Chapter 20: Your Majesty, You Didn't Hear a Thing!
Page 1 of 3
“Your Majesty has been troubled by the waterways all this time, hasn’t he? I worked through the night to draw up the plans for a water-diversion dam. I wonder whether Your Majesty would like them?”
Old Zhu had one foot almost out of the government office when he heard the words “water-diversion dam.” He immediately turned and came back inside.
“Qin Feng, you truly understand what is on my mind!”
“Recently, I have been troubled day and night by the state of the waterways. Shanglin苑 has only just been burned to the ground, so it will be next year before we can plant anything there.”
“Come back with me. We shall first take care of the water-diversion dam, then return and study the new crops. There will be plenty of time.”
Qin Feng rubbed his hands together with a grin. “Then about the funds… might Your Majesty consider allocating them to me?”
“Qin Feng, managing the Yellow River is a matter of the utmost importance. Once you have accomplished it, do you really think I would withhold your reward?”
“Your Majesty, it is not that I distrust you. Just look at how difficult it is for me to carry out my duties here in Shanglin苑!”
“It is bad enough that those short-sighted fools outside think I am doing this for my own benefit. But surely Your Majesty knows why I am suffering here?”
“There are three thousand infantrymen outside, fully armed and ready for action. There are also several hundred newly subdued desperadoes risking their lives for me. So many mouths in Shanglin苑 are waiting to be fed, while certain people at court are plotting to have me killed.”
“If it were not for the millions upon millions of our Great Ming subjects, who would willingly come to this wretched place to endure such hardship? With the time I spend here, I might as well return to my residence, embrace one of my maids, and sleep in comfort.”
“If Your Majesty refuses to provide the funds, then this work truly cannot continue.”
Seeing that Qin Feng was preparing to abandon the task, Old Zhu hurriedly tried to placate him. “I shall allocate the money to you. For the sake of the countless people of Great Ming, you must not give up halfway!”
Old Zhu was somewhat anxious as well. If Qin Feng truly stopped working, who else could clean up this mess?
It was only a matter of spending a little more money. At worst, he could eat less meat and dock a little more from the stipends of the court officials. If they squeezed hard enough, there would always be something to spare.
“How much money do you need each month?”
Qin Feng rolled his eyes thoughtfully. “Ten thousand taels a month should be the minimum, shouldn’t it? Those desperadoes are all as crafty as foxes.”
“If we give them too little, they may lose their tempers. What if they start raiding and pillaging the villages near Shanglin苑? That would be disastrous!”
“Your Majesty, this is happening right beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet. We cannot allow public resentment to boil over!”
Old Zhu gave Qin Feng an enormous eye-roll.
That wretched boy was actually trying to pressure him by invoking the common people!
Somewhat uneasily, Old Zhu said, “Are you truly planning to keep this band of desperadoes in Shanglin苑? They are all wanted criminals of the imperial court!”
Qin Feng gave a sly grin. “Of course I am sheltering wanted criminals. Otherwise, how could I find the mastermind behind the people who hired these assassins?”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Old Zhu’s expression shifted slightly. “You intend to use these men to find the true culprit?”
“I questioned them. They are all men who hold firmly to the codes of the martial world, and none of them was willing to reveal who sent them. They are hard men, every one of them.”
“In that case, I have no choice but to investigate on my own.”
“Anyone who impeaches me before Your Majesty for sheltering wanted criminals will be the mastermind who ordered these desperadoes to assassinate me!”
Old Zhu’s eyes narrowed at once, and he drew in a sharp breath.
What a clever move!
No wonder Qin Feng had insisted on keeping those desperadoes. He was striking at the root of the problem!
As expected of a man from six hundred years in the future. With that quick and nimble mind, he had already surpassed many of the officials at court.
As Qin Feng and Old Zhu continued talking, they walked out of the government office.
