This day was the seventeenth of the third month. The court released the palace examination results in the afternoon, and Zhao Sui also returned to the prince’s mansion an hour early.
Candidates participating in the palace examination wouldn’t face elimination, only rankings in three tiers: first, second, and third. Among them, the first tier’s top scholar, second place, and third place would directly enter the Hanlin Academy as officials. Second-tier scholars and third-tier scholar background candidates would need to undergo another selection at the Ministry of Personnel, then be assigned low-ranking positions in the capital or posted as county magistrates, assistant magistrates, and similar positions based on the selection results.
Those who could remain in the capital were basically second-tier scholars ranked toward the top. People like Di Xian and He Wenbin hanging at the tail end of the third tier would, barring special circumstances, basically be posted as county magistrates.
Zhao Sui had duties at the Ministry of Works, and Di Xian would soon face various social engagements and the Ministry of Personnel selection. Zhao Sui could only use this brief time right after the results were posted to meet him once.
Di Xian was invited onto a carriage by a plainclothes guard from the prince’s mansion. The coachman drove silently, quickly bringing the carriage through a side gate on the west side of the prince’s mansion.
Di Xian followed behind a young eunuch leading the way, his heart pounding like a drum, his mind in complete chaos, unable to fathom why Prince Hui would want to see him. Di Xian had already mentally reviewed all the people he’d met and things he’d experienced since entering the capital. He was absolutely certain he had no connection whatsoever with Prince Hui.
Fei Quan brought Di Xian to the reception hall of the second courtyard, pushed open the door, and gestured for Di Xian to enter on his own.
Through the gradually widening door crack, Di Xian saw the master of the prince’s mansion sitting alone behind the long table on the north side—Prince Hui, whom he had once glimpsed from afar during the palace examination.
Lamps had already been lit in the hall. Prince Hui held a scroll. Hearing the door open, Prince Hui raised his eyes to look.
Di Xian lowered his eyes in time, stepped across the nonexistent threshold, gathered his robes, and knelt down respectfully to pay respects to Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui set down the scroll. “You may dispense with ceremony.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Having made sufficient mental preparation during the journey, Di Xian stood up relatively calmly.
Zhao Sui asked, “According to what I know, you are from Rao’an County in Jizhou?”
Di Xian wasn’t surprised that Prince Hui had already investigated his background. “Yes.”
Zhao Sui: “Magistrate Di Yong, who served as county magistrate of Qingxia in Liangzhou in the twenty-fifth year of Yongchang, was also from Rao’an in Jizhou. You two…”
Di Xian never imagined he would hear his late father’s name from a prince. After the shock passed, his eyes reddened as he choked out, “In reply to Your Highness, Magistrate Di was precisely my father.”
Zhao Sui: “…Is the old gentleman still well?”
Di Xian lowered his head. “In the twenty-sixth year of Yongchang, my father resigned from office due to illness and returned home. The following year, he passed away.”
Zhao Sui expressed condolences and asked more about Di Yong’s life, learning that Di Yong only passed the examination for third-tier scholar background when nearly forty, afterward constantly transferred between various places serving as county magistrate. Due to his upright character, he wasn’t favored by his superiors and was transferred in the twenty-fourth year of Yongchang to the impoverished Qingxia County in Liangzhou. At that time, Di Yong was already fifty-five years old.
Zhao Sui observed Di Xian and said, “It seems you’ve already guessed why I would mention your father.”
Di Xian raised his head, bitterness and pride in his eyes. “My father only entered officialdom late in life. Though he diligently served as county magistrate for over a decade, he had no other achievements worthy of Your Highness remembering—save for the canal repair proposal he submitted to the court in the twenty-fifth year of Yongchang, which he never forgot and deeply took pride in. Unfortunately, with frequent border conflicts those years, the old gentleman never had the opportunity to serve the court in this way.”
Zhao Sui: “Do you still remember your father’s canal repair method?”
Di Xian replied without hesitation, “This student not only remembers, but remembers it bone-deep.”
Zhao Sui had him explain.
