Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 855 - 19: Arranged Marriage with Zhao Country

Chapter 855: Chapter 19: Arranged Marriage with Zhao Country

Ah Lan was puzzled, but seeing her happiness, she also smiled and said, "Princess, is there some joyful news?"

Ling Yuezi said, "According to ancient records, if flocks of birds fly chaotically, herds of animals run around sleepless, and well water becomes turbid, these are signs of an impending earthquake."

Ah Lan said, "What benefit would an earthquake in Funan bring us?"

"The benefits are significant." Ling Yuezi gave a sly smile, "The Funan Queen plunders externally and internally, and the people of Funan have long been resentful. If we give it a little push, do you think the people of Funan might rebel against her?"

Ah Lan was delighted and asked, "How does the Princess plan to give it a push?"

"Do it like this..." Ling Yuezi raised her eyebrows and smiled, giving instructions to Ah Lan.

Ah Lan listened with bright eyes, nodded, and smiled, "Yes, this maid will arrange it immediately."

-

Not far from the Nanyue Pearl City is a small coastal city of Funan Country, Jialuo City.

A stretch of mudflats serves as the boundary between the two cities, just over a hundred li apart.

Standing atop the hills, one can clearly see the other city.

Jialuo City is mostly mountainous, with little land and many people, and the inhabitants rely on fishing for a living.

When the weather at sea is stormy and unsuitable for fishing, the people of Jialuo City group together to raid the relatively prosperous Pearl City to make a living.

As a result, the Southern Yue people detest this small city of Funan Country.

While the people of Jialuo City harbor hatred for their queen.

Because it is their queen who compels them to plunder other countries.

The queen’s taxes are twice as heavy as those of neighboring Zhao Country, and she occasionally takes away the more handsome men from the city.

The strong labor men are taken to be the queen’s concubines or bodyguards; who will do the work at home?

With no one to do the work at home, life is difficult, and yet taxes must still be paid, forcing them to band together to raid neighboring countries.

When a rumor began to spread in the city, saying the queen had committed too many evils and the Sea God would punish Jialuo City, the people of the city started to panic.

Every day, many people set up incense tables by the sea, praying for the Sea God’s mercy, arguing it wasn’t their fault but the queen’s.

As the rumor spread, the people of Jialuo City, fearing the Sea God might indeed punish them, dared not raid Pearl City anymore.

The rumor spread for half a month, and the two countries did not engage in conflict.

One night, half a month later, Jialuo City experienced an earthquake.

The earth shook and rumbled continuously.

Most of Jialuo City is mountainous; the limited flat land is used for farming, and houses are mostly built on hillsides.

The violent earthquake shook the mountains, causing almost all the houses to collapse.

Not only that, but the sea waters also trembled, rolling in fierce waves towards the shore.

Many in Jialuo City cried out, "The Sea God is angry, the Sea God is angry!"

The nearest to Jialuo City, Pearl City, was also affected by the earthquake.

But Ling Yuezi, having predicted this in advance, had ordered Ah Lan to spread the rumors quietly in Jialuo City, and had started arranging for the people of Pearl City to move to higher flat ground to live.

Initially, some people were reluctant to go, questioning why they should leave their homes to live in open canopies on flat ground.

Ling Yuezi adopted a carrot-and-stick approach, forcefully ordering those living on the hills to move.

To prevent complaints, Ling Yuezi provided those who moved with a daily subsidy of twenty coins each.

In Pearl City, the monthly weather is always hot. Living in tents, aside from the discomfort of not sleeping in beds, there was no great difference compared to sleeping at home.

Seeing the monetary incentive, no one objected anymore.

After living like this for half a month, an earthquake suddenly happened one night.

The mountains cracked, and seawater surged inland.

The original coastal flatlands were all submerged, and houses were toppled.

The houses on the hills fared no better; the old ones all collapsed, and half of the new ones fell too.

News even came that because Jialuo City in Funan Country didn’t evacuate from the hills in advance, many houses collapsed, killing numerous people. Some living in low-lying houses were swept away by the sea along with their homes.

After this event, the people of Pearl City admired the Eldest Princess even more.

Meanwhile, the people of Jialuo City firmly believed it was because the Sea God was enraged.

Homes were destroyed, families were either dead or missing, life couldn’t go on; many people rose up in revolt.

After the slogan "Down with the Funan Witch" was shouted, more and more joined the uprising.

Initially, only a few hundred people from Jialuo City responded, but within three days it expanded to over two thousand, and a few days later, people from other cities joined in too.

A mighty uprising force swept through several cities.