Chapter 11

Chapter 11

That night, Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan stood together in the attic, watching the rain for half an hour, only leaving when urgent reports started coming in from all around.

By noon the next day, the rain finally began to lessen.

By then, the Yi River plains had turned into a vast marshland.

Jiang Yuxun and others, along with the Imperial Water Commissioner, Tong Hailin, rode horses along the banks of the Yi River to assess the flood damage.

It was still drizzling, and the horses moved slowly.

Zhuang Youli leaned close to Jiang Yuxun, lowering his voice to ask, "The rain is almost stopping, why hasn't His Majesty returned to Xianyou Palace and is still staying in the estate?"

Jiang Yuxun tugged at the reins, replying, "The official road leading to Xianyou Palace from upstream Yi River was destroyed by the flood last night. It will take some time to repair."

"I see..." Zhuang Youli sighed, whispering a wish, "I hope the official road is repaired soon."

Like most people in the court, he felt like a mouse in the presence of Ying Changchuan, wishing to hide as far away as possible.

Thinking this, Zhuang Youli's gaze towards Jiang Yuxun grew even more admiring.

Being able to share a room with His Majesty, Ah Xun is truly no ordinary person!

When they first left the estate, Jiang Yuxun and Zhuang Youli were able to chat intermittently.

But as they walked on, both gradually fell into silence.

Along the official road, neat rows of fields were nowhere to be seen.

Ripe melons, not yet harvested, were smashed by the river's fury, pitifully scattered everywhere.

With no embankments to contain it, the floodwaters rampaged across the plains, making Jiang Yuxun feel as if he were in the midst of a lake...

"Hey, Lord Jiang, what are you doing?!" Tong Hailin, who came along, was startled, "Why did you dismount your horse?"

—Seeing the true extent of the Yi River's breach, Tong Hailin’s attitude towards Jiang Yuxun suddenly became very courteous.

Jiang Yuxun didn't answer him and walked straight to the roadside, fishing out a melon floating on the filthy water.

He carefully wiped it clean with his sleeve and placed it in his saddlebag.

Tong Hailin looked puzzled: "Lord Jiang, why save it? That melon isn't worth much."

Although His Majesty had punished Jiang Yuxun with a three-year forfeiture of salary, surely he didn’t need to be... this frugal?

The young man gently shook his head.

In the months before his time travel, Jiang Yuxun had lived alone in a rented apartment, throwing away many spoiled items from his fridge without hesitation.

But this time, seeing this small melon, Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but think of the scorching sun along the Yi River banks, the calloused hands of the peasant women, and the simple melon sheds by the river.

Everything that once was, now gone, even the thatched roofs of the sheds washed away by the water.

"Ah Xun!" Zhuang Youli, riding on horseback, suddenly shouted, "Look over there! Someone is swimming towards us on the left—"

Through the misty rain, a figure could vaguely be seen swimming in the water.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yuxun, who grew up by the river in his past life, immediately dived into the water.

"Be careful, Ah Xun!" Zhuang Youli also jumped off his horse and paced anxiously on the road, lamenting, "This is bad, I can't swim at all..."

The Imperial Seal Inspector dismounted and headed towards Jiang Yuxun's location.

But to everyone’s surprise, Jiang Yuxun stood up in the water the next moment: "It's alright, no need to come over!"

It turned out that the water in this area was only waist-deep.

A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Jiang Yuxun's heart.

Don't overthink it, just don't.

He adjusted his breathing while wading through the water.

The floodwater of the Yi River was ice-cold, quickly leeching all warmth from the young man’s body.

"Hey—can you hear me speaking?"

"Can you hear me?"

The young man's voice echoed over the water’s surface.

But apart from the cries of birds, there was no response.

Jiang Yuxun's heart sank bit by bit.

Suddenly, the rain intensified, and Zhuang Youli on the shore became anxious: "Ah Xun, what's wrong?"

By this time, Jiang Yuxun had reached the person in the water.

He didn't speak but took a deep breath and slowly reached out to push on the person's shoulder.

A cold, hard sensation transmitted from his fingertips.

Jiang Yuxun instinctively retracted his hand.

At the same time, accompanied by a "splash" sound, the figure in front of him suddenly turned over.

