Destined

How about it? Not how about it.

Such a demand jolted Fu Baoyuan wide awake on the spot.

Taking three thousand city defense troops to repair the river channel and having Shen Ming lead them—this was blatantly demanding military authority. Although Yingyang had few soldiers, with only about four thousand troops per city, it was different from border cities like Wangdu that were constantly at war. Four thousand was already the largest military force in Yongzhou.

This would indeed solve the problem, but asking Wang Siyuan for his men—how could Wang Siyuan possibly release them?

Fu Baoyuan forced a smile: "Lord Gu, why have you suddenly brought this up again? Didn’t we agree there was no time limit?"

"I never agreed with you," Gu Jiusi sneered. "His Majesty ordered me to repair the Yellow River before next summer, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has made it clear that there will be floods in August. If the Yellow River floods because we failed to reinforce the embankments, neither of us will keep our official positions. No matter what, we must find a way to reinforce the embankments before August."

"Lord Gu’s idea is excellent."

Fu Baoyuan cleared his throat lightly and then said, "But it’s a bit too radical. Using soldiers directly to repair the river—I’m afraid the military won’t agree."

"I will petition His Majesty."

"Then let’s wait for His Majesty’s decree," Fu Baoyuan said immediately. "How can we recklessly interfere with military defense matters before the imperial decree arrives? Lord Gu, you’re only here to repair the Yellow River. Surely repairing the Yellow River doesn’t give you more authority than the prefect, does it?"

"I am here to repair the Yellow River," Gu Jiusi raised his eyes and looked at Fu Baoyuan, his voice cold, "but I am also here with the Son of Heaven’s Sword to repair the Yellow River."

"Lord Gu, don’t intimidate your subordinate," Fu Baoyuan sat to the side, picked up his tea, and said, "Even with the Son of Heaven’s Sword, you can’t treat human lives as worthless, right? Everything must be done with reason."

"Fine," Gu Jiusi nodded. "Then I’ll reason with you. You refuse to accept a face-saving offer, is that it?"

Gu Jiusi sat down and said directly, "This embankment repair project costs a total of seven hundred thousand taels of silver. Labor costs account for four hundred thousand, and material costs nearly three hundred thousand. A total of one hundred thousand laborers were recruited for this project, each paid two taels and fifty wen, with food and accommodation provided. The daily meals include at least two steamed buns, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup. This is the money the Ministry of Works allocated to you. You tell me it’s not enough? Then explain to me: the average laborer in Yingyang Pinghuai earns only one tael of silver per month. You’re paying them two taels and fifty wen—how is that still not enough?!"

Hearing this, Fu Baoyuan’s expression changed, and he immediately said, "Lord Gu, who has been spreading such nonsense? How could we recruit laborers with just one tael of silver?"

"That’s a question you should ask yourselves."

Gu Jiusi laughed mockingly and took out the contract given to him by the riverbank supervisor: "This is the contract you issued to others. The amount on it—surely I’m not falsely accusing you, am I?"Fu Baoyuan stared at the numbers on the page, his face alternating between pale and flushed. Gu Jiusi watched him and continued, "Still refusing to accept it? Then let me ask further. According to regulations, you're supposed to provide food and lodging, but whether in Pinghuai or Yingyang, the best they get is sleeping under bridges with two steamed buns. In Yingyang, they don't even get steamed buns—just some porridge for the river workers. Should I investigate where the money actually went? You keep saying there's not enough funds, but the money must have gone somewhere. The Son of Heaven's Sword cannot be used to kill indiscriminately," Gu Jiusi leaned closer to Fu Baoyuan, his voice cold, "but for those who are guilty, this sword can strike down foolish rulers above and treacherous ministers below."

"Lord Gu..." Fu Baoyuan held his teacup, looking up at Gu Jiusi with some helplessness. "Must you go this far?"

"It's not that I want to go this far."

Gu Jiusi spoke calmly, "I'm forced into this position. Lord Fu," Gu Jiusi sat down, softening his tone, "I'm responsible for this matter. I can't let the Yellow River project fail under my watch. Do you understand?"

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory had clearly predicted floods, and with ten million taels of silver allocated, if he failed to protect the people and resolve the flood threat from the start, Gu Jiusi's official career would essentially be over.

Fu Baoyuan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Why must Lord Gu do everything perfectly? Why not inform His Majesty in advance that the timeline is too tight, evacuate the people first, provide compensation later, and continue repairing the Yellow River? Wouldn't that be better?"

"First embezzle funds for river repairs, then pocket resettlement money?"

Gu Jiusi couldn't help but scoff. "Do you take His Majesty for a fool?"

"If that's how you see it," Fu Baoyuan's smile faded as he said indifferently, "then you might as well assign someone else to handle this matter. This is beyond your control."