“Qin Feng, I shall allocate another ten thousand taels to you each month. From now on, you will have complete authority over all affairs in Shanglin苑.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
When Zhou Huang heard this, he hurriedly leaned close to Qin Feng’s ear and whispered, “Grand Tutor Qin, do we not already have enough grain to last a year? There is also plenty of game in the forest to fill our bellies. What do we need so much money for?”
Qin Feng glared at Zhou Huang. “Shut up! How could there possibly be meat or game in such a barren place as Shanglin苑? There is no meat here. There is nothing at all!”
“Qin Feng, what are you muttering about over there? What was that about meat? Hurry up and return to the palace with me to deal with the waterways.”
“I shall return to the palace with Your Majesty at once.”
At that moment, someone among the desperadoes in the wasteland of Shanglin苑 suddenly shouted, “Sir! That fire of yours yielded quite a harvest! There is enough game to keep us fed for several months!”
Qin Feng hurried over and clapped a hand over the man’s mouth, but Old Zhu had already heard every word.
Old Zhu’s face darkened. “Game? Enough to eat for several months?”
You shameless dog, Qin Feng!
After burning down Shanglin苑, he had gained so much meat, yet he still had the nerve to complain about being poor!
Qin Feng gave an awkward smile. “Your Majesty, you heard nothing.”
“Qin Feng! You little brat, stop running and stand right there!”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
…
The Hall of Heavenly Proclamation.
Old Zhu sat upon the dragon throne, his eagle-like gaze sweeping over the assembled officials.
Standing before him was none other than Qin Feng, who had provoked the fury of the entire court several days earlier.
Today, Old Zhu had once again granted him permission to attend imperial deliberations, and the officials no longer dared voice the slightest objection.
The three-day deadline had passed. All officials involved in the river disaster had been escorted to the capital to stand trial.
Hu Weiyong stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I have determined the cause of the Yellow River’s breach and have already submitted a memorial.”
“This breach occurred because Wang Chunyang, the River Conservancy Commissioner, embezzled the funds allocated by the court for flood control. Nine out of every ten sections of the dikes he claimed to have built were nothing but empty promises. As a result, they failed to stop the floodwaters, leaving millions of common people to suffer catastrophe!”
“I, too, bear responsibility for failing to supervise him. I did not dispatch an investigating censor to inspect the riverworks, thereby allowing a corrupt official like Wang Chunyang to exploit the loophole. I respectfully ask Your Majesty to demote me by one rank as a warning to others. As for Wang Chunyang, he should be punished severely and without mercy in accordance with the laws of Great Ming!”
Old Zhu said in a low voice, “Now that the cause has been established, do you have any plan for dealing with the Yellow River floods?”
Hu Weiyong knelt on the floor and shook his head helplessly. “Forgive my incompetence, Your Majesty. I know little about river conservancy and cannot ease Your Majesty’s burden. However, I can recommend someone who understands flood control and is worthy of such a responsibility.”
“How is it that I have never heard of a river-conservancy expert in Great Ming? Summon this man into the hall!”
Before long, a middle-aged man in a blue official robe entered the hall and fell tremblingly to his knees.
“I… I am Li Zhen, magistrate of Pingyuan County. I kowtow before Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”
“Rise. Minister Hu says that you have profound knowledge of river affairs. Do you have any sound strategy for controlling the Yellow River?”
Li Zhen did not dare raise his head to look at Old Zhu. Stammering, he said, “The method of river control I have studied is the same as that used by the ancient Great Yu: deepen the riverbed and build dikes! The Yellow River has countless branches, all tangled and complex. Only by following the methods of the ancients can we achieve results. Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain.”
Qin Feng could no longer bear to listen from his place before the throne. He hurriedly interrupted, “Great Yu controlled the floods several thousand years ago. The Yellow River of today is entirely different from the river of that age. How can the two be treated as one and the same?”
“If we truly followed your method, then our efforts would be in vain. Every year, the imperial court would be throwing millions of taels of silver into the river without seeing any results!”
“The Yellow River today is fed by canals. To control the river is to control its sediment. Only by constraining the water and using its force to scour away the silt can we truly solve the problem once and for all!”