Chapter 58 Disaster
There was a slight chill on her cheek, Qiandeng looked up and saw that the raindrops were falling again.
She heard Cui Fufeng ask, "What else do you have to say?"
Jian Anting's voice was hoarse and he answered with difficulty: "I deserve to die... I have nothing to say."
The Dali Temple officers came forward and wanted to take him away.
Jian Anting let them pull him up, but his dark eyes looked at Qian Deng and pleaded, "Please, my lady, let me see my father one last time before I go to prison."
He pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve, presented it to Qiandeng, and said in a hoarse voice, "My father has been working on the collapsed dam for a while now, searching for a way to mend it. I've been pondering it day and night, and I've come up with a preliminary idea and a rough sketch, but I haven't discussed it with my father yet. I thought... handing the sketch to my father before I go to prison might be enough to help him."
Qiandeng lowered his eyes to look at him and thought, since you have committed such a bloody crime, your father probably has no future at all.
Seeing that she didn't answer, he raised his head and gave her a bitter smile, saying, "Now that my crime is well known, where can I escape to in such a vast world? If the county lady is worried that I might escape, please have the yamen runners escort me there."
Ji Linyou said beside him, "Don't worry, my cousin and I will take him there, nothing will happen to him."
Ling Tianshui had been standing by and listening quietly to Qiandeng solving the mystery and the case. Suddenly, he was asked to do the job and raised his eyebrows, but he did not refuse in the end.
Since he was being escorted by two experts, Ling Tianshui and Ji Linyou, and was being taken to deliver the water conservancy plan to his father, he wasn't shackled. Seeing that he was exhausted, Ji Linyou jumped on his horse and signaled Ling Tianshui to slow down so that Jian Anting wouldn't fall behind.
As Ling Tianshui rode slowly past Qian Deng, he suddenly glanced at Jian Anting behind him, reined in his horse, leaned over, and whispered in Qian Deng's ear, "Come here."
Qiandeng didn't know what he meant and looked at him in surprise.
He was so close to her that when she raised her head, her cheek was right up to his nose, and their breaths were almost touching.
Her heart skipped a beat, and the heat from holding him tightly, refusing to let go, while she had lost her mind in the dark night, seemed to rush to her head again, making her cheeks suddenly hot, and her body subconsciously leaned back slightly.
The gentlemen around were naturally keeping an eye on Qiandeng. Seeing her blushing face, and the radiance of ease and confidence that had just allowed her to point out the truth, she turned into shyness and embarrassment in front of Ling Tianshui, they couldn't help but feel awkward.
Amidst the strange scrutiny from the crowd, Ling Tianshui seemed oblivious. He even leaned closer to her, maintaining his ambiguous and intimate attitude. He lowered his voice and said to her, "Otherwise, you'll regret it."
Qian Deng took a half step back, considering what he meant.
Jin Tang rushed over and asked pitifully, "County Lady, now that my injustice has been cleared, can I be released from prison and go home? I... I'm in this situation now, can you take me back personally?"
"Yes, we should hold a welcoming banquet for Brother Jin to get rid of this bad luck." Although they didn't like Jin Tang, because of Ling Tianshui, everyone actually shared a common hatred for the enemy. Xue Xiyang took the lead in proposing it, and Shi Jingning also said that he could cook himself.
Amidst everyone's eager gazes, Qian Deng looked towards Ling Tianshui, hesitating.
During this awkward pause, Cui Fufeng smiled slightly, took the horse, and handed her the veil hat. "Things have their priorities. Let's go to the levee first and return to the palace later."
Jin Tang glared at Ling Tianshui, but when he saw his slightly frowned brows, he felt a chill on his back and shrank his neck. He said in a timid tone, "Then, let's go and take a look too!"
When the group arrived at the embankment, they saw that the Wei River was flooded with yellow water and the torrent was surging.
At the gap in the dam, laborers were constantly carrying huge rocks and piling them up at the edge of the gap, while Jian Taiping and a group of people were filling sacks with soil.
"What's going on? Didn't you say..." Seeing his son arrive in such a mess, Jian Taiping was surprised. When he saw Qian Deng and the others riding horses, he quickly dropped his iron shovel and bowed to them. Then he hesitated and asked Jian Anting, "Didn't the palace say that you would be sent to the Changhua Palace today? How did it turn out like this?"
"I was in such a hurry just now that I... fell." Jian Anting pursed his lips and lowered his eyes. He took the towel offered by the person next to him and wiped the mud off his head. Looking at his father, his expression calmed down. "I think it looks like it's going to rain. I'm afraid of missing an important opportunity. I've been researching flood control methods at home recently. I've thought of several key points. I wonder if you have any ideas, so I came here to discuss it with you."
