Chapter 281: The Dragon King Invites
After the great bridge was completed, the many officials of the Ministry of Works immediately flew up in all directions to inspect the riverbanks. Qin Mu saw many people holding drills, inserting poles several zhang long into the embankments along the river, one every hundred zhang.
Beside each pole stood a person. Someone set up a large bell in the middle of the river, and when a clear, resonant sound rang out, the poles vibrated as well. The people beside the poles listened intently to the tremors transmitted through the poles.
"What are they doing?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.
Ling Yuxiu walked over to his side and said, "You wouldn't know this. Back then, the Tu River often flooded, so the Imperial Preceptor ordered the Vice Minister of Works to manage it. The Vice Minister spent an enormous amount of money, and my father was very angry. He asked why so much had been spent and where the money had gone. The Vice Minister said he had buried a bronze wall on both sides of the Tu River, two inches thick and two feet high, stretching for ten thousand li along the embankments. The bronze walls were covered with runic seals. To check for hidden cracks or thinning of the embankment, they strike the bell, and the sound stimulates the runes on the bronze walls, causing them to resonate. Using the sound waves, they can determine hidden cracks and the thickness of the embankment."
Qin Mu looked at the busy Master of the Heavenly Workshop and praised, "What a brilliant idea."
Si Yunxiang stepped forward and said, "The Emperor almost had his head cut off for spending too much."
Ling Yuxiu glanced at her and said, "The Vice Minister of Works spent too much. Over the years, he built flying ships that sail the sky, painted boats that travel the water, land-going vessels that move on the ground, wheeled vehicles, smelters for mines, military workshops and supervisory factories across the land, renovations of city towers, sewers in the cities, road paving, siege cloud chariots, border fortresses, and mechanical manufacturing. I wasn't born yet then, but I later heard from my second brother that those years of spending made my father, the princes, the crown prince, the consorts, and the empress dowager tighten their belts, their faces pale with hunger. The national treasury emptied in an instant, and officials' salaries were owed for several months without payment."
Si Yunxiang smiled slightly. "And then?"
Ling Yuxiu sighed. "Later, the smelters were promoted, and various flying ships and painted boats were sold to merchants. The supervisory factories produced continuously. Within two years, the treasury was full, and they built several more treasuries to store the money. My father then said thankfully, 'Good thing I didn't kill him.' The Ministry of Works' biggest spenders, besides the Vice Minister, are the Directors of the Water Resources Bureau. They build water conservancy and transportation everywhere—water diversion carts, flood discharge lakes, various dams and bridges, and canals. Their spending is like flowing water, but it also makes the people prosperous."
Si Yunxiang blinked and said, "It seems like it's always the Vice Minister and the Directors who spend the money. What does the Minister of Works do? It seems like everything is done by the Vice Minister Shan Youxin and the others, while the Minister hasn't done anything."
Ling Yuxiu also blinked. "The Minister of Works is there to supervise their spending."
Si Yunxiang smiled lightly. "The Minister of Works is probably sent by the Emperor to keep an eye on them, since he doesn't trust them. After all, the Vice Minister and these Directors and Assistant Directors are all members of the Heavenly Saint Sect. The Emperor knows they are hall masters and incense masters of the Heavenly Saint Sect and doesn't trust them."
Ling Yuxiu's gaze fell on her. "Junior Sister Yunxiang seems very interested in the Heavenly Saint Sect."
Si Yunxiang smiled sweetly. "Little sister is not talented; I am the Saintess of the Heavenly Saint Sect, so naturally I must take an interest. Lord Qin is our sect leader and holy teacher, and he also cares about these matters. As the Saintess, the questions I ask the princess are also questions the sect leader cares about."
The two women stared at each other with wide eyes.
Qin Mu ignored the two girls and looked into the distance. He saw officials from the Water Resources Bureau and the Land Reclamation Bureau inspecting farmland and irrigation, while the Forestry and Horticulture Bureau was checking fruit trees and vegetables. He walked over.
"Sect leader, when the crops are between green and yellow, there will likely be a plague of insects."
The Assistant Director of the Forestry and Horticulture Bureau, an incense master of the Agriculture Hall, was digging in the soil, checking it, and picking out some insect eggs. He said to Qin Mu, "Although the winter snow disaster was very cold, these pest eggs didn't freeze to death. In another three to five days, when the weather warms up, the eggs will hatch into insects. During winter, the vegetation was cut down and burned by the disaster victims, so the insects will have nothing to eat and will go for the crops. We must prepare early to prevent the insect plague, killing these insects as soon as they are born."
Qin Mu asked, "Incense Master, how do we prevent an insect plague?"
"Station sword technique experts in the farmland, or have spell technique experts use needle techniques, or send experts in raising Gu insects to release insects that eat the pests."
The Assistant Director of the Forestry and Horticulture Bureau stood up, clapped his hands, his clothes and hands covered in mud, and said, "Disciples from the Sword Hall, Spell Hall, and Gu Hall can all come out for some training."
Qin Mu nodded and called over Fan Yunxiao. "Brother Fan, pass on my order. Have the Sword Hall, Spell Hall, and Gu Hall each send a dozen or so disciples here."
Fan Yunxiao summoned a bandit and ordered him to deliver the message.
The Water Resources Bureau was reorganizing the water conservancy, clearing silt from the waterways and redesigning the water routes to facilitate irrigation of farmland.
Meanwhile, the Land Reclamation Bureau officials were measuring the land. They took out measuring rulers, activated them with their primal qi, and the rulers unfolded from a folded state, growing longer and longer, with measurement scales appearing on them. Nearby, Imperial Academy students recorded the numbers, their primal qi forming different abacuses that clicked and clacked.
