The strong wind blew up the snow and rushed towards him. Even though the cat was in the car, Shao Qing could still clearly hear the howling of the wind and snow.
It was in this difficult way that Prince Ji and his entourage from Yizhou arrived at Chenliu.
However, such suffering still failed to dampen the interest of this noble man. He checked into the inn in the evening, and early the next morning he went to visit the newly built embankment with great interest.
Shao Qing struggled to open her eyes and climbed out of bed. Her whole body ached. She took the wet towel wrung by Wei Jing and wiped her face vigorously to wake herself up. Then she hurriedly began to put on her clothes.
The governors and county magistrates had to accompany him, and naturally these accompanying personnel were not spared.
For Shao Qing, he had already taken ninety-nine steps and could not miss even the last step.
It was very cold, but those who could accompany him to Beijing were his confidants, and the county governors specially paid for more warm-weather items out of their own pockets. Shao Qingming's warm clothes were better, with a mink vest inside. After putting on all the clothes, he put on the thick fur cloak that had just been distributed, and put a hand warmer in his arms.
It was so warm that Shao Qing almost sweated indoors. He breathed a sigh of relief. This should be okay, right?
Wei Jing frowned slightly: "Ah Qing, why don't you stay?"
Shao Qing shook her head. Everyone was leaving, and it would not be appropriate for her to stay alone if someone saw her. When acting, you have to play it full-time. In a place where persistence is enough, why leave any loopholes?
"It's okay. I'm very hot. Let's go out quickly, or I'll sweat."
Wei Jing was also aware of the trick, so he stopped persuading them, and the two of them hurried out to meet.
…
The huge team reached the southern bank of the Yellow River in Chenliu section.
A line of ice with a faint blue tint came from the west and meandered to the east. The mighty river of the past is now covered with ice for thousands of miles, vast and magnificent, and it is breathtaking.
Shao Qing didn't feel so good. The wind on the river bank was stronger than he had imagined, as if it could blow people under. After a long period of snow, the sun shone directly on the ice, dazzling the eyes. She opened her eyes wide to try to see Prince Ji and his entourage in the distance, but after just a short while, her eyes were already hurt.
"Don't look at it." He just needs to look at it.
Wei Jing frowned and whispered to his wife.
Shao Qing couldn't hold on any longer. After just looking for a short while, she already felt like crying. Forget it, let him do it. Her eyesight was not as good as his.
Wei Jing kept staring at Prince Ji with his eyes narrowed. As soon as the latter appeared, he was surrounded by a large group of people. Chenliu officials, river bank guards, He Yun and others, as well as his own personal guards.
There were crowds of people, but Wei Jing did not miss anything that needed to be seen.
Prince Ji brought two people with him. They were not very noticeable among the entourage, but their actions were very special.
The small section of river embankment at my feet has been built more than halfway. Due to the severe cold, construction is temporarily suspended, but it is covered with thick straw mats. Prince Ji was in high spirits and asked someone to lift up a few straw curtains for him to take a closer look. The two men took the opportunity to knock on the embankment with something, and then reached out to carefully stroke the surface of the embankment.
Is this to check the strength of the dam?
Wei Jing raised his lips slightly, revealing an ambiguous smile.
He focused on these two people.
After climbing up the levee, the magnificent scenery inspired Prince Ji to write poetry. He shook his head and recited a few lines, and a group of people around him who were trying to join in the fun praised him loudly. The two men quietly retreated to the end of the crowd, stood at the edge of the river bank, stretched out their palms, and measured something with their thumbs.
This is the approximate width of the river after measuring the dike. If combined with data such as the dam height and river depth, people who specialize in this area can roughly calculate the impact force of the water flow that the dike needs to withstand.
Unlike Wei Jing and Shao Qing, who were complete outsiders, his brother focused on controlling the Yellow River for a long time when he first entered the court. He frequently went in and out of the Eastern Palace and learned a lot of knowledge about river control.
Really interesting.
…
After the northwest wind blew on the levee for most of the day, Prince Ji finally had a great time. After returning to where they were staying with the main group, Shao Qing drank a bowl of strong ginger soup and felt alive again.
She served Wei Jing a bowl and asked in a low voice, "How is it?"
Wei Jing gave an intriguing smile, and then dropped a big bomb.
"Perhaps, I am not the only one who has such thoughts."
What kind of thoughts are these?
The levee broke, chaos broke out, and we took advantage of the situation.
