Chapter 97 Respect for the Dead, Let's Obey Him
At the dining table.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingjiang nodded slightly and couldn't help but glance at her senior brother.
Although Liu Ziwen is annoying, what he said makes some sense, but it still depends on the senior brother's attitude.
"That's a good idea; the more you invest, the more you earn. That makes a lot of sense."
Ouyang Rong nodded, agreeing with these words.
Liu Ziwen couldn't help but smile, raised his wine cup, covered the cup and his mouth with his long sleeve, and gestured a salute to Ouyang Rong. The latter, without raising his cup, leisurely added:
"But that won't work."
"Why not?" Liu Ziwen paused, his hand raised in the air.
"Master Liu may have made a mistake."
"Where did Mr. Liu say something wrong?"
"What he said wasn't wrong, but it's wrong to put it on the Zheyi Canal."
Ouyang Rong extended a finger and waved it lightly:
"The Broken Wing Canal is first and foremost a water conservancy project, and only secondarily a means of making money. Whether it makes money or not is not important; the most important thing is whether it can control the water. Master Liu, please understand this point first, and then go back and think about whether you want to invest money."
Liu Ziwen couldn't help but lean forward, his voice rising slightly:
“Water management and making money are not mutually exclusive. Investing money to widen the river channel will benefit both! If we build it in two phases as the magistrate said, the first phase will be shallow and roughly excavated, but apart from increasing the amount of subsequent work and... diverting Butterfly Creek, I really can’t figure out what use it would be.”
"Are we really hoping that when the Yunmeng Marsh floods, we can rely on its limited depth to divert and release the water?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at his slightly agitated expression and said calmly, "Are you instructing me on how to do things?"
"No...no."
Liu Ziwen immediately calmed down, took a deep breath, and forced a smile:
"Liu just felt that short-term flood control could rely on the Digong Sluice Gate, and that phased flood control of the Zheyi Canal was really unnecessary."
Ouyang Rong calmly said:
"Master Liu is a businessman, so of course he prioritizes profit and thinks this is unnecessary. But I am the magistrate of Longcheng County, and I will not joke with the lives of all the people in the county. If things don't go as planned and another flood comes, every extra layer of protection is beneficial. Besides..."
"Besides what?"
"Besides, who knows if this Di Gong Sluice Gate, which has been breached many times, will fail again at a crucial moment? I have serious doubts about this thing."
Halfway through his sentence, Ouyang Rong suddenly asked curiously, "You said it collapses every four years, such a sensible and regular occurrence, it must have been done by Master Liu, right?"
The private room fell silent instantly, and the atmosphere gradually froze.
The main reason was that no one expected the young magistrate to ask such a direct and blunt question.
Good grief, if you had doubts, couldn't you have kept them to yourself? Why didn't you just ask the person involved directly? You're just trying to get information out of them, aren't you?
Xie Lingjiang, who had been listening quietly since the beginning, immediately looked at Liu Ziwen, scrutinizing every subtle expression on his face.
Unfortunately, Liu Ziwen's expression remained unchanged, only a hint of doubt remained in his eyes as he looked around and asked:
"What is Your Excellency saying? The wine I ordered shouldn't be that intoxicating, right? Your Excellency has only had three cups and you're already talking nonsense? Miss Xie, please serve Your Excellency some food."
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze from the face of the young master of the Liu family, ignoring him, and continued:
"Regardless, the plan for the Zheyi Canal has been finalized. If you want to invest money, that's fine. I'll arrange a place for you. But how to build the canal is a matter between me and the Longcheng County Government. Don't worry about it, Mr. Liu. We won't pay you any wages."
"Master Liu, you should think it over carefully. Do you want to invest ten thousand strings of cash? Like Manager Wang and Manager Ma, I will only give you this one chance tonight."
Liu Ziwen fell silent, lifted his hands off the table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the young magistrate for a moment.
He nodded and said softly, "They've surrendered. The Liu family has surrendered. Ten thousand strings of cash. It will be delivered to the county government this month."
Ouyang Rong smiled enigmatically: "Alright, Mr. Liu is straightforward. Congratulations on boarding this last train."
Liu Ziwen said calmly, "Now that the county government has received the money, please try to widen the waterway as much as possible for the first phase of the Zheyi Canal project."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Okay, but no matter how wide it is, the construction period will be completed within two months. Once the first phase is finished, the water can be initially diverted. This cannot be changed."
