Chapter 144: Earthquake

Chapter 144: The Earth Dragon Rolls Over

Xiao Ping'an, now over four years old, was sent to study at Qingyuan Academy (a prestigious school for elite children). This academy was home to esteemed Confucian scholars of the time who adored children. Backed by the imperial court, most young children like Xiao Ping'an attended Qingyuan Academy.

Most of them were children of court officials.

When Xiao Ping'an returned from school, a servant carried his small book box for him. At first, he had thrown tantrums about going to school, bursting into tears multiple times and nearly melting Yu Lanyi's heart with his cries. But since what child doesn’t have to study? Yu Lanyi still sent his son to the academy. After making new friends there, Xiao Ping'an began to enjoy attending classes.

Yawning as he returned from the academy, Xiao Ping'an was greeted by Jin Yun, who brought him some pastries.

"Young master, have some snacks to refresh yourself."

"Uncle Jin, you're the best!" Xiao Ping'an chirped sweetly before taking the pastries. Though they also had sweets during lunch at the academy, they were usually sweet date cakes, which he had grown tired of.

He often gave his date cakes to Zhuge Xing, his pastry-loving classmate who loved treats the most.

Grabbing a few pastries, Xiao Ping'an ran off to find Father (Zheng Shanci) and Dad (Yu Lanyi).

In the garden, he saw his father teaching his dad how to play Chinese chess (xiangqi). He hurried over. "Dad, show me how! There's a general’s son in my school who's really good at chess."

Yu Lanyi said, "You're still young. There's plenty of time to learn these things later."

Xiao Ping'an sat beside them. "I'm already four—I'm practically a grown-up!"

Zheng Shanci chuckled and pulled him closer. "Then I'll explain it to both you and your dad. How much you remember will be up to you."

Xiao Ping'an perked up. "Father, wait a moment!"

He dashed off to fetch paper and a brush. "The palest ink is better than the best memory."

Zheng Shanci: "..."

That was something he had once said, and Xiao Ping'an had remembered it.

Since he didn’t know many characters yet, he couldn’t write what he didn’t understand, but he could draw it instead. After Zheng Shanci finished explaining the chess pieces, Yu Lanyi hadn’t retained much, so he checked his son’s notes.

He saw that Xiao Ping'an had sketched out a chessboard and written the character "Wen" in the general’s spot.

"What does this mean?"

Xiao Ping'an proudly put his hands on his hips. "There's a boy in my school named Wen Lang (a classmate whose name means 'gentle brightness'). His father is a general, so I wrote his name here. That way, I’ll remember this piece is the general!"

Yu Lanyi thought that actually made sense.

This little notebook was a gift from Zheng Shanci for Xiao Ping'an's fourth birthday present. It was meant for him to jot down his wild imaginings and daily life. Zheng Shanci and Yu Lanyi never snooped through his notebook.

After glancing at one page, Yu Lanyi returned it to Xiao Ping'an.

Though he was curious about what his son had written, he respected Xiao Ping'an's privacy. If he had been a child, he wouldn’t have wanted adults snooping through his notebook either.

Zheng Shanci had also promised that once the notebook was filled, Xiao Ping'an could ask for another. This made Xiao Ping'an love recording interesting things in his notebook. At first, when he couldn’t write or read well, he drew pictures instead, which he found just as fun.

From age four until now, he had already filled two notebooks. This was his third.

Clutching his notebook carefully, Xiao Ping'an went to his room, dug out a little box from under his bed, and placed the notebook inside.

During dinner, Yu Lanyi told Xiao Ping'an about Zheng Shanci’s new official promotion. Xiao Ping'an lifted his soup bowl high. "To Father!"

Zheng Shanci was torn between laughter and exasperation.

He resigned himself to scooping some corn and pork rib soup with a spoon, clinking bowls with Xiao Pingan. "Thank you, Pingan."

Xiao Pingan giggled mischievously. He could already serve himself now, and his favorite dishes were placed within easy reach, so it wasn’t any trouble at all.

Yu Lanyi took a bite of the pork rib. "The meat just slides off the bone."

