Chapter 0100: The Heavenly Decree of Either Fortune or Misfortune, Your Son’s Heartbroken Xie Chengze

“The tolling of the Celestial Bell signifies either fortune or misfortune!”

“The last time the Celestial Bell tolled was twenty years ago on the day the Second Prince was born, ringing ten times in total, symbolizing an auspicious omen!”

“Did you count? How many times did it ring just now?”

“Eleven times! A full eleven times! This is undoubtedly an ill omen! Our Jian’an Dynasty is about to face a great calamity!”

The ministers knelt one after another, prostrating on the ground with faces full of terror, wailing mournfully toward the emperor seated on the Dragon Throne.

Emperor Jian’s expression was as cold as frost as he sternly rebuked, “I, the emperor, seated high upon the throne, am not alarmed. You, having served as officials for decades, how can you carry on in such a disgraceful manner! All of you, stand properly!The dignified voice of the emperor echoed through the majestic hall, causing the ministers to tremble and rise to their feet, though their distressed expressions remained unchanged.

Throughout history, the Directorate of Celestial Observation might have misjudged auspicious omens, but they had never erred in interpreting ill omens. Every ominous sign of the Heavenly Decree inevitably led to widespread famine, countless casualties, and could even cause the empire to fracture and the dynasty to collapse!

Yet the emperor on the Dragon Throne seemed unconcerned, scoffing coldly, “I want to see what kind of disaster dares to disturb the peace of our Jian’an!”

As time passed, Guo Tianheng, the Ti Ling of the Directorate of Celestial Observation, dressed in purple robes and holding a jade tablet, finally entered the Golden Luan Hall accompanied by four senior officials from the Directorate.

The gaze of all the ministers instantly fell upon Guo Tianheng.

Guo Tianheng’s eyes first landed on Xie Chengze at the front of the hall before he walked solemnly toward the emperor, bowing in salute. “Your Majesty! I have been observing the celestial phenomena at night recently and found the Purple Forbidden Enclosure exuding a piercing cold, with stars shifting positions. Particularly around the North Star, clouds and mist swirl, hinting at an impending snowstorm! Consulting texts such as ‘Taiyi’ and ‘Liuren’ and combining them with calendar calculations, I fear a once-in-a-century heavy snow disaster is about to descend upon the northern territories of our dynasty!”

“This disaster is no trivial matter. It may last for several weeks, covering mountains and rivers, freezing rivers solid. By then, farming will be hindered, roads will be blocked by snow, and deaths from cold and hunger will be countless!”

So it was a snow disaster…

Emperor Jian instinctively glanced at Xie Chengze, who immediately lowered his small head, pretending the matter had nothing to do with him.

Emperor Jian couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly before pondering slightly and asking, “Do we know the specific timing and the worst-affected regions?”

“The snow disaster is likely to cover a vast area, making it difficult to determine which regions will be hit harder or earlier!” Guo Tianheng shook his head with a sigh. “The Heavenly Decree has been issued. I implore Your Majesty to make early preparations to protect the people of Jian’an and help them survive this calamity!”

Upon hearing this, the ministers began whispering among themselves, their faces showing alarm. “If it involves such a vast area, doesn’t that mean even Jingcheng might suffer a major snow disaster?”

“There are so many northern provinces and countless counties. If continuous heavy snow is coming, what are we to do?”

“First, the floods in Yi Province, then famines in multiple regions, and now a snow disaster in the north. Is Heaven determined to destroy our Jian’an Dynasty…”

“Silence!” Seeing the ministers in an uproar, Emperor Jian couldn’t help but rebuke them. “A mere snow disaster is nothing to fear! The urgent task is to discuss countermeasures to ensure the people can safely survive this calamity!”

These useless things aren’t even worth half a strand of Ze’er’s hair!

“Your Majesty speaks wisely.” Prime Minister Li stepped forward at this moment and said slowly, “I believe we should swiftly dispatch capable officials to various regions, first instructing local authorities to prepare sufficient provisions to prevent winter shortages, while also organizing craftsmen to urgently repair damaged houses to avoid casualties from collapsing roofs during heavy snow. Simultaneously, allocate treasury funds and encourage private donations to preemptively gather disaster relief supplies such as winter clothing, bedding, food, and medicinal materials for unforeseen needs.”

