Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 178 The Second Year of the Chuigong Era, marked by frequent auspicious omens, and the "Appearance of the Holy Mother, Prosperous Imperial Cause."

The first year of the Chuigong era passed quietly as Li Xian returned to Fangzhou.

Although the Guanzhong Plain was plagued by famine due to drought, the people of Chang'an were able to barely survive thanks to the availability of cotton.

Li Xian felt deeply saddened and wanted to do more.

But Liu Jianjun acted like a god sitting high on a cloud, coldly looking down on all living beings, saying: "This is the limit of what we can do now. Human power has its limits. Having excessive empathy for things beyond our ability is just asking for trouble."

Although Li Xian still felt that Liu Jianjun's words made sense, he did not agree with Liu Jianjun's statement.

He instructed everyone in the Prince's Palace to cut back on food and clothing, and to use the saved money and grain to fund soup kitchens.

Liu Jianjun had no objection, only saying that this was a drop in the ocean. If people were to not go hungry, saving money alone would not be enough. The key was to vigorously develop productivity and increase revenue.

They also talked a lot about beans, rice, and hybrids.

Li Xian didn't understand, nor did he care.

Do not refrain from doing good deeds just because they are small; every little bit saved counts.

But things never seem to go as planned, and fate doesn't always cooperate.

In the second year of the Chuigong era, Liu Jianjun, as usual, began planting cotton on the land in the South Courtyard. After a year of training, the Kunlun slaves had become experts in cotton cultivation. As soon as the new cotton seeds arrived at the Prince of Pei's residence, they spontaneously began planting cotton without waiting for Liu Jianjun's urging.

Liu Jianjun no longer had a reason to bring down his whip.

For some reason, Li Xian felt that Liu Jianjun's expression seemed somewhat disappointed.

He seemed to prefer that these Kunlun slaves would secretly slack off so he could whip them.

With the Kunlun slaves able to cultivate cotton consciously and efficiently, Aisha's grandfather, Adil, the old merchant from the Tang Dynasty named Bai Yuanli, was able to relax.

Bai Yuanli had long known about the relationship between Aisha and Liu Jianjun, but he pretended not to know and still respected Liu Jianjun as the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace.

These days, it's perfectly normal for high-ranking officials and wealthy people to keep a female orchid in their homes. Given Liu Jianjun's status, Aisha is considered to be marrying above her station.

Moreover, Liu Jianjun did not treat him with any arrogance. Instead, he regarded him as an ordinary elder and called him "Old Bai" whenever he spoke to him, which made Bai Yuanli very happy.

On such a leisurely day, as Li Xian was accompanying Liu Jianjun in forcibly "urging" the Kunlun slaves to plant cotton, he suddenly felt a slight tremor under his feet.

Many Kunlun slaves in the distance even swayed a few times.

Li Xian immediately sensed something was wrong and stood up straight: "This is..."

Liu Jianjun's expression also changed. He grabbed a nearby tree for support and blurted out, "Holy crap, an earthquake?!"

Before the words were finished, an even stronger tremor struck, like a giant beast turning over.

The entire earth shook violently, the buildings of the Prince Pei's mansion trembled violently, and the beams and pillars creaked eerily. In the south courtyard, the Kunlun slaves who had been working efficiently just moments before were now in complete chaos. Terrified screams and incomprehensible shouts mingled together. They dropped their tools and fled in all directions like headless flies. Some knelt down and kowtowed, while others huddled together in a ball.

"Hold on! Don't run around! Find an open space and lie down!" Liu Jianjun shouted with all his might, and the Kunlun slaves quieted down a little.

Li Xian's expression changed, and he instinctively ran towards the inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.

There, the embroiderer was taking care of her baby girl, who was not yet a year old, as well as Guangshun and Changxin.

Fortunately, the earth-shattering event didn't last long, only a few dozen breaths before it gradually subsided into aftershocks. However, the dust and panic that filled the air lingered for a long time.

"Quickly! Take a headcount! Check for injuries!" Liu Jianjun shouted the order immediately. "Prioritize personnel safety!"

He then shouted to the guards on duty, "You guys over there, hurry up and go check on the princess and the others!"

They had clearly noticed Li Xian's panic earlier.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xian had already rushed into the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion like an arrow released from a bow. His heart was pounding in his throat. In that instant, all he could think about was the embroiderer and the children.

He rushed towards the inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, passing through a messy courtyard, and around overturned bonsai and scattered tiles. Li Xian practically burst through the inner courtyard gate.

