The Shuishui Temple is more than ten miles away from Fucheng, and it is impossible for villagers to go to Fucheng for gatherings again and again. Therefore, a small market street has been formed not far from the Shuishui Temple, with only a dozen shops selling daily necessities.
There isn't much business here, and there are three or four people talking at the booth to the east.
"Hey, have you heard? Sun Cizhu had a dream last night!"
"Sun Cizhu of the Dragon Girl Temple? What dream did he have that is worth telling you so mysteriously?"
"He had an ordinary dream, which is really not worth talking about, but he dreamed of the Dragon Girl!"
"Isn't it? Dragon Girl? Tell us quickly!"
Several people were whispering in the street, and a Jianghu man was passing by not far away. Hearing these words, he stopped and listened carefully.
a mansion
"Brother Cen, we brothers passed by the Water Temple in Shun'an Mansion, and without even asking around, we heard about the dragon girl's dream about an approaching heavy rain. This rumor has spread quite widely."
Listening to the report from a Jianghu man, Cen Rubai nodded and said warmly to the man: "Thank you for your hard work. When the matter is completed, I will treat you to a drink."
Without talking nonsense, he threw a bag of silver directly to the man. As soon as the man took it and weighed it, he knew that there were twenty taels of silver, and he immediately smiled.
"This is my invitation to brothers to spend their money on weekdays. If you don't have enough money, you can come and tell me, Lao Zeng, but you're welcome!"
The man immediately responded with a smile, then said goodbye and left.
Cen Rubai had his own way of making friends with such people in the world. At this moment, the screen moved and Su Ziji came out without saying a word.
"Sir, what's the next step? Ask Qi Hongxin to control the water?" Cen Rubai asked, obviously seeing some of the truth.
Su Ziji was not surprised. After all, when Cen Rubai met him for the first time, he was very different. It was normal to be wild.
He thought for a moment and said to Cen Rubai: "It's not appropriate for me to come forward in person, but I have to find someone to come forward. You can help me calculate the number of labor required to control the water, as well as the money and food consumed. If this can be done, it can be used directly.
, and you don’t have to be so busy at that time.”
For Cen Rubai, this matter is nothing, it just requires some time and effort.
"Yes, I understand." Cen Rubai responded, nodded and smiled: "If you want to get something done, you need to find someone to come forward and talk about it first. This matter is not difficult, leave it to me."
The next day, Su Ziji took Zeng Nianzhen out of the government office and rushed outside the city.
Starting from the morning, the prefect Qi Hongxin went to the fields to inspect the final work of exterminating locusts. You can find out roughly where he went by asking.
Su Ziji rode an ox cart through a somewhat rugged path and saw Qi Hongxin directing the eradication of insect eggs.
"Sir!" Su Ziji saluted Qi Hongxin as he got off the car.
"Master Su?"
Qi Hongxin had just spoken on the phone. At this moment, he was frowning and his voice was a little hoarse. His eyes when he turned back to look at Su Ziji also had a sharp look. Anyone who was glanced at by him like this just now would subconsciously become nervous.
Su Ziji, however, calmly looked at him and held up his hands: "Master Qi, this official is here to report the use of locusts to the grain depot."
As he spoke, he looked at the sky: "In general, the locust plague has been reduced. Some have flown to other counties, or most of them have been culled. Now half of them have been replaced with food. Yesterday, only 700 stones of food were replaced."
"Now according to the warehouse statistics, the amount of grain exchanged is less than expected. The total amount is 71,671 dan. The people of this mansion can say that everyone has some grain, not only rice and porridge during the lean period, but also
The seeds for replanting are now available, so there will be no famine and no need for the government to provide famine relief. Sir, you have done another great good deed."
After hearing this, Qi Hongxin showed a rare smile, his wrinkles were particularly deep, and waved his hand: "This is not just my own merit, it is a blessing for the emperor and the court, and it is also your hard work."
Just as he was talking, another person came over and suddenly called out: "Master Qi, the student has something to say."
This interrupted Shangguan's words, which was very rude. Qi Hongxin turned around and looked around. He saw a Juren whom he had met before and knew him well. He couldn't help but frown: "Zeng Qi, what do you have to say?"
Although Zeng Qi claimed to be a student, he was actually in his forties or fifties. He looked sick, pale and very thin. He coughed lightly and said, "The student thought that the dragon girl killed the locust god so that there were few locusts. This
It is a great contribution to this government and the country, and it can be said to be very effective."
"There is something happening now. As soon as the students hear about it, they will come and report it to you."
"What's the matter?" Magistrate Qi Hongxin's frown deepened.
"Some people say that the dragon girl conveyed a dream to the water temple, or that a heavy rain is coming. The student has gone to verify it, and it is indeed true. The dragon girl's spirit is obvious. This matter must not be ignored. It is said that everything is done in advance, not in advance.
Otherwise, the students sincerely ask your permission to build water conservancy projects to prevent possible flooding caused by heavy rains."
Qi Hongxin almost thought he heard wrongly: "What did you say?"
He looked at Zeng Qi in surprise and asked again.
Zeng Qi said what he just said again.
Qi Hongxin almost laughed angrily this time. He was not in the countryside, but Su Ziji was on one side. He was a well-known gentry in the county, and he was very cooperative in controlling locusts. He was afraid that an attack would happen now.
Even so, he didn't give a good look and refused decisively: "Don't mention this matter again. Although the locust plague is almost over, there are still eggs in the fields. We have to prevent it, otherwise the locust plague may happen again."
Sweeping in! Furthermore, there are large tracts of land that need to be replanted. Now these don’t require time or manpower. There is already a shortage of manpower, so how can we build water conservancy projects just because of the dream of a temple?"
Then he scolded sternly: "You are also a scholar after all, and you know more truth than scholars. How can you believe such rumors?"
"Even if the gods have spirits, they cannot cause things to happen because of them. This is the orthodoxy of scholars of our generation."
Qi Hongxin waved his hand and said, "Zeng Qi, you cooperated with the locust control. It's a bit hard work. Go back and do your work. When the locust control is finished, I will give you a reward. Come on down!"
This is enough to express your attitude.
Zeng Qi did not leave. He stood on the same spot and continued to say to Qi Hongxin, who had turned his back to him: "Sir, the Ministry of Rites has approved the decree. The Dragon Girl's spirit is so outstanding that she should be given a title. The emperor has already awarded her a reward, so what?
How can I neglect it?"
"Although locust extermination is indeed urgent now, water conservancy is also a top priority. It is not only related to farmland, but also related to the safety of the people in the government."
Seeing Qi Hongxin stop and seem to be listening, Zeng Qi continued: "Although it is the dry season, we should take a long-term view of everything. If we really wait for the rainy season, how can we build water conservancy projects again? It will be too late by then.
.This is the right time to build water conservancy projects!"