Lan Yin Bi Yue

Chapitre 6

Volume One, Peach Blossoms, Chapter Seventeen: The Flood of Shenzhou (Part 1)

Yun Shuihan felt uneasy, unsure whether it was because the road was difficult or because there was someone behind her. Lin Suyang, meanwhile, rode on horseback, his mind heavy with worry. They had been on their journey for eight or nine days; the Emperor's decree to transport disaster relief silver and supplies had left the capital that very day, and they should have arrived by now. With the rains having subsided somewhat in the last couple of days, reinforcing the dikes might even mitigate some of the damage. Yet, Lin Suyang felt uneasy, hoping it was just his imagination running wild.

Along the way, they saw many refugees flocking towards Shenzhou, indicating that the impact of this flood was exceptionally severe. Riding horses was indeed much faster; after traveling for a day and a night, Lin Suyang and his group finally arrived at the gates of Shenzhou city at noon on the third day.

Before they could even rejoice at reaching their destination, the scene before them took them by surprise. A large group of refugees had gathered on the bluestone ground on both sides of the official road at the city gate, some sitting, some lying down. The noise of the crowd, the groans of the sick, and the cries of children drowned out the sound of Lin Suyang and his party's horses' hooves. Looking ahead, they saw that the gates of Shenzhou were tightly closed, and a troop of soldiers stood straight and expressionless on the city wall.

Lin Suyang dismounted and walked over to an elderly woman with gray hair sitting to the side, asking, "Auntie, may I ask what's going on here?" He pointed to the closed city gate as he spoke.

The old woman raised her cloudy eyes and saw that the speaker was an exceptionally handsome young man. Judging from his fine clothes, he must be the young master of some wealthy family. She kindly said, "Young master, are you from out of town? I think you should leave here quickly. The Ge River flooded and washed away our houses and fields. Now everyone is homeless and wants to come to Shenzhou City to settle down. At first, the city gates were open to let people in, but later the prefectural magistrate said there were too many people and ordered the city gates to be closed and no one to pass through. We have no choice but to wait here."

Lin Suyang asked again, puzzled, "Auntie, if you can't go into Shenzhou, why don't you go somewhere else?" The old woman sighed, "Young master, you don't know, we common folk have no horses or carriages, we rely on our own two legs to survive, and we have children to take care of. Besides, only Shenzhou City is on slightly higher ground. If we go to other places and happen to encounter a flood, we'll probably die even sooner. Alas, human life is so cheap these days."

Lin Suyang looked around. Most of the people were dressed in rags and looked emaciated. He frowned. The prefect of Shenzhou was too audacious. At this critical moment, he actually closed the city gates and turned away so many people.

He turned and whispered a few words to Yun Shuihan. Yun Shuihan nodded, and with a few leaps, she reached the city wall. The soldiers immediately surrounded her with their weapons. He said something to them, and one of the soldiers hesitated for a moment before putting away his weapon and leaving. Soon, the soldier returned, followed by a middle-aged man. Yun Shuihan took out a token and handed it to the man. The man's expression changed upon seeing it, and he hurriedly bowed and scraped, speaking to Yun Shuihan.

Soon, the city gates opened, and the refugees who had been sitting rushed forward noisily. Several squads of soldiers who came out of the gates immediately separated them. At this moment, several people stepped out from among the soldiers, including Yun Shuihan and the middle-aged man from before.

The man walked up to Lin Suyang in a few steps, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble official, Zhao Zhongxiang, the prefect of Shenzhou, was unaware of the arrival of the imperial envoy. Please forgive me."

Lin Suyang waved his hand and said, "Lord Zhao, there's no need to be so polite. I just arrived myself."

At this moment, more and more refugees gathered around. Zhao Zhongxiang hurriedly said, "Sir, let's go into the city first." Lin Suyang nodded and followed him into the city. Not far into the city, they heard a voice behind them shout, "Close the city gates!" The previous commotion gradually faded away.