The embroiderer was standing in the center of the courtyard, her face pale, holding her crying daughter. She was being supported by several maids, while Zhang and the wet nurse were comforting her, still shaken.

Fortunately, the buildings in the inner courtyard were relatively sturdy, and only a little dust was shaken off; everyone was safe and sound.

"Your Highness!" When the embroiderer saw Li Xian, her eyes reddened, and the panic she had been suppressing finally showed.

Li Xian quickly stepped forward, took his youngest daughter, and carefully examined her. Seeing that the little one was crying from fright but not injured, he breathed a long sigh of relief and hugged his wife and daughter tightly: "It's alright, it's alright, I'm here."

After a brief reassurance, Li Xian's heart immediately tightened again.

If the Prince's mansion is in such a state, what kind of miserable state must the entire Chang'an be in?

He handed his daughter back to the embroiderer and said in a deep voice, "You two stay in the open space in the courtyard for now. Be careful of aftershocks. There may be a major change outside the mansion. I need to go out and deal with it immediately."

Although the embroiderer was worried, she knew that the overall situation was more important, so she nodded and said, "Your Highness, please be careful."

Li Xian hurried back to the front yard, where Liu Jianjun had already organized people to clear the road and was pacing anxiously. Upon seeing him return, he immediately went to greet him.

"Are your sisters-in-law all alright?"

"Fortunately, everyone is safe and sound," Li Xian replied briefly.

Liu Jianjun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The servants in the manor have just reported the initial situation: many walls in the manor are cracked, several rooms are damaged to varying degrees, and an old warehouse in the back garden that used to store miscellaneous items has completely collapsed."

Fortunately, since most people were outdoors or in open areas when the earthquake struck, only a few people have been found to have been injured by falling tiles, and none of them are in life-threatening condition.

Li Xian nodded and asked, "What about inside Chang'an City?"

Liu Jianjun shook his head: "News doesn't travel that fast. The government is probably still investigating. Besides, comforting people after the earthquake and investigating the epicenter are all troublesome matters... I have already sent people to the Jingzhao Prefecture and Yongzhou Prefecture to inquire about the epicenter and what the court's response is."

He paused, his expression grave: "This commotion is too great, it's definitely not a minor earthquake, Xianzi, we have to prepare for the worst."

Li Xian was taken aback: "The worst-case scenario?"

"With such a strong earthquake, will Luoyang send someone over...? If they do, it won't be an ordinary official. Such a disaster will definitely shake both capitals. The Empress Dowager will surely send her trusted ministers, ostensibly to assist in disaster relief, but in reality... to monitor the local area, especially to monitor you, the Prince of Pei, who is in Chang'an!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian felt a chill run down his spine.

Liu Jianjun continued, "In any case, we should keep a low profile for now, at least until we get confirmation from Luoyang."

Li Xian pursed his lips. His subconscious action just now was to open all the treasuries and take out all the medicinal herbs, cloth, grain and other supplies to provide disaster relief. He even planned to contact Su Liangsi and cooperate with the government to distribute grain for disaster relief.

After all, the profits from cotton were still coming in steadily, and there was still some surplus grain in the official granaries.

But Liu Jianjun's words were like a bucket of cold water, waking him up.

Yes, Mother... How will the Empress Dowager view my actions of "winning people's hearts" in Chang'an?

Especially during such a major disaster, any act of kindness that goes too far may be misinterpreted as having ulterior motives.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his urge to rush into disaster relief: "I understand."

Liu Jianjun seemed to see through his thoughts, sighed, and said, "Let's do a good job of treating and comforting people inside the manor first. The injured servants should be treated properly, and the damaged houses should be repaired as soon as possible to ensure that everyone in the manor is safe and sound."

"Let's wait and see about external developments for now."

……

Two days later, the preliminary investigation results were submitted.

The epicenter was not in Chang'an, but in Xinfeng County, more than 60 miles away from the capital.

When the news arrived, the first reaction in Chang'an was relief—relief that the disaster had mainly struck elsewhere. This was followed by sighs and reflections, lamenting the severity of the damage in Xinfeng and marveling at the earth's immense power, which had caused noticeable tremors in Chang'an even sixty miles away. Liu Jianjun said, "That's human nature. When disaster strikes, as long as it doesn't directly hit you, your first thought is always relief."

Li Xian listened in silence, but he couldn't be as detached as Liu Jianjun.

He could almost see the scene of earthquakes shaking Xinfeng County, houses collapsing, and people wailing. Sixty li was not far; it would only take half a day to reach the place at a fast horse. The devastation there was unimaginable.

