Chapter 8

Chapter 8

History did not record the exact date of the dam collapse.

Just to be safe, Jiang Yuxun advised the villagers on both sides of the Yi River to evacuate within three days.

At noon, the sun blazed fiercely.

The river water was muddy and scalding.

Just as Jiang Yuxun reached the riverbank, a baby-faced young man pulled him aside: "Ah Xun, come here!"

"What's wrong, Youli?"

The baby-faced youth was named Zhuang Youli, the only son of Zhuang Yue.

On the day Jiang Yuxun crossed over, it was him sitting beside him.

"The riverbank has been dried by the sun, and the Yi River is calm and tranquil," Zhuang Youli, sent by his father to assist, covered his mouth with his hand and whispered dramatically into Jiang Yuxun's ear, "If the dike doesn’t break, we're doomed."

The rising water level of the Yi River and the early relocation of the villagers to prevent potential disaster was a perfectly normal measure.

However, the words of the local wizard gave this action a special significance.

Jiang Yuxun comforted him: "Don't worry, it's not that exaggerated."

"How can it not be!" Zhuang Youli's eyes widened, "The stir you've caused this time is just too big..."

After speaking, he sighed deeply and turned to look at the Yi River: "If the weather stays clear as the wizard said, people will believe in divination even more, and the court's prestige will further decline."

Jiang Yuxun gently patted Zhuang Youli's shoulder: "But the court can't let thousands of people bear the risk of a dike breach just because of this."

"Ah... You're right," Zhuang Youli murmured after a moment of silence, "I hope this trip isn't in vain."

The sun was blazing at the Yi River bank, painfully scorching the skin.

Glistening ripples appeared on the river's surface.

"It's noon," Zhuang Youli shaded his eyes with his hand, "Let's find a cool place to rest for a bit."

Jiang Yuxun was about to agree when he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "My melons!"

He instinctively turned back and saw several small fragrant melons rolling down the path on the dike, about to plunge into the water.

Jiang Yuxun immediately stepped forward and scooped them into his arms.

Then, he couldn't help but lower his head and gently sniff.

For a long time in ancient China, melons were the only type of fruit available.

Nobles and royalty were immensely fascinated by them.

The faint scent of fruit instantly filled his nostrils.

Despite the thousand-year gap, the aroma of the fruit was just as Jiang Yuxun remembered.

"—Thank heavens!" A middle-aged peasant woman stumbled down from the riverbank and was about to kneel, "I am so sorry for disturbing your Excellencies! I will move them back up immediately."

"Please, get up!" Jiang Yuxun was startled by her.

Seeing Jiang Yuxun's hands full, Zhuang Youli quickly stepped forward to help her up.

The slope of the riverbank was steep, and it was obviously difficult for one person to carry the melons up alone.

Jiang Yuxun handed a few melons to Zhuang Youli.

"It's alright, we'll help you carry them up."

Saying this, they began walking up the embankment.

"…How can I accept this!" The woman kept thanking them all the way, her face turning red with gratitude.

To divert her attention, Jiang Yuxun, while walking up the riverbank, casually asked her: "Do you live nearby?"

"Yes," they had just reached the top of the riverbank when the woman eagerly pointed in a direction, "Look, sirs, my home is right there!"

Jiang Yuxun looked in the direction she was pointing.

The next moment, he heard Zhuang Youli mutter softly: "Where’s the house?"

Below the riverbank was clearly just a field, without even a wall in sight.

The peasant woman said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sirs, that melon shed over there is my home."

A thousand years ago, the poor could not afford proper houses.

Most impoverished families had to squeeze into narrow shacks.

A few wooden sticks supporting a bed plank, covered with straw, constituted the dwelling for an entire family.

Jiang Yuxun's heart felt a pang of sorrow.

"Ah, I see..." Zhuang Youli said awkwardly.

While they were talking, a little boy about eight or nine years old suddenly ran over from the other end of the embankment: "Mother!"