The Vice Minister of Works, along with the Ministry of Works personnel, flew into the air, stood above Jiazhou, surveyed the road conditions across the region, noted the damaged roads, and then went to repair them.
"Shan Youxin is a capable man!" Qin Mu was truly impressed. The officials of the Yan Kang Ministry of Works handled matters methodically, truly benefiting the country and the people.
At the city lord's mansion, the Prefect of Jiazhou reported on the situation within the prefecture. Ling Yushu listened all night, then summoned the chief clerk to check various records, busy until dawn without sleep.
By the next day, Ling Yushu and the Prefect of Jiazhou were both tired. As they walked out of the city lord's mansion, the Minister of Works, the Vice Minister of Works, Qin Mu, and the others had already arrived outside. Vice Minister Shan Youxin presented several scrolls of documents and said, "Your Highness, the issues with water conservancy, transportation, and fruits and vegetables in Jiazhou have been resolved. Only the matters from the Land Reclamation Bureau require your Highness's handling."
Ling Yushu was surprised and exclaimed, "So fast?"
Shan Youxin said, "After Your Highness finishes reviewing this, you can prepare for executions."
Ling Yushu's expression turned grave. "Is land annexation that severe?"
Shan Youxin nodded.
Ling Yushu summoned the Prefect of Jiazhou, placed the documents in his hands, and said with a stern face, "Don't go to sleep yet. I won't sleep either. You and I will review this together! As we review, we will arrest and execute. Those who should be arrested, arrest them. Those who should be killed, kill them! In extraordinary times, strict laws and severe punishments must be applied!"
The Prefect of Jiazhou's face turned ashen.
Qin Mu called over Shen Wanyun and the others and said, "Your work is here. Later, you will go with the officials to make the arrests."
Shen Wanyun stammered, "Sect leader, didn't you say there was no danger? Those who can annex land during times of chaos are local magnates. These local aristocratic families are also very powerful!"
Qin Mu laughed. "You are experts from the Imperial Academy, the elite of the nation. Are you afraid of local magnates?"
Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong, and the others were eager to try.
Soon after, the Crown Prince and the Prefect issued orders for arrests. Wei Yong and the others immediately went with the soldiers. They didn't return until noon, covered in blood, clearly having fought several fierce battles.
Ling Yushu spent two days handling the affairs of Jiazhou before continuing eastward, managing the Tu River along the way. One day, they arrived at Hezhou. Hezhou bordered the sea to the east, far from the capital, with well-developed waterways and a large port. The merchant ships here not only connected to ports across the country but also traded with other nations, and even had dealings with overseas countries.
The group was already familiar with the routine. Upon arriving in Hezhou, they each began their investigations without needing instructions from the Vice Minister. After finishing the affairs of Hezhou, Ling Yushu saw that everyone was truly exhausted and said, "Everyone has worked hard. Why not rest in Hezhou for a few days before setting off?"
Everyone cheered.
Qin Mu was dragged by Ling Yuxiu to go shopping. "Hezhou has a thriving trade, with many novel things from foreign lands. Let's go to the market!"
"I'm going too!"
Si Yunxiang followed along. Ling Yuxiu glanced at her and thought, "Fox spirit!"
"Little flirt..." Si Yunxiang smiled to herself.
Their gazes shifted away. Qin Mu seemed oblivious. The market in Hezhou indeed had many strange and wonderful items, but what attracted him wasn't these bizarre goods—it was the foreigners.
He saw many foreigners in exotic clothing, different from the Yan Kang people. Some were one-eyed, not with two symmetrical eyes, but with a single vertical eye in the middle of their foreheads.
There were also four-armed people and two-faced people.
He also saw several sea clan girls, dressed in flashy attire, but with eight octopus-like legs, moving swiftly. Upon closer inspection, they had gills on the sides of their ears.
"They came up from the sea," Si Yunxiang whispered in Qin Mu's ear. "They are sea clan merchants. I've heard they have built cities and nations on the seabed."
Qin Mu was amazed. The sea clan sold very strange things. He stopped in front of a blue coral tree. The coral tree automatically emitted water vapor, forming a water sphere that enveloped itself. Inside the water vapor, a three-inch-tall girl rode a seahorse, swimming back and forth, singing a song of unknown meaning.
Then, several more girls riding seahorses came down from the tree, along with some men, all dancing and singing around the coral tree in the water.
This coral tree actually housed a small tribe.
Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu were also captivated. Just then, a tall girl in a dark green dress approached, looked at the blue coral tree, and praised, "What a strange little creature. Little Red, don't you think?"
Qin Mu turned his head and saw a red jade earring hanging from the girl's earlobe, as smooth as lard. The earring suddenly stretched out—it was a small red snake, opening its mouth and hissing at Qin Mu, flicking its tongue.
"Long Jiaonan!"
Qin Mu was startled and was about to draw his sword when Long Jiaonan laughed and said, "Lord Qin, you'd better not move. Little Red here is at the Seven Stars realm. With one bite, it can swallow all three of you. Sect leader, my father wants to see you."
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. He said in a deep voice, "The old Dragon King has come too?"
Long Jiaonan giggled. "My father is called the Dragon King. How could he not have influence in Hezhou? But thanks to you, sect leader, our Dragon Gate Sect was wiped out, forcing my father and me to flee into the East Sea!"
Si Yunxiang blinked and said happily, "Congratulations, Sister Long, for capturing the Heavenly Demon Sect leader and the Sixth Princess of Yan Kang. There's nothing for me here, so I'll be going first!"
Long Jiaonan sneered. The little red snake suddenly slithered onto Si Yunxiang's neck, flicking its tongue against her skin. "Miss Si of the Si family, the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon Sect, is no less valuable than the Sixth Princess of Yan Kang. Did you think I hadn't looked into you?"