Cypress Boat Floating

All arrangements have been made, and the mountain-cutting activity, which has been prepared for many days, can finally begin.

Lu Ci Qiu and Gong Yang Junyu each occupied an entrance and exit. Lu Ci Qiu and his men arranged gunpowder at the entrance of Sannan River, while Gong Yang Junyu led his men to the beach. They wanted to place their gunpowder at the exit by the sea. Their primary goal was to expand the entrance of the cave where they had been.

Since they all knew that there was a large cave at the foot of Sannan Mountain, they saved a lot of gunpowder. They only needed to enlarge the entrance of the cave to ensure that there was enough space for the river water to enter.

The gunpowder was ready, and when noon arrived, they officially started to ignite the gunpowder. The gunpowder fuses of both sides were of a certain length, and they had to ensure that both sides could blow up the entrance and exit of the cave at the same time.

Early in the morning, they arranged to evacuate the crowd. No one was allowed to approach the Sannan River and the sea. Ships on the sea were also parked at distant ports. No one was allowed to stay on Sannan Mountain.

After Lu Ci Qiu and Gong Yang Junyu arranged the gunpowder, they both went down the mountain. One of them was in Fengcheng and the other in Nancheng, one was here and the other was there. Although they couldn't see each other, they were all full of anticipation for what was about to happen.

It was noon, and at the command, the fuse was lit.

After the fuse was lit, it burned very quickly. In a short while, the flame of the fuse disappeared from everyone's sight. Fortunately, they set off fireworks along the way the fuse passed. If the fuse passed by, the fireworks would be ignited and rise into the sky, telling everyone the current progress of the fuse. This idea was also thought of by Ye Jianqing.

The first firework went off in the sky, indicating that the fuse had been lit in the first area that they could not see. After their side went off, a firework went off at the same time on the other side of the sea.

The start was smooth, and then fireworks went off one after another in the sky.

The last firework rose high into the sky, and the fuse reached the last leg of its journey smoothly and accurately.

This mountain-drilling activity has come to an end. Everyone holds their breath and dares not breathe, for fear that the fuse will go out because of their breathing.

Lu Ci Qiu looked up nervously at the fireworks in the sky. Although he couldn't see anything during the day, he knew that the fireworks must be very beautiful because this last firework was also a celebration for him in advance.

Bang!

A very loud sound echoed in the valley. Before anyone could react, a large cloud of smoke appeared before them and surrounded them. They were surrounded by the smoke and didn't even know the direction. But even so, no one was worried. They were on high alert and didn't dare to let their guard down. Whether they had succeeded or not would only be clear after the fog dissipated.

At this moment, everyone heard a sound different from the past. It seemed to be the sound of a stone falling, or the sound of flowing water. No one dared to confirm it.

Boom! Another sound.

The smoke gradually drifted higher, as if it felt it had played enough with them and was finally willing to lift the curtain for them. The smoke gradually dissipated, and the scene in front of them was exposed.

A huge hole appeared nakedly in their sight.

The familiar environment at the cave entrance fell into Lu Ci Qiu's eyes, and he knew that he had succeeded.

Lu Ci Qiu stood there without moving. Everyone was admiring the fact that the Seventh Prince could remain so calm and composed at this moment. But only he and Ye Jianqing beside him knew how nervous he was at the moment. Sweat broke out on his palms.

Ye Jianqing looked at him with a smile and gently pulled his hand. She wanted to tell him that he had succeeded.

Lu Ci Qiu felt Ye Jianqing pulling his hand. He turned his head stiffly and looked at her. He saw a smile on her face. He really wanted to smile back at her, but his face was so stiff that he couldn't even smile.

He couldn't relax at all until he got the result from Gong Yang Junyu.

When the smoke completely dissipated, everyone present saw the big hole, but this was only the situation on their side. They didn't know the situation on Gong Yang Junyu's side. Only by waiting for a reply from there could they be sure that it had been successful.

So Lu Ci Qiu quickly sent someone to inform Gong Yang Jun Yu of the success. As soon as the people were sent out, Gong Yang Jun Yu's people came and said that a big hole had been blown open at the entrance of the seaside cave, and water was seen flowing out.

At this time, the water level of the Sannan River began to drop visibly. The water flow became stronger, and the river surface at the entrance of the cave was rolling. The Sannan River was connecting with the sea. They succeeded!

Upon hearing the news, everyone present became excited.

The officials and soldiers behind him all cheered excitedly on the spot. Zhang Quansheng held Gao Yuankai beside him tightly and patted him on the back vigorously. Gao Yuankai, a scholar, could not stand the slap from such a burly man, so he pushed him away quickly, but found that he could not push him away. He had no choice but to smile helplessly and let him hold him.

The people in the city seemed to have heard the news of success, and they shouted and cried one by one, saying that they would no longer have to suffer from the flood. They kept shouting "Long live the Eighth Prince".

They were grateful to Lu Ci Qiu. If it hadn't been for Lu Ci Qiu's arrival, they didn't know how long they would have to suffer under the tyranny of Nan Chengyi and the flooding of the Sannan River.

