Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 108
Emperor Chengyuan arrived at the Ting Zheng Hall very quickly, the golden thread on the corner of his robe and the dark sea patterns swayed with his steps. Seeing Lu Yan standing outside the hall, he asked, “Why are you so anxious to see me? Is there something wrong?”
Lu Yan followed Emperor Chengyuan into the Ting Zheng Hall and bowed, saying, “I am here to give Your majesty the good news.”
“What good news?” Emperor Chengyuan lifted his robe and sat down. Eunuch Sheng skilfully came forward to serve tea. He also took a measured amount of salt[mfn](SALT???!!! Yess unfortunately the author has said salt not sugar)[/mfn], weighed it, and poured it into the cup.
Emperor Chengyuan took a sip of tea, motioned to Eunuch Sheng to pour another cup, and then said, “There are no outsiders here today, please sit down and talk.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Lu Yan sat down and then presented the secret letter in his sleeve to Emperor Cheng Yuan.
Emperor Cheng Yuan opened it, raised his eyebrows and chuckled. He had received the contents of the secret letter early in the morning.
It has to be said that Shen Wenqi has indeed made a great contribution this time, and it was a great contribution that will go down in history.
According to reports from the front, this flood disaster was far more serious than the initial news that was reported to the capital. The breach in the river bank was five hundred steps wide, and the middle stream was about four feet deep. The waves are turbulent and unstoppable. When the officials in eastern Henan looked at each other in silence, Shen Wenqi boldly proposed to run a straight river above the breach to replace the original winding river channel. In this way, the difficulty of blocking the breach was greatly reduced.
Afterwards, he immediately ordered people to build a lattice embarkment[mfn]
[/mfn] and a stone boat dam[mfn](Using boats filled with stones is an ancient technique known as a “stone boat dam”—used to block or redirect water flow.)
like this, but much bigger, and with boats[/mfn], which were made up of forty boats filled with stones. They were sunk at the river mouth, directly pouring the river water to the opposite side. Half a month ago, the river was blocked neatly[mfn]
[/mfn].
After strengthening the river embankment, he proposed the strategy of “attacking sand with water“[mfn](The first person in history to propose the strategy of “restraining water and attacking sand” was Pan Jixun of the Ming Dynasty in China . Pan Jixun was a famous river management expert in the late Ming Dynasty and one of the figures who influenced the river management in the Ming Dynasty to later generations.The “attacking sand with water” (以水攻沙) method is an ancient Chinese hydraulic technique used to remove or reshape sandbanks or sediment barriers in rivers by intentionally directing strong water flow against them. Rather than manually digging or clearing sandbars (which is labor-intensive and slow), engineers would use water as a tool to erode and dislodge the sand naturally. )[/mfn]. To increase the intensity of the attack on sand, 30,000 soldiers worked day and night to build a water barrier between the two embankments, which was very effective.
This flood that caused panic among the people finally ended.
As for those projects that require preparation in advance, they can start construction in the early spring of next year.
Officials in eastern Henan were filled with tears.
Not to mention the officials in East Henan, even Emperor Chengyuan himself couldn’t help but sigh after reading the news. Fortunately, when he ordered people to raid Yunyang Marquis’s mansion last year, he issued an order not to allow anyone to visit Shen Wenqi. Otherwise, with his old bones, it is not known whether he could have survived until today.
Indeed, based on these political achievements and the two works that will be passed down through the ages, Shen Wenqi was destined to be a minister whose merits outweighed his faults. Therefore, in Emperor Chengyuan’s mind, he turned a blind eye to some of the things he had done.
Emperor Chengyuan shook the secret letter in his hand and looked at Lu Yan seriously, “Lu Yan, have you been too idle recently? Instead of taking care of your duties, you are interested in the affairs of East Henan?”
Lu Yan put his fist to his lips and whispered, “Uncle.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the corners of Emperor Cheng Yuan’s tightly-packed mouth twitched.
It could be said that Lu Yan was very close to him when he was a child, and he called him uncle all the time. But ever since he took the imperial examination and entered the officialdom, he has strictly adhered to the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, and never overstepped the line even a bit.
Today, he heard him call him uncle, tsk, it’s really been a long time.
Emperor Chengyuan glanced at the sky outside and said sarcastically, “I thought the sun was setting in the west today.”
Lu Yan stood up and walked to the side of Emperor Chengyuan, bowed and said, “I came here today to ask Your Majesty to grant me a marriage.”
