Minister of Revenue Yu Xin has been very vigilant lately, knowing he is likely to encounter some major events. He's already feeling his energy waning and considering a graceful retirement, so naturally he wants to do his best in his final days.

We absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes at this time, and we absolutely cannot afford to end up with a ruined reputation. Such a loss would be far too severe and is absolutely unacceptable.

If this were during the Hongwu reign, Yu Xin probably wouldn't have had such thoughts. Serving as a subject of the Hongwu Emperor meant either dying in office or succumbing to illness while in office.

Of course, other possibilities exist. For example, being implicated in Hu Jintao's faction or other cases could result in the execution of the entire family or even being skinned alive. The idea of ​​retiring and returning to one's hometown would be an absolute luxury.

Even though Liu Bowen seemed to have retired gracefully back then, he was summoned back to Yingtian Prefecture by Zhu Yuanzhang shortly after retiring and had to go to the capital to apologize.

Compared to the Hongwu Emperor, the Yingshi Emperor, while also strict, was not as domineering and bloodthirsty. Meritorious officials who wished to retire and enjoy their later years still had a certain possibility of doing so.

Yu Xin now only hopes to do his job well until the very end, so that he can retire with dignity. In addition, he hopes to have nurtured Xia Yuanji and made contributions and worked hard over the years, so that he can leave some benefits for his descendants and help them avoid many detours.

We must now keep a close eye on the Ming Dynasty's treasury and argue our case forcefully. We absolutely cannot allow our lifelong reputation to be ruined at this critical moment. In particular, we must be wary of Yan Zhenzhi. Although His Majesty's confidant is not young, he still has great ambitions and may be thinking of accomplishing another great feat while in office.

Yu Xin was thinking of retiring to his hometown and enjoying his remaining years in peace. Yan Zhenzhi, on the other hand, was probably thinking of leaving behind some achievements and a legacy for future generations.

Yan Zhenzhi wanted to gain a good reputation and wanted to do some great things, which was fine with him. That was Yan Zhenzhi's personal pursuit and his ambition. Yu Xin actually admired Yan Zhenzhi's ambition.

However, if Yan Zhenzhi continued to keep a close eye on the Ministry of Revenue's purse strings, Yu Xin couldn't help but feel nervous. Managing the Yellow River was no ordinary matter, especially since Emperor Ying Shi was a big spender; naturally, caution was necessary.

Emperor Ying Shi's desire to control the Yellow and Huai Rivers is no longer a secret. Although there were some rumors before, many people thought they were just rumors. After all, controlling the Yellow River is a very big undertaking.

Putting aside the fact that Yan Zhenzhi seems full of energy now, the Ministry of Works was in charge of construction projects and had many skilled craftsmen. There were also quite a few officials who had participated in the management and construction of water conservancy projects of all sizes.

Spring has arrived, and everyone knows that this season requires attention to spring plowing and indeed, greater emphasis needs to be placed on water conservancy.

However, now, some officials in the Ministry of Works, besides maintaining the daily operations of the Ministry, have noticed that many officials skilled in water management have either stayed in the Ministry of Works or begun to return to Yingtian Prefecture.

This is quite a clear signal, and many people are starting to think more deeply. It seems the rumors of His Majesty's intention to regulate the Yellow River are not unfounded; things may soon become clear.

In fact, during this period, it wasn't just the Ministry of Works that was taking action; the Ministry of Personnel was also actively involved.

The Ministry of Personnel, as the government office in charge of the appointment, evaluation, promotion, demotion, conferment of honors, and transfer of civil officials throughout the country, wields considerable power. However, it is said that some local officials who have made meritorious contributions to water management and are skilled in water conservancy projects have also begun to be appointed or dismissed.

This was clearly unusual, and coupled with the previous actions of the Ministry of Works, it further indicated that something was amiss.

Yu Xin couldn't help but grit his teeth. The head of the Ministry of Personnel was Ru Chang, the emperor's former study companion, who had served under the Crown Prince even earlier than Yan Zhenzhi. These former officials from the emperor's pre-imperial residence, even if they didn't seem to interact much, were actually quite close in many matters.

This marked the end of another morning court session without major incident. Yu Xin wiped away a bead of sweat; everything seemed normal. The matter of the Yellow River was not mentioned in court for the time being, and things appeared calm as before.

However, upon returning to the yamen, Yu Xin's heart clenched again. The Hanlin Academy was also on high alert, ready to receive orders. They began compiling information on the management of the Yellow River throughout history, and this time it was no longer just for the emperor's perusal; it was being sent to the Ministry of Works.

Now everyone can probably see some things: the preliminary work on harnessing the Yellow River hasn't been launched in a high-profile manner. But regardless, it seems that such a project has indeed begun, and everyone shouldn't pretend that nothing has happened.

Yu Xin could only pray now, hoping that Emperor Ying Shi's whim was just a passing fancy and that he simply wanted to check the information.

Or perhaps everyone started preparing, only to find the task too difficult, so they gave up and stopped considering managing the Yellow River.

It wasn't that Yu Xin lacked foresight; he knew that harnessing the Yellow River would benefit the country and its people. However, while the national treasury seemed to have enough money and grain, there were simply too many other places where money needed to be spent. If the Yellow River were harnessed, the expenditure would exceed the income.

The Ming Dynasty's treasury had only recently become a little more prosperous. If it were to manage the Yellow River now, it would undoubtedly be stretched thin immediately, and there might even be more trouble.

Perhaps His Majesty will seek out some corrupt officials or local gentry and powerful families, and confiscating their property would bring in a large sum of money to supplement the national treasury.

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