"What? Emperor! Why didn’t Qian Hui Chun evacuate the surrounding people after the flood occurred? Could he not even handle such a trivial matter?"

Everyone present was shocked; they couldn’t fathom why Qian Hui Chun was so foolish.

"Evacuate? Evacuate to where? The river embankment has collapsed halfway, and the river water rushes like an arrow, sweeping across dozens of miles and submerging their high ground completely. They have nowhere to retreat and simply no time to do so!"

The hearts of everyone present sank. Even if they hadn’t seen that scene, just the thought of the merciless river taking so many lives is enough to make anyone with a conscience feel sorrowful.

"This person is far too incompetent. How did he become the Magistrate of Changtian Prefecture? Why is it only his jurisdiction that has such severe disaster? Didn’t he mobilize manpower to reinforce the river embankment beforehand?"

The Minister of War, Dai Yuanji, was full of indignation — such a significant flood had never occurred in this dynasty.

"Mr. Dai speaks aptly. Once there’s a breach, how can the embankment still be sturdy? A large-scale collapse is bound to happen again. Qian Hui Chun failed from the first step, and it was misstep after misstep thereafter!"

"Emperor! I believe Scholar Gu Chengyu’s words are reasonable. Since a flood has already occurred in Changtian Prefecture, can the river embankments in other prefectures of Jiangnan withstand this torrential river? This is truly worrisome!"

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yang Shiqi, was also deeply concerned about the robustness of the river embankments in other prefectures of Jiangnan.

"Reporting to the Emperor, I believe Scholar Gu has insights on flood matters, perhaps send Gu Chengyu to Jiangnan to handle the matter comprehensively."

The Crown Prince frowned. The matter had reached an uncontrollable point and needed an immediate solution to prevent worsening.

Currently, the only one who could smoothly resolve the flood issue is none other than Gu Chengyu.

"I indeed have the same thought!" At this moment, the Emperor could not afford to pay attention to court rivalry anymore. The priority now was minimizing the losses in Jiangnan.

"Greetings, Mr. Guard. I wish to ask you to transmit a message at the Hanlin Academy; the followers of Scholar Gu have urgent matters to report."

Ming Mo remembered the carrier pigeon message in his bosom and spoke urgently.

The lord had instructed that matters concerning Jiangnan must be reported timely, so he dared not delay. Even though the lord was still on duty at the Hanlin Academy, he had to come and report.

"Young sir, please wait a moment, I will transmit the message now." The guard dared not be negligent — who doesn’t know that Mr. Gu still went to the palace for discussions last night?

The Emperor valued Mr. Gu greatly, and he couldn’t afford to offend him!

"Mr. Gu! Please hurry; the Emperor urgently summons!"

Gu Chengyu thought while walking; now was the hour for court, why such an urgent summon from the Emperor? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Could there be another incident in Changtian Prefecture? It seemed highly plausible. Because once the river embankment collapses, even if immediately repaired, it becomes extremely unstable, and another collapse is certainly likely.

Hearing De’an’s urging, Gu Chengyu quickened his pace. Seeing De’an’s aging yet still flying steps ahead, Gu Chengyu believed his guess was likely right, and the situation in Changtian Prefecture was more serious than he imagined.

"Emperor! Gu Chengyu has only been in court for just over two years, sending him to Jiangnan to preside over the entire situation seems inappropriate."

Dai Yuanji frowned; this differs from Min Feng’s case. After all, Min Feng was just a River Patrol Imperial Censor, while the real master was Hu Maoshen.

But the Emperor’s idea now seems to send Gu Chengyu to Jiangnan? Just what capacity? Another imperial envoy?

If two imperial envoys are sent to Jiangnan, whose orders should the officials follow? Does the Emperor plan to recall Hu Maoshen?

These questions were on the minds of the officials present, but only Dai Yuanji dared to verbalize them at this moment.

The Emperor’s face sank, "What’s inappropriate? Is there anyone who can do better than him?" The Emperor coldly mocked.

His gaze swept over the officials present, and wherever his sight touched, all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Inwardly, the Emperor snorted, knowing this was a hot potato, and everyone was afraid of taking responsibility.

These ministers were all aging; the court urgently needed daring and capable young talents.

The recent Enlightenment Examination was insufficient; the Emperor decided to restore the previous Imperial Examination System upon the start of the next Provincial Examination.

"Minister Gu Chengyu pays respects to the Emperor; long live His Majesty!"

Gu Chengyu felt all eyes in the hall on him, but he remained fearless. After all, there would be more occasions with such attention, and he’d have to get used to it, right?

Xia Qing’s originally livid face turned bronze upon seeing Gu Chengyu.

De’an arrived here, panting heavily, but seeing so many high-ranking officials waiting for Gu Chengyu’s audience astonished him!

Having these third-rank officials wait for a Secondary Fifth Rank official to discuss matters showed immense capability and was an extraordinary honor!

"Gu Aiqing, the Changtian Prefecture river embankment has collapsed again, submerging over ten villages, with casualties numbering between seven and eight thousand. To prevent another collapse, I appoint you as an imperial envoy, immediately heading to Jiangnan."

The Emperor urgently explained the reason for summoning Gu Chengyu, but upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu’s heart sank.

Indeed, another breach occurred; he had such premonition, yet the severity was still shocking.

There was no time for hesitation now; Gu Chengyu still had a conscience. Besides, once the matter was settled, the Emperor was unlikely to neglect him.

He was about to respond when the Emperor conveyed another piece of joyful news.

"Where is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhong Shize?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhong Shize, quickly stepped forward, "I am here!"

"I order you to handle Gu Chengyu’s promotion documents and related papers immediately, elevating him to Right Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Do it swiftly and without error!"

Upon this declaration, the officials were astounded!

"Emperor, Right Junior Minister is a Standard Fourth Rank position, yet Gu Chengyu is currently Secondary Fifth Rank. Crossing three ranks in one leap is unprecedented in this dynasty and unheard of prior!"

Zhong Shize’s face slightly darkened; once such precedence is set, how would the Ministry operate thereafter?

This grade leap is completely unreasonable and against the laws of the dynasty.

"Emperor, Mr. Zhong’s words are justified; such a swift promotion defies convention! If we set this precedent, wouldn’t future official promotions be chaotic? How could the Ministry manage? Besides, the current Right Junior Minister is Tao Junyan; the Emperor will place him where?"

Zhong Shize thought the Emperor was angered by Jiangnan’s flood, losing clarity—this was utterly absurd!

Previously, Xia Qing advocated promotion for Min Feng, who climbed two levels, but that was upgraded one level at a time.

The time gap was short, but promoting Gu Chengyu this quickly left others in a difficult position?