After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

"Your Highness, would you like another grape?"

"Ah."

The young man, dressed in a semi-transparent ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), did not have delicate hands. Before being bought onto the ship by the Fourth Prince, he had done a lot of rough and dirty work for human traffickers.

Once on board, these purchased servants didn't need to do any work; they only needed to serve the noblemen well.

How do we serve them? Isn't it just about making them, who are men, dress up as women?

From initial awkwardness, humiliation, and discomfort, it only took them a little over ten days to get into their roles.

The two most "received" are now one serving tea and water, and the other peeling fruit.

My fingers still bear some traces of the roughness from my past work, but I have tried my best to keep them clean and tidy. Given time, if I continue to take good care of them, they may be able to have hands as soft and delicate as a young girl's.

Xiao Dezi looked down on the two of them, but he wouldn't show it outwardly.

At first, he actually regarded a few things as his opponents, which is really laughable when you think about it.

A dozen days is enough for a clever little eunuch to fully master a few "newbies".

These people are just like, no, even inferior to, the birds and cats kept by their master; those imperial pets are of very noble birth.

Riverside —

Minister Wu, with his most capable subordinates, was at Du'an Weir, completely unaware that someone had already decided to steal their boat.

"Sir, watch your step!"

Before disembarking from the carriage, Minister Wu and his entourage changed out of their official boots and were now wearing hand-woven straw sandals that they had bought from local villagers.

The minor officials in the Ministry of Works greatly admired and respected their Minister. Among the six ministries in the court, there were those who could do practical things for the Great Zhou, but they had never seen another like Minister Wu.

"Zhongwen, go and take a look ahead."

"Yes, my lord!"

The Du'an Weir irrigates tens of thousands of hectares of farmland on the Chengdu Plain east of Guanxian County.

Originally, the upper reaches of the Minjiang River flowed through steep mountains and forests. Once it reached the Chengdu Plain, the water speed suddenly slowed down, and a large amount of silt and rocks it carried were deposited, clogging the river channel.

Every year when the rainy season arrives, the Minjiang River and its other tributaries swell rapidly, often causing floods; when there is insufficient rainfall, droughts occur.

Two or three hundred years before the completion of the Du'an Weir, the ancient Shu Kingdom dug an artificial river at the exit of the Minjiang River from the mountains to divert the Minjiang River into the Tuojiang River in order to prevent flooding.

At this time, the bamboo cage structure of the weir was not stable under the impact of the Minjiang River's rapid current, and although the inner river channel had a sand discharge mechanism, it could not avoid siltation.

Therefore, the Du'an Weir needs to be repaired regularly to ensure its effective operation.

Every year during the dry winter and spring seasons, and during the off-season for farming, the water is drained and repaired annually; this is called "chuan tao".

During annual maintenance, the weir is repaired and the riverbed is dredged.

The depth of the dredging is determined by digging to the stone horse buried at the bottom of the ditch, and the height of the weir is determined by the water level on the opposite rock wall.

After the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Minister Wu initiated reforms, using iron bars instead of stone horses as a marker for the depth of dredging.

The current routine inspection is an additional inspection added by Minister Wu before the flood season, because according to the prediction of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, this year's rainfall will be more frequent than in previous years.

Emperor Zhao Yong of the Great Zhou Dynasty attached great importance to water conservancy. As soon as Minister Wu's memorial was submitted, the emperor approved it.

The Fourth Prince Zhao Hongsheng simply happened to be there by chance; his presence or absence wouldn't make a difference.

It's impossible for him to lead the team, but it's not impossible for him to follow Minister Wu.

Moreover, he also wanted to know what his usually mediocre son was up to.

The fourth prince, Zhao Hongsheng, didn't intend to do anything at the moment; he just wanted to use the official patrol boat for his own purposes.

He was also idly and unrestrainedly enjoying the service of the two "beautiful maids" on the ship, as if he were looking at another person through those male servants dressed as women.

Meanwhile, on Minister Wu's side, Huangfu Zhongwen led his men to inspect the site and then reported back: "My lord, the dam is currently in acceptable condition, but there are still some hidden dangers and weak points that need to be addressed and reinforced as soon as possible."

Minister Wu frowned slightly, then nodded and said, "Write down the exact location, and start making preparations when you get back."

Despite the muddy ground beneath their feet, the workers from the Ministry of Works each performed their duties, hoping to finish their tasks before sunset.

At this moment, Xiao Dezi on the ship was looking up and waiting on the deck. As it got dark, he still couldn't see Minister Wu.

Xiao Dezi sent two groups of people to urge them on, but none of them have returned to report. Either something happened on the way and they were delayed, or they were detained by Minister Wu.

Can't be? Minister Wu has been very respectful to his master all the way here, so why is he being so disrespectful now that we've asked him to come back early to discuss matters?

Dinner was already being prepared in the Fourth Prince's room, and Zhao Hongsheng was getting impatient. This Minister Wu really didn't take him seriously.

So what if he is the emperor's right-hand man and a key minister of the court?

They're just like those lackeys, only having dignity because of the royal family's favor.

"Xiao Dezi, we can't wait any longer. Have your men pack up the luggage and belongings of those people from the Ministry of Works and throw them overboard!"

Hmph! If you don't appreciate my kindness, then don't blame me for being ruthless.

Xiao Dezi was startled by these words. Although he felt it was inappropriate, he had no choice but to comply. Minister Wu was just a minister, and his master was always higher in rank than Minister Wu.

When the packages and crates were thrown off the ship, Minister Wu and his entourage, who were on horseback in a distant carriage, happened to witness this scene.

Huangfu Zhongwen angrily said, "My lord, this fourth prince has gone too far! He's trying to kick us off the ship!"

Minister Wu remained calm and said, “Don’t be impulsive. There are people like this in the world who can ruin even the best start.”

"My lord, the fourth prince is trying to seize the ship and change course!" At this moment, the officials in the carriages behind also realized what was happening.

"Yes, we had the idea of ​​changing our route a few days ago, but now that they're being so forceful, I don't know where they really want to go. What could be more important than inspecting the river?"

Minister Wu sighed, thankfully, he hadn't been without a backup plan.

I hadn't intended to use the special decree given by His Majesty, but now I truly admire His Majesty's foresight and uncanny ability to predict events.

"Sir, without a boat, how are we supposed to continue patrolling the river?"

"Yes, yes, we can't just switch to the land route again, the Shu Road is notoriously difficult to travel!"

Minister Wu remained calm and composed, slowly taking out a token from his robes. Upon seeing this, everyone felt reassured.

The fourth prince was smugly directing the ships to change course.

"My lord, everything has been taken care of. Except for Lord Jiang's side, all the other relevant personnel from the Ministry of Works have been sent off the ship!"

"Yes, well done! Change course immediately and head to Linhai County!"

Zhao Hongsheng calmly ate his dinner, not at all thinking that throwing an official of the imperial court overboard was a serious matter.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! Lord Jiang has jumped ship!"

The boatman rushed in to report that his men had jumped in to rescue the person, but he didn't know if they had made it through.

"What! What did you say! Who jumped ship?"