Honghui is reborn in Legend of Zhen Huan, I will protect my mother

The civil and military officials were divided into three groups: one group supported notifying the people to take refuge, one group opposed it, and the third group remained neutral and did not express their position. The morning court was temporarily deadlocked.

Seeing this, Honghui reported in a very serious tone, "Father Emperor, the earthquake is of great importance. We would rather waste our efforts than ignore it! If the earthquake comes as expected, it will save countless lives. If the earthquake does not happen, then it will be a drill. There are earthquakes in the capital from time to time, not just this time.

As for the majesty of the court, I think the people have seen what the court has done over the years, and they will not complain about the Qing Dynasty for something that is originally for their own benefit!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the attitudes of those who had originally strongly opposed softened. As for Yinzhen, who had already been biased, he completely strengthened his determination!

"How about this? Inform all places in the capital that there may be earthquakes in the next few days. Ask the county magistrates to take charge of evacuation."

Will this decree have no effect? ​​A trace of hesitation flashed in Honghui's eyes. Before he could speak, someone came forward to report, "Your Majesty, most people value their wealth and will never abandon their homes and businesses to escape for an earthquake that may not come. Now the earthquake is just around the corner, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, and we don't have time to bother with them."

"Do you have any good ideas?"

The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and then Prince Zhao stepped forward and reported: "Father, I think we can use the Mid-Autumn Festival as an excuse to celebrate with the people and make it clear that this retreat is a drill and a favor from the court."

Yinzhen was confused and couldn't help asking, "Oh? What do you mean?"

Honghui did not keep the suspense and quickly explained, "The Ministry of Revenue will pay silver. Everyone who comes to take refuge will get silver. Those who stay for a full day and a night will get five copper coins each, and those who stay for two days and two nights will get ten copper coins each, and so on. If the earthquake does not come after five days, then it must not be an earthquake this time."

The Minister of Revenue took the lead in opposing the plan: "How much silver would that cost? There are at least hundreds of thousands of people in the capital area. How can the Ministry of Revenue afford it?"

"This is such a rare opportunity. There will definitely be merchants going there to sell their wares. Why not collect some entrance fees and treat this refuge as a temple fair? The people will get money and benefits, and the Ministry of Revenue will make up for its losses. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"

"How can we turn this refuge into a temple fair? We can't do that, we can't do that..." That would be so troublesome!

Yinzhen was moved: "Let's follow Prince Zhao's idea. All departments should hurry up and do it. I want to see the people arrive at the shelter by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Ah! This is terrible! As soon as Prince Zhao opened his mouth, all the civil and military officials in the court had to work all night. Thinking of the hundreds of large and small villages in the capital, everyone's eyes went dark, their faces turned pale, and they consciously quickened their pace.

Then, one after another, the horses spread out from the Old Summer Palace in all directions. People were sent to notify each place, including the outer city, the inner city, the suburbs of Beijing, and the Forbidden City. Finally, before midnight, all the people who needed to be notified were in place.

But this is not the end. There are still a lot of things waiting for them to arrange, such as choosing a refuge place, screening and settling merchants, etc. In the end, 90% of the people in the entire capital did not sleep that night because they were worried about the earthquake drill.

The common people were obsessed with the intangible copper coins, and those with a large family began to calculate even more. If they stayed for five days and five nights, they would have almost half a dollar. Half a dollar, that was earned for free!

It is also said that after the rehearsal is over, everyone can participate in the lottery. The first prize is fifty taels of silver, and even the lowest prize is two taels of silver. Maybe they will be lucky enough to get this unexpected fortune?

The lottery that the people had been longing for was actually the silver taels contributed by Prince Zhao Honghui and Prince Fu Yunlu. It was not much, only about 100,000 taels in total, which was just enough to distribute among the counties in the capital.

Even the bannermen, bondservants, and slaves living in the inner and outer cities were very excited, because this time the drill included everyone, and the emperor had said in advance - "The silver obtained this time is a gift from the court, no one is allowed to deprive it without authorization, otherwise I will never let them off easily!"

The sunset on the 17th was still hanging in the sky despite the hard work of the yamen runners, soldiers, clerks, headmen and village chiefs who almost broke their legs. At this time, the open spaces in the capital were already crowded with people. Looking further away, common people came with their families from time to time. Looking closely, there was even a paralyzed old man lying on a bed and being pushed over!

Yinzhen was very satisfied, and Honghui was also very satisfied. After all, their interests were related, so how could the people not take it to heart?

A shelter was also set up in the Old Summer Palace, where many tents had already been erected. They were all set up overnight by the palace servants. Neither the father nor the son had the heart to go to bed, and they waited in the tent early for any news.

Not long after, the people, who had calmed down, looked at the various cheap and cost-effective food and drinks lined up under the lights and began to want to move around.

"This jar is two cents cheaper. It's a good deal. Why don't you buy two and pickle some winter vegetables?"

"This cloth is cheap, and the pattern is really beautiful. Give me three feet of it so I can go back and make a new set of clothes for the head of the family."

As such, the temple fair was a very lively event and it was estimated that most of the vendors returned with full loads.

As everyone's minds were in turmoil, a day and a night passed quickly. At the time of Shen on the 18th, runners from various counties carried boxes of copper coins and distributed them in public. The people, who were still half-believing and half-doubting, suddenly smiled happily and almost laughed to the point of losing their eyes.

As long as I get the money, why not stay a few more days? It's not too cold now anyway!

However, after only eight hours, they could no longer be happy. Just after two quarters past the hour of Si, the earth shook and cracks appeared on the well-maintained plaster road in the distance. Houses in the small village at the foot of the mountain collapsed from time to time, and dust filled the air instantly.

"Woooo..."

There were cries and complaints mixed in with the cries, "Oh! That's my home. The family property that I worked so hard to buy is gone just like that..."

The heads of the villages and the heads of the villages quickly stepped forward to take charge of the situation: "Calm down, the imperial court will not leave us alone. If our belongings are gone, they are gone. We can buy new ones in the future. It is better to be healthy than anything else! Think about it, if the imperial court does not let us escape this time, and the whole family is trapped in our own homes, is it worth it?"

That’s definitely not worth it!

The people gradually stopped crying, but they could not stop worrying in their hearts. They were worried about their belongings and their savings at home.

If I had known this would happen, why did I bother to bring more of my belongings with me? What's the point of just running away?