The old man heard her reasoned and well-reasoned words, bowed to her and said, "Thank you very much, madam. I will go find Qutou and Doumenchang now!"
After saying this, he went into the mulberry forest and ran along a small path towards the houses not far away.
Xu Jiang said to Lou Yunchun, "We really need to seize the opportunity this time."
Lou Yunchun said to her with a serious expression, "Go around the front and you will find the road to Liuyuan."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Xu Jiang grabbed the reins, whipped them, and shouted "Gee!" The horse immediately galloped away.
Lou Yunchun drove closely behind, "Be careful!"
When the stubborn donkey saw his owner running away, he quickly ran after her. Fortunately, he had just eaten a full meal, so he barely managed to catch up with her.
The two arrived at the entrance of Liuyuan Garden and were stopped by the gatekeeper. They were only allowed in after Xu Jiang showed her invitation. As soon as they entered the garden, a stable boy came to lead the horses. Lou Yunchun unloaded the book box from the donkey cart and carried it on his shoulders.
Seeing how easily he did it, Xu Jiang couldn't help but chuckle, thinking, "That's quite the job." Afterwards, she asked Ma Shi where the elegant meeting was, and then she and Lou Yunchun headed in the direction he pointed.
Following the stream into the forest, walking along the path, passing by flower ponds, tree ponds, lotus ponds and water channels, and passing by mountain rocks, pavilions and waterside terraces. The real and fake mountains, the rocks dividing the water, are all created by nature, and the exotic flowers and plants, the jade forests and trees are full of vitality.
When we reached the mountain pond, we suddenly heard the cry of a crane, which spread its wings and startled the lotus leaves.
Stepping onto the secluded hill, I suddenly saw the shadows of deer in the empty forest, drinking from the stream and holding grass.
Visitors who saw her admired her but dared not speak loudly for fear of disturbing her celestial beauty.
It’s a pity that such a quiet and peaceful scenery was destroyed by two hurried figures.
Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun's heavy steps startled the white cranes and sent the elk fleeing, causing the onlookers to complain that they were spoiling the scenery. Then, after a quick look at the two, seeing their casual clothing and uncouth manners, they understood.
So he is just an ordinary person, no wonder he is so vulgar.
Xu Jiang didn't care about the strange looks from others. She just wanted to find the show-off as soon as possible and ask him to organize people nearby to go to the disaster relief.
When they reached the top of the hill, sunlight shone through the mist. Many people were already sitting on the rocks beside the path, reading and drinking. Seeing the two men coming up, they offered them wine and a reading contest, but Xu Jiang refused both offers.
At the bottom of the hill is a clear pond dug from a mountain spring. A pavilion serves as the central axis beside the pond, with terraces and pavilions on both sides. The pond is grand in scale and majestic in appearance.
At this time, many people had gathered in the pavilions and towers by the pond. It was not easy to find the water minister among so many people.
Xu Jiang was feeling worried when she heard someone calling her from behind. She turned around and saw it was Wu Qingye again. She looked again and saw that the person following him in was none other than the doctor from the Water Department.
It turned out to be behind me! What a waste of effort.
Xu Jiang had no time to greet Wu Qingye. She walked straight up to the Water Department Doctor, bowed, and asked, "Excuse me, sir, are you the Water Department Doctor?"
Along the way, Wu Qingye also chatted with the doctor from the Water Department. However, because he kept bragging about his official position and his new house intentionally or unintentionally, Wu Qingye felt a little embarrassed, so he found an excuse to walk ahead.
Seeing Xu Jiang talking to him, he wanted to step forward to introduce her, but he was distracted by a figure and almost got scratched in the face by the book box on the man's back.
Lou Yunchun came to Xu Jiang's side and whispered, "His last name is Qian."
Xu Jiang continued, "Master Qian, I, Xu Jiang, have an urgent water situation to report."
Lord Qian's sedan chair was stopped outside the garden. He had barely caught his breath when he bumped into a woman in front of him who wanted to report on the water situation. He waved his hand in annoyance and said, "What do you, a mere woman, know about the water situation? Get out of the way!"
A few days ago, he helped Liu Sizhen with something. To thank him, Liu Sizhen reserved the main seat for him in the building. Today was the day for him to show off his power and gain face, so he had no time to care about these outsiders.
He brushed Xu Jiang aside and tried to leave, but Xu Jiang stepped forward to stop him. "Master Qian, I just came from the riverbank and saw that the river was silted up. If we don't quickly identify the source of the danger and evacuate the people, it will cause a disaster!"
"What do you mean by siltation? If there were any, the water conservancy department would have reported it long ago. How could a country girl like you have the right to complain?" He then looked Xu Jiang over and asked curiously, "It's strange! How did a woman like you sneak into a gathering like ours?"
Wu Qingye stepped aside and answered for Xu Jiang, "Master Qian, this is the owner of Zhanchun Bookstore. He has also been invited to attend the Book Fair."
"Shopkeeper? What kind of shopkeeper is a woman? Why is she meddling in other people's business?" Lord Qian frowned and scolded, "Get out of the way."
Xu Jiang suppressed her anger and patiently advised, "Master Qian, the water level in the Leyou River has dropped four feet for no apparent reason. The water is also flowing slowly, clear at the top and turbid at the bottom. This is clearly a sign of a blockage. It's rice planting season now, and in the past, the upstream sluice gates would have been opened to irrigate the canal. But now, there's no water. I suspect this is due to siltation."
Then, pointing to the dark clouds spreading southwest, she said, "Look, my lord! Dark clouds are already covering the peaks. If a flash flood occurs due to mountain rain, and the floodgates upstream are opened to release the water, it will dislodge the riverbed, which has already become a lake due to siltation. I'm afraid the fields on both sides of Leyou Township will be destroyed."
The wheat harvest is about to begin. If the blocked area is not cleared in time, mountain torrents will come and submerge the fields, and the people will have to sacrifice their entire year's harvest to the river god.
Lord Qian stared at the horizon, and after seeing the black cloud clearly, his heart trembled slightly. Thinking about what Xu Jiang had just said, it was consistent with the siltation of the river, and he couldn't help feeling worried.
"Are you telling the truth?"
Xu Jiang pointed to the heavens and swore, "If there is even a trace of falsehood in what I have said, I will be struck by lightning from this very day."
After hearing her swear, Lord Qian immediately called two people and ordered them to go to the river to check, and then find the canal head and the gate chief to inquire about the situation.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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