beggar prince

It rained continuously for several days in the Central Plains. Lightning and thunder lingered in the sky over Dawei all day long. The sky exploded and the earth trembled.This torrential rain is like a hole in the Tianhe River before Nuwa mended the sky, sending out a torrent of water.

The torrential rain poured down from the sky, viciously washing the land and farmland of Dawei.

In a few days, the water level of the Yellow River soared. It got angry, flooded the sky, and the turbid waves emptied, washing away the farmland along the bank.

The turbulent river overturned the levee, and all the surrounding villages and counties were affected. The pastoral land and thatched houses were washed away, and people and animals were swept away by the flood.Even some farmhouses and houses were swept into the river and swallowed up.

The original fertile fields were covered with golden ears of grain, all of which were washed away by the flood, leaving only bare rice stalks floating in the yellow water.

The autumn harvest was in a hurry, and the people along the bank shouted to each other in the river, supported each other and wailed and fled for their lives.Displaced, displaced people everywhere, mourning and hunger and cold all over the country for a while.

People suffering from hunger and cold knelt in the rainstorm and prayed to the sky that it would not rain again, but the sky was still merciless and kept sending down floods.

A woman named Li Ersao was covered in mud. She was running around the Yellow River in the heavy rain, crying and shouting. She was looking for her little daughter.

Her youngest daughter slipped from the muddy water and fell into the Yellow River yesterday, and was swept away by the Taotao River.Second Aunt Li cried and staggered and fell into the mud, turning into a clay figurine.

The people around looked at her indifferently. Such tragic scenes everywhere could no longer arouse the slightest emotion of the victims.They sat in the mud and leaned against the overturned thatched hut, looking at the torrential rain in the sky dejectedly, they were waiting to die.

Many peasants were lying in the mud pits on the ground. They were so hungry that their bellies were bulging, their limbs were emaciated, and they didn't even have the strength to open their eyes. They were about to die.

The second sister-in-law Li finally lost her strength due to hunger and lay on the ground unable to move.Her eldest son stood up and helped her up in fear, and sat on the stone. Soon they were completely annihilated by hunger.

The eldest son's stomach roared violently. He squatted on the ground looking for something to eat. He only found grass roots and Guanyin clay.

He gulped down the grass roots, his stomach was swollen, but his hungry stomach was grinding greedily, and the internal organs seemed to be devouring each other.

He wanted to eat non-stop, and he ate a lot of grass, but still couldn't relieve his hunger.He was in a trance, but extremely excited.

The eldest son said: "Mother eats this Avalokiteshvara, although she will be full, she will swell and die."

Second Aunt Li: "My son, I can't eat it."

Before she finished speaking, her son grabbed the mud and ate it hungrily.She shed tears silently, and the eldest son said, "Mom, I'm finally full, but I'm about to die."

Mrs. Li held her son tightly in her arms and coaxed him like she did when she was a child. In the afternoon, Guanyin mud made a terrible noise in his stomach, and he died before he could survive the night.

The floods in the Yangtze River Basin were also extremely serious. The people were displaced and mourned in pain. The flood seemed to submerge the Great Wei Dynasty.

The Queen Mother set up the magnificent Qinglong Palace in the palace.There are three halls in Qinglong Hall, including Dragon Bone Pagoda, Heavenly King Hall and King Kong Hall.

In front of the gate of the hall stands a blue giant tortoise stele engraved with the name of the Dragon King of the Four Seas.In the Vajra Hall, a special shrine was set up for the dragon gods of the four seas. There are four statues of dragon gods and four dragon queens in the hall. The hall is full of metal iron prayer cards for rain.

After the queen mother and the emperor bathed and changed their clothes, they led all the officials to perform the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the dragon gods of the four seas.

The court ladies and eunuchs held a huge canopy in front of the Vajra Hall to shield the queen mother and the emperor from the rain.But the rain made a trickle run down the marble slab, and Xiao Heng's boots and yellow silk trousers were still wet.

