Chapter 92 The Dam Has Truly Broken Down
August 28th arrived in the blink of an eye, and it was another incredibly hot day.
Li Nanke stayed in Chixian to oversee the grain collection, while Song Yixian returned to the Marquis of Anping's residence.
This was the result of the mother and daughter's discussion; once there was a heavy rain, the Marquis's residence should also take precautions against flooding.
By the evening of the 28th, Song Yi's hundred mu of land had been mostly harvested.
The two village heads, Cui and Fang, decided to lead all the villagers to continue the harvest that night.
Cui Zhuangtou: "Don't worry, young lady, everything that can be collected will be put into the warehouse before dawn tomorrow."
Fang Zhuangtou: "If things are alright tomorrow, we'll take the harvested beans out to dry."
Li Nanke looked up at the sky. The moon was bright and the stars were few. No one could have imagined that a rainstorm would come tomorrow.
Huang Sheng came again, carrying a wooden box.
Li Nanke opened it and exclaimed in surprise.
"So many silver notes!"
A full fifty thousand taels!
Huang Sheng chuckled, “We bought fine rice for two hundred coins and sold it to Song’s Grain Shop for five hundred coins. We bought beans for fifty coins and sold them for one hundred and fifty coins.”
He bought millet for 100 coins and sold it for 200 coins, making a net profit of 50,000 taels.
"That Song family grain store has gone mad. They bought a full 100,000 taels of silver worth of our grain. Tsk tsk, a small grain store, I don't know where they got so much silver."
Li Nanke knew perfectly well that Song Hui had risked everything she had.
It's a pity she's destined never to earn any money!
Li Nanke asked Huang Sheng curiously.
"You sold so much grain at once. If the torrential rain causes grain prices to skyrocket, won't you regret it?"
Huang Sheng glanced at her with the eye he was wearing the blindfold with a soft chuckle.
"I'm not stupid. The prince has already paid for and tacitly approved your large-scale grain purchases. You must have a backup plan. Whether grain prices will skyrocket or not, isn't that something you can control?"
Li Nanke gave a thumbs up.
"Master Huang is insightful."
Huang Sheng chuckled.
"Besides, there's still 100,000 taels of silver worth of grain stored in the warehouse."
Li Nanke...
So this is what it means to have food in hand and not panic in your heart?
Huang Sheng glanced at her, then slowly walked away with his hands behind his back.
"The way of business is to be moderate; it's not about making as much money as possible."
Once they were far away, the faint sound drifted over.
Li Nanke paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
On the other side.
Song Hui breathed a long sigh of relief as she watched truckload after truckload of grain being delivered into the warehouse.
Everything is ready, except for the downpour.
If the dikes of the Red Land were to breach, she and Zhao Hong would become the richest and most glamorous people in Bianjing.
She instructed her servants to guard the granary and then went to the capital to find Zhao Hong.
Two days ago, Zhao Hong and Vice Minister Song arrived in Chixian.
Since Vice Minister Song had already submitted a memorial stating his intention to engage in ascetic practices, he naturally chose a temple.
This temple is very close to the location where Song Hui remembered the dam breach.
Zhao Hongzheng was discussing matters with Vice Minister Song, his expression grave.
Seeing her come in, he quickly asked, "Are you sure the torrential rain will cause the dikes to breach in China? And the breach is right at the mouth of the Baimao Dike?"
Song Hui nodded. "I'm sure. What's wrong?"
Zhao Hong frowned deeply.
“My father-in-law and I secretly went to the Baimao Dike last night and found that the dike there seemed to have been repaired.”
Could it be that the county magistrate has already ordered repairs? If so, will the dike be able to withstand the breach?
Song Hui denied it.
"Impossible! Did you see that clearly?"
Zhao Hong shook his head.
"We went at night, and there were people guarding the embankment, so we couldn't see clearly."
Have you asked the people around you?
"I asked, and they said they haven't seen any repairs."
"That's it. Repairing such a big dam couldn't have been done without any word."
Vice Minister Song also thought it was unlikely.
"Then let's proceed according to the original plan."
Zhao Hong touched his chest. "I always feel like my heart is beating very fast, as if something bad is about to happen."
Song Hui glared at him.
"You're just too nervous. It's inevitable to be a little nervous before doing something big. Trust me, everything will go smoothly."
