Before the earthquake, Bi Ziyan was discussing general affairs with Wang Siren, Liu Chongqing and other subordinate officials. What they are most concerned about now is the operation of the first railway in the capital.

Three days after the trial operation, the horse-drawn railway from Zuo'anmen to Chaoyangmen began to be officially operated. Although there were bumps and bumps in the middle, after more than a month and a half of operation, the operation of this railway began to get better and better.

The number of passengers transported by the railway has exceeded 15,000 from less than 3,000 people per day, and the daily cargo volume has increased from 50 tons to about 300 tons.

The streets of the factory area, which were originally empty near Zuo'anmen, are now finally starting to fill with people. The village near the factory area has sprung up with many small shops, turning it into a small market.

Originally, on this side of Zuo'anmen, in addition to some warehouses near the road, there were large rice fields and vegetable gardens. It's not so much a part of the city as a walled village.

Therefore, although the land price in this area is higher than that outside the city, the price is far inferior to that of the downtown areas such as Liulichang. However, after the opening of the railway, the land price in the Zuo'anmen area began to rise sharply.

Surprisingly, however, most of the land has been purchased by the shareholders of the Imperial Palace or the Four Seas Trading House. Liu Chongqing once calculated that the premium of these lands alone is equivalent to the cost of this industrial zone covering an area of nearly 800 acres.

In other words, even if the palace does nothing, it has already earned this industrial area for nothing. As far as they know, after the opening of the railway, the second phase of the 1,200-acre industrial zone has begun to be planned.

Although the officials of Shuncheonfu did not dare to compete with the palace for benefits, the amazing benefits brought by this railway made them have some other ideas.

For example, some officials of the Shuntian Prefecture suggested to Liu Chongqing that a railway line around the capital should be built on the basis of this railway, and the coal stacks outside the gate could also be transported into the city through this railway.

The total length of the Ring Railway is about 50 miles, and after deducting the already built railway, it is only necessary to build another 40 miles of railway.

The investment will not exceed 35,000 yuan, but once the ring railway is built, not to mention the benefits of rising land prices in the areas where the railways pass through the outer city. With tickets and shipping fees alone, the cost can be fully recovered within 3 years.

The officials of the Shuncheon Province had even thought about how to raise the funds for the construction of these railways. After Liu Chongqing saw the plans given to him by these officials, he was finally moved.

Without spending money from the imperial court, he can accomplish a political achievement that everyone praises, what reason does he have to disapprove of it. But the only trouble is that the construction of this railway will have to demolish the urn city outside the Xuanwu Gate, and maybe some houses.

And these two demands are exactly what Wang Siren opposes and Bi Ziyan hesitates about. When Chongzhen forcibly demolished the Chongwenmen urn city in order to build a railway, it caused great controversy.

Wang Siren is an opponent, he believes that although the demolition of the urn city makes it convenient for merchants and pedestrians to enter and exit, in the long run, it poses a great hidden danger to the safety of the capital.

And Liu Chongqing's proposal to build a ring railway, in addition to demolishing the urn city, but also demolishing the people's houses, is too disturbing to the people.

When the two were arguing in front of Bi Ziyan, an earthquake suddenly appeared without warning. The house in Shuntian Mansion is not as strong as the palace in the palace, and the palace has not been repaired for many years.

Although the intensity of the earthquake was not large, and the entire house was not destroyed, many tiles on the roof were shaken off. The officials who were holding a meeting in the room were suddenly smashed on their heads and bled out.

When Bi Ziyan was dragged out of the room by several subordinate officials, he found that although his mansion had not collapsed, the houses where some subordinate officials were staying had been shaken down.

He hurriedly organized some of the uninjured subordinates and officials to start rescuing people, and asked Wang Siren and Liu Chongqing to go to the county offices of Daxing and Wanping counties respectively, urging the two counties to gather people to inspect the nine cities, relieve the disaster victims and prevent people from taking advantage of the chaos to loot.

Not long after Wang Siren and Liu Chongqing left, orders from Chongzhen and the cabinet were also sent to the Shuntian Mansion.

The damage caused by the earthquake was not large, but it caused a lot of panic, but due to the timely mobilization of the new army into the city by the cabinet, coupled with Bi Ziyan's proper handling, the panic and riots caused by the earthquake quickly subsided among the people of the capital.

Zhu Youjian stood in the square outside the Wenhua Hall and watched as a group of officials began to leave and carry out their tasks under the assignment of Huang Liji and several other cabinet ministers.

In terms of specific practical operations, he is certainly inferior to these bureaucratic elites who have climbed from the bureaucracy to the top. After all, until now, he only remembered the names of dozens of officials above the fourth rank, and knew very little about the officials below.

For Huang Liji, Guo Yunhou and others, when Chongzhen made a decision, but did not interfere with their specific operations, things became very simple. After a few words of discussion, they came up with a name and arranged for the man to do something.

