The reason why the imperial court reinstated Pan Jixun at this time could not be anything else. It must be because the Yellow River burst its banks and the grain transport was cut off, so they asked him to control the flood.

But if he can cure the water and restore the canal, how can Mr. Zhao perform his opera?

Zheng Ruozeng couldn't help but whispered, "It's against human ethics to seize someone's love and reinstate him. Zhongcheng can refuse."

"Is it not against human ethics to ignore the displacement of tens of millions of people?" Pan Jixun raised his head and drank a cup of wine, saying, "Besides, I have been in mourning since the winter of the 45th year of Jiajing, and I have just finished my mourning this month."

"But the chancellor is also from Jiangnan." Wu Cheng'en also advised: "Let's not talk about other places. Take the people of Huzhou for example. The annual transportation fee they pay is four or five times the regular tax. The people of Jiangnan are deeply harmed by the grain transport. The chancellor only sees the suffering of the millions of Jianghuai people, but he doesn't see the long-term suffering of the 20 million people in Jiangnan?"

Pan Jixun fell silent, then laughed at himself.

After a long time, he looked up at Zhao Hao.

"What do you think, kid?"

Young Master Zhao leaned lazily on the couch and said with a nonchalant smile: "Zhongcheng, do whatever you want. I won't put any pressure on you."

"Seriously?" Pan Jixun narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

"It's more real than real gold." Zhao Hao sat up straight with his hands on his knees and nodded. He laughed and said, "Zhongcheng once said that everyone should do their duty. Just do your duty."

"Okay!" Pan Jixun nodded as if relieved. He took a deep look at Zhao Hao and suddenly said quietly, "You don't have to worry too much. The canal will be cut off for a few years."

After saying that, he bowed to everyone, turned around and walked out.

"How about we set off together tomorrow?" Young Master Zhao said behind him.

"No, if I go to Beijing like this, I will be laughed at." Pan Jixun said calmly without turning his head: "I will take the Grand Canal."

Obviously, he was going to Huanghuai for an on-site investigation.

"Please wait a moment, Prime Minister." Young Master Zhao remembered something, jumped off the couch quickly, picked up an exquisite food box and chased after him.

“New product, try it on the way, remember to send me a review.”

"That's better." Pan Jixun finally smiled and put the food box away as if it were a treasure.

"Zhongcheng, please be careful." Young Master Zhao warned.

"Stop talking nonsense." Pan Jixun waved his hand and walked away without looking back.

~~

When Zhao Hao returned, Zheng Ruozeng sighed and said, "Sir, this is not the time for you to show your generosity..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Kaiyang. I have my own plan." Zhao Hao nodded, sat back on the Arhat chair, and said with a smile, "River management is not that easy."

"Hahaha." Xu Wencheng also laughed out loud, pointing at Zheng Ruozeng with his chopsticks and said, "You, Old Zheng, just can't change your habit of worrying about nothing. This kid is more cunning than a monkey when he gets involved with something. Do you think he is a good person? He knows that Old Pan's trip will be difficult and his ambitions will not be fulfilled. He is just doing Old Pan a favor."

"Oh." Zheng Ruoceng was surprised to hear that and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Wu Cheng'en also looked at Zhao Hao inquiringly.

"First, the Yellow River, Huai River, and Grand Canal are all mixed together. Successive water management officials in the imperial court only know how to protect the canal transportation, and do not care about the situation of the Yellow River and Huai River. Now the dikes can be breached during the spring flood, which shows how fragile the waters of the Yangtze River and Huai River have become. Even if we completely follow the instructions of Pan Zhongcheng to repair the river, and provide enough cement and laborers, it will take three to five years to succeed."

"Secondly, at the end of last year, Lei Butang retired due to illness, and Zhu Butang returned to Beijing to serve as the Grand Marshal, supervising the river transport." Zhao Hao picked up the teacup, gently skimmed off the foam with the cup lid and said, "Mr. Kaiyang should have heard about the stories of Zhu Butang and Pan Zhongcheng."