"Ah!" Jiang Yuxun instinctively closed his eyes and stepped back.

Though he had only glimpsed for a moment, the image of the person was etched into the young man’s heart.

The man was dressed in coarse clothes, his body emaciated. His face, swollen and pale from the river water, still bore traces of being weather-beaten and years of hard labor.

He was ignorant, a follower of the Listening Heaven Platform.

But more than that, he was just an ordinary person who probably spent his entire life toiling in the fields, perhaps never having learned to read.

"Listening Heaven Platform..." Jiang Yuxun clenched his teeth.

This was the first time in his life he faced death directly.

The river wind blew, dispersing some of the misty rain.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuxun noticed the man's arms were raised high in a bizarre posture, as if he had been desperately holding onto something…

He instinctively turned to search.

At the same time, a wail pierced through the rain curtain, coming from the other side of the pooled water.

"Ah Xun, why aren't you coming up?" Zhuang Youli called out loudly from the shore.

"Just a moment!" Jiang Yuxun slowly adjusted his breathing and followed the sound.

After walking about ten meters, he finally saw a small wooden basin floating on the water, gently rocking with the waves.

Inside the basin, a child was restlessly crying.

Jiang Yuxun hurried forward, carefully lifting the infant, who seemed only a few months old, from the basin and quickly made his way to the shore.

By now, he was completely drenched.

"My heavens..." Zhuang Youli approached, astonished, "Is that a baby? How did he end up here?"

The Imperial Seal Inspector draped a blanket over Jiang Yuxun's shoulders, asking, "My lord, are you alright?"

"Cough cough, I'm, I'm fine..." The young man began to speak, only then realizing his body was uncontrollably trembling.

Tong Hailin, who had dismounted at some point, slowly approached, glanced at the child, and shook his head, "It's tragic. This child must have been hidden here with his parents."

"Is that so?" Zhuang Youli was taken aback.

The Imperial Seal Inspector explained, "Most people from both banks of the Yi River went to the estate to seek refuge, but a few staunch followers of the Listening Heaven Platform hid away, refusing to cooperate."

"Yes..." Tong Hailin prodded the child's arm, "Look at the swaddle, it's written with a charm praying for the blessings of Xuantian."

The ink of the charm was not yet dry, likely hurriedly written as the floodwaters rose.

"I see... Master Tong truly is knowledgeable!"

Tong Hailin, coming from a noble family of the former dynasty, knew much more about the Listening Heaven Platform than younger men like Zhuang Youli.

Perhaps Tong Hailin had been a bit too forceful, as the child burst into tears again, instinctively wrapping his arms around Jiang Yuxun's neck.

"Don't cry, don't cry." He, who had never soothed a child before, fumbled to comfort the infant.

The child, freezing cold yet with soft cheeks, rubbed his face against Jiang Yuxun's neck.

The young man instinctively turned his head to avoid the ticklish sensation.

And in that moment, he saw—

Not far away, a newly erected Iron Rhino statue meant to guard the river was half submerged in water.

Only its upper half and the inscription "The Land Remains Unharmed" were barely visible above the waterline.

In his previous life, Jiang Yuxun had seen this Iron Rhino.

But it was not by the Yi River; instead, it was in a museum in a distant foreign land.

The Yi River had breached its banks, but the millennia of shattered landscapes and the decline of people's livelihoods had yet to unfold...

Jiang Yuxun's movements momentarily stilled.

The chill of the drizzle, the roar of last night's dam burst, and the soft touch on his neck converged on him all at once.

A sour sensation exploded in the young man's chest.

At this moment, accompanied by the infant's cries, Jiang Yuxun suddenly realized with stark clarity—just now, he had fully merged into this era, with no way to remain detached.

-

By dusk, Jiang Yuxun and his party finished patrolling the river and returned to the estate.

The rain continued to drizzle down, turning the courtyard muddy and soggy.

Yet, for some unknown reason, hundreds of people from the estate had already been waiting there.

And the moment the horses entered the front courtyard, they all knelt down in unison.

"...What is this?"

The young man hadn’t even reacted when the crowd began bowing in his direction.

"Lord Jiang!"

