Xu Yangjun’s forehead had broken into a cold sweat. He stumbled over his words: “This person — this person will go back to the yamen and look into things. Perhaps something useful can be found.”

Hua Zhi assumed only that her earlier words had given him a fright. She nodded and said gently: “Thank you for your trouble, Master Xu. However, I would ask that you keep a low profile — and please do not speak of the people or matters here to anyone outside. This young woman is grateful.”

He hadn’t dared accept the earlier courtesy — now, with his suspicion formed in his mind, Xu Yangjun absolutely would not accept this one either. Before Hua Zhi could even move, he hastily returned the bow and retreated. “This person understands. This person will go look into it now.”

Hua Zhi paid it no particular mind. She drank another half cup of tea and looked up. “All of this may already be too late — if the rain keeps falling at this rate, there may not be time. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely without use. If those seven channels can be opened up after the flood season passes, widened and deepened, with suitable catchment ponds set in the right places, there will be a little more security in the years ahead.”

Shao Yao frowned. “If people’s strength is pooled together, it may not be too late even now.”

“Has the labor conscription for Xiangyang been levied this year?”

Xie Xu quickly spoke up: “Not yet. In previous years the labor levy has been called after the busy harvest season in the second half of the year, before the onset of winter.”

That was still manageable, then. She had no desire to burden the common people with more corvee labor because of an idea of hers — even if she stood to gain nothing from it personally.

“This is as far as my thinking goes. What comes after is no longer my place to manage. How to proceed and to what degree — decide that among yourselves.”

Seeing that Hua Zhi was about to withdraw, Shao Yao this time gave her no chance to refuse. She went over and took her wrist to check her pulse, then after a moment said: “Rest properly for two days. Don’t just push through it dry. Bao Xia — make something nourishing for Hua Zhi to eat. Oh, and the medicinal food from before — that should be continued. Keep watch to see if Hua Zhi develops a fever. If she does, come tell me immediately. As long as I’m home I’ll come tend to her; if I’m delayed outside you’ll need to change the dressing for her.”

“Yes, your maidservant will remember.”

Hua Zhi squeezed Shao Yao’s hand and went back to her room on her own. Offering a plan was one thing — if she were to roll up her sleeves and personally manage it, that would be overstepping. She needed to keep a firm sense of where the line lay.

Heaven itself seemed to take Xiangyang’s side. By nightfall, the rain gradually ceased, and the following day brought brilliant sunshine. The temperature leapt at once from coolness into the height of summer.

When Yu Tao came to request an audience, Hua Zhi had Bao Xia send word that she was still resting. Afterward, Bao Xia returned with a puzzled look. “Why did Miss not see him?”

“It’s nothing more than him seeing the sky clear up and thinking the worst of this disaster has passed, coming to ask whether the channels still need to be dug. What would I concern myself with that for? The idea has already been given — whether to dig or not is already a matter of governance. It has nothing to do with me. Why should I go making decisions about it?”

That door could hold back Yu Tao, but it could not hold back Shao Yao. She shoved it open with a bang — such force that the door bounced back. She had thrown her veiled hat onto the table and was fuming like a barrel of gunpowder, looking as though she’d swallowed fire… wait a moment!

Hua Zhi sat up straight. How had she forgotten about that? The Great Qing Dynasty had no gunpowder, but she recalled that black powder had first been accidentally discovered by a Taoist alchemist who had mixed the proportions of his elixir ingredients wrong!

If there were explosives to break through the ground, it would be far faster than people digging by hand and hauling by the basketful.

Though this would have to be handled carefully — it couldn’t be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

“Cao Cao — are there any Taoist alchemists in Xiangyang?”

Shao Yao was still regaining her composure. She paused at the question, and some of her irritation drained away. “Except for the capital, where they were all swept out, which county town doesn’t have a Taoist alchemist? Why do you ask?”

Hua Zhi rose and began pacing back and forth. Shao Yao knew this meant she was thinking, and whatever small flicker of annoyance remained vanished entirely. She settled down and helped herself liberally to the teapot.

