"Yes, divert the water on the southern side and send it back into the Lu River. That would cut annual spending on this lake by at least three quarters, and whatever we did with the land freed up, there would be plenty of possibilities. Better than leaving it underwater."
Deeply impressed, Pei Ye slowly nodded-although he had always known that many matters were planned by those who dined on meat, this was the first time he had felt so directly that someone really was redesigning things people took for granted to make them better.
"Then will work start this year?" Pei Ye asked with some anticipation.
Qi Zhaohua sighed softly. "I hope so, but the Prefectural Office has to approve it."
"...The Prefectural Office disagrees? Why?" Remembering the bad officials in storybooks who occupied their posts without doing any work, cared only for singing of wind and moon, and ignored the people's suffering, Pei Ye frowned. "Can't they bear to lose the scenery?"
Qi Zhaohua gave a faint, involuntary laugh. "That's not it. It's because... removing half of Moon-Catching Lake would be an even more costly and dangerous undertaking. Even if we had the silver, there would still be far too much to consider. The first problem to solve is the shortage of corvée labor during the autumn harvest."
"..."
"Enough! Sorry for cornering you and pouring all this out." Qi Zhaohua closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, then gave a faint smile. "I've already persuaded Bai Sibing and Sun Census Officer. Once I've visited Granary Officer Qian, I should have more or less brought the Judicial Office around. Before that, could I ask you for another favor, young hero?"
"Please, go ahead."
Qi Zhaohua handed him a measuring tape. "There happens to be one stretch of embankment I