Chapter 44

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The snow and wind finally stopped by the morning of the second day. Early in the morning, while Zhao Chen was still snuggling in his bed, he heard Zhang Lu already directing the servants of the Zhao residence to dig out the snow walls that had been blown up by the wind.

Zhao Chen rubbed his head hard. Last night, he and Cheng Chumo had drunk for half the night, and his head was still a bit dizzy. Cheng Chumo had drunk more than him and was probably sleeping soundly. Zhao Chen got up from the bed, put on his robe, and after being served by Xiaomai to wash his face and brush his teeth, he was about to sit down to drink a cup of tea when he heard the front door being pounded loudly.

Zhang Lu, who was busy in the courtyard, heard the loud pounding and cursed under his breath, but quickly instructed someone to open the door. As soon as the door opened a crack, the person outside impatiently pushed it open, almost knocking the servant who opened the door to the ground.

Then, a eunuch with a red, frozen face, accompanied by seven or eight inner guards, walked into the Zhao residence, ignoring Zhang Lu and his group, and headed straight for the hall where Zhao Chen was.

"I am here by the Emperor's command. The Chief Judge of the Academy of Natural Philosophy, please follow me to the palace immediately! The Emperor is waiting in the Taiji Palace!" The eunuch said straightforwardly as soon as he entered the hall and saw Zhao Chen.

"Go to the palace?" Zhao Chen was immediately taken aback, his mouth wide open in disbelief. "Why has His Majesty suddenly summoned me to the palace?"

This is too strange! At this time, he was still underage, and although he held the position of Chief Judge of the Academy of Natural Philosophy, he was not even a minor official, let alone qualified to participate in the court.

"This is not something I should ask!" The eunuch's face was stern, and he replied in a rigid, official manner. "The Chief Judge should follow me to the palace as soon as possible!"

Seeing the eunuch's attitude, Zhao Chen knew he wouldn't get any answers. Since Li Er had summoned him to the palace, he couldn't delay for a moment, especially since it was in the court, with all the officials present.

Confused, but still quickly putting on his fur robe, he followed the eunuch and hurried to the palace.

The snow and wind had stopped, but the sky was still dark and gloomy, and the air was cold. As soon as he stepped out, Zhao Chen felt the cold air seeping into his neck. Even with the fur robe, it felt the same as not wearing it. Fortunately, he had a set of thermal clothes underneath, or this weather could have frozen him to death.

Looking back at the seven or eight inner guards beside him, they were all shivering like quails. The eunuch, who seemed the least noticeable, walked lightly, though his cheeks were also red from the cold, he looked much stronger than the inner guards. Zhao Chen guessed that this guy was probably a skilled expert like the old eunuch.

There were few people on the streets, and the few pedestrians were in a hurry. However, as they approached the imperial city, the number of people gradually increased. These people were all disheveled, clearly victims of the snow disaster.

The group entered the imperial city and headed straight for the Taiji Palace. Outside the palace, the eunuch asked Zhao Chen to wait a moment while he went in to report.

At this time, in the hall of the Taiji Palace, all the civil and military officials were present. Li Er, dressed in a yellow robe with dragons and wearing a crown, sat behind the dragon desk, his face stern, his eyes coldly observing the officials below. His loud voice echoed in the hall.

"Today, this heavy snow has destroyed thousands of houses in Lantian and other counties, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and in need of food. Is there no one among you who can offer a good solution?"

The officials below turned pale, and the few leaders at the front of the group were all looking down, as if in deep meditation, and remained silent.

It wasn't that they were intentionally ignoring Li Er's question, but the destruction of thousands of houses was beyond their capabilities. In this weather, even clearing the debris would be extremely difficult, let alone rebuilding the houses.

Seeing the silence of the officials, Li Er couldn't help but clench his teeth. At that moment, he suddenly saw the eunuch he had sent to summon Zhao Chen quietly enter the hall. He immediately asked, "Has the Chief Judge of the Academy of Natural Philosophy, Zhao Chen, arrived?"

"Your Majesty, the Chief Judge of the Academy of Natural Philosophy is waiting outside the hall!" The eunuch, upon hearing Li Er's question, did not move forward but stood where he was and respectfully answered.

"Summon him!" Li Er said without further ado.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The eunuch bowed and slowly left the hall, quickly summoning Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen, who was freezing and stomping his feet outside the hall, upon hearing Li Er's summons, took a deep breath, straightened his robe, and hurriedly followed the eunuch into the hall.

The officials in the hall were all looking at Zhao Chen with complex expressions. Most were puzzled, wondering why the Emperor had summoned such a young man who had not yet reached adulthood to the court. Only a few, like Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin, former officials of the Tiance Mansion, had already understood before Li Er spoke.

