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When Zhao Jiu was at Fuyun Villa, he had heard Tang Yufeng talk about the Yellow River water conservancy project. He asked with disbelief, "You can't possibly handle such a large project."

Fan Nianjing was unconvinced and said, "How about we make a bet? I'll definitely have the Yellow River under control by the next time we meet!" This child spoke as if he were the one who would manage the Yellow River all by himself.

Zhao Jiu extended his finger and made a pinky promise with him. Fan Nianjing added at the end, "It would be great if you could see things next time we meet."

"I will definitely see it! Next time, for sure!" For some reason, Zhao Jiu said this without thinking, as if he had lost to Fan Nianjing if he couldn't see it.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky, Chapter 165: The Prince Returns to His Ancestors

With a roar and the wind howling, a group of people walked with difficulty along the rolling Yellow River, draped in rain.

One of the guards with a sword shouted at the young man in the lead, "Young master, the river is rising rapidly. You should go back to camp first. If the dike breaks and you are swept away, we can't bear the consequences even if we lose our lives!"

The young man didn't respond to the guard, but instead stretched his neck and rushed into the rain. He asked a middle-aged man beside him, "How far is it to the canal?"

The burly man said, "We're almost there, just five hundred steps away. Young master, you don't need to come yourself. We can handle such a small matter as digging the canal and releasing the water."

The simple raincoat couldn't keep out the torrential rain. The rain poured down, streaming down the young man's face. He wiped the rain off his face, and just then, a flash of lightning illuminated his handsome face. It was Fan Nianjing.

Fan Nianjing turned to the eight guards behind him and said, "You four, come with your uncle to open the sluice gate and release the water. You four, come with me to inspect the river embankment."

The group split into two teams and walked along the riverbank. Fan Nianjing carefully inspected the section of the riverbank along the river. Ten days ago, a section of the canal forty miles downstream was washed away, and engineers from all around rushed there to repair it. However, unexpectedly, a sudden downpour occurred today, and the water level rose.

He was in charge of a fifty-mile stretch of waterway and was severely understaffed. Some of his men were assigned to various canals to open sluice gates and divert water, while others braved the heavy rain to inspect the riverbanks along the way.

After walking for a while, Fan Nianjing stepped into a mud pit below the riverbank. The guards quickly helped him up, but before they could ask him how he was, Fan Nianjing shouted, "How come the soil here is so loose?"

The guards immediately became alert; could there be something wrong with this section of the river embankment?

Fan Nianjing stood on the high riverbank, looking down at the villages on both sides of the river. He was very familiar with the terrain of this area. Although the heavy rain obscured his view, he had already drawn a map of the area in his mind. Then, he decisively sent a guard back to camp to gather the scattered engineers. The others were sent to check the village ponds for any hidden currents.

Within fifteen minutes, a guard ran back and said, "The large pond west of Niujia Village has overflowed due to an undercurrent!"

The Yellow River connects to lakes and ponds on both banks via underground currents. The soil in this section is loose, and if the groundwater flows too quickly, it could wash away the foundation and potentially destroy the dikes in this area. Given the urgency of the situation, Fan Nianjing led a newly assembled team of fewer than one hundred engineers to Niujia Village for emergency repairs.

Fortunately, they had done thorough preparation, and there were plenty of bags of silt around the ponds in Niujia Village. So everyone aimed at the gushing outflow and frantically smashed the sand and gravel.

After a long night of work, the sky began to clear slightly, and the thunderstorm turned into a light drizzle. Fan Nianjing, his face covered in mud, sat down to rest beside a damp haystack. His guards, also covered in mud, were equally slender and heavy. They quickly took off their shirts and shoes, washing themselves in the river. Fan Nianjing followed them to the riverbank and also took off his shirt.

He shook the mud off his clothes as he reflected on the past few years. Three years had passed since he left Bianjing. At sixteen, he had grown into a handsome young man, his appearance changing considerably, except… he looked increasingly like Zhao Gou. This was somewhat troublesome.

