Shen Xihe's actions were deliberate. Xiao Changyan had been here since the drought began, and for months he had toiled tirelessly, never abandoning Dengzhou. Even after over a month of heavy rain, he ensured the people neither starved nor froze, earning immense prestige among them.
If she didn't tarnish his reputation somewhat, he could leverage that prestige and influence to protect himself when she later pressed him about Xiao Changgeng's affairs.
Shen Xihe didn't deny Xiao Changyan's prior contributions, nor did she feel her actions were despicable. She hadn't framed him—he had handed her the blade himself. Wouldn't it be wasteful not to use it?
"Crown Princess, please do not be displeased. I was merely contemplating how to expedite the transport to prevent grain from piling up here," Xiao Changyan replied with unshakable composure, as if entirely unaffected, calmly explaining to cover himself.
"Prince Jing need not worry. If there are insufficient carts, I shall simply halt deliveries from the opposite shore," Shen Xihe stated impassively.
"Ah, seeing the grain overwhelmed me with joy, and I overlooked this detail. Crown Princess, rest assured, I will ensure all grain entrusted to me reaches the city intact," Xiao Changyan accepted Shen Xihe's assignment with a smile, leading his men toward the transport carts unloading the grain.
Meanwhile, the silent Xiao Changqing watched as stacks of grain were unloaded and the iron nets returned one by one. Curious, he asked, "Crown Princess, how are these iron nets being sent back?"
Such finely crafted iron nets, bearing such heavy loads while sliding from great heights without a single break, were undoubtedly rare and unlikely to be abundant. With the substantial amount of grain transported this time, the iron nets on the opposite shore were probably insufficient.
However, the iron cable sloped downward from the opposite side to here, making it impossible to reattach the nets for a reverse slide.
The river connecting this shore to the opposite was of unpredictable width, with raging waves that made boat passage difficult. The vast distance was insurmountable by human means, sparking Xiao Changqing's curiosity.
"Prince Xin, with your keen intellect, why not venture a guess?" Shen Xihe didn't answer him, instead handing the retrieved iron nets to Mo Yuan.
Mo Yuan took ten iron nets and galloped away. This task, of course, fell to Haidongqing. In fact, Shen Xihe had once suggested to Xiao Huayong whether they could erect a post at a high point, connect it to the lower end on the opposite side, and slide the nets back. Xiao Huayong had rejected the idea.
Xiao Huayong argued that Haidongqing was faster, the iron cables were limited, and retrieving the nets here would require an extra person on the opposite shore to collect them, wasting time on delivery.
Under public scrutiny, they couldn't expose Haidongqing. Fortunately, Xiao Huayong's claimed illness provided a reason for him not to be present. He remained elsewhere with Haidongqing, ready to direct the bird's labor.
Haidongqing could lift a living person or a wild boar—a few iron nets posed no burden at all.
The grain wasn't transported all at once. Even after reaching the temporarily built dock on the opposite shore, it required a long detour to reach the posts where the iron cables connected to this side. They worked from daybreak until nearly dusk, managing only about twenty cartloads of grain.
Nevertheless, these twenty cartloads were enough to alleviate the county's urgent needs for several days. The transport team was exhilarated, feeling no fatigue. As the grain entered the city, the witnessing citizens cheered with tears in their eyes.Shen Xihe watched the smiles blooming on their faces and the light shimmering in their eyes, feeling warmth spread through her chest. Afterward, the task of distributing supplies to the villages and towns was assigned to Xiao Changqing. Shen Xihe returned to her residence, where Xiao Huayong, who had arrived earlier, had prepared both a warming herbal decoction and a medicinal bath, awaiting her return.
"The rain has made everything damp and the ground cold. You shouldn’t go out again in the future," Xiao Huayong said, holding Shen Xihe’s slightly chilled feet with a pained expression.
Unable to free herself, Shen Xihe gave up struggling and allowed him to tend to her as she soaked her feet. "Mm, just this one time today will be enough."
The amount of grain transported each day was limited, and it was uncertain how many more trips would be needed. Today was the first day, and many matters required Shen Xihe’s personal involvement to keep Xiao Changyan and Xiao Changqing in check. After this, Mo Yuan could be sent to oversee the work.
"Prince Xin and Jing Wang seem quite curious about how the Iron net will be retrieved," Shen Xihe reminded him.
Xiao Huayong chuckled softly, applying gentle pressure with his thumb to massage the soles of her feet. "They’re not just curious about that—they’re even more intrigued by how I managed to secure the Iron cable." The two banks were far apart, making it impossible to throw the cable across. The river below flowed too fiercely for swimming or boating.
However, this remained an unsolvable puzzle for them. The opposite bank was essentially an isolated island, requiring an extremely long detour to reach the calm, branching river on the other side. Even if Xiao Changqing and Xiao Changyan were eager to investigate, they lacked the means to do so.
"I noticed sparks flying when the Iron net slid down. Will the Iron net and Iron cable really not wear through?" Shen Xihe still felt some concern.
"Wear and tear are inevitable, but it won’t break in just a few days. Who knows how long this rain will last? If it continues for another month or two, there’s no need to worry. I’ll have people regularly inspect the damage and have already ordered more to be made as a precaution," Xiao Huayong replied calmly. "As for grain transport, don’t fret. Once the grain arrives and is distributed, the priority will be digging channels and canals to divert the floodwaters to the sea."
"Has Grandfather and the others finalized the excavation plans?" Shen Xihe asked.
Xiao Huayong dried her feet, lifted her onto the soft couch, and carefully wrapped her in a rabbit-fur blanket. After washing his hands, scenting them with incense, he brought over several scrolls.
Shen Xihe half-reclined on the couch, unrolling one scroll at random. It contained a rough map of the county, marked with different colors to indicate areas of flooding, soil conditions, and suitability for excavation. They had avoided residential areas as much as possible, though a few unavoidable homes would need to be demolished and requisitioned.
As Shen Xihe unrolled each scroll, she began to envision the completed canal system. The more she looked, the brighter her eyes grew. "If this succeeds, this place will never have to worry about floods again!"
This water conservancy project had been tentatively planned by Tao Zhuanxian and Zhong Pingzhi a month earlier. With the support of Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong, the two had worked tirelessly to bring the plans to fruition and submit them as quickly as possible.
"Not only will floods no longer be a concern, but look at these areas—they’ll benefit the people for irrigation. And here, Tao Gong and Zhong Gong propose building reservoirs to store rainwater, which would also alleviate future drought worries," Xiao Huayong pointed out to her.
The two discussed back and forth, their conversation filled with laughter and excitement.
"Everything is ready—all that’s left is for Youyou to persuade the people."Local officials might also oppose, but since they are part of the imperial court, they can only follow orders. Although His Majesty may refute them, the capital is far away and communication is inconvenient at present, so His Majesty's commands can be completely ignored.
As long as the people are convinced and willing to follow orders, everything will fall into place.
Shen Xihe curled her lips into a meaningful smile and looked at him: "I have a brilliant plan that will surely make the people respond in unison. I just need to borrow your name for a while."
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