The peasant woman quickly wiped her hands on her apron, took the melons from Jiang Yuxun, and stuffed a few into her son's arms: "Hold them tight, don't drop them again. We're lucky these gentlemen were here, or we'd have been in trouble!"

After speaking, she hurriedly bowed to the two men with her son and prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment," Jiang Yuxun quickly stopped her, "There are still two left."

"These are for you gentlemen, grown by us. Please take them to try!"

Hearing his mother's words, the child pouted: "Mom, I want to try it too..."

Fragrant melons were coveted among the nobles, yet the peasants who grew them might never afford to taste one in their entire lives.

Jiang Yuxun paused for a moment. Instead of returning the melons to the peasant woman, he pulled out some silver coins from his sleeve and stuffed them into the child's hand: "I'm sorry, let's consider this as our purchase."

The peasant woman was startled by the silver: "Sir, this is too much!"

She immediately took the money from her son's hand, insisting on returning it to Jiang Yuxun.

Seeing this, Zhuang Youli also realized what was happening: "Uh... Yes! Please keep it, Lord Jiang's monthly salary is substantial, he has plenty of money! This amount is trivial."

"...That's right," Jiang Yuxun nodded, gritting his teeth and smiling at the woman, "Exactly, this small amount... means nothing to me."

After saying this, he quickly pulled Zhuang Youli away, swiftly leaving the place.

"Ah! Sir—" The peasant woman, stunned, hurriedly followed them, "Sir, wait, please wait!"

However, the young man's steps didn't falter, only slowing down after her voice faded away.

……

A cool breeze blew through the trees beside the riverbank.

Jiang Yuxun sat under a tree, splitting the melon in half, and shared it with Zhuang Youli.

The melons were in season.

Biting into it, the sweet taste instantly filled his mouth, seemingly dissipating some of the summer heat.

But thinking of the woman's trusting and grateful gaze when she left, and that small melon shed.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuxun felt the melon in his hand becoming heavy.

A bitter taste spread in his mouth.

-

The villagers along the Yi River had been temporarily relocated to nearby farms.

Ying Changchuan, dressed in black, finished inspecting the river and entered the largest of the farms late at night.

As he walked in, he opened the report delivered by the Xuan Yin Surveillance today by the light of the lanterns.

After flipping through a few pages, his fingers suddenly paused.

...A substantial monthly salary, plenty of money?

His Minister, in fact, had been living in poverty due to a three-year salary penalty.

Ying Changchuan, who had been quickly scanning the report, suddenly stopped on this page, motionless for a long time.

Finally, he couldn't help but laugh.

"This small amount of money" must have caused Jiang Yuxun quite some pain.

A moment later, as Ying Changchuan was about to turn the page, he suddenly heard a commotion nearby.

He paused and slowly closed the report: "What's happening?"

"Your Majesty," an attendant guarding nearby immediately approached, kneeling on one knee and nervously reported, "Just now, some villagers were spreading the wizard’s prophecy here. When they were caught, they became angry and started ranting wildly…"

The blazing sun today made everyone uneasy.

Added to this was the busy farming season, and relocating here undoubtedly meant missing crucial agricultural timing.

Anxiety slowly spread among the crowd.

Soon, some restless individuals seized this opportunity to spread the wizard's prophecy, voicing their dissatisfaction with the court and Ying Changchuan himself.

Before the attendant could finish speaking, Ying Changchuan had already arrived outside the small courtyard where the man was.

"Your Majesty—" the attendant started to say something but was interrupted by Ying Changchuan raising his hand.

Inside the half-open courtyard gate, a skinny man was being held down by soldiers, struggling and shouting: "...Where am I wrong? Hasn’t the current Emperor plotted his way to the throne?!"

The shrill voice clearly reached everyone's ears.

Hearing these words, the imperial guards accompanying the Emperor instinctively looked at him.