He savored every bite. The corn was soaked in broth, soft and tender.

The leftover spicy dried radish was Mr. Zheng’s own recipe. He had made four jars in total—two kept at home and two sent to Zheng Shanci and his family.

Yu Lanyi was especially fond of this kind of dried radish.

There were also pickled vegetables, sausages, and cured meats.

Both Mr. Zheng and Lin Geer knew how to make these, and they always prepared extra portions for them. The pickled vegetables were particularly delicious in sour fish soup.

After dinner, Xiao Pingan, accompanied by his attendant, turned to Zheng Shanci and said, "Dad, I want to go play with Duo Duo."

"Go ahead, just don’t stay out too late."

Xiao Pingan whooped and scampered away.

Not only did he want to play with Duo Duo, but he was also determined to rope him into meeting his new friends. That evening, they decided to pool their pocket money to buy candied hawthorns. Wei Yun had volunteered to pay, and the kids all gushed about how generous he was.

As Chief Grand Secretary Wei’s eldest grandson, Wei Yun’s allowance was huge.

Xiao Pingan pulled Zheng Tongchu along. Zheng Tongchu was older and now stood a head taller than Xiao Pingan. All of Xiao Pingan’s playmates were boys.

Wen Lang, mouth full of candied hawthorn, yelled at Xiao Pingan, "Move it! What’s the holdup?"

Xiao Pingan tugged Zheng Tongchu over and introduced his brother to the group.

Big Bro, I’m Wei Yun. My grandpa’s Chief Grand Secretary Wei, and my dad’s the Prefect of Tongzhou," Wei Yun boasted proudly. "Let me treat you to some candied hawthorn."

Wei Yun had his servant fetch a candied hawthorn stick and passed it to Zheng Tongchu.

Wen Lang gave a polite nod too.

Little Cui Xiuzhu, barely three and a half, piped up in a tiny voice, "Big Bro!"

He was the son of Lv Jin and Cui Ziqi. Stuck at home, he’d once had playmates, but now they’d all grown up and started school. Seeing his son gaze longingly every afternoon as the other children returned from school, Lv Jin couldn’t bear to leave him without companions. After discussing it with Cui Ziqi, they decided to let him join the others in class.

His classmates doted on him—he was the baby of the group, cute as a button.

Zheng Tongchu was suddenly mobbed by a bunch of adoring little brothers.

Wei Yun covered the candied hawthorns, and Wen Lang sprang for the spicy soup.

Next, Xiao Pingan herded them to the Zheng family’s snack stall for grilled sausages. "This one’s on me and my bro!"

The kids erupted in cheers. On the sly, Xiao Pingan tugged the owner’s sleeve: "Charge it to my dad’s account."

His father never bothered with tabs, but his dad was meticulous about them. Billing it to Yu Lanyi’s name kept it low-key—sneaky smart.

The owner just stared: "...".

Each of the kids enjoyed a grilled sausage.

Over the years, Yu Lanyi has been obsessed with buying up storefronts, and now he owns more than a dozen of them, with his wealth growing significantly. However, he still allocates a portion of the money to the accountant, pocketing the rest as his private stash.

Zheng Shanci, with his perfume factory, pulls in good money every year. Recently, the factory got into the glass window business. It all started when Xiao Ping'an brought his friends home to play, and the children noticed his glass windows. Upon returning home, they threw tantrums demanding the same, leading Zheng Shanci to have the glass workshop whip up some windows. Word spread, and many households wanted glass installations, padding Zheng Shanci's pockets even more.

Minister Lei, getting up in years and having filled the state coffers during his tenure at the Ministry of Revenue, was promoted to the Grand Secretariat by Emperor Wuming. Vice Minister Mei then became Minister Mei.

Emperor Wuming looked over the candidates recommended by the Ministry of Personnel for the position of Vice Minister of Revenue and shook his head. "Some of these individuals are just looking to line their pockets, while others are too rigid. The role of Vice Minister of Revenue requires flexibility."

