"Tiger-stick chicken?"
"You lose. The chicken eats the worm, and the worm eats the stick."
…
Unknowingly, a game of "Tiger-stick chicken" spread from the Mo Family Village had become popular in Chang 'an City. It was especially popular among adults at the table for drinking games.
In the Fish Scholar's Restaurant, the game of "Tiger-stick chicken" could be heard from almost every private room.
"I quit!"
Meton said dejectedly. He found that he was no match for these rich playboys in terms of eating, drinking, and playing.
Even if the game of "Tiger-stick chicken" was taught by him, Qin Huaiyu and the others were absolutely talented. Meton had lost in a row.
Of course, they were not drinking and having fun at this time. After dinner, they still had to go to the Imperial College. Drinking and attending classes in the Imperial College was a serious offense. Even Qin Huaiyu and the others did not dare to offend them.
Cheng Chumo took a bite of the duck leg happily and said with relish, "Let's not talk about other things. The duck meat with locusts is really delicious."
At this moment, the threat of the locust plague had been eliminated. A large number of domestic ducks poured into the market. The duck meat of the domestic ducks, which grew up eating locusts and was free-range, was extremely delicious. It was very popular in Chang 'an City.
Qin Huaiyu and the others nodded in agreement. At the same time, they ate the duck meat happily. At the same time, they despised Moton's habit of only eating duck neck. In their eyes, duck neck that didn't even have two taels of meat wasn't enough to fill the gaps between their teeth!
Everyone enjoyed the duck meat feast to their heart's content. Some of them were so bored that they sat on the chairs and talked about some interesting things that had happened recently.
"Have you heard? The floods in Shandong and Henan are more serious. Even the Yellow River has been in danger several times in a row. It is said that the local garrison has been mobilized. That's why the disaster was averted so many times." Qin Huaiyu whispered.
Ever since Meton created the idea of using the army to resist natural disasters, this method was popularized in the Tang dynasty. Obviously, Li Shimin had also used this method to mobilize the local troops in time. That was how they survived several crises.
"I hope Qufu is fine." Kong Huisuo prayed. In the face of such a natural disaster, manpower could do little.
Everyone fell silent. The whole room was silent.
At this moment, the door to the private room was suddenly opened, and a drenched Uncle Fu rushed in. He walked to Moton's side and said in a low voice, "Someone from the palace has summoned His Majesty to convene a court meeting to discuss important matters."
Since it was a court meeting, it meant that all officials with ranks had to attend. Although Moton did not have an official rank, he was still a marquis. He was also included in the list of officials attending the court meeting.
Meton was shocked. He quickly apologized to the others and left in a hurry.
When Qin Huaiyu and the others saw Meton leave, they couldn't help but sigh. They were all young, but they were only students of the Imperial College. Yet, Meton had already reached the threshold of entering the palace to discuss matters.
Even though they had a good relationship with each other, they suddenly felt bored.
Meton walked out of Fish Scholar's Restaurant and saw that the palace's carriage was already waiting for him. Meton boarded the carriage. The eunuch driving the carriage immediately started the engine and headed straight for the palace.
Inside the Taiji Palace.
Hundreds of officials were gathered there. Everyone was worried as they discussed among themselves.
Meton braved the heavy rain to enter the Taiji Palace. When he saw that everyone was already present, he walked to his seat at the back.
"How is General Xi's situation?" Meton nudged Xi Junmai, who was still ranked last, and asked.
Xi Junmai had already seen Meton. He had originally wanted to ignore him, but he hadn't expected this kid to stick to him. He helplessly lowered his head and said in a small voice, "The Yellow River is in danger. Minister Duan is reporting the situation to the Emperor!"
Meton's heart sank. As expected, it was a flood.
Duan Lun said, "Twelve dangerous situations have appeared from Luoyang to Shandong. Fortunately, the Sixteen Guards personally came to the rescue and stabilized the situation. However, the water level is still rising.
Other than this, the heavy rain in Guanzhong has not stopped. The water level of the Wei River has risen to its highest in history. If this continues, I fear … "
Li Shimin said harshly, "What will happen?"
Duan Lun gritted his teeth and said, "I fear there will be a flood."
The entire court instantly froze. The flood was merciless. Of all the disasters, the flood left everyone with a memory of despair.
Unlike droughts and locusts that only destroyed crops, the flood mercilessly swallowed people's lives. Everywhere it went, everything was destroyed.
"This old official believes that the Ministry of Works will be investigated for their negligence. The court spends a great deal of money every year to manage the Yellow River, but there is no result. The Ministry of Works will have an unavoidable responsibility," Imperial Censor Wang said loudly. Because of the matter with Meton, he had lost favor in front of Li Shimin. This was a chance for him to perform.
"Your Majesty, the Yellow River is a problem of the past dynasties. It is not a problem of the current dynasty. Also, this year's rain is one in a hundred years. This is a natural disaster, not a man-made disaster." An official from the Ministry of Works immediately argued for himself. The two sides argued endlessly.
The Yellow River was the mother river of Huaxia and had given birth to all of Huaxia's civilization. But since the Han Dynasty, the Yellow River had gradually become the greatest pain in the hearts of Huaxia's sons and daughters. It changed its course many times, and each change was heart-wrenching.
Every dynasty placed the management of the Yellow River as the top priority, but it was hard to see results.
"Alright, now is not the time to look into who is right and who is wrong. The key is how to get through this flood." Li Shimin slapped the dragon throne and said sternly.
Instantly, all the officials fell silent and lowered their heads.
"Your Majesty, the School of Mo has dealt with droughts and locusts. It can be seen that the School of Mo has done a lot of research on agriculture. They might even have a way to deal with the flood. Why don't we invite Marquis Merton to help Your Majesty resolve this problem?" Zhangsun Wuji said.
Although Meton came in quietly, he could not hide from the eyes and ears of everyone present. In an instant, everyone looked at Meton.
Xi Junmai turned his body without any loyalty, directly exposing Meton in front of the officials.
"Hai … …"
Meton awkwardly revealed his head and waved at the officials. Instantly, all the officials had black lines on their faces.
"Cough, cough!" Li Shimin also felt helpless and said, "Meton, does the School of Mo have a way to deal with the flood?"
Meton pondered for a moment and said carefully, "Irrigation?"
Instantly, all the civil and military officials glared at him, their eyes filled with murderous intent. When they saw Moton muttering to himself, they thought that Moton had come up with an idea. They didn't expect Moton to spout nonsense.
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