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Chapter 119 A Sudden Snowstorm! An Edict of Self-Reproach!

The blizzard came very suddenly.

Since the first snowflake fell, it has never stopped.

Within five days, the capital was covered in a blanket of white.

Countless trees collapsed under the weight of the snow, and the stalls erected by street vendors crumbled one after another.

The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison have been patrolling and telling everyone to put away anything that might be crushed by the snow.

The snow on the streets was already above knee-deep.

The speed at which the locals spontaneously cleared the snow couldn't even keep up with the speed at which the snow fell.

The road surface, which had just been cleaned during the day, was covered with a thick layer of dirt again overnight.

Ziyu rubbed her hands together and breathed on them as she came in from outside. A cold wind carrying snowflakes like goose feathers blew into the room.

Hongxiu shivered from the cold wind: "Ziyu, quickly close the door, it's too cold."

A charcoal fire was burning inside, but it wasn't very warm.

Hongxiu huddled beside the charcoal fire, sighing softly.

Zhou Wei's cultivation level had improved significantly, and her physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary people, so she did not feel the cold.

Seeing Ziyu enter, she put down the book she was holding.

"Little Purple Jade, what's the situation outside?"

Ziyu's face was flushed from the cold as she huddled beside the charcoal fire, accepting the hot tea that Hongxiu offered her.

"Miss Ning sent a message to the princess that General Lu has been staying at the yamen for the past three days and has not returned home."

"In the capital, the deepest snow was almost enough to bury a person; even in the bustling streets, the snow was above a person's calves."

"People are starting to freeze to death on the streets..."

As Ziyu spoke, her voice grew lower and lower.

Hongxiu sighed as well: "There is a shortage of charcoal on the market. In addition to last year's stock, we have purchased a lot more after the winter month, which should last for a few months."

"But I thought the weather was really strange, so I wanted to buy some more charcoal to store, but when I went out for a walk, several grocery stores were out of stock."

"Not only that, rice prices have skyrocketed. A few days ago I said they had doubled, but when I asked today, they had almost tripled."

Ziyu took the fire tongs and gathered the charcoal fire.

He added, "The Prefect of Jingzhao has already begun conscripting laborers."

Zhou Wei was a little angry when she heard this. The blizzard was going on and it was freezing cold outside. Why was they conscripting laborers at this time?

"Has the Prefect of the Capital gone mad? In this freezing weather, does he intend to let the people freeze to death?"

Ziyu sighed. Although she had no worries about food and drink in the princess's mansion, it was freezing cold outside. Just thinking about it made her realize how miserable the people who were conscripted for labor must be.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Heavy snow is falling in the capital area, and the roads are impassable. Without conscripting laborers to clear the snow, it is difficult to send memorials from various places."

"And who will do the snow removal on the streets of the capital if the laborers don't do it?"

"Aren't the people from the Five Cities Garrison going to do it?" Zhou Wei asked.

Ziyu and Hongxiu looked at her in surprise, not understanding why Zhou Wei had such thoughts.

"Sister Wei, how could the people from the Five Cities Garrison be doing this kind of hard labor?"

Zhou Wei remained silent; she had almost forgotten that she was in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The officers of the Five City Garrison and the Prefect of the Capital patrolled the streets for the sake of maintaining order, not for the sake of people's livelihood.

"With rice prices skyrocketing these days, how are these people who have been conscripted for labor even able to eat their fill?"

Ziyu shook her head: "Of course, you can't get enough to eat. The corvée laborers in the Great Zhou Dynasty don't get paid, and they have to bring their own dry rations."

"With grain prices like these days, people who can afford to eat one meal a day are considered to be quite well-off."

As Zhou Wei listened, she felt her blood surging.

Blizzards are natural disasters, but if natural disasters continue, they will slowly evolve into man-made disasters!

Hongxiu's next words gave Zhou Wei a real sense of the feudal dynasty.

"When I went out today, I heard a rumor that there are a large number of refugees in the suburbs of Beijing. I don't know if it's true or not."

Ziyu was somewhat shocked upon hearing this.

"Refugees? Impossible, Sister Hongxiu! The streets are very quiet. If there were refugees, why wouldn't they come into the city with such heavy snow?"

Zhou Wei remembered what Ziyu had just said: Lu Zhiyan hadn't been home for three days.

The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison were responsible for protecting the capital.

With the heavy snow, there are far fewer people on the streets, let alone criminals.

What kind of public order do they have to maintain?