Emperor Chengyuan knocked on the table slowly and asked knowingly, “Who caught your eye, Lu Yan?”
Lu Yan replied seriously, “Third Young Lady Shen fell into the water at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that day, and I was the one who rescued her. Her reputation has been damaged, and I cannot escape the blame.”
Hearing this, Emperor Chengyuan narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, and a layer of flesh folded out of his chin, “Speak human language.”
“I want to marry her.”
After a moment, Emperor Chengyuan said slowly: “I appointed you as the Governor of Jingzhao and gave you great power, but you used it to bend the law for personal gain. I see that you are getting bolder and bolder.” Every word he spoke was full of the majesty of an emperor.
If it were someone else, afraid they would be sweating profusely.
Lu Yan knew exactly what Emperor Chengyuan was referring to. He hardened his head and continued, “I know I am guilty.”
Emperor Chengyuan slapped the table with his palm, “Do you admit your guilt? Do you look like someone who feels guilty at all? I can’t believe you have been an official for many years and never made any mistakes, but you actually beat the eldest grandson of the Xu family into a cripple for a young lady!”
Lu Yan nodded, paused, and then said, “Fortunately, Your Majesty was willing to protect me.”
Look, is this what a normal human being would say? It was simply stabbing the emperor in the heart! This is tantamount to saying to the emperor, I can bend the law thanks to you!
The sunlight outside shone on Lu Yan’s stubborn head, making it shiny and bright, which stung Emperor Cheng Yuan so much that he couldn’t speak for a long time.
The day after Xu Wei’s accident, Prime Minister Xu stood outside the palace to ask for an explanation for his son. His choking sobs were heartbreaking to hear, but Princess Jing’an dragged him away and wouldn’t let him go.
One moment she said she wanted to play chess, and the next moment she said she was not feeling well.
He knew then that what Empress Xu was worried about was right. The three daughters of the Shen family were more powerful than the other.
Emperor Chengyuan heaved a long sigh and said solemnly: “Let me ask you, when you took the lead in speaking for Shen Wenqi at the court that morning, did you have any selfish motives?” The emperor picked up the cup and took another sip.
When these words came out, Eunuch Sheng beside him couldn’t help but shrink his head.
Lu Yan straightened his back and said dignifiedly: “I had absolutely no selfish motives.”
Emperor Chengyuan smiled, “Not at all?”
Lu Yan added: “Family affairs and national affairs must be kept seperate.”
Emperor Chengyuan hummed “hmm” from the tip of his nose and nodded casually.
It was true that Emperor Cheng Yuan had asked this with the intention of making things difficult, and no matter how he answers it, it will be wrong.
If he admits that he had selfish motives, even if the emperor’s words to him were sincere, he will still feel hurt. Then who knows if he will change his mind when he thinks about it in the future?
On the other hand, if he solemnly says that he had no ulterior motives, it will inevitably sound hypocritical.
But Lu Yan was so smart, how could he fall into Emperor Chengyuan’s trap! Although his words were too beautiful, his decisive tone was also to please the emperor.
Emperor Chengyuan whispered to Eunuch Sheng, “Grind the ink for me.”
As soon as Eunuch Sheng bowed, Lu Yan stepped forward and said, “Let me do it.”
Emperor Cheng Yuan raised his eyes and glanced at him, dipped his brush in ink, and slowly began to write. After a while, he threw the two imperial edicts to Eunuch Sheng, “Wait for Shen Wenqi to return to the capital and send them to the Shen Mansion.”
Eunuch Sheng said: “I will definitely get it done.”
Lu Yan whispered, “Thank you, uncle.”
After Lu Yan left, Eunuch Sheng, who was always by the emperor’s side, couldn’t help but complain in his heart: When it comes to the emperor’s grace, if Lord Zhou from the Dali Temple is ranked second, then the young master from the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion was undoubtedly the first.
——
On the evening of twentyninth of the ninth month, Shen Wenqi returned to the capital. As soon as he entered the gate of Shen Mansion, Shen Shu, Shen Zhen and Shen Hong before him had red eyes.
Sure enough, there was no such thing as a wasted achievement in this world.
Shen Wenqi’s left arm was injured. As the illness was delayed again and again, the situation was not optimistic. It was impossible to recover as before. He could only be thankful that he injured his left arm instead of his right arm like Su Heng.
If a civil official cannot pick up a brush, what was the point of pursuing a career in politics?
Moreover, Shen Shu found out after careful questioning that if Su Heng had not blocked his way that day, Shen Wenqi would have injured more than just his arm.
