In the Imperial Study, lamps were already lit as Emperor Jingming frowned while examining official documents.

With frequent flooding reports from various regions due to heavy May rains, coupled with the earthquake in Qianhe County, his mind was preoccupied. Resources and disaster relief funds were continuously flowing to affected areas, depleting the national treasury at an alarming rate that made the Emperor’s heart race.

Anxiety and depression had become Emperor Jingming’s primary emotions these days. The novel in the corner lay forgotten, gathering dust.

The sound of footsteps approached.

Emperor Jingming raised his eyes to look at Pan Hai.

Pan Hai immediately retreated quietly, soon returning with an urgent report.

“Where is this report from?” the Emperor asked.

Pan Hai glanced at the envelope and replied, “From Qianhe County, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Jingming put down the document in his hand. “Bring it here.”

Reports from Qianhe County had been appearing on his desk every morning, becoming routine. He had already seen today’s report, so why was another arriving at night?

From experience, Emperor Jingming knew it couldn’t be good news.

Taking the report from Qianhe County, the Emperor paused before opening it. His hand trembled as he quickly scanned the contents about the earthquake in Jinli Town, then hurriedly read on.

Urgent reports were meant to be concise, and the content was brief. Emperor Jingming finished reading quickly.

After reading, he seemed bewildered.

Seeing the Emperor’s reaction, Pan Hai’s heart raced as he cautiously called out, “Your Majesty—”

Emperor Jingming glanced at Pan Hai, clutching the report tightly, and said, “There’s been an earthquake in Jinli Town, under Qianhe County’s jurisdiction.”

Pan Hai’s expression changed, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Then the casualties—”

A strange look crossed the Emperor’s face: “The report says Jinli Town is in ruins, but because the townspeople evacuated several days in advance, there were only a few dozen casualties. The exact number is still being counted, and more accurate results will be sent in a day or two…”

“How is that possible?” Pan Hai blurted out.

Emperor Jingming put the urgent report on his desk, his tone heavy: “Indeed, how is this possible! In Qianhe County, where three-tenths of the houses collapsed, there were over ten thousand casualties, accounting for twelve percent of the population. How could Jinli Town, now in complete ruins, have only a few dozen casualties? Unless Jinli Town is just a small town with only a hundred residents?”

Pan Hai said, “After the earthquake in Qianhe County, this servant reviewed some materials and remembers that Jinli Town is one of the busiest towns under Qianhe County’s jurisdiction, with a population of over a thousand…”

Over a thousand people, with only a few dozen casualties when all the houses collapsed—it was too bizarre.

Emperor Jingming tapped the desk: “This Zhao Ruqing, not explaining things clearly in the urgent report. What exactly is he up to!”

Pan Hai remained silent.

The key to an urgent report was the word “urgent,” often hastily written to convey only the most important information. More detailed reports would follow later after proper compilation.

The next day at court, Emperor Jingming fingered the letter in his hand. After the officials had reported on various matters, he said solemnly, “An earthquake occurred in Jinli Town, Qianhe County, yesterday.”

This announcement shocked the court officials.

Another earthquake?

If the previous earthquake in Qianhe County seemed distant, the small tremor in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple had truly frightened these men. What was happening this year that even the capital experienced an earthquake? And now Jinli Town had another one—would there be no end to these disasters?

Earthquakes were far more terrifying than floods. Floods didn’t happen overnight, and with proper precautions, could even be avoided. But earthquakes were unavoidable; when they struck, one could only resign to fate.

“Last night, I received an urgent report from Minister Zhao stating that almost all houses in Jinli Town have collapsed, leaving over a thousand citizens homeless and in urgent need of funds for resettlement…”

“Impossible!” the Left Vice Minister of Revenue blurted out.

The Minister of Revenue was nearing retirement age, and both the Left and Right Vice Ministers were vying for his position. Their rivalry had been ongoing for some time. At such a crucial moment, the Left Vice Minister couldn’t afford to show collegiality.

Emperor Jingming looked at the Left Vice Minister of Revenue.

“Your Majesty, Jinli Town has a total population of just over a thousand. How can we speak of over a thousand homeless citizens when all houses have collapsed? In this humble official’s opinion, Minister Zhao must be exaggerating to secure more funds from the court!”

The Minister of Revenue gave the Left Vice Minister a long look before lowering his wrinkled eyelids again. If he were a few years younger, the Left Vice Minister wouldn’t have been so eager to attack a colleague from the same department, making their ministry a laughingstock to others. He would have been the first to object.

But now, on the verge of retirement, he understood the rivalry between the Left and Right Vice Ministers.

Very well, let them fight it out.

With the Left Vice Minister of Revenue speaking thus, officials who had grudges against Minister Zhao immediately chimed in.

Emperor Jingming remained very patient, waiting for them to finish their attacks before calmly saying, “Minister Zhao’s urgent report mentions that only a few dozen people in Jinli Town were casualties. The exact number should be reported in the next day or two.”

“What? Only a few dozen casualties?”

The previously orderly great hall instantly turned into a marketplace, filled with chaotic noise.

Emperor Jingming didn’t mind such liveliness. Many important matters were decided through repeated arguments and discussions. This commotion was at least more reassuring to him than a dictatorship.

After much debate, the officials concluded: that there must be something strange about this matter.

Emperor Jingming looked at the composed Minister of Revenue: “What does Your Excellency think?”

Although the Minister of Revenue was about to retire, he still held his position, so naturally, the Emperor had to ask his opinion.

The Minister of Revenue opened his eyes a bit wider and slowly said, “Qianhe County is not far from the capital. If one rides day and night, it takes less than two days to reach there. Since everyone feels there’s something amiss, why doesn’t Your Majesty send someone to investigate?”

Hearing this, Emperor Jingming nodded.

This was exactly what he had in mind.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince and Prince Yan in the area, so close to the earthquake, he was also concerned about their safety.

As for the Crown Prince’s performance in this disaster relief effort—Emperor Jingming was both curious and expectant.

Just as he was thinking this, an official spoke up: “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the heir to the nation, a person of utmost importance. He shouldn’t be put in danger. After Qianhe County, Jinli Town also experienced an earthquake. Who knows if it might happen elsewhere? This official believes we should recall the Crown Prince to the capital.”

“We concur,” others chimed in.

Emperor Jingming pondered for a moment before saying, “Send an Imperial Censor to Qianhe County to investigate this matter. As for recalling the Crown Prince… we’ll decide after receiving the Imperial Censor’s report.”

Privately, as the Crown Prince’s father, he naturally didn’t want his son to be in danger. Publicly, precisely because the Crown Prince was the heir, he wanted him to gain more experience to better manage the vast empire in the future.

Having such a legitimate son gave Emperor Jingming’s headache just thinking about it, a frustration he couldn’t share with others.

Soon, an Imperial Censor and Pan Hai’s disciple were dispatched from the capital by imperial order, hurrying towards Qianhe County.