The rain shows no sign of stopping.
In this rainstorm, Cui Yueming rode his horse fast and galloped towards Yuhe Station - he had originally gone to the previous station, and Yuhe Station was not a place for Ding'an Earl's caravan to rest.
He had never expected that the sudden rain would keep Ding'an Bo at Yuhe Station, and he had never thought that there would be a thief so bold as to take the risk to assassinate Ding'an Bo.
The moment he got the news, he was almost scared to death!
That’s His Royal Highness the Prince of the Wu Dynasty!
The future emperor of the Wu Dynasty!
If something happened to him at Yuhe Station... Cui Mingyue wanted to die at that moment.
He led a hundred soldier ants, rode fast horses, rushed into the rainstorm, and rushed to Yuhe Station like an arrow.
"Where is His Highness?"
"Your Excellency, His Highness is here..." A soldier ant pointed forward, and Cui Yueming turned around and saw—
There are seven oil-paper umbrellas beside the lotus pond!
"His Highness said that admiring lotus in the rain has a unique charm."
Cui Yueming's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down, and a smile finally appeared on his face, which was filled with wrinkles from the rain.
He wiped the rain off his face, then turned around and asked, "How many thieves are there?"
"Twenty, sir."
Cui Yueming frowned, "Did he die or run away?"
"They're all dead. Oh, no, there's even one hanging on a bamboo pole... Ding'an Bo and his men killed thirteen of them up there," the soldier ant said, seeming a little bit unbelievable. "That gun was incredible! One shot killed one! It nearly scared my subordinates silly."
Cui Yueming looked up and saw a pitiful figure vaguely visible on a carriage in the convoy. This guy... deserves to die!
"Be careful and don't disturb His Highness from admiring the flowers!"
"I obey your command!"
Cui Yueming breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking that there was probably no one in the world more generous than His Highness.
It’s raining so heavily, and I just encountered an enemy assassination. If I were an ordinary person, how could I have the mood to appreciate the lotus!
He walked into the rain again, towards Fu Xiaoguan.
Fu Xiaoguan was really admiring the lotus.
But his expression as he admired the lotus was a little serious, and even his brows seemed a little heavy.
What was Ding'an Bo thinking as he looked at this scenery?
Could it be that you want to write a poem?
Yun Xiyan was very depressed. My Lord, my clothes are all wet. Can’t we go back to the room and have a cup of hot tea?
How can this paper umbrella stop the heavy rain?
Yun Xiyan has never had any interest in such literary and artistic activities as appreciating lotus or going for an outing. In his opinion, these are nothing more than the pretense of those foolish students who think they are full of talent. To put it more bluntly, they are just bored!
He never imagined that a man of real talent and knowledge like Ding Anbo would suddenly want to appreciate the lotus in this rainstorm... Couldn't he just enjoy it on the second floor?
I have to run to this lotus pond!
He didn't dare to say it. Since Ding'an Bo had already gone, as Ding'an Bo's chief secretary, he naturally had to go with him.
He glanced at Fu Xiaoguan's expression again, which was still as heavy as ever. Wasn't lotus appreciation meant for physical and mental well-being? Why did this lord become increasingly unhappy the more he admired it?
Fu Xiaoguan was not admiring the lotus, he was looking at the water level.
It has only been half an hour since I stood by the lotus pond, but the water level has risen by at least two centimeters. According to the previous weather forecast, the rainfall in one hour would reach 20 millimeters - this is the level of a heavy rainstorm!
So how wide will the coverage of this heavy rain be?
Will such heavy rain occur along the Yangtze River, the Han River basin, or along the Yellow River?
Two days before leaving, he met with Cui Ziqi, a doctor from the Ministry of Water Resources, and the two chatted in the Ministry of Commerce for an entire afternoon.
Cui Ziqi strongly agreed with his views on flood control in the Yellow River Basin, and also expressed his great concern for the Yangtze River Basin.
"Since ancient times, there have been river disasters but no river disasters. However, this time, when I went down the Yangtze River to the Jingjiang River section, I found some problems."
"There are signs of forest vegetation loss upstream, and the water level in Yunmeng Lake on the north bank of the Jingjiang River has receded a full ten feet compared to previous years."
"The vast expanse of mist and waves is comparable to the boundless Poyang Lake and the 800-li Dongting Lake... According to local farmers, it has shrunk significantly compared to before."
"Over the years, the Yangtze River has not experienced any floods. Instead, the water volume has shown a decreasing trend, which has led to the neglect of riverbank management along both sides of the river."
"Especially the Jingjiang River Levee. There's an old saying: 'We're not afraid of war in Jingzhou, but only of the Jingjiang River Levee's destruction.' If there's a problem with the Jingjiang River Levee... the consequences could be a thousand-mile marshland."
Fu Xiaoguan did not have time to investigate the hidden dangers of the Yangtze River, but he believed that what Cui Ziqi said was not alarmist.
So he took Cui Ziqi to the imperial study and reported his concerns to Emperor Xuan.
Emperor Xuan did not seem to take this seriously. He believed that the problem of the Yellow River was far more serious than that of the Yangtze River - which was not wrong, so he appointed Cui Ziqi as the governor of the Yellow River and sent Cui Ziqi to the Yellow River.
What about the Yangtze River?
The Ministry of Water Resources also sent people, but if local officials did not pay enough attention, the officials of the Ministry of Water Resources could do nothing.
If a heavy rainstorm like today's continues for several days and nights along the Yangtze River and Han River... I hope I'm just overthinking it.
Fu Xiaoguan took a deep breath and realized that his whole body was wet.
"This rain... truly brings so much joy and so much sorrow!"
Ding'an Earl's sigh startled Yun Xiyan and Cui Yueming. They didn't understand why this lord had such emotion.
"Let's go back."
The group returned to the inn, went to their rooms to change into clean clothes, and then gathered in Fu Xiaoguan's room.
Nangong Piaoxue suddenly asked, "Just now, were you watching the rain instead of admiring the lotus?"
Fu Xiaoguan nodded, fiddling with a glass of juice for Nangong Piaoxue, and said, "Water, when used properly, can benefit people, but if it becomes a problem... it can claim countless lives and leave many people homeless and displaced."
"Are you worried about the rain causing damage?"
"I hope I'm overthinking it. Come, drink it... What are the rivers in the Wu Dynasty?"
Nangong Piaoxue took the juice and said, "The Yangtze River passes through the border of the Wu Dynasty. There are four rivers crisscrossing the Wu Dynasty: the Qingjiang River and the Nancang River running north-south, and the Daling River and the Heilongchuan River running west-east."
She paused, then suddenly smiled and said, "The Eight Prefectures of Nancang are located right in the middle of the Nancang River Basin and the Qingjiang River Basin. The Nancang Mountains block the cold air from the northwest, so the climate there is pleasant, with spring all year round. That's why it's said to be a land gifted by heaven during the Wu Dynasty."
Fu Xiaoguan naturally understood what she meant - the fat man has not stopped shopping in the eight states of Nancang... What on earth does he want to do?
By the way, in the spring of next year, we must send some of Fu Sandai’s seeds and sweet potatoes to the eight states of Nancang.
The fat man is right. You should plant your own seeds in your own fields. Only then can you act like a big landlord.
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