Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5068 Yellow River Hidden Danger
Seeing Li Xiaogong was angry, Liu Li quickly explained: "It is not that I am flattering you, nor am I trying to shift the blame to the prince. I just can't help it!"

Li Xiaogong sneered, "You are the Minister of the Central Secretariat, the head of the Prime Minister, and the most senior civil servant. If you don't want to, can His Majesty force you to do it?"

Even the second emperor Li, who was highly respected and had a firm grip on the law, showed respect to the prime minister and would not easily refute his advice, let alone force him to do things. If the second emperor Li was like this, let alone Li Chengqian, whose prestige was far inferior.

Liu Li smiled bitterly and said, "I dare to ask the prince, even if I refuse, do you think Your Majesty will give up this idea?"

Li Xiaogong remained silent.

He could sense the intention of Li Chengqian's move, which was nothing more than the "imperial art" of balance, balancing the status of the prince, balancing the power of the queen, and balancing Fang Jun's influence.

If you think about it carefully, you can't blame Li Chengqian entirely for making trouble out of nothing. When the empress, the prince, and the ministers are all standing together, where does that put him, the emperor?

It’s hard to sleep well at night!
It is only natural and imperative to check and balance the power of the Eastern Palace.

Liu Li continued, "How could I not know that if I put forward such a suggestion in the government hall, I would be attacked by the government and the public? But I am your Majesty's minister. If the king wants me to die, I have to die! Compared with loyalty to the king, the reputation of a person is nothing. Moreover, if your Majesty does not give up this idea, even if I do not do it, someone else will definitely do it. Rather than letting others make a big fuss about this matter and cause discord between the king and his ministers, it is better for me to bear the blame and control the matter within an acceptable range."

Li Xiaogong felt the same way and nodded, saying, "I have wronged you. If that is the case, then go ahead and do it. Future generations will judge your merits and demerits. Just be clear in your conscience."

Liu Jie: "..."

If I can do it myself, do I need to beg you for help?

Faced with Li Xiaogong's trickery, Liu Li was helpless and begged, "Of course, this matter must be handled by me, but I don't have enough prestige, so the prince has to come forward to intimidate the royal family."

After all, no matter how serious the incident is outside the court, it is just that simple. The real difficulty lies with the royal family.

Conferring the title of Zhaoyi on Concubine Shen means that she will be promoted to concubine after the birth of a prince in the future. The status of the little prince will be completely different and he may pose a threat to the Eastern Palace.

No matter whether the imperial power or the crown prince changes, the people whose interests are most affected are naturally the royal family. Supporters or opponents, they will certainly not be honest.

The Li Tang royal family is now weak and there are only a few intact ones left. If they are involved in this matter again, the consequences will be unpredictable.

His Majesty has already killed and exiled a number of royal family members, and everyone knows that he will never attack royal family members again in the short term. If someone sees this and makes a fuss about the appointment of Zhaoyi, he will probably have to be pushed out as the Minister of the Central Secretariat to take the responsibility in the end.

If that day really comes, he will die unjustly...

Li Xiaogong was still unwilling: "I am old and can't even sit in the court every day. How many people will listen to what I say? You should go find the King of Han. He is the Minister of the Imperial Clan and can suppress the children of the royal family."

"King Han and Fang Jun are relatives by marriage, and Fang Jun is the prince's teacher. How can he convince the public with his biased stance?"

"..."

Li Xiaogong was speechless. The Li Tang royal family, which had once been prosperous and had many branches, now had only a few respected people left.

Although he was reluctant, he also knew the impact of this matter on the royal family, so he had to agree: "I will inform each family and try not to interfere in this matter, but I can't guarantee how many people will listen. The Minister of the Central Secretariat should be prepared."

Liu Li was overjoyed: "The prince cares about the country and is loyal to the country, which is a blessing for the people! With your help, this will definitely succeed!"

The old tiger is still powerful, especially today when all the royal family members have been killed and exiled, Li Xiaogong can be called the "pillar of the royal family"!
*****
The next morning, in the government hall.

Because the Political Affairs Hall was located in the Secretariat, Liu Li was not in a hurry to go there. Instead, after handling some official business and drinking a few cups of tea, he arrived at the Political Affairs Hall on time.

All the prime ministers gathered together.

Except for the prime minister who requested leave, all the others had arrived. Liu Li presided over the meeting: "What is the agenda today? You may as well tell us one by one, and we will brainstorm and solve it."

Unexpectedly, Fang Jun, who usually stood aside and didn't meddle in government affairs, straightened his back, put a pile of books in his hand on the table, and said with a smile: "I have something to discuss with you. If you have something else to do, please wait a moment. Please forgive me."

Ma Zhou was very curious: "Duke Yue has always been very intelligent, and his ideas for solving problems are always thought-provoking, but he has become increasingly lazy in the past two years. I wonder what could have made you cheer up and bring it to the Political Affairs Hall for discussion?"

Liu Li was also very interested.

Fang Jun pushed the pile of books forward and said seriously, "Last month, the water level in Yunzhou surged and many dangerous places appeared on the Yellow River embankment. Fortunately, the local government organized the people to go to the dam for maintenance in time, so the embankment was saved."

Liu Li frowned and said, "There are many flood situations in the Yellow River. Since the levees have been saved, it proves that the situation is under control. Why mention it?"

