Shen Shangxu's expression remained serious. Instead of answering, he asked, "Why is Lord Lihexiang here as well?"

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Xue Ye again; "Who is this young master to you?"

Liu Yingying patted Xue Ye on the shoulder and explained with a smile, "This is my nephew!"

Xue Ye glanced at her sideways: ...

I see!

Shen Shangxu's expression softened slightly. "It's getting late. Would it be convenient for Lord Lihexiang to have a meal together?"

Night fell over the quiet town, and only two red lanterns remained hanging at the entrance of Yingfu Inn on the deserted streets.

It looks like it has a bit of popularity...

The chef at the inn is quite skilled.

Shen Shangxu, Cheng Zhuo, Liu Yingying, and Xue Ye ordered a total of eight dishes, two soups, and a pot of boiled Luzhou Laojiao liquor.

Shen Shangxu looked Xue Ye up and down again. "I never expected that Lord Lihe would have such a handsome and extraordinary nephew... May I ask how you are addressed, young master?"

Xue Ye gave him a cold and indifferent glance, seemingly... not intending to reply.

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become awkward, Liu Yingying quickly spoke up; "Xue Ye... Xue as in Xue, Ye as in night... Lord Shen, please don't take offense, my nephew has lived in the countryside with his mother since he was a child and rarely comes to the city..."

"Oh, really?" Shen Shangxu looked at Xue Ye, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

This young man, in both appearance and demeanor, definitely doesn't look like a country bumpkin.

If you dressed him in fine clothes, he would look no less impressive than those princes and nobles...

Seeing that Liu Yingying didn't seem very willing to talk about Xue Ye, Lord Shen knew when to stop and raised his wine cup to toast her.

"Although I am a man, I have repeatedly been indebted to the village lord, and today I should properly offer you a cup of wine!"

Liu Yingying smiled and said, "Not at all. The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen. As a resident of Furong County, it is only right that I do my part for the imperial court when I can!"

Although Shen Shangxu had already witnessed her unusual side as a woman, he couldn't help but look at her with even greater respect when he heard her remarks.

But... a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent!

At this moment, Cheng Zhuo finally found a chance to speak; "Sister Liu, you still haven't told me why you came to Baotian Town?"

Liu Yingying deliberately kept everyone in suspense; "You didn't tell me what you were here for either, did you?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhuo glanced at Shen Shangxu.

Without the master's instructions, subordinates are not allowed to disclose his itinerary.

Shen Shangxu himself explained, "Actually, I came here to inspect the disaster situation in Baotian Town."

Liu Yingying nodded slightly. Baotian Town used to be known as the granary of Ningzhou, but now thousands of acres of fertile land have been abandoned because the upstream river has been cut off.

This is also Shen Shangxu's responsibility!

"I saw it today too, what a pity for those thousands of acres of fertile land, if only... how many people could they have fed!" Shen Shangxu said with a pained expression.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that anymore. I heard that you did some small business in the city. Are you now planning to expand your business to Baotian Town?"

He was absolutely right!

Liu Yingying didn't intend to hide it from him, but at this moment she was hesitant about how to raise the two thousand taels of silver she was short.

Or... should she shamelessly ask Lord Shen for a loan?

"To be honest, I plan to buy some land here, but... but I'm still a little short of money..."

Shen Shangxu frowned slightly, but instead of asking her why she thought of buying the land in such a distant place, he said, "Those lands are unwanted by other landlords, what are you buying them for?"

"As long as the upstream dam is not dismantled, these fields will remain wasteland!"

Liu Yingying replied casually, "But I've been observing the celestial phenomena, and if my prediction is correct, this area will definitely experience a massive rainstorm within a month at most..."

"I just don't know if the upstream dam's construction quality can withstand it..."

"You..." Shen Shangxu choked for a moment, looking at her with disbelief. After a long while, he said, "Even if a torrential rain really does break the dam, it will only flood the fields downstream, which will do you even less good. Why do you still..."

The rest of the words stuck in his throat; he realized he seemed to know nothing about this woman!

Liu Yingying smiled and continued, "Since we have met here today, and I see that you are a good official who cares about the people, I will not hold back some things."

"Your Excellency has been in office in Furong County for several months now, but the project on the upper reaches of the Luo River is not something that can be accomplished in just a few months!"

"The problems that previous county magistrates couldn't solve are now in your hands. Do you have a solution?"

Shen Shangxu's eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't!

Liu Yingying: "A higher-ranking official can crush a lower one. It's a fact that the prefect of Ningzhou is of a higher rank than you. How difficult is it for you to persuade him to demolish this dam?"

"So, Lord Xiang, what you mean is...?" Shen Shangxu looked at her.

Liu Yingying snorted lightly; "If we really wait for this torrential rain, it will be the perfect opportunity to strike at the root of the problem! When the upstream dikes break, the river will pour down and flood several towns downstream, with Baotian Town being the first to be affected!"

"And just now, the master asked me why I still bought this land knowing all this. Now I'll tell you..."

Liu Yingying dipped her finger in the still-warm wine in her glass and began to draw on the table...

"This is the main channel of the Luo River, and this is the dam in Ningzhou County upstream..."

"I will dig several channels downstream in advance as backup. If the dam breaks, these channels can be used to divert the water to different basins."

She stopped there. She had already made herself so clear, and Shen Shangxu was no fool; he naturally knew what to do next!

"I wonder how much silver the village head still needs?" Shen Shangxu asked, coming back to his senses, which showed that he agreed with her suggestion.

"Not much, just this many..." She held up two fingers.

Shen Shangxu breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his wine cup, and took a sip; "Two hundred taels?"

He does have that much money.

"No, it's two thousand taels!"

"Pfft!" Shen Shangxu was so startled that he spat out all the wine he had just drunk.

Cheng Zhuo quickly explained for him: "Sister Liu, you're really putting our lord in a difficult position. You know our lord has been demoted to this post and has always been honest and upright. Even if we sold him, we wouldn't have that much money!"

That's what you're saying...

"Cough cough!"

Shen Shangxu glanced at him and then explained, "Two thousand taels is no small sum, and I am indeed short of funds. However, since it is for the sake of all the people of Ningzhou, I will find a way to raise this money!"

He spoke with great conviction, hoping to reassure Liu Yingying.