To them, Lu Ci Qiu was the man sent by God to save them. They didn't understand, nor did they want to understand whether Lu Ci Qiu came here for his own rights or for some other reason, but as long as he could save them, he was the god to the people of Nancheng.

"It worked, it really worked!"

Lu Ci Qiu turned stiffly and looked at Ye Jianqing. Thousands of words were condensed into one sentence. Apart from the three words "successful", he had nothing else to say.

He completed this first step.

Ye Jianqing looked at him with a smile, she knew he was very excited now, she was also excited, he had worked hard during this period, so let him be happy.

But after the mountain excavation is completed, it does not mean that it is completely completed. There is still a lot of follow-up work that needs to be improved. We need to continue to improve the embankments on both sides of the Sannan River and repair a sluice gate to control the river. Otherwise, what should we do if seawater backflow occurs in the future?

Fortunately, he and Gongyang Junyu had already discussed everything during this period. Da'an and Nanlin each sent several officials from the Ministry of Works to jointly set up a "Canal Management Office". After the mountain was dug, the matters of the sluice gate and the dam were handed over to them.

Lu Ci Qiu and Gong Yang Junyu’s work has come to an end, and they should all go back to their respective places.

The news of the successful mountain excavation also reached the capital, and the emperor was very pleased.

Lu Ci Qiu also completed the task originally assigned by the emperor and could return to Beijing successfully.

Before returning to Beijing, Lu Ci Qiu went to see Lu Ci Shan for the last time, had a drink with Gong Yang Jun Yu, and made a promise to meet again in the future.

The next day, he set out on his journey home, filled with gratitude from the people of South City.

The road back to the capital was smooth and unobstructed. It took one month to go there and twenty days to return. Because Lu Ciqiu missed Concubine Shu and Lu Zhixing so much, and without Zhao Wenbin, the weak scholar, they drove their horses very fast, compressing the thirty-day journey into twenty days.

When he left, it was the autumnal equinox in August, but when he came back, it was already winter. In a few days it would be the winter solstice. Lu Ci Qiu sighed that he was lucky to have come back before the New Year so that he could have a reunion dinner with his family.

Lu Ci Qiu wrapped his cloak tightly around himself and looked at the snow-covered capital city not far away, with a hint of homesickness in his eyes. He felt nothing when he was in the city, but when he left and came back again, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

Ye Jianqing rode up to him, stopped beside him, looked at the city not far away with him and asked, "Why, you don't dare to go into your own home when you see it?"

Lu Ci Qiu smiled and shook his head. He said, "Before I left, I didn't think I would be gone for so long. It's been nearly four months. Before I left, I thought I had experienced so much and should be a mature adult. I can do many things, but this trip made me realize that I'm not as mature as I thought."

Ye Jianqing moved her gaze from the city to him, not knowing what to say. Maybe it was because she had lived a lifetime longer than him, so she always treated him as a younger brother, like a child. Sometimes she really overlooked the fact that he had actually lived for more than 30 years. According to this age conversion, he should be a mature adult.

However, because of the care of Concubine Shu, Lu Zhixing, and Lu Cishan, he did not experience any major events even after living for more than thirty years. At most, he experienced the death of his mother, second brother, and himself in his previous life. But these did not seem to fully temper his character. In the final analysis, he was still an immature child.

"Let's go, let's go home!" Before Ye Jianqing could answer him, he shook his head, put aside the heavy mood, and looked at Ye Jianqing with a bright smile on his face.

Ye Jianqing admitted that she was obsessed with looks. Seeing such a beautiful child smiling so cheerfully in front of her, he looked like a sunny and cheerful boy. Who wouldn't like such a cute child? Now she seemed to understand why Lu Zhixing doted on this younger brother.

Lu Ci Qiu took the lead, riding his horse in front, and Ye Jianqing looked at him from behind, looking so unrestrained and carefree. This is how young people should be, riding their horses across the world, not afraid of any darkness in the world. Even if they know what they will face when they go back, there is no need to worry, as the road ahead is bright and the future is promising.

After returning to the capital, according to the rules, Lu Ci Qiu should wash up before reporting to the emperor, but when he entered the palace, he received an imperial decree asking him to go to the palace for an audience immediately, so he had to let Ye Jianqing go back to the courtyard first, while he went to Chengming Palace to meet the emperor, where his father was already waiting for him.

Since the day he learned that Lu Ci Qiu was coming back from South City, Lu Zhixing had been looking forward to it. Finally, today was coming. He had been looking forward to it since morning. He was even a little absent-minded during the morning court session, with only Lu Ci Qiu on his mind. Finally, the morning court session was over. He wanted to wait for Lu Ci Qiu at the city gate, but he was stopped by the emperor and asked to go to Chengming Palace.

Although Lu Zhixing was unwilling, he had no choice but to obey the emperor's order and walked towards Chengming Palace, looking back every few steps.

When they arrived at Chengming Palace, they found that not only was there. Except for the third brother Lu Kaiyan who was guarding Yumen Pass and the seventh brother Lu Cishan who went to Nanlin as a hostage, all the other brothers were there, even the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth brothers who were still in school.