"I am the Minister of Revenue, third rank, bearing the Son of Heaven's Sword to mere Yingyang! Are you saying I can't even manage this small matter?!"

Gu Jiusi roared in anger: "Fu Baoyuan, I know local officials' affairs are complicated, but don't push me too far!"

Fu Baoyuan held his cup without speaking. After a long while, he smiled slightly and said, "Very well. If Lord Gu wants to repair it, then repair it. Mid-August completion means mid-August completion. There's no need to request troops from the city defense garrison either. According to your calculations, seven hundred thousand taels should be sufficient to reinforce the embankments."

With that, he stood up and said respectfully, "Everything shall be as Lord Gu commands."

With Fu Baoyuan no longer obstructing, Gu Jiusi personally went to the embankment the next day to supervise the recruitment of workers—two taels per person, with two steamed buns and one meat and one vegetable dish per meal, including food and lodging.

Fearing they might embezzle funds along the way, Gu Jiusi had to station himself at the embankment daily, eating with the river workers, working alongside them, and counting heads every day.

He needed to monitor not just Yingyang but many locations, so he dispatched several trusted aides to keep watch.

He didn't dare send Shen Ming away again—his forceful approach was likely breeding discontent below, and assassination attempts might follow continuously.

With such close supervision pushing the project schedule, the river repair work progressed at an unprecedented speed.

However, his methods caused local officials to complain incessantly, all bringing their grievances to Wang Siyuan.

Wang Houchun directly told Wang Siyuan: "Uncle, this Gu Jiusi is truly unreasonable. None of the previous officials sent to repair the Yellow River ever acted so recklessly! He's completely tactless! Doesn't know how things are done!"Wang Siyuan sipped his tea and said indifferently, "Young people are bound to be immature. They'll understand once they've suffered enough setbacks."

"Uncle," Wang Houchun turned his head and lowered his voice, "What do you think about..." He raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture. Wang Houchun chuckled softly, "But he's a third-rank Minister of Revenue."

"Just intimidate him," Wang Houchun sneered. "He's just a greenhorn. Let's see how capable he really is."

"Don't resort to direct violence." Wang Siyuan spoke slowly, "Keep him busy with more tasks, and he'll naturally collapse under the pressure."

After pondering for a moment, Wang Houchun understood Wang Siyuan's meaning. He smiled respectfully and said, "Understood."

Thus Gu Jiusi found himself overwhelmed with work.

At the river embankment, whenever he stepped away briefly, incidents would occur—either soldiers whipping laborers or problems with the food provisions.

According to regulations, such matters could only be handled by punishing those responsible according to the law. Yet these individuals seemed completely unafraid of punishment. No sooner had Gu Jiusi penalized one person than another incident would occur in his absence.

Helpless, he could only remain stationed at the embankment, rising before dawn and returning late into the night.

He rapidly grew thinner. While overseeing the warehouse construction, Liu Yu Ru also worried about Gu Jiusi's situation. But she hardly ever saw him. Several times when she visited, she found him on the embankment wearing coarse linen robes, a bamboo hat, sometimes even barefoot, holding a bamboo staff while conversing with supervisors.

Occasionally, he would even lend a hand himself, carrying hundred-pound sandbags on his back, inspiring everyone to work harder.

Whenever he joined the manual labor, the workers would become particularly motivated, working with renewed vigor. Initially, people at the embankment addressed him as "Minister Gu" or "Lord Gu," but eventually some bold young workers began calling him "Brother Jiu."

To everyone who saw him, he always appeared full of energy, like the brilliant morning sun at its zenith, forever radiant.

Yet Liu Yu Ru knew the truth—every night when he returned home, he would sometimes fall asleep on the bed while waiting for her to finish washing. Each evening, he would bathe in a daze. Upon reaching the bed, he would collapse and sink into deep slumber.

She would gaze at his features in the night, finding it rather peculiar.

Gu Jiusi's features had grown more angular, having lost some of their refinement while gaining a carved, masculine quality. Yet she felt that no matter how she looked at him, he remained exceptionally handsome.

Lying against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, she felt the world become particularly secure.

She imagined herself as a peaceful sparrow, while he stood like a towering tree, sheltering her under his canopy, allowing her to sleep soundly.

This was a sense of security that the younger Gu Jiusi couldn't have provided. In the rhythm of his heartbeat, she sensed the steady maturity of this man truly coming into his own.

As she lay quietly like this, Gu Jiusi woke groggily. He placed his hand on her back and murmured, "Yu Ru, I'm sorry."

"Hmm?" Liu Yu Ru didn't understand why he was apologizing. Then she heard him say, "I haven't had time to accompany you, and I've made you worry."