Xiao Heng looked at Zhao Yuanjian in the rain, he was very close, only ten steps away.He looked at himself with an oiled paper umbrella, the fine raindrops made Xiao Heng unable to see his expression clearly.

Hundreds of maids held oil-paper umbrellas with bamboo poles in the heavy rain to shield the officials from the rain.Civil and military officials knelt beside the royal road outside the Azure Dragon Hall, their official robes were wet and covered with dust.

The thunder roared in the sky, and there was no moment to stop the sound.There were loud thunderclaps, and the sky seemed to explode.

Suddenly, a blue rolling mine appeared in the sky. It stretched out hundreds of blue sharp claws, descended from the sky, and rushed directly into the Palace of Heavenly Kings.There was a loud click, the ground trembled, and a huge explosion erupted.The Hall of Heavenly Kings was on fire in an instant, and the fire was quickly extinguished in the rainstorm.

All the people were terrified, the court ladies and eunuchs, civil and military officials, they fell into a ball.The Empress Dowager's face was also pale, and she muttered: "It's a bad omen."

Xiao Heng and Zhao Yuanjian felt uneasy and looked at each other with solemn expressions.

The sacrificial officer in the special temple beat the Qinglong drum with a drumstick, and with a few bangs, the sacrifice officially began.

All the officials stood up and straightened their official uniforms and hats.The Empress Dowager and the Emperor entered the Vajra Hall, and the ministers also filed in.The sacrificial ceremony was solemn and solemn, and the ministers did not dare to make any noise, not even to cough.

There are grains, grains and 46 fruits on the altar.Treasures such as jade silk and Guiyu.

The most solemn Tailao was used for the sacrifice, with all three animals.In the center of the huge yellow-bottomed iron basin are whole cattle, sheep and hogs.

The sacrificial native officials read the blessings and offered three offerings.

The Taishi recited the Dragon God's Inscription: The Emperor Xiao Heng said that he dared to tell the dragon gods all over the world: the dragon king was born in ancient times, and he followed the sky and established the pole;I promote the sacrifice of the Dragon God, test the statue of the Dragon King in the Qinglong Palace, hope that the rain will rest, and bless the people; although my virtues and deeds are useless, but I am born with stupidity, I look up to the God King, the law of all ages, and a special official lays the sacrifice Temple of Dragon Repair.The dragon god Shengmin, what a lesson!Enjoy. "

After the grand master finished reading, the queen mother offered incense and prayed: "Donghai Dragon Lord, Nanhai Dragon Lord, and the dragon gods from all walks of life, bless the heavenly rain, bless the people of the Great Wei, and bless them."

Xiao Heng: "I beg Grandpa Dragon God to bless Wei Wanmin and stop the rain."

Afterwards, the emperor and all the officials bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, which was extremely respectful.

After the sacrifice was over, the queen mother lifted the corners of her skirt and hurried out of the Azure Dragon Hall.The two eunuchs held up the canopy and followed behind, and Eunuch Liu helped the Queen Mother and Xiao Heng onto the dragon chariot.

Several important ministers followed the dragon chariot to the East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace to discuss disaster relief and resettlement of the victims.The other ministers dispersed and walked towards Shenwumen.

Hubu Shangshu knelt on the floor of Dongnuan Pavilion, hesitating for a while before reporting: "Queen Mother, the imperial envoy you sent reported that there have been hordes of hordes of people changing their sons to eat at the Yellow River."

Queen Mother: "Didn't I send the imperial envoy to bring 200 million dans of food relief?"

"The water is really fast and violent, and it has washed away the people's food reserves this year. Not only the Yellow River flooded, but the Yangtze River Basin also broke out in floods."

The queen mother heard the gloomy clouds and was full of anxiety.

Xiao Heng frowned and sighed when he heard that the victims had changed their children to eat.He was sitting on the throne beside him, holding tea, but he had no intention of drinking it.

He thought of the disaster years he had experienced when he was a beggar.

He was young and thin that year, accompanied by beggars, and begged along the streets in Liaodong every day.Due to the lack of food due to natural disasters, the people did not have much food.

