The Slender Waist-Chapter 551 - 392: The King Thinks Thrice_2

"Lu Guiquan!"

Yang the headman called out again in a low voice, scaring everyone until their faces turned pale.

All around them, there was silence.

To everyone’s surprise, Feng Yun’s eyes relaxed and she smiled faintly.

"Let him speak."

Lu Guiquan felt a bit guilty, and he didn’t dare to look into Feng Yun’s eyes. He murmured in a low voice,

"To initiate a public works project, take money from the state treasury, and in the end have the commoners do the work – the Village Chief’s wife lines her pockets, as if nobody understands what’s going on..."

His words were coherent and highly provocative.

The peasants exchanged looks, most too afraid to speak up.

But it was hard to prevent some from indulging in wild speculations.

Such things had happened since ancient times; the commoners had seen plenty.

There’s no getting up early without the promise of profit; if there’s no benefit, who would be willing to organize such a major project?

The Village Chief’s wife is a good person, that is well-known to the people of Huaxi Village...

But being good for too long, those who received her favor slowly got used to it, and gradually they might feel, with Changmen being so wealthy, the Village Chief’s wife has everything she wants, whereas they still scrounge for food in the soil, a world of difference...

Isn’t this just the result of enslavement?

In the end, isn’t her kindness to the villagers just for her own benefit?

Under the Great Pagoda Tree, there was silence.

Feng Yun’s expression remained calm, and she showed no sign of emotion due to Lu Guiquan’s challenge.

"Well said, a reasonable suspicion," she nodded, slowly caressing the back of her chair with the palm of her hand. Pondering something, she let out a faint smile.

"That’s all for today’s discussion. Everyone, use your time well for the autumn harvest. As for the next season’s crops, who knows when they’ll be ready."

She dropped this remark and left straight away.

Three days later, Changmen mobilized a large number of retainers to begin digging channels.

They did not dig up the land of other villagers, but started a ditch along the edge of Changmen’s fields, extending towards Little Jieqiu Mountain...

Curious villagers came to ask.

"What is the purpose of digging these ditches, madam?"

The retainers replied, "The madam said that due to this year’s drought, there’s not enough water for the fields. It’s not just about the crops not growing well, but she fears that soon we’ll even have difficulties with drinking water."

Everyone in the village knew about the fight over water that had happened that day.

But this work Feng Yun was doing was something they had never seen before.

"The madam said this is called a well channel, which can bring water from underground rivers to the surface for drinking and irrigation. What you see here is called an open channel; Little Jieqiu Mountain also has hidden channels..."

The crowd was bewildered.

The retainers further explained, "From Little Jieqiu to Changmen Village, we’ve dug many wells, and by linking these wells with ditches, we create a well channel system. The madam said that by doing so, Changmen will no longer lack water..."

The people were half-convinced, half skeptical.

Digging wells for water was something everyone understood, but to dig a series of wells and then connect them with ditches sounded simple, yet was not easy to execute.

"Do you have enough men for this? Do you need craftsmen?"

Changmen often hired people from the village, and they paid very well for the work.

As the busy farming season passed, the next crop was hard to plant without water, and many villagers were idle, all hoping to earn some money in Changmen.

The troops chuckled, "Didn’t the mistress say that we should have enough hands? They’re all burly men with plenty of strength."

It was then that the villagers remembered that not long ago, a band of bold bandits from Xiufeng Mountain had been taken in by Changmen and became servants in Feng Twelve’s household.

Gradually, people began to do the math and were startled to realize that the Village Chief’s wife had amassed a following of over a thousand people in Changmen.

This was no small matter...

Over a thousand people could already fight a small-scale battle.

There were not a few who raised their banners, organized troops, claimed kingship and self-proclaimed as generals...

A mere woman, in just over a year, had actually rallied so many people?

Previously, the troops had stayed in the mountains and didn’t attract much attention. Since the digging of wells and canals began, quite a few more people came and went from the village, and talk began to spread...

Feng Yun paid no mind to it.

She focused all of Changmen’s strength on the digging of wells and canals.

Lack of water, just like lack of food, was a matter of life and death. Although the villagers could still carry water from Changhe Bay for now, what would happen if Changhe Bay ran dry?

Without drinking water, how could so many people survive?

She had no wish to tread the path of refugees again.

From the initial handful of people to now over a thousand in Changmen, she could not possibly take them to become bandits, nor could she possibly uproot the whole family and leave Andu.

So she had to think of another solution.

The method of digging wells and canals was, as always, learned from books.

The books left by her mother covered a wide range of topics, providing her with enough wisdom to cope with every aspect of life...

The work of digging canals and wells in Huaxi Village was going full swing, and the news spread like wildfire.

Not only did He Qia visit the village with officers from the Governor’s Office, but nearby places like Wanning County, Yupu Prefecture, and Xinyi County also sent their Ministers of Agriculture to learn about the situation...

"Cutting wells from the mountain tops, running from high to low, it makes sense in theory, but is there really that much water available?"

"The Princess said there is an underground river beneath Little Jieqiu, which was discovered when drilling the Graphite Well."

"A good scheme. Such water diversion is truly killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, it prevents the water from the underground river from flooding the mines, causing water accumulation and collapse. Secondly, it provides irrigation for the fields, alleviating the drought. Excellent, truly excellent..."

Most people disagreed with Feng Yun.

Until they saw the well water flowing continuously, they remained skeptical at heart.

But there were also remarkable individuals who, after a little consideration, expressed surprise and admiration.

"This move is insightful. Our county should also follow suit."

"Follow what? When the Prince of Yonghuai diverts the water of the Huai River, will we still be lacking this bit of canal water? Why bother with such a big undertaking."

"You are wrong. Diverting the Huai River is a major project. In comparison, the canal from Little Jieqiu to Huaxi Village is a minor project. Waiting for the artificial river to be built, mobilizing the resources of the entire nation, it will take at least three to five years, or even as long as eighteen years, or more... If the drought continues year after year, can you wait, or can the people wait?"

The debate among the counties’ officers was endless.

When the news reached Feng Yun’s ears, she made a special inquiry.

The one from Wanning County who had praised the well and canal project and thought that other counties should follow suit.

She had someone retrieve the design drawings of the canal and passed them to Alou.

"Give them to Wanning County. As long as they can find a sufficient water source, dig covert wells, and clear channels, it could temporarily alleviate the quandary."

Alou accepted the task, took the drawings, and then suddenly looked up.

"A messenger from Nanqi has also come asking about the canal. Would the mistress care to meet with him?"