Xuanyuan Peng looked at Xuanyuan Zhan with satisfaction and nodded. Then he looked at Liu Zhenghe and asked, "I remember that before Zhan'er entered Xiangnan, Xiangnan was indeed prone to floods, and the south often suffered from famine. The court also sent grain to the south several times a year, right?"
Liu Zhenghe bowed: "Yes, before the Holy King entered Xiangnan, the court sent grain to the south three to five times a year, especially during the rainy season in spring and summer when Xiangnan was particularly prone to flooding. After the Holy King entered Xiangnan, the number of grain shipments decreased, and about eight or nine years ago, the court stopped sending grain to Xiangnan altogether. Moreover, Xiangnan also pays taxes every year."
Liu Zhenghe was the Minister of Revenue, and he knew the matter of opening granaries and distributing grain better than anyone else. Even though he was the Second Prince's father-in-law, he could not erase the Holy King's achievements in governing Xiangnan in front of all the officials.
Xuanyuan Peng smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, his gaze towards Xuanyuan Zhan filled with pride, especially when he saw Xuanyuan Zhan's eyes, which were exactly the same as his own, he was filled with affection.
Upon hearing this, the courtiers couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"I never imagined that the Holy King would govern the southern region so well after entering Xiangnan!"
"Yes, how old was the Holy King when he entered Xiangnan? It seems he went to his fiefdom when he was very young!"
"I heard that the Holy King went to Xiangnan when he was seven years old. Eight or nine years ago, the Holy King should have been only eleven or twelve years old. How could he have governed Xiangnan so well?"
"Seven years old, eleven or twelve years old, which means that the Holy King governed Xiangnan well in just four or five years, and he was still a child at that time. The Holy King's governance ability is too strong. He must be a genius!"
"The Holy King not only governed Xiangnan very well, but also handed over all the collected taxes to the national treasury. No wonder the Emperor likes him so much. He is both capable and loyal. Moreover... it would be strange if the Emperor didn't like him!"
Moreover, he is the emperor's illegitimate son. Most importantly, the Holy Prince was born to the emperor's most beloved woman. In addition, with the Holy Prince's talent and virtue, how could the emperor not like him!
Upon hearing these words from the assembled officials, both Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi looked warily at Xuanyuan Zhan.
Xuanyuan Zhan went on and on, just to let people know how talented he is at governing. He's really cunning!
Xuan Yuanzhan wasn't unaware of the hostile and jealous gazes from Xuan Yuanyu and Xuan Yuanzhi, but he simply chose not to pay them any attention.
Actually, it wasn't that Xuanyuan Zhan wanted to bring up these things; he just wanted to use the events in Xiangnan to talk about the situation in the north, but Xuanyuan Peng didn't give him that opportunity.
It was indeed Xuanyuan Peng who deliberately brought up these words after Xuanyuan Zhan mentioned the topic of Xiangnan.
He wanted all the officials to know how talented his son Zhan was in governance, and how kind and filial he was!
Xuanyuan Peng smiled and looked at Xuanyuan Zhan: "Zhan'er, you suddenly mentioned Xiangnan. Do you have a way to deal with the famine in the north?"
He knew Xuanyuan Zhan's talent. These days, he had been helping him handle state affairs, and no matter how difficult the matter was, he could always come up with a solution quickly. He believed that Xuanyuan Zhan had a way to manage the famine and banditry in the north.
Upon hearing this, the courtiers all looked eagerly at Xuanyuan Zhan, anticipating his governance plan.
Xuanyuan Zhan spoke again: "The northern lands have suffered from disasters for many years, mainly due to drought. The north is short of water, while we in the south have too much water. In recent years, I have been working hard to divert water from the south, firstly to relieve the floods in the south, and secondly to help the water-scarce areas to relieve the drought."
Xuanyuan Zhan's idea once again sparked heated discussions among the officials.
"You know what, that's actually a good idea!"
"This way, the south won't suffer from floods, the north won't suffer from droughts, and neither side will suffer from famine. This is a great thing that kills two birds with one stone!"
"Your Highness is truly brilliant! This idea is superb!"
"No wonder the Holy King was able to govern Xiangnan so well. The Holy King is indeed intelligent, farsighted, and possesses both virtue and talent!"
These words spread like wildfire, and soon not only were officials in the court discussing them, but even the minor officials standing at the farthest point were joining in the discussion. Even the eunuchs and imperial guards standing outside couldn't help but gossip. It was truly a topic of conversation throughout the entire court.
Hearing these comments, Xuan Yuan Yu and Xuan Yuan Zhi became even more jealous of Xuan Yuan Zhan.
Xuanyuan Yu looked at Xuanyuan Zhan without any politeness and said, "You make it sound so easy. The south and the north are separated by more than half the distance of Eastern Chu. You say you can divert water from the south to the north? Isn't that just wishful thinking?"
Xuanyuan Yu's words quickly aroused the concern of the court officials.
"Yes, the south is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from the north, how can we draw water from it!"
"The Holy King's idea is good, but it's too difficult to actually implement!"
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, but if it can't be implemented, it's really not very useful."
"I thought the Holy King was so clever, but all he can come up with are these kinds of outlandish ideas."
It's no wonder that the officials in the court are such opportunists; those who were just praising Xuan Yuanzhan so enthusiastically are the first to turn against him!
Xuanyuan Zhan ignored Xuanyuan Yu and looked at Xuanyuan Peng, saying, "As I just said, I have been working on this for many years. In fact, I started working on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project six or seven years ago."
As Xuanyuan Zhan spoke, he looked at Zong Jiu and said, "I would like to trouble you, Eunuch Jiu, to bring up a map of our Eastern Chu. Please bring a large one."
"Yes," Zong Jiu replied, and immediately beckoned to the two eunuchs.
Before long, the eunuchs brought in an enormous map of the Eastern Chu.
Xuanyuan Zhan pointed to the location of Xiangnan on the map: "Six or seven years ago, I began to have them dig waterways from Xiangnan to divert water outwards. This is an important reason why I was able to control the floods in Xiangnan so quickly. Six or seven years have passed, and these waterways have connected the entire south and even passed through the central region, forming a large circular river that surrounds the entire central region. The digging of the waterways is still continuing to divert water northwards. Give me another two years and the water from the south will be able to flow into the north. Once the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is completed, the north will no longer suffer from droughts, and the people of the north will no longer suffer from famine."
As Xuanyuan Peng watched Xuanyuan Zhan point to the plots of land one after another on the map, he couldn't help but be moved to tears.
He had actually thought of these things long ago and had been doing this for six or seven years.
He was only twelve or thirteen years old then, yet he thought more than an emperor. The diversion of water from the south to the north not only benefited the people in the south and north, but also the entire Eastern Chu!
If there are no more famines in the south and north, and every household has surplus grain, then the Eastern Chu court will no longer need to open its granaries to distribute grain, and taxes will increase. Sooner or later, Eastern Chu will become a strong and powerful army!
Not only was Xuanyuan Peng excited, but all the officials were also thrilled, and some of the sentimental commoners were already in tears.
"Clap clap clap clap..." No one knows who started it, but the officials spontaneously began to applaud Xuanyuan Zhan.
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