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Chapter 196 No Handle
Zhu Cheng probably didn't expect Yan Daoxin to agree so readily, so he casually added a condition.

He hesitated for a moment, as if he didn't dare to agree to it so readily, but he was also afraid that a direct refusal would make Yan Daoxin unhappy, so he simply refused to help with the diagnosis alone and had to agree vaguely.

Fortunately, the food was delivered soon, which temporarily eased the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Zhu Yu found the meal quite delicious. On the one hand, after all, he had been eating the same dish for so long, and he missed it a little after not having it for several months. On the other hand, he had been running around outside recently and hadn't had a good meal.

Seeing that she was eating with gusto, Lu Qing looked at the dishes on the table which were not really rare or exquisite. He probably thought that it was because she had been moving around a lot recently and could only eat Hu pancakes with fruits. So he unnoticedly picked up a few dishes that were farther away from Zhu Yu and put them into her bowl.

Zhu Cheng exchanged pleasantries with Lu Qing and Yan Daoxin, but he saw everything clearly with his eyes, and was somewhat surprised.

It is said that King Xiaoyao seems to be affectionate, but in fact he is the most ruthless. Because he always hangs out in places like music halls and piano houses, no dignitaries in the capital are willing to marry their daughters to him. That's why Emperor Jin wants to use the method of arranged marriage to arrange a marriage for him that cannot be refused, and on the other hand to restrain him, so as to prevent him from doing too much after marriage.

But now that he really saw this King Xiaoyao, Zhu Cheng felt that he seemed to be different from the rumors. There was no trace of arrogance and dissoluteness in his body. Instead, his eyes were restrained, and his emotions did not show, giving people an unpredictable feeling.

After dinner, the steward came over personally to clear away the dishes for them, and brought over a pot of fragrant tea. He then went out to the yard and waited, leaving space for Zhu Cheng and the others to talk.

Yan Daoxin also stretched, saying that he was really tired from traveling and was used to going to bed early, so he went straight back to his room.

"Just now, my dear son-in-law asked, "Is there any special reason why you came to Shuo Country this time?" Zhu Cheng took a sip of tea and asked as if nothing unpleasant had happened before.

However, he still chose to ask his son-in-law Lu Qing.

In his deeply rooted concept, there is no point in discussing important matters with a woman.

"Speaking of this matter, it was Madam's suggestion. I think it would be better if Madam explained it to my father-in-law in person, so that I don't have to speak first and there would be anything omitted." Lu Qing did not refuse Zhu Cheng's face this time. He spoke as a response to his inquiry. His words were polite, but his attitude was still lukewarm.

Zhu Yu didn't hesitate to be polite. He nodded and said to Zhu Cheng, "Father, Shuo State has been plagued by drought and lack of rain for many years. Although we have made great achievements in mining and smelting over the years, the ores in those mines cannot be eaten directly. One day, they will be mined out. If the people want to have enough food and clothing, they still have to rely on food.

It so happened that this year the Huazhou area encountered a flood disaster that had not been seen in many years, and the emperor instructed the Ministry of Works to go to Huazhou to build a canal.

After Lu Qing learned about this, he spent a lot of time and effort to finally convince the Ministry of Works to build the canal to the side of Black Stone Mountain, which is adjacent to the Shuo Kingdom and is only separated by a mountain. They only need to open a waterway at the foot of the mountain to bring water into Shuo.

You just need to arrange some people to go there, build a canal on this side of the mountain in advance, and prepare to divert water. When the canal on the other side is built, open a waterway at the foot of the mountain, and the water will naturally flow over.

The only problem facing the Ministry of Works' craftsmen right now is the flood in Huazhou, and they can't gather enough food. If father could gather some food and send it over to alleviate their immediate needs, I believe the construction period for the canal would be greatly shortened, which would be just in time for the crops in Shuodi to need water the most."

Zhu Cheng was originally a little uncomfortable with Zhu Yutong talking about serious matters, and felt awkward in his heart, but when he heard her talking about the canal repair, he couldn't help but adjust his sitting position.

The drought in Shuodi, especially near the Jin and Jie states, had always weighed heavily on Zhu Cheng's mind. Forget black iron; even with ordinary iron ore, the craftsmen of Shuo could create the most sophisticated and durable agricultural tools and ironware in the world.

These things could have been sold at a good price, but due to the drought and lack of rain, the food in Shuodi was not even enough to feed the people, so they had to buy it from outside.

Both the Jin State and the Jie and Lan regions saw this clearly and raised the price when selling grain to them, making them suffer losses in the transaction but having to do so again and again even though they knew they were at a disadvantage.

Zhu Cheng also wrote a letter to Emperor Jin, hoping that he would allow the Shuo Kingdom to build a canal to divert water.

Emperor Jin did issue a comment on his memorial, telling him that as the King of Shuo, if he wanted to do something beneficial to the people's livelihood, such as building a canal in his fiefdom, he did not need to report it and could handle it on his own.

Before Zhu Cheng could feel happy, he quickly realized that Emperor Jin did not agree to his request, but instead pushed it back.

There is no need to report the construction of canals in Shuodi, and you can handle it yourself.

What about outside of Shuodi? They haven't promised anything!

Unfortunately, there was no canal built in the territory of Jin State to bring water here first. Even if the Shuo State dug hard, it could only dig a deep pit, which was useless.

I thought that after being rejected by Emperor Jin, there was no hope for this matter, but I didn't expect that there would be a turn for the better now.

only……

"This is no easy matter." Zhu Cheng always felt that Zhu Yu was downplaying the matter too much. "Digging the canal is not a problem, and raising some food is even less of a problem.

Although this can indeed alleviate the water shortage problem in Shuodi, it is not appropriate for me to dig a canal here and directly bring water from Jinguo.

If the imperial court later finds this matter suspicious and thinks I deliberately bribed the officials of the Ministry of Works to do something secret, wouldn't that cause big trouble?"

"Father, don't worry." Zhu Yu shook his head at him and glanced at Lu Qing standing beside him. "This matter is of great importance, and it is naturally not easy to achieve today's results.

If Lu Qing had not intervened and made many efforts, the canal would never have been built to the edge of Black Stone Mountain.

Since there has been such progress now, my father's concerns were of course also within Lu Qing's previous considerations.

Therefore, my father needs to have someone collect some silver from the Ministry of Works for the grain he sends. This way, while it's a normal business transaction and a time to address an urgent need, no one can accuse Shuoguo of taking the opportunity to bribe the Ministry of Works. This way, we can solve their urgent need for grain without leaving any evidence behind."

　Thanks to Xiwu Yuting x2 for the monthly ticket!
　　(End of this chapter)