I won't be a courtier anymore

Chapter 20: To the Origin

"Yes." Xu Jiwu reluctantly said.

"It's good to meet friends." Xie Feng looked at Xu Jiwu with a calm expression on his face, and there was no displeasure between his brows, "It's just that you are not from the rivers and lakes after all, so you should stay away."

"Why do friends care so much? Just get angry." Xu Jiwu retorted.

Xie Feng squinted at Xu Jiwu, nodded with a smile, and said, "It's good that you have your own opinion, and I won't say much. Auntie is lonely at home, so you can spend more time with her. The child wants to support her, but she won't wait for her. Don't wait." Only people like me know filial piety."

"Yes." Xu Jiwu said.

"If you want to hear the words in your heart, don't let the left ear go in and the right ear go out." Xie Feng said again.

Xu Jiwu stretched out his hand and pushed Xie Feng onto the sedan chair, and said again and again: "Why are you so talkative, cousin, you should hurry back and rest."

"If you don't want to hear it, I won't say it." Xie Feng stretched out his hand and patted Xu Jiwu's head, "You are the only one who is lively."

"Cousin go slowly." Xu Jiwu saluted with a smile, and Xie Feng returned the salute with clasped fists: "Cousin also rest early."

Xie Feng and Xu Jiwu played well when they were young, and they hit each other very well when they grew up. Xu Jiwu also listened to Xie Feng's words.

The Huai River broke its embankment for many years. Once this disaster happened, it became unmanageable. The supplies could not keep up, and no one could take on the heavy task of repairing it. Xie Feng even went to the field in person, carrying sandbags with a group of soldiers, and his legs were covered with mud. .

The capital's material resources were continuously transported, and the hungry people had been properly resettled, but the water control did not improve at all.

The canal has been in disrepair for a long time, and the money for building the canal every year does not know whose pockets it falls into. The longer Xie Feng stayed in Huaiyin, the more angry he became. However, the local and capital officials couldn't be the same, and he was helpless.

It was raining heavily outside again that day, and the river channel that had just been barely built had gone through its first test. Xie Feng dared not leave, and stood with the migrant workers far away.

"Master Xie, you stand here." Seeing Xie Feng coming, the foreman hurriedly invited Xie Feng to a safe place, and Xie Feng also moved a few steps.

The water volume of the Huai River gradually increased, the sky was gloomy, and the rain was getting heavier and heavier, falling on Xie Feng's heart like a thin needle.

When will this rain stop?

The amount of water was getting bigger and bigger, mixed with mud and sand, constantly hitting the newly built channel. Xie Feng was wearing a coir raincoat, and his official clothes were wet with muddy water.

"My lord..." the foreman trembled.

Xie Feng followed his gaze and saw a big hole in the canal outside the city wall. Xie Feng turned around and shouted: "Run! Get out of the way!"

The officers and soldiers who had been waiting on both sides of the strait came forward with sandbags and tried their best to stop them. Several people fell into the water in the chaos and were washed away by the muddy water in a blink of an eye. Xie Feng frowned tightly, his face turned livid.

After the water was redirected, Xie Feng's face was completely black, and the joy of just finishing the work was broken instantly, and basins of cold water were poured on the top of Xie Feng's head.

"Master Xie, my Lord Marquis and Master Su are here to invite you." The Marquis of Huaiyin sent a subordinate to call Xie Feng.

Xie Feng looked at the visitor with calm eyes, and said slowly: "What is your Lord Marquis asking me to do at this time? Think about how to remedy it first."

That's all, he left with a sullen face.

After so many years, so many years, is the Marquis of Huaiyin the kind of common people?

Xie Feng turned his face away and left. The subordinate officer stood there, his face changed for a while, and finally he walked away in a low voice.

"My lord, my lord!" The foreman chased after him and called Xie Feng. As soon as Xie Feng turned around, he saw the foreman running over quickly holding an umbrella and holding his trouser legs.

"My lord." The foreman panted and said anxiously, "The channel below is cracked again."

Xie Feng suddenly clenched his fists.

The foreman rarely showed his big white teeth and smiled: "There is also good news. Today, I heard that the old man of the Chen family who controls the water is still alive and living in seclusion in the downtown area of ​​the city. He supervised the construction of the Huai River embankment 30 years ago." .”

"There are such people, why didn't you say it earlier?" Xie Feng was surprised, if there were such people, they would have been built a long time ago, why would it take so long?

"Little Yuan doesn't know. No one has heard of this old man these years. There were some bad rumors about his only son back then. After he became a monk, the old man disappeared. Today, I accidentally heard someone say that there is someone in the next door. There is an old man named Chen Yong, who knows how to control water." The foreman laughed and said, "I guess it might be this old man, my lord, this is our savior!"

Xie Feng didn't care if it was the old man or not, as long as he had a chance, he would never give it up.

"Go!" Xie Feng said immediately.

The foreman responded, and hurried away with Xie Feng.

The city of Huaiyin was fine, and the rain was cleaned up in time, but there were few people on the road. The foreman held an umbrella for Xie Feng, and the two quickly walked through the rain curtain. It was already slightly dark at this time.

The foreman brought Xie Feng to a house with white walls and blue tiles. The door was not high, and a few sticks of old bamboo were exposed from the top of the wall.

"It's here, my lord." The foreman went forward to knock on the door as he spoke, and a boy's voice came from inside after a while, and the door opened from the inside.

