Although Liang Kingdom’s territory was vast, it was surrounded by too many rival powers, leaving it somewhat powerless in foreign affairs. The Eastern Hu had never treated Liang Kingdom with much respect; this time, even though their own people had made a mistake, they simply sent a diplomatic letter of apology and dismissed it lightly.
A brief apology and show of humility, without any real compensation—after all, Liang Kingdom couldn’t really do anything to them.
However, since the incident had been mishandled on their side, the Khan instructed his officials to restrain their subordinates, to keep them in check, and to avoid raiding for grain unless absolutely necessary.
Others listened, but Bao Rijin could not. He was determined to stand opposed to Liang Kingdom—no, specifically, against Yongning County.
When the Eastern Hu’s reply arrived in the capital, the court officials fell silent once more.
Their action was essentially a hard slap across Liang Kingdom’s face. Yet no one could propose sanctions or ways to regain face. Liang Kingdom was already stretched thin defending the northern frontiers; they simply had no troops to counter the Eastern Hu. Enduring this slight was the only option.
Qi Ting, who had fought through the fray of the imperial princes to ascend the throne, could only feel a mixture of indignation and helplessness. Knowing the situation was unfavorable, court officials kept their counsel. Still, Qi Ting’s mind wandered:
If only the Grand Tutor were alive, if the General remained, if those purged had not been executed… would they not have to endure the Hu’s insolence?
But the thought was quickly crushed.
It was useless to dwell on those who had already betrayed him. He had been emperor for three years, with capable civil and military men around him. Once they matured, who could not replace the Grand Tutor and others? This vast court, this vast Liang Kingdom—would it collapse without them?
The court’s focus remained on the northwest. The Eastern Hu incident caused no ripple, though Liu Dai, governor of Youzhou, was still implicated.
He was punished for dereliction: forty lashes, while the remaining officials of the prefecture received thirty each. Though not severe, it was humiliating.
Liu Dai spent several days isolated in his house, unwilling to see anyone. As Youzhou’s governor, he had always held the top post in the region, ruling decisively. Now, he was chastised for this minor matter—his pride deeply wounded.
Du Liangchuan, hotter-tempered than Liu Dai, had been enraged for days, criticizing several incompetent subordinates.
At this juncture, some foolish people continued to complain, implying the magistrate of Yongning County was too bold, and criticizing the prefecture for giving so much money to Yongning but none to them. If Yongning County hadn’t received this money freely, they wouldn’t dare be so arrogant, nor outshine all the other counties.
Originally, they didn’t need to fund the construction of the poor canal. Now, with Yongning providing the funds, they had no choice but to contribute. None of the counties were wealthy; if not for Pei Zhu stirring trouble, they could have saved a bit by year’s end.
“Comparing, always comparing—a bunch of pigbrains!” Du Liangchuan, finding an excuse for his anger, immediately wrote letters to all county magistrates, severely rebuking them.
Unable to share the burden, yet skilled at annoyance—they’d all be downgraded in the annual evaluation!
Once the letters were sent, the counties immediately fell in line.
Pei Zhu, however, felt uncomfortable. He was innocent—why was he included in Du’s scolding?
“I haven’t done anything,” he muttered.
The next day, Pei Zhu whispered this to Magistrate Zhang, who had come to supervise.
Zhang snorted. “Haven’t done anything? What about all you’ve been up to? It’s because of you this mess occurred, and we all got reprimanded!” In reality, the most innocent person was clearly him—he hadn’t complained to the prefecture, yet he was caught in the crossfire and unfairly scolded.
So unjust…
Pei Zhu continued, curious: “By the way, Zhang Sir, why have you suddenly become so diligent these past two days? Is there some reason I don’t know?”
It wasn’t just Zhang; other county magistrates had also stopped by, though distance made it inconvenient. They only briefly inspected and made a show of being approachable before returning.
“What else? Nothing to do,” Zhang replied, subtly rolling his eyes at Pei Zhu.
No money was spent, but naturally they needed to check progress. The credit shouldn’t go only to Yongning County—they had to claim part of it. Yet every time he visited, Pei Zhu pressed forward, chatting even when they were strangers. Like a persistent glue, this irritated Zhang, who would have preferred peace.
