Chapter 11
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Zhang Yanli had already been waiting for quite some time by the side entrance of Mengyuan Granary.
The Empress dismounted, her gaze lingering for a moment over the top of his head before she strode toward him.
Behind her stood Bai Wenqing, looking rather dazed. He was still holding the stove blueprints and model, apparently yet to process what had just happened.
As for how the delicate, tender-skinned Bai, who could barely ride a horse, had been brought here by the Empress, we shall leave that aside for now.
And why Lord Zhang’s loyalty rating had already earned a passing grade after fewer than five hours in her presence—that, too, could wait.
At present, driven by an inexplicable sense of urgency, Chu Yingzhao cared about only one thing.
“Where is the temporary settlement you selected? Take Me there.”
Zhang Yanli was truly an exemplary subordinate.
His superior had vanished for several hours, then returned with a male guest of highly questionable age, yet none of it had affected his work.
He bowed slightly and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, the site lies to the southwest. It is not too far from the porridge-distribution station, and water is relatively easy to obtain. The surrounding terrain is flat, making it a usable location for the time being. Please follow me.”
Chu Yingzhao nodded, but before setting off, she remembered to take the papers and model from Bai Wenqing and hand them to the attendants beside her, ordering them to find craftsmen and have the stove built as soon as possible.
Bai Wenqing was clearly beyond reliance.
Ever since she had dragged him in front of her and galloped back to the granary with him, he had remained in a state of total system failure. At present, the only independent response he could manage was to follow in her footsteps.
It was obvious that he was the sort of character with overwhelming offense and abysmal defense. The system interface showed that his favorability was plunging and surging wildly, clearly shaken to the core.
But the Empress had no time to worry about that now.
Following Zhang Yanli’s directions, she proceeded onward, her eyes sweeping over the terrain from time to time. Yet the farther she went, the more tightly her brows drew together.
Layer upon layer of clouds filled the sky. They did not completely obscure the sunlight, but cast the land beneath them in a strange grayish yellow.
Under the gloomy sky, her gaze fell upon the faint outline of a river in the distance. Tiny glints of light flickered across its surface. At first glance, it appeared calm and still, but the moment she looked away, that dark, indistinct sense of danger in her mind grew even stronger.
Southwest…
Water nearby…
Flat terrain…
Before long, they arrived at the site selected for the temporary settlement.
Before her stretched a relatively broad tract of land. Zhang Yanli had already divided the area into several sections, marking out simple boundaries with lime while directing soldiers to erect crude tents and wooden shelters.
“…No.”
She crouched down and pinched up a handful of earth, examining it closely. The soil was sticky, carrying a trace of damp coldness. She casually wiped it onto her handkerchief, then raised her head and narrowed her eyes toward the distant river.
The river was shallow and murky, with bits of debris floating upon it. The grass on either side leaned slightly in the same direction, while silt had visibly covered portions of the rocks along the bank. Here and there, one could even make out several tiny gullies that had formed recently.
She had found the problem.
Or rather, the game had been hinting at it ever since the first time she encountered Ying.
He had said then, “The villages and towns were destroyed by floods after the irrigation canal burst its banks.”
At the time, however, she had been more concerned with the overwhelming number of refugees and the unrest whose scale remained unknown.
She straightened and looked around. Her voice was calm but certain.
“This place cannot be used.”
Zhang Yanli froze, then stepped forward, confusion evident in his tone. “Your Majesty, it is close to a water source, and obtaining water would be convenient…”
Chu Yingzhao waved a hand and cut him off. “The water source is not the problem. The problem is the river’s course.”
She glanced up at the sky, then began walking toward the river, observing the terrain on both sides as she went. Her speech quickened slightly.
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“The current is slow and murky, carrying a great deal of silt. That means extensive soil erosion must have occurred upstream, and blockages have most likely formed in some of the narrower sections… There may even be a landslide-dammed lake.”
She paused, realizing that such technical terminology might be beyond Zhang Yanli’s understanding, and added, “In short, the blockage will temporarily slow the current, but it will also cause the water level upstream to rise rapidly. This location lies downstream. Once the blockage gives way, this will be the first place to suffer.”
“Your Majesty believes there may be flooding?” Zhang Yanli finally asked the crucial question, unease threading through his voice.
“Not merely may be.”
Chu Yingzhao slowly turned around, pointed toward the somber sky, and rubbed her brow.
“There will certainly be torrential rain within three days.”
Once the downpour arrived, the water level upstream would surge. The blockage would break, sending a torrent of mud, gravel, and shattered stone downstream. Not only would the refugees be swept away, but the nearby villages and farmland might well be lost too.
“Within three days?” Zhang Yanli was plainly shocked.
Chu Yingzhao took a deep breath and gestured for him to do the same.
“There are signs everywhere. The silt, the cloud cover, the humidity, the wind direction—or, to put it another way, the weather had already begun showing signs of this from the second day after My accession.”
While Zhang Yanli struggled to absorb this new knowledge, Bai Wenqing, who had been following behind them all this time, began murmuring to himself.
“The easterly wind is strengthening, humidity is rising… The rain will arrive by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest. Your Majesty understands all this as well?”
“I know a little.”
Chu Yingzhao answered vaguely, stealing a sidelong glance at him. He seemed finally to have recovered his senses, his usual brightness returning to his face—though he was now somewhat evasive whenever their eyes met.
A tiny notification window appeared in the system interface, showing that his favorability had risen to twenty-nine and awarding her a second lottery ticket.
Unfortunately, the Empress had no time to draw such trivial rewards.
With Bai, Zhang, and several guards in tow, she proceeded along the riverbank, her eyes constantly surveying the terrain and the movement of the water.