The situation inside the city wasn't much better. Refugees sat crowded along the streets. Compared to those outside the city, their complexions were slightly better.

He arrived at Zhao Zhongxiang's residence. He said with a slight apology, "Since I didn't know when you would arrive, sir, I wasn't prepared. I'm afraid you'll have to rest at my humble abode."

Lin Suyang said, "Not at all. It's already very kind of us to have a place to stay. Besides, we've been troubling Lord Zhao for the next few days. We should be the ones apologizing." Zhao Zhongxiang immediately said, "This humble official is apprehensive. I only hope that you won't find it too distasteful, sir."

After taking a few sips of tea, Lin Suyang said, "Time is of the essence. Please tell me about the recent situation, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Zhongxiang frowned. He carefully organized his thoughts and replied earnestly, "Your Excellency, as far as I know, the water level of the Ge River is still rising. Fortunately, the rainfall has lessened somewhat in recent days; otherwise, I fear Shenzhou City would be lost. Previously, the Ge River breached its banks in fifteen places. Although I ordered people to transport stones and sand day and night to fill the breaches, I was able to stop ten of them. The remaining five places were difficult to repair due to the steep terrain. Unfortunately, these are the most severe breaches. We have dug several diversion ditches around the Ge River, but for this reason, we dare not release water rashly. Therefore, the current situation is truly worrying."

Lin Suyang looked at the map and knew that Shenzhou City was located in the center of the Gejiang Depression, with a higher elevation than the surrounding area. If they could hurry up and fill the five gaps within the next two days, they could temporarily lift the siege of Shenzhou.

Lin Suyang asked, "Lord Zhao, could you tell me why you are turning away refugees who are flocking to Shenzhou?"

Zhao Zhongxiang replied with a troubled expression, "My lord, you may not know this, but last year Shenzhou suffered a severe drought, and the grain reserves were already low. This time, the number of refugees from all around has increased dramatically due to the flood. A few days ago, I opened the granaries to distribute grain, but as of yesterday, the granaries were empty. In addition, there are too many sick refugees, and I am worried that there may be an epidemic. Therefore, I ordered the city gates to be closed."

What Zhao Zhongxiang said was true; with floods occurring, it was indeed necessary to prevent the spread of disease. Lin Suyang suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Lord Zhao, have the disaster relief funds and supplies sent by the Emperor arrived yet?"

Zhao Zhongxiang replied in surprise, "No, isn't the disaster relief transport done together with the adults?"

Lin Suyang felt a chill in his heart: "His Majesty ordered the guards to escort the supplies to Shenzhou ahead of schedule during the court session that day. We arrived two days late, so why haven't they arrived yet?"

Zhao Zhongxiang said anxiously, "Could someone be so bold as to rob the government silver? What should we do? The city is short of supplies, and the water level of the Ge River is still rising. Is Heaven going to destroy Shenzhou?"

Lin Suyang calmed down. Now was not the time to give up. Regardless of whether the grain supplies had been seized, they had to stabilize the situation first. He said to Zhao Zhongxiang, "Lord Zhao, please don't rush. Let's wait a few more days regarding the grain supplies. What we need to do now is to appease the people and speed up the repair of the dikes."

Seeing that Lin Suyang remained calm, Zhao Zhongxiang immediately asked hopefully, "Is what you say true, sir? Or do you already have a good plan?"

Lin Suyang pondered for a moment, then said to Zhao Zhongxiang, "Lord Zhao, first post a notice outside the city saying that the government is working hard to solve the flood problem so that everyone shouldn't worry. Also, open the city gates and build thatched huts around the gates to house the refugees, so they can be protected from the rain and cold. I will have some medicine prepared to prevent them from getting sick. Lord Zhao, also send some people to maintain order and prevent any disturbances. As for the breach in the Gejiang River, let me personally inspect it before making a decision."