Xiao Heng often couldn't get a grain of grain, and the teeth in his mouth seemed to have forgotten how to chew grain.

He and Qi He caught mice, snakes, and small animals to wrap their stomachs, but they still couldn't get enough to eat.

He was often so hungry that he lay on the ground, dying, very pitiful.Well-meaning aunts and grandpas will give him something to eat, so that he can survive and meet Zhao Yuanjian.

He remembered that there was a girl named Cuiyan in the brothel who often gave him some food.There was a poor old man with gray hair, stooped back, and ragged clothes who collected slop from a wealthy family and gave him some leftovers.

He knew that the panic and despair of not being able to eat a single grain can arouse the desire to eat anything.At that time, he wanted to eat door beams, broken straw sandals, rice straw that could not yield food, and Guanyin clay on the ground. He even thought about eating human flesh to satisfy his hunger.

Once he and Qi He saw beggars in the house who collapsed to death from starvation.They discussed with each other how to eat.He got a steamed bun, but they finally gave up eating people.

In the event of a natural disaster, human life is worth more than worthless, Xiao Heng thought that the victims must be extremely hungry, otherwise how could there be such a thing as changing children to eat.

"Mother, the disaster victims are so miserable, why don't I go to relieve the disaster myself?"

The queen mother said unhappily: "No, you are the emperor, you must pay attention to your identity!"

Several ministers felt a little relieved when they heard that their emperor was not as stupid as imagined.The queen mother looked at the expressions of the ministers and saw their thoughts, her eyes darkened.

At this time, a soldier ran into Dong Nuan Pavilion regardless of the eunuch's obstruction.He was wearing armor, drenched all over his body, and he knelt on the ground: "Queen Mother, the Xiongnu Shan announced to send troops to Wei the day before yesterday! The Huns are now fighting with General Zhao Yuanlang on the northern defense line!"

After the soldier finished speaking, he fell down on the royal road and passed out. He rode for three days and three nights to report the news. He was extremely tired.

This was like a thunderclap, and the faces of those in power in Dongnuange changed drastically.

Eunuch Liu found the battle report from the fainted soldiers, he submitted the battle report and handed it to the Empress Dowager.

The queen mother opened the battle report and looked, immediately frowning, she pinched the battle report and wished to squeeze out water.

She asked: "Why is the Hun army so brave that they directly broke through Jiayuguan in just two days?"

The ministers were so flustered that they didn't know what to do.

The grand master sighed, he knew Zhao Shengqi's ambition, and Zhao Shengqi would not help Wei.He thought to himself that it was a natural disaster and the Huns invaded. This is the fate of the heavens to destroy the Wei.

Prime Minister: "Why is this matter strange for the Queen Mother? Did someone collude with the Huns through foreign countries, so that the Huns took the lead?"

Zuo Cheng: "Except for the general who is seriously ill and bedridden, there is no general in the court. How can this be good?"

Queen Mother: "Call some generals!"

After a while, several generals walked into Dong Nuan Pavilion.

General Li knelt down and said: "Queen Mother, the last general will lead an army of 20 to the northern defense line for reinforcements, otherwise we will be in danger!"

The Queen Mother said: "Let's go now!"

General Zhang: "Queen Mother, the last general is willing to lead an army of [-] to the northern defense line."

The queen mother felt a little comforted when she heard this, and she said: "Aijia thinks you will be able to stop the Huns in the north."

When Xiao Heng heard that he was going to fight the Huns, he said excitedly, "I also want to go and kill those Huns."

Queen Mother: "Nonsense, the emperor's personal conquest is very dangerous."

Before the Xiongnu went to war against Wei, other things became trivial, and no one was in the mood to talk about the flood, so the conversation about the disaster ended.

The courtiers walked into the heavy rain with umbrellas, feeling dazed and miserable.

The little eunuch at the door sent a message: Zhao Yuanjian asked to see him.

The Queen Mother allowed him to come in.

