Chapter 37: The Entire Court Was Inferior to a Good-for-Nothing

Chapter 37: The Entire Court Was Inferior to a Good-for-Nothing

The next day, in the imperial court of the Great Xiao Kingdom.

Xu Zhiyuan’s memorial passed through Yin Weiyong and was presented to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, this is an urgent report from the county magistrate of Anhua City. This famine has already caused a chain reaction. Now, the disaster victims are gathering outside Anhua City. It won’t be long before they occupy the trade routes and grain supply routes. If disaster relief is not provided promptly, Anhua City itself may also be overrun by the disaster victims, who will consume all the food stores in the city.”

“Once Anhua City also becomes a disaster area, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

Yin Weiyong relayed Xu Zhiyuan’s points and presented the memorial.

After listening, Xiao Dingbang’s face turned ashen. He looked at Xiao Yang beside him. “Second Prince, did I not personally order you to oversee the disaster relief? Did you not report to This Prince that the situation was under control?”

Xiao Yang thudded to his knees on the floor. “I report to Imperial Father, the situation was indeed controlled in the various disaster areas! Who could have foreseen that those disaster victims would scatter everywhere like a plague of locusts. Your… Your Son was ordering people to handle it! That insignificant county magistrate Xu Zhiyuan must be alarmist.”

Seeing this, Xiao Xiangqing stepped forward. “Imperial Father, Minister Xu is a famously upright official. Although he is just a county magistrate, his abilities are evident to all. He manages the crucial city of Anhua City in an orderly and proper manner! Moreover, Minister Xu sent a letter seeking help several days ago.”

“For him to send another plea for aid now surely means the disaster situation is dire and urgent. Furthermore, some of my scholar friends have also written to me, saying that while the famine in the Great Xiao Kingdom is indeed contained, these homeless disaster victims have themselves become a new calamity. Wherever they pass, they consume all the provisions of even prosperous counties. Therefore, the top priority now is how to resettle these disaster victims!”

After speaking, Xiao Xiangqing looked at Xiao Yang and said, “Second Imperial Elder Brother, I wonder, what method did you say you are using to solve this?”

Xiao Yang’s face darkened. He was momentarily speechless, stammering, “What method? Naturally, dispatching grain for relief!”

Xiao Xiangqing said, “Second Imperial Elder Brother, then do you know how many disaster victims are currently displaced? How many cities have been ravaged by these victims? Do you know how much money and grain would be required to properly resettle these victims and sustain them until their autumn harvest? If simply dispatching grain for relief was effective, why has the disaster escalated to this point?”

Xiao Yang, feeling cornered by the questions, retorted, “Of course I know! Eighth Prince, Imperial Father hasn’t said anything. Are you questioning me?”

Xiao Xiangqing pressed, “Then tell us, Second Imperial Elder Brother, how many displaced disaster victims are there now…”

“Who are you? Imperial Father hasn’t asked, what right do you have to question me!” Xiao Yang asked.

After reading Xu Zhiyuan’s memorial, Xiao Dingbang’s expression changed repeatedly, and his blood pressure rose.

He truly hadn’t known the disaster had become this severe; clearly, Xiao Yang had concealed it.

If mishandled, this matter truly held the danger of destabilizing the kingdom!

“Second Prince, then you tell me. How many displaced disaster victims are there now! And what measures have been taken for relief.” Xiao Dingbang almost roared the question.

Xiao Yang had never seen Xiao Dingbang shout at him like this before. He instinctively bowed his head. “I report to Imperial Father, the displaced victims number roughly… several thousand, I suppose.”

Xiao Dingbang slapped the table in anger. “Several thousand? According to Xu Zhiyuan’s investigation and estimate, there are at least three hundred thousand disaster victims! Xiao Yang, initially it was just a famine in a few counties! I sent you to handle relief, how could you let this initially minor natural disaster turn into a man-made catastrophe that has swept across one-third of the Great Xiao Kingdom! It’s only thanks to the victims fleeing to Anhua City!”

“Otherwise, how long did you plan to hide this from me?”

Xiao Yang’s face was ugly. He thudded to his knees again. “Your… Your Son… I… I will go investigate immediately…”

Enraged, Xiao Dingbang slapped the dragon throne again. “Investigate? Is now the time for investigation?”

Xiao Yang prostrated himself on the ground. “I… I report to Imperial Father, Your… Your Son will go find a way to provide relief immediately!”

“Relief? What relief can you provide now? Do you know how much grain it takes to resettle one disaster victim and keep them alive until the next harvest?”

Xiao Yang stammered, “Your… Your Son will go investigate…”

“Good-for-nothing!” Xiao Dingbang was furious.

He then looked at Xiao Xiangqing beside him. “Eighth Prince, do you know?”

“I report to Imperial Father, according to my investigation, the true number of displaced victims is likely five hundred thousand! There are still over two hundred days until the next harvest. Moreover, many places have already missed the optimal planting season; the cycle will be delayed to about a year.”

“Calculating a ration of one jin per person per day, a conservative estimate is that each person needs four hundred jin of rations for a year. A rough estimate shows that just keeping these victims alive until next year would require five hundred thousand dan of grain. Including seed grain for their planting, it would require at least seven hundred thousand dan. And this is a conservative estimate! The final need may likely be around one million dan of grain.”

Xiao Dingbang’s expression finally softened somewhat.

“Rong Heping, how much reduction in grain yield do we forecast this year?”

Rong Heping from the Treasury Department stepped forward with a bow. “I report to Your Majesty, with uprisings everywhere this year, plus widespread disasters, the total grain revenue is feared to decrease to three million dan. This amount of grain and funds is barely enough to cover the Great Xiao Kingdom’s expenditures. If we attempt disaster relief on top of that, the grain shortage would cause grain prices to soar, leading to an even more severe famine. Therefore, directly allocating funds for relief is not advisable.”

Xiao Dingbang looked at Xiao Xiangqing again. “Eighth Prince, do you have any method for relief then?”

Xiao Xiangqing said with a grim expression, “Imperial Father, apart from this method, Your Son has no other better solution!”

Xiao Dingbang turned his head to look at all the civil and military officials in the court.

“My esteemed ministers, do any of you have a solution? And who is willing to take charge of these matters?”

The civil and military officials all lowered their heads; no one responded.

After all, this matter was now a hot potato. What method was there for disaster relief other than opening the granaries?

But judging by the Emperor’s tone, he was unwilling to release grain.

Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice; without grain, how could one provide relief—with their lives?

Moreover, this matter was messed up by the Second Prince. They likely lined their own pockets during the initial relief efforts, filling their own stomachs.

Taking over now meant cleaning up their mess; nobody was that foolish.

Xiao Dingbang watched as the entire court bowed their heads, silent as a graveyard, not a single person speaking up.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the memorial in his hand. In the memorial, Xu Zhiyuan wrote that Xiao Ce had approached him and had a solution.

“So, there’s no way?”

Not a single court minister raised their head, afraid their gaze might meet Xiao Dingbang’s and he would call on them!

Xiao Dingbang then looked at the princes.

The princes all shook their heads, including the Eighth Prince Xiao Xiangqing who had challenged Xiao Yang.

Xiao Dingbang snorted coldly. “So none of you have a way, and no one even wants to try to solve this problem, is that right?”

Deathly silence filled the hall!

Xiao Dingbang’s voice grew even colder. “The entire court of civil and military officials was inferior to a good-for-nothing!”