To be more specific, it means to overthrow the Great Chu, or perhaps to overthrow the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
Considering Prince Ji's actions, Shao Qing's mind raced, and she looked shocked: "You mean!"
She immediately shut up and stopped talking, but her eyes were wide open.
Wei Jing took the ginger soup and drank it all in one gulp. He patted her on the back and said, "I'm going out for a while. You stay here. If I come back late, go to bed first and don't wait for me."
Whether it is true or not, we can find out by just exploring. Since we have been investigating for a whole day, the result should be out, right?
In this kind of weather, and with Prince Ji having skilled fighters around him, Shao Qing, an ordinary person with heavy breathing, would easily reveal his tracks. It was undoubtedly safer for him to stay.
Wei Jing set off immediately. Before leaving, he gave a death order to Han Xi and others that if anything unexpected happened, protecting Shao Qing would be the top priority.
He opened the rear window and stepped out.
…
It gets dark early in winter, and now it is already dusk, which is just right for hiding.
Wei Jing changed into white clothes, and with the cover of snow and night, he avoided several secret sentries and approached the main house of the second courtyard of Chenliu Official Posthouse silently like a night bird.
Very good, the guards are tight, and no idlers like eunuchs and concubines are seen.
He arrived at the right time.
Wei Jing jumped upside down and climbed to the top of the beam under the corridor, his pair of black eyes just aimed at the palm-sized air window.
There were eight or nine people in the room, and the one sitting at the head of the table was Wei Qin, who was dressed in a royal blue robe. The two people standing in front of his desk to report a matter were the same people he had seen on the levee today. There were also four or five other men who should be counselors, sitting in two rows at the bottom, listening attentively to what the people in front of them were saying.
"…The dam body was made of good stones and was rammed very solidly. Even in the severe cold, there were few cracks. It is clear that a lot of effort was put into its construction."
The two men had dark skin and small cracks on their faces, and it was not hard to convince people that they had been supervising the work on the dam all year round. The one who spoke just now was older. After he finished speaking, he sighed and said, "What a pity, what a pity."
"The soil in the area from Chenliu to Fugou is indeed loose!"
Before they arrived in Chenliu, they had people quietly dig up the snow and took deep and shallow frozen soil from more than a dozen places. The two of them examined the soil carefully and found that it was even looser than they had imagined.
"The river is full of sand and has always been untamed. Now that it has been bound, the water force that the levee needs to withstand is more than several times that of the past. After the land is compacted and the levee is completed, perhaps it can withstand it. But what a pity, what a pity..."
As they were all dike builders, it was needless to say that they were deeply saddened. However, Wei Qin was impatient: "What a pity! Tell me quickly! Don't waste my time with your long-winded words!"
The sighing stopped abruptly, and the two of them simply looked at each other, bowed their hands and said in unison: "Your Highness, next spring flood, at the latest in summer, the levee from Chenliu to Fugou will definitely burst!"
"very good!"
Wei Qin showed a satisfied smile, then waved his hand: "Okay, you two go down and claim your reward."
After the conclusion is reached, the next discussion can be participated by two people. The two men also knew what was going on, so they bowed respectfully and left.
"Your Highness, as I predicted, the Yellow River dike will burst."
The counselor sitting at the top right was a middle-aged man with a goatee. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "A vast country will inevitably lead to civil unrest. Your Highness can take advantage of the situation and raise an army to restore order."
The goatee man cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please do not hesitate any longer. This opportunity is rare and will never come again. Apart from the former crown prince and the King of Qi, Your Highness is the most respected of the late emperor's sons. You deserve to be the emperor and command the people!"
Speaking of this, Wei Qin's face changed: "The son of that lowly palace maid is worthy of my three kneelings and nine kowtows?!"
He spat, his anger still lingering, his expression showing disgust and disdain.
However, this matter was of great importance. No matter how excited Wei Qin was or how irritable he was, he did not make up his mind immediately. He pondered for a while and said, "Mr. Chu, please let me think it over."
The man with the goatee was named Chu Zhu. Seeing that Wei Qin had not made up his mind in this situation, he became a little anxious and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, you..."
"Alright, all of you go down, I'll think about it again."
Wei Qin is a man with the most ideas and a bad temper. The others stood up and left. It was obviously inappropriate to continue persuading them, so Chu Zhu had no choice but to shut up and leave with them.
Wei Qin was soon the only one left in the room. He leaned against the back of the armchair, looking down in thought.
…
Outside the air window, Wei Jing's eyes flickered slightly.
