As soon as the oxcart left, the shopkeeper rushed out in a hurry. He stood in front of the table, counting on his fingers, "One, two, three, four..."
After ordering, he stared at the teacup for a moment, and when it didn't break, he grinned...
The oxcart hurried towards Jianghe County. Just as it arrived at the county government office, it saw someone trying to force their way in. The gatekeeper, blocking the entrance, said helplessly, "We've said it countless times, money won't help... All the men in your household must perform forced labor."
The man said anxiously, "Isn't it five taels of silver enough to exempt me from labor service? I've already scraped together the money... Why can't I?"
"With just your three sons... Go back now. If everyone gives money like you, who will repair this river dam..." The gatekeeper spotted Yuan Shanjian and quickly ordered the yamen runners to take him away.
" Lord Yuan, you've arrived..."
Yuan Shanjian led Meng Anci and the others inside, asking, "Where's Xiong Wanli?"
" Lord Xiong is inspecting the river... and with the flood season approaching, he's been bringing people to reinforce it these past few days, fearing something might go wrong..."
Yuan Shanjian stopped in his tracks, then suddenly turned and walked back, "Where is he? I'll go check..."
" Zhao Household Gully..." The gatekeeper followed behind him, "Sir, shall I show you the way?"
"You go about your business, it's not like I can't find someone..." Yuan Shanjian said, then lifted his belt and sat down on the oxcart. He turned his head and looked... Oh dear?? Where did everyone go??
Her gaze swept around and she saw Jin Shanyao standing in front of a strange man, the two of them chatting... Yuan Shanjian called out to her, "Don't go, the river is dangerous, you woman should stay at the county office."
After saying that, he shouted to Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan, "What are you two standing there for? Get in the car... let's go see what's going on."
Jin Shanyao patted the man's shoulder, "Your ink is very good... My two children like it very much," and then returned to sit on the oxcart.
Yuan Shanjian clicked his tongue, "I said, how can you be so ungrateful? That river is dangerous and the water is deep! If you fall in, no one will be there to save you."
Without a word, Jin Shanyao pulled out a booklet from her satchel and began taking notes, " Lord Yuan doesn't allow people from other provinces to see the river... he must be feeling guilty."
After finishing writing, he looked up at Yuan Shanjian earnestly, "Is there anything else to add?"
Yuan Shanjian opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, finally turning to Meng Anci and asking, " Lord Meng, has your aunt always been like this?"
Meng Anci smiled, " Lord Yuan, let's set off."
Following Yuan Shanjian's directions, the oxcart arrived at Zhao Household Gully. In the distance, they saw a gaunt old man standing on the riverbank, wearing a faded official robe.
"Put some effort into it, that's where the river bends; if it's not handled properly, it'll get clogged."
" Xiong Wanli..." Yuan Shanjian shouted at the top of his lungs.
Xiong Wanli turned around, exclaimed "Oh!" and trotted forward with a smile, saying, "Sir... what brings you here?"
Yuan Shanjian pointed to Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan, "This is Meng Anci, the Supervising Censor of the Censorate, and this is Zhao Zhiyuan, the Principal of the Water Bureau of the Ministry of Works."
Xiong Wanli glanced at them quickly, then bowed respectfully to the two men, "Greetings Lord Meng and Lord Zhao..."
"What kind of eyesight do you have? This is Lord Zhao from the Ministry of Works..." Yuan Shanjian, pointing at Zhao Zhiyuan.
Xiong Wanli was taken aback for a moment, then a smile spread across his face, and he bent over even more, speaking to him as warmly as if he were seeing his own father.
"Oh, Lord Zhao, you've finally arrived! You're an expert sent by the court; from now on, we'll be relying entirely on you for this river management project. With you here, I feel completely at ease."
Zhao Zhiyuan laughed and said, " Lord Xiong, you flatter me. You are the magistrate of Jianghe County, and you know the waterways better than I do. I'm here to help you investigate the problem, not to steal your job. You still have to take responsibility for what you're supposed to take."
Xiong Wanli choked, stealing a glance at Yuan Shanjian, only to be glared at in return. He quickly looked away, tugged at his torn sleeve, and said with an awkward smile, "Um... gentlemen, would you like to take a look at the river?"
Zhao Zhiyuan nodded and walked towards the embankment with Meng Anci. Jin Shanyao was about to follow Yuan Shanjian her arm, saying, "It's dangerous up there. You stay here."
Having said that, he strode up the riverbank. He'd barely settled when Jin Shanyao up. He stared at Jin Shanyao for a long time, then angrily flung his sleeve... whatever.
Jin Shanyao her eyes and looked out; the river, carrying silt and sand, surged in from upstream.
Yuan Shanjian pointed to the river surface and said to Zhao Zhiyuan, "It looks flat, but it's full of hidden pits underneath. Last year, an old fisherman who was a good swimmer went down to retrieve something and never came back up."
No sooner had she finished speaking than another section of the opposite bank collapsed. With a loud, albeit small, rumble, a clod of earth rolled into the water, splashing up a patch of yellowish liquid. Jin Shanyao silently took two steps back.
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan had written countless strategies for water management, but they had never seen a river like this... seemingly calm and harmless, but in reality, it could swallow people's lives.
Yuan Shanjian pulled out a river map and unfolded it... pointing to their location, "This is the main sluice gate... These smaller sluice gates are located in various counties. We are in the middle and upper reaches; if we don't manage this properly, the entire downstream area will be flooded..."
He pointed down the map, Meng Anci noticed large tracts of farmland. "Is this also part of Jianghe County?"
Xiong Wanli craned his neck to look, "No... this is Yuhe County, under the jurisdiction of Dingchuan Prefecture... saline-alkali land can't grow any good grains."
Meng Anci stared intently at the blueprints, lost in thought.
Yuan Shanjian the crumpled oil paper into his clothes, clipped it to his official hat, and said, "We started repairing it as soon as the imperial court allocated funds last year, and we've been Rogue Cultivator piecemeal for more than half a year... I don't know if it will last until the flood season this year."
Jin Shanyao glanced at the blueprints, then looked up at the river. "This river breaches its banks twice every three years and changes its course once every hundred years. You've placed the dike in the wrong location."
Yuan Shanjian turned his head sharply in shock and exclaimed, "You can understand blueprints?!"
"Am I stupid? This map, this river... it's obvious at a glance." Jin Shanyao pointed at the blueprints, "These places you've repaired look correct on the surface, but they're actually where the silt is thickest and the riverbank soil is loosest. The more you repair, the more silt will accumulate, and they'll still collapse when the flood season comes."
Zhao Zhiyuan at the blueprints, then at the river channel, comparing them repeatedly... and said, " Lord Yuan, could we find a boat and go check it out in person? We can understand the specific conditions of the river channel, and then compare it with the blueprints to identify any omissions or errors. What do you say?"
Yuan Shanjian was eager for them to come up with a solution, and immediately agreed!
Xiong Wanli quickly found a skilled boatman and carried everyone downstream. Meng Anci was originally there to check the government's allocation of funds and didn't need to risk his life, but he insisted on going on the boat, wanting only to help Zhao Zhiyuan complete his task smoothly.
The river water was so murky that the bottom could not be seen at all. Zhao Zhiyuan repeatedly compared the drawings with the map, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, until it was completely dark before the group finally reached the shore and returned to Jianghe County temporary accommodation.