Now, hearing Hongxiu mention the refugees, Zhou Wei realized that the refugees were probably all kept outside the city by the Five Cities Garrison.

At this moment, Jiang Yueli suddenly pushed the door open and entered, startling all three of them.

The eldest princess usually doesn't visit the servants' quarters, but she rushed over today.

Something terrible must have happened!

Ziyu got up to bring Jiang Yueli a chair, but Jiang Yueli waved her hand and said, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll sit with you around the charcoal fire."

"Princess, has something happened at court?"

Jiang Yueli nodded: "The blizzard has continued for five days, and the temperature has plummeted. Dozens of people have frozen to death in the capital in the past two days."

"The Prefect of the Capital submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting the Ministry of Revenue to allocate a sum of money for disaster relief."

"However, two days have passed since the memorial was submitted, but there has been no response."

Although the Prefect of the Capital was a bit of a scoundrel in conscripting laborers, he still had some conscience because he knew he needed money for disaster relief.

"Princess, if His Majesty won't approve the memorial, can't we present it during court?" Zhou Wei asked.

Jiang Yueli's expression changed upon hearing this.

"I haven't paid attention to court affairs for a long time, and I only heard about them in the last couple of days..."

"Since the grand ceremony of literary cultivation that day, Father has not attended court for more than ten days."

"We haven't seen anyone. All the memorials have been sent to Hexi Palace. Whether they will be approved or when they will be approved, we can only wait."

Hearing this, Zhou Wei felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Natural disasters strike, and the king does not hold court...

The pace of national subjugation is accelerating!

"He hasn't attended court for over ten days, and the court officials haven't said a word?"

“They said it, but it was no use. Chen Wenyu, the Minister of Rites, led his officials to kneel in front of the Fengtian Hall and beg the Emperor to attend court.”

"Lord Chen said that it is against etiquette for the emperor not to hold court for more than ten days."

Thinking about the past few days, with its freezing cold and blizzards.

Chen Wenyu was in his sixties. How could his body endure kneeling outside the Fengtian Hall?

"And then? Did His Majesty come out?"

Jiang Yueli shook her head: "Lord Chen knelt for two days, but there was no movement at Hexi Palace. In the end, he collapsed from exhaustion and had to be carried back."

The civil officials knelt down to plead, but to no avail.

Jiang Yueli rushed over again, which must mean that the civil officials had made a big move.

"After being carried back, Lord Chen regained consciousness and subsequently wrote a memorial to the throne."

"They say the blizzard caused by the heavens is due to the king's misconduct, and they request that their father... issue an edict of self-reproach!"

The news was so shocking that everyone in the room stared wide-eyed.

Ziyu's expression was filled with fear, and her voice trembled as she said, "Lord Chen... do you have a death wish? Throughout history, how many people who forced a monarch to issue an edict of self-reproach have met a good end?"

As Ziyu spoke, her face paled as she recalled Jiang Yueli's past misfortunes.

"Princess, this matter won't end up falling on your shoulders, will it?"

Ziyu's reaction was also a stress response; in the past, Jiang Yueli was the main target of the civil officials.

Even the smallest thing can be used to impeach her.

Ziyu was genuinely frightened that the civil officials were blaming the princess for the natural disaster.

The eldest princess glanced at Zhou Wei, her eyes filled with emotion.

If Chu Tianze's matter is not resolved perfectly, then the person impeached for misconduct today will definitely be Jiang Yueli!

This natural disaster is more serious than the previous impeachments of Jiang Yueli by civil officials.

She might be driven to her death because of this!

The emperor's majesty is not to be trifled with; even the most serious matter can result in the emperor issuing an edict of self-reproach.

But Jiang Yueli is just a princess; if the blame for the natural disaster is placed on her...

She had no choice but to atone with her death!

Thinking of this, Jiang Yueli couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had Zhou Wei.

"No, Chen Wenyu wouldn't dare."

"Princess, Lord Chen asked His Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach. What was His Majesty's reaction?" Zhou Wei asked curiously.

Speaking of this, Jiang Yueli's expression became somewhat strange.

She was stunned for a long time after hearing the news today.

"Not only did Father Emperor not react, but he also issued an imperial edict to bestow the title of Imperial Noble Consort!"

"It is hereby declared that the matter of the blizzard will be handled entirely by the Imperial Noble Consort."

"I have received an imperial decree ordering all members of the imperial family and noblewomen to enter the palace in three days to attend a ceremony and pay homage to the new Imperial Noble Consort!"