The Empress noticed that although this stretch of embankment had not yet collapsed, there were cracks in numerous places, clear evidence of years of neglect. If the river flooded, the refugee encampment would inevitably bear the brunt of it.
She pointed out an especially obvious danger spot.
“The embankment here is made entirely of loess. It is nowhere near stable enough. The water level is already close to half the height of the bank. Another three or four feet, and it may collapse.”
Bai Wenqing crouched nearby and examined the soil along the riverbed. He lifted a handful of damp sand and studied it for a long while before adding, “The soil is loose and permeable. Reinforcing the embankment will accomplish nothing. It must be rebuilt.”
…Was this really a romance game?
The court was rotten, the treasury was in deficit, the people were destitute, warlords controlled the provinces, and heavily armed enemies pressed at the borders. The situation was already chaotic beyond belief, yet the game had still managed to add one more element:
A natural disaster.
And today was only the third day after the beginning.
She wondered what would have happened if she had truly treated this as a romance game.
What if she had not chosen to conduct an on-site investigation? Or what if her university major had not been engineering management—if she had never studied surveying, introductory civil engineering, or project assessment? How far would this crisis have escalated?
And this game had actually been developed under the Entertainment Department’s direction. What on earth had they been thinking?
The Empress stared at the rushing river, her brows drawn tightly together.
In the end, however, she still took a deep breath and opened the basic engineering guide in the Research Module of the system interface.
Things had already come to this. She was here now.
The embankment came first. Everything else could wait.
At least the system proved reasonably dependable at a time like this. It quickly displayed several brief records of outstanding hydraulic engineering projects.
Chu Yingzhao scanned through them, then combined what she had seen with the circumstances before her and began outlining a preliminary plan.
“To prevent the flood from spreading into the refugee settlement, we must clear the river channel, construct a temporary flood-diversion channel downstream, reinforce the embankment, and then build another temporary earthen dyke outside it to reduce the pressure.”
This was far beyond Zhang Yanli’s area of expertise. He could only stand to one side and nod silently.
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Bai Wenqing, however, was not convinced. He remained crouched on the ground.
“How will you construct the diversion channel? What is the strength of the soil? What if hurried excavation causes a secondary disaster? Where will the reinforcement materials come from? The sandbags and wooden stakes—where are they?”
“The diversion area could be separated with a wooden partition wall to reduce the force of the current…” Chu Yingzhao struggled to recall what she had learned, trying to keep pace with his train of thought. “When reinforcing the embankment, would adding a layer of straw matting over the surface improve its stability?”
Bai Wenqing looked up at her, his eyes shining.
“Your Majesty knows all this too?”
“I know a little.”
Ha. The Empress laughed inwardly, twice and with perfect composure.
If you knew I was still pursuing a graduate degree in civil engineering, you would understand how miserable my life was. Though, in this game, I suppose I have managed to find gainful employment again.
“What Your Majesty knows is far more than a little.” Bai Wenqing clapped his hands, genuine admiration in his voice. “But there is another major problem. What will happen to the refugees downstream if we divert the flood?”
“If diverting it directly downstream is impossible, we will change the direction.” Chu Yingzhao thought for a moment. “Guide the flood along the terrain toward wasteland or uninhabited areas.”
Bai Wenqing blinked, then smiled.
“That will require detailed surveying, followed by a corresponding plan. Your Majesty, the torrential rain will not wait for you to resolve every problem before it arrives.”
“We will deal with the most urgent problems first. The rest can be repaired later.” The Empress’s voice remained calm. “Besides, as it happens, I already have someone suited to this task.”
“Oh?” Bai Wenqing asked curiously, looking around. “Where?”
The Empress gazed at him evenly.
“You.”
Bai Wenqing stared at her in confusion.
“…What?”
The Empress nodded without hesitation. She even took the paper and brush from Zhang Yanli and handed them to the young engineer, then patted him on the shoulder.
“Do your best. If you need anything, ask the guards. If you perform well, I may consider taking you as a consort in the future.”
What did you think I dragged you here for? Farming romance points is merely a bonus. Working is the real purpose!
Just look at Qi Wangzhu, who was busy as a spinning top in the quarantine zone. And look at Ying, who barely had time to keep his feet on the ground, having to participate in and follow up on every project. Did you really think you could escape, Male Lead Number Three?
This is Great Mu. There is no child-protection law here!
All of you, get to work for Me!
She stuffed the tools into Bai Wenqing’s arms, then turned her attention to Zhang Yanli.
“Materials and personnel deployment—Lord Zhang, you can take charge of that, correct?”
Only then did Zhang Yanli return to his senses. He hurriedly cupped his hands.
“Although I am not skilled in such matters, I will do everything in my power to coordinate the work. However, the guards are limited, and perhaps…”
“We certainly cannot manage with only this handful of guards.” Chu Yingzhao’s gaze shifted toward the refugee settlement. “There is only one way forward. We must mobilize the refugees to participate.”
Zhang Yanli hesitated, his expression complicated.
“Your Majesty, they…”
“They can do it.” Chu Yingzhao interrupted him, her tone firm. “Rather than passively waiting for relief, they should participate in saving themselves. A senior official will certainly deliver grain by this evening at the latest. Once they have eaten and regained their strength, we can organize them.”
Zhang Yanli opened his mouth, but in the end he nodded and answered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Chu Yingzhao said nothing more. She merely lowered her eyes to the earth beneath her feet.
This was only the beginning, she thought. But everything would begin turning, slowly and steadily, according to plan.
Oh, right.
Only belatedly did she remember that she seemed to have saved up two lottery draws…