Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "Come on, tell me slowly, what's on your mind?"
Xu Zhi then recounted the situation of the river flowing through the city that she had thought of that afternoon.
Xu Zhi said, "Since this river flows through the city, people must have thrown a lot of debris into it. There are also iron fences at the entrance and exit of the city walls. If the debris in the river is not cleaned up, and a flood comes, and the river becomes blocked, won't that cause some trouble?"
Zheng Boyuan thought about it seriously and said, "Ajiu, what you think makes a lot of sense. When I went to see Lord Chu just now, he also mentioned this matter. He said that a few years ago, the Miao River breached its banks east of Miaozhou City, but the city was not damaged much. This year, the rainfall is much more than last year, so the river in the city must be cleaned up properly."
Thinking of Xu Zhi's question earlier, Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "Lord Chu did indeed send his family away. He told me that he really couldn't bear to leave his elderly wife and young children with him again. Fortunately, there are still elders in his family, so he sent them back to his hometown. He stayed behind alone to keep this city company."
Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "With Lord Chu acting like this at this time, it's no wonder he's been staying in Miaozhou all this time."
Zheng Boyuan thought of the gossip his colleagues had been saying about Lord Chu behind his back and said in a low voice, "He's an honest man, just sometimes too cowardly."
Xu Zhi just chuckled and didn't say anything more. Xu Zhi had heard all along that although Lord Chu's wife didn't socialize, she managed all the affairs at home and outside. Lord Chu had been an official for many years and was honest, but in fact, his wife had secretly amassed quite a lot of wealth. However, she did it discreetly and no one found out. It was only because Jia San accidentally stumbled upon it that he was able to find out.
Zheng Boyuan stood up and said, "I will arrange for someone to dredge the river channel right away. The weather has been too hot these past few days. My uncle said that there might be a heavy rain soon. I don't think Lord Chu will go all out to arrange for people to do it."
Xu Zhi frowned and said, "Why can't we do our best? It's Lord Chu's duty to govern Miaozhou, protect its people, and protect the city itself. What reason do he have not to do it?"
Zheng Boyuan looked at Xu Zhi, whose atmosphere was unusual, but he didn't want to tell her that Lord Chu's wife had secretly made enough money in Miaozhou and had already left with the money. As for Lord Chu, he had stayed in Miaozhou for so many years and not only bought a house in the capital, but also bought several large estates in Tongzhou.
Xu Zhi stared at Zheng Boyuan with red eyes. Zheng Boyuan had no choice but to be patient and slowly begin to talk to Xu Zhi.
Lord Chu comes from a declining earldom, a mansion with only the title, as few of its members are truly accomplished. However, at some point, it somehow managed to curry favor with the Third Prince. Lord Chu is not from the main branch of the family, but because he is the best student in the clan, he is highly regarded. It is said that this time, when Lady Chu brought money, the clan sent someone to contact the Third Prince, intending to bring Lord Chu to the capital. Although Lord Chu is currently in Miaozhou, his heart is already in the capital. He is physically in one camp but mentally in another. How can we expect such a person to properly lead the people of Miaozhou to protect their homes during this flood?
Zheng Boyuan felt that if Chu Huaigui hadn't been held accountable by the Ministry of Personnel for leaving at this time, he would have already run away with his wife.
Seeing that it was still early, Zheng Boyuan explained the reasons in detail. After listening, Xu Zhi was speechless for a long time. After a long silence, she whispered to Zheng Boyuan, "We must suppress the Third Prince. Otherwise, with these scoundrels around him, how can the people have a good life in the future?"
Zheng Boyuan patted Xu Zhi's hair and nodded. Seeing that it was getting late, he took Xi Jing'an to the government office next door to find someone. He had a lot of things to deal with right now and really couldn't stay and have a proper chat with Xu Zhi.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and Xu Zhi couldn't sleep at night, so she simply got up, put on her clothes, and went to the yard.
The clouds in the sky kept pressing down, making it hard to breathe. Looking up, I saw that it was already the end of the month, and the sky was filled with only a faint crescent moon and a few scattered stars.
The wind carried a dampness that made people feel restless. Xu Zhi stood quietly in the courtyard. Bai Ying held a cloak in her hand and said softly, "Miss, put this on."
Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "Sister Bai Ying, it's so hot, you don't need to."
Bai Ying advised, "Although the weather is hot and humid, the wind is always damp, and the clothes you are wearing are still too thin."
Remembering what her uncle had said about rain today, Xu Zhi asked Bai Ying, "Sister Bai Ying, do you think it's going to rain?"
Bai Ying thought for a moment and said, "Probably. When I was little, it was a summer like this. I still remember it. It was incredibly hot. My parents took my sisters and me to sleep outside. It started raining in the middle of the night and it rained for two days and two nights. Finally, the river rose and flooded my village."
Bai Ying and the others who came from Ganzhou were all sold by their families or relatives after their families suffered disasters.
Xu Zhi asked her, "What about Bai Ying's family?"
Bai Ying thought for a moment and said, "The water rose very high. In the end, my parents took me and a few others to the roof of our house. Later, seeing that the water was still rising, my father used a rope to tie me and my sister to a tree next to the house. At that time, my father told me that whether I could survive depended on my own fate. Later, the water washed the house down, and my parents were swept away by the water."
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