Sure enough, sporadic news that followed confirmed their suspicions.

Xinfeng and its surrounding villages and towns suffered extremely severe damage. Official roads were blocked, three or four out of ten houses were destroyed, and casualties were heavy. To make matters worse, the earthquake also appears to have triggered landslides, blocking rivers and forming dangerous barrier lakes that could burst at any time and flood downstream villages.

However, in stark contrast to this tragic disaster was the eerie silence from the imperial court in Luoyang, and the strange and supernatural tales that gradually began to circulate among the people of Chang'an.

At first, there were just vague whispers, saying that during the earthquake, they saw golden light emerging from the ground and ethereal music playing. Gradually, the rumors began to become more detailed and credible.

Some even confidently asserted that during this earthquake, mountains emerged from the ground in Xinfeng County, and there were strange phenomena such as a phoenix rising from the ashes on the ruins.

But in reality, it's just that during an earthquake, the land is compressed into one place, and a mound of earth emerges.

These rumors spread like a plague among the still-shaken crowd, subtly diverting attention from the disaster itself and the mourning for the dead, steer a tragedy in an absurd and bizarre direction.

When Liu Jianjun heard these rumors, his face immediately turned extremely ugly.

"Damn it, Xianzi, we don't need to keep a low profile anymore. No one from Luoyang will be coming."

Li Xian was puzzled and asked, "Why?"

“Because… the earthquake in Xinfeng is not a disaster, but an auspicious omen.” Liu Jianjun’s eyes turned icy cold.

Liu Jianjun's words shocked Li Xian. He looked at Liu Jianjun in disbelief: "An auspicious omen? The earth shook and people were killed and injured. How can this be an auspicious omen?"

“Because in the eyes of some people, the lives of ordinary people are not important; what matters is ‘divine will’,” Liu Jianjun said, pointing coldly toward Luoyang.

"Just you wait and see, the official 'good news' will come soon. They're calling this earthquake an auspicious sign, so it 'must' be an auspicious sign."

"In this way, the disaster in Xinfeng was classified as not a catastrophe, but an inevitable disturbance when an auspicious omen appeared. The court naturally did not need to send important officials to provide disaster relief in a grand manner, nor would it allow you and me to over-show in Chang'an and steal the limelight from the auspicious sign."

Li Xian felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart, even more intense than the fear he felt during the earthquake.

He understood Liu Jianjun's meaning: this was not merely a disregard for the disaster, but a meticulously planned political performance to cover up the tragic reality with illusory "auspicious omens" and thereby consolidate power.

The Empress Dowager... has truly gone mad.

……

Sure enough, a few days later, the official report from Luoyang did not prioritize disaster relief. Instead, it first issued a decree from the Empress Dowager expressing "concern" about the earthquake in Guanzhong, but the details were vague.

Immediately afterwards, various rumors about auspicious omens in Xinfeng began to spread semi-publicly through official channels.

Initially, it was said that a woodcutter saw rays of light in the mountains of Xinfeng after the earthquake, and that a phoenix's shadowy figure circled around. Then, rumors spread that sweet springs gushed forth in Xinfeng after the earthquake, and that the injured would be healed after drinking from them. The rumors became more and more bizarre and more and more specific.

Finally, even the mound of earth that emerged from the ground in Xinfeng was renamed Qingshan, meaning "auspicious mountain".

Consequently, the entire Xinfeng County was renamed Qingshan County.

Behind this auspicious festivities lies a real human tragedy in Xinfeng and the surrounding areas.

Roads leading to the disaster area were blocked by the government under the pretext of "clearing obstacles" and "preventing the spread of disease," allowing only a small number of officials to enter and exit. External supplies and personnel could not get in, and the true extent of the disaster was strictly controlled.

Li Xian was extremely anxious. He tried to find out the truth through Su Liangsi and other officials he still had contact with, and tried to raise some supplies, but he was gently dissuaded.

Su Liangsi secretly conveyed a message that Luoyang was paying close attention to this matter, and that any action taken by anyone against Xinfeng at this moment could be interpreted as "questioning the will of Heaven" and bring unnecessary trouble.

Absurd, utterly absurd.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch the disaster victims fend for themselves?" Li Xian paced anxiously in the palace, feeling a deep sense of unease.

Liu Jianjun remained relatively calm, but his eyes were filled with helplessness and anger: "A head-on confrontation won't work now, but we can do something less obvious."

