The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

He Yue rode day and night. After returning to the capital, the court had not yet officially opened and the people of the capital were still immersed in the joy of the emperor's return.

In the evening, when the emperor was preparing to rest, Qiu Lin came to report that General He had returned and wanted to see the emperor for an important matter.

"Please come in." The emperor waved his hand, and the palace maid who was changing his clothes immediately withdrew.

"General He, weren't you planning to rest for two months? Why are you back before the month is even up? What's going on at the border?"

"Your Majesty, nothing unexpected has happened at the border, but this time when I went to Hezhou and was a guest at the home of Marquis Lu in Chongshui County, I suddenly encountered something." He then told the story of the appearance of the Chongshan people.

"Severe drought! How could this happen? Is God really warning me?" When the emperor heard the whole story, a look of doubt suddenly appeared on his face. During the time he returned to Beijing, the situation in the capital did not go as smoothly as he had planned.

Instead, there were many voices of opposition, especially from scholars. The issue they discussed most was how the emperor, a woman, could take on the responsibility of ruling the country, and that sooner or later a greater disaster would occur.

Some people even discussed privately that they wanted the emperor to abdicate and have King Huai's three-year-old son ascend the throne. This would be legitimate and would prove that the child born by a woman was not of royal blood.

"Your Majesty, how could this be a warning from Heaven? It is precisely Heaven's favor towards you. If it weren't for the Chongshan people who saw the secrets of Heaven, how could we have known about it in advance? Now that we know what might happen, as long as we take precautions, we can definitely minimize the impact of this incident.

Just as Miss Lu said, crisis is crisis, and opportunities are often hidden in danger. This is a natural disaster, and the court cannot cause man-made disasters. Therefore, you, the emperor, must cheer up, fight against the sky, fight against the earth, fight against people, and fight for the people.

This is a letter from Miss Lu to the Emperor. Please have a look at it first."

After He Yue finished speaking, the emperor's mood finally eased. She opened the letter and read it. Sure enough, what was said in the letter was exactly the same as what General He said, and there were also many things that General He didn't know. The emperor had lived in Xishan Village and knew the ability of the high priest. Since the high priest came from that tribe, their ability was unquestionable.

In the letter, Lu Linlang also briefly elaborated on her ideas on preventing natural disasters, and speculated that there might be natural disasters in the north, but not necessarily droughts. It could also be floods or earthworms, and judgment would need to be made based on the situation at that time.

Moreover, the imperial court needs to actively respond to what may happen, ensure the food security of the people, increase military forces for protection, and guard against Tatars and other suggestions.

"I'm being too stubborn. I shouldn't be upset by such a small slander. General He, you and my cousin are right. The most urgent task is to get all officials to work together to deal with any problems that may arise this year.

The will of the people is the goal of an emperor. As for those scholars, since they speak so boldly, they must have better ideas on how to govern the country. This year, I want to see how many of them can come up with any good ideas. If they are just talking big, there is no need to reuse such people in the future.

“General He, I still need your assistance. This is the token to leave the city. Take this token and go to the western suburbs camp tonight…” The emperor quickly adjusted his mood and began to make arrangements.

Not many people know that He Yue has returned to Beijing.

The next morning, the emperor summoned all officials to court. The officials had no idea what had happened and were still immersed in the joy of returning to the capital. They quickly dressed and went to the imperial city.

"My dear ministers, I learned yesterday that a highly respected great wizard predicted that a severe drought might occur this year. I am worried that natural disasters may also occur in other places. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with it?"

"Your Majesty, where did this rumor come from to mislead the people? How can a nameless barbarian predict the fate of a country? Doesn't it mean that some villain is secretly plotting to deceive Your Majesty? Your Majesty must not believe it." A minister stood up.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is truly alarmist. Where is the place that person predicted? If he is really that powerful, why not invite him to work at the Imperial Observatory? Since the Imperial Observatory couldn't observe any abnormal celestial phenomena, it can only mean that he is making it up. If the people hear this and panic, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

"This incident occurred in Chongshui County, Hezhou Prefecture. There have always been local priests responsible for annual sacrifices. The people of that tribe live deep in the mountains all year round and rarely come into contact with outsiders. I have also had contact with their priests. Don't you think even I can believe what you say?"

"It's not that we don't believe the emperor, but this is simply nonsense. If it gets out, the Tatars will take advantage of the situation and the people will become worried. Then the court will have done something wrong."

"It seems that you all don't believe it. I'm summoning the director of the Imperial Observatory to court." The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at the ministers below.

The director of the Imperial Observatory was soon summoned. When he heard what the emperor asked, he began to give ambiguous answers. He neither objected to what the emperor heard nor agreed with what the officials said. He just said that everything was possible.

"If a natural disaster really happens this summer and causes people to suffer, how will you apologize? How can your apology redeem the lives of those who died because of your stubbornness?

It's better to believe it than not. Regarding this matter, I understand their capabilities better than you do. What I want today is for you, my dear ministers, to come up with ways to prevent natural disasters, not to deny them here. Furthermore, I will continue to send people to verify. If you still don't believe it, then please come forward. Those who come forward will bear the responsibility if it happens."

"Your Majesty, you are forcing us to death. How can natural disasters be prevented? Natural disasters are not man-made, and there are no rules to follow. All we can do is to provide disaster relief and rescue people after a natural disaster occurs, but we dare not shamelessly propose countermeasures."

"Are all my courtiers a bunch of flatterers and sycophants with no real work to do? Where is General He? You've surrounded the main hall. I want to see if you're all just good-for-nothings. If you are, then the Spring Examination is just around the corner. I'll select other talented and ambitious people."

After the emperor finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left, leaving only a group of ministers looking at each other in bewilderment and the soldiers led by General He. They surrounded the hall so tightly that not even a fly could fly out. Then, the palace servants took out pens, ink, paper, inkstones, tables and stools, and asked the ministers present to start writing.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, what do you think we should do?" The ministers panicked when they saw that the emperor was furious and was in a posture that no one who could not write today would be allowed to leave. They looked at the Prime Minister who was calm and composed beside them.

"The Emperor has already made a decision on this matter. Do you really want to be the first minister to be expelled by the Emperor?"

Everyone looked at each other. It was already noon, but General He and the soldiers still didn't move. The palace servants even brought in braziers to warm the hall.

"Write it. We have read books of sages for many years and have even passed the imperial examination. Could it be that we really don't know anything?" Someone said this, and the others sighed and began to think.

For a moment, the only sound in the hall was the sound of writing brushes.