The brothers who had just come in from court were obviously a little frightened. This was the first time that all the brothers gathered in Chengming Hall.

After everyone had stood still for a long time, the emperor appeared.

He looked at the ten children in the hall and nodded with satisfaction.

Everyone originally thought that there was some problem why the emperor suddenly summoned so many people, but it turned out that he was just asking about their recent situation one by one, just like an ordinary father asking about his sons, in a harmonious atmosphere.

When he finished asking questions, word came from outside the palace that "The Eighth Prince has arrived..."

"Xuan!" Su Zilin shouted loudly.

The door slowly opened, and a familiar figure stood outside the palace. He was wearing a plain long gown. Although it was not as formal as the clothes of the princes in the palace, it was not vulgar either. On the contrary, it showed more elegance on him.

Ever since the door opened, Lu Zhixing was more excited than anyone else. He held his breath and looked at the person outside the door expectantly.

He lost weight, looked much more energetic, and seemed to have grown taller.

Lu Zhixing's eyes followed him as he walked step by step from outside the hall to the center of the hall. He watched him kneel down to greet the emperor, watched him stand up, watched him hand the memorial in his hand that recorded the entire process to Su Zilin, and watched him calmly answer every question of the emperor.

Compared to what Lu Ci Qiu did, Lu Zhixing cared more about his body and his health. He didn't know how anxious his second brother was when he learned that he was injured and missing. If he hadn't been held up by things in the capital, he would have wanted to drop everything and go to see him immediately.

"The eighth prince has made great contributions in diverting the river into the sea this time, and he always gets the first place in the annual examinations. After much thought, I think it is time for the eighth prince to set up his own office and make some contributions to the court. Then I will confer the title of the virtuous prince on the eighth prince Lu Ci Qiu, and hope that he can devote all his heart and soul to serving the country and the people in the future." The emperor put down the memorial in his hand, looked at his son who had become much more mature after a trip out, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, your son will follow your father's instructions and do his best to serve you and share the worries of the court." Lu Ci Qiu knelt down in surprise and accepted the order.

Sure enough, as he expected, after the water control in Nancheng was completed, he would be able to successfully establish a government. It was not in vain that he had spent so much time doing so many things. The first step towards his goal had already been taken. From now on, there was no turning back and he could only keep moving forward.

Zhang Quansheng and Zhao Wenbin also made contributions in this incident, but because Zhao Wenbin is currently staying in the "Canal Management Office" in the south city to build the sluice gate and dam, the reward was sent to his house later. After receiving it, everyone went about their business, and the emperor did not keep the other princes and let them all go.

When Lu Ci Qiu walked out of Chengming Hall, Lu Zhixing was already waiting for him at the door.

"Congratulations, wise king." Lu Zhixing joked with a smile.

"Second brother..." Lu Ci Qiu was very happy to see Lu Zhixing, and just smiled when he heard Lu Zhixing's teasing.

After all, the entrance to Chengming Palace was not a place to talk, so the two of them walked back to the prince's courtyard.

After returning to the courtyard, Lu Zhixing walked around Lu Ci Qiu and checked him out.

"Fortunately, fortunately, he was not seriously injured, otherwise my mother would have cried to death." Seeing that Lu Ci Qiu was fine, Lu Zhixing finally felt relieved.

"Second brother." Lu Ciqiu hugged Lu Zhixing tightly. He really missed his second brother so much. "I miss you."

Lu Ci Qiu's words actually confused Lu Zhixing. He just stood there in a daze, not knowing where to put his hands. After hearing Lu Ci Qiu say that he missed him, he smiled, hugged him in his arms, and patted his back gently.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Don't be so impulsive next time." Lu Zhixing said while patting.

Lu Ci Qiu nodded in his arms, but he knew that he still had a lot to do. This was just the beginning, and he still had a lot to do.

Lu Ci Qiu let go of her hand only after his mood improved. He then took Lu Zhixing's hand and started to tell him about his trip to Lingnan.

Just as she opened her mouth, Concubine Shu came outside the door. As soon as she stepped into the door of the courtyard, she saw Lu Ci Qiu. When she saw him, she started crying and couldn't walk.

Seeing her crying, Lu Ci Qiu felt bad too, so she quickly stepped forward to support her. She just checked Lu Ci Qiu up and down to see if she was injured.

After confirming that the other party was not injured, she cried, clenched her fists, and gently hit his chest: "You child, why don't you know how to take care of yourself when you go out? Do you know how worried your mother was after you disappeared? Do you know that your mother couldn't sleep or eat well when she heard that you were injured?"

"I'm sorry, mother. It's my son who is unfilial." Lu Ci Qiu let her hit him. He felt uncomfortable listening to what she said.

"Okay, okay, mother, let's go in first and talk. Isn't the eighth brother back safely now? It's good that he's back, it's good that he's back." Lu Zhixing stepped forward to comfort his mother.

Shufei thought so too, wondering what was the point of standing at the door, so the three of them went into the house together to reminisce about the past.