Ma Zhou also said: "Since Wang Jing of the Eastern Han Dynasty managed the Yellow River, the river has remained calm for more than 400 years. Even if there were floods, they did not cause major disasters. His contribution will last for thousands of years."

During the Eastern Han Dynasty and before, the Yellow River was turbulent, and the rushing river water often broke through dams and flooded farmland. In severe cases, the river would change its course at any time, and the downstream areas were almost shrouded in floods. Every time the dams broke and the river changed its course, farmland was flooded and countless people were displaced.

Emperor Ming of Han was determined to control the Yellow River, so he sent Wang Jing to do so.

Wang Jing recruited hundreds of thousands of corvée laborers, and based on the actual situation, he changed the original course of the Yellow River and built a thousand-mile long dike to allow the Yellow River water to flow naturally into the sea along the low-lying areas. He then began to repair the Bian Canal, divert the Yellow River water for navigation, and connect the two major river basins of the Yellow River and the Huai River.

Since then, the roaring Yellow River no longer poses a threat as it did in the past, and it has been used to irrigate farmland, transport goods, and has been peaceful for more than 400 years.

Why do we have to control the Yellow River again today?

Fang Jun pointed at the books on the table and said slowly, "Throughout the summer, the students of the academy traveled around and gained knowledge. Many of them investigated the hydrology along the Yellow River and found that the water level of the Yellow River had risen by more than a foot compared to the records during the Kaihuang period of the previous dynasty."

Liu Xiangdao, who had been sitting quietly nearby, could not help but ask, "The Yellow River embankment is generally much higher than the water level. Even if it rises by one foot, it won't matter, right? Duke Yue is worrying too much."

Fang Jun glanced at him and said, "The problem is not whether the water level has risen by one foot or two feet, but the reason for the rise. If we cannot trace the cause and effect and prepare for the rainy day, will the water level rise by ten feet in a hundred years? Of course, it will be a hundred years later. By then, Asia and Taiwan will have been buried in the loess and their flesh and bones will have rotted away. Even if the embankment of the lower reaches of the Yellow River collapses and thousands of miles of land are flooded, it has nothing to do with you."

Liu Xiangdao blushed and said, "I wonder how the Duke of Yue can trace the cause and effect?"

Fang Jun pointed to the book and said, "In recent years, the development of Guanzhong has intensified. Deforestation, reclamation of wasteland, and population growth have caused serious soil erosion in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. More and more yellow mud and sand are washed into the river by rainwater and carried downstream by the river. The terrain in the downstream area is flat and the water flow is slow. The mud and sand sink to the bottom of the river and accumulate in the river, causing the water level to rise day by day."

Thanks to Wang Jing's efforts, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song dynasties, the Yellow River was relatively docile, and there were no large-scale floods.

However, precisely because the river water was stable and there were no floods, the pace of managing the Yellow River was slowed down, or even put aside and ignored. As a result, soil erosion in the upper reaches became increasingly serious and irreversible, and the river often flooded and changed its course, causing major disasters.

If attention had been paid to the source, why would this mother river become a nightmare for the people in the middle and lower reaches hundreds of years later?
Liu Li took the book and started flipping through it. The content was not complicated. Most of it was various hydrological records and data. There was no long-winded description. It was intuitive and detailed.

After reading it quickly, Liu Li considered and said, "This is a serious matter. We must carefully discuss it before deciding whether to implement it."

Fang Jun nodded: "Of course, from ancient times to the present, managing the water of rivers and lakes has always been a difficult task. It is impossible to achieve it overnight, and we must not rush for quick success. The plan is here. The Minister of the Central Secretariat can discuss and deduce it carefully with the Ministry of Works. As for whether it will be implemented, it is not my responsibility."

Next, everyone raised various issues and discussed solutions. If there was no unified opinion, they would vote by raising their hands, and the minority would obey the majority...

Finally, Liu Li coughed lightly and said, "There is one more thing. I really don't know how to deal with it. I would like to ask my colleagues to help me with some advice."

Fang Jun took a sip of tea, turned his head and glanced at the sky outside the window, and said dissatisfiedly: "It's almost noon. I didn't eat in time after getting up early, and I drank a lot of tea. Now my stomach is rumbling and I'm starving. Why don't we go now? We can discuss it tomorrow if there is anything."

Liu Li hurriedly said: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed!"

Fang Jun was surprised and said, "You, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, are also very strange. Since there are important government affairs, why don't you bring them out earlier so that everyone can brainstorm? Now everyone is exhausted and listless, how can they have so much energy to think about important things?"

Liu Li quickly told the story, otherwise if Fang Jun continued to pester him, it might all be ruined...

"Concubine Shen is pregnant, which is a great joy for the royal family. Your Majesty is grateful for her great contribution to the continuation of the royal family, so he wants to promote her to Zhaoyi and ask for my opinion."

Everyone looked solemn.

Cui Dunli asked, "I wonder how the Minister of the Central Secretariat will answer Your Majesty?"

Liu Li sighed and said, "Your Majesty's words are reasonable and your will is firm. I cannot refuse."

"Does that mean the Minister of the Central Secretariat has agreed to your Majesty's request?"

Liu Li nodded: "That's right."

Cui Dunli was surprised and said, "This is a private matter of the royal family. It is not for the ministers to interfere. And since the Minister of the Central Secretariat has agreed, it is you who should draft the imperial edict for the promotion of Zhaoyi. Why do you ask for our opinions? It has nothing to do with us!"

(End of this chapter)