"Wasn't Elder Bai a merchant from the Hu region before? Have Elder Bai contact some Hu merchants and, under the guise of traveling merchants, detour to the disaster area and send in small quantities of the most urgently needed medicinal herbs and salt. The quantity should not be large, and the operation should be discreet."

"In addition, there must be refugees in Chang'an City who have fled here. We can set up a few inconspicuous soup kitchens outside the city, without making a fuss, just saying that it is a routine charity from the Prince's Mansion, and we will save as many as we can."

Li Xian knew this was the only thing he could do at the moment, so he could only nod heavily.

So while Luoyang was loudly proclaiming the auspicious signs, the Prince of Pei's residence was quietly and cautiously carrying out humanitarian aid in Chang'an and its surrounding areas.

This stark contrast made Li Xian feel extremely depressed and ironic.

……

Although Liu Jianjun verbally described the strategy as "not obvious," he demonstrated an efficiency and meticulousness in execution that exceeded Li Xian's expectations.

This seemingly carefree young man, once he decided to take action, displayed a level of decisiveness and resource allocation that astonished even Li Xian.

He first sought out Bai Yuanli, and without beating around the bush, laid his cards on the table: "Old Bai, you've traveled all over the country, so you should know the situation in Xinfeng. The government's connections are blocked, but people can't just starve or die of illness."

"We need to find a way to let some of the money we make from the cotton business slip through our fingers."

Bai Yuanli, clearly eager to curry favor with Liu Jianjun, immediately agreed: "Rest assured, Chief Secretary, I know what's important. The foreign merchants' caravan has its own connections; they won't take the official roads, but will instead take a longer route with scattered goods, so they won't attract attention. It's just that these supplies..."

"Grain, medicine, and salt—prioritize practicality." Liu Jianjun was well-prepared. "The Wangfu treasury has some grain stored up from the cotton profits. I'll allocate some more cash. Find a trustworthy merchant to purchase it in batches and mix it with ordinary goods for transport. Remember, better to be slow than fast, better to have less than more, and safety first."

"I understand," Bai Yuanli replied solemnly.

Then, looking hesitant, he asked in a low voice, "Chief Secretary, Aisha... she also wants to do her part. Could you ask her to help coordinate with the women in the household to quickly make some simple wound cloths and cotton pads?"

Liu Jianjun gave him a deep look, and finally nodded: "Okay, let her go to the Princess Consort, under the pretext of the Prince's Mansion comforting the servants affected by the disaster, and keep it low-key."

At the same time, Liu Jianjun designed a more systematic relief plan for the disaster victims who might flow into Chang'an City from outside the city.

Instead of setting up a large tent at the city gate, which would be too conspicuous, he chose several abandoned temples and dilapidated post stations outside the city as temporary distribution points.

"We can't keep it in one place. Today we might put out porridge in the temple on the east side for half a day, and tomorrow we might move it to the pavilion on the west side. People who come to collect the porridge can't gather in groups. They have to take it and leave, and disperse."

He even created bamboo sticks similar to "serial numbers," which were distributed by some teenagers. People who received the sticks did so in order to avoid chaos and scrambling.

The food for the soup kitchens also came from the profits of the cotton business. Liu Jianjun did not use the already tight regular expenses of the Prince's Mansion, but instead allocated it directly from the special cotton fund. This may have resulted in less surplus food for drought relief, but Liu Jianjun said: "Who cares? It's a natural disaster, so of course we should prioritize the most urgent needs."

Then, half-jokingly, he said, "Maybe the drought will end after this year?"

……

Li Xian watched Liu Jianjun methodically arrange everything, his heart filled with complex emotions.

In contrast, the propaganda about "auspicious signs at Qingshan" in Luoyang became increasingly rampant. In April of the second year of the Chuigong era, when the wounds of the Xinfeng disaster area had not yet been healed and the people were still struggling in hardship, an even more earth-shattering piece of news came from Luoyang.

Reports indicate that a fisherman retrieved an ancient stele while fishing in the Luo River.

This stele is neither stone nor jade, but has a unique texture. It is engraved with eight large ancient seal characters, which, after being identified by learned scholars in the court, read "The Holy Mother descends upon the people, and the imperial enterprise will be prosperous forever!"

The unveiling of this stele caused a sensation in Luoyang, and the news spread throughout the land at lightning speed.

"May the Holy Mother descend upon the people, and may the imperial dynasty prosper forever!"

These eight words struck like a thunderclap in the minds of those with a keen political sense.

……

(End of this chapter)