Chapter 7

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Not only Jiang Yuxun but even the attendants in the hall were dumbstruck, bowing their heads and holding their breath, afraid of getting involved accidentally.

The youth clearly saw Ying Changchuan raise his eyebrows slightly, seemingly intrigued by his words...

Oh no, he wouldn't ask me what else I've said behind his back, would he?

The slideshow of his life flashed before the young man's eyes at that moment.

Jiang Yuxun was utterly disheartened.

No matter how he looked at it, he seemed like an old man tired of living, foolishly ingesting poison.

Yet, heaven never seals off all exits.

Just as he was sinking into despair, a heralding voice suddenly broke the silence outside the hall.

The shrill voice of the eunuch pierced the tranquility of the Liuyun Hall.

—Ying Changchuan was busy with official matters; no sooner had the chief diviner been escorted out than someone else came to meet His Majesty!

The emperor slightly regretted and recomposed himself, sitting back on his mat.

...That was close!!!

Jiang Yuxun heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he had narrowly escaped disaster, and was about to feel grateful.

But then he saw Ying Changchuan pick up a memorial from the desk, casually flip through a few pages, and then set it aside: "As the Imperial Secretary, you should familiarize yourself with these memorials and official duties."

Jiang Yuxun lowered his gaze: "Yes."

"You've looked over these old memorials during your spare time, haven't you?"

All these, memorials?

The young man's eyes widened in disbelief.

Damn, is he talking about this small mountain over a meter high on the desk?

I never even studied this much for my college entrance exams!

Things don't always go as one wishes.

No sooner had the emperor finished speaking than several eunuchs crowded around, working together to move this mountain of documents to the duty room.

Their hands strained until veins stood out.

Faced with this scene, Jiang Yuxun silently retracted his earlier thoughts.

I spoke too soon; Ying Changchuan is still as petty as ever!

-

The rain continued on and off for half a month.

Jiang Yuxun also spent half a month buried in a pile of official documents, in a state of utter confusion.

During this time, people from his estates kept writing letters, urging him to send the refugees away.

Jiang Yuxun didn't do so, but instead drew several blueprints and entrusted them to the Xuan Yin Surveillance to take back to his family.

After reviewing all the reports and arranging for Gu Yejiu to join the right division of the Xuan Yin Surveillance for training, he finally saw the first clear day since his arrival.

Unfortunately, no matter how nice the weather, Jiang Yuxun could only stay inside the Liuyun Hall, working overtime with Ying Changchuan.

"Tong Hailin, the water transport envoy, has arrived—"

As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, Jiang Yuxun took a deep breath and spread out his paper and pen.

As the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, not only did he have to handle documents, but occasionally he also had to take minutes of meetings.

Fortunately, although Jiang Yuxun didn't inherit the memories of his predecessor, skills like horse riding, archery, reading, and writing remained intact.

In the Liuyun Hall, a middle-aged man in a pale blue official robe knelt, holding a booklet: "Your Majesty, this is the water level information of the rivers near Zhaodu for the past three days."

The "water transport envoy" was responsible for all water-related affairs, including river and canal management.

The recent heavy rains made it his busiest time, necessitating frequent visits to the palace.

The eunuch bent over to take the booklet recording hydrological data.

After carefully wiping it with silk, he finally presented it to the emperor.

Ying Changchuan slowly flipped through it: "How is the disaster situation in the capital region?"

Tong Hailin looked somewhat uneasy.

He first glanced at Ying Changchuan, gauging the emperor's mood before speaking:

"Err... The water level of the Yi River has risen sharply, posing a risk of breaching the banks. Normally, we would relocate the residents from both banks to safer areas in advance. But this time, they refuse to cooperate, no matter what. The situation in other areas is relatively better."

Ying Changchuan's fingers tapped lightly on the desk twice.

"Oh? Why won't they relocate."

This time, the Xuan Yin Surveillance responded.

"Your Majesty, a few days ago, some people from the banks of the Yi River secretly sought local wizards to divine and ask the heavens. The wizard said, 'As long as we offer sacrifices to the heavens, the rain near the Yi River will stop, and everyone can stay put safely, no need to relocate.' After the people did so, the weather coincidentally cleared up."

That wizard was purely a blind cat finding a dead rat.

But the people, as a result, took his words as gospel truth.

Those who were originally hesitant about relocating now completely settled down.

The Xuan Yin Surveillance paused for a moment, then added: "The wizard and the villagers who sought his divination have been dealt with by us. But the news has already spread..."

By this point, he was dripping with cold sweat, his voice trembling.

