Celestial Master： I Have an Otherworld-Chapter 297 - 98: Natural Disaster or Manmade Calamity? (Part 4)
"Lord Yan."
Minister of Water Lord Wang was tall and burly, with a full beard and large eyes like copper bells that looked particularly intimidating. He waved his hand somewhat impatiently:
"Let’s skip the idle talk. Why have we been summoned here today?"
The few officials present held similar ranks, though their posts differed. Although Lord Yan had backing and was on the verge of promotion, he wasn’t in charge of the Minister of Water.
Moreover...
The Wang Family were officials appointed by the Imperial Court, not scholars.
?
Lord Yan’s smile stiffened on his face, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, though he quickly suppressed it and said slowly:
"Yesterday, someone reported signs of collapse at the South Dam. As the Minister of Water, are you completely unaware of this, Lord Wang?"
"The South Dam?"
Lord Wang looked bewildered:
"Where?"
"It’s the section bordering Gu’an County and Santai County," Lord Yan said heavily:
"I remember you, Lord Wang, are responsible for three dams in total, with the South Dam being the longest section. How could you... not remember even this?"
"Of course I remember!" Lord Wang slapped the table and said loudly:
"I was just asking casually."
"Yes, yes," Lord Li hurried to interject:
"Please, Lord Wang, don’t be angry."
"The key issue now is, if the South Dam breaches, the surrounding counties will face flooding, resulting in an unknown number of civilian casualties."
"Hmph!" Lord Wang snorted coldly:
"So what?"
"Lord Wang." Lord Yan’s voice deepened:
"If the area you’re responsible for breaches, destroying fertile fields and harming the people, are you not afraid the Imperial Court will hold you accountable? Do you think you can walk away unscathed?"
"I cannot." Lord Wang’s mouth curled into a smile:
"Can you?"
"Lord Yan is about to be promoted, surely you wouldn’t want chaos under your rule, right? If something goes wrong and it lowers your evaluation, you might end up staying in Gu’an County for another four years."
The room went silent.
Lord Yan’s face turned livid.
Only then did he seriously scrutinize Minister of Water Lord Wang.
This man seemed rash and hot-tempered, but in reality, he was very clear-headed, understanding the circumstances better than anyone else.
"Gentlemen."
Lord Wang lifted his head and said:
"We are all in the same boat now. If the South Dam collapses, no one can escape, so how do you plan to resolve this?"
"Nonsense!"
Lord Li stood up in anger:
"What does this have to do with us?"
"The Imperial Court has allocated tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of silver taels for water management over the years. Look at what you’ve done with them!"
"Using straw to patch the dam, making it as fragile as paper. It’s barely rained for a few days and cracks have already appeared—clearly, your water management is ineffective!"
"Bang!"
Lord Wang slapped the table, shattering the solid hardwood Eight Immortals table under his hand. His eyes bulged as he angrily glared at Lord Li:
"You’re talking nonsense!"
"I’ve only received five thousand silver taels over the years, not the tens of thousands you’re talking about. What can be done with five thousand silver taels?"
"Do you think I don’t want to manage water properly, that I want something to happen to the dam? The real embezzlers are higher up; it has nothing to do with me."
"Fine." Lord Yan said:
"Even if the silver isn’t enough, there’s always enough labor. Every year, people are conscripted to reinforce the dams. It’s not like you have to pay for it."
"Heh..." Lord Wang sneered:
"You all know better than I do; some people use money to offset labor, and not a single penny of that money lands in my hands."
"They talk about reinforcing the dams, but how many actually come?"
"With the few people that do show up, removing weeds is a challenge!"
"Frankly, given the little money and few people, it’s an achievement that I’ve managed to keep the dam from failing for so many years!"
As he spoke, feeling increasingly aggrieved, he couldn’t help but curse openly, at times the Imperial Court, at times the others, his words filled with vulgarities.