Zhao Zhongxiang thought the plan was feasible, so he said, "I will make the arrangements immediately. It is getting late now, sir. Would you please rest first and go to Gejiang to check tomorrow morning?" Lin Suyang nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Back in her room, Lin Suyang was exhausted and wanted to go to bed early, but she sensed someone in the room. Looking up, she saw Si Junxing sitting at the table, leisurely drinking tea.

Do people in this era like to freely enter and leave other people's rooms? Lin Suyang glanced at him indifferently, walked to the side, and said coldly, "May I ask what brings Young Master Si here today?"

"It seems Su Yang doesn't welcome me at all. I even went around looking for information about disaster relief supplies for you." Si Junxing looked aggrieved.

"What?" Lin Suyang's clear eyes narrowed when she heard the words "disaster relief supplies," and she stared intently at Si Junxing. But Si Junxing refused to say anything more, and continued to leisurely sip her tea.

Lin Suyang knew that Si Junxing wanted to provoke him, so he closed his eyes, lowered his head and said slowly, "If you don't want to talk, please leave. I need to rest."

Si Junxing was taken aback. Was this person always so indifferent to everything? He chuckled softly, met Lin Suyang's gaze, shook his head, and said, "I thought Suyang would keep asking questions. It seems I overestimated myself."

Volume One, Peach Blossoms, Chapter Eighteen: The Flood of Shenzhou (Part Two)

“Do you remember? I was being chased by a group of people when I met you that day,” Si Junxing finally got to the point. “Before that, I had to come to Shenzhou for some business. In order to save time, I did not take the official road. When I was halfway there, I encountered an official carriage of the imperial court. However, it was too late. Apart from a few carts of grain, the rest of the road was full of soldiers who had just died and were lying in disarray.”

Lin Suyang frowned. The escort team that was transporting the supplies numbered at least several hundred people, yet they were robbed and no one survived. How could this be?

“I inspected the scene. The provisions were untouched, and the soldiers' wounds were from sharp blades. I also found messy cart tracks in the nearby grass. I followed the tracks and soon found an abandoned carriage, completely empty. I searched around and finally found the stolen silver in a cave. I had just found a place to hide the silver when the gang caught up with me. Later, I ran to the hill where you were resting and that's when I met you. At that time, I didn't know you were the Imperial Envoy, so I didn't tell you.”

Si Junxing's words seemed logical, but upon closer examination, many suspicious points emerged. For example, if those people were only after money, why would they hide the hard-won silver in a nearby cave, and why would they clean up any traces on the road to avoid being discovered? Furthermore, even if the silver was too much to carry all at once, there would have been many guards in the cave. Why did Si Junxing find it so easily and have time to find another place to hide it? If it was because of his superior martial arts skills, why was he chased and forced to hide everywhere? Also, why did the escort team transporting the supplies choose an unfamiliar and muddy path instead of the official road? These obvious suspicious points made Lin Suyang doubt the veracity of Si Junxing's words.

He asked Si Junxing calmly, "You mean you now know the whereabouts of the grain and silver?" Si Junxing put down his teacup and smiled slightly, "Did Su Yang believe what I said?"

"I don't believe it," Lin Suyang replied calmly.

“Su Yang is really honest…” Si Junxing said sullenly. “However, regardless of whether what I said is true or not, I can guarantee that as long as you say the word, I can deliver the supplies to you tomorrow.”

Si Junxing stared intently at Lin Suyang. Lin Suyang unexpectedly met Si Junxing's burning gaze. He turned his head away, trying his best to suppress the strange feeling rising within him, and asked calmly, "What are your conditions?"

Si Junxing lowered his voice and said gently, "Let me follow you. At least until you return to Yundu, let me follow you, okay?"

Lin Suyang was confused. He didn't understand why Si Junxing was so persistent, having only met him twice, or three times including the time at the inn. He remembered Si Junxing's words that night, "Whether you're a man or a woman, I'm sticking with you." What was he up to? Lin Suyang suddenly found it ridiculous. Not only was he already heartbroken, but even if he did develop feelings, it wouldn't lead anywhere. He was a man, and he would be a man for life!