Zhao Chen's scalp tingled. Although he had a thick skin from his past life and had experienced many situations, being stared at by all the officials made him feel uneasy.

"Your humble servant, the Chief Judge of the Academy of Natural Philosophy, Zhao Chen, pays respects to Your Majesty!" His head was still dizzy, and he had momentarily forgotten the etiquette the eunuch had taught him outside the hall. It wasn't until he caught Qin Shubao's eye that he stopped and quickly bowed to Li Er.

"Exempt from the formalities!" Li Er said coldly. Through the beads hanging in front of his crown, he looked at Zhao Chen, thinking about the things Zhao Chen had done recently, and his烦躁的心平静了下来。

After Zhao Chen thanked him, Li Er's voice echoed in the hall: "I heard that the magistrate of Wannian County borrowed military tents from the Ministry of Revenue the day before yesterday, and this was your idea?"

Zhao Chen's heart skipped a beat. On his way here, he had been thinking about why Li Er had suddenly summoned him to the palace, and the only thing that came to mind was the borrowing of the military tents.

Now, hearing Li Er mention it, Zhao Chen hesitated for a moment and then answered truthfully: "The day before yesterday, after I left Yongping Lane, I saw many people sleeping on the streets. I thought the weather might change suddenly at night, and I happened to meet Magistrate Qi and his group. I just mentioned it casually!"

While speaking, Zhao Chen secretly observed the expressions of Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin. Seeing that they looked normal and showed no signs of worry, his heart, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhao Chen finished speaking, he heard Li Er's voice from above: "You did well. If it weren't for the idea of the military tents, many people would have suffered in the snowstorm last night!"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li Er continued: "I also heard about the incident in Yongping Lane. You were able to help rebuild two hundred houses in Yongping Lane in the first place, which greatly comforts me!"

"Your Majesty, the incident in Yongping Lane was not something I could do alone. I was fortunate to have the timely assistance of Lord Qin and Lord Cheng, who sent their household guards. This is how we managed to accomplish it in such a short time!" Hearing Li Er attribute all the credit to him, Zhao Chen quickly clarified the situation in front of all the officials. He didn't want a good deed to turn into a trouble for himself.

"Your Majesty, if it weren't for the household guards sent by this old Cheng, this young man wouldn't have been able to do it. Your Majesty shouldn't remember only his contributions!" As soon as Zhao Chen finished speaking, Cheng Yaojin, holding a court staff, stepped out of the line and said, swaying as he walked.

"Your Majesty, I also have a share in this!" After Cheng Yaojin spoke, Qin Shubao, also holding a court staff, followed closely behind and stepped out of the line to speak.

Li Er's face was expressionless, and he looked coldly at Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin, clenching his teeth. Cheng Yaojin was one thing, as he was always a rule-breaker, but Qin Shubao had followed him for so many years. When had he ever contested credit in front of everyone?

The officials below also looked puzzled, but Changsun Wujì and Fang Xuanling quickly understood the situation and couldn't help but show a mix of amusement and exasperation on their faces.

"You three responded promptly and handled the situation well, which greatly comforts me!" Li Er, after a long pause, said in a perfunctory manner.

"As a minister of Your Majesty, it is my duty to help alleviate Your Majesty's worries!" Cheng Yaojin, holding the court staff, bowed to Li Er, his loud voice echoing in the hall. After speaking, he glared at Zhao Chen and returned to his position.

"The idea of the military tents was excellent and solved the housing problem for many people in Wannian County!" After Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao returned to their positions, Li Er looked at Zhao Chen and said, "However, this heavy snow has not only destroyed many houses in Wannian County but also in several counties around Chang'an. Now, tens of thousands of people are homeless!"

Li Er's eyes suddenly filled with hope as he looked at Zhao Chen and said, "You have always been proficient in the study of natural philosophy. I ask you, do you have a way to provide housing for tens of thousands of people?"

As soon as Li Er said this, Zhao Chen heard a 'buzz' in the hall. It wasn't any other sound but the rustling of the officials' robes as they all turned to look at him.

The pressure was immense! Moreover, Cheng Yaojin had glared at him before leaving, and Zhao Chen, being impulsive, now knew what to do.

"Your Majesty, the study of natural philosophy is indeed profound, but I only have a superficial understanding. In this icy and snowy weather, how could I possibly build thousands of houses?"

Don't joke around. If all the officials are at a loss, and he jumps out and says, "I can do it," what does that make the officials? The reason Cheng Yaojin glared at him was precisely this. Don't let a moment of boasting leave the officials in the cold!

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