With a crash, a bowl shattered not far away. Beside the broken bowl stood an old woman. She had heard that the Minister's son and his soldiers had been busy all night, so she had specially boiled some eggs and brought them over early in the morning. Little did she know that she would discover a huge secret...

She walked shakily to the edge of the lotus pond, her eyes fixed on Fan Nianjing's back. Fan Nianjing, seeing someone approaching, was about to put on his wet coat when the old woman pulled him away and then hugged him, bursting into tears!

Fan Nianjing was extremely embarrassed. Although the other party was an old woman, it was still inappropriate for him to be hugged by a woman while shirtless. The guards next to him also rushed over and pulled the old woman away.

"Grandma, have you encountered some difficulties? Why are you crying so sadly?"

The old woman knelt down before Fan Nianjing. Her first words startled everyone around her, causing them to stumble.

"Your Highness...it really is Your Highness...you've made me search so hard!"

Fan Nianjing inwardly cried out in alarm. How could this woman know his identity? He said awkwardly, "Grandma, you must be mistaken. I am not some prince."

“No, no, absolutely no!” the woman said with certainty. Then she stood up and pulled Fan Nianjing, saying, “The mountain-shaped birthmark on your lower back is exactly the same as when you were a child. How could I be mistaken? This old servant even breastfed His Highness before. There’s no way I could be wrong!”

Her words caused a great stir. For some reason, the woman's words suddenly spread throughout the court, and all the ministers heard that Fan Nianjing, the son of the Minister of Revenue, might be the prince who had disappeared many years ago.

Zhao Gou received a constant stream of memorials requesting verification, and many people secretly speculated about the truth of the matter, while others worried that Zhao Gou would kill them to silence them. But things didn't go as everyone expected. Fan Tianxiang, Fan Nianjing, and the old woman were all brought back to Bianjing, and a special investigation was launched by the Three Departments.

The matter proceeded smoothly. Fan Tianxiang explained that Fan Nianjing was an orphan he and his wife had found on their way to the capital. His parents were unknown, and he had nothing to prove his identity, so they simply adopted him as someone else's abandoned child. This explanation made everyone even more convinced that Fan Nianjing was Prince Zhao Yi. The old woman's identity was also confirmed; she was indeed one of Zhao Yi's wet nurses, and her words were highly credible.

Having heard all sides' accounts, the story seemed to make sense: the prince had been lost outside the palace during a palace coup and was found and adopted by Fan Tianxiang and his wife. However, there was no credible evidence for this, and the court was in turmoil. But many more people were watching Zhao Gou's attitude closely.

Zhao Gou had been diligent in his duties for many years, achieving remarkable political success and winning the hearts of the people. No one dared to suggest that he return the throne to Zhao Yi. However, if Fan Nianjing was indeed Prince Zhao Yi, then Prince Zhao Jiu's position as the eldest son would be threatened. The court officials cautiously speculated on Zhao Gou's thoughts. Most believed that Zhao Gou would not acknowledge his nephew to protect his son's right to succession. However, unexpectedly, Zhao Gou ordered the imperial physicians to conduct a blood test to verify kinship!

Zhao Gou, sitting on the dragon throne, said with a smile, "Nianjing has been in and out of the palace since he was a child, and I have a special affinity with him. If, as the wet nurse said, he is indeed my imperial nephew Zhao Yi, then it will be a great joy for our Great Song Dynasty! I must announce this to our ancestors and let him return to the royal family!"

The courtiers exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 166 The Unspeakable Dragon Throne

After the morning court session, Qin Zhen waited for Zhao Gou in the back hall. Seeing that he looked well, she let out a long sigh.

"Don't the ministers have any suspicions? This matter is being carried out too hastily, and it's making me extremely worried."

Zhao Gou held her hand and said, "It's been dragging on for so many years, it should be resolved eventually. Now everything is under my control, there will be no unexpected incidents, so don't worry."