"Oh, how could I have forgotten this." Zheng Ruozeng slapped his forehead and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Then Pan Zhongcheng should really bring more betel nut pills on this trip."

Pan Jixun was the first Minister of Rivers in the 44th year of Jiajing. At that time, the court probably thought he was still a little young, so they only ordered him to assist the Minister of Works Zhu Heng in controlling the Yellow River.

Both of them were rare good officials who were honest and upright and brave enough to take on responsibilities, but they were both too strong-willed and stubborn, and soon a fierce conflict broke out.

Pan Jixun wanted to restore the Yellow River's original course once and for all.

Zhu Heng thought that instead of spending millions of silver taels and driving hundreds of thousands of laborers to dredge the river and restore the old course in the midst of raging waves, it would be better to build a dike on the south bank of the Yellow River to prevent the Yellow River from rushing south again. At the same time, on the north bank of the Yellow River, a natural flood retention area of ​​hundreds of miles north of Pei County was reserved to ensure the smooth flow of grain transport.

Zhu Heng was a senior official with higher rank and prestige than Pan Jixun, so he finally adopted his plan. Although the canal transportation was saved, Pan Jixun was deeply distressed and wrote a memorial to the emperor, denouncing the "diversion of water on the south bank and building a dike on the north bank" as a perfunctory and repetitive approach.

Although it can temporarily protect the water transport, it will only make the Huanghuai River more fragile, and repair it every year, and break it every year until it is beyond repair. The cost and loss caused will be several times that of restoring the original route!

At that time, Zhu Heng was enjoying the praise of the whole court, and suddenly his deputy stabbed him in the back, which made him feel very embarrassed. He hated Pan Jixun deeply and immediately ordered people to impeach him for being ambitious and punishing the people at will when supervising the river.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Pan's mother died suddenly and Pan Jixun returned home to observe mourning, thus avoiding this disaster.

~~

Now, Zhu Heng has just returned to the Ministry of Works, and Old Pan has been reinstated and returned to Beijing. It's really a case of enemies meeting each other.

"Do you think that the matter will be resolved if they just butt heads?" Fatty Xu leaned back in his chair, put his feet on the armrest of his wife's chair, adjusted himself to a comfortable position and said:

"There is also the current river governor Weng Dali. He also disagrees with Zhu Zhenshan and has been clamoring to open the Yan River. Once these three water gods get together, they can just spray and be done. What else is there to do?"

"Whose arrangement is this?" Wu Cheng'en said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "It's already extremely complicated to manage the river, the Huai River and the canal at the same time. It's even more difficult to do this with multiple people involved."

"Who else could it be? Li Chunfang." Xu Wei looked down on the current cabinet chief minister. He had been a guest at his house, but the incident ended in a quarrel.

"This wimp doesn't even dare to take responsibility. He thinks that by gathering together all the experts in river management, he can fix the river? He doesn't even understand the principle of three monks without water to drink!"

"At least, he himself is not responsible." In the past few months, under the careful teaching of his grandfather, Young Master Zhao has mastered a lot of useless official knowledge.

"Of course I have. I have already sent out all the capable people. What else do you want from me?" Zheng Ruozeng sneered, completely relieved, and returned to his business.

"Sir, I want to go with you tomorrow."

"Oh?" Zhao Hao said with some embarrassment: "It's enough to have two gentlemen traveling with you. The sea is rough and Mr. Kaiyang is not in good health."

He remembered that Zheng Ruozeng didn't seem to live for many more years, so how could he dare to take the risk.

"Oh, don't worry, sir. It's only a ten-day voyage. Dean Wan has been treating me for half a year. My old illness is gone and I am much stronger than before." Zheng Ruozeng said hurriedly, "There are many things that are not recorded in the "Maritime Transport Atlas". I have to accompany you personally and tell you everything I know."

A determined light shone from Zheng Ruozeng's old eyes, and he said slowly: "If I can't go out to sea again in this lifetime, I will die with regret."

Zhao Hao couldn't persuade Zheng Ruozeng, so he had to agree.

ps. This is the first of three consecutive updates. Please give me your monthly votes!