Shen Huaixu's voice suddenly rose, his anger barely concealed, his tone sharp: "Get out of here now!"
His eyes were as sharp as ice blades as he stared directly at the spies mingling among the refugees.
After they were dragged out, they looked at each other in a panic, instantly realizing that the situation was bad, and hurriedly turned around and scattered.
The refugee procession quickly returned to calm.
Shen Huaixu tilted his head back slightly, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, his expression slightly tired yet revealing determination.
It wasn't that he was soft-hearted; it was just that the government office was severely understaffed and simply didn't have the time or energy to take care of these spies.
Furthermore, whether he has caught one or ten spies, it doesn't change the fact that he has leverage over those corrupt officials.
He knew perfectly well that he didn't need to send more people to arrest these people.
After all, the most urgent tasks are to provide relief to refugees and oversee the construction of the river channel, which are the real issues concerning people's livelihoods.
Shen Huaixu ordered his men in a deep voice to keep the captured spies under strict guard and imprison them.
He thought to himself, once he finishes what he's doing, he'll definitely come back and settle accounts with those scoundrels who've been up to no good behind my back!
That night.
When Shen Huaixu returned to his residence in the government office, it was already late at night, and all around was quiet.
His weary body seemed to be protesting the days of running around, but his eyes still shone with determination.
"Master, hot water is ready. Please go and wash up first."
"I'll speak softly," Shi Shu said, her eyes full of concern.
Shen Huaixu looked down at his coarse cloth clothes, which were covered in mud and sweat and were filthy.
He recalled that after calming the refugees, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately rushed to the breached section of the Yellow River.
To boost morale, he took off his official robes, put on these coarse clothes, and stepped into the muddy riverbank without hesitation.
He fought alongside the laborers, his hands covered in mud and his clothes soaked with sweat, but the results were not satisfactory and the situation remained dire.
On the one hand, there was a severe shortage of manpower. The craftsmen sent down by the imperial court, although they talked at length about the wisdom of their predecessors, could only recite from the books and were bound by outdated plans.
They were so afraid of making mistakes that they became complacent and stuck in their ways, proposing outdated and rigid solutions that were simply ineffective in building fortifications to prevent flooding.
On the other hand, the local officials in Yanzhou colluded and acted in concert, showing a passive and perfunctory attitude towards the construction of the Yellow River project and were unwilling to provide them with proper support.
They wouldn't even leave behind someone familiar with the local conditions to assist with the fortifications, forcing Shen Huaixu to send people to conduct on-site surveys.
This not only consumed a lot of manpower, but also greatly reduced efficiency, making the progress of the entire project extremely difficult.
"A bunch of useless trash."
Shen Huaixu muttered a curse under his breath.
But things have to be done one step at a time. He has to take care of his health. Right now, he's the only one who truly cares about the refugees. He can't afford to collapse, otherwise no one will take care of things here.
Just as he was walking towards his bedroom, he suddenly noticed that the study light was still on.
"Who's inside?" he asked, turning to Shishu.
Shi Shu frowned, but finally shook his head. He had been running around with his master all day and had only just entered the house, so he really didn't know the situation in the mansion.
Shen Huaixu withdrew his gaze and walked towards the study.
Shi Shu followed, but saw Shen Huaixu raise his hand to stop him.
"You've had a long day, go home and get some rest."
The servant was taken aback for a moment, then thanked the emperor and left.
As soon as Shen Huaixu pushed open the door, he heard the sounds coming from inside.
"How many days can the grain confiscated yesterday last?"
It was Shen Jintang's voice.
As soon as Shen Huaixu walked in, Shen Jintang noticed him and raised his hand to stop Xinghui from replying.
"Did you need something?"
Shen Jintang glanced at Shen Huaixu's clothes, and after a moment's thought, she knew what he had done. She frowned in strong disapproval.
"have."
Shen Huaixu nodded.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jintang glanced at Xing Hui.
Xinghui immediately understood Shen Jintang's meaning, placed the pre-calculated account book beside her for Shen Jintang to review, and then turned and left.
Shen Huaixu was exhausted after a long day and wanted to find a place to sit down, but when he looked at his dirty clothes, he could only sigh and continue standing.
"Is the repair work not progressing smoothly?"
Shen Jintang seemed to have anticipated this, and without even looking up, he accurately pointed out the problem that was currently giving Shen Huaixu a headache.
Shen Huaixu was already in a bad mood, and when Shen Jintang brought it up, he became even angrier. He said angrily, "This group of cowardly and useless people don't seek merit but only to avoid mistakes. They know that the proposed plan will not be able to complete the construction before the flood season, but they still refuse to change it because they are afraid of taking responsibility."
Shen Jintang listened to Shen Huaixu's tirade, from officials sent down by the imperial court to local officials in Yanzhou, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Why aren't you saying anything?
After venting his anger, Shen Huaixu finally felt a little better.
He really didn't know who to talk to. Shi Shu and the others couldn't help, and it would be pointless to talk to them. He didn't have any friends in Yanzhou, and no one would listen to him curse. After thinking it over, Shen Jintang was the only option.
"Do I need to speak?" Shen Jintang finally raised her head and put down her pen.
Shen Huaixu was speechless for a moment.
It must be said that Shen Jintang is very accurate in guessing people's thoughts.
He came to Shen Jintang's place just to vent; it made no difference whether she spoke or not.
"Have you thought of a solution?" Shen Jintang didn't pay much attention to his cursing; instead, she asked for a solution.
Shen Huaixu sighed slightly and said, "I will write a letter to the court and ask some officials to help me out. We need to send down someone who is capable and knowledgeable about construction."
"There's not enough time."
Shen Jintang succinctly pointed out the flaws in this method.
Even at top speed, it would take five days to send a letter to Kyoto.
Once the letter reached the imperial court, the various parties would discuss the matter further and select a suitable person, a process that would take several more days.
Once the selection is made, it will take another five days to travel from Kyoto to Yanzhou.
It will take several more days for us to get familiar with the situation.
More than half a month has passed in total, and even with the best methods, it is impossible to complete the project before the flood season.
"You've come up with a solution." Shen Huaixu strode up to Shen Jintang, placed his hands on the table, and looked at Shen Jintang expectantly.
This is not a question, but a statement of certainty.
He was confident that Shen Jintang definitely had a way to resolve this matter.
He didn't know where his confidence came from, but he just felt that Shen Jintang definitely had a way.
Shen Jintang curled her lips and casually handed the engineering drawings she had drawn on her desk to Shen Huaixu.
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