The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Sure enough, it gradually got dark again. Seeing the dark clouds looming over the city, everyone quickened their pace. It looked like the heavy rain would arrive in the evening. At night, a torrential downpour came head-on. Xiao Jingchen stared at the lake in front of him, and the embankment under his feet seemed to have new cracks.

"Your Highness, you must leave quickly! This place is about to collapse!"

"We must hold on, even if we can't hold on. Lord Xu is already trying to secure a chance for everyone! We can't give up until the very last moment."

Many sandbags had already been brought up. Xiao Jingchen knew that if he left now, the people would panic and things would fall into chaos.

The King of Chu had already prepared for the worst. If there was still no news from Lord Xu in another hour, he would order these people to withdraw.

In the midst of anxious waiting, someone finally ran to deliver the message: "Your Highness, it's done! It's done with Lord Xu!"

"It's done! It's done! We're saved! We're saved!" The people below spread the word and immediately cheered. Even though it was night and they didn't even know who was next to them, they hugged each other and celebrated, knowing that the water level would go down by dawn the next day.

As everyone searched for the King of Chu, they discovered that he had disappeared sometime earlier.

Seeing that the situation here had stabilized and the flood discharge had been successful, Xiao Jingchen could now leave and hand over the aftermath to Lord Xu. Lord Xu had been temporarily appointed, and now was a good opportunity for him to establish his authority and make contributions.

Lord Xu is a rare and excellent official; if I were here, I would only be a hindrance to him.

Xiao Jingchen wasn't idle either. He left a letter for Lord Xu and quietly headed towards the Western Hills with Xiao Yi.

Xishan is just the name of a small county town located at the westernmost edge of Boxiang. There is a very high mountain in the town, hence the name Xishan (West Mountain).

Bo Xiang is adjacent to Cangshan, but Xishan is the farthest from Cangshan. In addition, the road is muddy and difficult to travel, and it rains from time to time. Xiao Jingchen certainly cannot ride a horse in the rain. Even if he gets there, he will get sick and will not be able to do anything. He is not in a hurry because Xiao Jingchen knows that someone will definitely ask about his situation in Cangshan.

Cangshan and Boxiang are adjacent places. If I can come here to inspect, I will definitely go there as well. Although Boxiang is a large area, Xishan, which is guilty of thievery, must have made some preparations.

Moreover, the reason why Xiao Jingchen did not rush to Xishan immediately was because Wanwan had told him before that Xishan had many mountains, but most of them were formed by the accumulation of mud and sand.

The only highest mountain is rocky, so the secret most likely lies on that main mountain, while the surrounding earthen hills must have been washed away by the continuous rainfall, leaving behind large amounts of silt. What needs to be addressed in the western mountains isn't a dam, but rather the silt.

When Xiao Yuheng inspected this area, Xishan was one of his destinations, but he never mentioned it, either in his official reports or in private.

As expected, those in the Western Hills were well-informed and were already waiting for the King of Chu and his entourage at their inevitable route.

"Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey."

Xiao Jingchen opened the curtain of the carriage and saw that it was Zhao Xiaoliang, the prefect of Boxiang. Zhao Xiaoliang had a fair complexion and a round figure, looking like a white dough ball. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, making him look very pleasing. But it was such a seemingly harmless person that made people wary of him.

"Who is this...?" Xiao Jingchen asked, pretending not to recognize him.

"Oh, oh, oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zhao Xiaoliang, the prefect of this Boxiang region. I heard that Your Highness was coming here after managing the floods in Cangshan, so I have been waiting for you here for a long time."

"So it's Lord Zhao. Thank you for waiting for me here. Let's go."

"Hey, hey, Your Highness, wait! Your Highness, wait!" Zhao Xiaoliang had heard that the Prince of Chu was a living devil who had beheaded the local prefect and filled the lake in Cangshan without saying a word. So he couldn't be sure if the prince would also dislike him and behead him as well. But if the prince really got through, he would die too.

"How dare you! You dare to block the Prince's carriage!" Xiao Yi shouted.

"Young man, you've misunderstood! I only thought Your Highness must be tired from your journey, so I've already prepared a place for you to eat and stay. Even if Your Highness is on official business, it would be good for you to rest." Sweat had already seeped onto Zhao Xiaoliang's fair neck. Although he was speaking, he maintained a proper distance from the carriage. He had heard that the Prince liked to use a sword, so at least he wouldn't be killed instantly from this position.

