To Rule in a Turbulent World

Li Zhifeng didn't follow today, firstly because the Quan Rong was conspicuous and afraid of being seen by the prince, and secondly because Li Yan ordered him not to go, so Li Zhifeng sat in the courtyard.Fireflies flew around in the summer night, and the students were drinking sour plums and gossiping in the courtyard. You Miao came back and said, "Li Zhifeng."

Li Zhifeng was drinking tea with Zhang Wenhan and Zheng Yong in front of the porch. Seeing You Miao came back, he got up to wash towels.

You Miao followed him in and said, "I heard today that there is a flood in the south of the Yangtze River."

Li Zhifeng frowned slightly, and said, "Is Yangzhou soaked?"

You Miao worried: "I don't know, what should I do?"

You Miao changed out of the sweaty brocade robe and went out in a tulle scholar's robe. Li Zhifeng came over with a towel to wipe his face, and said, "Jiangbo Villa will also be soaked?"

Zhang Wenhan listened and asked, "Is there a flood?"

You Miao nodded, eyebrows furrowed tightly, Zheng Yongdao: "Floods come fast and retreat fast, but I don't worry about it, I'm afraid of waterlogging."

Li Zhifeng said, "Or should I go back and have a look today?"

Zhang Wenhan said: "If there is a flood, there is nothing to be afraid of. My parents have planted the land in the villa for decades, and they have never seen water flood in. At most, it will flood to Anlu, and Guozhuang will be fine."

You Miao was relieved, nodded and said, "That's good, what about other places?"

Zhang Wenhan said: "Jiangcheng Mansion is facing the river. It's hard to say that Biyu Mountain Villa is on the ancient tea-horse road, and nothing will happen. Is it raining? I'm afraid of waterlogging. It will rain forever and affect the harvest."

You Miao couldn't explain clearly either, Zheng Yong nodded in understanding and said, "It's not easy for farmers to eat depending on the sky."

You Miao glanced at Li Zhifeng, and Li Zhifeng was also looking at him. You Miao said, "I'm worried about our water truck. Master Huang said at the beginning that the water truck will only be completed if it can withstand a big flood."

Li Zhifeng thought for a while and said, "I'll go find out more."

"Where do you go to find out?" You Miao said: "The Six Departments know about this now. I heard from Qin Shaonan that this matter will only be mentioned in the morning tomorrow."

Zhang Wenhan said: "Young Master, don't worry, Uncle Qiao is an expert. If there is anything wrong, he must send someone to report. If no one goes to Beijing, then it's okay."

As soon as You Miao thought it was reasonable, she nodded slowly, and Zhang Wenhan said: "I will take the test in a few days, and I will go back after the test."

You Miao said: "I'm not afraid of anything else, only that the water tanker won't be able to withstand the flood."

Li Zhifeng sat down beside him and said, "Swelling water can withstand it."

You Miao said: "There is a lot of water in the upper reaches, and the river road on the north and south banks of the villa is very narrow. Once the flood comes, it will be dangerous."

Li Zhifeng groaned, and said, "Either add four dowels and stop the waterwheel first."

You Miao's brows and eyes were full of anxiety, and he said: "Only you and I know the blueprints, but my uncle still doesn't understand."

Zhang Wenhan said again: "No way, there is such a big flood. Don't worry, young master, after the exam, I will go back and have a look."

Although You Miao was worried, she had nothing to do, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being.

A few days later, on the first day of July, the scorching summer seemed to be on fire, and the students went to the Imperial College for the exam, one room for one person, and You Miao hadn't suffered for several years. In the yard outside the exam room, cicadas were screaming loudly. It's just annoying.

The examiner sent out the question, which was exactly the sentence in "The Doctrine of the Mean" that "the Dao is not far away, everyone should be the Dao, but the far-away people should not be the Dao".You Miao has experienced the pain of this sentence, and when she saw this sentence, she remembered the scene where Sun Yu was vicious, and then slapped her face with a book.It was funny and helpless, and I sighed my luck, so I started a draft and wrote an article.

Halfway through the exam, she heard someone talking outside the exam room, vaguely Cheng Guangwu's voice, You Miao panicked, finished writing hastily, and suffered in the room for two days, when the paper was handed in, it was still hot outside and sweating all over Like a big steamer.

Seeing that Cheng Guangwu was really there, You Miao said, "Go back and tell me, don't panic."

Back in Taixue, Zhang Wenhan also came out of the exam. Cheng Guangwu was sweating profusely, his robe was stuck to his body, as if he had been fished out of the water, and said: "Master, there is a flood in the south of the Yangtze River."

"I know." You Miao said: "I heard from people in the court, how about our family first?"

Cheng Guangwu said: "The villa is fine, the water can't reach the top, but it's still raining for six days in a row. When I left the villa, the Yangtze River has already risen ten feet high."

You Miao couldn't hear it anymore, and frowned, "Where's the waterwheel?"

Cheng Guangwu said: "It's all right now. If the water rises, I'm afraid it will be bad. Uncle asked me to ride over and tell the young master that there is no shortage of money in our villa. If it breaks, find someone to keep it as it was before." Just do one."

At the beginning, those craftsmen were invited from all over the south of the Yangtze River. Old craftsman Huang left after finishing the waterwheel. Later, You Miao wanted to ask him to help build a mill, but he couldn't find anyone. Where should he go to invite craftsmen?

Cheng Guangwu: "I have another idea to ask the young master. Uncle dare not open a position, so ask the young master what to say."

You Miao said: "What do you do when you open a warehouse?"

"Disaster relief." Cheng Guangwu explained: "After two months of rain, all parts of Yangzhou, the south of Liuzhou, and even Suzhou were flooded. The people's fields were all gone. Anlu became a vast ocean, and the roof was flooded. I don't know how many people starved to death..."

You Miao couldn't believe it, and said, "So serious?!"

"Floods that are rare in 50 years." Zhang Wenhan said: "I also heard about it a few days ago."

Only then did You Miao realize the seriousness, and it seemed that her water truck could still handle it.

Cheng Guangwu said: "Uncle sent a few boats to lure people from the nearby villages to the villa, and let them live in a shed at the foot of the east mountain. Uncle didn't dare to make up his mind about rations, so he let me Come to Beijing to ask."

You Miao said: "That's the reason, you can't just leave it alone. You go back and tell my uncle that the food left is enough for our own villa for a year, and the leftovers will be opened to cook porridge and distributed to them."

Li Zhifeng said: "I'll go back for a while. Leave Guangwu here to serve you."

You Miao said: "You go back... um... no, how long will it take you to go back?"

You Miao didn't really want Li Zhifeng to leave, but Li Zhifeng said: "I also built the waterwheel. The four iron tenons were inserted into the mechanism, and I stopped it first. The people next to me didn't know how to do it. The old man Huang said, When the river water rises to the line, it will not be washed away by this method."

When the waterwheel was made, the wooden wheel would rise with the water level, but there was also a top line on the cliff, and if the water flooded the top line, it might be broken.You Miao said again: "If you can't bear it like this?"

Li Zhifeng said: "Then unload all the buckets, and install them after the water recedes."

These words woke You Miao up, and You Miao said, "Yes, but..."

"I'll be back before the imperial examination." Li Zhifeng said.

Today is the third day of July, and the palace examination will be over a month away until the fifth day of August. You Miao neither wants Li Zhifeng to leave nor wants to.