Chapter 141 Diversion of Water from South to North
“…”
Now it's Shen Yue's turn.
She swore that she had just asked casually and had absolutely no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to mess things up, but after Xiao Yuheng misinterpreted it, it seemed that her motives were impure.
"What's wrong, Second Director? Don't you like me praising you?"
Xiao Yuheng knew that she was shy, but he still teased her on purpose.
Shen Yue chuckled, ignored him, jumped off the horse and walked towards the people.
"Who is this person ahead, and why are they blocking the prince's carriage?"
"Sir," the child kneeling in the front began to recite his lines. "We are from Qinghe County in the south of the city. The heavy rain for several days has flooded our house. They say that the prince is a dragon who has been born and can protect the people. We hope that the prince will stay in the capital and protect us!"
“Nonsense!”
Shen Yue pretended to be angry:
"Don't take these rumors seriously. Qinghe County has suffered a flood, and the prince will arrange for disaster relief. You should go back first and don't block the prince's way!"
"No!" A young woman held her child, tears streaming down her face. "If we lose the prince's protection, we'll surely be drowned. Even if we don't drown, we'll starve to death without food. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well just run into the city gate and die!"
"Yes, if the prince is gone, we will not live either!"
"Don't!" Shen Yue stepped forward to stop them, saying in embarrassment: "Wait, I'll go ask the prince for instructions."
After saying that, Shen Yue returned to the carriage to report.
Xiao Yuheng frowned and thought for a moment, then arranged for Changfeng to enter the palace.
Half an hour later, Changfeng returned to the city gate with the imperial edict, and the palace's convoy also turned around and returned to the palace.
On the way, Shen Yue was extremely happy, but Xiao Yuheng was somewhat depressed. He asked her through the window:
"Ayue, don't you think it's not good for me to take advantage of the people like this?"
"No." Shen Yue answered without thinking.
"Let me ask you, if Qinghe County suffered a flood, would you sit back and do nothing?"
"Of course not."
"That's it, isn't it? Of those who came to block the city gate today, some were indeed planted by me, but the rest were civilians who came here on their own accord. Their love and expectations for you are probably genuine, without a trace of pretense."
After Xiao Yuheng heard what she said, his expression eased a little.
"Then I must not let them down. Not only must I help them overcome the flood, but I must also repair the river and build dams for them. This way, they can put an end to the problem forever."
Shen Yue nodded. "It's a good idea, but it would cost a lot of money, right? There are thousands of Qinghe Counties in the world, and you alone can't take care of them all."
How could Xiao Yuheng not understand what she meant?
If he wants to do things for the people, it is far from enough to just have a heart that loves the people. He needs to take power into his hands as soon as possible.
However, his cold poison attacks are becoming more and more frequent, and he wonders if his body can hold on until the moment he seizes power.
He couldn't help but wonder, if he was destined not to become emperor, what else could he do for the people?
After returning to the palace, Xiao Yuheng locked himself in the study and wrote eloquently for the whole afternoon. The next day, he put on his court robes and sash, and went to Chengqian Hall with the memorial.
Emperor Qi Yuan never allowed him to interfere in court affairs, so when Xiao Yuheng appeared in Chengqian Hall, all the civil and military officials were a little confused.
But soon, they came up to greet us and expressed their admiration.
Xiao Yuheng didn't care what they thought and dealt with them politely one by one. He neither got close to his own party members nor distanced himself from those ministers he disliked.
After finishing his pleasantries, he took the first place among the ministers.
Emperor Qi Yuan yawned as he sat on the dragon throne. After all the ministers had paid their respects, he discovered that there was a living person in the hall.
"Seventeen, what are you doing?"
"His Majesty."
Xiao Yuheng bowed his head respectfully, ready to get straight to the point.
"Recently, there have been frequent floods in Daqi. I have drafted a memorial for your Majesty's review."
As he spoke, he raised his eyes and gestured for Cen Xi to hand over the memorial.
Emperor Qi Yuan opened it and was surprised to see that it was more than three feet long!
Dredging rivers, building dams, hydrological observation, flood prevention and warning... there are more than a hundred items listed.
He pursed his lips and put the memorial down.
"Seventeen, have you ever calculated how much silver it would cost to carry out this plan?"
Xiao Yuheng: "About 20 million taels."
"Twenty million?" An old minister was so shocked that his beard almost fell off.
"Your Highness Prince Cheng is probably used to a life of luxury. He doesn't know what 20 million taels means to the court!"
Xiao Yuheng turned his head and saw that the man was none other than the Minister of Revenue, Chen Songnian.
This person was a member of the Crown Prince's faction and held considerable prestige in the court. As soon as he spoke, many people echoed him, saying, "Twenty million taels is indeed not a small sum!"
Xiao Yuheng didn't get angry after hearing this, he just turned around and looked at everyone.
"Do you know how much silver the imperial court spends on disaster relief each year?"
Everyone smacked their lips but said nothing.
Xiao Yuheng continued, "Last year, the court allocated six million taels just to deal with the floods, and the year before last it was even more, eight million taels. As the Minister of Revenue, Lord Chen should be the one who knows the most, right?"
Chen Songnian choked and wanted to say something, but Xiao Yuheng didn't give him a chance to speak.
"Your Majesty, southern Daqi experiences heavy summer rains, resulting in repeated floods. The people suffer terribly. Meanwhile, the northern border region suffers from perennial drought. The people work hard year-round, yet harvest little food. I believe that building a canal to divert water northward for irrigation would both solve the flood problem and alleviate the drought in the north. It would be the best and most effective solution, permanently."
Emperor Qi Yuan thought for a moment and asked Lu Zhengyan, who was standing beside him, "Mr. Lu, what do you think?"
Lu Zhengyan originally worked in the Censorate and was a good official with integrity. After Cao Heli's death, Emperor Qi Yuan promoted him to the position of prime minister.
This person is upright and old-fashioned. He always puts reason first and never participates in any party disputes. It would be safest to ask him about this matter.
Lu Zhengyan stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said sincerely:
"Your Majesty, although the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is expensive, once completed, it will eliminate the annual cost of disaster relief. In the long run, this move will not only save the people from suffering, but also reduce court expenses. I believe it is feasible."
Seeing that the work was half done, Xiao Yuheng added fuel to the fire and took out the construction plans and drawings he had prepared in advance.
After reading it, Emperor Qi Yuan nodded approvingly and immediately issued an edict, ordering the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to jointly handle the matter.
The news of Xiao Yuheng pleading for the people quickly spread throughout the capital.
The people all praised him as a good prince who loved his people like his own children, and said he was more suitable to be the emperor than the lame prince who only knew how to form cliques and engage in personal gain.
Every time he went out, people looked at him more and more eagerly, and the myth of the dragon coming to the world became more and more bizarre. Some people even believed that he was sent by God to save Daqi.
These words inevitably reached the ears of Emperor Qi Yuan, and he finally discovered something was wrong.
Recalling recent events, the Crown Prince's broken leg, the Eighth Prince's death, the common people blocking the city gates, the diversion of water from the south to the north...
Each and every incident seemed to have little to do with Xiao Yuheng, yet they all seemed to be related to him.
The most important thing is that he is the ultimate beneficiary!
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