In such a situation, the administrative efficiency of the cabinet was very high, and in a short period of time, the officials of various ministries were given their own tasks, and several members of the cabinet and Chongzhen himself were soon left in the square.

And with the departure of these officials, information from all over the capital began to gather here.

These news showed that the damage in the capital was not serious, which undoubtedly made Chongzhen and the cabinet breathe a sigh of relief.

The hardest hit area this time was the slum housing area in the outer city, and their houses were all made of earth and walls, and their structural performance was not very good, and the damage was more serious under the earthquake.

However, the damage to these earthen walls was not very lethal, so there were no serious injuries to human life.

After confirming the entry of the new army into the city and the dispatch of the Huimin Medical Bureau, Zhu Youzhen said to Huang Liji and the others: "Then the matter of the foreign court, please leave it to all gentlemen." Until it is determined that the earthquake has completely stopped, no official is allowed to work in the government offices.

If there is any emergency, as long as the three cabinet members agree, they can be dealt with first, and then they will be reported to me..."

After hurriedly giving a few words, Chongzhen returned to the harem with a few attendants. Although Wang Chengen had reported to him before, everyone in the harem was fine, but he was still a little relieved.

When he rushed to the back garden and saw that Zhou Yufeng and the other women were all fine, his heart completely settled down.

Tian Xiuying was obviously a little frightened by the earthquake, and after seeing Chongzhen, she rushed up, threw herself into his arms, and cried profusely, as if she had forgotten the strict etiquette of the harem.

Zhou Yufeng looked at Chongzhen's behavior to appease Tian Xiuying, and her mood suddenly became bad. Although he was also frightened by the sudden earthquake, out of his self-consciousness as the lord of the six houses, not only could he not show fear, but he also tried his best to comfort the others.

finally waited for Chongzhen to return to the harem, thinking that he could relax, but he didn't expect Tian Xiuying to throw herself into Chongzhen's arms like a folk woman sympathizing with Lang's tryst.

Yuan Zhaorong carefully observed Zhou Yufeng's face, then stepped forward to salute Chongzhen, and took the opportunity to pull away Tian Xiuying, who was nestled in Chongzhen's arms.

Chongzhen was unaware of the intrigue of several women in the harem, and after he comforted a few women, he stepped forward to salute the imperial sister-in-law Empress Zhang on the side.

Since the funeral of the imperial brother, he and the imperial sister-in-law have not seen each other for a long time. After the two said a few words politely, Zhu Youzhen opened his mouth and said gently to Queen Zhou beside him.

"Now that the earthquake has passed, I don't know if there will be aftershocks, so I don't think everyone will go back to the house today, just set up a few tents in the back garden to deal with the night.

Wait until tomorrow, after making sure that there are no aftershocks, and after having someone check that there is no problem with the palace, you can move back. ”

"Obey Your Majesty's orders." Zhou Yufeng bent his body and saluted back to Chongzhen.

Under the control of a group of chamberlains led by Lu Qi, several tents made of silk yarn were quickly set up in the back garden. After making sure that the concubines of the first emperor and the imperial ancestor were settled, Chongzhen and Zhou Hou entered a tent to rest for a while.

After entering the palace, whether it was Queen Zhou or the two concubines, they rarely saw Chongzhen during the day. And Isabella, dressed in Hanfu, sat quietly beside Yuan Zhaorong, curiously observing everything in front of her.

Compared with when she first entered the palace, the current Isabella is not much different from other Han girls in addition to her appearance.

As a girl who has surrounded most of the world and survived the upheaval, Isabella is a person who adapts to her environment and changes herself.

Although the Chinese Imperial Palace is like a giant golden silk cage, it is already a heavenly existence compared to the life she has experienced in the past.

The exquisite costumes, food, and various new treasures made Isabella completely forget about the desire to return to the Kingdom of Portugal and reclaim her father's lost throne. She acquiesced to the persuasions of several chamberlains to become a concubine of the Chinese emperor at the right time, even if it was contrary to her Catholic teachings.

These harem women sat down around Chongzhen, and their panicked mood finally calmed down.

After chatting with the women for a while, Chongzhen whispered to Zhou Yufeng: "Although this earthquake is not very harmful, because it is located in Gyeonggi, I am afraid it will have a great impact on people's hearts.

I can urge the imperial court to issue various policies to help the victims, but if I want to calm the people of Gyeonggi and settle down as soon as possible, policies alone will not work. ”

Zhou Yufeng still had some pimples in her heart at the moment, so she didn't fully listen to the emperor's words, she said with a straight face: "The concubine is just a woman, this kind of national affairs, shouldn't Your Majesty discuss it with the adults?" ”

Although Chongzhen didn't know why Zhou Yufeng was petty, he knew very well what he should do now. He flattered Zhou Yufeng a few words, and after coaxing her face to become cheerful again, he told her what he thought.

Chongzhen hoped that Zhou Yufeng could arrange for the female officials in the palace to inspect the almshouses and primary schools in various parts of the capital, and take the lead in donating a batch of clothes to comfort the people affected by the disaster.