Chapter Sixty-One Drought
Inside the imperial study, Huo Lin stared at the memorials on the desk, his brows furrowed.
"Three months without rain, the land is parched for miles." He read the contents of the memorial in a low voice, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the imperial desk. "If this continues..."
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Nanjun requests an audience," Wang Degui announced softly as he entered.
Huo Lin tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his gaze darkening.
"Announce."
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a python robe strode in; it was none other than Huo Cong, the Prince of Nan.
He was about thirty years old, with a handsome face, and bore a resemblance to Huo Lin, but with less of his sharpness and more of his refined elegance.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Huo Cong bowed respectfully, his posture impeccable.
Huo Lin remained calm and said indifferently, "Uncle, there's no need for such formalities. May I ask what brings you here today?"
"Your Majesty," Huo Cong said with a worried expression, "the north is suffering from a severe drought, with no harvest and people displaced. I implore the court to allocate grain for disaster relief!"
Ha, here comes another demand for money.
Last year, the tax revenue of Nanjun decreased by 30%, and this year it is necessary to allocate funds for disaster relief.
Are they treating me like a cash cow?
Huo Lin's gaze turned slightly cold as he placed the memorial on the table, making a crisp sound.
"What you say is absolutely right, Your Majesty. However, the national treasury is tight this year. I wonder if Your Majesty has any good solutions?"
A glint flashed in Huo Cong's eyes, and he cupped his hands in greeting.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should first transfer grain from Jiangnan, and then order wealthy households in various regions to donate silver..."
"Oh?" Huo Lin interrupted him, "Last year, the tax revenue of Nanjun decreased by 30%, but the Prince's Mansion expanded its courtyard. Why don't you set an example, Uncle?"
Huo Cong's expression changed slightly, but he quickly put on a smile again.
"Your Majesty is wise; I was only doing that to receive the imperial envoys..."
quibble!
I'll skin you alive sooner or later!
Huo Lin was seething with anger, but he remained outwardly calm.
"Imperial Uncle's loyalty is a great comfort to me. Here's what we'll do: I'll summon all my ministers in three days to discuss this matter, and Imperial Uncle can then explain the disaster relief plan in detail."
A hint of resentment flashed in Huo Cong's eyes, but he could only bow.
"I obey the order."
After the Prince of Nanjun withdrew, Huo Lin snorted coldly, and the atmosphere around them suddenly plummeted to freezing point.
What a cunning Huo Cong! Does he really think I'm blind and could be fooled by such grand excuses?
Having dealt with the current drought, the first thing I'll do is deal with you.
Huo Lin buried himself in his work again and got busy once more.
As evening approached, Jiang Huan prepared food as usual and carried the food box to the Imperial Study.
As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Huo Lin pacing impatiently.
Severe drought in seven northern provinces has displaced over 100,000 people.
Huo Cong took the opportunity to demand money; if he wasn't given it, there would be no suitable person to handle the disaster relief efforts.
[But if the funds are actually allocated to him, who knows how much will actually reach the disaster victims.]
This matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise it may lead to a popular uprising.
Jiang Huan's heart tightened, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the handle of the food box.
She recalled the drought scenes she had seen on the news before she transmigrated into the book.
Cracked earth, desperate farmers, children starving to the bone...
These tragedies are now playing out in real time and space.
Jiang Huan took a deep breath and coughed lightly, her skirt rustling as it swept across the threshold.
"Your Majesty." She curtsied, and the aroma of steamed chicken with lotus leaves wafted from the food box. "I noticed that you haven't touched your dinner yet, so I prepared something light."
Huo Lin was rubbing his temples at that moment, and only slightly raised his head, the candlelight on the table flickering in his eyes.
Jiang Huan then noticed that the dark circles under his eyes were even deeper than yesterday.
It seems being an emperor is really not easy.
For a moment, she felt a pang of inexplicable heartache.
"Just put it there."
His voice was hoarse as he casually pushed aside the mountain of memorials. The top one, with its large vermilion characters reading "Urgent Report on Disaster in the North," was particularly striking.
Sigh, though she never intended to be a saintly savior.
But Huo Lin's brows were furrowed so tightly that he looked as if he might fall ill at any moment.
She might, probably, possibly.
It's not like I can't meddle in other people's business once in a while?
Jiang Huan deliberately slowed down her movements as she set out the meal, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught Huo Lin unconsciously stroking the edge of a memorial.
