Chapter 96

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"Dead is simple enough..." The old man had already judged his grandson's hooliganism. All he wanted now was to cover up the matter, not letting anyone know, including his own son. After a long moment of contemplation, he instructed, "Go and pack your things."

"Huh?" The younger son was puzzled.

"Take that little brat to Shandong and have your elder brother strictly discipline him." The old man did not explain further, "Don't ask why, leave immediately, through the back door!"

"This... Yes." The younger son realized the situation was serious; it was clear that his nephew was being sent away to avoid trouble!

He stopped asking questions, hurriedly had the carriage prepared, told his wife to pack clothes, and withdrew money from the account. Just as he was busy, a servant reported that his nephew refused to get in the carriage and insisted on seeing his grandfather to get to the bottom of things.

His elder brother also came over, begging him to plead with the old man again. Even a death row inmate should be questioned before execution; no matter what Yifan had done, he should at least be given a chance to defend himself.

"Ah, Father's temper, you know how he is. Once he makes up his mind, he won't listen to anyone," he replied. "The master has a message for Yifan: if he can pass the provincial examination in the future, he can return home."

"Ah..." The elder brother was stunned. Did that mean if Yifan didn't pass the examination, he couldn't come back home?

"Ah..." He sighed, then had the servant gag and tie up his nephew, binding him in the carriage.

"Brother, you must think positively. Yifan going to study with your elder brother is better than him idling at home," he consoled his brother, seeing the pain on his face. "When Yifan passes the examination, won't he benefit himself?"

"Ah..." The scholar's father knew that no words would help, so he could only shed tears and send his son off on the boat, watching him disappear on the Fuchun River...

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In fact, Mr. Yu and Magistrate Wei had tacitly agreed the day before... You let my grandson go, and I won't pursue the Liu family. Thus, the county did not summon the scholar for questioning, and the Yu family did not urge the county office to conclude the case.

Even the gossip about the scholar came to an abrupt end, not because people had changed their nature, but because a sudden natural disaster diverted everyone's attention...

On the day of the Dragon Head-Raising Festival, the Dragon King seemed to have gone mad. The sky was as dark as ink, and a fierce wind brought torrential rain, pouring down like buckets. The gentry were all trapped in their homes. At first, they had the leisure to enjoy the rain, but when it continued for three days without stopping, everyone, regardless of status, became anxious and restless.

For the poor, no work meant no money to buy rice, making it hard to eat. For the gentry, the concern was how to deal with their bamboo groves and tea gardens being flooded.

But at that moment, no one could imagine how dire the situation would become...

A dozen figures, dressed in straw raincoats, wearing bamboo hats, and wearing wooden clogs, braved the storm, holding hands as they walked along the Fuchun River embankment. After walking for several miles, they finally entered a pavilion by the river to rest.

Inside the pavilion, they removed their hats and raincoats, revealing pale faces. It turned out to be Magistrate Wei of Fuyang County, County Magistrate Jiang, and the engineering clerk Zheng Yan, along with Wang Xian and other attendants... This morning, they received a report that the water level of the Fuchun River had risen sharply, and Magistrate Wei was very worried, so he braved the storm to inspect the river embankment.

"The storm is fierce!" Magistrate Wei felt the embankment trembling under his feet and muttered.

Since the river embankment in Fuyang County was supervised by County Magistrate Jiang two years ago, he naturally had to be present. County Magistrate Jiang was drenched, his teeth chattering, "It's really strange, how can the river flow backward?"

"This is a tidal surge," answered Zheng Yan, an old river worker with a rough, tanned face and eyes corroded by river water. "There must have been a tsunami, which caused the tide to surge up the Qiantang River, pushing the river water back." The Qiantang River and the Fuchun River are the lower and middle reaches of the same river, just with different names.

"Tidal surge? No wonder the water level rose so quickly," Magistrate Wei's face turned pale. "Will the embankment hold?"

"Fortunately, it's not the flood season, and the water level was originally low," Zheng Yan replied. "We also built a new embankment two years ago, so it should hold."

"It must not fail!" Magistrate Wei said sternly. As the county magistrate, he was also the chief river official. A breach in the embankment would mean losing his head. "Mobilize the laborers to reinforce the embankment!"

At the order of the magistrate, thousands of able-bodied men from Fuyang County, carrying shovels and baskets, braved the storm to transport bags of mud and baskets of stones to the embankment.

Magistrate Wei remained on the embankment, directing the laborers. Seeing the county magistrate stay on the embankment for days and nights, the laborers were more motivated than any encouragement. To protect their homes, even those not required for labor service came voluntarily, working day and night to raise and strengthen the embankment.

Wang Xian was appointed as the logistics officer, responsible for allocating personnel and supplies as needed, and he also stayed on the embankment.

After several days and nights without sleep, his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse. But it was all worth it. Under his orderly management, the allocation of personnel and supplies was efficient, greatly improving the reinforcement of the embankment. Although the flood was fierce, it could not breach the embankment...

