Chapter 386 – The Earthquake in Dongqing (Eighteen)
“Someone jumped out to defy the skillet,” the Emperor couldn’t help but enjoy the spectacle. Initially, he only wanted to give a nominal title, but now he ended up assigning a position as the Deputy of Xiangyang County. To be honest, although Xiangyang County wasn’t wealthy, it had vast lands; it was just located in a remote area with very few inhabitants.
To cover his tracks a little, the Emperor specifically allocated five hundred dan of grain and one thousand elite guards, entrusting his confidant, Huang Changshi, and Huang Qin to announce the edict.
Huang Qin was the god-grandson of Huang Song.
Huang Qin sat down, rubbed his old cold legs and sighed, “I have to admit it, I’m getting old. The young folks these days really do make one see things differently.”
As the earth rolled over, the capital nearly turned into ruins. The Emperor, in a fit of rage, executed a heavy minister, leaving no official in the court daring to handle this hot potato. Yet, Liu Zhi’s son had the guts to volunteer himself for the task, which looked like a near-death experience, but it was also a massive opportunity.
He thought of his grandson and reminded him, “You boy, stay alert. Don’t go stirring up trouble everywhere.”
Huang Song, who seldom got a break, wore a pained expression after being lectured by his god-grandfather.
Though he was sweet-tongued and not afraid of Huang Qin’s long-standing authority, he quickly devised a method to divert Huang Qin’s attention.
Huang Song stood up to massage Huang Qin’s shoulders, grinning as he said, “In grandson’s eyes, Grandpa isn’t old at all. Those young brats are reckless and lack restraint, how could they compare to you? As for country and state, your contribution over the years is unmatched…”
While this sounded a bit like flattery, Huang Qin had certainly ensured that quite a few loyal and virtuous ministers were in place over the years.
Not that he had a conscience, it was just about playing his cards right and pleasing both sides.
Take this occasion for example; Jiang Pengji was quite lucky to encounter Huang Qin while he was announcing the edict.
Had it been any other inner court eunuch, things wouldn’t have been so simple; there were plenty of hidden intricacies involved.
If the announcing eunuch had taken a disliking to Jiang Pengji or was greedy, they might choose to give her old, spoiled rice, or the unscrupulous ones would directly substitute with rice husks. The one thousand elite guards could also be swapped for sickly individuals or those with violent tempers who wouldn’t obey orders.
Huang Qin liked to cultivate good relations with the gentry and promising young people; he wouldn’t meddle in these matters.
“You… all that’s left is your sweet tongue. Since you haven’t established a family yet, it doesn’t matter now. But when you marry Mr. Ji’s beloved daughter in a few days, you can’t be this way.” Mr. Ji was Huang Song’s mentor and a highly respected scholar in Dongqing.
“Grandson understands; I will certainly not let down Grandpa’s hard work.”
After a while, Huang Qin adjusted his attire, preparing to lead the expedition to announce the edict.
At that moment, the golden crow sank in the west.
As time moved on, the night grew darker, and visibility blurred into a dim haze.
When the last trace of twilight vanished beyond the horizon, the entire land was cloaked in darkness.
The usually bright capital was now pitch black, eerily silent, with warm winds carrying away the lingering heat. As they swept through the alleys, they brought forth a rustling noise, echoing like the wails of vengeful souls, sending shivers down one’s spine.
After a day’s searching, the number of survivors had reached five hundred twelve, and the rescue team had expanded to one hundred twenty-three. As for the lifeless bodies extracted from the ruins, there were at least two or three thousand stacked in a pile, leaving onlookers with goosebumps.
This number, for the once-thriving capital, was truly insignificant, just a drop in the ocean.
Most of the surviving common people were injured; some had only minor wounds, mere injuries to their arms or legs, while others were gravely injured with raging fevers, teetering on the brink of death. The maids and rescued women and children took the initiative to care for the injured.
“Xiaoyu, you take some people tonight to fetch grain from this place, be discreet.”
Jiang Pengji handed a map to Xu Ke. This task was meant for her to handle, but at night, she was the only one still able to search efficiently; everyone else was too slow. Rather than that, it was better to send some people to fetch grain, temporarily alleviating the food shortage and stabilizing the people’s hearts.
Seeing Xu Ke’s face pale with fatigue and the dark circles under his eyes, Feng Jin spoke up, “How about I handle this?”
“No need, Huiyu, you stay here to hold the fort; Ke can still manage.” Xu Ke steadied himself, knowing Feng Jin hadn’t rested much during this time due to his wife’s labor pains, and now the earthquake had kept him awake even longer.
He was on his own now; his wife, Xun Mei, was far away in Hejian, but Feng Jin had family ties that kept him from leaving his wife and daughter easily.
With that in mind, he was the most suitable person for the job.
The earthquake had passed ten hours ago, and Jiang Pengji had no idea how many survivors were left in the capital, nor how many had met their end in the long wait. All she could do was try to find as many living souls in the rubble as possible and send them for treatment.
Jiang Pengji held up a makeshift torch; she wasn’t afraid of the dark, but those behind her were not the same.
“Is there anyone alive? If you are alive, respond!”
“Is there still life here—”
“We’re here to save people; is there anyone alive—”
The servants behind her cupped their hands around their mouths, shouting all day until their voices were hoarse and their throats were sore.
To mask her own discomfort, Jiang Pengji didn’t stop them from calling out; she only heightened her focus, searching for traces of life.
Suddenly, Jiang Pengji, her voice hoarse, said, “Wait—stop shouting—”
Raising her hand, she signaled them to cease calling for a moment.
After a long day, these people had come to regard her as a goddess; every move she made was watched by their eyes. When even the local officials hadn’t taken any action, she stood up and refused to give up on even a single life, which made some of the simple-minded men feel their eyes sting.
After listening for a while, Jiang Pengji realized the sound was coming from under a pile of rocks.
“A child is crying…”
Everyone leaned in to listen; that intermittent crying sound was indeed that of an infant.
Jiang Pengji stepped on the debris, dull pain shooting from her feet straight to her brain.
The ruins after the earthquake were extremely difficult to navigate, and her feet were already worn out. Had it not been for the reminders from the audience, she wouldn’t have even realized that her wooden clogs were completely broken; her bare soles had been cut and bled by the sharp stones.
When she returned, she had someone fetch rough cloth, folding it into layers to bind around her feet for easier movement.
However, her foot wounds had not been treated in time, and the torn flesh stuck to the rough cloth; pulling it off would mean ripping away another layer of skin.
“You guys go here, and over there; search these two spots and move the rubble…” Jiang Pengji assigned teams; one person held the torch for light while the others buried their heads in the work. By day’s end, they had no idea how much sweat they had shed or how many bowls of salted water they’d drunk.
Once assigned, Jiang Pengji exerted herself to lift the heavy beams blocking their way.
By the end of the day, the skin on her palms was completely worn down, blood and flesh mingling with dust, layer upon layer.
After moving the last beam, Jiang Pengji took the torch, and everyone peered underneath to see a curled-up woman lying there. Her legs and femurs had been crushed by the fallen beams, except for her back which stubbornly remained intact. Her head rested on the ground, and her arms were drawn close to her chest, as if she were cradling something. The blood seeping from her body pooled around her, dyeing the surrounding area dark, the strong metallic scent wafting in the night breeze.
The weak cries of the child came from beneath the woman’s body.