Liu Ziwen nodded slowly, staring at him intently: "Your Excellency, you did a great job, you are a man of your word."
"It's all thanks to Master Liu's kind invitation." Ouyang Rong paused, then smiled and reminded him:
"However, remember to keep your promise. You will provide the craftsmen and funds for the Di Gong Sluice, and the county government will arrange for able-bodied men to repair it. I will personally supervise this matter with my clerk. The Di Gong Sluice must be completed as quickly as possible, preferably faster than the first phase of the Zheyi Canal."
"Okay." Liu Ziwen's eyes hadn't left someone since the beginning:
"Don't worry, the craftsmen sent will be top-notch artisans with superb skills. They have already repaired it many times and have kept the blueprints, so it will be done very quickly."
That would be best.
Ouyang Rong nodded, and couldn't help but glance at Liu Ziwen across from him. For some reason, or perhaps it was just his imagination, he found that this young master of the Liu family had become very easy to talk to.
Liu Ziwen asked with a humble smile:
"Your Excellency, tell me, have I been sincere enough today?"
Ouyang Rong nodded. "Yes, it's quite unexpected."
"Then, Your Excellency, could you grant me one more small request?"
"Master Liu has quite a few requests, and they don't seem small at all... However, you can speak to him first."
Liu Ziwen said sincerely:
"It's like this, our Liu family is not short of money or manpower, but we lack reputation. The craftsmen of the Liu family are naturally top-notch in skill, but their fame is not yet enough. I would like to ask the magistrate for a small favor, but this matter will also benefit the magistrate."
“Once the Di Gong Dam is completed, could we hold a grand handover ceremony to celebrate its completion? Let’s make it a lively event and invite all the important figures from the county and prefecture.”
"Since the county magistrate is personally overseeing the construction, he will definitely be the first to cut the ribbon. Needless to say, we can see another day if we can invite some officials from Jiangzhou City to come and watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony. After all, the Di Gong Sluice is located in a crucial position in the upstream Yunmeng Marsh, and it is always the first to be affected by the floods. Once this sluice is completed, it will benefit the entire Jiangzhou."
He said earnestly, "This will not only bring honor to our Liu family, but also enhance the magistrate's achievements. What do you think, sir?"
"is that so……"
Ouyang Rong seemed to be deep in thought. He observed Liu Ziwen's expression for a moment, then nodded slightly, not immediately agreeing.
"It's not impossible. I'll ask around. We can hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the day the Di Gong Gate is handed over, but I'm not sure if we can invite the officials from the prefecture. After all, I'm not very familiar with those officials."
Liu Ziwen curled the corners of his mouth:
“Your Excellency is too modest. When I first took office, I immediately dispatched troops from Jiangzhou to audit the accounts. Everyone knows that Your Excellency has a close relationship with the prefectural inspector, Lord Shen.”
Ouyang Rong shook his head, "It's just official business."
The matter and conditions had been discussed, and both men were intelligent enough that there was nothing more to say.
A moment later, Ouyang Rong put down his wine cup and led Xie Lingjiang to take their leave.
He drank three small cups of wine, but didn't touch any of the food on the table.
However, before leaving, seemingly to show his sincerity, Liu Ziwen said to Xie Lingjiang:
“Miss Xie, I apologize for my previous offense. You can take that lowly maid back and deal with her as you see fit. All the formalities have been completed.”
Xie Lingjiang ignored him completely and followed her senior brother away without looking back.
The banquet ended.
The empty private room was left with only Liu Ziwen sitting at the table, Liu Zilin kneeling on the ground with his head down and hands drooping, and the lame servant standing silently behind Liu Ziwen.
Silence reigned.
Then, at some point, the footsteps from the other side of the stairwell disappeared.
"Don't accept the last chance."
Liu Ziwen suddenly laughed, turned to the lame servant to express his admiration, but his expression was more like he was gritting his teeth: "He's really courting death."
Liu Zilin, who had been silent all along, looked up, his eyes red and choked with sobs: "Big brother, we were so pathetic today."
Liu Ziwen turned to him and asked, "He's about to die, why shouldn't I obey him? Third brother, after all... the dead should be respected."
Liu Zilin was stunned, and asked cautiously in a hoarse voice, "So it's...beheading?"
Liu Ziwen closed his eyes: "Beheading!"
(End of this chapter)
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