Qin Zhen, still somewhat uneasy, said, "That's good. But have you made proper arrangements for my senior brother and the background of Floating Cloud Manor? Make sure no one is found out."

“If I didn’t acknowledge him as my imperial nephew, many people would investigate. But now I’m openly and honestly asking him to acknowledge his ancestry, so who would bother with this? The people in the court aren’t fools. Even if they understand this, no one is willing to do something that benefits no one.”

As they walked and talked, Zhao Gou said, "Next year, when Jiu'er comes down from the mountain, I will pass the throne to Jing'er, and we will take Jiu'er and Jin'er to travel around the world, shall we?"

Qin Zhenyi asked her, "Are you really willing to give up the throne?"

"Being an emperor isn't all that great. We can still live like gods after we leave the palace!"

Qin Zhen smiled, not doubting his words at all. Zhao Gou's Linlang Pavilion made a fortune by taking advantage of the reopening of the Silk Road, and took the lead in the newly opened maritime trade. With the addition of years of previous management, Linlang Pavilion's assets are now comparable to those of a country, and they can live a life better than gods wherever they go!

The results of the blood test for kinship identification came out quickly. At the morning court session the next day, dozens of imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy knelt in the court. The chief physician reported, "After examination by dozens of of us, it has been confirmed that the blood of Young Master Fan Nianjing and the blood of His Majesty are indeed of the same lineage, and he is indeed a royal blood relative!"

"Good, very good!" Zhao Gou laughed, but the ministers were somewhat taken aback. It wasn't until Fan Tianxiang and Fan Nianjing were brought to the court that everyone realized that the emperor was truly going to have the princes acknowledge their ancestors.

Zhao Gou, sitting above Fan Nianjing, said, "Nianjing, I never expected you to be my long-lost nephew, Zhao Yi. It's been so kind of you to call me uncle for so many years. From now on, you must call me imperial uncle, understand?"

Fan Nianjing looked helpless. He kept muttering to himself, "Why didn't you tell me beforehand that you were going to announce your identity? You made me worry for so long!" But he could only reply, "Yes, Imperial Uncle."

Zhao Gou then ordered the Ministry of Rites to quickly prepare for the various matters related to recognizing the imperial lineage and bestowed upon Fan Tianxiang the title of "Marquis of Benevolence and Righteousness" in gratitude for his years of raising the imperial heir.

The ancestral recognition ceremony proceeded smoothly after a late summer rain. Following the ceremony, Fan Nianjing resumed using the name Zhao Yi and accepted the title "Loyal to the King" bestowed upon him by Zhao Gou.

Zhao Yi had only been in the capital for a short time; before even the foundation of the Qinwangfu (Prince's Residence) was completed, he requested to return to the Yellow River water conservancy project to continue supervising the work. Zhao Gou called Zhao Yi to his side and said earnestly, "You will inherit the throne in the future. Leave the water conservancy work to others. From today onwards, you will learn from me how to handle government affairs."

Zhao Yi disagreed, saying, "The throne is meant to be left to Zhao Jiu, not to me."

“This position should have been yours,” Zhao Gou emphasized.

Zhao Yi remained unconvinced, seemingly finding no appeal whatsoever to the position of the most powerful ruler in the land.

"Uncle, it's too early to talk about this now. Let's discuss it again in a few decades. These past few years have been a dry season for the Yellow River, a good time for large-scale water conservancy projects. I need to go back quickly."

Looking at his nephew Zhao Yi, Zhao Gou recalled his conversation with his son Zhao Jiu last year. He shook his head and said, "Enough, enough! You're all like this. Is there thorns on the dragon throne? Why are you all avoiding it like the plague!"

Upon receiving the order, Zhao Yi hurriedly ran out of the palace. After Zhao Gou told Qin Zhen about this, Qin Zhen smiled and said, "The children nowadays are so different from you back then. Your dozen or so brothers all wanted this throne, but now Zhao Yi and Zhao Jiu don't want to sit on it. I think it will be a bit difficult for you to hand over the dragon throne."

