"Ren Shaojian, the latest disaster map has been completed. Please take a look at it." Du Fu, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes, handed a booklet to Ren Can and said: "It includes the affected area, number of victims, food shortage, and flow.
Directions, disaster relief minutes, etc. are all written in it.”
Ren Can first placed the document on the desk, then asked Du Fu to sit down, then walked into the room and added some charcoal for heating, then sat down and took a closer look.
I don’t know how much time passed, but the snow outside the house became heavier and heavier.
The sound of snow pressing on dead branches and falling in the courtyard broke the silence of the small courtyard from time to time.
The elderly Ren Can meticulously looked at the disaster map written by Du Fu after he returned from collecting winds, and compared it with the records written by officials such as the Ministry of Revenue, Dushui, and Agriculture, etc., analyzed and annotated it, and it took him a full hour to complete it.
The manuscript was finally finalized.
After doing all this, Ren Can rubbed his stiff and sore old waist and thought to himself, time is not forgiving.
He raised his head again and looked at Du Fu on the other side of the room.
I saw the latter lying on the folding chair at some unknown time, already asleep, and even the snoring could be heard clearly.
Ren Can sighed and said to himself: "The memorials written by the Hubu, Dushui, Sinong and other ministries and departments are unclear, and there are many mistakes and omissions... This time thanks to Du Xiaoshu, if it weren't for you
I personally went to the disaster area to investigate. I am afraid that no one in the DPRK or China knows that the disaster situation in the north has reached this serious level..."
After saying that, Ren Can stood up, took a thick robe and covered Du Fu's body.
Six days later, Ren Can took Du Fu to the executive branch of Zhongshu Province to meet with Yang Guozhong and report the disaster situation in the north.
The two of them entered the side hall of the Executive Court. The host in charge of the reception raised his hand to Ren Can and said, "Young eunuch Ren, the Right Minister is holding a professional meeting with the Minister of War, the Minister of Household Affairs, the Admonishment Officer and other superior officials. Please wait a moment."
moment."
Ren Can frowned and asked, "Is there something going on in the court?"
The supervisor forced a smile and said, "Young Master Ren is worrying too much."
Ren Can nodded: "In that case, I'll just wait."
Half an hour later, seeing that Yang Guozhong's staff meeting was not over, but officials were being summoned into the inner hall one after another. Ren Can couldn't sit still and walked up to the chief: "I handed over the report earlier, and today I will discuss the disaster situation in the north with the right minister.
, this matter cannot be delayed!”
The principal smiled apologetically and said: "Young Master Ren, we are here to discuss everything. Everything is important."
Ren Can's eyes widened and he was about to have a seizure.
Du Fu had quick eyesight and quick hands, so he quickly persuaded Ren Can to stop.
The latter returned to his original position angrily and could only continue to wait.
Another half hour passed, and the officials in the inner hall left one after another.
Ren Can and Du Fu stood up after their job meeting, planning to go see the Right Prime Minister.
Unexpectedly, the chief executive of the court ran out and said to the two of them: "The right minister is a little tired today. Why don't you two come back another day?"
When Ren Can heard this, he was shocked at first, then angry, and finally wanted to walk to the inner hall.
The supervisor quickly stepped forward to stop him, but was pushed away by Ren Can.
Hearing the commotion outside, the steward came out, asked what was going on, and then ran back to the inner hall to report.
After struggling for a long time, Ren Can and Du Fu were finally able to meet the Right Prime Minister.
Entering the inner hall, Du Fu saw court officials on both sides. Everyone had serious expressions, and he felt a little trembling in his heart unconsciously.
Ren Can, however, looked fearless and walked directly to Yang Guozhong. He bowed and saluted first, and then said: "Right Prime Minister, there is a big disaster in the north. The people have no food. There are victims of starvation everywhere. The court cannot sit idly by and ignore it!"
Yang Guozhong looked ugly and didn't want to say anything more to Ren Can. He asked: "Officials in Xiazhou County, why do some people report that the disaster is not serious, while others report that the disaster has subsided?"