Di Xian: “It involves the terrain throughout Qingxia County and dozens of ancient canals. I dare request Your Highness summon someone to bring writing materials, allowing this student to draw a simple diagram. The canal repair method will then be clear at a glance to Your Highness.”
Zhao Sui had Qing Ai, waiting outside, fetch writing materials.
Qing Ai brought several sheets of rice paper large enough to cover half the long table, ground the ink, then withdrew.
Di Xian held up one sleeve with one hand and wielded the brush, first sketching on the rice paper a Yellow River channel flowing from south to north, then on the west side of the channel outlining several main canals distributed near and far around Qingxia County, along with dozens of small canals branching from the main channels.
Di Xian: “This plain region is arid with little rain. Since ancient times, common people have dug canals large and small to channel Yellow River water for irrigating farmland. However, even the most recently dug of these ancient canals dates back four to five hundred years. With the Yellow River’s channel shifts and frequent warfare, many canals fell into disuse, unable to channel water in time. The Fengyan Canal is one main canal. Its head is now eight li from the Yellow River bank, and at this section the river flows turbulently—not suitable for digging a connecting canal.”
Zhao Sui pointed to a location downstream from the Fengyan Canal head. “So your father proposed digging a new canal here, then extending it northward to connect with the Fengyan Canal.”
Di Xian: “Precisely.”
As he spoke, he drew an elongated sandbar in the middle of this section of the Yellow River channel, explaining, “Here the channel is relatively shallow. The sandbar divides it into eastern and western streams. We need only construct a dam about three hundred paces long on the western side to channel the river water into the new canal. My father personally surveyed dozens of times. The new canal would be approximately forty li long, the ancient Fengyan Canal two hundred ten li. Summoning ten thousand laborers for half a year’s construction period could dig the new canal and dredge the blocked, abandoned ancient canal. If construction began now, the entire canal could be completed before winter. Next spring it could channel water to irrigate nearly forty thousand qing of farmland in this area, solving the local people’s poverty in one stroke and creating a new grain-producing region for the court.”
Zhao Sui was silent for a moment, then said, “Your father mentioned all this in the memorial submitted to the court. Do you know details he found inconvenient to mention in the memorial?”
Memorials had limited length. Di Yong back then could only mention the most essential points.
Di Xian recalled the canal repair details the old gentleman had repeatedly told him before passing, continuing to explain to Prince Hui the necessary works to be built at the canal mouth—intake gates, drainage gates, overflow dams, and such. During non-farming seasons, the canal head would be closed, not needing to divert Yellow River water. When irrigation was needed, the intake gates would be opened to let river water flow through the entire canal.
Di Xian also explained the configuration of water distribution gates throughout the canal. This way it could both channel water for irrigating farmland and use the canal for flood prevention when the Yellow River overflowed.
Zhao Sui had read Di Xian’s palace examination paper. Among the over three hundred successful candidates, Di Xian’s essay was utterly unremarkable. But now discussing canal repair, Di Xian spoke with encyclopedic knowledge, flowing eloquently, his eyes carrying an intense light. It faintly allowed Zhao Sui to see in his young face another Di-surnamed elder in his fifties.
Zhao Sui believed Di Xian was the most suitable person to inherit his father’s canal repair ambition.
Finally, Zhao Sui asked, “If I have a way to transfer you to Qingxia County, can you guarantee you’ll repair this new Fengyan Canal well?”
Hearing this, Di Xian knelt and said, “If truly granted this opportunity, this student pledges his very life!”
After Di Xian left, Yao Huang, who had been hiding in the side room listening in confusion yet inexplicably stirred, immediately ran out and moved close to the river and canal diagram Di Xian had left, having Prince Hui explain it to her again using the diagram.
Zhao Sui was happy to serve the princess.
With the diagram, it was indeed much easier to understand. Yao Huang sighed, “Before Magistrate Di Yong passed away, he must have harbored the thought of having his son inherit his aspirations. That’s why he taught Di Xian so well, enabling him to handle things independently.”
