Rong Fei is not honored

Chapter 725 The Runaway Surname

"What dream, what earth dragon turning over, I think they're just making fun of us."

"Keep your voice down, are you out of your mind?"

"There's still so much work to do at home, this is just a delay."

"Hmph, at least it's household work for you. I've lost several coins in wages for the few days I missed doing it."

"Sir, I also raise chickens and ducks at home. If I don't feed them for a few days, they won't lay eggs. Please make an exception for me."

"Yeah, I was rushed out the door, and I haven't packed anything yet. If the earthquake really happens, all those pots, pans, and furniture..."

"Worrying about this? I think those important people are just bored and have nothing better to do! How could they possibly turn the tide?"

The people were very resistant, but because of their natural fear of the government, they obediently followed the instructions of the yamen runners and gathered in the open space outside the city.

However, time can accelerate the growth of negative emotions, and once a critical threshold is reached, even the deepest fears can be temporarily suppressed.

The minor officials were plagued by a large number of disgruntled people, but in reality, they didn't really believe the information released by the court; they were just following orders.

Natural disasters are inherently uncontrollable; how could they possibly be predicted in advance? And if the existence of a natural disaster was predicted, why couldn't the specific timing be stated?

Because he was already skeptical of the imperial court's decrees, he inevitably hesitated when dealing with matters, and this hesitation led to trouble.

Some people took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and ran home directly. Some ran away secretly when it was dark, and some even forced their way out of the encirclement.

More and more people were testing the waters, and seeing that those who resisted were not punished, they grew bolder and more people fled. The number of ordinary people was far too small compared to the number of minor officials; if people wanted to escape, there were plenty of ways, and it was simply impossible to control them all.

The news quickly reached Emperor Kangxi's ears, infuriating him greatly.

Do these people know the immense pressure they are under by doing this? Although the unusual phenomena suggest that a natural disaster is indeed about to strike the vicinity of the capital, speculation is still just speculation, and experience is not always without error.

If the natural disaster turns out to be a hoax, the imperial court will become a laughingstock, and the emperor's prestige will be severely damaged. Yet, those ignorant people are ungrateful and even try to escape back home! They are utterly foolish.

If Kangxi was angry, then Chengrui was incredulous.

"Why did they run? If it's false, they'll only be delayed for a few days, but if it's true, they'll be saving their lives."

"Brother, do you know why people always say that the common people are ignorant and foolish? Although this statement is too absolute, it is not without reason. The common people are busy making a living all day long, and there is only one thing on their minds: survival. Gradually, they become unable to think."

Therefore, they are stubborn, single-minded, and firmly believe that the world in front of them is the most real thing, and they will only use their own experience to deal with anything.

In their view, natural disasters are unpredictable, so the imperial court could not possibly know in advance. They probably thought that the order to keep them in the open space outside the city was a joke.

Staying put will only fuel their resentment, so running away is their way of rebelling. A successful escape is equivalent to a successful rebellion.

They might even feel smug, thinking themselves exceptionally clever for sensing something was wrong beforehand, thus avoiding being scorched by the sun and suffering needlessly.

This was the first time Cheng Rui had heard such a novel explanation. He suddenly realized, "No wonder an official said that it would be very troublesome to relocate the people."

Although Prince Chengrui often left Suo'etu speechless with his sharp retorts, he was very polite to others. His gentle and refined image had long been deeply ingrained in people's minds. Now, he was putting on an eager-to-learn act, which made the ministers, who already felt wronged, unknowingly say a few more words.

"That's not all. When the natural disaster really comes, those people who are lucky enough to escape will not only not be grateful, but will also complain that the court did not explain clearly and did not force them to be taken to a safe place."

"Besides that, there's also money. People are poor, and what they have in their homes may be all they own. They don't think that money is that important compared to their lives. They just feel that if they lose everything, everything is over."

"It's not that we disregard the lives of ordinary people and insist on waiting until after the disaster to provide relief; it's just that the unpredictability of preventative measures is too difficult to assess. Like this time, if all the people outside the city were to flee into the city, the death toll might be even higher."

As Kangxi listened to the cacophony of voices, which had left Chengrui pale with embarrassment, he couldn't help but sneer. What they said might be part of the reason, but there were solutions; they were simply unwilling to take responsibility or bear the infamy.

The men fell silent, cold sweat pouring down their backs. How could they have forgotten that the Emperor was still there? To try and fool his son in front of the Emperor—were they courting death?

Kangxi gave Chengrui a reassuring look, then decisively ordered, "Move three thousand men from the Valiant Cavalry Battalion."

"Your Majesty, no!"

Kangxi raised his hand to stop the crowd's objections and continued, "Have them surround the people outside the city, and not a single one should be missing. If anyone causes trouble again, kill them without mercy."

The bone-chilling cold silenced those who were still prepared to object.

Kangxi was very satisfied with the result and continued, "The houses in the capital are cramped. Although officials have open space in their residences, they do not know how serious this natural disaster will be... Their families have all moved to the suburbs, and officials of the third rank and above should stay in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to await orders during this period."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Officials of the third rank and above were kept in the palace, and all their families were trapped outside the city. There, the elite cavalry was watching with the decree of "kill without mercy." If anyone wanted to rebel, they would have to abandon all their families.

"It's not good for the royal family to suffer outside the city, crammed together with the common people. I will have tents prepared behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony." Then, everyone should behave themselves.

The crowd twitched, realizing they shouldn't try to respond; the Emperor's intentions were far too obvious. Weren't the officials' families all outside the city, crammed together with the common people?

Of course, they were indeed not as noble as the imperial family.

But what's the point of bringing all the royal family members into the palace? And the locations assigned to them are also quite interesting. There's a large open space in front of the Qianqing Palace, yet they're placed in a spot separated from the Qianqing Palace by the Qianqing Gate.

Isn't this tantamount to directly declaring that His Majesty is on guard against them?

And yet no one dared to say anything. Even if everyone knew that His Majesty was keeping an eye on them, so what? Did you dare to disobey? Would that mean you truly harbored malicious intentions and plotted something sinister?