By the seventh day, although it was still raining, people clearly noticed the water level starting to drop. Although they didn't understand why, they all cheered with excitement.

Wang Xian, however, couldn't be happy. Zheng Yan told him that this might be due to a breach in another county, releasing the flood...

Just as he was frowning, his hand was held by a cool, soft hand. Without looking, he knew it was Lin Qing'er, dressed as a man. She had been by his side for days, helping him with writing and calculations, and couldn't be chased away.

"Worried about your parents and little sister?" Lin Qing'er asked softly.

"Yes," Wang Xian nodded, thinking that Qiantang and Renhe counties were most likely to be affected.

"They should be fine," Lin Qing'er comforted him. "Hangzhou is both a prefectural and provincial capital, so it must have the resources to protect the officials' families."

"Yes," Wang Xian forced a smile. "Haven't you heard? Evil lasts for thousands of years. If anyone is in trouble, it won't be your parents."

"Do you really talk about your parents like that?" Lin Qing'er said helplessly.

Since the water level was dropping and the rain had lessened, there was no longer a risk of a breach. Magistrate Wei dismissed most of the laborers, leaving a few to monitor the river, and returned to the office to take a bath and rest.

But just as he returned, Sima Qiu came forward, saying, "Urgent message from Hangzhou!"

Magistrate Wei had to muster his strength, not even changing his clothes, and went to meet the messenger, covered in mud.

The messenger took out the official document from a bamboo tube and handed it to him. Magistrate Wei took it and saw that it was from the provincial administration. Such a direct order to a county was extremely rare, only occurring in the most urgent and time-sensitive situations.

Magistrate Wei quickly verified the seal, opened the envelope, and read the contents. It was an order from the provincial administration for Fuyang County to prepare to receive 30,000 refugees. His expression immediately became serious. After a moment's thought, he asked the messenger, "Was the disaster in Hangzhou very severe?"

"I've never seen such a strong tide," the messenger said, still shaken. "Heavy rain and strong winds, the river tide was several zhang high, and Qiantang and Renhe counties were completely flooded. Later, we received reports that Wenzhou, Ningbo, and Jiaxing were also severely affected..." He paused. "This time, the entire eastern Zhejiang has suffered a great disaster, with at least hundreds of thousands of people losing their homes. Therefore, the provincial administration has ordered the unaffected counties to receive the refugees, to help those in need."

"..." Magistrate Wei was silent for a moment, then said, "You go eat first, I will write a reply to the provincial administration."

"Yes," the messenger respectfully replied and followed the attendant to eat.

Magistrate Wei then called Sima Qiu to help draft a reply. The letter basically said that the county had also suffered a disaster and was in great difficulty, but would overcome any obstacles as ordered by the provincial administration. It also mentioned that Fuyang did not produce grain and could not support so many people, requesting the provincial administration to allocate grain and supplies.

After writing the letter and sending the messenger away, Magistrate Wei called Wang Xian to discuss the details of receiving the refugees. They discussed from noon until midnight, finally settling on all the details.

Magistrate Wei stretched, though extremely tired, but still very excited. "Zhongde, you are my benefactor!" He was referring to the grain in the Yongfeng granary. If Wang Xian hadn't discovered and replaced it in time last year, what would Magistrate Wei have used for disaster relief this year? It wasn't just his official position at stake, but his life!

Magistrate Wei wished he could marry his daughter to Wang Xian, though she was only nine... Otherwise, he couldn't express his gratitude and relief. Wei Yuan extended his thumb, "Preparedness and foresight, you are truly a god!"

"Teacher, you flatter me," Wang Xian smiled bitterly. "No one can see the future, but the world works in mysterious ways. If you are always prepared, you may never need it, but if you are unprepared, trouble will come."

"Yes," Magistrate Wei stood up and patted Wang Xian's shoulder. "Zhongde, your next task is very challenging. Bite the bullet, get through this, and I will certainly recommend you for commendation to the provincial administration!"

"Your student will do his utmost..." Wang Xian respectfully replied.

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The next day, the court session began.

"Gentlemen, we have received an order from the provincial administration," Magistrate Wei's gaze swept over the officials, all of whom looked exhausted. He sighed inwardly and said sternly, "A tidal surge in eastern Zhejiang has flooded more than a dozen counties along the coast, and the provincial administration requires us to prepare to receive the refugees."

This statement caused a commotion in the hall. The officials openly showed their resistance. They were willing to help their own county with flood relief, but who wanted to be a nursemaid for other counties?

"This is an order from the provincial administration, not a request," Magistrate Wei said sternly. "The circuit intendant and the provincial inspector will be coming to inspect soon. If we are not prepared, even this county will face immediate dismissal and investigation!"

"Disaster relief is like fighting a fire," Magistrate Wei's stern gaze swept over everyone. "Whoever shirks responsibility will be severely punished! Do you understand?"

"Yes," the officials had no choice but to respond in unison.

"Now, I will announce the assignments!" Magistrate Wei said sternly.

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