Mr. Xu said, "You said you could probably last two or three days for ten catties of fine grain, but it would be difficult to last any longer."
"But I've considered it, and if we promise more, I'm afraid we won't be able to afford it."
"Hmm." Mr. Xu nodded, his eyes showing approval.
As expected, the Empress had carefully considered this matter before making it.
Although the Prince of Jin has been away for so long and has handed over all the power to the Empress, she really had not overstepped her bounds before this incident.
But when it comes to truly important matters, the Empress is decisive.
Mr. Xu said meaningfully, "Your Majesty, it might not be worth it for a bite to eat; but what about for survival?"
Tang Zhuyun did not understand immediately.
"If I told them there would be a natural disaster, they probably wouldn't believe me... and if it doesn't happen afterward, it would be difficult to handle the situation."
Mr. Xu smiled and said, "Your Highness, what I meant by 'to survive' is not asking you to mention natural disasters, but rather, to find another way."
"Hmm? Mr. Xu, please enlighten me."
Mr. Xu stroked his beard again. "Your Majesty, if the Northern Yi are advancing aggressively and the border city is about to fall, will you organize the people to gather their valuables and be prepared to abandon the city and flee at any time?"
Tang Zhuyun truly hadn't expected this.
That's a good idea.
However, there are also many problems.
For example, would ordinary people believe it?
For example, even if they were ready to escape at any moment, they wouldn't necessarily wait in the yard instead of inside the house.
At this moment, Mr. Xu calmly said, "There are still some details that Wen Heng has already thought of. This boy is usable."
Soon, new news spread through the city that the Northern Yi were invading with overwhelming force, and that the people were urged to wait at the northwest city gate and abandon the city if the situation turned unfavorable.
The defenses of the city gates have been significantly strengthened, and booming sounds could be heard from outside the city from time to time.
Now, in order to escape, no one complained anymore. They dragged their families and valuables and gathered at the city gate.
Xiu'er said, "Sigh, this is quite a hassle."
But there's no other way; if we don't do this, the people probably won't take it to heart.
It's better to suffer a little than to lose your life.
Tang Zhuyun instructed, "The prepared ginger soup pot must not be stopped; it should be supplied to everyone at any time to ward off the cold."
"Everything is ready, Your Highness. Mingzhu is over there now."
The Prince's residence needs a master to prove that what was said was true.
The Mingzhu is a "stabilizing force in the sea".
In the dark of night, with strong winds and heavy rain, some people huddled under the city walls, others under temporary thatched huts erected by the government, and still others were accommodated in nearby houses, but were only allowed to take shelter from the rain, not to sleep, and were to be ready to leave at any time.
Mingzhu watched from inside the thatched shed as everyone distributed ginger soup, her expression serious.
Even in the dim lighting, her beauty shone brightly, attracting everyone's attention.
Wu Zhenhai, without making a sound, stepped forward with an oil-paper umbrella, lowering it to cover Mingzhu's face.
"It's leaking." He said casually.
Mingzhu: "..."
Let him lie through his teeth; she was indeed a little uncomfortable being stared at.
"Go and rest for a while," Wu Zhenhai whispered in her ear. "There's a carriage outside, with hot soup, snacks, and a hot water bottle ready. Go and eat something to warm up."
When the Northwest gets cold, even in the height of summer, it feels like a chill seeps into your very bones.
Mingzhu was about to decline when he said, "Listen to me, your period is coming soon. Besides, I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
Without saying a word, he shoved something round into her hands.
The heat emanated from that thing, instantly making one feel warm.
It turned out to be a hand warmer.
Mingzhu didn't know what to say.
"Ruanruan, be good." Wu Zhenhai had just touched her fingertips, and the icy temperature made his heart ache, so he softened his tone and said.
"I... I feel so dizzy," Mingzhu suddenly said, looking like she was about to lose her balance.
Was Wu Zhenhai so good to her that she almost fainted from gratitude?
She admitted that she did have some feelings about it.
After all, a momentary feeling of being moved doesn't count, but a steady stream of care is what truly moves people.
However, it doesn't seem to have reached that point yet.
Then Wu Zhenhai said, "I'm a little dizzy too. Oh no, it's an earthquake! Let's go!"
Wu Zhenhai grabbed Mingzhu's arm and led her out of the shed.
Many people gathered together from under the city walls and rooftops, rushing towards the open space.
The wind was strong and the rain was heavy; visibility was extremely poor, and chaos reigned.
Mingzhu was held tightly, and she didn't feel the pain in her arm; she only felt that Wu Zhenhai's hand was like an iron clamp that wouldn't let go.
Amidst the chaos and panic, Mingzhu was pulled into Wu Zhenhai's arms and protected by his cloak.
He said, "Don't be afraid, Ruanruan, I'm here."
Mingzhu calmly said, "I'm not afraid. Let everyone calm down first and not wander around..."
Then she worried about the situation at the Prince's residence.
My sister-in-law was prepared, so everything should be fine...
Wu Zhenhai and Mingzhu first tried to calm everyone down.
Normally it might be manageable, but in the pouring rain, with thunder roaring and everyone feeling insecure, it's extremely difficult.
This night was destined to be dangerous and arduous.
Despite prior preparations, the earthquake still resulted in over a thousand casualties.
Most of the injuries were caused by falling objects, while others were caused by being trampled in the crowd.
More than a hundred people died, caused by falling into the deepest part of the fissure in the earth.
The border town was thrown into chaos.
Tang Zhuyun dared not relax, for no one knew whether there would be aftershocks.
While discussing disaster relief with Mr. Xu and others, she also had to oversee the deployment of defenses.
If the Northern Yi were to attack again at this time, the border city would likely be easily defeated.
"Your Highness," Xiu'er, somewhat disheveled. Even though she was usually so clean, the hem of her skirt was stained with mud from walking around. "You know, this earthquake affected so many places! Will Linlin, Song Jingyang, and Yingying be alright?"
After I was alright, I started to worry about my family.
"Yingying and the others should be alright; they've already gone far away," Tang Zhuyun said. "As for the Xia Kingdom, I sent someone to deliver a message to Linlin in advance; judging by the days, we should receive news by now."
I pray for peace and safety.
Xiu'er breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the stool. "Heavens, they really don't want anyone to be lucky."
A great war followed by a great disaster—it's truly deadly!
Tang Zhuyun stroked her belly, Mr. Xu's words echoing in her mind.
"Your Majesty, although the people of the border town have escaped a calamity, the Prince is in grave danger."
For the superstitious ancient people, earthquakes were truly seen as divine punishment.
The Prince of Jin is currently "still" in the border city, and can be considered the lord of the city.
Will the blame be pinned on the Prince of Jin?
Although they previously blamed the Zhou Family for the problem in order to keep the public in the dark, the Zhou Family has been out of favor for so long. Thinking about it carefully, who would believe that now?
But if the blame were to fall on the Prince of Jin, that would be truly outrageous.
Mr. Xu also said that he wasn't worried about the people in the border town.
The emperor is far away, so anything said here is just complaining and won't have much impact.
What I fear most is that people in the capital will use this incident to attack Prince of Jin.