"Is the impact of this snow disaster so huge? Have all the victims rushed to the capital? The situation seems to be very serious. Sirs, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and order the city gates to be opened, let the victims enter the city for resettlement, and provide relief as soon as possible." The Ministry of Rites Shangshu Zhang Sheng shook his gray beard and said.
"Yes, these people must have walked all night to get to the capital. We must let them enter the city quickly. I am afraid they will be hungry and cold and unable to survive this night. They must go to the city and resettle them, and provide relief and accommodation immediately." Shi Daishan, the censor of Zuodu, nodded in agreement.
Li Dongyang, the cabinet scholar, frowned and asked: "Sir, have the relief arrangements in the city been properly arranged? With so many people coming to the city, you must be prepared."
Zhong Zhong shouted: "I don't have any people, food or materials, so what kind of relief can I get? Yesterday I was able to settle the victims in the city, and now so many people are coming, I have to make preparations."
"Sir, the imperial court has entrusted you with the important responsibility of providing relief, but you have not done your best. This is not good." Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, said in a deep voice.
"Master Liu, please don't talk nonsense. I was busy all day yesterday and my back hurt when I came home at night. It was difficult to arrange the victims. How can you, Master Liu, stand and talk without backache?" Zhong Zhong said angrily. .
The lean-looking Liu Daxia looked at Zhong Zhong and suddenly laughed out loud.
"Master Liu, what's so funny?" Zhong Zhong was even more angry.
Liu Daxia chuckled and said: "Sir, how come I heard that you didn't do anything yesterday? The porridge shed in Yongding Gate was set up by Zhang Yanling, Marquis of Jianchang, and three young men from Duke Yingfu of Dingguo Palace and Chengguo Palace. The Duke, together with the Marquis of Jianchang, obtained manpower and materials and built more than two hundred shacks, and then resettled thousands of victims in Yongding Gate. Could it be that they did this after your orders? When did Sir Ji say that? To be able to command and mobilize three Dukes and the Marquis of Jianchang? That is really amazing."
Ji Zhong's face suddenly turned pale. Liu Daxia exposed his lies in public, leaving him at a loss of how to respond. He was very angry.
"What? Is there such a thing?"
"Did Marquis Jianchang go to provide relief? Were they the ones who arranged relief for the victims in Yongding Gate?"
All the officials were also shocked.
Liu Daxia sneered and said: "I'm still lying? I heard what Commander Jin Yiwei Mou said. I guess the emperor also knows. Now it's okay, everyone knows that our outer court is not doing enough to provide relief. Master Ji is still hiding this matter. , I thought others didn’t know.”
"Hehehe, okay, okay. This is really interesting. Someone else got in on it." Xie Qian laughed. He said yes, but in fact he was swearing.
Ji Zhong blushed and said loudly: "They came to interfere with the relief work. This matter must be investigated. How can I do anything when everyone comes to get in the way?"
Everyone looked at him as if they were a fool. These words were very shameless. Not to mention that relief was an act of kindness, but in fact anyone could do it. Not only Zhang Yanling and the others could do it, but the monks and Taoists in the temple could also provide relief. It’s time to give out porridge. If Zhong Zhong said this, it would be an unreasonable statement.
Li Dongyang waved his hands and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, let's put this matter aside for now. No matter who provides relief, as long as the victims are resettled, it is a good thing. Your Excellency, the relief of the victims must be accelerated and properly resettled, otherwise something big will happen. This disaster It has exceeded our expectations. From now on, all government offices will fully support you in relieving the victims. If you need people, give materials, and if you need food, you must give food. You must not delay and neglect it any longer. Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous. Once the people freeze Starving to death, or causing chaos due to ineffective relief, one can imagine what the consequences will be. Mr. Shi, we are very passive now and can no longer take it lightly."
Zhong Zhong sneered and said: "Okay, okay, I finally understand. Are you all putting the blame on me now? Are you trying to find a scapegoat? Don't even think about it. Is relief something that I am responsible for alone?"
Li Dongyang frowned and shouted: "Sir, what are you talking about? It's not the time to hold people accountable yet, now is the time to do things quickly. Other matters will be decided by themselves, and no one will use you as a scapegoat."
Zhong Zhong sneered and said: "Don't pretend that I can't hear it. You all seem to be blaming me for my inability to provide relief. You want to blame me for my poor relief. Don't I know you? You want to get involved in anything good, and you will get into trouble if something goes wrong."
When everyone looked at it, Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, stood up with an angry face. Liu Jian was the chief minister of the cabinet. The chief minister of the Ming Dynasty was basically equivalent to the position of prime minister. Although there was no prime minister in name, the cabinet had already overridden him.