"It's alright." Liu Yu Ru smiled, but after a moment's thought she added, "Still, you can't keep pushing yourself like this forever. You need to learn to let go sometimes."

"I can't let go."Gu Jiusi sighed softly, "An old man told me the other day that thanks to my presence, they had a few good days. Once I leave, who knows what they’ll do behind my back."

"But this can’t go on forever," Liu Yuru murmured. "There’s still a year left for the Yellow River repairs. If you keep pushing yourself like this, I doubt you’ll last even two months."

Yet after she finished speaking, Gu Jiusi did not respond. Liu Yuru looked up and realized he had already fallen asleep.

Liu Yuru felt a wave of helplessness. She sighed and waited until the next day, when Gu Jiusi headed to the worksite as usual. It rained that day, and Gu Jiusi huddled with everyone under a makeshift shelter to take cover. A young man approached him and said, "Lord Gu..."

Just as Gu Jiusi turned around, a flash of steel suddenly lunged toward him!

Gu Jiusi reacted swiftly, grabbing the young man’s wrist. At the same time, Shen Ming pinned the youth down and kicked him to the ground. In that instant, over a dozen assassins surged from the crowd. Chaos erupted, and Gu Jiusi immediately called for his guards, but the surrounding soldiers were nowhere to be found—only a few shadow guards remained with him. Yet the crowd was dense, separating the shadow guards from Gu Jiusi. His men, wary of harming innocent civilians, struggled to reach him. Amid the panic, only Shen Ming stayed by Gu Jiusi’s side, protecting him.

At that moment, Liu Yuru was sitting in her carriage. Seeing the heavy rain, she had intended to pick up Gu Jiusi. While still on the main road, she spotted the commotion on the riverbank from afar. From her elevated position, she could clearly see Gu Jiusi and Shen Ming entangled with over a dozen figures amid the crowd. Horrified, she immediately cried out, "Go save them!"

She had a dozen guards with her, who immediately rushed down. Liu Yuru dared not leave the carriage—she had no martial skills, and if she showed herself, she might become a target used to threaten Gu Jiusi. Clenching her jaw, she remained inside the carriage, watching the chaotic scene unfold.

A group of people continuously blocked the shadow guards from reaching Gu Jiusi. Many of them appeared to be ordinary civilians, and the shadow guards hesitated to take drastic action against them. Because of this, getting close to Gu Jiusi became exceedingly difficult. Liu Yuru gripped the carriage curtain, a sudden pang of sorrow tightening her heart.

Gu Jiusi and Shen Ming were highly skilled in martial arts—something the assailants clearly had not anticipated. After delaying for some time, once Liu Yuru’s guards arrived, Gu Jiusi instead took the initiative to capture the assassins.

The assassins were far from professional. They scattered in all directions, but Gu Jiusi and Shen Ming, along with their men, rounded them up. Seeing that the situation was under control, Liu Yuru stepped out of the carriage. It was then that she noticed Luo Zishang’s carriage parked nearby.

Uncertain how long he had been watching, she saw his guards standing in orderly formation. Liu Yuru’s face was cold, her eyes slightly red-rimmed. She approached Luo Zishang and said quietly, "Lord Luo."

Luo Zishang sat inside his carriage, the curtain drawn open. He had been observing the events on the riverbank through the window. Hearing Liu Yuru’s voice, he turned and saw her standing before him.

A light drizzle fell, and the young woman wore a cloak over her shoulders, standing calmly before him. Though she appeared composed, her eyes were tinged with redness. Luo Zishang remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Manager Liu."

"May I borrow a few of your men?"

Liu Yuru spoke with steady composure. Luo Zishang nodded. "You may."Liu Yu Ru said, "Thank you," then turned around and signaled for Luo Zishang's men to follow her down. Seeing her descend, Luo Zishang raised his voice: "Boss Liu."

Liu Yu Ru looked back. Luo Zishang hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "People are inherently selfish—no need to grieve over it."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru was momentarily stunned, then broke into a smile.

"Thank you."

This time, her gratitude was spoken with exceptional sincerity.

After speaking, she led Luo Zishang's men swiftly down the riverbank. Gu Jiusi had already subdued the assassins, and the previously absent soldiers had returned, encircling the riverbank to prevent anyone from leaving.

Liu Yu Ru entered the crowd. Gu Jiusi turned and, upon seeing her, asked uneasily, "Yu Ru, why are you here? It's dirty..."

"This one, this one, this one..."

Liu Yu Ru began rapidly pointing people out. She singled out several dozen individuals in quick succession and, amid the crowd's confusion, declared directly, "Arrest them all."

At her command, the guards immediately moved to apprehend them.

The people she had pointed out were all civilians, who promptly began wailing in protest, crying out, "Wrongfully accused! It has nothing to do with us!"