Ren Can: "In order to win the performance evaluation and to conceal their ineffectiveness, most of the state and county officials made false reports or lied. The inspectors sent by the DPRK and Central Government only visited the area around Gyeonggi and then came back to report.
Do nothing."
Yang Guozhong waved his hand: "Officials from all over the place said that nothing happened, and inspectors also came to report that the disaster was gradually subsiding. You are the only one here to say that the disaster is spreading... I ask you, do you have any real evidence?"
Ren Can: "Yes."
After speaking, Ren Can took the disaster report from Du Fu and presented it to Yang Guozhong.
The latter picked up a thick stack of papers, feeling irritated. He just glanced at it briefly, then threw it aside and said, "Okay, let's put it here first and discuss it later."
When Ren Can saw this, he felt angry. He ignored everyone present and said in a deep voice: "Guanzhong, Hedong, Hebei, Henan and other places, the disaster has spread without delay! There are new graves everywhere on both sides of the official road.
In villages and towns, most of the ten rooms are empty. If someone dies in the family, the living will not even dare to mourn, for fear that the body of the deceased will be taken away and wrapped in the belly... Floods and droughts have lasted for more than two years, affecting more than 100 prefectures and counties.
The price of grain is only 500 yuan per meter. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, this has been a unique disaster. Please be aware of it..."
Before Ren Can could finish what he said, Yang Guozhong interrupted directly: "I said it, let's discuss it later!"
After that, Ren Can and Du Fu were almost driven out.
Ren Can, who had left the Executive Court, was so angry that he took off the Jinxian crown from his head and threw it directly to the ground. He cursed: "The powerful officials in the dynasty are all like chickens, dogs, pigs and sheep! I..."
When Du Fu heard this, he quickly covered Ren Can's mouth, pulled him aside, and advised: "Young prisoner, be careful what you say."
Ren Can found a stone step and sat down directly, regardless of the coldness, breathing heavily.
Du Fu frowned. Before coming to see the right minister, he had imagined various consequences, but he did not expect that the situation would be so bad.
Just when Du Fu was thinking about countermeasures, a voice came from the corner: "Du Shaoling."
When Du Fu heard the sound, he looked over and found an acquaintance, a scribe from Zhongshu Province, hiding in a corner not far away. He waved to the former to pass.
Du Fu hesitated for a moment, then walked over and cupped his hands.
The clerk looked around first, and after confirming that no one was there, he said to Du Fu: "Listen to me, don't provoke the right minister by mentioning the disaster again."
Du Fu: "There is a great disaster in the north and the people are in dire straits. Why..."
The clerk shook his head and said: "No matter how serious the disaster is, it will eventually subside one day, but my right minister has more important things to deal with, and I can't take care of you at all."
Du Fu was puzzled: "Is there anything more important in the world than disaster relief?"
Scribe: "The battle report came from Nanzhao. Seventy thousand Tang troops attacked Taihe City. They accidentally fell into an ambush of the enemy and were trapped in a low ground without being able to escape. The right prime minister was so worried about this that he had no time to think about anything else."
Du Fu opened his eyes wide: "Is this happening?!"
Clerk: "Today at the official meeting, the right minister summoned the high officials of the court to discuss this matter. Therefore, I advise you not to mention the disaster again."
Du Fu handed over his hand, returned to Ren Can, and said what he just heard again.
Ren Can thought for a long time and said: "Nanzhao is in trouble with troops. The right prime minister will definitely send reinforcements and allocate grain and grass. In this way, all states and counties will have to hand over grain to supply military supplies. It will be even more difficult for the victims to survive.
Also, the spring grain has not yet been released on the market. If the imperial court wants to raise grain, it must forcefully levy grain. This move will inevitably destabilize the people and may even trigger chaos among the victims... No, this matter is very serious and cannot be done.
in spite of!"
Du Fu: "Then according to the young prisoner's opinion, what should we do?"
Ren Can was silent for a moment, stood up, and said decisively: "Since the right prime minister doesn't want to take care of it, then I will go see the saint!"