Looking at the person in front of him, Lin Suyang no longer had time to judge whether he was sincere or had other motives. What Lin Suyang wanted now was to resolve the flood problem as soon as possible.

He smiled brightly. In that instant, Si Junxing felt his eyes filled with radiant youth. His heart began to pound involuntarily. Then he heard Lin Suyang softly say, "Okay."

A white carrier pigeon fluttered across the gray sky. Qin Ke reached out his hand. The pigeon landed on his arm. Qin Ke removed the letter tube from the pigeon's leg and pulled out a small piece of paper to read. "Disaster relief funds robbed?" Qin Ke frowned. Then he smiled and muttered to himself, "Looks like his mission isn't simple!"

"Report..." A soldier knelt before the camp. Qin Ke gently held the note in his palm. His sharp gaze fixed on the soldier, he asked calmly, "How's the reconnaissance?"

"Reporting to the General. Our scouts have spotted two enemy groups facing off at Jinshan River. One group, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, is gradually moving towards our border. The other group, entirely masked in black and whose identities are unclear, is also following in this direction."

The Jinshan River lies in a blank area on the border between the two countries. The river is wide but extremely shallow, wading through on horseback. Less than a hundred li further on after crossing the Jinshan River lies the territory of the Great Yang Kingdom. Judging from the current situation, the Yan Liao Kingdom's intentions are still unknown. The only thing to do is to observe and wait. Qin Ke closed his eyes and said, "Investigate further."

Inside a medium-sized tent, Feng Hanyu was solemnly circling a military intelligence map. Wei Liang walked up to him, fanning himself with a paper fan, and said, "Your Highness, the rebels have been forced to the border of the Great Yang Kingdom."

Feng Hanyu didn't even look up, saying as he drew, "Very good. Tell them not to act rashly without my orders. Just cut off their escape route."

Wei Liang hesitated before asking, "The spies have reported that Emperor Shun has sent Prince Yin, Qin Ke, as the Grand General to the border. If we drive the rebels into Dayang territory, won't that cause trouble?" Feng Hanyu stopped, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, as long as we don't take action, he won't do anything. However, if anyone invades their territory, he will show no mercy. Don't you think it should be credited to him if we annihilate the rebels?"

His smile no longer held its usual gentleness and politeness, but instead carried a hint of scheming and calculation. Wei Liang finally understood why Feng Hanyu had only forced those people towards Da Yang without taking any other action. If they hid within Da Yang's territory, they would inevitably be considered enemy troops and eliminated by Qin Ke. After Feng Hanyu ascended the throne, he could use the pretext that his own subjects had been killed by Da Yang's General of State while doing business there to launch an attack on Da Yang. What a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone!

The next day, a light rain began to fall. Zhao Zhongxiang looked worried, but Lin Suyang comforted him, "Lord Zhao, don't worry, things will get better. Let's go check on the Gejiang embankment now." Zhao Zhongxiang, still worried, said, "I hope so."

Gejiang is located in the northwest of Shenzhou, only half a day's journey away. When Lin Suyang arrived at Gejiang, the rain had stopped. He stood on the edge of a not-so-high cliff, the roaring river below him deafeningly loud, a sight that made one's heart tremble. However, this very spot had been breached for several days, becoming a major threat to Shenzhou City. The other four breaches were at similar elevations, so they could not be filled in for a long time. If left unchecked, Shenzhou would likely be flooded within two days.

Lin Suyang carefully examined the surrounding terrain and discovered that the breach was located just below the right side of the cliff. The maximum distance between the two sides of the breach was about thirty meters. There were steep cliffs all around, making it impossible for a person to stand. He found a stick nearby, squatted down on the wet ground, and began to draw as he thought. After drawing for a while, he ordered someone to find a long rope to measure the distance from the top of the cliff to the bottom.