Emperor Wuming ordered Feng De to take down a few candidates' placards. After a moment's thought, he asked, "I recall Zheng Shanci serves as Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"

Feng De nodded, "Your Majesty promoted Lord Zheng to Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Junior Imperial Supervisor after his return from disaster relief in Qingzhou."

"His fellow Jinshi have all been promoted. He has also contributed by teaching the royal heirs and previously served as Director of the Ministry of Revenue. Taking up the role of Vice Minister of Revenue now would be second nature to him."

Just as Emperor Wuming was about to instruct Feng De to write up the decree, the ground suddenly bucked like a wild horse. The emperor watched as his desk trembled fiercely.

Feng De shouted, "Your Majesty, it's an earthquake!"

Without hesitation, Feng De urged, "Please, Your Majesty, get to open ground immediately."

Outside the hall was an open space. The buildings continued to tremble, and though the palace structures, being sturdy, hadn't collapsed yet, Emperor Wuming could see roof tiles shaking and dust falling. The tremors were intense, and servants and eunuchs came pouring out in panic.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei and others, working separately, also felt the ground give way and fled their offices.

Zheng Shanci, reviewing documents at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, felt his desk shaking. His gaze fell on the teacup, watching the tea slosh around, and he immediately ran outside.

"Earthquake!" a minor official shouted.

Zheng Shanci and others evacuated the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The open space within the court was limited, so they huddled in the road.

Minister Qi also rushed out. Seeing roof tiles falling, he got goosebumps. "The Great Yan Dynasty has been prosperous all these years. Why must we be struck by an earthquake now?"

His face paled—this was an ominous sign, often interpreted as heaven's scolding. The emperor, claiming to be the true Son of Heaven, viewed natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and droughts as heaven's scolding.

Zheng Shanci couldn't help but wonder if they were situated on a fault line. Though the palace buildings were sturdy, the violent shaking made his eyelids twitch. The palace might withstand it, but civilian homes wouldn’t fare as well.

He crossed his fingers they'd make it—thinking of Yu Lanyi at home, Xiao Ping'an at the academy, and his parents—all in the capital.

Empress Wang Fengjun and the two princes were unharmed, much to Emperor Wuming's relief.

The Imperial Astronomer arrived, bowing respectfully. "Your Majesty, the epicenter of the earthquake is likely not the capital. We are merely affected. The true disaster is in Yuzhou."

Yuzhou, also known as the Central Province or the Central Plains, was cold comfort to Emperor Wuming—it was right in his backyard.

"Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen has collapsed, but fortunately, no one was killed," Feng De reported.

The ministers, sharp enough, had fled at the first tremor, abandoning their posts. Emperor Wuming found some solace in their survival.

Just as he was about to remark that lives mattered most, his own Panlong Hall collapsed before his eyes. The deafening crash left everyone gaping as the grand palace crumbled, sending up clouds of dust. When the dust settled, only ruins remained.

The collapse of Panlong Hall seemed to signal further destruction, as palace structures began falling one after another. Some palace servants, standing too close, were buried beneath the debris.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei and the Six Ministers had gathered around Emperor Wuming. Witnessing the devastation, they were horrified.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei immediately said, "Your Majesty, heaven protects the worthy."

The other ministers joined in.

The remaining officials stayed in open areas first, waiting for the quake to end before going to find Emperor Wuming.

...

When the quake hit, Yu Lanyi was just about to take a nap. He was lying in bed when Jin Yun woke him up. Before he could even dress properly, Jin Yun tugged at him and ran, shouting, "Master, there's an earthquake! The house is shaking!"

Yu Lanyi jolted awake at the words and, instead, pulled Jin Yun to dash outside swiftly. Once outside, Yu Lanyi saw Mr. Zheng and Father already waiting there and felt relieved.

"Father, let’s not stay too close to the house. We should move to a more open area." Yu Lanyi led them to an open area—a spot where a stage had once been set up for performances. After the stage was dismantled, the space had been left unused, becoming a playground for children. By the time they arrived, many people had already gathered there.