Zhao Gou was both amused and exasperated. His nearly four-year-old daughter, Zhao Jin, climbed onto his lap and said, "Father, Father. If they don't want it, give it to Jin'er. Jin'er loves that big dragon throne. It's so comfortable to sleep on!"

Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou were amused by Zhao Jin's words. Zhao Gou said, "This is terrible! Our Jin'er wants to be empress! What are we going to do?"

"Stop joking! You actually believe Jin'er's nonsense!" Qin Zhen hugged Zhao Jin and continued, "After thinking it over, I still think Zhao Yi is more suitable for this position. Putting aside what happened back then, just looking at how diligent and caring this child is, and how well he understands the suffering of the people, he should be the one. As for Jiu'er, firstly, his eye disease hasn't fully healed, which makes things inconvenient for him. Besides, look at how he's always getting along so well with his senior brothers. Letting him inherit the throne would be worse than killing him, wouldn't it?"

Zhao Gou nodded. He hadn't expected that Zhao Jiu, who was not even ten years old, would become such a martial arts fanatic. Originally, Ji Wuhuan said that practicing internal energy cultivation would be good for his health, so they asked Ji Wuhuan and Su Mufei to teach him some. Who knew that once they started teaching, things would get out of control. Zhao Jiu learned martial arts incredibly quickly, making Ji and Su both marvel at his talent.

Over the years, Zhao Jiu's poison subsided slightly due to the suppression of his internal energy. He can now see bright light and blurry shadows. This encouragement makes him even more proactive. He feels that as long as his internal energy is strong enough, he can cure his eyes without the Eight-Leaf Lotus Eye Grass!

On one hand, Zhao Yi was working desperately to control the Yellow River, while on the other hand, Zhao Jiu was practicing his martial arts with all his might, hoping to see the light of day soon. The elders were naturally pleased to see their diligence and hard work, but no one knew that the two of them were actually extremely proud children, each with a strong will and neither of them wanted to break the promise they made years ago.

Zhao Gou pondered for a while, then finally gave up and said, "Forget it, forget it. Maybe the children will change their minds when they grow up and have their own ideas. Let's wait two more years."

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 167 An Extraordinary Kidnapping

In 1137, the reign title was changed to Shengxi. Coincidentally, it was also the third birthday of Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou). The palace and the surrounding area were bustling with activity as preparations were made for the wedding banquet in mid-May.

One day, Qin Zhen was sunbathing in the garden with Zhao Jin. She said to her daughter, who was crawling on the grass, "What should I give your father? I haven't given him anything important yet."

The little girl was so engrossed in "picking flowers and playing with plants" that she didn't hear what Qin Zhen was saying. Wanqiu chimed in from the side, "Empress giving a stone to the Emperor is a treasure!"

Qin Zhen laughed and said, "You're getting more and more casual with your words, and it's really giving me a headache!"

As luck would have it, Zhao Gou always liked to appear unintentionally behind Qin Zhen, and he overheard Qin Zhen's words again. He walked out with a smile and said, "You've already given me the best gift, so what's there to worry about?"

What did I give you?

Zhao Gou sat down next to Qin Zhen and said, "You have given yourself and your two children to me, and these are my most precious possessions!"

A sweet feeling filled Qin Zhen's heart. The two were deeply in love when they suddenly heard a guard outside shouting, "There's an assassin!"

The two were startled. Who would dare to trespass into the palace in broad daylight? Qin Zhen handed Zhao Jin, who was lying on the grass, to Wan Qiu to take back to Yuxiu Palace, and then walked out with Zhao Gou.

A large group of guards rushed over and surrounded the emperor and empress in several layers. Zhao Gou asked, "Where is the assassin?"

The captain of the guards reported, "Assassins have been discovered in several palaces simultaneously, and the guards are searching diligently. Your Majesty, please come inside with the Empress; it is dangerous outside."

Zhao Gou gave a soft snort: "I will wait here for the assassins to come!"