The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 42 The Great Earthquake of Apocalypse

The earthquake was felt, with a magnitude of at least 3.

As Zhu Ming felt the tremors of the earthquake, a thought flashed through his mind.

During the earthquake, chaos erupted in the palace. Civil officials stumbled about, some lying on the ground too afraid to move, while others clung tightly to the palace pillars, their faces ashen.

The military officers fared slightly better, managing to maintain their balance in a horse stance, but they were all ashen-faced.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" Wei Zhongxian shouted shrilly, his body already half-lowered, whether from kneeling or being shaken to the ground, it was unclear.

Zhu Ming immediately steadied himself and signaled to Wei Zhongxian not to worry.

His gaze then swept over those who were lying down, hiding, shouting, and crying in the hall.

These are his civil and military officials.

Boom—

The second wave of tremors was even stronger than the first.

The caisson ceiling creaked, and dust fell in clumps, making it seem as if the entire hall was about to collapse at any moment.

The earthquake was at least magnitude 4!

Some people began to cry out, "The world has changed! The world has changed!"

"Your Majesty! Please move your carriage!" Wei Zhongxian urged anxiously.

Zhu Ming did not answer.

Within minutes, the tremors in the hall went from violent to mild, and from mild to silent.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

"Your Majesty, this is a celestial anomaly, a warning from Heaven!" an official shouted in a panic as soon as the earthquake stopped.

"Your Majesty! Please rescind the decree to establish the Ministry of Agriculture, as a sign to Heaven!" The Donglin Party seized upon the shocking earthquake and began to exert their influence.

"His Majesty…."

The same words echoed one after another, a stark contrast to Gang's earlier wailing and crying.

"My dear ministers, do not panic!"

Zhu Ming waved his hand, glanced at the civil and military officials lying prostrate on the ground, and then said to Gao Yongshou beside him, "Gao Yongshou, go and see if the Empress is alright!"

"Yes!" Gao Yongshou steadied himself and immediately ran away.

"Eunuch Wei! Go and check on Consort Ren!" Zhu Ming instructed.

"Yes, but Your Majesty's health... is Your Majesty unharmed?" Wei Zhongxian asked worriedly, without taking immediate action.

"Go quickly! If anything happens to my Consort and Prince, I will hold you responsible!" Zhu Mingyi said after glancing at him.

"Yes! This old servant obeys the decree!" Wei Zhongxian immediately accepted the order and left, scrambling and crawling away.

Wei Zhongxian understood that this was a crucial moment in the court assembly, and the sudden earthquake had disrupted the proceedings.

Zhu Ming was focused on maintaining order in the court and had no time to deal with matters in the harem.

But Zhu Ming also understood that the Empress and the others would be worried about such a major earthquake.

Therefore, Gao Yongshou was sent to Kunning Palace to check on the Empress's condition, while Wei Zhongxian was sent to check on Consort Ren.

After all, Consort Ren was his nominal adopted daughter, and Prince Zhu Cijiong was not yet one year old. He couldn't afford to be frightened by the earthquake at this time.

"Summon the Director of the Imperial Observatory!" Zhu Ming said immediately after watching Wei Zhongxian leave. "I need to know where the earthquake occurred!"

As a time traveler, Zhu Ming knew exactly where the earthquake had occurred.

But we need someone who can quickly transform this information into tangible news.

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was the best candidate.

The officials in the palace were still whispering among themselves, some muttering about "divine retribution," while others secretly observed Zhu Ming's expression.

Outside the hall, the sound of hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone is waiting.

We await news from the Imperial Observatory and Zhu Ming's decision.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ming was already rapidly calculating in his mind that the Tianqi earthquake had occurred in the Lingqiu area of ​​Shanxi, with a magnitude of no less than 7.

Therefore, disaster relief, aid, appeasement, reconstruction... none of these can do without money, and none of these can do without manpower.

The Ministry of Revenue had just been asked for 500,000 taels of silver by Yuan Chonghuan, and now it had to spend more money.

Zhu Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

This matter is not that simple.

The capital city, the Imperial Observatory.

"An earthquake! It really happened in the southwest!"

Zhou Ziyu, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, looked at the seismograph in front of him, and saw a bead falling into the mouth of a bronze toad in the southwest direction. His face was filled with shock.

It wasn't because of an earthquake, but because Zhu Ming had told him not long ago that there might be an earthquake in June, roughly in the southwest direction.

Then he rummaged through his body and pulled out a piece of yellow paper with four characters written on it: Lingqiu, Shanxi.

Zhou Ziyu counted on his fingers, and based on the tremors, sounds, and the results of the divination, he muttered to himself, "Datong, Shanxi...Lingqiu County."

"Your Majesty is incredibly insightful, or perhaps..."

Zhou Ziyu dared not think too much, nor did he dare to hesitate.

He put away the yellow paper, straightened his clothes, and said in a deep voice to the clerk beside him, "Let's go to the palace!"

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City.

Because of the earthquake, Zhu Ming had already arranged for relevant personnel to prepare while he was waiting. Now, only officials from the military cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue remained in the main hall.

About half an hour later, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Zhou Ziyu has arrived.

When he was led into the hall, many of the remaining civil officials were still trembling, their official robes covered in dust, looking quite disheveled.

I don't know if it was because of the earthquake or Zhu Ming's terrifying deterrent power.

Before these officials could spread the word about the "celestial upheaval," Zhu Ming simply ignored it.

He also arranged for the Ministry of War to prepare troops and notified the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi to prepare for disaster relief.

"Your subject, Zhou Ziyu, Director of the Imperial Observatory, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Zhou Ziyu strode into the hall, bowed, and his voice trembled with a hint of sadness.

