Tong Shunmin and Shen Shikang’s faces changed abruptly; the repair and reinforcement of the river embankment had gone through their Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Revenue, so the officials involved were naturally men from their two ministries.

They had taken quite a lot of the offerings from their subordinates below; that had always been the custom, yet at this moment those gifts felt burning hot in their hands.

If the investigation really did uncover something wrong with the river embankment, a scolding would be the least of it; losing office or being demoted was highly likely.

The Crown Prince’s brows furrowed slightly; Shen Shikang was his maternal uncle, and the Ministry of Revenue was deeply entangled in this matter, which would make things difficult for him.

"Tong Shunmin, dispatch officials at once to go inspect Jiangnan and the surrounding regions, and have them depart overnight."

The Emperor weighed it from all sides and felt he still could not be at ease sending only officials from the Ministry of Industry.

"I will appoint an Imperial Envoy to take overall charge, and send an Imperial Censor to accompany him! For Qian Hui Chun of Changtian Prefecture to dare conceal and fail to report this—there must be an accounting!"

At these words, Xia Qing’s face tightened, and then a flash of ferocity flickered through his eyes. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"As for the candidates, do any of you have good recommendations?" The Emperor swept a glance over those present, waiting for their response.

The Crown Prince’s gaze swept across the courtiers and finally fell upon Gu Chengyu; he already had an idea in mind, he just did not know whether his imperial father would agree.

"Father! The flooding in Jiangnan is severe. Your son is willing to share your burdens and go there to oversee disaster relief!"

Hearing this, the Emperor turned to look at the Crown Prince. What was his second son playing at? Going to Jiangnan in person?

That was not impossible. Though the Crown Prince was heir to the throne, he was also a subject.

If the Crown Prince could go and handle the assignment well, he could gather some prestige in Jiangnan and prepare the ground for his future accession.

The thought in the Emperor’s mind was precisely what the Crown Prince was thinking at this moment.

The Crown Prince was not some selfless paragon; while his trip to Jiangnan did contain concern for the common people, it also carried his own calculations.

"Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince; you absolutely must not risk yourself! Who knows whether the river embankments of those States will collapse again?" Left Imperial Censor Deng Chenghong objected at once.

Gu Chengyu was not in the least surprised that the Crown Prince was volunteering himself. The disaster had already happened; if he went now, he shouldn’t face too much danger.

Even if he handled things poorly, he would only be scolded.

But if he handled them well, it would be a great merit. He could also win the people’s faith and establish his authority.

Whereas if he had gone before the dike burst, the consequences would have been inestimable. After all, one had to be fully prepared; if the embankment failed and commoners drowned, the Crown Prince would still be reprimanded by the Emperor.

He would even be judged incompetent by officials and commoners alike, and then there would be little point in being Crown Prince.

"This journey is far too perilous. Has the court truly run out of usable men that we must put you, the Crown Prince, on the front line?"

The Emperor was somewhat displeased, and his words naturally did not sound pleasant.

The Crown Prince’s expression darkened a shade; even though he had steeled himself for rejection, being reprimanded by his father in front of the officials still hurt his dignity.

Seeing the Crown Prince press his lips together without speaking, the Emperor knew his tone had been somewhat improper and quickly added, "You are the Crown Prince; you must put your own safety first. This concerns the realm and the dynasty. Jiangnan is but one piece of the map."

Though the Emperor’s words sounded earnestly persuasive, Gu Chengyu thought there was a whiff of protesting too much. It seemed the Emperor really did fear the Crown Prince.

Especially now that the Crown Prince had begun to display his abilities, the Emperor was even more on guard.

Gu Chengyu kept his eyes lowered, as though in meditation; there was no way he would volunteer himself—that would be a move of the lower hand.

While he worried for the people, he could not abandon his own interests.

To put it bluntly, only by standing in a high position could one truly work for the people’s benefit. Of course, that was the dignified way of putting it.

To speak plainly, he wanted promotion and wealth; human nature was selfish to begin with.

He was confident the Emperor would in the end send him to Jiangnan. The Emperor had watched his performance just now, after all.

Even if not immediately, it would certainly happen afterwards.

Seeing Gu Chengyu’s calm expression, as composed as an old monk in meditation, the Emperor knew he was putting on airs again.

But Gu Chengyu had the capital to do so; every task the Emperor gave him, he completed.

In this court, who else had such capability?

Today the Emperor was extremely displeased with the Ministers at court. The court stipends had fattened them all up, yet they could not even handle the tasks he assigned.

The Emperor ran through the usable men in the court in his mind and discovered, to his chagrin, that he was dissatisfied with every one of them.

In this vast court, was there truly no one who suited him aside from Gu Chengyu?

Unwilling to accept that, the Emperor carefully recalled the newly promoted officials, and suddenly thought of Min Feng, disciple of Xia Qing.

Hadn’t Xia Qing been boasting before him all this time, saying that his disciple Min Feng’s abilities were extraordinary and asking him to give Min Feng more chances?

He had also heard that Xia Qing had previously sent a message to the Ministry of Personnel, and that Min Feng was now an Assistant Reader of Standard Sixth Rank.

To rise two grades in two years—without a Grand Secretary as teacher, that would have been impossible.

Of course, Gu Chengyu was a total exception. His rapid promotion in rank rested wholly on his own political achievements.

Given he was only of Standard Sixth Rank, the Emperor couldn’t very well completely slap Xia Qing’s face. At the time, he had only offered a few mild words, to remind Xia Qing to have a sense of proportion.

As for Min Feng himself, he did have some ability and was not entirely unworthy of cultivation.

Compared with ordinary newly-minted Advanced Scholars, he had certain strengths. It was just that with the bright pearl that was Gu Chengyu ahead of him, Min Feng naturally lost his luster.

In that case, he might as well see what Min Feng was truly capable of.

It could also serve to warn Gu Chengyu, reminding him not to think too highly of himself, as though the court could not function without him.

He was the Son of Heaven; he could elevate whomever he wished. To better keep Gu Chengyu in hand in the future, the Emperor decided to send Min Feng out first and see what he could do.

As for Gu Chengyu, he would let him wait a few days and stew in his anxiety.

But as to whether Min Feng could truly handle this matter well, the Emperor was deeply doubtful. Naturally, he could not pin all his hopes on Min Feng.

"Xia Aiqing! I hear your disciple Min Feng is remarkably capable. Why not send him this time?"

Xia Qing started at this. It was indeed an opportunity. Not only would the boy gain experience, but if he handled things well, a promotion would be inevitable.

But he knew his young disciple’s abilities perfectly well. Though Min Feng had grown much steadier in the past two years, the Jiangnan floods implicated far too much.

Never mind Min Feng; even an old hand in officialdom might not be able to manage it cleanly.

The Emperor was making things hard for both him and his young disciple. Jiangnan was not only about flood relief; there was the issue of the river embankment as well. In the end, even the high-ranking officials in the Capital would be dragged in.

How could such things be done without a bit of steel in one’s spine? Impossible—his young disciple did not yet have that ability.

Gu Chengyu was somewhat surprised at the Emperor’s choice of candidate. He had known from the start that the Emperor might not pick him to go to Jiangnan.