The Salt and Iron Commissioner stepped forward to add, “With heavy snow approaching, roads to all regions will inevitably be blocked, making grain transport difficult. We must also prepare coarse salt for snow melting in advance as a precaution.”

Shen Yuan then stepped forward and said solemnly, “Coarse salt is scarce after all and difficult to transport over long distances. I believe we should pre-deliver relief supplies, primarily concentrating on Liaozhou, Yingzhou, and Lanzhou.”

“Minister Shen, why these three prefectures?” Emperor Jian asked puzzledly, “If a major snow disaster occurs, shouldn’t the northernmost Liaozhou, Shenzhou, and the capital be most vulnerable? Why do you mention Yingzhou and Lanzhou?”

Xie Chengze also looked toward Shen Yuan.

He knew why these three prefectures were chosen – because in the book, these three suffered the most severe disasters, with Liaozhou being the worst affected.

Shen Yuan maintained his composure and said, “Since this is a once-in-a-century event, we shouldn’t follow conventional reasoning. Moreover, these three prefectures span diagonally across northern routes with fewer bandits on official roads. If neighboring cities face difficulties, messages can be quickly exchanged without needing to report to the capital, allowing direct dispatch of relief grain to save time.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Emperor Jian couldn’t help but nod. “Regarding disaster prevention, let the Ministries of Revenue, Works, and Personnel collaborate to quickly draft detailed plans and buy time for the people!”

He then turned to Guo Tianheng and said, “We hope the Directorate of Celestial Observation will continue monitoring celestial phenomena to ensure accurate prediction of snowfall dates and severely affected areas.”

Guo Tianheng bowed again, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the Directorate of Celestial Observation departed, the officials in the hall began heated discussions about the snow disaster threat. Xie Chengze sat in his chair, feeling his head ache from listening, so he lowered his head and pulled out a plump little tangerine from his sleeve.

Too many brain cells had died – he needed to manually replenish some energy.

Just as Xie Chengze was about to peel it, someone gently tugged his sleeve from beside him. He looked up to hear Xie Zimiao whisper, “Second Brother, I want some too.”

Xie Chengze looked at him, then at the tangerine, and decisively placed it in Xie Zimiao’s hand. “Then you peel it, and I’ll share half with you.”

Xie Zimiao nodded his head, slightly turned around, and began secretly peeling the tangerine with his back to the officials. After peeling it, he only took three segments, stealthily handing the rest back to Xie Chengze.

Compared to Xie Zimiao’s caution, Xie Chengze was much more open about it, directly taking one segment and tilting his head back to place it in his mouth.

However, he suddenly felt the hall fall silent – so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xie Chengze: ?

He lowered his head and, sure enough, all the officials were staring directly at him with expressions of disdain, speechlessness, or frustration.

Even Emperor Jian was watching him with an expectant look.

Xie Chengze: …

This damned, inevitably delayed, question-and-answer session!

Elbowing Xie Jinyu’s thigh beside him, Xie Chengze popped the tangerine segment into his mouth while using the motion to cover his lips, whispering, “Crown Prince brother, what were we discussing?”

“The matter of disaster relief funds – Yang Qinghui’s embezzled silver is scattered across various regions and hasn’t been fully investigated yet. Meanwhile, the silver required for purchasing disaster relief supplies is substantial. I’m afraid the national treasury doesn’t contain enough silver,” Xie Jinyu whispered, giving him a hint.

“Oh, oh, oh.” Xie Chengze swallowed an orange segment and nodded very seriously. “Simple! Didn’t I say last time? Instead of scraping together loose silver from the corners of the national treasury, we should just confiscate properties! If one isn’t enough, then confiscate ten!”

The ministers: ???

Confiscating properties again?! Is this never going to end?!

“This approach is inappropriate,” Prime Minister Li shook his head in disapproval. “With the major disaster approaching, this is precisely when people’s hearts are filled with anxiety. We cannot further disturb the ministers’ morale.”

“I see…” Xie Chengze furrowed his brow. After deep contemplation, he finally had an epiphany. “Then let’s follow the method Crown Prince proposed last time – have all the ministers make donation silver!”

The ministers: ?

Donation silver again? Can’t you come up with anything new? Besides, what use is one hundred thousand taels of donation silver?