When Su Heng was mentioned, the room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Shen Wenqi looked at his little daughter and sighed. He left in a hurry last time and didn’t have time to ask her many things.
There was no time to ask her where this courtyard with three entrances and exits came from; there was no time to ask her how she could easily establish so many businesses in the East and West Markets without anyone’s help; and there was no time to ask her if anyone had wronged her.
“Zhen’er, Father wants to ask you…”
However, before Shen Wenqi could finish, Shen Shu interrupted him and said, “It’s getting dark outside. You should go to bed early. If you want to ask anything, we can ask you tomorrow.”
At this moment, Shen Zhen only had Shen Wenqi’s arm in her eyes. She was thinking about how to invite the Bai family’s miracle doctor to treat her father.
“Zhen’er.” Shen Shu pulled Shen Zhen, who seemed to be frozen on the seat and said, “Come here with your sister.”
Shen Wenqi glanced at Shen Shu and knew that the sisters had something to say, so he nodded and said to Shen Zhen: “Okay, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Shen Shu dragged Shen Zhen back to the room. The two looked at each other and said at the same time:
Shen Shu said: “Father wants to ask you something tomorrow, do you know what it is about?”
Shen Zhen said: “Sister, I want to ask Miss Bai to come and treat Father tomorrow.”
Shen Shu looked at her red eyes and said, “Don’t worry, the Crown Prince will naturally send a famous doctor over.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Shu said, “Have you thought about what to say about you and Lu Yan?”
Shen Zhen pinched her fingertips and whispered, “I can’t tell the truth.” She could not tell her father that she had been Lu Yan’s mistress.
“Just think about what to say. In my opinion, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo will come to propose marriage soon. Even if Father has doubts, he can’t say anything once the engagement is confirmed.” Shen Shu rubbed her hair and hinted, “Zhen’er, Sister will go to thank the Marquis of Changping in person.”
Shen Zhen was stunned for a moment, then she understood what her elder sister meant – since they were not destined to be together, it’s better to not get involved anymore deeply.
“I understand.”
Shen Shu nodded.
Shen Zhen was still thinking about what to say before going to bed, but unexpectedly, Qingxi woke her up early the next morning and said, “Get up, young lady. Eunuch Sheng from the palace has arrived with the imperial edict.”
Shen Zhen’s beautiful eyes widened, she turned over and sat up, tidied herself up, and hurried to the main courtyard.
Eunuch Sheng finished reading the edict at the top of his lungs, and handed the imperial edict and the book in his hand to Shen Wenqi, “Congratulations, Minister Shen.”
Shen Wenqi made great contributions and jumped directly from the Chief River Defense Envoy to the position he had held a year ago, the third-rank Minister of Works. He was impartial and like a mountain pressing down on Li Di’s head.
“His Majesty also said that since Minister Shen was seriously injured, he doesn’t need to attend court these days and should just rest at home for a while.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Shen Wenqi said.
Just as Shen Wenqi was about to stand up, Eunuch Sheng called out softly, “Wait, I still have another imperial decree to read.”
Shen Wenqi’s brows suddenly frowned. He had been an official for many years, and the decree in his hand was within his expectations, but there was another imperial decree… he couldn’t guess what it was.
Eunuch Sheng coughed lightly and said calmly, “Miss Shen, please listen to my order.”
Shen Zhen bowed politely, “Subject daughter is here.”
“I have heard that Shen Zhen, the daughter of Shen Wenqi, the Minister of Works, is kind and honest, with outstanding appearance and virtuous character. Princess Jing’an and I are very pleased to hear this. Lu Yan, the heir apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo, is twenty four years old and is ready to marry. I should choose a virtuous woman to marry him. Third young Lady Shen, Shen Zhen is still unmarried, and she and Lu Yan can be said to be a match made in heaven. To bring a romance to a happy ending, I will promise you to Lu Yan as his wife and choose an auspicious day for the wedding.”
Who says the autumn wind is cool? It is clearly warmer than midsummer.
T/N –
To get an idea about how serious a breach in a river embarkment is I uploaded a photo below.
A breach in the river embarkment happens like this,
And the for the strategy suggested by Shen Wenqi, I pulled my hair for an hour to figure out and came out with the idea below. Not sure if it is right tho. The diagram is thanks to Chat gpt.
Something like this….Hope this helps
Looks like Shen Wenqi’s character was built from the Pan Jixun of the Ming Dynasty in China