"Rise and speak," Zhu Ming said, raising his hand. "I ask you, where did the earthquake occur?"

"Your Majesty," Zhou Ziyu said, taking a deep breath, "I used the seismograph to measure the earthquake and also deduced it using celestial divination numbers. The earthquake is in the southwest direction, in the area of ​​Lingqiu County, Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Province."

"The tremors were intense... I dare to conclude that there may be collapsed buildings and casualties; surrounding towns may also be affected. I implore Your Majesty to immediately carry out disaster relief efforts and rescue the people from this dire situation!"

Another commotion erupted in the hall.

Lingqiu, Shanxi.

Such accurate positioning! When did the Imperial Observatory become so powerful?

Before anyone could react...

Zhu Ming nodded, his expression unchanged, and asked, "Supervisor Zhou, I have a question: was this earthquake a celestial anomaly, or something else?"

Zhou Ziyu was taken aback, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

That's a tricky question.

They said the heavens were changing, that was a warning from heaven, which the Donglin Party used as a weapon to abolish the Ministry of Agriculture, cancel the new policies, and so on.

It is said to be a natural phenomenon, unrelated to human affairs, but since ancient times, which Imperial Astronomical Bureau official has not described earthquakes as "celestial changes"?

"Your Majesty, I believe," Zhou Ziyu gritted his teeth, "that the earthquake was caused by an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and has nothing to do with human affairs. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have revered Heaven and followed the example of your ancestors, and cherished the people. This is a virtue that will last for generations. The earthquake was simply a coincidence, and should not be attributed to divine retribution."

The hall fell silent.

The faces of the Donglin Party members darkened – Zhou Ziyu, who is usually so timid, why is he so assertive today?

"Well said," Zhu Ming said, quite satisfied with the answer. He then continued solemnly, "Gentlemen, the sky over the Ming Dynasty won't fall. Even if it does, I will hold it up. But if anyone tries to use this upheaval as an excuse to overturn the very foundation I've laid out!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the few Donglin Party members who had been shouting the loudest earlier.

"I don't care who he is, I'll just flip it over."

The hall was completely silent.

The civil officials who originally wanted to take the opportunity to cause trouble had their voices suppressed by the Da Ming Daily after experiencing such a shocking event as the Tianqi Explosion.

Now another major earthquake has struck, and the Tianqi Emperor was thinking that this time he couldn't let the Ming Daily suppress him again, so he secretly prepared a remonstrance regarding the "celestial anomaly".

Unexpectedly, Zhu Ming's few words immediately dissuaded the Imperial Observatory from pursuing their plans.

It seems that Zhu Ming had foreseen the natural disaster and then worked with the Imperial Observatory.

At this moment, Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty is wise! In my opinion, there are three urgent matters: First, officials should be dispatched to Lingqiu immediately to investigate the disaster and open the granaries for relief; second, the Ministry of Works should be ordered to prepare timber and bricks to assist in the reconstruction; and third, the Governor of Shanxi should be ordered to inspect dangerous houses in various places to prevent future disasters."

Zhu Ming glanced at him and nodded.

"Approved! The Ministry of Revenue will take the lead on these three matters, with the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War assisting. I want to see a plan by noon tomorrow."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Guo Yunhou said.

"A separate decree will be issued."

Everyone in the hall bowed down at the same time.

"First, order the Governor of Shanxi and the Prefect of Datong to immediately send people to Lingqiu to investigate the disaster situation and report back within three days. All counties and prefectures along the way must open their granaries to provide relief to the disaster victims in Lingqiu without fail."

"Secondly, the White Tiger Guard and the Vermilion Bird Guard shall immediately rush to Datong, Shanxi, to assist the Datong Prefecture troops in disaster relief and rescue! Immediately allocate 20,000 taels of silver from my private treasury for disaster relief."

"Third, the Qinglong Guard and Zhu Family Army should manage logistics well, cooperate with the Imperial Medical Academy doctors, carry wound medicine, and immediately escort the team to Shanxi to treat the wounded and prevent the spread of the plague."

Zhu Ming rattled off three points in one breath, speaking very quickly yet clearly and logically.

"In addition, all post stations and beacon towers within Shanxi Province must be on high alert. Bandits will inevitably rise up after the earthquake, and we cannot allow them to take advantage of the situation."

Zhu Ming made arrangements one by one, covering everything from grain, silver, and medicine to tents, coffins, medical officers, and even post-disaster epidemic prevention, road repair, and security maintenance.

The civil and military officials in the palace became increasingly alarmed as they listened.

This doesn't seem like a last-minute response; it seems more like a well-thought-out plan.

as if……

It was as if His Majesty had known all along that an earthquake would occur today.

"Furthermore," Zhu Ming continued, "the earthquake in Shanxi must have been felt in the surrounding prefectures and counties. Issue an edict to Datong Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, Zhengding Prefecture, and Baoding Prefecture, ordering all prefectures and counties to immediately investigate whether any houses have collapsed or whether any people have been injured or killed, and to report back within three days. If there is a disaster, provide relief; if there is no disaster, waive the fine, but no concealment or omission of reports is allowed."

"If any official neglects his duties or fails to provide effective disaster relief, I will dismiss him from his post and arrest him, regardless of his rank."

These words were spoken lightly, yet they were like a stone thrown into water, creating ripples that spread far and wide.

The hall was completely silent, but my heart was filled with mixed emotions.

At the beginning of the month, the floods prompted the dispatch of the Xuanwu Guard, one of the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi. Now, the elite troops recently selected from the Three Great Camps and various guard posts, along with the other members of the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi, have also been released.

This... Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty is trying to combine disaster relief with military operations; he wants to...