Looking at the measurement results, Lin Suyang's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. He immediately found Zhao Zhongxiang and said, "Lord Zhao, I have discovered a way to fill these gaps." Zhao Zhongxiang had been racking his brains over this matter, and upon hearing this, he immediately said with delight, "Please tell me, sir."

Lin Suyang said, "I would like to trouble Lord Zhao to have someone find some smooth wooden planks, preferably the longest ones. If that is not enough, you can ask the craftsmen in the city to nail two planks together. The planks must be strong enough to support a bag of sand."

Yun Shuihan, who had been standing to the side, immediately understood when Lin Suyang said this: "Does the master mean to extend a few planks towards the breach in the dike from here, and then transport the sandbags down from here?"

Lin Suyang looked at him approvingly and said, "Smart." Then he explained, "The terrain here is higher than the breach. Using wooden planks as guides, the sandbags can reach the gap from high to low without manpower. I measured it, and the distance is more than enough with this method."

Zhao Zhongxiang finally understood, and he said excitedly, "This method is excellent. I will immediately send someone to prepare the wooden planks." Lin Suyang said, "Please tell them to speed things up, sir. Judging from the weather, it will probably rain again in the next two days." Zhao Zhongxiang nodded, and then hurriedly went to make the arrangements.

Looking at the raging flood, Yun Shuihan said thoughtfully, "The terrain in the other four places is very similar to this place. In this way, these gaps can be filled one by one."

Lin Suyang sighed: "It's a pity that filling the gap is only a temporary solution. It's impossible to completely eliminate the floods, and there's still a lot to be done to reduce their harm. Alright, let's go back. I'm sure they won't be able to fix it anytime soon."

Volume One, Peach Blossoms, Chapter Nineteen: The Flood of Shenzhou (Part Two)

Lin Suyang stood in the courtroom of Shenzhou Prefecture, watching the craftsmen nail together one large wooden plank after another. He touched the material of the planks, compared their thickness, and nodded in satisfaction. At this moment, an official entered and said to Zhao Zhongxiang, "Reporting to Your Excellency, someone outside says they wish to see the Imperial Envoy."

Zhao Zhongxiang looked at Lin Suyang questioningly: "Sir..."

"Si Junxing arrived so quickly?" Lin Suyang thought to himself, then turned to Zhao Zhongxiang and said, "Lord Zhao, please stay here and supervise. I'll be right back." With that, he walked towards the door.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw a young man in white smiling at him. When he realized who it was, Lin Suyang was so surprised that he couldn't speak. After a long while, he frowned and said, "Yu'er?"

Qin Yu ran up to Lin Suyang with open arms and hugged him tightly, saying happily, "I'm so glad to finally see you." Through Qin Yu's shoulder, Lin Suyang saw Qiao Sheng covering his mouth and chuckling behind them, while several soldiers on the side also blushed and lowered their heads.

"I couldn't eat or sleep for a day after you left. Finally, I couldn't bear it any longer and went to my brother to ask for a few guards to come with me."

Qin Yu sat on Lin Suyang's bed, swinging her legs, the hem of her white robe swaying back and forth. Lin Suyang, seeing her nonchalant attitude, was furious: "Do you know how dangerous this is? What if you encounter bandits on the road? The floods are so severe now, what will you do if a major flood comes? What am I supposed to do if anything happens to you? And your brother, really, he just agreed to let you come like that. Who will be responsible if something goes wrong?" Lin Suyang kept repeating "what ifs," growing angrier with each word, while Qin Yu chuckled beside her.

She took Lin Suyang's hand and said, "Alright, look, I'm fine now. We ran into Qiao Sheng and the others halfway there. He said you came to Shenzhou first, and I was anxious to see you, so I brought the others and rushed over. Qiao Sheng insisted on coming along, saying he was afraid that you wouldn't be used to being alone, so he didn't even bother with the carriage. As soon as we entered the city, we went straight to the government office to find you."

