Wang Xuan's words silenced everyone. Thinking about their autocratic emperor, he was indeed a stubborn and self-willed person who only listened to what he wanted to hear.

“You were wrong from the start.” Wang Xuan’s voice was deep and carried an undeniable authority. “Your collective opposition has provoked the Emperor’s rebellious spirit. He knows that this has touched the interests of the powerful families, so naturally he will not let this opportunity pass by to suppress them.”

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

"If we had known, we should have written down the benefits of digging the canal in the report and strongly supported it!" someone lamented.

"That won't work either. The Emperor is already biased towards digging the canal. If you all agree, he'll make you work even harder when it's implemented."

Everyone fell silent; it seemed this was a trap they had no choice but to fall into.

"So what do we do now?"

Everyone looked at Wang Xuan. After a moment of contemplation, Wang Xuan said, "Since someone wants to make this happen, let's wait and see. The release and implementation of a policy are two separate processes. Let's see if this project will fail before it even begins."

Hearing what Wang Xuan said, everyone felt that it made a lot of sense.

The promulgation and implementation are two separate processes. If those below them do not work, what can the emperor do?

After receiving the message, the crowd dispersed. The next morning at court, they no longer vehemently opposed the canal-digging project, to the point that Yuwen Wuji hesitated, wondering if they were harboring some major secret.

Liu Jiaci compiled the budget into a booklet and presented it to the emperor. Upon seeing the shocking figures, Yuwen Wuji's heart trembled.

"Has the money Ye Cang embezzled been found?"

Liu Jiaci said in a deep voice, "The people from the Dali Temple say they haven't been able to get Ye Cang to talk yet. Ye Cang insists that he didn't take that money."

"If I didn't take that money, did it grow wings and fly away on its own?"

Ye Cang's huge sum of money was insignificant compared to the budget for digging the canal; he really couldn't accept that the money had disappeared.

Who knew Ye Cang's background in advance, transferred the money away, and ruined his reputation?

They not only made him aware of the money's existence, but also ensured he could only watch and not obtain it, while simultaneously cutting off one of his arms.

Who is so cunning? Is it the Prince of Yan or Xie Liwei?

Yuwen Wuji could never ignore Xie Liwei's existence. He seemed harmless, but he was like a ferocious beast lurking in the shadows, who might bite him when he least expected it.

Yuwen Wuji took a deep breath, but still couldn't make up his mind.

Standing in the hall, Liu Jiaci deeply admired Xie Liwei for seeing through Yuwen Wuji so clearly. All the reactions were exactly as expected.

After he stepped down, the aristocratic families quieted down for a while, like the calm before the storm.

After October, Yunzhou City was filled with a desolate atmosphere. In the past few months, although there had been some rain, it was only light rain that stopped before people's clothes were even wet, and it did not alleviate the situation in Yunzhou at all.

The refugees gradually made their way back to Yunzhou City, all believing they would survive. But now, all they saw upon their return was cracked earth and withered crops.

Faced with this situation, no farmer could help but despair. Even if the government exempted Yunzhou from taxes this year, how would they survive the winter?

Not long after, Mr. Jiju's article appeared again in "Jin Dengke", in which he predicted that "after a great drought, there may be a great flood; if there is no great flood, there may be a great cold."

Those students who traveled from the capital to Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Zhangzhou to participate in disaster relief, driven by their passion, were all disheveled and dirty.

They thought they would be full of vigor and ambition, but the natural disasters quickly wore down all their edges, making them deeply understand what it means to "travel ten thousand miles rather than read ten thousand books".

Therefore, when they see a few lines of the gentleman's article, they all show expressions of pain.

—Can you please stop making predictions! If a severe cold snap really occurs, Yunzhou, Xuzhou, Zhangzhou, and Yanzhou will all be affected, and who knows how many people will die.

Many people had already died in the drought in Yunzhou.

Death is not a good thing. For a country, it means less labor, less tax revenue, and less military strength.

Therefore, after seeing this article, several prefects in neighboring cities began to order the people in their cities to stockpile charcoal and cotton and build shelters.

If there is no Great Cold, then everyone is happy. But if we do encounter the Great Cold, then we must work together to get through this winter.

The Crown Prince also suffered a lot in Yunzhou. It was not easy to even fill his stomach, let alone eat any delicacies.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Yong in Xuzhou would frequently write to him, saying what dishes he had eaten that day, and that he felt they were not as good as those made by the imperial chefs in the palace, but they still had their own unique flavor.

Seeing this, the crown prince wished he could take a knife, kill his younger brother, and roast him to eat.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the capital."

"Bring it here!" He eagerly opened the letter, hoping it was a letter from the Emperor ordering him to return to the capital.

But unfortunately, it's not.

It was a letter from the Crown Princess, detailing the Emperor's recent activities in the capital. He had confiscated property from several powerful families and was preparing to dig a canal to replenish the national treasury.

The Crown Prince frowned deeply after reading the report; he was, of course, also from one of the aristocratic families. If the canal were to be dug, then corvée labor and taxes would have to be recalculated. Once the canal was operational, new policies might be implemented, meaning a purge of past wrongdoings. This would be a significant blow to the aristocratic families.

He has done a lot of things over the years with the help of the Tao family. If he doesn't want these things to be exposed, then he can't let this policy be implemented.

"If Father wants to do it, then we should see if he has any capable people to do it."

A few days later, a vice minister of the Ministry of Works died. He died in his own home, sleeping in bed with his wife. That night, someone slit his throat with a sword. His wife only discovered him when she woke up the next day, and he was so frightened that he was delirious.

Yuwen Wuji knew this was a show of force from the powerful families, and he was furious. He immediately ordered the Secretariat to draft an edict to issue a decree to dig the canal.

The cabinet was asked to finalize the plan within two weeks and begin digging before winter.

The powerful families, led by Wang Xuan, fell silent, wondering who had made this disastrous move.

But they all gave perfunctory answers, one saying one was taking leave and another saying there was something going on at home, which amused Yuwen Wuji.

He immediately ordered the imperial physicians to visit the homes of these officials who had requested sick leave. Those who were found to be healthy were all punished for deceiving the emperor, and the imperial guards executed them on the spot.

This move frightened the powerful families so much that they dared not openly challenge the emperor.

They could all see that the Emperor was so determined to dig the canal that he was willing to openly challenge the powerful families.

The powerful families began to feel insecure; an emperor who couldn't tolerate them was no good emperor.

The powerful families, led by Wang Xuan, had no choice but to gather together to discuss countermeasures.