The edges of the memorial were worn and frayed, and he must have read it over and over again countless times.
Let's be grateful that Jiang Huan is a modern person.
This is where the advantages of watching TV and using your phone become apparent.
She actually knew of one case regarding historical drought relief measures.
"This steamed chicken is made with lotus leaves brought back from the imperial palace."
Jiang Huan gently placed the celadon bowl on the corner of the table, considering how to approach the situation.
"I heard there's a drought in the north, even the lotus flowers have withered and died..."
"Hmm." Huo Lin sighed almost imperceptibly, "Three months without rain, the crops have failed, and refugees have begun to gather."
A gust of wind blew by, and the candle flame popped with a "snap".
Huo Lin stared at the lotus leaf under the steamed chicken and suddenly said, "Listening to me say all this must be annoying, right?"
[Sigh, why do I always waste time with her?]
[Even I find it annoying to listen to, yet I still keep nagging and bothering her. What a stubborn person!]
[No, I need to pull myself together. I can't let her think that my stern face means I dislike her.]
Foolish Huo Lin.
She heard it all very clearly.
Unless she becomes deaf one day, it's hard to misunderstand.
With a slight thought, Jiang Huan smiled, shook her head, and winked playfully.
"Your Majesty, please don't mind what I'm about to say."
She traced a winding curve on the table with her fingertip.
"Regarding the disaster, I have a humble opinion."
"While it is important to provide relief to displaced people, the key now is to dredge the river channels, deepen the riverbeds, and bring out the underground currents. Once the water arrives, the displaced people will feel at ease, and then the relief efforts will be much more effective."
Huo Lin's eyes suddenly lit up.
That's a novel idea.
【Okay, go on!】
Seeing this, Jiang Huan boldly continued, "Secondly, we can order the digging of reservoirs in various places to store water during the rainy season and use it during the drought, and finally..."
Her voice lowered, "I've heard that there's a kind of 'karez' well in the Western Regions..."
"Karez?" Huo Lin pondered for a moment.
She nodded: "It's an underground channel that can prevent moisture evaporation. I can try to draw out the specific method of making it."
Who wasn't forced to take an extracurricular class when they were young? Drawing was a piece of cake for Jiang Huan.
The Xuan paper on the table was suddenly spread out, and Huo Lin personally ground the ink.
As Jiang Huan's pen moved, modern water conservancy projects gradually transformed into simple and ancient ditch patterns.
[Truly a marvelous water conservancy project.]
This design is far superior to those old fogies in the Ministry of Works. Tomorrow, send them all back to farming.
Huo Lin looked at the Xuan paper in front of him, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"here……"
He suddenly grasped her hand holding the pen and added a diagonal line to the drawing.
"How about adding a diversion switch?"
Her hands...
Huo Lin was startled when the thought suddenly popped into his head.
[No, what am I thinking! Is this the time to be considering this? Stop thinking like that!]
The two were very close, and Huo Lin's warm breath as he spoke inadvertently brushed against Jiang Huan's ear, making her ear tips burn.
She could feel the warmth of his palm, and the calluses on his palm rubbing against her skin.
What a good-for-nothing!
Jiang Huan cursed inwardly, her cheeks burning hot enough to cook an egg.
It was just a light touch; she wouldn't have done that before.
What's wrong with me today?
It must be because the weather is too hot.
Yes, that's it.
Lost in thought, Huo Lin's inner voice echoed once more.
[This ingenious design is something those incompetent officials in the Ministry of Works couldn't have come up with in ten years.]
Is she a treasure trove of ideas? How come she always manages to come up with something that surprises me?
Jiang Huan paused with her brush, and a drop of ink spread out.
Overpraise, overpraise. It's all about the predecessors planting trees so that future generations can enjoy the shade.
Otherwise, even if she had eight hundred brains, she still wouldn't be able to come up with these ideas.
Huo Lin seemed to notice her distraction. "It's alright, this is a good place to set up a water filtration pool."
He took the pen and lightly traced over the ink mark, saying, "Go on."
Jiang Huan's cheeks flushed slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "We can also transfer grain from Jiangnan to provide work relief, allowing the displaced people to build canals and roads."
"Furthermore, local governments should be ordered to open granaries and distribute grain, and those who hoard and speculate should be severely punished..."
Huo Lin's eyes lit up with admiration, and he quickly took out paper and pen to write.
"Drilling wells, allocating grain, and providing work relief..."
He suddenly looked up, his gaze intense: "How do you know these things?"
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