Jian Taiping was stunned for a moment, then handed him the Weihe Atlas with doubt in his eyes. Jian Anting flipped to the section of the embankment that had collapsed, marked a few points on it without hesitation, and handed it to his father along with his own water map.
Jian Taiping was experienced, and a look of surprise crossed his face as he took one look. Then, comparing the water level before him, he excitedly said, "These critical points are quite similar to what I've been thinking about these past two days. This point in particular is particularly important. We, father and son, have the same idea, so it's naturally crucial. Right now, I'm leading the team in preparing huge boulders and sandbags under the embankment. We're planning to take advantage of the slowdown in the water level over the next two days to move the sandbags and boulders in to fill the breach. This way, we can definitely seal the breach in one fell swoop!"
As the father and son talked, they strode forward along the embankment.
Ji Linyou was worried that Jian Anting would take the opportunity to escape, so he quickly winked at Qiandeng and followed him.
There was a breach in the embankment in front of him. The raging flood rushed through the breach, destroying all the surrounding fields. The muddy water flowed into the moat and flooded the city gate, causing the previous flood in Chang'an.
Fortunately, the Water Department planned the route and dug a temporary drain to divert the flood, so that the Chang'an city wall was not collapsed due to long-term flooding.
As the flood raged, the place where the Jian family father and son had pointed out was the best location, with a gentle slope and where the waves turned back.
Ji Lin swam down to the water and saw the waves crashing against the embankment again and again. He felt terrified and said, "Can we really stop such a strong current?"
"This is the best choice right now and here." Jian Taiping raised his hand and pointed, saying, "It only rained a few times here, but look at the clouds to the west."
Everyone looked in the direction of his hand and saw dark clouds in the west. It must have been raining heavily upstream.
"The heavy rain upstream will surely increase the water flow, making it even more difficult to plug the leak. Therefore, we must succeed today without delay."
The laborers braced themselves, readying the boulders and sandbags. Just as they were about to begin, Ling Tianshui suddenly asked, "Such a major undertaking, is Jian Zhanggu the only one responsible? Hasn't any official from the Ministry of Works come to provide guidance?"
Jian Taiping's face froze and he quickly turned around and told someone to report it.
From the newly built reed shed below the embankment, a short but rather imposing official with a puffed-out chest and bulging belly emerged. Several clerks from the Ministry of Works held umbrellas for him and welcomed him onto the embankment.
Qiandeng looked up and saw that this guy, who held a low official position but had a rather pompous appearance, was none other than Sun Lushi.
"What's going on? Why do we have to fill the dike all of a sudden?" Clerk Sun spoke in an official tone, not even glancing at the people on the dike, only glancing at the water below. "Is the auspicious time here? Have you reported it to the superiors at the Ministry of Works? This is a matter of life and death. You acted without consulting your superiors. How many heads will you have?"
"So, according to Registrar Sun, when is a good time to begin construction?" Cui Fufeng asked. "When is the auspicious time? The Ministry of Works is in the government office and isn't good at flood control. How can they issue orders based on the dam's condition?"
Sun Lushi never expected that there would be someone on the dike who would ask him such a blunt question. He blurted out "How dare you!" and was about to turn around and scold the other person, but when he saw Cui Fufeng's face clearly, he was immediately frightened.
Although this man was not wearing official uniform and was not from the Ministry of Works, who in the capital didn't know this Sixth Young Master of the Cui family in Boling?
He glanced at the people next to him, all of them were talented young men, and his heart skipped a beat. He secretly glanced at Qiandeng, who was wearing a veiled hat, and guessed her identity.
He shrank his neck, gave them an apologetic smile, and asked, "The dam has burst and there are many dangers. Why did the county lady come here? You should go back quickly..."
Qian Deng naturally ignored such a despicable and vulgar person. He could not respond, and instead huddled his shoulders and smiled obsequiously at Cui Fufeng: "Shaoqing Cui is in charge of the affairs of the Dali Temple. Why did you come here?"
Cui Fufeng said calmly, "I heard that both the Eastern Palace and the Ministry of Works highly praised Jian Zhanggu's abilities and gave him the responsibility of flood control. I didn't expect that the supervisor would be Sun Lushi, and I didn't expect that Sun Lushi would supervise in this way."
Hearing his question, Sun Lushi was immediately frightened out of his wits and began to apologize profusely. In order to improve his image, he quickly came to the edge of the gap and asked Jian Taiping about the current situation. He then rolled up his sleeves and looked like he was ready to fight alongside the civilians.
Thick dark clouds formed in the west. As they had expected, heavy rain had begun to fall upstream. Without further ado, Jian Taiping immediately gave the order, "Stop the mouth!"
The laborers on the dam took immediate action, carrying sandbags and filling the breach with them.