"I beg Your Majesty to punish me—"

Ying Changchuan chuckled softly, ignoring the Xuan Yin Surveillance, letting him continue kneeling.

Hearing this, the youth's wrist suddenly flickered.

A drop of ink splattered on the paper, leaving a glaring mark.

Jiang Yuxun realized which part of history they were referring to!

Influenced by the wizard's words, the residents on both banks of the Yi River refused to cooperate, and the relocation efforts came to a standstill.

Then, unexpectedly, a torrential rain poured down.

The rainfall was unprecedented.

The Yi River breached its banks in an instant, claiming the lives of thousands...

"So that's how it was!" Tong Hailin suddenly understood, then murmured softly, "No wonder we couldn't persuade them..."

Jiang Yuxun's grip on the brush in his hand tightened bit by bit.

He never believed that he could change history.

But now, knowing the outcome, for the first time, he felt the urge to take a gamble.

Being involved, Jiang Yuxun couldn't persuade himself to just stand by and watch.

"Your Majesty," the youth put down his brush, for the first time not waiting for Ying Changchuan to ask, turned around, and bowed, saying, "I wish to try my hand at the Yi River."

"You?" Tong Hailin questioned instinctively.

Had Jiang Yuxun lost his mind, thinking too highly of himself?

Ying Changchuan, however, leaned lightly against the jade table, gradually losing his smile.

He didn't ask Jiang Yuxun "why you?"

Instead, he asked: "Why?"

Everyone in the court adhered to the principle of "better less trouble than more," only caring about keeping themselves safe.

Only Jiang Yuxun never concealed his edge.

"This year's rainfall is more abundant than usual, increasing the risk of the Yi River breaching. We must relocate the people in advance to avoid disaster."

Remembering the flooded Yuyang Palace, Ying Changchuan slowly nodded.

Jiang Yuxun continued: "Moreover... if the Yi River breaches, countless people will perish, and survivors will become refugees, flooding into Zhaodu."

The youth's voice was clear as a mountain spring, yet his words were shockingly grim.

Tong Hailin exclaimed in horror and anger: "Alarming, alarmist talk! You must not speak such madness before His Majesty!"

But Jiang Yuxun completely ignored him.

Looking into Ying Changchuan's eyes, he said: "After a great disaster, there will inevitably be a plague... Refugees and diseases combined, the whole world will be in turmoil. I cannot sit by and do nothing."

What Jiang Yuxun described was the historical aftermath of the flood.

Since the fourth year of Emperor Zhou's reign, the world has become more chaotic year by year.

The catalyst was precisely this breach of the riverbank.

Tong Hailin frowned: "How do these things even connect…"

Just because it rains, the world becomes unstable?

That sounds like it never rains during summer in previous years!

Tong Hailin instinctively observed Ying Changchuan's expression.

Unexpectedly, there was not a trace of anger in the emperor's eyes.

Instead, he smiled and asked Jiang Yuxun, "Are you aware that taking on this task means you will be held responsible?"

Translated, this meant: If anything goes wrong along the way, the blame would fall on him.

...Looking at it this way, is His Majesty really intending to let Jiang Yuxun proceed?

"I am aware."

Jiang Yuxun's attitude was extremely resolute.

Hmph, going there would be in vain.

Seeing this, Tong Hailin couldn’t help but sneer, enjoying the drama.

The people, misled by the wizard, simply won't listen to reason.

Forcing them to relocate would only lead them to hide.

He was curious to see what Jiang Yuxun could possibly do.

-

Over forty fast horses left Xianyou Palace, heading towards the Yi River.

Jiang Yuxun, dressed in a light blue official robe, rode at the forefront.

Tong Hailin, the water transport envoy, followed reluctantly behind him.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the young man didn't rush into the villages to persuade the residents but simply gave a few instructions to the accompanying Xuan Yin Surveillance.

After they left, he casually found a shaded tree and began to rest.

Far from the emperor, far from the sky.

The feeling of being on vacation is really nice!

Seeing him not moving, Tong Hailin became anxious: "Why are you resting? Aren't you going to go door to door to persuade them to leave?"

Jiang Yuxun stretched lazily, enjoying the cool breeze by the river, leaning against a tree while feeding his horse, and looked at the other with an incredulous gaze: "That's too much trouble."

Tong Hailin: ?

"So, what do you plan to do?"

Jiang Yuxun didn't answer directly but squinted towards the distant Yi River: "No need to worry, Lord Tong. Let's just wait and see here."

Persuading them with emotions and reasoning clearly wouldn't work.

In that case... it's time to fight magic with magic.