Yu Lanyi scanned the crowd, hoping to spot familiar faces. His father and elder brother, along with Zheng Shanci, were on duty at the palace. Being well-read, they likely understood the situation better than he did. Still, he worried about Mr. Yu, An Geer, and Xiao Pingan at the academy, he thought.

Mr. Yu was speaking with Lady Yu. The elderly servants in the household were familiar with earthquakes, so when it happened, they all rushed out immediately—property was never more important than lives.

After comforting Lady Yu with a few words, Mr. Yu also swept his gaze through the crowd, searching for Yu Lanyi—

His eyes met Yu Lanyi’s anxious ones. Without caring for onlookers, Yu Lanyi ran over and hugged Father tightly. "Father, I’m so glad you’re safe, so glad..."

Yu Lanyi was nearly crying. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his father’s presence. His eyes grew moist as he clung to Father, unwilling to let go.

Father’s expression softened. He patted Yu Lanyi’s back gently. "I’m fine. See? I’m standing here unharmed."

Yu Lanyi pulled back slightly, examining Father from head to toe. Only after confirming he was truly unhurt did his heart settle.

"You..." Father took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of Yu Lanyi’s eyes. "Such a grown man, yet you still run to your father the moment something happens."

"Because you’re very important to me. You must stay with me—I haven’t even become a court-appointed official yet!" Yu Lanyi’s nose was still red.

Father felt warmth in his heart at the words, though the mention of a "court-appointed official" also amused him.

"You're such a character," Father said affectionately.

As for the children at Qingyuan Academy, all had made it out. Fortunately, the teachers had reacted swiftly. The moment the ground shook, they wasted no time ushering the children out. Even if it turned out to be just a false alarm, they would never gamble with the children’s lives.

The teachers gathered the children in the open field, taking attendance one by one. Only after confirming that no one was missing did their tense expressions ease.

"For now, stay here and don’t wander off. Once it’s over, we’ll take you all home."

The children all nodded.

Cui Xiuzhu was out of breath from running. Xiao Pingan patted his back. "Take deep breaths—inhale, exhale. Follow me."

Cui Xiuzhu listened and mimicked Xiao Pingan’s breathing, quickly feeling better.

"Brother Zheng, my legs feel weak," Cui Xiuzhu said, addressing everyone as "brother" since he was the youngest.

Xiao Pingan pulled him down to sit. "Then sit. Worst case, we'll change clothes later."

Cui Xiuzhu nodded.

Wei Yun and Wen Lang also joined them. The academy had older children as well, like Ye Yucheng and his peers, who were about six or seven years old. Even now, they couldn't sit still in the spot the teachers had designated.

"This is so boring," Xie Huaian complained.

"Stay here unless you want to get hurt," Ye Yucheng warned.

This cousin of his was mischievous and often got Ye Yucheng in trouble, earning them both scoldings. With things being so serious, staying here was undoubtedly the best choice.

Xie Huaian pouted at his cousin's scolding and sat down next to Ye Yucheng. He still listened to his elder, after all, Ye Yucheng was of higher standing.

Ye Yucheng thought to himself that the adults would come to fetch them once they got their bearings.

Sure enough, the husbands and wives came to claim their children. With the men gathered in the palace, it was up to the wives and husbands to find the children for now.

Ye Yucheng waited until Yu Shiyan arrived.

"Little Ye, let me see if you're okay," Yu Shiyan examined Ye Yucheng carefully, relieved to find no injuries on him.

Xie Huaian followed along. "Little Ye's okay! He ran really fast."

Ye Yucheng gave Xie Huaian a private glare.

"Huaian is here too. I'll take you to find your father," Yu Shiyan said, leading both children away.

Xie Huaian was the prince's second-born legitimate son, a late-life child, and thus deeply doted upon. Since he was close to Ye Yucheng, Yu Shiyan naturally grew closer to the prince's main spouse as well.

Xiao Pingan saw the houses shaking and pointed it out to Cui Xiuzhu. Yu Guang circled around the younger boys, doing a headcount—all present.

The children obediently called out, "Brother Yu!"