"Immense grace and kindness, we have nothing to repay with!"

"Please accept our bow—"

Unlike the previous night, the rain was not heavy at this moment.

Unmuffled by the rain, the villagers' voices of gratitude thundered through the sky, numbing the heart.

Jiang Yuxun immediately dismounted, instinctively returning their gesture with a bow.

"Please, everyone, get up. I truly don't deserve such honor!"

"Lord Jiang, you deserve it!" a villager nearby said loudly, eyes reddened, "If not for you, we would have perished last night and couldn't have the chance to bow to you today!"

"Yes! Without Lord Jiang, we would have believed the sorcerer’s words and just waited for death in our homes!"

It was different from the past.

Today, a glint of light sparkled in everyone's eyes.

Their gaze towards Jiang Yuxun was filled with respect, admiration, and undeniable gratitude.

As they spoke, they prepared to bow again.

There were too many people for Jiang Yuxun to assist individually, so he could only bow again in response: "Please stand up, everyone. Don't catch a cold!"

Seeing this, some villagers finally couldn’t help but break into smiles, discreetly turning away to wipe their tears.

"Lord Jiang, Lord Jiang..."

As Jiang Yuxun stood there, somewhat at a loss, someone came forward and gently patted his shoulder.

The young man finally collected himself, looked up and said, "Eunuch Sang?" Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, "I'll go report about the river affairs to His Majesty right away."

"No rush, no rush," Eunuch Sang said with a smile, lowering his voice, "His Majesty instructed to first take you to bathe and change clothes, then discuss the river affairs later."

After saying this, he led Jiang Yuxun towards the back courtyard.

After the torrential rain, the firewood was damp.

Boiling water would take some time.

Completely drenched, Jiang Yuxun did not return to his room, but instead sat on the threshold of the small courtyard, hugging his knees and waiting patiently.

Recalling the scenes along the banks of the Yi River, he sighed heavily after a long silence.

"Why so downcast, my loyal subject."

A familiar voice broke the silence in the courtyard.

It was still lazy and deep, but seemed somewhat less indifferent than usual.

"Your Majesty..."

Ying Changchuan shook his head, interrupting the young man's attempt to stand up.

Jiang Yuxun softly said, "A few days ago, I only wanted to fiercely confront the Listening Heaven Platform without fully considering what a breached dam would mean. Seeing all this today, I suddenly wish... if only the dam had not breached. Let the Listening Heaven Platform boast if they must, it's better than losing lives."

Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but lower his head, sniffing.

Ying Changchuan's eyes deepened as he looked at him intently, responding with a simple "Hmm."

Under the influence of debuff, Jiang Yuxun had, without realizing, grown accustomed to sharing his deepest thoughts with the eminent figure before him.

"Today, by the river, I saw a drowned believer... In his final moments, he wore tattered clothes, desperately protecting a child in a basin. I felt both that he deserved it and yet couldn’t help but feel a twinge in my heart."

"...If only all of this could be changed," he sighed.

Having said that, the young man slowly stood up, looking up at Ying Changchuan: "Your Majesty, am I being naive?"

The rain had stopped unknowingly, leaving the sky exceptionally clear.

From Ying Changchuan's perspective—

The stars were brilliant, shattering in the youth's eyes in that instant.

Even the heart of the Emperor was momentarily swayed.

As the words fell, Jiang Yuxun realized the impropriety of his statement.

Ah, what was I thinking, asking Ying Changchuan this!

He must be mocking me in his heart, right?

The history books record that Ying Changchuan, of noble birth and particular about many things, required courtiers to bathe and burn incense before ascending to the great hall.

Future generations deduced from this that he most likely had a penchant for cleanliness.

...He found himself not only completely drenched, but also uncomfortably close to Ying Changchuan.

Jiang Yuxun hesitated for a moment, instinctively stepping back.

Just then, the eunuch's voice carried over from not far away: "Lord Jiang, the water is ready!"

"Your Majesty, I..."

"Go ahead."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuxun finally let out a sigh of relief.

He immediately turned and walked briskly towards the house.

As he entered, a river breeze suddenly brought a couple of words to the young man's ears.

"It's not."

Ying Changchuan said softly.