The King of Chu, inside the carriage, knew he couldn't rush things. Xiao Wu and the others hadn't found Xiao Jia yet, and no news had come out. They still didn't know what the situation was like over there. Only with him here could they remain calm and refrain from making any underhanded moves.

“What Lord Zhao says is true. However, this time I am going to the area most severely damaged by the landslide. If Lord Zhao has nothing else to do, please come along.”

"It is only right for me to accompany you, Your Highness, but it is getting late and the road is not easy to travel. Wouldn't it be better if we rested for a while and then went together after I had finished my report in person the next morning?"

Seeing how earnestly Lord Zhao was trying to persuade him to stay, the King of Chu knew that he must be buying time for those people. Naturally, the King of Chu also became interested and wanted to see what they were up to, so he nodded and said, "Then let's go to the post station ahead to rest."

"Your Highness, your officials are ready..."

Xiao Yi immediately drew his sword and pointed it at Lord Zhao, frightening him into silence. He never expected that he could avoid the Prince's dangerous distance but not Xiao Yi's. It seemed that the person who could follow the Prince of Chu was not someone to be trifled with. Seeing Xiao Yi sheathe his sword and drive away in his carriage, Lord Zhao hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his face with his sleeve.

Upon arriving at the post station, it was found to be very clean. The postmaster reserved the best room for the King of Chu. Although the King of Chu did not stay there as Zhao Xiaoliang had arranged, Zhao Xiaoliang was the local official, and he effortlessly moved all the necessary items to the post station.

That evening, Xiao Jingchen looked at the table laden with fine wine and delicacies, his expression somewhat displeased.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoliang stood up, picked up the wine pot, and personally filled the wine for the King of Chu, saying, "Your Highness must have had a hard time in Cangshan and Linqing. Although our place is small and we don't have any good wine or food to entertain you, it's enough for you to rest. I hope Your Highness won't mind."

"Disdain? The dishes on this table are almost more lavish than those in my own palace."

"Hehehe, how can it compare to the Prince's mansion?"

The King of Chu didn't waste any words with him. He selected a few things that he found acceptable and ate a few bites. He held the wine under his nose and smelled it; it was indeed a good product. Moreover, all the things he ate had been checked by Xiao Yi and were of good quality. Seeing the way Lord Zhao's eyes darted around, he knew there was some other trick up his sleeve.

Apart from asking a few questions at the dinner table, such as the recent itinerary and arrangements of the King of Chu, Lord Zhao did not mention anything else, and nothing happened until the King of Chu went back to rest.

Xiao Jingchen returned to his bedroom. As soon as he touched the door, he sensed someone inside. Judging from the person's aura, they were not a martial artist and seemed somewhat tense.

Xiao Jingchen stood at the door with his hands behind his back and said, "Either you get out here yourself, or I'll have someone go in and kill you."

Not long after the words were spoken, the door was opened from the inside, and a young woman walked out. Her eyes were large and filled with tears, and she looked like a frightened rabbit.

"Your Highness, my daughter has admired you for a long time and hopes to stay and serve you."

"What's your name?"

"My daughter's name is Zhao Shanshan, and my father is Zhao Xiaoliang, the prefect of Bo Township."

"You can leave now. A girl should know what self-respect is." Xiao Jingchen turned and walked inside without looking back.

Before Zhao Shanshan could react, a vase flew out of the room, filled with the very fresh flowers she had just brought in.

"Get back! If you use these underhanded tricks on me again, I'll send you to a brothel. Xiao Yi, come in and change my bed."

Zhao Shanshan, kneeling at the door, is the daughter of the prefect. She has had everything she wanted since she was a child, and over the years, she has been raised by Prefect Zhao to have extremely high standards. She believes that no man in Boxiang is good enough for her.

She had always admired the King of Chu. She had heard that he was handsome, skilled in martial arts, and held a high position, which was highly valued by the emperor. In Zhao Shanshan's heart, only a man like him could be worthy of her.

"Your Highness, can't you even glance at Shanshan?"

Unexpectedly, the King of Chu actually replied with a single sentence: "Ugly."

In Xiao Jingchen's mind, all women were ugly, except for his mother and sister-in-law, who were not even considered pretty.

Gu Qingwan is the most beautiful woman in the world. No matter which angle you look at her from, she is the best. These vulgar women can't even compare to a single strand of her hair.

Upon arriving at this point, the King of Chu felt a pang of heartache. What could he do? He began to miss his Wanwan again, and the fact that he couldn't see her immediately only worsened his mood.