Unexpectedly, Ying Changchuan didn’t show anger but stood at his spot, leisurely peering through the half-open gate.

"Whimper..."

Inside the courtyard, soldiers stuffed a cloth into the man's mouth, but this couldn't stop the curses from being heard.

According to the "Zhou Laws," this man would be sentenced to life labor on the frontier.

For him, this might be no different from death.

Seeing that he had reached a dead end, the emaciated man became even more unrestrained:

"Traitor and usurper... In my view, the torrential rain in Zhaodu and the flooding of Yuyang Palace are nothing but retribution!"

Ying Changchuan was originally a noble from the previous dynasty, joining the army in his youth and quelling rebellions across the land.

However, the former dynasty's royal family, who saw him as a lifesaver, never dreamed that on the day of peace, he would suddenly turn against them and storm back to Zhao Du.

What was even more unexpected was that the spineless court officials and nobles didn't resist at all and instead proclaimed Ying Changchuan as the emperor.

Hearing this, the faces of those around turned ashen.

Although people often referred to Ying Changchuan as a "traitorous official" behind his back, no one dared to utter these words in his presence.

The imperial guards tightened their grip on their swords, ready to execute anyone in the courtyard at a moment's notice.

Yet Ying Changchuan delayed issuing any command.

The emperor narrowed his eyes, peering towards the other side of the courtyard under the lamplight—

Jiang Yuxun, who was in charge of the matter, had also arrived.

He appeared as though he had just been awakened from sleep.

Casually draped in a light blue robe, his long hair tied in a ponytail, he hurried over.

Ying Changchuan couldn't help but be curious; what would Jiang Yuxun, who seldom showed him any deference, say today?

The young man stood firm in the lamplight.

After hearing what the man was saying, he suddenly sneered and stepped forward: "A traitorous official?"

The disdain in Jiang Yuxun's tone was unmistakably clear, silencing the entire courtyard.

Even the man pressed to the ground struggled to lift his head to look at him.

The candlelight ignited the deep darkness in the young man's eyes.

His features were strikingly illuminated.

Jiang Yuxun squatted down, looking at the man with contempt.

—Please, although I'm a critic of Ying Changchuan, even critics have principles, okay?

As a modern man, Jiang Yuxun doesn't buy into the old notions of "a ruler being a ruler, a minister being a minister, a father being a father, a son being a son."

Overthrowing an old dynasty is never a negative point for him.

"The capable rise, the average step aside, the mediocre fall, the inferior are eliminated." The young man's clear voice pierced the long night, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Such an argument was unheard of before.

"You—" The man's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

Outside the courtyard, Ying Changchuan’s gaze suddenly deepened.

The topic of him seizing power has always been a taboo in court and politics.

It seemed as though labeling him a "traitor and usurper" was an unspoken consensus.

Today was the first time Ying Changchuan heard someone openly discuss this matter.

Let alone the fact that what Jiang Yuxun said was an opinion even he had never heard before...

Inside the courtyard, the young man stood up again.

His light blue robe gently draped over him like moonlight.

Yet, the words he spoke were as intense as the moonlight was gentle:

"In my view, a world won by strength is far more justified than one inherited by birth."

After his words fell, Jiang Yuxun didn’t spare the man another glance, turning directly to those who brought him here, saying, "Take him away and deal with him according to the 'Zhou Laws'."

The other party was momentarily stunned but quickly responded: "Uh... yes, Lord Jiang!"

The rest of the soldiers finally snapped out of their daze, yanked the man up from the ground, and escorted him out of the courtyard.

The lanterns flickered for a moment.

It was quite a scene.

Moments later, accompanied by a soft creaking sound,

The half-open courtyard door in front of Ying Changchuan was pushed open.

A figure in dark attire then appeared before everyone.

Author's note:

A critic: Damn it, this is even more uncomfortable than him hearing me insult him.

*Quoted from the internet