Chang Lili walked up the wooden bridge that had been erected, and Meng Yuxiu's attempts to dissuade her were to no avail.

Sandbags form the base, bluestone the material, and wood the auxiliary material. They are then tied together with ropes, leaving several holes in the middle to allow water to flow down instead of blocking it.

The trees hadn't even swelled up from the water, so the collapse was really strange.

The broken rope swayed with the splashing water. Chang Lili squatted down and touched the cool blue stone. She pressed it two or three times, but there was no sign of the stone moving in the surging river. She then stepped onto the blue stone.

"Come back!" Meng Yuxiu's forehead veins bulged. "If the place to stand isn't fixed, no one can leave. Don't you understand that?"

"I'm fine."

Chang Lili glanced at him, not noticing the prefect's ashen face, and strode forward, the vibrations of the river water hitting the rocks reaching the soles of her feet.

If we need to test the sturdiness from both sides, she should do it.

Chang Lili took another step, but before she could stand firmly, the stone beneath her feet trembled. As she pulled her foot back, half of the stone fell into the water and was swept away by the river.

This stone...

"Chang Lili!"

The situation was bad. Meng Yuxiu, who had rushed over, changed his expression and, with lightning speed, grabbed Chang Lili's waist, tightened his grip on the rope tied to the bridge, and landed on the constructed bridge a few times with his toes.

With a loud "thud," the bluestone where Chang Lili had been standing slid into the water, splashing water up to three feet high.

Meng Yuxiu was even more annoyed: "Why are you rushing forward recklessly? Do you think the river is a joke? Every year, at least a hundred people drown in it, if not ten."

“I’m not looking to die. If I wasn’t sure it was safe for a person to stand on, why would I step on it?” Chang Lili explained. “These bluestones have already collapsed into a gap, which is more serious than before. They can’t withstand the slightest stimulation. If you don’t control your strength and rush on directly, it will naturally collapse.”

Meng Yuxiu laughed angrily: "So, I made a mistake in saving you?"

"How could that be?" Chang Lili nestled into his arms, smiling sweetly. "I'm so happy that you care about me so much."

The prefect cleared his throat, and Chang Lili blushed, shrinking behind Meng Yuxiu. The prefect, forcing a smile, asked, "General, have you found out the cause? How should the workers cooperate?"

Meng Yuxiu glanced back, and Lili shook her head slightly. Meng Yuxiu said, "This matter is not yet clear, and we still need to discuss it in detail with the workers."

As Meng Yuxiu was about to leave after speaking, the prefect hurriedly said, "General, please wait. I have already made a reservation for a welcome banquet at the largest restaurant in Huzhou. It is getting late, and you have had a long journey. Why don't you have a meal and rest for the night?"

If it were a restaurant, Meng Yuxiu wouldn't object: "Lead the way."

The prefect and the county magistrate led the way, and soon they arrived at the city. The prefect booked the entire Laifu Restaurant, but there wasn't a single customer inside. The manager, however, greeted them cautiously: "Gentlemen, please go upstairs."

The waiter led them upstairs and seated them in a private room by the window. Then, various delicacies were served. Chang Lili sat next to Meng Yuxiu and turned her head to look out the window, where she could see the river.

"General, please."

The magistrate's enthusiastic toast was completely opposite to the prefect he had met in Duanzhou. Chang Lili, biting her chopsticks, glanced at Meng Yuxiu.

If she hadn't gone to the dam, she would have greeted them with a smile, but now that she had, their fawning attitude made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Chang Lili said, "Meng Yuxiu, I'm feeling bored. I'd like to go to Huzhou for a stroll."

Meng Yuxiu grabbed her wrist, still unsure, and asked, "Are you sure?"

Chang Lili was stunned for a moment before she realized what she meant, and shook her head with amusement: "What does this have to do with anything?"

Chang Lili whispered a few words in Meng Yuxiu's ear, explaining that she was just feeling a bit bored and wanted to go for a walk. Meng Yuxiu let go of her hand and told her to bring her guards. Chang Lili nodded with a smile.

Their relationship was unusual; the prefect and the magistrate clearly exchanged a glance.

Chang Lili said she would go for a walk, and she really did wander around the streets. She asked a few people about the local prefect and magistrate, but they all kept quiet and said nothing. When asked too many times, they said that the local officials were wise and powerful and could solve cases like gods.

"Really?" Chang Lili asked, feeling a sense of sarcasm in their eyes.

The man said impatiently, "What do you mean by 'true' and 'false'? Everyone says the same thing, but that's just how it is!"

Chang Lili sighed and watched the man walk away.

At Laifu Restaurant, Meng Yuxiu had no interest in dealing with them. He waved for them to leave, and the prefect and magistrate came out and stood in a corner of the kitchen. Using a clever angle, the magistrate looked at the closed private room and said in a low voice, "How did this troublemaker come here this time? What should we do now?"

The prefect frowned and said, "What's the panic? The workers I hired can't see anything wrong. We just need to bribe them a bit, and I believe General Meng will agree."

"But……"

"There are no buts! No matter how lifelike he is, he's still just a human being. Look at how he treated those women today. We should just play along."

Unable to get any information, Chang Lili planned to return to the restaurant. Just as she entered, she overheard these words. Her expression changed, and when she heard them talking about sending women, she gritted her teeth inwardly.

The magistrate remained worried: "Sir, they come back every year during the flood season, and the imperial court sends people every year. If this goes on for too long, I'm afraid the emperor will become suspicious. By then, everything will be over!"

The prefect said, "Have they found anything over the years? Don't scare yourself."

After listening for a while, Chang Lili finally understood. It turned out that they deliberately failed to properly construct the dam so that they could use this incident to embezzle the silver allocated by the imperial court.

Everything that was seen on the dam made sense.

Chang Lili was lost in thought when, without paying attention, she bumped into a wine jar on the counter. It rolled twice before landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"who!"

Chang Lili turned and ran away, slipping into the passing pedestrians. The county magistrate chased after her, but couldn't catch a glimpse of her.

"The person has disappeared." The magistrate's face turned pale.

"You think that man can escape?" The prefect glanced at the wine stains on the ground. "If he has wine on him, won't it be easy to recognize him when he comes back to report the news?"

If they change their clothes, it will be easier to spot the person eavesdropping.

Chang Lili noticed this as she walked down the street. She asked about a famous restaurant in Huzhou, bought a jar of wine, and strolled back slowly. Sure enough, the prefect noticed her.

Chang Lili blinked: "Didn't you say you wanted to get drunk for a long time? I'll buy it for you."

Meng Yuxiu lifted the red clay lid, took a sip: "It's as strong as the rumors say. One sip and I'll probably be drunk tonight."

"If I had known that the general liked to drink to the point of exhaustion, I would have had someone prepare it well in advance." Chang Lili smelled strongly of alcohol, and the prefect couldn't immediately confirm whether the person was her.

"This is such a trivial matter, why would the prefect need to intervene?" Meng Yuxiu offered a few flattering words, glossing over the matter. After saying a few more words, he saw off the two prefects who were lingering in the restaurant. He then raised an eyebrow at Chang Lili and asked, "Tell me, what happened?"

Chang Lili whispered in Meng Yuxiu's ear, recounting everything she had overheard, and then concluded with a summary.

"They are not good people."