Chu Mohan knelt down and saluted the emperor. The emperor helped him stand up with his own hands, "Without outsiders, we are just father and son. There are not so many etiquettes."
Chu Mohan didn't dare to make any mistakes, "Thank you, father."
The emperor asked Eunuch Su to give him a seat. The father and son sat opposite each other. The emperor asked him like a normal chatter, "Building dams is a hard job. Why do you think of taking it upon yourself?"
"I don't want to see people displaced anymore. Once the dams are repaired, Tiansheng can be protected from floods for hundreds of years." Chu Mohan said solemnly, "Only when the country is strong and the people are strong, can Tiansheng become a truly powerful country." As the prince of Tiansheng, with the royal salary, he has the responsibility to share the worries of his father."
Chu Mohan's words were righteous and high-sounding.
"good!"
The emperor was very satisfied with what he heard. He stood up from his chair, strode to Chu Mohan, and patted him hard on the shoulder twice, "You are indeed a good son of your father!"
Chu Mohan said nothing.
The emperor finally told Chu Mohan something heartbreaking, "The national treasury is empty. I can only allocate you one million taels of silver to build the dam. Don't worry... My father knows that the money is not enough. Over the years, I have sent imperial envoys every year. The minister went to strengthen the embankment, but it turned out that the embankment was still washed away this year. You can check for me whether the money has been put into effect."
"If it is not implemented, whose pocket will the money go to?"
Chu Mohan looked solemn and said, "I accept my order."
"I'm afraid the dam construction will not go smoothly this time. I will give you Shang Fang's sword, giving you the power to kill first and then retaliate. Local officials have been comfortable for too long. If you encounter corrupt officials, you can confiscate their homes and kill them! All the money they have copied will be taken away. Use it to repair the gaps in the dam. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
"..."
Chu Mohan understood.
This allowed him to deal with local corrupt officials.
Eunuch Su bent down and presented the sword.
The emperor handed the sword to Chu Mohan. Chu Mohan took it with both hands with a solemn expression, "I understand, I will definitely live up to my command."
"..."
A smile finally appeared on the emperor's face.
He patted Chu Mohan's shoulder again, "Mo Han, you and Xuan Ye have always been my sons that I value very much. Xuan Ye has been frail since childhood, and I feel sorry for him but there is nothing I can do about it. Chu Li's child is also frail and ill and cannot bear the heavy responsibility. Now, the only two I can count on are you and Yichen."
"You handle this errand well. When you come back, I will reward you heavily."
"..."
Chu Mohan understood.
This was because he was afraid that he would take one million taels of silver to build a dam, but in the end he would just show off and pocket the money, so I gave him a big cake and asked him to do his job well.
to be honest.
His father didn't trust him at all.
Chu Mohan pursed his lips, lifted up his robe, knelt down, and said again, "I accept your order."
"Um."
The emperor's face became more relaxed again, "We need to build the dam without delay. It has been raining heavily in the north recently and the roads are muddy and difficult to walk. I have already ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to collect money from the treasury. You should also go back early to clean up. We will order troops to set off tomorrow."
"yes!"
…
After leaving the palace, Chu Mohan went back to the palace first, put Shang Fang's sword in the palace, and then went to Xingchen Mansion under an umbrella.
He felt a little heavy.
This time he went to build a dam, and he would definitely not be able to come back within a year and a half. He had originally thought about spending more time with Su Xing'er after they reconciled, and maybe Su Xing'er would change his mind.
But now...
Chu Mohan smiled bitterly.
Chu Mohan does not regret taking this job, but...a year and a half is not a long time, not a short time, and there are too many things that can happen.
What if Su Xinger falls in love with someone else during this period...
Just thinking about it like this made his heart hurt like a dull knife cutting flesh.
Now that he is just Prince Jing, he already has no control over his actions. If he really takes that position in the future, he may have even more control over his actions.
Such him.
Can Su Xing'er still change his mind?
Chu Mohan didn't dare to think about it.
It was raining lightly, and Chu Mohan stepped on the stagnant water on the road all the way to Xingchen Mansion. The guard knew Chu Mohan, so he didn't dare to stop him and let him go.
After the rain became lighter, the accumulated water in Xingchen Mansion was drained out, and Chu Mohan walked on the bluestone path all the way to the backyard.
"Your Majesty?"
"Princess... where is Su Xing'er?" Seeing the medicine in Lu'er's hand, Chu Mohan frowned, "Who is sick?"
"It's the master. The house has been humid these days. The master has caught the moisture and the wind and cold."
After reconciliation.
Little Xingxing asked Lu'er and others to change the names they called her. Regarding the title, Little
, after much thought, she decided to let everyone in the house call her master.
Lu'er was about to say that Little Xingxing was much better.
Before he could speak, Chu Mohan's expression changed and he strode towards Su Xing'er's room like a gust of wind.
"Su Xing'er!"
"ah?"
Little Xingxing was sitting on the bed wrapped in a quilt. She was a little surprised when she saw Chu Mohan covered in moisture, "Why did you come here when it's raining?"
"..."
Seeing that her lips were red and her teeth were white, and she was in high spirits, Chu Mohan breathed a sigh of relief quietly.
He closed his umbrella and put it under the eaves, then strode into the house, "Lu'er said you caught the cold. Aren't you a doctor? Why are you still sick?"
"What you're saying is, who stipulates that doctors can't get sick?"
"Are you okay?"
"much better."
Chu Mohan came over and said, "Then why are you still wrapped in quilt?"
"warm."
Her quilt looked thin and didn't look very warm. Chu Mohan stretched out his hand to touch it and his eyes flashed slightly, "This quilt... is not made of cotton."
"Down."
"Down?"
Little Xingxing lied without blushing and breathlessly, "In winter, I often see ducks and geese swimming in the water, so I thought their feathers must be particularly warm against the cold, so I had someone sew a bed with duck and goose feathers."
The quilt...well, it turns out that it is indeed quite warm."
Before saying this, he must have believed it without any doubt.
But now...
He didn't believe a word of it.
Chu Mohan looked at her deeply without exposing her.
After all, she felt guilty for lying. Little Xingxing cleared her throat and changed the subject, "I haven't talked about you yet. Why are you running to me when it's raining?"
"Farewell to you."
"Where are you going?"
"Build the dam."
"..."
Chu Li only mentioned this matter to her yesterday. She also thought that this errand would fall on Chu Mohan, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. Yesterday Chu Li analyzed the stakes with her, and Xiao Xingxing's face changed slightly.
"When to set off?"
"tomorrow."
"So urgent!"
Chu Mohan looked calm and said, "The people can't wait."
"..."
Little Xingxing didn't speak for a long time. After a while, she opened the quilt and jumped out of the bed. She suddenly left the quilt. She shivered, rubbed her hands and said, "Wait for me."
She went to the next room.
After a while.
When she came out again, she brought a tray with a dozen palm-sized porcelain bottles on it.