Above the six departments, it belongs to the highest decision-making body of the outer court. Liu Jian usually doesn't speak much, but when he does speak, he is extremely authoritative.
"Sir, is this the time to talk about these things? I'm afraid you don't know the seriousness of this matter. The disaster is already very serious. The victims have flocked to the capital. Yesterday, you downplayed the disaster when you reported it, which resulted in
You made a mistake in decision-making. The situation is so serious now, and you are still defending yourself. Even your relatives have come to our head, are you still not awake?" Liu Jian shouted loudly.
Zhong Zhong hesitated while rubbing his hands, feeling dissatisfied, but he did not dare to argue openly with Liu Jian.
"What Dongyang said is true. From now on, all yamen must cooperate with the relief work. According to Liu Shangshu, except for the victims in Yongding Gate who were resettled last night, the victims in other places may not be resettled.
People must have froze to death last night. All the Marquis of Jianchang ran to help, how could the emperor not know? They will definitely report the situation to the emperor. It is still unknown what the consequences of this incident will be. What needs to be done now
It's just a remedy, remedy it immediately." Liu Jian rapped the table with his skinny knuckles and said loudly.
All the officials nodded one after another. It was useless to say anything at the moment. Quick remediation was the only way to go.
"Master Chief Minister, what should we do with the victims outside the city? Should we let them in?" Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, asked in a deep voice.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Liu Jian's dark face. As the chief assistant, he had to make a decision.
"We can't let them in for the time being. There are tens of thousands of victims, and they can't be resettled in the city at the moment. Your Majesty is not ready yet. If we let them in now, the city will be in chaos. If something happens, who can take care of it? The victims in the city will be accommodated in the city, and they will come from outside."
The victims must be resettled outside the city. First, ensure that there is no chaos in the capital, and then we can talk about other things." Liu Jian said solemnly.
Everyone was silent. If the victims were not allowed to enter the city, it would mean that the victims who had been struggling in the cold and hunger all night outside the city would not be able to receive timely relief. That would definitely lead to death. But Liu Jian was right, once they were let in, the victims would not be able to receive timely relief.
If the ministry's relief measures fail to keep up, chaos will inevitably occur. If the victims get into chaos, the consequences will be terrible. That would be much more serious than the death of a few victims.
However, such a decision also carries risks. If the victims freeze to death outside the city, they will definitely be held accountable.
"I agree with Liu Shoufu's opinion. They cannot be let in. Quickly resettle the victims in the city, and then concentrate on resettling the victims outside the city." Li Dongyang said in a deep voice.
"I agree too." Xie Qian said solemnly.
The three cabinet ministers all expressed their opinions, and other officials also nodded in agreement.
Liu Daxia frowned and said: "But before that, are tens of thousands of victims allowed to stand outside the city in the ice, snow and cold wind? People will die."
Liu Jian said in a deep voice: "Then what should I do, Mr. Liu? You are the Minister of the Ministry of War. Tell me, if we allow the victims to enter the city, are you sure that there will be no chaos in the capital? Can you restrain these victims? If they
When chaos breaks out and people are looting and harassing people everywhere, how do you, the Ministry of War, deal with it? To kill or not to kill? If you take action to suppress it, will the number of people who die be more or less than those who freeze to death outside the city? Will the impact be greater or less?"
Faced with Liu Jian's repeated questioning, Liu Daxia remained silent. Indeed, if the victims were allowed to enter the city and no response was taken, chaos would definitely occur. At that time, only forceful measures could be used, and the consequences would be immeasurable.
.More importantly, when chaos breaks out in the capital, it will not just be as simple as killing a few people.
"It's the lesser of two evils. We also want to save the people, but we can only do it step by step." Li Dongyang said softly.
Everyone fell into silence, and there seemed to be no other solution.
The court bell rang in the distance, and it was time to go to court. Liu Jian breathed a sigh of relief and said: "If there is no objection, then go to court. Let's report to the Holy One with the same tone. Don't talk nonsense at this time."
Everyone nodded, got up and went out of the court room to attend court. Ji Zhong followed the people out, but Liu Jian pulled him aside.
"Sir, I suggest that you don't go to court today and do something quickly. When you go to court today, the emperor will ask you something, and it's hard for you to respond. It's better to avoid it. I will tell the emperor that you are directing the relief work.
The emperor should not blame you."
Zhong Zhong nodded in agreement, knowing in his heart that Liu Jian still considered himself. The emperor knew more about the situation than he did. He must be punished at the meeting today, so he might as well go and make amends for his mistakes and get to work quickly.