Seeing that Lin Suyang still had a dark expression, Qin Yu said softly, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself and won't cause you any trouble."

Lin Suyang sighed and gently pulled her hand back, saying, "I'm not afraid of causing you trouble, I'm just worried about your safety and whether you'll suffer."

Qin Yu felt a warm feeling in her heart, and she smiled and said, "If you're not afraid, how could I be afraid of your wife?"

Lin Suyang nodded helplessly at her head. He said indulgently, "You...you never act like a princess."

Qin Yu replied, "If I looked like a princess, would I still have met you, my 'husband'?" She paused. Then she continued, "Actually, you misunderstood my brother. When I went to see him, he wouldn't let me come no matter what. Later, I threatened to go on a hunger strike, and only then did he agree to let me bring two hundred of his personal guards. When we got to the city gate, we saw government officials helping the refugees build shelters, so I asked them to help."

Lin Suyang was both angry and heartbroken when she heard that Qin Yu had even come up with the idea of a hunger strike: "If your imperial brother still refuses, are you really going to go on a hunger strike?"

Qin Yu smiled mischievously: "If I go on a hunger strike, I won't have the strength to come find you. Even if my brother disagrees, I'll find another way to come find you."

Lin Suyang felt a surge of emotion. But thinking of the current situation in Shenzhou, his smiling face immediately fell. Qin Yu noticed his change and gently asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Suyang said worriedly, "The disaster relief supplies have been looted. The breach in the Gejiang River has not yet been filled in. There are still so many refugees displaced. I'm afraid this mission may fail to live up to the Emperor's expectations."

Qin Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Relief supplies were hijacked? When did this happen?"

"Just two or three days ago, I became suspicious when the food trucks were late in arriving. It wasn't until yesterday that someone told me definitively that the relief supplies had been hijacked."

Qin Yu said worriedly, "Then what should we do? Should we immediately send someone back to the capital to report to Father Emperor?"

"It's too late. I think it will rain in the next few days, and the wet ground will block our way. We don't know when the supplies from the capital will arrive. Don't worry, someone will find the stolen supplies for us."

Qin Yu asked in surprise, "Really? Who would have such great ability?"

"Besides myself, who else could it be, my princess?" Before Lin Suyang could speak, a teasing voice came from outside.

Si Junxing leaped in through the window, and Lin Suyang said coldly, "Could it be that Young Master Si is seeing things and can't find the door?"

Si Junxing, as if he hadn't heard, continued to laugh and say, "I finally managed to get your things delivered after all the hard work, and you didn't even say thank you. My heart is breaking, Su Yang."

Lin Suyang said calmly, "Then thank you." Si Junxing curled his lip, "That's too insincere." Qin Yu, watching from the side, was completely baffled. She pointed at Si Junxing and asked, "Who are you? How do you know I'm a princess?" Because she was worried about causing unnecessary trouble, Qin Yu hadn't revealed her identity along the way, and she had never seen this person before. How did he know?

Si Junxing walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a big gulp, straightened his clothes, bowed deeply to Qin Yu, and said, "I am Si Junxing, greetings to Princess Jingyang."

Qin Yu was amused by his actions and turned to Lin Suyang, saying, "Is he the person you were talking about? He's quite interesting."

Lin Suyang glanced at Si Junxing, "I wonder where you took the things, young master?"

"Outside the Shenzhou Prefecture government office."

When Lin Suyang returned to the lobby, Zhao Zhongxiang was staring incredulously at the truckloads of relief supplies, muttering, "Am I...am I dreaming?"

"Of course Lord Zhao isn't dreaming, the supplies have been recovered." Hearing Lin Suyang's voice, Zhao Zhongxiang turned around and asked, "Sir, this..."

Lin Suyang laughed and said, "We have to thank my friend for finding it for us." He then pointed to Si Junxing standing to the side.