"Nothing to do with you?" Liu Yu Ru let out a cold laugh. "If it had nothing to do with you, why did you block our guards from rescuing Lord Gu earlier?"

"Wrongfully accused!" they shouted. "We didn't! We were just fleeing for our lives—we didn't block anyone!"

"Take them to the Magistrate Office. Let Lord Shen interrogate them personally."

Liu Yu Ru said coldly, "Find out who put them up to this."

"Yu Ru..."

"Shut up!"

Gu Jiusi had barely spoken when Liu Yu Ru snapped sharply: "Look at the kind of people you're protecting! What wouldn't they do for money? Don't even think about pleading for them. Starting tomorrow, you are not to set foot on this riverbank again. There are river supervisors and the Yingyang authorities here—what kind of example is it for the Minister of Revenue to loiter here every day?"

Gu Jiusi didn't dare say another word. The guards nearby began escorting the detainees away. Liu Yu Ru turned and strode forward, head held high.

Gu Jiusi stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move. After a few steps, Liu Yu Ru looked back and saw him still standing there. She stretched out her hand and said coldly, "Aren't you coming?"

Gu Jiusi looked up and saw her outstretched hand. His spirits lifted, and he hurried over to her. When he reached her, he said somewhat sheepishly, "My hands are dirty..."

Before he could finish, Liu Yu Ru reached out and took his hand.

His hands were still covered in mud and blood; hers were clean and soft. He felt a bit embarrassed, but she held his hand firmly, as if afraid he might run away.

Gu Jiusi, feeling awkward, lowered his head and murmured, "I've dirtied your hand."

Liu Yu Ru remained silent. As they climbed the slope together and reached the main road, her shoes became mud-stained. Gu Jiusi crouched down and used his sleeve to wipe them clean.

Having already spent the day rolling in the dirt, he didn't mind a little more. Liu Yu Ru watched him crouch on the ground, meticulously cleaning her shoes. For some reason, tears began to fall, pattering down.

The tears dripped onto Gu Jiusi's sleeve. He noticed them and paused, then said, "Why are you crying? Are you so moved just because I wiped your shoes?""Gu Jiusi," Liu Yuru's voice was hoarse, "those commoners were definitely hired with money, deliberately used today to separate you from your guards. I saw it clearly from above—they did it on purpose."

"Oh," Gu Jiusi lowered his head, picking up a bamboo splinter from beside him to scrape the mud off her, "I know, I noticed."

"You shouldn't have come to the riverbank in the first place."

Gu Jiusi remained silent, and Liu Yuru continued, "Whether they're starving, struggling, or not getting paid—that's the Yingyang government's affair. As long as they don't cause trouble and finish building the embankment, it has nothing to do with you. Why are you staying here, putting yourself in danger? What do you gain from it?"

Gu Jiusi kept his head down, cheerfully saying, "There, all cleaned up."

As he spoke, he crouched and looked up at Liu Yuru, a bright smile spreading across his face. "There are only a few bad apples; most people are still good. This is just a small matter—I don't take it to heart."

His smile was radiant, like the first light of dawn in a gloomy world.

He gazed at Liu Yuru. "Everyone has their own difficulties. They stopped me for their own reasons. As an official, it's my duty to ensure the people live well and that the rules I set are followed. This is normal, and I understand it clearly. Don't be upset. Your shoes got dirty—let me take you to buy a new pair? Stop crying, alright?"

Liu Yuru didn't respond. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at the young man gazing up at her.

She adored his smile beyond measure, and because of that, her heart ached intensely at this moment.

"I'm not upset," she said hoarsely. "I feel wronged on your behalf, Gu Jiusi. Do you understand?"

In her life, she could endure her own grievances and hardships; she could remain calm and composed through any storm when it came to her own affairs. But when it came to this person, even the slightest injustice or hardship he faced made her ache.

Because he was the one she held dearest in her heart, and any harm to him felt like a thousand arrows piercing her soul.

Gu Jiusi stared blankly at Liu Yuru as she crouched down, sobbing, and held him tightly.

"Gu Jiusi," she choked out between sobs, "can't you be a little kinder to yourself?"

Gu Jiusi was speechless, stunned. Liu Yuru cried, "You may be carefree, but I feel the injustice for you."

However much love you give the world, that's how much I wish the world would give back to you.

Without the slightest unfairness, without a hint of grievance. All the gentleness in this world ought to be bestowed upon someone as wonderful as you.

Listening to Liu Yuru's tears, Gu Jiusi sighed and helplessly returned her embrace.

"You, silly girl," Gu Jiusi sighed, "how come you still don't understand?"

"Heaven has already given you to me—that in itself is the greatest injustice in this world. In this lifetime, I need no other fairness."