Pei Zhu didn’t sense Zhang’s annoyance; even if he did, it didn’t matter. He believed building relationships through frequent interaction would win Zhang’s and others’ favor.
Once October passed, the weather grew suddenly cold, and November brought biting winter. That year’s harvest had been poor, and the cold harsher than usual. Fortunately, Pei Zhu had previously repaired houses across the county; otherwise, many would have frozen.
Hot water was supplied daily at the reservoir site, with fires during lunch and dinner. Still, it was cold; Pei Zhu’s nose always reddened when he went outside.
No matter how cold, he had to go out, anxious that the work schedule might fall behind. He wanted to hire more labor, but Yongning County’s young men were already engaged—there were no more to spare. The county’s limited population made this unavoidable.
He silently prayed for extra hands to fall from the sky.
Wang Chuo sensed Pei Zhu’s urgency. “Sir, must this canal be finished within three months?”
Pei Zhu nodded firmly: “Yes, it must.”
Otherwise, he didn’t know what might happen. The system provided no guidance; relying on trial and error was too difficult.
Wang Chuo then asked, “Do you care about your reputation with the county magistrates?”
Pei Zhu was puzzled: “Why would I need that?”
Reputation at home was enough; he didn’t care much about elsewhere.
Seeing Wang Chuo’s intent, he encouraged him: “Do whatever you must. Don’t worry about me, as long as the work can be finished ahead of schedule.”
The next day, Wei Ping went alone to negotiate with the counties again.
Two days later, the county offices reluctantly sent thousands of workers. The foot of the mountains became densely populated with laborers, effectively uniting the five counties to build the reservoir—a spectacular sight.
Pei Zhu was thrilled—so many workers at once! Perhaps the other magistrates had a sudden change of heart? Seeing Magistrate Zhang present, Pei Zhu eagerly approached.
Zhang kept a sour expression, suspecting Pei Zhu was putting on a show. He snorted: “You’re dreaming if you think of delaying the work!”
Pei Zhu: “…?”
He had never intended to delay—the opposite, in fact.
Zhang didn’t explain further: “In any case, this canal must be completed by year-end!”
Firm and commanding, Zhang’s words struck Pei Zhu to the heart. He approached, shaking Zhang’s hand warmly: “Sir, I didn’t expect you to be so considerate.”
Zhang laughed with irritation—what a charade! If he hadn’t sent people to liaise with the counties, he would have been fooled.
A few days earlier, Wei Ping had visited to ask if the schedule could be postponed to spring next year. Persuasive as ever, his attitude was far better than before. Had the canal been completed by year-end, credit might have been wrongly attributed to the previous magistrate, Chen.
Now, Yongning County also hoped to borrow more funds from the prefecture, expecting other counties to accommodate.
Accommodate? Not a chance!
Zhang still found Pei Zhu’s youthful cunning unsettling. The boy’s scheming had caused a huge loss to them.
The workers from all counties arrived like timely rain, soothing Pei Zhu’s anxious heart. Even better, they required no spending. Indeed, distant relatives could not compare to near neighbors—the effort to maintain good relations with other counties was worthwhile.
With these helpers and several magistrates watching closely, excavation progressed rapidly.
After over a month of hard work, the three-month deadline arrived. Twenty thousand villagers stopped digging, awaiting inspection from Yongning County. If everything was approved, the canal would be complete.
Along the winding Chaobai River, a new canal pit appeared, surrounded by gentle hills, calm and peaceful. Though not yet filled with water, Pei Zhu could already imagine next year’s scenic reservoir.
Standing atop a hill, he felt an indescribable sense of achievement.
The familiar notification sound rang again. Pei Zhu realized the second task was complete; the “Water to Canal” achievement reward had been issued.
This time, two reward bags dropped—choose one. One seemed to contain seeds, though it was unclear if they were food crops or cash crops; the other appeared to be some money-making formula.
Both were good options, but Pei Zhu had to choose what Yongning County needed most.
The thing most lacking must be chosen.
After a long struggle, Pei Zhu finally reached out his hand.