Dr. Tang?

"You mean, you saw Doctor Tang when you were playing in the yard?"

Xiao Tao nodded obediently: "Yes, Uncle Tang seems to be in a hurry. He's even playing hide-and-seek with me."

Song Ning was even more confused. Was it a game of hide-and-seek?

Yunxiufang is quite a distance from Yong'an Hall, so why did Tang Xinghuai come all this way to play hide-and-seek with Xiaotaozi?

Did he say anything?

Xiao Tao immediately covered her mouth, shook her head, and said it was impossible for her to say.

Seeing Song Ning frowning at her, she finally lowered her hand: "Uncle Tang said it's a secret and can't be told to anyone."

Song Ning pouted and said, "I'm your older sister, not just anyone. You can tell your sister quietly, but your Uncle Tang won't know."

Xiao Tao seemed to be struggling with whether or not to "betray" Tang Xinghuai, her little face showing a pained expression.

Song Ning smiled and said, "If Xiao Tao tells her older sister, she will buy you candied hawthorns."

Upon hearing about candied hawthorns, Xiao Tao forgot everything else and whispered, "Uncle Tang said he's playing hide-and-seek with someone and is hiding in the yard. He told me not to tell anyone."

Song Ning wondered, was Doctor Tang playing hide-and-seek with someone else?

"Is Uncle Tang alone?"

"There were still many people outside, but none of them noticed Uncle Tang. I hid Uncle Tang very well, and he even praised me."

Hearing Xiaotao say that, it sounds like she's hiding from someone.

I haven't heard of Tang Xinghuai having any enemies in Jiangning County.

"Little Peach, since you promised Uncle Tang, you can't tell anyone else about this except your sister."

Xiao Tao nodded: "Yes, I won't tell anyone, not even Mom and Dad."

Meanwhile, at the Xie residence.

As soon as Xie Linzhou returned to his residence, his subordinates came in from outside: "General, we've lost track of him."

Xie Linzhou frowned and asked coldly, "Where did you lose track of them?"

"Reporting to the General, it's in Taiping Lane, near Yunxiu Lane."

"Did you get a good look at the person's face?"

The kneeling man stammered, "No, no, General, please forgive me. It was my fault for not performing my duties properly."

Xie Linzhou took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Ping asked from the side, "Young Master, should I continue the investigation?"

Xie Linzhou snorted coldly: "No need, I don't believe he can keep his temper in check."

When Song Ning returned to Tianxiang County, Luo Yingying excitedly showed her the hair ornaments they had made: "Er Ya, look, these are the ones we made today. Yun Niang taught us how to make them. Aren't they pretty?"

Song Ning nodded: "It looks good. It will definitely fetch a good price when the time comes. Yunniang is indeed skillful."

Yunniang smiled faintly: "I don't know anything else, this is all I can do."

Ma Chunyan laughed from the side, "Yunniang is being modest again."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice rang out from outside: "Er Ya, are you back?"

It is the county magistrate.

Song Ning was busy greeting Zheng Gaoyi and didn't notice that Yun Niang's smile froze behind her, and she paused, quickly lowering her head.

After Song Ning left, Zheng Gaoyi did not enter the house. Yun Niang breathed a sigh of relief, but her whole body was stiff, and her scarred face slowly turned pale.

Luo Yingying noticed something was wrong: "Yunniang, what's wrong?"

Yunniang smiled and said, "No, it's nothing."

Just hearing that voice reminds me of the past.

However, it's best not to mention those things now.

Song Ning followed Zheng Gaoyi to the place where the city wall was being built, which is now the liveliest place in the entire county.

Horse-drawn carts, mule carts, and oxcarts all came together, and large, polished stones were transported in, eventually becoming part of this place.

The official in charge saw the magistrate arrive and immediately stepped forward: "Your Excellency, what brings you here? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"It's alright, you guys keep going, we'll just take a walk."

After the man left, Zheng Gaoyi led Song Ning forward to a slope, from which a ditch extended, and a hole was left under the foundation of the city wall.

"Do you think this kind of hole will work?"

Song Ning had previously instructed that holes be left in three directions when the city wall was being built, but he hadn't specified what they were for.

Song Ning glanced at it and nodded: "Sure, there's enough. These holes can be patched up later, right?"

"Don't worry, I've given all the instructions."

Zheng Gaoyi still doesn't understand: "What exactly do you want to do with these holes?"

Song Ning said earnestly, "I heard that in previous years, it would rain around July or August in the area of ​​Yuanzhou City, and it would last for a while. Every year at this time, floods would occur. Last year, the imperial court even sent people to provide disaster relief."

Zheng Gaoyi nodded: "That's right. Last year's floods were severe, and many people's houses and farmland were flooded, resulting in significant losses."

"So, Your Excellency, we must find a way to solve this problem."

In previous years, Yuanzhou City would send official documents to its subordinate officials in advance, instructing them to prepare for the evacuation of residents and the implementation of disaster relief work. However, this was only a temporary solution and did not address the root cause of the problem.

"We can't just sit and wait to die. Isn't it too late to deal with things only after they've become a disaster?"

Zheng Gaoyi pondered for a moment and nodded: "That makes sense. But... what does all this have to do with leaving a hole in the wall?"

"We can dig an underground tunnel in the county town."

"An underground passage?"

“We will dig some tunnels underground and leave some openings on the surface to allow rainwater to flow in. When it rains, the rainwater can flow out through these underground tunnels, which will reduce the water pressure on the surface and prevent flooding.”

Song Ning found a wooden stick on the ground and, while explaining, began to draw on the ground for Zheng Gaoyi.

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