Chapter 978: Chapter 814: Discussing Countermeasures

Gu Chengyu finally received the Emperor’s summons. He felt the situation of the Tianya River was critical.

If no preparations were made, it could result in immeasurable consequences.

Therefore, in the past few days, he had been restless in his work.

Today, he finally received the Emperor’s summons, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"The ordinances you cited here, are they verifiable?"

The Emperor placed the memorial on the desk and, after a moment, asked.

"Your Majesty, this is a plan devised after I borrowed and analyzed maps from the Crown Prince, examining the direction of the river’s tributaries."

The Emperor would inevitably know about this, so Gu Chengyu found no need to conceal it.

"Oh? Is it the Crown Prince who instructed you to discuss the rainfall in Jiangnan?" the Emperor asked with squinted eyes, his voice grave.

"Indeed! The Crown Prince, concerned about the nation and its people, gathered all the officials in the Chamberlain’s Office to find a good plan; I was naturally among them."

"So does this mean that the plan was jointly discussed by you, the officials of the Chamberlain’s Office, and the Crown Prince?"

The Emperor asked this, but it was not what he truly thought.

Had it been so, would the other officials let Gu Chengyu submit this memorial? Wouldn’t that mean letting someone else claim their credit?

Moreover, if the Crown Prince had indeed been involved, it wouldn’t be only Gu Chengyu coming here.

"At that time, no one had any good plans, myself included. When I returned, I consulted many books and came up with these points. I consider the rise of the Tianya River too dangerous to neglect, so I hurriedly presented the memorial to Your Majesty."

Gu Chengyu knew what the Emperor was thinking; he believed the Crown Prince sought to enhance his reputation before the civil and military officials.

But now was not the time for such considerations; the Tianya River was of utmost importance.

"These are merely my humble suggestions. Does Your Majesty find them feasible?"

Gu Chengyu was somewhat anxious—didn’t the time call for urgency?

All those court battles and plots could be set aside for now.

While examining the map, he had already identified several dangerous terrains.

Even if the river embankment was solid, the constant battering and excessive water pressure would inevitably lead to its collapse, only a matter of time.

The Emperor gave Gu Chengyu a deep look and then said, "It can be tried!"

"De’an! Go announce for Minister of Ministry of Industry Tong Shunmin to come here!"

The Emperor planned to arrange this matter immediately, for the situation in Jiangnan could not be taken lightly.

Unfortunately, the capital did not yet know that the riverbank in Changtian Prefecture had already given way, making Gu Chengyu’s protective ordinances too late!

"My lord! The headcount has been calculated, the villages flooded this time include Yuanli Village, Lin Family Village, Guihua Village, among others; these villages downstream suffered the most severe damage. Other villages were largely unscathed, only losing some property. According to the household register, there are approximately one thousand five hundred people."

Chen Zhao’s breath was shaky as he hesitated to continue speaking.

"And the survivors? How many are there?"

Qian Hui Chun paled at this number, feeling his heart sink.

With over one thousand five hundred people affected, he urgently wanted to know how many had survived.

"Those still being rescued, I won’t mention, but about six hundred people are presently alive."

Chen Zhao’s voice lowered further as he waited for the lord’s reaction.

Qian Hui Chun’s face was like the bottom of a pot—only six hundred survived, meaning that the remaining nine hundred were likely lost.

"Previously, I ordered you to make preparations for evacuating the people, which was clearly instructed before! Why did you not exert yourselves?"

These officials usually bullied the common people, exploiting them.

Yet when they were truly needed, none showed initiative. Now that this catastrophe had occurred, they could forget about escaping blame.

"My Lord! You only gave the order to evacuate last night, and we have done our utmost to carry it out. Nobody could have anticipated the river embankment would collapse so quickly; the water barely surpassed the flood marker, and the embankment was reinforced only this year, so why was it so vulnerable?"

Chen Zhao immediately understood Qian Hui Chun’s implications—was the lord trying to shirk responsibility?

After all, they followed orders, and the evacuation was only commanded last night.

Even if they had extraordinary abilities, they couldn’t possibly act that swiftly.

If they had known, they wouldn’t have adhered to ethics or sympathized by letting villagers take their silver coins and settle their livestock.

This caused delays, and Chen Zhao regretted it deeply!

Yet, regardless of attempting to evade responsibility, Qian Hui Chun was the Magistrate of Changtian Prefecture.

If the court sent an imperial envoy, the lord couldn’t escape accountability.

Besides, they wouldn’t come out unscathed either.

"Now we are all in the same boat; if the court holds me accountable, none of you will escape either."

Qian Hui Chun knew the court would dispatch an envoy; mutual blame-shifting was not a solution—they needed a plan.

"My lord, we have always followed your lead. Now that this has happened, the officials below are all very anxious. We will do as you instruct!"

Chen Zhao quickly expressed loyalty; after all, he had been following the lord for many years and understood his nature—he surely had a plan.

"Good that you understand. If the court sends an imperial envoy, reporting the numbers will surely backfire. So, I... "

Qian Hui Chun gestured for Chen Zhao to lean closer.

"This? It’s inappropriate, isn’t it? The court will eventually uncover it."

Chen Zhao was shocked, his face turning pale at the lord’s suggestion.

"Why inappropriate? Do you have a better idea now? These are extraordinary times; losing my official hat is minor compared to safeguarding everyone’s lives!"

Seeing Chen Zhao’s hesitation, Qian Hui Chun grew anxious.

What a blockhead—now survival was crucial.

Chen Zhao swallowed, still hesitant.

"Hmph! We must first get through the current crisis; there’s a way to cover it up later!"

Qian Hui Chun couldn’t worry about much else at this point, for he indeed had a post-event cover plan.

He glanced at Chen Zhao—someone would have to take the fall for all this.

He shifted his ankle slightly, a sharp pain shooting through.

The foot injury came at just the right time!

"Then? We shall follow the lord’s words! But regarding the issue of the Tianya River’s embankment, the lord must still have a solution."

Chen Zhao stammered but eventually agreed.

He had elderly to care for and young children—he couldn’t bear to be buried alongside those drowned villagers!

Qian Hui Chun didn’t become a magistrate by being foolish; he understood Chen Zhao’s implication.

Just as Chen Zhao said, how could the Tianya River’s embankment be so fragile, so easily destroyed?

Clearly, there were some underhand dealings during the initial repair!

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so concerned about the embankment, only because he understood the complicated intricacies, causing him sleepless nights!