“Prepare brush and ink.”

This was something Hua Zhi needed regularly; it was kept right where it could easily be found. Bao Xia brought everything over, poured a little water, tucked back her sleeves, and began grinding the ink.

Hua Zhi wrote out a letter at speed, read it through carefully, blew on it to dry it, folded it, and handed it to Shao Yao. “Have someone deliver this back to Yan Xi immediately. And find a way to clear out the Taoist alchemists here as well.”

Shao Yao asked no questions, opened the door and passed it to Yu Tao outside with a few brief instructions, then came back in.

“How many days for a round trip?”

“The Seven Lodges Bureau uses war horses and can change mounts at relay stations along the way. Riding day and night from Xiangyang, a round trip should take about six days.”

Hua Zhi nodded. “Why were you in such a temper just now? You nearly kicked the door off its hinges.”

“Wasn’t it that lot — short-sighted, every last one of them. The moment they saw the weather clear, they started hinting openly and not so openly that there was no need for such a large undertaking. Never mind that flood season isn’t even over yet — even if it truly were, does that mean the floods won’t come next year? Would it really hurt them to widen and deepen those channels while there’s still time?”

“And what came of it in the end?”

“Naturally I shot them all down.” Shao Yao gave a cold snort. “The Seven Lodges Bureau has taken charge of this matter now. Anyone who tries to interfere will have me to answer to.”

Hua Zhi shook her head. “It’s fortunate you don’t manage things on a regular basis. If the Seven Lodges Bureau operated as heavy-handedly as this all the time, it would cause widespread resentment.”

“Hmph, I don’t even want to bother managing things. I don’t have the patience to deal with people like that.” Shao Yao’s expression was all exasperation — clearly she found those people’s way of doing things utterly insufferable.

Hua Zhi could picture exactly what the scene must have been. She also understood the psychology of those officials well enough: doing less and making no mistakes was the governing philosophy of most of them. Holding office, for them, was not about how much they could do for the common people, but about climbing from one post to the next, rising step by step.

Or perhaps they had all begun with hearts full of aspiration — yet in the end, most of them became exactly the kind of people they had once despised most. Just as she herself, and just as the vast majority of ordinary people, so often became in imperceptible ways the very image of what they had most disliked in their youth.

“So in the end, corvee labor was still conscripted to repair the dried-up channels?”

“Yes. Since there is a way to mitigate flooding, why not use it? Isn’t it better than being ravaged by floods every year? I’ve already submitted a report about Lingzhou — regardless of how flood season plays out this year, Lingzhou is going to be dealt with. Once the people are resettled, a tributary channel will be dug directly through there connecting to the Sha River. After that, the pressure on the entire Weihe River will be greatly reduced.”

“Digging an entire river channel?” Hua Zhi was astonished. This was far better than what she had envisioned. Her original idea had been to build embankments and divert water into Lingzhou County — simpler at the time, yes, but in the long view, an actual river channel would obviously benefit generations to come.

“Yes. I made the case that over the next several years all the people of Jingzhou should serve their labor conscription at Lingzhou. Many hands make light work — there should be results to show within three to five years.”

“Are you confident it will be approved?”

Shao Yao lifted her chin. “Yan Xi is there, isn’t he?”

Hua Zhi couldn’t help but smile. It sounded as though Yan Xi was genuinely in favor — and not merely in a superficial way.

“Right, Hua Hua — when are we leaving?”

“There’s no rush. Wait until the water recedes a little more. In the meantime, bring Little Six with you these next few days and take him out to see more of the world. Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

“Understood. As for the things outside, if you don’t want to manage them, just leave them be. I think that Xu Yangjun is actually quite good — there’s something in his head, and his memory is sharp. He’s already familiar with all of this, so I’ve put him in overall charge. If he does well, I’ll put in a recommendation for him.”

That was Shao Yao — not someone incapable, just a matter of whether she wanted to bother. Or perhaps it was that Yan Xi had shielded her so well that she rarely needed to.

Speaking of which — they had really only been apart for twenty-some days. So why did it feel as though… it had been a very long time?