Had Ying Changchuan not deliberately spread the words he said in the imperial prison?

Now countless people firmly believe that I can predict natural disasters.

Ying Changchuan used this as an opportunity to entrap lawbreakers; I too can emulate him, using this special "reputation" to persuade the people to move away from the river.

—Thank you, Your Majesty, for the inspiration.

The Xuan Yin Surveillance excels in covert operations.

In less than half a day, the news that "Jiang Yuxun said the Yi River would breach" had spread along both banks of the river.

The people began to waver.

By the Yi River bank, in the evening.

The sunset light filtered through the branches, casting the young man's features in an especially brilliant light.

There he sat by the river, quietly watching the setting sun.

"…Is that, is that Lord Jiang?" someone tentatively called out, "Excuse me, are you Jiang Yuxun?"

Jiang Yuxun turned to see dozens of villagers looking towards him from a distance.

The youth, who had been sitting under the tree, immediately stood up: "Yes, it's me."

Just as he steadied himself, the leading villager fell to his knees with a "thud."

"Lord Jiang, please accept our deepest respects!" the speaker said, bringing his hands together in prayer.

Following this, the dozens of villagers behind him also knelt down together.

A sea of people knelt before him, an impressive sight.

Damn!

As a modern man, how could Jiang Yuxun have ever witnessed such a scene?

Not just him, Tong Hailin and the accompanying officials and soldiers were also startled by this display: "What's happening here?"

"Please, everyone, stand up," Jiang Yuxun hurried forward, trying to help up those nearest to him, "This is too great an honor, I don't deserve it."

But the villagers refused to stand, looking up with hands pressed together in earnest: "Lord Jiang, when will the heavy rain come? What's the latest date we should evacuate by?"

"Lord Jiang, when will the river dike collapse?"

"How many days should we evacuate for?"

The crowd started asking questions all at once, making the riverside suddenly lively.

Just as Jiang Yuxun was about to answer, Tong Hailin, who had come with him, put a hand to his lips and straightened his back, clearing his throat with a couple of coughs: "—Ahem!"

As the water transport envoy, it was his role to answer these questions, not Jiang Yuxun's.

Jiang Yuxun had no interest in competing with Tong Hailin for this.

But before he could speak to introduce Tong Hailin's role to the villagers.

The rapid sound of horse hooves, accompanied by the river wind, suddenly reached everyone's ears.

Beside the official road, an imperial guard holding a token reined in his horse and announced loudly: "By imperial decree, the affairs of the Yi River are to be fully managed by the Imperial Secretary. No one may interfere; violators will be executed without mercy!"

Tong Hailin was startled, then quickly covered his mouth and, along with the soldiers, knelt tremblingly: "Your servant obeys the decree—"

...Why would Ying Changchuan's men be here?

Jiang Yuxun instinctively turned back, his gaze meeting that of the imperial guard.

The guard, in turn, nodded subtly at him.

By this time, the news of the "dike breach" had already spread along both banks of the Yi River.

And the guard, far from being surprised, even nodded at him.

"No wonder..."

Jiang Yuxun realized in an instant:

The reason Ying Changchuan entrusted such a crucial matter to him without any questions.

Was because from the beginning, they both were on the same page!

With this in mind, I can rest assured.

"Lord Jiang, many in our village don't believe the rumors and insist on seeing you in person before they agree to evacuate. Do you have time today to visit our village?" The villagers, unaware of what was happening around them, paused for a moment before bombarding Jiang Yuxun with their concerns.

"Let's go," the young man smiled, mounted his horse with a step in the stirrup, and turned to the crowd, "We'll visit the village first."

The Xuan Yin Monitor followed the order: "Yes, Lord Jiang!"

The steed galloped, the wind lifting the youth's long hair.

The once desolate riverbank suddenly came alive with activity.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Yuxun, all of this was being observed by Ying Changchuan, dressed in dark clothes and leading the imperial guards, who had ventured out of the palace incognito.

The sun set in the west.

At the other side of the riverbank, the crimson currents raced alongside the evening glow.

The young man, enveloped in the vast sunset light, didn’t look back as he was surrounded and escorted by the villagers, heading towards the deepest part of the twilight.

He seemed like a flame burning across the Yi River.

Ying Changchuan squinted his eyes, unable to help but chuckle.

The emperor, who always stood above others, regarding them as insignificant,

For the first time, watched a certain figure's back for a long time until it disappeared.

At this moment, he became curious—how far could this blaze that appeared before him ultimately burn?

Author's note:

Jiang Yuxun: Defeat magic with magic, and let the emperor hold up the falling sky.