For young Zhu, the term "observing politics" is not unfamiliar, as many people have mentioned it to him before.

Little Zhu probably knew that observing politics was something he should naturally do, an experience every crown prince should have. However, he was still too young to observe politics.

It's fine if I can't go to the imperial court to observe politics, but that won't prevent me from occasionally observing politics in the Wuying Hall; I can just listen.

Both Old Zhu and Little Zhu actually shared the same thought: Little Zhu is still too young, and although he understands some things, it's not appropriate for him to be in the Fengtian Hall. Let the little guy get used to it first, and just let him experience the atmosphere in the Wuying Hall.

Emperor Zhu sat on the dragon throne, with Zhu Yunying standing beside him. As for the young Zhu, he stood respectfully to the left of the imperial desk.

Zhu Yunying also became serious and said to his father, "Our Minister Yan, the Imperial Grandfather's Grain Chief, is about to die on the Yellow River dike."

Old Zhu also became serious, looking at Yan Zhen and asking directly, "Zimin, you need to think this through. This is a thankless task, and your reputation as an official for most of your life might be ruined because of this Yellow River incident."

Yan Zhen knelt down and began to explain his inner thoughts, “Your Majesty, I was originally a wealthy man from Wucheng. It was only through Your Majesty’s favor that I was able to enter the court. I have served two wise rulers and have been trusted by them. I am deeply apprehensive, fearing that I am unworthy and will fail Your Majesty’s expectations!”

Old Zhu looked at Yan Zhenzhi and said, "You're already good enough, better than all the civil and military officials we see in the court. We know there are many people outside who aren't proper scholars, but if you ask me, how many proper scholars can be as capable as you!"

This is Yan Zhenzhi's sore spot, but it can also be said to be something he is very proud of.

He certainly wasn't from a proper scholarly background, let alone now that he was one of the six ministers. Even among those who topped the imperial examinations, how many could actually ascend to the highest court? Whether they were the top scholar or the second-place scholar, before Yan Zhenzhi, they could only refer to themselves as "this humble official."

Yan Zhenzhi knew that even though he was now the Minister of Works, some civil officials still looked down on his background. In the Ming Dynasty, civil officials with Yan Zhenzhi's background were extremely rare.

Yan Zhenzhi then said, “Your Majesty, I am now sixty years old. I know that I am not young anymore. These days I work hard day and night, fearing that I will fail Your Majesty’s grace. If I can do something more for the Ming Dynasty and for Your Majesty, I will be at peace. I am deeply honored to repay Your Majesty’s kindness with my death.”

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "We know all this, and so does Grandfather. Let's not talk about these things. It's just that managing the Yellow River is no small matter. The Yellow River simply cannot be left unmanaged."

Old Zhu sighed and said, "If the Yellow River had been well-behaved, we wouldn't have lost our parents and brothers years ago. When it comes to the harm caused by the Yellow River, few people know better than us."

Old Zhu's statement is definitely correct; this is the impact of the Yellow River changing its course and diverting into the Huai River before flowing into the sea. Although places like Fengyang may seem far from the Yellow River, that's just a later impression. Now, the Yellow River isn't far from places like Fengyang, especially with its southward flow diverting into the Huai River and flowing into the sea, causing severe flooding in the Huai River basin.

At this moment, Yan Zhenzhi said, "Your Majesty, in my early years I was ordered to repair the Ling Canal, which diverted the waters of the Xiang and Li Rivers, dredged more than 5,000 zhang of the canal, built more than 150 zhang of earthen dikes, raised the stone dikes, built steep sluice gates, and dredged the shoals to facilitate the passage of boats. Although the Yellow River is different from the Ling Canal, I am confident in my abilities."

Yan Zhenzhi's statement was not without merit, as he did indeed possess experience in water conservancy projects. Even though dredging the Lingqu Canal and managing the Yellow River were not on the same level, Yan Zhenzhi was not entirely without experience, which was one reason for his confidence.

Furthermore, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it was natural to undertake water conservancy projects and dredge rivers, and many officials had some experience in this area. Such projects are indispensable in any era; the only difference is the scale and level of productivity today.

Such projects are necessary, as they are related to people's livelihoods and cannot be ignored.

Old Zhu looked at Yan Zhenzhi and said, "I remember when you were the grain chief in your early years, you collected 10,000 shi of grain from the fields and sent it to Yingtian Prefecture every year without fail. If you ask me, that's a skill. I've led troops before, so I know how difficult these things are. Especially the laborers, who are different from the soldiers."

This is one of the things Yan Zhenzhi can be proud of. He was appreciated by Zhu De because he did such a good job as the grain chief. His career then rose steadily, and his career can be said to have exceeded many people's expectations.

Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "I remember when he was transferred to my side, he was also the Vice Minister of Works. When he came to Beiping Prefecture with me, I originally thought of gathering more than 200,000 households of laborers and craftsmen from all over the country to build in Beiping Prefecture, but he thought it was inappropriate. He felt that if laborers were needed, they could be summoned from Sichuan in rotation, and there was no need to gather the whole family in Beiping Prefecture."

Old Zhu laughed heartily and said, "That's why we say the emperor is doing a good job. Although the emperor is precocious, promising, and opinionated, he is still short-sighted. It's good that the emperor has ideas, but he should still listen to advice when necessary."

Yan Zhenzhi became increasingly proud and was appreciated by the Hongwu Emperor because he had indeed done an excellent job as the grain officer.

As a confidant of Emperor Ying Shi, Yan Zhenzhi could not overlook the construction of Beiping Prefecture. Even though the construction of Beiping Prefecture was modeled after Yingtian Prefecture, Yan Zhenzhi, as one of the officials in charge of its construction, did a very good job.

Back then, he bravely offered advice: instead of drawing more than 200,000 artisans from across the country, he proposed drawing one person from each production unit to serve in the military, assigning them names and professions, having them work at home on weekdays, and being called up in rotation according to their registered residence when needed.

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