Chapter 969: Chapter 805: Leaving It to Fate

Pang Chu had a full smile on his face, observing that not a trace of sweat marred Gu Chengyu’s forehead, still carrying such grace and elegance, which made him quite envious.

Gu Chengyu was quite surprised, not expecting the Crown Prince to suddenly summon him.

"Oh? Then please, Mr. Pang, lead the way!" Gu Chengyu did not ask Pang Chu why exactly the Crown Prince wanted to see him, understanding that Pang Chu was not Xiao Quanzi, and they were not familiar.

Pang Chu was the Grand Steward by the Crown Prince’s side and should know well how Gu Chengyu became the Prefectural Magistrate of the Chamberlain’s Office.

For an official not of the same lineage as one’s master, it’s natural not to be too close to him.

Thus, they maintained social courtesy, greeting with a bow and exchanging pleasantries when they met.

Gu Chengyu followed Pang Chu into the study room of Wenhua Hall, where upon entering, he saw the Crown Prince sitting behind the desk.

Gu Chengyu glanced to the side and was surprised to find that all the officials from the Chamberlain’s Office were present, including Zhang Shuo and his third senior fellow apprentice.

Only his teacher Liang Zhirui was absent as he had left the capital to visit friends and was expected to return in a few days.

After all, the teacher did not need to be in the Eastern Palace teaching daily. He was discerning enough to visit the Eastern Palace for lectures only when summoned by the Crown Prince.

If the Crown Prince did not summon him for a long time, the teacher would just make a cursory visit to the Eastern Palace after six days.

Being the Crown Prince’s Master, even though it was a nominal position, he couldn’t be too lax.

Could something significant have occurred? Gu Chengyu ran through the events in the court recently in his mind but found nothing major had happened.

He suddenly thought of the heavy rains in Jiangnan, which gave him a clue.

"This official greets His Highness, the Crown Prince!"

The Crown Prince, with a full smile and a gentle expression, said, "Mr. Gu, no need for such formalities!"

Gu Chengyu stood up and then paid respects to the other two seniors.

After everyone had exchanged greetings according to rank, Gu Chengyu found a seat and sat down.

"I have brought you all here today because there is an important matter to discuss. I understand that each of you is busy with official duties, but this is a major concern that affects the people and the stability of the realm. As the Crown Prince, I cannot avoid this responsibility."

The Crown Prince, while speaking, slightly frowned, as if confronted with a difficult issue.

He Jisheng’s eyes slightly flickered, suspecting that the Crown Prince had summoned them to discuss the matter of many prefectures in Jiangnan being hit by heavy rain.

Now it depended on what the Crown Prince intended to do. If he wanted to intervene, He Jisheng thought about reporting this to others, potentially causing the Crown Prince to mishandle the situation.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo raised his eyebrows and quickly responded, "His Highness the Crown Prince gives us too much credit. As officials of the Chamberlain’s Office, it is our duty to assist you in resolving your concerns. As the Crown Prince, overseeing the military and acting for the Emperor, you naturally should inquire into state affairs."

Seeing Zhang Shuo take a stand, He Jisheng was not to be outdone.

"Mr. Zhang’s words are quite right. We are eager to know what troubles His Highness the Crown Prince. Even if we cannot match your vast strategy, we wish to do our utmost to assist you."

Gu Chengyu merely smiled without speaking, as there were two seniors present, and it was not his place to speak.

In fact, it was quite awkward—three of their master-disciple group were employed at the Chamberlain’s Office, which was not allowed according to the law.

But firstly, the teacher’s position was nominal and his own was part-time, so it was somewhat justifiable.

Secondly, in recent years, the Emperor had become increasingly willful, ignoring objections and advice from officials.

Moreover, Gu Chengyu and Liang Zhirui’s situation did not affect the stability of the court. Besides, Gu Chengyu was merely a Secondary Fifth Rank official, although he had been quite prominent in the past two years, high officials did not take note of someone of his low rank.

Thus, there was no need for them to cause the Emperor any displeasure over this matter, so they simply let it be.

Gu Chengyu decided to keep a low profile, as if he were merely an observer here.

"Recently, many prefectures in Jiangnan have experienced consecutive days of heavy rain. I believe everyone is aware."

His Highness the Crown Prince did not beat around the bush. In fact, this matter was of great concern to him. So he cut right to the chase and got to the point.

This matter was brought up by a minister in court just yesterday, but it did not attract much attention from the officials or the Emperor.

It was believed that the river embankment of the Tianya River was solid and had been recently repaired and reinforced this year, so there should be no problem.

If the river water flowed over the embankment, evacuating the people would be the first step, and at most, the people would lose some property.

The heavy rains had already lasted for over half a month and could not continue for much longer. At most a few more days, and it would stop.

By then, the Emperor could reduce or exempt some taxes on the flooded farmlands, and the problem could be resolved.

The Emperor had appointed a Right Assistant Imperial Censor to manage the river situation and thereafter selected a doctor from the Ministry of Industry, Water and Civil Servants, to inspect the situation in a few prefectures in Jiangnan.

These arrangements were deemed appropriate, with the Ministry of Industry’s doctor inspecting the river embankment’s firmness. As long as the embankment was solid, nothing major would happen.

However, the Crown Prince was very concerned about the matter. He had previously been involved with the Ministry of Industry and knew the underlying issues.

Every three to five years, the funds allocated by the court for repairing the river embankment, were they truly all used for this purpose?

Layer by layer, someone would always secretly reach for these funds. And there were quite a few of these people, making it difficult to prevent.

The court and the Emperor naturally understood this; where water is too clear, there are no fish. If the corruption wasn’t too severe, the Emperor and courtiers would turn a blind eye.

Moreover, some officials in the capital were involved, some receiving bribes and being well aware of the situation.

Some were even among those handling the funds, and naturally, they would not speak up.

Whatever the reason, they all played blind to the situation.

The Crown Prince worried that these lower-level officials were overly corrupt, turning the repair of the river embankment into an opportunity for personal gain.

Wealth moves the heart; the Crown Prince was thinking of the people. If something truly went wrong, wouldn’t so many living by the river drown?

"Indeed! An official did mention this in court recently, but the Emperor has already dispatched officials to the prefectures in Jiangnan, so Your Highness need not worry excessively! As long as the embankments are stable, it’s not a problem!"

Zhang Shuo was somewhat dismissive, as this wasn’t the first time such an issue had occurred in recent years.

Every flood season, river levels in Jiangnan would rise dramatically. It was just that this year’s heavy rains lasted a few extra days, resulting in a more significant rise than usual!

As long as the rain stopped, river levels wouldn’t continue to rise.

The Crown Prince frowned at this response, then said, "I have consulted the Astronomical Bureau, and they stated that heavy rains in Jiangnan will persist for at least two more days. While the embankments are solid, overflowing water can still flood the fields, resulting in loss of property for the people."

Zhang Shuo’s face turned slightly sullen; the Crown Prince’s words clearly contradicted him.

Embarrassed in front of so many subordinates, Zhang Shuo felt he had lost face.

But the speaker was the Crown Prince, so he could not retort, and thus chose not to continue the conversation.