Li Qian had originally been a director in the Water Department under the Ministry of Works. He now held the office of Vice Minister of Works, a Principal Fourth Rank appointment.
He excelled in water management and was also well versed in the ministry's other affairs. Years ago, when temples collapsed along ten thousand miles of the Kaiyang River, the emperor suspected flooding on the Grand Canal. The official sent to investigate had also been Li Qian, then a director of the Water Department.
With Lingdong now devastated by floods, the elderly Chief Minister personally coordinated efforts from the rear, while Li Qian headed into the disaster zone bearing the emperor's golden token and imperial sword. Alongside his urgency, he harbored lofty ambitions.
Of course, ambition was one thing, but Li Qian had also made thorough preparations. Not only did he bring considerable supplies of grain, he sent men riding at full gallop to Longwind Prefecture to invite a master craftsman.
Yet as the imperial commissioner's party entered the disaster zone, what little satisfaction Li Qian had felt faded steadily, and his heart grew ever heavier.
Everyone else in the party felt the same weight, including Chu Qinglin, who had been invited from Longwind Prefecture, and Chu Hang, who had accompanied him.
They had not even reached the worst-hit areas, yet cries of suffering filled the land, and devastation met their eyes everywhere. In some places they passed through, even the local administrations were no longer intact.
By the time they reached Deng Province, everyone's heart had sunk to its lowest depths.
The provincial capital was still submerged. Local officials received the imperial commissioner's party outside the city, on higher ground near the mountains.
When Yu Ruiliang, the deputy administrator of Deng Province, saw that the party consisted not merely