“If we can save the people of an entire town, what’s there to regret about this life?”
Everyone’s hearts trembled upon hearing these words, and they looked at Yu Jin with different eyes.
Vice Minister Zhao seemed to see again that young man with stern eyes standing on the city wall of Qianhe County, shooting three arrows to ring the morning bell and calm the scene, then leaping down from the wall to pick up a fallen child.
If even a prince could act like this, what was he hesitating about?
Calling on the townspeople to temporarily relocate – if an earthquake did occur, it would save the lives of an entire town. If it didn’t happen, at worst they would face some mockery and reproach.
The choice was clear.
“What do you all think?” Vice Minister Zhao asked.
The officials from the capital understood that Vice Minister Zhao was agreeing.
If the lead official agreed, what more could they say?
At this point, opposing would only offend the prince, with no benefit.
The local officials felt somewhat conflicted.
These high officials from the capital were willing to go along with Prince Yan’s whim. After the event, they would dust themselves off and return to the capital, leaving the local officials to face the townspeople’s criticism.
But they seemed to have even less right to object.
The Registrar of Qianhe County’s lips moved as if to say something, but was pulled back by the County Magistrate.
Seeing no objections, Vice Minister Zhao said, “Since everyone agrees, let’s call for the village head.”
Soon, an old man appeared before them.
The old man was quite excited and hurriedly greeted everyone.
“This old one pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, to Your Highness the Prince, to all the officials—”
Seeing the village head about to faint from excitement, the County Magistrate coughed, “Village Head, we called you here for an important matter.”
“Please instruct me, County Magistrate.” Compared to his awe of distant figures like the Crown Prince, the village head’s respect for the County Magistrate was more genuine.
The imposing County Magistrate— ahem, the majestic County Magistrate.
The village head quietly wiped his sweat.
The County Magistrate said sternly, “Last night, while the Prince was resting in Jinli Town, a divine being appeared in his dream with a warning, saying that within five days, Jinli Town will surely experience an earthquake—”
The village head was shocked: “Is this true?”
The County Magistrate frowned in displeasure: “What, do you think the Prince would joke about such a thing?”
The village head quickly glanced at Yu Jin.
The young man he saw was more handsome than any he had ever seen, like a tall pine or poplar, pleasing to the eye.
Such a good-looking young man generally wouldn’t make reckless jokes.
The village head didn’t know why this strange thought flashed through his mind, but he soon regained his senses and waited for the County Magistrate to continue.
“The officials intend to ask you to immediately mobilize the townspeople to quickly evacuate this area…”
The village head listened in bewilderment. After the County Magistrate finished, he stammered, “This, this won’t do…”
“Why not?” The County Magistrate frowned.
The village head wiped the sweat from his forehead: “Sir, although the Prince received a divine warning in his dream, where will the people live after evacuating the town? What about food and drink? And how will their household belongings be secured?”
“That’s easy to handle,” Yu Jin took over. “Though there are over a thousand people in the town, it’s not a problem for the government to provide food and drink for a few days of camping in the outskirts. As for household belongings, take what can be carried, and leave the rest for now. Life is more important than these material possessions.”
The village head mustered his courage and said, “But what about the pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks? Chickens and ducks are one thing, but surely we can’t take the pigs and sheep? If we leave them for several days without care, they’ll starve to death. The people won’t be willing to part with them.”
Yu Jin’s eye twitched slightly upon hearing this, but he understood the importance of these livestock to ordinary people.
After a brief pondering, he decisively said, “Then please ask the village head to quickly find some people to make a count. For any households with inconvenient animals to move, the government will compensate at a market price… no, double the market price—”
“Your Highness!” Everyone exclaimed in unison.
The disaster relief funds allocated by the government all had set rules. If Jinli Town experienced an earthquake, it would be justifiable, but if it turned out to be a false alarm, this huge deficit would be impossible to fill.
Yu Jin calmly said, “If no earthquake occurs, Prince Yan’s estate will cover the deficit.”
Hearing this, everyone had nothing more to say, and couldn’t help but glance at the Crown Prince.
If Prince Yan was willing to use his estate’s money to cover the deficit, shouldn’t the Crown Prince make some gesture?
The Crown Prince remained very calm.
He had no money!
How could someone like him, who had lived in the Eastern Palace since childhood, have any savings? He had nearly starved to death during the few months he lived in Jing Garden.
People’s disappointment in the Crown Prince deepened, though they didn’t show it on their faces.
“Village Head, is this acceptable?” Yu Jin asked.
The village head hesitantly nodded: “This old one will mobilize everyone to leave the town right away…”
It seemed unreliable. It was almost dark, and households were already preparing dinner.
Dong dong dong—
The loud sound of a gong quickly gathered the townspeople.
Using a gong to warn or announce major events was a common practice throughout the Great Zhou, so people would immediately rush out of their homes to investigate when they heard the gong.
“Fellow townspeople, last night when the Prince stayed in our Jinli Town, a divine being appeared in his dream with a warning, saying that our Jinli Town will surely experience an earthquake within five days. So, for everyone’s safety, please return home immediately to pack your belongings and temporarily evacuate the town…”
The townspeople were instantly shocked, their first reaction being disbelief.
“Village Head, our Jinli Town hasn’t experienced an earthquake in a hundred years,” an elderly person shouted.
Who would be willing to leave their comfortable homes to sleep in the wild for no good reason?
The village head couldn’t help but look towards the County Magistrate.
The County Magistrate, in a rare moment of quick thinking, shouted, “Have you all forgotten that Qianhe County also hadn’t experienced an earthquake in a hundred years? And what about now?”
Upon hearing the County Magistrate mention the earthquake in the county town, people fell silent.
Jinli Town wasn’t far from Qianhe County, and there were all sorts of connections. Many people had relatives who had died in this once-in-a-century earthquake.
The County Magistrate was very satisfied that his words had calmed the scene. He continued, “If the county town could experience an earthquake, why couldn’t Jinli Town? A divine being appearing in the Prince’s dream to warn him – this is a great blessing for you all!”
A blessing?
Not only were the townspeople stunned, but even Yu Jin was taken aback.
How did this suddenly become about blessings?
The County Magistrate said with a serious face, “Why couldn’t the people of the county town avoid this great disaster? It’s because there was no one as noble as the Prince in the city for the divine being to warn through a dream. But His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince happened to rest in our Jinli Town, so we were able to receive this warning. Tell me, isn’t this your blessing?”
The townspeople nodded in confusion.
What the County Magistrate said seemed to make sense.
Yu Jin gently stroked his chin.
He never expected the County Magistrate to be such a talent.
Partly out of reverence for divine omens, partly due to their natural obedience to the government, and more importantly, because of the promise of monetary compensation for livestock and other difficult-to-move animals, the people of Jinli Town, under the persuasion and mobilization of the County Magistrate and village head, reluctantly agreed to temporarily move out of the town.