However, the water was flowing rapidly. Although the crowbar pushed the boulders and sandbags continuously, the swirling whirlpool swallowed up the boulders and sandbags, and it seemed to have no effect at all.
Jian Taiping looked down, then up at the dark clouds approaching from the west. He was just beginning to lament his own inability to stop the flow when he heard Jian Anting suddenly speak: "Although the current here is turbulent, the gap isn't very large. The boulders that were pushed down must have been carried away by the current and are now piled up on the side. If we can move the boulders into the gap, we should be able to stem the flow and block the dam in one fell swoop."
"That being said, how can we move the boulder so that it fits accurately into the gap in such a current?"
Jian Anting listened to his father's words, but just smiled and said vaguely: "We have to give it a try."
Then he raised his hand, grabbed the arm of Sun Lushi next to him, and pushed him towards the gap in the dam.
This action was extremely swift. Sun Lu Shi fell from the embankment and only had time to let out a scream before he was swept into the turbid current and could never emerge again.
Before the stunned crowd could come to their senses, Jian Anting had already stepped over to the gap in the embankment, stood on the already loosened bank, and shouted, "Dad, tell Mom that I... am leaving now!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already jumped into the waves.
Volume 3: Jinnian
The cold winter has arrived. Unlike the rainy autumn, the winter in Chang'an is cold and sunny.
The newly repaired Wei River embankment was solid and straight. Qiandeng, wearing a veiled hat, led the guards and maids behind him and rode along the embankment.
The river water shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting on her body, looking exceptionally bright.
After crossing the bridge over the river and turning around two mountains, at the end of the long sacred road, on the flat and wide part of the mountainside, is the tomb of King Changhua.
Qiandeng led everyone to dismount and straighten their clothes, but they heard a cry of "Ouch". The shady part of the mountain path was covered with ice, and Aunt Xuanji slipped and fell. Her instep suddenly swelled up and she could not walk.
Qiandeng asked Liuli to stay and take care of her, nodded to Cui Fufeng beside her, and the two went up the mountain together.
Cui Fufeng had participated in the funeral of royal relatives in the Ministry of Rites before, so he came with her today to check the renovation progress of the mountain mausoleum.
After three months of renovation, the mausoleum has been cleansed of dust. In the tomb of the Prince of Changhua and Lady Qi at the right rear, the murals have been newly built, waiting for their owners.
Qiandeng burned incense and prayed in front of her ancestors' tombs, while Cui Fufeng silently followed her to burn incense.
Just when the atmosphere was solemn and quiet, the sound of dogs barking and horses' hooves broke the gloomy atmosphere.
Qiandeng looked back and saw a group of people in bright clothes leading Huang Qingcang on the mountain road, riding horses and galloping towards them playfully. It was obvious that they were hunting in the winter.
The leader was a middle-aged woman wearing a mink hat, with a broad forehead, wide chin, high eyebrows, and a beautiful appearance.
Several tall men surrounded her, helping her to drive away a white rabbit running wildly in front of her.
The hare was a rare pure white rabbit with blood all over its body. It rushed onto the sacred path in a panic and plunged into the dry grass of the cemetery.
When the others saw that this was a mausoleum, they all reined in their horses. However, a young girl behind the woman refused to give in and rode her horse forward, galloping from the sacred road towards the mausoleum, and even heading straight for the top of the tomb.
"Who is so rude in Changhua King's Tomb?" The guards behind him immediately shouted.
Seeing that the other party was about to pass by him and rush into the cemetery, Qiandeng raised his hand, grabbed the whip at his waist, and whipped the horse in front of him.
The horse was frightened and immediately stood up. The girl was immediately lifted high up and quickly hugged the horse's neck, screaming in embarrassment.
The men behind her rushed over and restrained her horse. Her white horse was beautiful but fierce, and it took a lot of effort to restrain it.
She pointed her whip at Qiandeng and angrily shouted, "Who dares to stop this princess's horse? If I fall, will you pay with your life?"
When Qiandeng heard her call herself the princess, he immediately recognized who the mother and daughter were.
She put down her whip and bowed to the middle-aged woman. "Lingling greets the Grand Princess of Gao State and the Princess of Changyi."
Although the guards of Changhua Palace were indignant, they could only retreat to the side in disappointment.
After all, the Grand Princess of Gao was the eldest sister of the late emperor, and Princess Changyi Xiao Fuyu had been engaged to the then emperor's grandson, now Crown Prince Li Yan, when she was young.
Although from Princess Gao's side, the prince and Xiao Fuyu are actually cousins, but from the paternal side, Xiao Fuyu is the ninth-generation grandson of Prince Zhaoming and is of the same age as the prince, making them a good match.
