A three-and-a-half-year-old max-level ancestor, mistakenly bound to a system to be de

Chapter 54 A Master of Flood Control
"Haha, how could that be? If His Majesty really wanted to promote Xia Ye, Xia Ye wouldn't have been in this position for nearly 10 years."

"I think Xia Ye might have committed some serious crime. This trip is probably going to be very dangerous for him."

"Yes, yes, that's true."

These people usually look down on Xia Ye.

Therefore, at this point, they would rather Xia Ye make a mistake than believe that he has a chance to be promoted.

Soon enough, news spread throughout the Ministry of Rites that Xia Ye had made a mistake and was likely to be punished and dismissed by His Majesty himself.

But when Xia Ye's wife, Zhang, came to the Ministry of Rites to bring some food for her husband, the rumors changed again.

Zhang was aware of her husband's situation in the Ministry of Rites, and as his wife, she felt very sorry for him.

Seeing her husband growing thinner every day, she thought that she would send him some tea or food whenever she had time.

She came to deliver it as usual today.

Unexpectedly, before even entering, I suddenly heard some news.

"Lord Xia is not here. He has gone to the palace, but he is likely in grave danger this time. He has probably committed a crime and his family will be raided!" This is because when Zhang came to the Ministry of Rites to deliver food to her husband, she would also send a portion to the gatekeeper.

So the doorman treated her quite well.

This news was also shared with her.

Upon hearing the news, Zhang felt her mind go blank, her legs went weak, and she almost fainted.

The food box in his hand fell to the ground.

The next second, tears fell.

“My master served as a principal clerk in the Ministry of Rites for 10 years. He was diligent and conscientious, and never committed any wrongdoing.”

“My husband is definitely innocent.”

No matter how much Zhang cried out for justice, no one paid any attention.

Helpless, Zhang had no choice but to return home first, not wanting to tell her mother-in-law about the matter.

Unfortunately, her mother-in-law had already noticed her unusual behavior.

They grabbed her and asked if something had happened!

Having no other choice, Zhang had to tell her mother-in-law what she had heard.

Upon hearing this, the mother-in-law nearly fainted and then silently shed tears.

After a long pause, he grasped Zhang's hand and said, "Zhang, although I don't believe my son would do something that would lead to our family's property being confiscated, if that's truly the case, I will arrange for you to divorce him. At that time..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Zhang interrupted, "Mother-in-law, you don't need to say that. I, Zhang Shuyi, am a member of the Zhang family, both in life and in death. No matter what, I will stand with my husband and mother-in-law!"

"You, you, you're so confused."

Ultimately, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law decided that if Xia Ye was indeed punished, they would go to the palace gate, beat the gate drum, and cry out for justice.

Meanwhile, Xia Ye, who was summoned to the palace, was completely unaware that so many rumors had already spread about his entry into the palace, to the point that his family was going to be wiped out.

Even his mother and wife knew about it.

They were even discussing going to visit each other.

At this moment, Xia Ye entered the palace with trepidation and soon arrived at the Imperial Study.

"Your humble servant Xia Ye pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

"Please rise, my dear subject."

Xia Ye got up quickly.

Emperor Xuanhe looked at Xia Ye in front of him but couldn't see anything special about him.

However, he also believed that the talent list given to him by the young princess was genuine. Moreover, he had just read through all of Xia Ye's life stories.

It turns out that Xiaye really does have a connection with flood control!

"Minister Xia, I heard that before you took the imperial examinations, when you were still a farm boy, you were the one who suggested building the embankment of the big river in your county?" Emperor Xuanhe asked.

Xia Ye looked up nervously, not expecting that Emperor Xuanhe would ask about this matter first.
They also knew that he knew about the events surrounding his time as a sixth-rank official.

Xia Ye was even more terrified. "Your Majesty, this is indeed true."

"Then tell me, my dear minister, what was the reason at the time?"

"……Yes."

Xia Ye immediately spoke to Emperor Xuanhe about it.

Recalling the past, a touch of sadness and tenderness involuntarily surfaced on Xia Ye's face.

Xia Ye was a farm boy and the only son in his family. His parents were very loving.

His father worked as a cargo unloading worker at the bow of the ship.

Earning money by working hard.

His mother took care of the household, and occasionally embroidered to supplement the family income when she had time.

After learning that he was intelligent and loved reading from a young age, the family, despite their poverty, resolutely sent him to a private school.

From a young age, Xia Ye witnessed his parents' hard work and vowed to study hard so that he could become a good official after passing the imperial examinations and repaying his parents.

He could never forget his mother's bloodshot eyes from staying up all night to embroider more patterns to sell, nor could he forget his father's bent back and chafed shoulders as he secretly watched him carrying goods at the bow of the boat.

However, Xia Ye's father ultimately did not live to see the day when he could fulfill his filial duty to him.

When Xia Ye was 15, the main river in the county town flooded and breached its banks.

At that time, in order to earn more money, Xia's father happened to be unloading cargo on a nearby boat.

When the flood came, it not only capsized the boat, but also swept away Xia Fu and others like him who had to work hard to make a living.

When the floodwaters receded, all that was left to search for were their corpses.

Xia Ye could never forget how she and her mother held her father's body and wept bitterly.

I also can't forget how other families who lost loved ones grieved and wept.

From that moment on, as he gazed at the dam and the damaged dike, a grand ambition silently formed in his heart: he hoped that he would have the ability to control the waters and manage all the dikes in Daqing, so as to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

So from then on, Xia Ye no longer just studied in the private school, but also went out, traveled far and wide, visited everyone who could control the water, borrowed and read books that could teach him how to control the water, personally inspected the major rivers and dikes in every place, and conceived and envisioned.

When Xia Ye turned 20.

Invited by the county magistrate, Xia Ye provided ideas and blueprints to build a dam for their county.

The construction of that dam ensured that their county would not experience any flooding due to breaching the dam for at least the next fifty years.

Later, in his early twenties, Xia Ye passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and became a government official in the capital, serving as a principal officer in the Ministry of Rites.

He languished in this position for 10 years, almost to the point of despair, feeling that his grand ambitions would probably never be realized in his lifetime.

Over the years, he has kept the matter of water management to himself.

He didn't even tell his wife.

Unexpectedly, the topic was brought up again in front of His Majesty.

After listening to Xia Ye's account, Emperor Xuanhe was even more moved than when he read the documents himself.

Indeed, Xia Ye was a master at flood control!
He was put in charge of the Ministry of Rites for 10 years, which was a waste of talent!

(End of this chapter)