Wang Xiuxiu set out dinner in the courtyard of the inn, but Lu Jingze did not return for a long time.
It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that he pushed open the door, looking travel-worn and still smelling of the river.
"What happened?" Wang Xiuxiu handed over a hot towel.
Lu Jingze wiped his face, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Finally, he sighed: "There's abnormal siltation in the downstream riverbed, it seems... to be man-made."
Wang Xiuxiu's heart skipped a beat: "Someone wants to sabotage the dam?"
"It's not certain yet." Lu Jingze frowned. "But the location of the siltation is very strange; it's right at the entrance of the 'Huimin Canal.' If the inspectors aren't thorough, the obstructed water flow during the flood season could damage the dam's foundation."
If the flood diversion is not smooth, the newly built dam may not be able to withstand the pressure, and the people on both sides of the river will be the first to suffer.
The night breeze swept through the hall and extinguished the candles on the table.
In the darkness, Wang Xiuxiu felt Lu Jingze grasp her hand, the grip so tight it almost hurt.
She didn't pull her hand away; instead, she intertwined her fingers with his.
——
After Lu Jingze finished his meal, Wang Xiuxiu had already laid out a map of the Peizhou water system.
Her slender fingertips touched the Huimin Canal, tracing the dotted line all the way to the main body of the dam: "After you left, I lingered on the dam for a moment and discovered a crack below the eastern gate of the 'Double Dragons Dividing the Water' dam."
"I asked several craftsmen, and they said the dam was built using a special glutinous rice mortar. They said that since the dam is newly built, some shrinkage cracks are normal, and it will actually make it more solid when exposed to water."
"But the edges of the crack were strangely neat."
Lu Jingze's eyes sharpened: "You mean..."
"What a coincidence."
Wang Xiuxiu took out the crack fragments she had secretly scraped off during the day from her sleeve, and held them up under the light, revealing a few unnatural metallic glints. "There was something mixed in."
Lu Jingze picked up the crumbs and rubbed them carefully, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"This stone looks corroded; do you know anything that could do that?"
"It's gold dust used in gold mining in the north, which slowly corrodes the binder in the stone."
"I see." Wang Xiuxiu frowned.
"Jingze," she said calmly, pulling the window bolt shut, "Tomorrow you go investigate the source of the siltation. I'll stay at the construction site. The mastermind behind this is determined to sabotage the Peizhou Dam; they've definitely done more than just this."
Lu Jingze gripped her shoulders: "No! It's too dangerous!"
"That's why they want me to go." Wang Xiuxiu placed her hand on his. "You're in charge of the Peizhou Dam; you're too conspicuous. They won't expect me to investigate personally."
Lu Jingze rarely dared to go against Wang Xiuxiu's decisions, so he could only send more guards to protect her secretly.
At dawn the next day, Lu Jingze led his personal guards to survey the river.
Wang Xiuxiu changed into coarse cloth clothes and mingled with the early shift of craftsmen.
"Old man, why is the winch on this sluice gate tighter than yesterday?" she asked a gray-haired old craftsman deliberately.
The old craftsman wiped his brow: "That's strange, it was perfectly fine yesterday."
"Old man, have any strange people come to our area these past few days?"
He looked at Wang Xiuxiu warily. "Why are you asking this, you're just a food delivery girl?"
Wang Xiuxiu lowered her voice and said, "I am a maidservant of Prince Jing. The prince heard that some unfamiliar faces have visited the dam area in the past few days. As you know, the Peizhou Dam area is related to the lives of thousands of people. The prince is cautious, so he asked me to inquire about it privately. Please do not tell anyone else."
"I see. Now that you mention it, there really was a group of people, claiming to be inspectors, who activated the winch mechanism."
Wang Xiuxiu's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of person?"
"The leader was a scarred man, missing his right little finger," the old craftsman shook his head. "He looked menacing; even the master craftsman didn't dare ask him any questions."
Wang Xiuxiu dug her nails into her palms, forcing herself to remain calm as she asked, "What places did they check?"
"Right here at the East Gate."
Lu Jingze returned in the evening, his official robes stained with mud, followed by a pale-faced Liu Mingyuan.
Once inside, after dismissing the servants, Liu Mingyuan hurriedly spoke.
"Your Highness, I have just tested the water quality, and the sand content at the entrance of the Huimin Canal has increased sharply."
He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, unfolding it to reveal several grains of sand gleaming with gold. "This isn't river sand from Peizhou; it looks more like tailings from a gold mine in the north!"
A thought flashed through Wang Xiuxiu's mind like lightning: "Gold mine tailings... acid etching agent...this is going to..."
"Let the dam collapse from the inside!" Liu Mingyuan's voice trembled. "These gold dust particles are extremely heavy; they will not only settle at the gate hinges but also corrode the stone. Over time, once the water pressure increases during the flood season..."
"The sluice gates will jam, the floodwaters will have nowhere to go, and eventually the dam will collapse." Wang Xiuxiu gasped.
To make matters worse, Lu Jingze's investigation today revealed that someone had built a hidden dam thirty miles upstream of Peizhou River.
This move is extremely insidious. If it goes undetected, even if Peizhou is lucky enough to avoid flooding, the upstream area could still create a disaster by destroying the hidden dam.
The three exchanged a glance, simultaneously realizing the seriousness of the situation.
This was not just destruction, but a murder targeting the 300,000 people of Peizhou and the people of several downstream prefectures!
If this succeeds, hundreds of people will starve to death, the court will lose all its prestige, and not only Lu Jingze, but even Emperor Lu Nancheng will be plunged into an unprecedented political crisis!
"It must be repaired immediately!"
Liu Mingyuan said urgently, "But it takes at least half a month to transport conventional materials from the production area to Peizhou."
Wang Xiuxiu suddenly remembered something: "Mr. Liu, there's no need to worry about this matter. His Highness has his own way of handling it. Now, there's something else you need to do."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Please have someone personally inspect every seam of the gate and make a list of the problematic areas and the parts that need to be replaced so that we can make a purchase order."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do it immediately!"
Liu Mingyuan left, and Wang Xiuxiu took off the jade pendant from her waist and handed it to Lu Jingze, saying, "Manager Chen of the 'Yongchang' shop in the east of the city has a way to transport the necessary items to Peizhou in the shortest possible time."
Lu Jingze accepted the jade pendant and then turned to order his trusted confidant to personally relay the message.
He then addressed the others, saying, "Dispatch three hundred elite soldiers to seal off the dam, re-verify the identities of all craftsmen, and have the rest assist Mr. Liu in clearing the gold dust from the riverbed."
As dusk fell again, Wang Xiuxiu waited anxiously at the inn.
Lu Jingze didn't return until late at night, his official robes covered in mud and water: "It's all alright. The gold dust has been cleaned up. Mr. Liu also found three gate bearings corroded by acid, which were replaced overnight."
Wang Xiuxiu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lu Jingze's expression turn serious again: "The mastermind won't let this go, and I suspect Prince Rong is also involved. The official in charge of the Ministry of Works confessed that the person who instructed him also happens to be missing a finger on his right hand..."
Wang Xiuxiu helped him remove his dirty outer robe. "These people are ruthless and insane; we must be extra careful."
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