"And you’re feeling wronged?" Lord Li looked disdainful:
"Where did those people who were supposed to reinforce the dam go? They’re helping with construction and repairs at your house, aren’t they?"
"Misusing public resources and still having the gall to talk?"
"And you’re so clean!" Lord Wang turned his head and shouted:
"Look at what the main roads in Santai County have become. How much of the subsidies from the Imperial Court actually go into them?"
"And you, Lord Yan!"
"A couple of years ago, when the Anxi Army stationed in Gu’an County caused a ruckus, how much property from rich households did you swallow? How much farmland did you sell to the Imperial Court?"
"Enough!"
Lord Yan snorted coldly:
"No matter your excuses, if something happens to the dam, as the Minister of Water, you cannot evade responsibility. We are all behind you."
"Heh..." Lord Wang raised his head with an expression of defiance:
"I’m not scared. If worst comes to worst, I’ll become a bandit like my old man, and Gu’an and Santai will be the first to suffer."
"Alright."
Lord Yan frowned:
"Stop the tough talk, what do we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Lord Wang waved his sleeve, sitting back down:
"Spend money to reinforce it. As long as enough silver is spent, the dam can last a year or two, unless there’s a once-in-a-century flood."
"Then..."
"We can always blame it on nature, saying it has nothing to do with us."
"There’s no need for worry."
He turned to reassure the two:
"If I get in trouble, I’ll definitely expose those above who embezzled the silver. They’ll ensure I’m protected."
"You’ll be fine too!"
"Every year, Lord Li sends silver up the chain, and Lord Yan has evidence of the higher-ups’ corruption. If we suffer, they won’t fare any better."
"Let’s talk about the silver now." Lord Yan waved his hand:
"As the Minister of Water, how much silver do you need to get the South Dam through this crisis?"
"Hmm..." Lord Wang pondered for a moment, saying:
"A minimum of ten to twenty thousand, possibly thirty to fifty thousand, the more, the longer the dam holds. With two hundred thousand, I can guarantee the dam won’t fail for a hundred years."
"Ten to twenty thousand?" Lord Li’s face changed:
"That’s a lot."
"That’s not a lot?" Lord Wang smirked:
"For a major repair, hundreds are needed daily for labor. Do you know how much it costs for even their basic needs?"
"In short, with money, it can be done. Without money, we leave it to fate."
"Then it’s twenty thousand taels." Lord Yan squinted:
"Nothing must happen during my term!"
"If I truly have twenty thousand, I guarantee nothing will happen this year." Lord Wang’s eyes brightened, then he added:
"But I’m strapped for cash. I can at most put up three thousand. As the local authorities, isn’t it fair for each of you to contribute a few thousand?"
?
Lord Li and Lord Yan exchanged a glance and slowly nodded, acquiescing.
......
"Brute!"
After Minister of Water Lord Wang left, Lord Li spoke up indignantly:
"With twenty thousand taels of silver, he might embezzle half."
"True." Lord Yan squinted, speaking slowly:
"But calling him a brute might be excessive; Wang does have some wit, or he wouldn’t have been Minister of Water for these years."
"Brother Yan." Lord Li turned his head to look:
"What is your plan?"
"Start collecting the silver first." Lord Yan spoke:
"I can gather ten thousand taels, and I’ll have to trouble Lord Li for the rest."
"Ten thousand?" Lord Li nodded:
"I’ll have the wealthy households in the county squeeze out the rest, but... do you really intend to give him the money?"
"Heh..." Lord Yan chuckled lightly:
"What do you think?"
"Haha..." Lord Li was initially surprised, then laughed:
"Giving twenty thousand taels to a brute is a waste. The dam is bound to fail eventually, so let it be."
"The high-ranking officials have always hoped for a disaster year as a pretext to seize fertile land."
Lord Yan nodded gently.
As for the consequences of the dam’s failure...
As long as someone ’commits suicide out of guilt,’ the responsibility can be shifted away.
