his back was bent low. "Your Majesty, this is all we have..."

Ji Benchang let out a soft "tsk" when he heard that.

This little bit of information is really blinding.

Yue Zhenchuan quickly integrated the known information in his mind and stepped forward to ask, "Where's the postman? Did he say anything about any other unusual events in Hunyuan County before this? For example...an earthquake?"

The Tongzhengshi replied cautiously, "Your Excellency, the postman arrived in the capital exhausted and had a high fever. As for the earthquake..."

He thought about it carefully and finally shook his head: "He didn't mention it."

As his guess was not confirmed, Yue Zhenchuan frowned and stopped talking.

The hall fell into silence for a moment. Prime Minister Cui's eyes flickered slightly, and he stepped out with his tablet held high.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to send someone to Hunyuan County to investigate the truth and comfort the victims. As for the sacrifice Lord Bian mentioned, it can also be held, as long as... it does not interfere with the investigation."

After the words were spoken, the officials had different expressions.

Cui Xiang's words seemed to be neutral, proposing a "two-pronged" solution.

But what about reality?

While investigating and carrying out disaster relief, he also held sacrifices, which not only made it impossible for Yue Zhenchuan and others to find fault, but also confirmed Shen Zheng's name as a "disaster star", making it difficult for Shen Zheng to turn over.

In the final analysis, Cui Xiang and his party were clearly using the banner of "sacrifice" to exorcise evil spirits.

But neither the emperor nor Shen Zheng could allow them to succeed.

The emperor and his minister's eyes met in mid-air. The emperor nodded slightly and asked, "Lord Shen, what are your thoughts on the Hunyuan Dizhi incident?"

After praising the emperor for his "righteousness" in his heart, Shen Zheng stepped out.

"Your Majesty, I have a question that I would like to ask the Minister of Public Security."

The Tongzhengshi raised his head quickly, "Master Shen, please speak."

He didn't want to offend anyone in this hall.

Since then, I have told you everything I know, and I have said it all.

Shen Zheng asked, "Excuse me, sir. The postman said that only the low-lying areas on the west side of Luoxia Village were hot. Are you sure you heard that correctly?"

"this......"

The Tongzhengshi pondered for a moment, his brow tinged with determination. "I'm certain. The postman repeated three times before fainting that it was the low-lying areas that were hot. Luoxia Village is a large slope, getting lower and lower from east to west. And the lower it is, the hotter the ground is."

Shen Zheng laughed when he heard this. Under the gaze of all the officials, he lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, shouting: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Hunyuan Earth is a sign that God is blessing our Great Zhou!"

The emperor chose to believe her for no reason, with a slight smile on his face.

All the officials looked strange and talked a lot.

"Master Shen was frightened by the sacrifice and started talking nonsense?"

"The ground burning is a sign of a great disaster, how can we talk about God's protection?" Bian Yuanli, who was kneeling in front, turned around and snorted, "The people of Hunyuan have been displaced by the ground burning. I hope Lord Shen will not joke with the safety of the people!"

"Is this humble official joking about the safety of the people?" Shen Zheng was kneeling, but his back was frighteningly straight. "This humble official was just discussing the matter at hand, how could this be a joke? But you, Lord Bian, in just a few words, have falsely accused me of something I didn't even know. If we're talking about joking, who can compare to you, Lord? After all, this humble official is not familiar with you, and I don't want to joke with you!"

While speaking, she kept looking at Bian Yuanli with her chin, not giving him any face at all.

Ji Benchang's eyebrows flew up when he heard this, and he clapped and shouted: "Good!"

As expected, it’s Xiao Shen!

Hearing these words really makes people feel comfortable!

Lu Botang also shouted in praise, not even complaining: "Sir Shen, it's not easy to be a civil servant! Why don't you stop being a civil servant and come to our military side? I promise you, no one will dare to make fun of you! If anyone dares to, I will serve you with meat buns!"

After saying that, he raised his right hand and showed his "meat bun" to the civil servants.

Bian Yuanli got up in anger, looking at Shen Zheng for a while, then turned to look at Lu Botang.

For a moment, he didn't know which side to refute first.

"Have I allowed you to get up?"

The emperor's voice sounded softly in his ears. He gritted his teeth secretly, lifted his robe and knelt back.

Before he could speak, the emperor said, "Lord Shen, please stand up and speak. Just now you said that the Hunyuan Earthly Blasting was a blessing from heaven for our Great Zhou. Why is that?"

Shen Zheng rose as ordered, the hem of her scarlet robe brushing the brick surface as she spoke in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, the Hunyuan Earth Burning is not a strange phenomenon, nor is it a natural disaster. It is because beneath the Hunyuan Earth lies a precious treasure bestowed by heaven—black gold charcoal!"

"Black Gold Charcoal?!"

The three words exploded like thunder in the Golden Palace, and the copper bells on the eaves were shaken and rang loudly.

Yue Zhenchuan even walked directly to Shen Zheng's side and asked anxiously, "Master Shen, how did you determine that there is black gold charcoal under the Hunyuan ground?"

For today's Da Zhou, fuel is roughly divided into three types.

One is oil, two is charcoal, and three is coal, also known as coal.

The coal in the shallow underground layer is called "coarse charcoal". This kind of charcoal is gray in color, difficult to ignite, has weak flame and produces a lot of black smoke. It is often used for ordinary smelting and calcination.

If you dig deeper into the ground, you will find another type of coal that is even better quality.

This kind of coal is called "good charcoal for all kinds of work". It has a dense texture, a dark luster on the surface, is easy to ignite, and has a long-lasting flame. This kind of charcoal is often used for calcination and smelting in the East and West Workshops of the imperial court.

The "black gold charcoal" that Shen Zheng mentioned is the best quality coal known in the Great Zhou Dynasty.