Half in the river wind, half in the clouds

Chapter 164 Undercurrent

Jiang Feng felt that Li Longye's attitude towards the Ji'an incident was very subtle. He didn't seem to be surprised when he heard Jiang Feng's suspicion, and he didn't plan to investigate further.

Is it because Ji An is his niece?

Is he cautious because of Prince Ning's face?

Or was it because of Shen Guxing that he just thought Jiang Feng was being unreasonable and making random guesses?

Jiang Feng is unknown.

The two were about to part ways, and Li Longye would leave for Youzhou tomorrow. She didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she refrained from talking about it.

By the evening, the snow was as heavy as a mat and there was no sign of stopping.

When they were holding hands and saying goodbye, Jiang Feng was thinking: If he didn't go far, and the snow blocked the door and it was getting dark, how nice it would be for them to have a few drinks with green ant wine and a red clay stove!

Li Longye jumped onto his horse, covered in snow and wind.

I can't see you anymore when I turn back after the trees have turned, only your horse's footprints are left on the snow.

On the second day, Li Longye brought the appeasement edict and led more than a thousand cavalry guards to Youzhou to patrol the border. Crown Prince Li Longji and Prince of Qi Li Longfan saw him off at the city gate.

After Li Longye left, heavy snow continued to fall for several days, and reports of snowstorms came in from all over the country.

It is said that in some counties and cities, countless people froze to death. The snow kept falling and even birds starved to death in the snow.

At this time, rumors about the natural disaster being caused by the prince's lack of virtue were rampant in Chang'an City. Even children in the streets were singing nursery rhymes, linking the snowstorm to the prince's virtue.

Li Dan issued bans repeatedly, but the rumors became more and more rampant, and even listed in detail the prince's "ten sins", such as heavy killing, lust for women, nepotism, and conspiracy, etc.

Li Longji was extremely terrified. He went to the Daming Palace many times to apologize to the emperor. At the same time, he arranged for court officials and coordinated food and supplies to go to the disaster area to provide relief.

Jiang Zuo then served as the deputy envoy for disaster relief and went to Zhenzhou with Song Jing.

Thanks to Li Longji's efforts, relief teams from various places set out one after another, and the people's grievances finally stopped.

But before Li Longji could catch his breath, earthquakes began to hit Chang'an. In the twelfth month of the first year of Jingyun, there were more than 20 earthquakes of varying sizes in Chang'an.

There was an earthquake in Qinzhou, and all the government offices and houses collapsed, killing more than 40 officials. The earthquake continued to cause a loud tremor.

There was a loud earthquake in Hexi, which destroyed and split houses, especially in Zhangye and Jiuquan.

There was an earthquake in the capital city, which came from the northeast and its sound was like thunder.

Since Jiang Zuo set out, there have been earthquakes in Chang'an City almost every day.

Zhang Yuyue was eight months pregnant. She was trembling with fear every night and could not sleep. She missed Jiang Zuo and was worried about him. She had lost weight in the past few days.

Jiang Feng stayed with her every day, not even leaving at night, and things gradually got better.

This caused even more panic among the people. Rumors about the prince's immorality once again spread.

This time, Ruizong Li Dan said nothing and let the matter develop.

It was not until the main hall that the princesses' party, led by Cen Xi, requested the abolition of the crown prince, arguing that the crown prince had lost his morals, leading to divine punishment, and that Chang'an was hit by frequent earthquakes and devastating snowstorms.

Li Dan remained silent for a long time.

Upon seeing this, Shangshu Zuo Pushe Dou Huaizheng, Zhongshu Ling Xiao Zhizhong and Cui Shi all stepped forward to second the motion.

Li Dan looked at his ministers who were kneeling, and said, "I am the Son of Heaven. If Heaven wants to punish me, it is my fault. It has nothing to do with the Crown Prince!"

The voice was not loud, but it was deafening. Those kneeling people who wanted the crown prince to move immediately broke out in cold sweats.

Li Dan is the supreme ruler, and since it is a punishment from heaven, there is no reason for anyone to bypass him.

Naturally, they did not have the courage to put the unfounded blame on the emperor.

Li Longji was deeply moved by Li Dan's punishment. He threw himself on the emperor's knees and cried, saying that he was neither the eldest nor the legitimate son, but had to live in the Eastern Palace because of his achievements, and he was restless day and night. He also asked Li Dan to depose him and make Prince Ning the crown prince instead.

Before Li Dan could say anything, Prince Ning also stepped out and cried, "I dare not be above the Crown Prince."

The two sons each hugged one of Li Dan's thighs, causing the Emperor to burst into tears.

At this time, Old Chen Yao Chong stepped out and denounced Cen Xi and others for their evil ambitions and their attempt to sow discord between the father and son and brothers of the royal family.

Cen Xi and others were dumbfounded when they saw the good situation suddenly reversed and could only bow their heads and plead guilty.

At this point, the rumors that Li Longji was unworthy of his position completely disappeared.

The court was finally quiet.

But so many bad omens appeared in the first year of Li Dan's reign, so there must be some explanation.

Although Li Dan did not issue a confession of guilt edict, he burned incense and offered sacrifices to heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and confessed his crimes.

In the imperial palace, the emperor and empress took the lead in cutting expenses and practicing strict economy.

Following the example of their superiors, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, all the princes and princesses, and ministers began to tighten their belts.

All the money and property saved were used for disaster relief.

Affected by this, the Spring Festival of the first year of Jingyun was extremely confusing.

All singing, dancing and games were stopped, and even the firecrackers were no longer as deafening as in previous years.

During this period, an interesting incident occurred. A censor from the Censorate accused Ning Wang Li Chengqi of holding a private banquet and wasting money, which was contrary to Your Majesty's benevolent rule.

Instead, the Crown Prince came out to explain that the scale of the banquet was not excessive as it was for the wedding of Prince Ning's eldest son.

The censor was relentless and insisted that Li Dan severely punish Prince Ning. Li Dan also felt that he had spent this year unfairly and could not bear to blame his eldest son.

At this time Li Longji stepped in to rescue the minor official, accused him of a crime, and exiled him to Puzhou.

But later, this person was transferred back to Chang'an and promoted twice, but that is another story.

Jiang Feng was stunned by the drama in the court.

In fact, these things, in the final analysis, were just someone trying to put a accusation on Li Longji by taking advantage of the bad weather. Unfortunately, the accusation failed, and the old emperor got the better of him.

As for the little episode of suing Li Chengqi, it might have just been a warning from Li Longji.

In short, first there was a snow disaster, then an earthquake, and then there was a struggle in the court, and the Spring Festival of the second year of Jingyun passed quietly.

It turned out that Jiang Feng loved going out to play. Even though she was abandoned by Shen Guxing last year and was teased every time she met acquaintances, she was still away from home every day. She went to the east and west markets, wine shops and teahouses, listened to music and watched plays, and was always busy.

But since Li Longye left, she never went out of the house every day, and spent almost every day in the inner house with Zhang Yuyue.

Guan Shanyun was entrusted by Li Longye to take care of Jiang Feng. But she never went out, so Guan Shanyun naturally didn't need to provide services. He used to come to Jiang's house every few days, thinking that Jiang Feng still had the same interest as last year.

He was happy to travel around Chang'an with her again.

That is a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately, Jiang Feng was no longer interested. After being rejected several times, Guan Shanyun stopped visiting him.

Feng Changqing now lives in the Jiang family. She is idle every day and sighs all the time. Jiang Feng ignores her.

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