Almost all of the Tang clan had perished. The late emperor was originally a descendant of a meritorious official from the previous dynasty, but that dynasty's ruler was corrupt, heeding slander and framing loyal subjects, leading to the Tang family being raided and wiped out. The late emperor and the Prince of Jin, two brothers, happened to be away on an invitation, thus escaping that tragedy. Now both the late emperor and the Prince of Jin have died young, leaving only the young emperor and the Prince of Jin's heir. The other relatives, to avoid being implicated when the previous dynasty's emperor persecuted their family, had long since split off from the clan. Even so, if the Prince of Jin's heir proves unfit for great responsibility, they would have to select someone from those separated branches to be adopted under the late emperor's name.
The Grand Marshal walked ahead with a grim face. The Duke of Zhenguo quickened his pace: "Grand Marshal, please wait a moment."
"Does the Duke of Zhenguo have business with me?"
"What is your esteemed opinion on the Empress Dowager's actions?"
"None. We are both subjects; it suffices to fulfill our duties as ministers."
Seeing the Grand Marshal's flawless responses, the Duke of Zhenguo silently cursed him as cunning. Scholars had too many tricks up their sleeves—like lotus roots, full of holes.
The news that the Empress Dowager would take the young emperor to relieve the disaster quickly spread through the capital. All officials felt heavy-hearted. Having navigated the officialdom, they retained their keen instincts—if even the slightest mishap befell the Empress Dowager or the young emperor, the current delicate balance would shatter. Had the Empress Dowager been one to weigh pros and cons rather than act on impulse, she would certainly not leave the capital for disaster relief at this time. If she truly wanted to aid the victims, couldn't she just send an imperial commissioner?
Ordinary people saw it differently; they were overjoyed, believing the Empress Dowager was one who had the people in her heart. Some scholars and poets even began composing verses praising her virtue.
The Empress Dowager, a daughter of a military family, having received Shen Yunyun's assurance, wasted no time and set off immediately for Ji Province. She traveled light, bringing neither large quantities of grain nor medicine.
The Minister of Revenue watched the Empress Dowager's carriage fade into the distance, still uncertain. He wondered, *Does the Empress Dowager truly have hidden reserves? But that's hundreds of thousands of people—at least three months' worth of rations. Where would she get that much grain? Has she lost her mind?*
Not just the Minister of Revenue, but the other ministers seeing her off exchanged bewildered glances. Did the Empress Dowager know what she was doing? She was going to relieve a disaster—how could she do so without grain? To put it bluntly, in the face of starving refugees, gold and silver were less useful than food. After all, in times of famine, people had died hoarding gold and silver because they couldn't buy grain.
At the post station
The Empress Dowager summoned Xu Zimo. Besides the General Who Pacifies the Far Reaches escorting her, Xu Zimo had also been brought along. He had predicted the drought by observing the stars at night, and since it involved the lives of hundreds of thousands, he had directly submitted a memorial to the Empress Dowager. In the cultivation world, the gravest taboo was revealing heavenly secrets. In his view, such a massive drought also counted as a heavenly secret. Between breaking that taboo and saving hundreds of thousands of lives, he had ultimately chosen the latter. Though he was an alchemist, reading auspicious and inauspicious signs from the days was a required course for those in their sect. Coming from the cultivation world to this one was inherently a crushing downgrade in power, so he lived freely here. When the Empress Dowager asked him to accompany her, he didn't refuse. He hadn't forgotten that when that troublesome young lady brought him here to escape divine punishment, he had promised to help her take good care of the young emperor. Naturally, he would go along. Moreover, he knew that the Empress Dowager's willingness to take the young emperor on such a risky venture meant that someone was about to stir up trouble.