Yu Guang waved his hand. "Rest for now. Your voices are so loud, you'll bring the house down."

The children immediately fell silent.

Kids were so entertaining.

Yu Guang thought gleefully—what silliness.

Yu Lanyi came to collect the children, as did Lv Jin and Cui Geer.

Cui Geer saw Yu Guang still straining on tiptoe to get a better look at the shaking houses and tapped his shoulder.

"Dad, you nearly scared me to death!" Yu Guang jumped, only relaxing when he saw it was Cui Geer.

With the children retrieved, the family was complete again.

Meanwhile, Zheng Shancheng and Lin Geer also arrived. In the face of the earthquake, everyone being safe was reason to rejoice. The only concern left was the men in the palace—no one knew their condition.

The children, not grasping the earthquake's danger, quickly returned to their carefree state.

Yu Lanyi, however, was still anxious about Zheng Shanci and the others. He couldn't help but feel wronged—first locusts, then plague, and now an earthquake. It seemed the heavens were determined to make life difficult for them.

...

An hour and a half later, the shaking slowly stopped. The palace officials finally began dealing with the aftermath, with Yu Zhangxing leading the imperial guards to search for and rescue courtiers and ministers.

Minister Qi and his subordinates went to the Panlong Hall to pay respects to Emperor Wuming. Every official from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was present, and Emperor Wuming instructed them to report to Chief Grand Secretary Wei.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei checked the numbers before sending them to the Ministry of Personnel to check the records—that ministry knew all the officials best.

After registration, they dispersed. Du Ning spotted Zheng Shanci and called out, "Brother Zheng!"

"Good to see you unharmed."

"Brother Cui and the others are fine too. He went to look for colleagues from the Censorate," Du Ning said, noticing Mei Huai and Jiang Lanli approaching as well.

Xiao Gaoyang was there too.

Seeing his friends were all unharmed, Zheng Shanci felt much more at ease.

"When the ground started shaking, I was about to take a nap. Luckily, a coworker yanked me out—otherwise, I’d be under rubble now," Du Ning said, still shaken by the experience.

His dad, the Minister of Works, checked he was okay before rushing off to attend to his duties. The Ministry of Works knew more about buildings anyway.

Feng De came with orders from the emperor, instructing officials from the Ministries of Justice, Works, Revenue, and War to remain while the rest were dismissed for the day.

Only Mei Huai had to stay behind, meaning Zheng Shanci and the others could leave first.

Zheng Shanci figured working in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had perks—if he'd been in the Ministry of Revenue, he’d have been swamped with work.

After bidding farewell to Mei Huai, they exited the imperial city. Along the way, they saw countless collapsed homes, and their hearts grew heavy with worry.

There were no carriages to take them back now. The streets were full of wreckage and cries, and the air was thick with dust, covering everyone in a layer of grime.

Zheng Shanci first checked on his own residence and was relieved to find only three or four rooms damaged—the main hall and the rest remained intact. Having witnessed entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble upon leaving the palace, he considered his own home fortunate.

A servant saw Zheng Shanci and ran up to him. "Master, you’ve returned! The young master and the others are waiting for you elsewhere."

Hearing this, Zheng Shanci asked, "Is Xiao Ping’an with them?"

"The schoolteacher’s got them. The young master is unharmed."

Zheng Shanci inquired further, and the servant answered each question in detail. Since the quake had chaos brewing in the capital, Yu Lanyi hadn’t sent Jin Yun to fetch Zheng Shanci but instead dispatched a man to escort him.

The household servants were all people he knew, and Zheng Shanci could tell from their expressions that their families were safe.

As they walked, Zheng Shanci saw the house next door shudder and shouted, "Watch out!"

Half the building was already down, its beams creaking like they’d snap. Cracks spread like spiderwebs, and then the other half of the house came crashing down.

Zheng Shanci’s shout saved a few more people.

The whole area was dangerous now—not every building that survived the quake was safe. Some structures needed time to settle and required thorough inspection before reoccupation, or they might cave in out of nowhere.