Zhao Hong thought about it and also felt it was possible.
The mere thought that this incident might lead to him being highly valued by the imperial court and rising rapidly in rank filled him with excitement, making him tremble with excitement.
That night, Zhao Hong tossed and turned, never having felt time pass so agonizingly.
In the middle of the night, a loud cracking sound suddenly came from outside.
A deafening roar shook the sky, as if a giant hammer had cleaved it open.
In an instant, the entire sky was illuminated, and large raindrops began to patter down.
Moments later, the rain intensified, and a dense curtain of rain poured down.
Zhao Hong jumped off the bed excitedly and grabbed Song Hui.
"It's...it's really raining!"
Song Hui stared intently at the rain curtain outside the window, her eyes bloodshot.
In a daze, I seemed to see the white curtain of rain turn into silver ingots and fall down.
Hahaha, the torrential rain is coming, and the dam is about to burst!
She's going to make a fortune!
It rained for half the night, and the rain lessened a little when the sky was just beginning to lighten.
She turned around excitedly, picked up a raincoat, and put it on. "I need to hurry back to Beijing to oversee the grain sale."
Zhao Hong hurriedly reminded him, "The memorial I wrote about the breach of the dikes in the capital, don't forget to send it to the Left Prime Minister's residence so that the Left Prime Minister can present it directly to His Majesty."
"Don't worry, I remember."
Just as Song Hui left, the rain intensified again, and Vice Minister Song rushed in, wearing a raincoat.
His eyes were full of excitement.
"The rain is getting heavier. Let's not just stand there, let's hurry to the vicinity of Baimao Causeway."
Zhao Hong, dressed neatly, and the father-in-law and son-in-law left in a hurry.
The rain intensified and showed no signs of stopping by noon.
The gale, accompanied by torrential rain, raged wildly, causing tree branches to bend and twist, and the world to become a chaotic mess.
Cui Zhuangtou and Fang Zhuangtou stood under the eaves, looking at the flowerbeds in the courtyard, which were completely submerged by water, with not a single flower branch visible.
The two exchanged a glance, their faces filled with relief.
Fortunately, the harvest was started in advance; otherwise, with such heavy rain, all the crops would have been submerged in water, resulting in a complete loss.
Of course, many people are now filled with regret and are braving the wind and rain to rush to harvest their crops.
The rain was so heavy that even the harvested grain would mold.
As night fell, Erfeng braved the wind and rain to arrive, saying, "The prince wants me to take the young lady to see a play."
"At this time? Let's go!"
Li Nanke was both excited and curious.
Erfeng held up a large umbrella in one hand and wrapped Li Nanke in his cloak with the other, then picked her up and carried her away.
On the guard tower of Baimao Causeway.
Shen Cong stood at the window, looking down.
"Your Highness."
Li Nanke greeted them and eagerly looked down.
On the open ground below, Vice Minister Song and Zhao Hong were arguing with the county magistrate of Chixian County in the rain.
The magistrate was furious.
"You've gathered all these people here just to persuade them to evacuate?"
"As an imperial censor, how can Lord Zhao speak so carelessly?"
"Our Baimao Dike is sturdy; how could it possibly breach?"
"With such heavy rain, if anything happens to the people, Lord Zhao cannot bear the responsibility."
Zhao Hong's expression was arrogant, with a hint of sternness.
"If you don't evacuate, and the dikes breach, houses will be destroyed, and people will be flooded. You, sir, will be the one who can't bear the responsibility, won't you?"
"I have the people at heart and will spare no effort for their safety. Today, I will persuade everyone to evacuate."
"If you still want your head, I advise you to order the people to evacuate immediately."
The magistrate, looking furious, turned and gave orders to the people.
"Don't worry, everyone, everything is safe and sound at Baimao Dike."
"Go back home, and be careful of your own homes. Make sure the houses in low-lying areas don't get flooded."
Minister Song stamped his feet in frustration, spread his arms, and shouted to stop the crowd.
"We can't go back, we can't go back! Quickly move to the higher ground on the east side!"
"Nonsense, it's dangerous to go up the slope in such strong winds and rain."
"If you don't go up the slope, you'll be swept away and drown if the dam breaks!"
The argument escalated, and it looked like they were about to come to blows.
Just then, someone stumbled in the distance, their voice trembling.
"The dam has burst...it's really burst!"
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