C145 grain preparation

Guan Qi brought them to the living room to see Zhu Wei An, but did not expect that he had already been well-dressed and had welcomed them. It was likely that his entourage had already informed them of this.

"This official pays his respect to Prince Mo!" Zhu Wei An raised the hem of his robe, his face full of smiles.

Xiao Yi Xiu brushed his sleeves with a gentle smile on his face, "No need for formalities. When This King first arrived, there were many things that were not as clear as what Xuzhi knew. As for the matter of the water hazard, Xuzhi had to put a lot of effort into it. "

He knew he was just being polite, but he didn't dare, so he invited them into the living room to have a cup of tea, explaining the flood in detail.

His explanation was similar to Guan Qi's, to the point where it was even more detailed. This was because he had not personally set about the task, so it would be better for Guan Qi to have a better understanding of the details.

Xiao Yixiu had instructed him to find someone to draw up a map for him, and after that, he would arrange lodging and meals for the guests.

"The guest rooms at the state yamen are really impressive." Gu Qing Li looked up and down, then looked out of the window at the courtyard. She was surrounded by groves of bamboo, and it was very cool here, with the shadows of the trees and the moonlight dancing around. When the wind blew, the rustling of the bamboo branches was gentle and peaceful. It was very artistic.

At the back of the courtyard was a small lotus pond. The cool breeze carried the fragrance of lotus flowers, and the fresh smell of water and the chirping of frogs made this summer night as cool as water, making it exceptionally comfortable.

"The summer night here is cooler than Beijing."

Gu Qingli shook her head. "This is the coolness brought by the continuous torrential rain and the high water level after the flood. The comfort we feel is actually a disaster for the people here."

Xiao Yi Xiu nodded thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?" Gu Qingli wrapped her arms around his waist and raised her head to look at him.

"Do you think this Zhu Wei An is a good official?"

"Who knows after a glance." Gu Qingli rolled her eyes. "But I keep having the feeling that such a grand and luxurious mansion doesn't give me a good feeling."

"Me too."

"This time, the treasury has allocated a total of five hundred thousand silver taels for disaster relief. In my opinion, the construction of water conservancy, the construction of dykes and dams, and the construction of an island …"

It might not be enough to determine the livelihood of the citizens. However, within the treasury … "I'm afraid that there isn't much money to spare. After all, there is still a drought in the north and the border wars have never stopped …" Xiao Yi Xiu sighed softly.

The emperor was a deep and resourceful man, and in his youth he had tried to keep things in order, but after he reached middle age he seemed to be more focused on the harem and the calculation of his plans, and his handling of the affairs of state was not as clear as it used to be. He had even condoned some of the courtiers who were on their own and were setting up their own businesses in order to keep the balance of power between them.

Xiao Yi Xiu was taken aback.

That's right, many of the Emperor's actions were a checks and balances, not suppression. He seemed to know very well that suppressing one faction to the end was undoubtedly promoting the expansion of another faction. After balancing the forces of the other faction, they were even more anxious to cling onto the emperor and obtain the approval of the supreme ruler.

Then, which faction does this Zhu Wei An belong to?

"Five hundred thousand... I need a budget, but I still don't know the price for materials and construction work, so I'll send someone over tomorrow to ask about the price. "

"You even know the engineering budget?"

Gu Qingli smiled. "I naturally know how to use ordinary budget materials, but I really don't know much about water conservancy projects." After all, she was not a student of architecture. What she knew were the various schools and emergency situations, but they were definitely knowledge that the killers had dabbled in. She did not know about the true art of building a dike.

"These people are from the Water Ministry. You don't understand, but there are people from the lower section who do." Those who came with them had knowledge of dam construction.

Gu Qingli nodded. She did not need to worry about that. Her attention returned to Zhu Wei An: "We should first find out about Zhu Wei An's background."

"Don't worry."

Gu Qingli was startled. Her watery eyes turned and she lost control of her voice. "You actually brought …"

Xiao Yi Xiu smiled but didn't say anything.

"But where are they hiding?" Gu Qingli couldn't figure it out. In order to shorten the journey, they abandoned their carriages and followed the official road until the end. The shadow guards had actually followed without a sound. They really were shadows.

Xiao Yixiu put his index finger to his lips, signaling her not to pursue the matter any further, and blew out the candle.

As for Gu Qingli, she mumbled to herself even as she got into bed. She was worried that they might not even have any privacy left.

These shadow guards had appeared mysteriously without her noticing. It was only when Xiao Yixiu's hand slid under her clothes that she felt the urge to resist. She felt that with several people waiting outside the window, her privacy would not be guaranteed at all. If someone overheard her moaning when she lost control, would she still have the face to meet others?

On the other hand, Xiao Yi Xiu was quite amused by her worries. He pinched her nose and lovingly rebuked, "All day long, I've been indulging in wild thoughts. How could they possibly be close enough to hear what's going on in the house?"

Gu Qingli's face immediately turned red.

After a few days of investigation, Gu Qingli had pretty much figured out the terrain of the mountains and rivers surrounding the Crossing Cloud River. At the same time, Zhu Wei had also almost completed his mission.

In the matter of the flood, Jovian had been doing his best, without blemish.

Xiao Yi Xiu had assigned Zhu Wei An with the task of opening up supplies. In addition to the official granary, he had also assigned a portion of the silver grains to buy rice for the disaster.

In the end, Zhu Wei An came back with a gloomy face. He reported that he had already finished his provisions for the state's grain depot, and he received very little food.

Xiao Yi Xiu's face darkened as he asked, "A hundred thousand taels of relief food is worth one stone's worth of rice, and yet you say it's like a cup of water and a cart of firewood?!"

Zhu Wei An smiled bitterly, "Your highness, even a hundred thousand stones could only save a desperate situation, and then there was a long period of calamity that has yet to be solved. This rice is far more than one stone in a row!

"Could it be that the price of your Chi Yue rice has skyrocketed?" After a moment of pondering, Xiao Yixiu immediately understood. "Someone's hoarding secrets?"

Zhu Wei An sighed.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yixiu replied, "Hand over the names of all the merchants and gentry who have gathered these treasures, and then gather them."

Zhu Wei An said carefully, "My lord, I'm afraid Yi Qin's identity …" "It's not good to press him too hard."

Xiao Yi Xiu smiled faintly and replied, "Just do it."

Jovian looked at him blankly, as if the task was extremely difficult.

Gu Qingli smiled. "Prince, why are you making things difficult for Zhu Chi?" Then she said to Zhu Wei An, "You don't need to use your official identity to forcefully gather them. You only say that a godly doctor has arrived in the capital to cure all the illnesses and bring their families over. This trip is for the treatment of illnesses and nothing else."

"Heal..." Sick? " Jovian didn't quite believe his ears.