Zhao Yuanjian walked in and said: "Queen Mother, the Xiongnu sent troops, Zhao Shengqi will not miss such a good opportunity, he will definitely take action. The spies reported that Zhao Shengqi sold my military map towards the northern border, and planted his cronies Go in and disrupt the military operations at the border, and my army will retreat steadily."

The queen mother suddenly stood up: "There is such a thing! What a Zhao Shengqi, it's really abhorrent!"

Zhao Yuanjian said again: "I'm afraid that Zhao Shengqi will take the opportunity to make a palace change, and he will definitely not give up such a good opportunity."

Xiao Heng stood up and said, "Don't worry, Queen Mother, I will protect Queen Mother and younger sister."

The queen mother paced back and forth, she said: "The army of the imperial court has just been transferred to the north, and you have to mobilize the troops from the south to escort them in time."

Zhao Yuanjian: "Please rest assured, Queen Mother, I will definitely kill Zhao Shengqi this time, please don't panic, Queen Mother."

Zhao Yuanjian approached Xiao Heng, bowed his head and asked, "Is the emperor afraid?"

Xiao Heng raised his head and laughed: "I've always wanted to avenge Mrs. Zhao, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon."

Seeing the two of them being so intimate, the queen mother thought that she was really not ashamed.I also feel that they are a perfect match when they stand together.

The queen mother quickly dismissed this idea, she said: "You all go back."

Zhao Yuanjian took Xiao Heng's hand and walked out of Dongnuan Pavilion.Eunuch Liu chased him out, took a bamboo bone oiled paper umbrella and handed it to Zhao Yuanjian, who held the umbrella on top of Xiao Heng's head.

Eunuch Liu ran to call Long Nian in the heavy rain, and only Xiao Heng stood under the eaves and whispered.

Xiao Heng looked at the ten holy beasts on the eaves of Qianqing Palace, and became more and more lost under the rain.

Xiao Heng: "I'll go to Wenyuan Pavilion to find out if there are any books on disaster relief."

Zhao Yuanjian stroked his head and said with relief: "The emperor has finally grown up."

"I have experienced days without food. If it weren't for you, I would have starved to death. I know the feeling of hunger, like an endless hell."

Zhao Yuanjian pushed Xiao Heng onto the dragon chariot, and said, "Your Majesty, go, I have important things to do, and I have to deal with Zhao Shengqi."

Xiao Heng found a book on flood control and returned to the bedroom.He took out some of the most precious treasures in the bedroom, and he wanted to donate them to the imperial envoy who went to the disaster relief tomorrow, so that he could buy tens of thousands of tans of grain.

Zhao Shengqi was sitting in the general building, laughing happily, now that the Wei was under heavy rain, the people were displaced, and the Huns sent troops to the Wei, it was a good time for him to fight.

He summoned ten generals, the second son, the third son, the Minister of the Ministry of War and several ministers in the court.

Zhao Shengqi can't wait to discuss with them about the palace change. He is 54 years old this year.

Zhao Shengqi closed his eyes, showing a gloomy expression, and said: "On August [-]th, the Empress Dowager will prepare a banquet as usual, and I will choose the night of August [-]th to carry out the palace change, and all ministers who disobey me will be executed. "

Minister of the Ministry of War: "It's the general, I will send someone to open the Shenwu Gate for you, and your army can drive straight in."

Zhao Shengqi was confident, he was overjoyed, he thought that he would succeed this time, the golden throne was beckoning to him, and he would be on the throne soon.

He said to the distraught Zhao Yuanqi: "Yuanqi, Yuanqi!"

Zhao Yuanqi: "Father, please tell me!"

Zhao Shengqi: "Commanding your Imperial Forest Army, the key to forcing the palace is on you. As long as you capture the emperor and queen mother, you will be half successful."

Zhao Yuanqi nodded repeatedly, but his heart was flustered. His Xiao Lie was robbed a few days ago, and his whereabouts are unknown now.He knew that Zhao Yuanjian did it, and he wanted to control his Imperial Forest Army.