He paused, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"I've also taken those twenty-two men in. I'll have them repair roads, three meals a day, for a full year. Their merits and demerits will be balanced, and I'll decide their fate accordingly."
He handed the teacup to Uncle Fu next to him and clapped his hands.
"Commander Xue, I have a request regarding the 108 men you've brought."
Xue Huan's eyes flickered slightly, his expression solemn, waiting for him to speak.
Gu Moran raised his head and looked at the mountain path faintly visible in the thin mist outside the city, his tone unhurried.
"From now on, you will be responsible for protecting this road."
"Not just this one."
Gu Moran withdrew her gaze and looked at Xue Huan again.
"Every road in Yi Prefecture that leads from the granary to the doorsteps of the people must be protected."
Xue Huan remained silent for a moment.
He weighed the weight of those words in his mind, then strung together the terraced fields, waterwheels, granaries, road construction, and food delivery that had been rambling on in that storybook into a line, the end of that line.
It's right at the doorstep of ordinary people.
He glanced at the 108 people behind him.
He bowed his head again, clasped his hands, and knelt on one knee.
" Xue Huan, I obey."
Song Wan knelt down with a thud behind her.
One hundred and eight people followed in an orderly fashion.
The knee slammed onto the stone slab of the official road, producing a series of muffled thuds.
On the way into town.
Xue Huan's gaze remained fixed on Gu Moran's back.
The young man, still bearing the marks of illness and walking at a leisurely pace, was pulling up his sleeves as he walked along the stone path leading into the city gate.
The morning light shone through the clouds, casting a soft glow around his dark blue robe.
Xue Huan didn't think much of it.
Lift your foot and follow.
Gu Moran entrusted the task of settling Xue Huan and the others to Uncle Fu.
Go find Si Renyou yourself.
After reviewing the sketch, Si Renyou didn't waste any words and signed it.
Fang Bi came out holding the approval document, his eyes shining. He circled the sketch three times, then pointed to the section marked at the West Mountain and asked Gu Moran.
"Your Highness, if this reservoir is completed, the people of Yi Prefecture will have access to clean, fresh water. This achievement will be truly remarkable..."
Gu Moran rolled up the blueprints and handed them to him casually.
"The credit belongs to the governor; I merely drew a few lines."
Fang Bi held the approval document, something flashing in his old eyes. Leaning on his cane, he gave a shaky bow and left.
Zhen Daijin's eyelids twitched as he stared at Gu Moran.
"Your Highness, Old Man Fang's nose is red today; he looks like he's about to cry."
Gu Moran picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his gaze fell on the short persimmon tree outside the window.
"He's getting old, so it's normal for his eyes to water easily."
Zhen Daijin remained silent for a moment, weighed the tassel of the old knife at his waist, and did not reply.
The next morning, the Prince Yi's Residence's entourage left the city gate and headed towards Ten-Li Slope.
Ten-Li Slope has undulating terrain, fertile soil, and is sheltered from the wind and sunny. Originally, it was covered with wild grass and a few scattered old trees.
Last night, Gu Moran flipped through the topographic map again and again, marking the distribution of the terraced fields clearly with charcoal pencil, indicating which sections needed drainage ditches and which sections needed bamboo pipes to draw water, filling two large sheets of paper.
Holding the two drawings, Su Yao walked up the mountain while checking the accounts for materials and labor.
Shen Ling'er followed beside her, carrying a medicine box on her back.
Gu Moran walked slowly.
The mountain road was rugged.
The robe he was wearing today was a bit too loose; he would step on it if he walked too fast, so he simply walked slowly.
Yun Shuyue was the last to leave. Before she went out, Shen Ling'er changed her into a dress that reached her chest. After walking only a couple of miles, she started to frown.
The skirt, glistening with dew, hung heavily down, dragging on my feet as I walked, and making climbing hills even more unbearable.
When she reached the middle of the mountain, she stopped, tucked her skirt into her waistband, picked up her bag, and turned to disappear into the bamboo shed next to her.
She came out again shortly afterward.
Dressed in a neat short-sleeved outfit, a pale white belt, and black cloth wrapped around his legs, with his hair casually tied up, he carried a hoe, strode up, steadied himself on a stone, stood next to Gu Moran, and shoved the hoe into the ground.
"I have a 30% stake; I want to go to the most difficult plot of land to dig."
Gu Moran turned to look at her, from her head to her feet.
She stood ramrod straight, chin slightly raised, looking ready to make a big splash.
Gu Moran didn't say anything, but reached out and re-tied the piece of hemp thread wrapped around the handle of her hoe, then handed it back to her.
"Hey! A girl, and she's quite hardworking."
"Okay, go ahead, but don't bury yourself in it."
Yun Shuyue took the hoe, gripped it tightly, and strode towards the steepest section of the slope.
That section of land has the thickest soil layer in the entire Ten-Li Slope area. According to the map, an old irrigation canal can be drawn down three feet from there, which would be perfect for converting into a terraced drainage ditch.
She wielded the hoe with great steadiness and strength, digging away the first layer of loose soil and then digging deeper.
The other bricklayers who had come with her saw that she worked more efficiently than they did, so they didn't say anything and just kept their heads down and busy with their own work.
Xue Huan led a dozen or so of his old subordinates to draw lines on the side, while Song Wan carried a bamboo pole to measure the height difference. She didn't talk much, but she was quick and efficient.
Uncle Fu carried a water jug and walked back and forth on the mountain path, distributing water to people.
On the hillside, Gu Moran squatted on a flat stone, spread out the sketch and pressed it down, making marks on it with a charcoal pencil.
Shen Ling'er sat beside him, studying the old gazetteer of Chuan-Shu topography in her hands, occasionally pointing to a spot and saying, "The soil here is sandy, so the pipes should be laid deeper," or "This slope is prone to water accumulation, so we need to dig two more ditches."
Gu Moran wrote everything down and then called Su Yao over to reconcile the accounts.
The sounds of people working on the slope rose and fell, the dull thud of hoes hitting stones, the crisp sound of bamboo tubes being cut, interspersed with the occasional shout, all conveying a sense of earnestness amidst the liveliness.
The sun was already two poles high in the sky, and the section of land where the Yun Shuyue had been dug down more than three feet.
She wiped the sweat from her brow, swung the hoe high, and with all her might, slammed it down directly downwards.
With that strike of the hoe, there was a very low, muffled thud, as if something had burst open.
Then, a jet of water suddenly shot out from the muddy ground, with immense pressure, carrying loose soil and gravel, and with a loud bang, it rushed straight towards Yun Shuyue's face.
Yun Shuyue didn't even have time to utter a word before she was completely soaked.
Muddy water poured down on her head, covering her with bits of grass and yellow mud, soaking her from head to toe.
She paused for half a second, stunned.
The water in the field was still gushing out; it was a genuine high-pressure spring, and the jet of water that shot out was as thick as a thumb, carrying black mud, and roaring into the sky.
The people working nearby stopped and stared for a full three seconds before erupting in chaos.
"We've found a spring!"
[Thank you so much for the amazing certification from Siren, the likes from Zongyuan, the flowers and love letters from Xiaoxiaohua and Guchanzi, the inspiration capsules from Doudouge and Yaya, the update reminders from Jinmo and Hippo! And thank you all for your support! (Supporting others is hard work too, love you all!)]
(I went out to play today, I'll make up for the extra chapter later~ Love you tigers~) Any comments or suggestions? Hehe, remember to let me know, I'm afraid the writing won't be satisfying enough! Muah~