"Who are you?" The boy poked his head out from the door.

"This is Mr. Xie, who was sent by the imperial court to control the water. I am the foreman, and I came here specially to visit Mr. Chen." The foreman said hurriedly.

The little boy looked at Xie Feng, and Xie Feng nodded modestly and said, "Thank you."

The little boy said: "Okay then, wait a moment, I'll ask."

Both Xie Feng and the foreman had a flash of joy in their eyes, it seemed that they were right.

After about a cup of tea, the boy finally invited Xie Feng in.The old man of the Chen family is a builder, and the garden is quite like a family. Old bamboos can be seen everywhere, and they have grown for many years.

"This way." The little boy said.

Xie Feng and the foreman took off their coir raincoats at the door, put down their rain gear, and when they entered the door, they saw an old man lying on the bed, almost sunk in, and there was no ups and downs on the quilt.

"Mister." Xie Feng and the foreman bowed.

The old man turned around slowly, glanced at Xie Feng, nodded for a while and said, "He's a good boy." His speech was already slurred.

Xie Feng bowed and said: "I heard that the old man is an expert in water control, and I came here today to ask for advice. I hope that the old man can help us for the sake of the people of Huaiyin."

The old man opened and closed his mouth, and was finally helped up by the little boy. He looked at Xie Feng's clothes corners that were soaked in mud and water, and smiled slightly: "Is this lord sincerely trying to control the water?"

"Naturally sincere." Xie Feng affirmed.

The foreman also spoke on the sidelines: "Old man, Mr. Xie is absolutely sincere for eating and living with us for so many days!"

The old man laughed and said, "That's good, this water needs to be treated."

When Xie Feng and the foreman came out of the old man's house, they both felt a lot more relaxed, but there was only one thing that weighed heavily on Xie Feng's heart.

According to the old man's calculation, it will cost 100 million taels of silver to control the water alone. Where can I find so much money in a short time?In the past few years, the national treasury has been depleted due to successive years of disasters, not to mention building Taoist temples and temples for the old emperor.

Xie Feng rubbed his temples worriedly.

"My lord, what shall we do now?" asked the foreman.

"No way, first follow what the old man said, I will go to the First Prince to discuss it." Xie Feng said, "There are so many corrupt officials, I don't believe that I can't get together the 100 million taels of silver."

That night, Xie Feng wrote the brochure and wrote a letter to inform the First Prince.

When the people in the court heard that Xie Feng wanted 100 million taels of silver, their eyes widened in fright. With so much money, they might empty the treasury.

The old emperor also changed his face.

In the end, it was the empress who organized the noble ladies in Beijing to donate a lot intermittently. The mother of the country took the lead, and Xie Feng took the opportunity to rob. Jingzhong allocated 60 taels to Huaiyin, and Xie Feng didn't have a cent left for the Huaiyin waterway.

The whole court thought that once the Huaiyin flood was over, this year would be more stable, but unexpectedly, a large-scale flood broke out in the south of the Yangtze River, spreading around Huaiyin as the center, and the surrounding tributaries, even the Lancang River, flooded.

Manchu was shocked.

Over the past few years, the old emperor has built some temples and Taoist temples in order to continue his life. He made alchemy and recited scriptures for himself every day. The treasury was wasted. How could he cope with so much?

In September, Xie Feng was ordered to return to Beijing.

In autumn, the capital is still the same as before. Due to the floods in the south of the Yangtze River, even the price of rice has risen a lot.

Xie Feng entered the palace for a visit, and then returned to the Marquis' Mansion. Although Mr. Xie hadn't suffered from any illness in the past two years, his health was not as good as before, and he closed the door to thank guests every day.

"Master Hou, the prince is back." The person serving Xie Zhan whispered in Xie Zhan's ear.

Xie Zhan was in a daze for a moment before he yawned. The servants put away the quilt on Xie Zhan, and another person supported Xie Zhan to stand up slowly.

"Come on, let's go out and have a look." Xie Zhan said with a smile.

Before the old man walked out, Xie Feng ran in quickly.

"Grandpa! Sit down quickly." Seeing the old man standing tremblingly, Xie Feng quickly stepped forward to support him, and the old man repeatedly said: "I'm getting old, I need someone to support me even for such a small distance. "

"Already 72." Xie Feng said.

Mr. Xie snorted, but didn't say anything else. He just asked, "How's the flood in the south of the Yangtze River? I heard it's serious?"

"Well, the key is no money." Xie Feng said, "The grandson can't use it."

Xie Zhan nodded and said, "This is a problem, have you thought of a solution?"

"Not yet." Xie Feng said, "If it doesn't work, I can only find a way to make them spit out what they ate in the past few years."

"How do you spit out what you eat?" Xie Zhan shook his head and said, "You want their lives, money, power, some people are always reluctant to let go, and I didn't realize until I was my age that they are all things outside the body."

Xie Feng followed and nodded.

"A few days ago, I heard that the second prince invited a local doctor from Shuchuan to treat His Majesty. Did you see him in the palace?" Xie Zhan asked, and the old man murmured, "It's just nonsense. Damn it."

To Xie Feng, these words were like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, or a rainbow after the rain. Isn't that the doctor in Shuchuan Cheng Jing?

Going around and going back to the far point.

The author has something to say: #emm...A little angel asked me if I was going to cheat, absolutely not, don't worry, let me make an update every day today, better than you!