Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 785: Disaster Relief

The court operated at full capacity, sending people to the disaster-stricken counties for relief. Court officials divided into six routes and went to six different counties. Large quantities of grain were continuously transported over.

Fortunately, the court reacted swiftly. The refugees, who were initially in turmoil and chaos, quickly settled down after receiving relief grain from the court.

Deaths were inevitable. Floods submerged fertile lands and villages, resulting in a large number of civilians dying in the disaster. Afterwards, some people also succumbed to disease and starvation. However, the situation was at least kept under a relatively manageable state.

Chief Historian Chen patrolled daily, uncovering several corrupt officials in succession. These officials either tampered with accounts or stole grain during transport, and one even boldly conspired with grain merchants, selling the embezzled grain to them.

Chief Historian Chen showed no mercy. The few he uncovered, whether from the Prime Minister Faction or the Emperor’s Faction, were executed on the spot.

A flash of the execution knife, heads fell, and blood splattered everywhere.

The refugees, witnessing such scenes with their own eyes, knelt down and kowtowed, loudly calling for justice and fairness.

Such iron-blooded means were truly intimidating. Seeing the elite army sent by the court, the officials who originally intended to make a fortune from the disaster relief quietly gave up that thought.

While Chief Historian Chen was busy patrolling and executing, General Song was also not idle. He split his elite troops into three brigades, one stayed in the military camp, and the other two were sent out to eliminate bandits everywhere.

In less than two months, the bandit groups that had plagued the region for years were completely eradicated, which was an unexpected delight for the refugees.

To the common people, the Empress of Da Liang was no longer distant or vague. The Empress sent people to deliver grain, eliminate corrupt officials, and help them rebuild their homes. In the future, seeds would also be distributed to them. This kind of benevolence made her their redeemer.

What was wrong with a woman being Emperor?

Their Empress was the wisest ruler of all time! They all supported and adored her!

After a major disaster, it is often accompanied by epidemics.

The court was already prepared. Shortly after the grain arrived, Doctor Sun led the Imperial Hospital’s medical officers with a large amount of medicinal supplies.

Doctor Sun had stayed in Pingzhou for over a year and was highly experienced in epidemic prevention. Upon arrival, he had all the medical officers set up medical tents and continuously brewed anti-epidemic medicine every day.

In front of the porridge tents, people could drink thick hot porridge, and after filling their stomachs, they could have another bowl of anti-epidemic medicine. The refugees quickly developed a new habit: before drinking porridge or medicine, they would kowtow three times towards the Capital City court.

Thank you, Empress!

The Empress blesses them. By enduring this adversity, they would have better days ahead.

Perhaps the court’s disaster relief moved the heavens, or maybe Doctor Sun’s epidemic prevention measures were effective, as no epidemic broke out after this major disaster, much to everyone’s relief.

Two months later, Chief Historian Chen sent a memorial to the Capital City.

After two hectic months, most of the starving people were settled properly. The seeds were also distributed into the hands of the refugees.

After reading Chief Historian Chen’s memorial, Jiang Shaohua relaxed his furrowed brow and smiled at Lu Zhen and others, saying, "The court united as one and worked hard on disaster relief, and it has indeed yielded results."

Lu Zhen replied with a smile, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Internal Affairs provided funds and grain, and Nanyang County also contributed a large sum of money and grain. Furthermore, the generosity of the court officials has also benefited the people of the six disaster-stricken counties."

Wang Shu continued, "This is all thanks to the Emperor. I remember when I was six, the Yellow River also experienced a major flood. The court sent people for disaster relief, but the result was that the people were starving everywhere, leading to civil unrest. The court had to send troops twice to suppress the rebellion, and it took over two years to barely restore stability."

Li Fangfei also sincerely sighed, "The Emperor treats the people with great benevolence and has tried every possible means for disaster relief. The people owe their survival to the Emperor’s kindness."

To obtain funds and grain from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Emperor even decisively fell out with the Grand Empress Dowager. The palace was in chaos that night, and she was so frightened that she hid in her chamber, not daring to open the door from start to finish. Only when dawn came, she realized that the whole palace had changed.

The palace saw a significant reduction in palace attendants and eunuchs, and the Imperial Army underwent a purge. The Grand Empress Dowager, who had been domineering for decades, was stripped of her power overnight and was placed under house arrest. Administrative affairs fell into the hands of Empress Dowager Li, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs changed its manager.

Over these two months, the palace was scrutinized repeatedly. Palace attendants and eunuchs were all trembling with fear, wishing they could shrink into their shells to avoid being noticed.

The young Imperial Attendants witnessed the changes in the palace firsthand, and their admiration for the Empress almost overflowed from their chests.

Jiang Shaohua was in a good mood, even engaging in slight banter with the attendants: "The people work hard to farm and pay taxes to the court. The court should protect their safety and step forward during disasters. Otherwise, I am not fit to be the Emperor of Da Liang."

Lu Zhen immediately responded with a smile, "In my heart, the Emperor is the wise monarch of Da Liang Dynasty. The people of Da Liang are truly fortunate."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and casually asked, "By the way, has Minister Zhou submitted any memorials?"

Chief Historian Chen was responsible for disaster relief, while Minister Zhou led the investigation and measurements at the washed-out riverbank, preparing for the reconstruction of the riverbank. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

While Chief Historian Chen became more efficient after executing a series of officials, Minister Zhou’s side faced difficulties. The floodwaters had destroyed the riverbank, and although the waters were slowly receding, leaving behind pitted mud flats, which could be easily converted into rice fields, they were unfavorable for rebuilding the riverbank. A new site needed to be selected, and the river channels needed to be dredged, which were enormous projects.

No matter how much silver the court had, it could not afford such expenditures, not to mention the future need for a large workforce. The refugees along the shore had to rebuild their homes and cultivate fields, leaving them unable to bear the heavy burden of labor.

Minister Zhou had been running around for two months, burning the midnight oil and losing hair in clumps, yet he still had not come up with a feasible plan.

Lu Zhen replied, "Your Majesty, Minister Zhou has not submitted any memorials yet."

Jiang Shaohua raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Convey my decree to urge Minister Zhou. Make decisions quickly, and if the riverbank is not repaired, he need not return to the Capital City."

The Emperor treated capable ministers with great courtesy and respect, like Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng, who saw only the Emperor’s gentle side.

But for Ministers like Minister Dong, Minister Yang, and Minister Ding, they had to be reprimanded occasionally. As for Ministers like Minister Zhou and Minister Zhang, they often had to watch the Emperor’s expressions.

Lu Zhen bowed to take orders and immediately went to draft the document.

This urgent document was dispatched to Minister Zhou with an eight-hundred-mile express.

The now thin and haggard Minister Zhou let out a long sigh.