Zhao Sui: “Di Xian must also have natural talent. If he only memorized by rote without true understanding, he couldn’t shoulder such a major undertaking as canal repair.”
Yao Huang still felt regret for Di Yong, who died without completing this great achievement. “Such a capable person—why did he only pass the scholar examination when nearly forty?”
Zhao Sui said, “Both civil and military have their armchair strategists. The palace examination is merely the first step for scholars throughout the realm to enter officialdom. How high their official positions rise afterward depends on their practical governing ability. Every dynasty has had top scholars, second-place holders, and third-place holders who accomplished nothing their entire lives, and also pillars of talent who rose step by step from county magistrates and minor clerks. Practical ability and opportunity—sometimes neither can be lacking.”
Yao Huang smiled. “Di Yong had talent but didn’t encounter good opportunities. Di Xian is just entering officialdom and has already met Prince Hui, who is willing to give him opportunities to display his talents. That is his good fortune.”
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes. “It’s not certain yet. I can only do my best.”
Yao Huang leaned over Prince Hui’s shoulder from behind the wheelchair, tilting her head to look at him. “Success or not, Your Highness is exceptionally capable in my eyes!”
Who could remember a project proposal from six years ago based on just a surname? Who would be willing to dig through old memorials from years past to verify whether this project was feasible or not?
Prince Hui could—a Prince Hui who, though disabled, still kept the people’s welfare in his heart.
The next morning, after busying himself for over an hour straight, the sixty-something Minister of Works Yan Lun’s back truly ached. Wearing purple official robes, he came to the courtyard to both sun himself and stretch his arms to loosen his muscles and bones.
Just as he was twisting his waist, he suddenly glimpsed Eunuch Qing Ai at Prince Hui’s side beckoning to him.
Prince Hui had business with him?
Yan Lun remained composed, twisting as he slowly walked over, as if he’d merely happened to wander this way.
Qing Ai said in a low voice, “His Highness requests the Minister come over.”
Yan Lun thus came to Prince Hui’s office.
Qing Ai stood guard outside, Fei Quan in the inner rest room. Only Prince Hui was in the study.
Zhao Sui excused Yan Lun from empty formalities, turned the river channel diagram in front of him and pushed it across the desk, gesturing for Yan Lun to look.
Six years ago, Yan Lun had also been Minister of Works. Although the Fengyan Canal repair project proposal was rejected that year for various reasons, and he’d been too busy over six years to recall it, when Prince Hui pushed this river channel diagram before him, Yan Lun recognized it at a glance. He looked at Prince Hui in astonishment. “Why has Your Highness suddenly dug this up?”
Zhao Sui: “This year’s examinations included a third-tier scholar background candidate named Di Xian. I happened to hear someone mention his father was Di Yong and coincidentally recalled it.”
Yan Lun was silent for a moment, accepting the “coincidentally” in Prince Hui’s words, and asked, “Does Your Highness want the Ministry of Works to reapprove this case?”
Zhao Sui: “Yes. Just act as if you yourself remembered Di Yong. Summon Di Xian and test his canal repair abilities once more. If you feel he’s usable, then go before His Majesty to secure the position of Qingxia County magistrate for Di Xian. If Father Emperor agrees, you need not mention me.”
Yan Lun looked at Prince Hui’s serene face, indifferent to fame and fortune, and suddenly felt somewhat pained. Such excellent material for an heir apparent—now with disabled legs, wanting to offer strategies to the court yet still having to avoid competing with Prince Kang and Prince Qing.
Yan Lun understood Prince Hui’s careful intentions but said, “Di Xian only just passed as scholar background. Even just Ministry of Works officials won’t accept giving him such a major project. Moreover, canal repair and river management have always been excellent opportunities for embezzling silver. The Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Revenue will certainly want to recommend their own people. With just me alone, I fear it will be difficult to successfully recommend Di Xian. And I’m not confident in him either. If the repair goes well, naturally there’s no problem. But if silver is spent yet the canal isn’t repaired well, who takes responsibility for him?”
Zhao Sui: “You just recommend him. If there’s disagreement during court deliberations, I’ll speak for you.”