Afterwards, Emperor Kangxi sent people to investigate why the dike had breached. They initially thought it was because the people who built the dike had cut corners, but that was not the case.
In truth, the local officials cannot be blamed for the dam breach.
This dam was built some years ago and is quite old. It's usually in good condition. Water conservancy is the most unpredictable thing. There hasn't been a flood in Luoyang for a long time, so nobody would pay attention to a dam if they had nothing better to do.
So the dam broke during the heavy rain.
It is said that a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. The original dike was fine, but the rapid current broke through it and it became uncontrollable.
Ultimately, it comes down to the quality of the dam.
However, when this dam was built, it was constructed in accordance with the requirements.
This matter is a bit hard to explain.
After all the calculations, it can only be said that the officials in charge of the dikes were somewhat negligent, and there is really no one else to blame. The problem with the dikes was that even if Emperor Kangxi was watching over them, the dikes would still break.
"Rebuild the dikes with the best materials."
Water conservancy has always been a problem, especially in the areas along the Yellow River. Water management has been a major issue for every dynasty since ancient times, and even Emperor Kangxi dared not guarantee that there would be no problem at all.
Youqing, however, had some thoughts after hearing about this.
"Liang Jiugong, is there an official position specifically in charge of water management now?"
Although Youqing was an empress, she didn't really understand the official system of the court; she only had a general idea.
Liang Jiugong said, "This is usually the responsibility of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, but he usually holds multiple positions, and water management is just one of them. His Majesty will also often send special personnel to manage water. There are some local officials who are in charge of or even manage water conservancy issues, but there are not many who are specifically responsible for water management."
Although flood control is a major undertaking, it is a cyclical task with varying degrees of busyness, and is usually undertaken by people who hold multiple positions.
After learning about it, Youqing suggested to Kangxi that evening, "There's a cement formula in the system. It's a good building material, especially suitable for building dikes. Would you like to take a look?"
Emperor Kangxi had forgotten about the system.
"Let's go take a look!"
Upon entering the farm, Youqing first bought some cement from the mall and then showed it to Kangxi. After testing it, Kangxi was naturally very satisfied with the cement's performance.
The recipe was purchased, and the ingredients required were not particularly expensive, making it suitable for mass production, which pleased Emperor Kangxi greatly.
"The breaching of the dikes in Luoyang is not an isolated case. Now that we have cement, I think we can rebuild some of the dikes that have been in disrepair for many years."
"I would like to, but it's not something I can make a decision on easily right now."
Although the national treasury is still relatively full, rebuilding the dikes requires the entire nation, not just one or two people, and involves a great deal of manpower and resources. There are many intricacies involved in this process.
Cement is useful, but when it comes to large-scale projects, a lot of money is involved. Kangxi was afraid that if he made a decision too easily, the resulting dam would not be as good as the previous ones!
This kind of thing has happened before.
Youqing immediately thought of Kangxi's considerations.
This is indeed a problem.
Corruption has been rampant throughout history and across the world, and even the most forceful measures taken by Emperor Kangxi could not completely eradicate it.
"I do have some ideas, I wonder if you'd like to hear them?"
What are your thoughts?
Emperor Kangxi had great confidence in the young Qing dynasty.
"You should know in your heart who is upright and who is dishonest in the imperial court!"
Emperor Kangxi naturally had his own understanding of this. In the court, it was often not a matter of right and wrong, but rather a matter of maintaining balance. If the water was too clear, there would be no fish.
"We should take a two-pronged approach to this. First, we should give a lot of money to a somewhat unreliable person to build a relatively safe dike. If he can build it well, that's fine. If he can't, we can use him as an example to warn others. If he does a good job, we can build more. If he doesn't do a good job, we can use this as a warning to others. Although we can't completely guarantee that there won't be any escapees, we can at least ensure that there won't be any major problems."
This boils down to whether it's taken seriously or not, and also to the issue of oversight.
Severe droughts are rare, but floods are different, especially along the Yellow River, where there is unrest every year. Dikes are indeed a major issue, with breaches occurring every year and flood control efforts required annually, which represents a significant expenditure for the national treasury.
Kangxi carefully considered what Youqing said. There were some flaws, but it was also feasible.
"I plan to deal with this matter after I return to the capital. It's not very convenient to do many things outside the capital."
In fact, Emperor Kangxi also felt that rebuilding the dikes was more worthwhile in the long run, since the national treasury had the funds to do it.
After the rain came a bright sunny day. As the rain receded, Luoyang returned to its former bustling and prosperous state. One of the dikes had breached, affecting the fields, but the city itself was largely unaffected.
Emperor Kangxi investigated the government's corresponding measures and was satisfied with them, so he did not interfere.
After staying in Luoyang for two more days, Kangxi decided to set off.
Kangxi planned to go to Kaifeng next, and then go directly to Anhui to meet up with the Crown Prince and the others.
Kaifeng is a place with a long history and profound cultural heritage, but something happened there that made Youqing quite unhappy.
This made Youqing feel very uncomfortable.
Upon arriving in Kaifeng and settling into the inn, I overheard everyone in the lobby talking about the same thing: the youngest daughter-in-law of the well-known Zhen family in Kaifeng had become pregnant after a memorial arch was erected to commemorate her chastity, and it was unclear whose child was in her womb.
The Zhen family is a prominent family in Kaifeng, with some members being quite successful and others holding official positions in the imperial court. The incident involves the third daughter-in-law of the current head of the Zhen family, who is considered a direct descendant of the Zhen family. This matter has caused quite a stir.
Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. The Zhen family is large and powerful, and many people are envious of them. The fact that the third daughter-in-law of the Zhen family patriarch is pregnant with a child of unknown father has naturally become a topic of much discussion.
Youqing had only heard about it and didn't know the details. But putting everything else aside, just hearing about the chastity arch made Youqing feel displeased. However, since Youqing didn't know the specifics of the matter, she couldn't say anything.
Liang Jiugong was good at reading people's expressions, and Hao Youqing was interested in this, so she sent someone to investigate.
The information that Liang Jiugong sent people to investigate was much more detailed and credible than the rumors he had heard.
The matter is rather complicated.
Master Zhen's third son was already in poor health. Three years ago, this young master Zhen suddenly fell seriously ill. Madam Zhen heard from someone that a marriage to bring good luck would be effective, so she hurriedly arranged for a girl whose birth chart was compatible with hers.
The girl was naturally unwilling. Even though the Zhen family was wealthy and powerful, with a man like the Third Young Master Zhen, she would either become a widow or live a life of celibacy if she married him. What girl would be willing to do that?
However, money can make the devil turn the millstone, and sure enough, there are always those who, blinded by greed, push their daughters into a pit of fire.
Liu was then pushed into this pit of fire by her parents.
A woman's marriage is determined by her parents' wishes, and Liu could not refuse, so she had no choice but to marry. Not long after the marriage, the third young master Zhen passed away. Although Liu had the title of a woman, she was still a girl.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