After waiting for a while, Wei Qin did not move. He was about to leave, but at this moment, he heard footsteps from the other side of the study.
Someone is coming, and the target is obviously the outer study.
Wei Jing held the figure down again and looked inside intently.
…
"Your Highness, Yang Ziming requests to see you."
Yang Shu, courtesy name Ziming, was one of the counselors present. Wei Qin frowned, "Why did Ziming leave and come back? Call him in."
A young man in a green robe with wide sleeves was introduced. Yang Shu was the youngest counselor under Prince Ji. He had a slender figure, a handsome face, and was as handsome as Wei Qin himself.
However, Wei Qin obviously did not have much admiration for the gentleman, and as soon as he saw him, he asked him, "Ziming, why did you leave and come back?"
"Your Highness, I have something to say. I have to advise you after thinking it over."
"That's right."
Yang Shu cupped his hands and said solemnly: "If Your Highness has great ambitions, I dare not dissuade you. But no matter what Your Highness decides in the end, when you go to the capital, you must avoid the sharp edge of the emperor."
The one sitting on the dragon throne now is not me but my half-brother. We are in the capital, on someone else's territory. If we don't control our temper, the consequences will surely be disastrous.
Whether or not to rebel will be greatly disadvantageous in the future.
Prince Ji was hot-tempered and easily angered. Except for his chief counselor Chu Zhu, who could offer some advice to him, everyone else had to choose their words carefully to avoid angering him and causing trouble. Yang Shu came back and gave some advice which might not be pleasing to others, which showed that he was very considerate of Wei Qin.
Wei Qin had a bad temper, but he was not ignorant of good people. He looked relieved, stood up and helped Yang Shu up personally, nodded and said: "Ziming is devoted to me, I know it, don't worry, I will remember this."
Yang Shu heaved a sigh of relief when Prince Ji listened to his advice. He did not stay any longer and took the opportunity to improve his favor. He bowed and said, "I will take my leave now as it will not hinder Your Highness from thinking about things."
"Okay, come here, send Ziming off for me."
…
"So, Prince Ji has also had some thoughts on this?" The speaker was Shao Qing.
After Yang Shu left, Wei Jing waited for a quarter of an hour and saw no movement from Wei Qin, so he turned back. When he came back, his wife was still waiting eagerly for him. After he washed up, the couple lay down and talked in detail about what had just happened.
After listening to this, Shao Qing frowned slightly. Prince Ji also saw the problem and his mind was stirring. He didn't know whether the changes in the situation in the future would be beneficial or detrimental to his side.
"If there are no accidents, it should be beneficial."
Wei Jing patted his wife's back and narrowed his eyes: "Besides, I'm afraid it's not just Wei Qin who has this idea."
"Wei Qin has been a rough and stubborn person since childhood. He is not good at studying and is not good at policy making, let alone river management."
According to common sense, even if Prince Ji was angry with the new emperor, he himself could not see the hidden problems behind Shushui Gongsha. He must have paid attention to this matter because someone brought it up.
As for this person, there is no other choice except Chu Zhu.
"You mean, Chu Zhu instigated Prince Ji?!" Shao Qing blurted out.
Wei Jing nodded slowly.
Chu Zhu's repeated exhortations can be said to be concerned about his master's concerns. But in his opinion, it always seemed a little too urgent. He couldn't help but reasonably suspect that there was another master behind this person.
In the darkness, Wei Jing raised a sarcastic arc at the corner of his mouth: "It seems that there are more than one or two people who want to take advantage of the situation."
"Alas, I don't know who Chu Zhu's master is?"
Those who can find out the truth are the best. Those who have the ability to put their tongues, ears and eyes around Prince Ji are obviously not ordinary people. Having such a person with ulterior motives lurking in the dark will always add a lot of instability to the future.
But Shao Qing also understood that this was not something that could be figured out just by looking at it. In one word, it was difficult.
"When the enemy comes, we will stop him; when the water comes, we will block it with earth; we should remain unchanged in the face of all changes."
Wei Jing comforted her: "Go to sleep quickly, we have to travel tomorrow."
That's all we can do.
A big hand patted him gently and rhythmically from behind, and a familiar kiss fell on his forehead. Shao Qing closed his eyes obediently.
But she certainly couldn't get back to her thoughts immediately. The topic was over, so she just muttered casually: "Prince Ji is not unlucky after all. At least he still has a loyal one."
I'm talking about Yang Shu.
But as soon as Shao Qing finished speaking, she suddenly exclaimed "Huh".
Hey, why does this name sound familiar?
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