"So you are the Princess of Lingling County? People in the capital say that you are disfigured, and you are a strong and muscular person from a martial arts background. You look different from the rumors." Xiao Fuyu looked Qiandeng up and down, and saw that she was wearing a plain face and white clothes, but still had a stunning appearance. She couldn't help but pouting secretly.
"The rabbit I shot has escaped into the cemetery. Get out of the way!"
Qian Deng said politely, "Grand Princess, Princess, this is the location of my Changhua Palace mausoleum, not a hunting ground. Please hunt elsewhere and do not disturb the peace of my ancestral mausoleum."
Princess Gaoguo sat on her horse, looking at her with her eyelids drooping, then glanced at Cui Fufeng behind her, and then moved her gaze to the tombstone behind her.
Next to the prince's name was written the surname of Lady Qi. The tomb had been decorated as if new, waiting for the two to fulfill their oath to sleep in the same bed and die together.
Princess Gao couldn't help but clench her hands. Thinking of the Prince of Changhua, a burning sense of shame and anger rushed to her head. Even though the other party was dead, her hatred could not be reduced in the slightest.
At the same time, his daughter Xiao Fuyu's voice rang out beside him: "You told us to leave, so we should leave? I want that rabbit, it has the most beautiful fur. Get out of the way!"
Before she finished speaking, she waved her whip, urged the horse under her crotch to rush towards the cemetery.
How could Qiandeng let her trample on the cemetery? He immediately grabbed her horse's bridle to stop her from being castrated.
"Go away!" Xiao Fuyu whipped the horse hard again without saying anything.
The agile tall horse rushed forward under urging. Qiandeng, who was holding the bridle, was caught off guard and was caught off guard by the galloping horse. He was about to fall to the ground and be trampled by the horse's hooves.
Amid the exclamations of the people around, a figure flashed out from the side, and a pair of arms grabbed Qiandeng's body. As his body spun, he quickly took her away from the range of the horse's hooves, and used the momentum to strike hard with his heel, hitting the horse's leg that was stepping on her.
Although the horse's body was strong, its legs were thin, its weak point. With a crisp sound, the horse suddenly fell forward, hitting the ground heavily, whimpering incessantly, obviously its leg bones had been broken.
Xiao Fuyu screamed and fell off the horse, and her palms on the ground were immediately rubbed off.
She angrily climbed up with her hand oozing with blood, and was helped back to the side of the Princess of Gao State with her hair disheveled. She cried and stretched out her hand to show her: "Mother, it hurts so much, I almost died!"
The attendants around her were busy cleaning the dust off her and bandaging her wounds. The eldest princess of Gao State frowned and looked back at Qiandeng.
At the critical moment, it was Ling Tianshui who rescued Qian Deng from the horse's hooves. He was helping Qian Deng stand up, and his cold eyes glanced back, meeting the eldest princess of Gao State.
The eldest princess of Gao State felt her heart tighten. She felt that the gaze was as cold as a knife and the oppressive power was something she had seen before. It prevented her from showing her usual arrogance.
Qiandeng looked up at Ling Tianshui, surprised at how he could suddenly appear and save her.
Ling Tianshui helped her stand still and gestured to Meng Lanxi, who was coming from the other side of the mountain path. "Madam Meng was recently buried nearby. She loved peonies. Meng Lanxi and I came here to plant flowers on the grave. When we saw the county lady coming, we came over to take a look."
Qiandeng nodded to Meng Lanxi and glanced down at the horse on the ground.
The white horse lay on the ground, wailing miserably, but its broken leg meant it had no chance of survival, and it would surely die if it was dragged along, as there was no possibility of it standing up again.
Xiao Fuyu stared at his beloved horse and glared at Qian Deng, "Princess Lingling, do you even care about my Princess Mansion? I was just chasing prey and accidentally stepped on the sacred path, and you ruined my beloved horse and made me fall like this!"
Qian Deng knew that Princess Gaoguo, as the Emperor's aunt, had a special relationship with the Emperor and Empress, so he immediately apologized: "Lingling was reckless. To express my apology, I will carefully find a good horse when I return home and send it to the Princess's residence soon."
Xiao Fuyu angrily said, "Xueyun is a Dayuan horse picked out of thousands of horses. You Changhua Palace's mixed-breed horses can't even afford compensation if you only have a hundred of them!"
Seeing her disdain for the Changhua Palace, the guards glared at her. Qian Deng, however, seemed oblivious and simply asked, "Then, in the opinion of the Grand Princess and the County Lord, how should we compensate for what happened today?"
"He killed my horse. I want him to kowtow and apologize to my beloved horse, and bury him in mourning!" Xiao Fuyu pointed at Ling Tianshui behind her and said bitterly, "Otherwise, I will report to the court. You have allowed the arrogance of the people in the palace to be so domineering, and you will be severely punished!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com