"Wuyou? Hmph, I'm furious enough to die!" The old emperor snorted, though his expression eased somewhat. The situation looked perilous, but once they completed the encirclement, that mere rebellious son would amount to nothing.
"The Waterworks Bureau's Deputy Director?"
The old emperor searched his memories and gradually recalled something.
"Is it that Pan clan man whom Chancellor Shen of the previous dynasty promoted?"
"Yes, Pan Taidou's descendant."
Though the man's official rank was not high, Zhao Bingzhong still respectfully called him Taidou.
He truly was a titan of waterworks.
A Wei emperor had once commented: "The Pan clan first created this method. It is enough to serve as a model for a hundred generations, benefiting the Central Plains beyond measure. No achievement could surpass it, and his descendants will surely enjoy endless blessings."
Not long after the Zheng Dynasty was founded, the Yellow River had burst its banks. At the time, the imperial treasury was short of silver, and the burden weighing upon the emperor and the chief minister had been immense.
But governing the Yellow River was no small matter. It could damage the very foundations of the state, so they had to proceed with utmost caution. The choice of personnel had likewise been considered again and again.
At first, they had dispatched a riverway censor. Though the man had some reputation, he knew nothing of river management. In the end, he accomplished nothing.
Left with no alternative, they sought out a descendant of the Pan clan. Only by restoring their waterworks methods did they resolve the difficulty.
"But as I recall, wasn't the Pan clan dismissed from office? Why have they come to the Capital City again?"
During the Former Wei, the Pan clan had held the lofty rank of count. Naturally, Great Zheng did not recognize that