Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

Chapter 1038 Hug Me Closer

Gu Wenxuan thought Zhou Banxia wanted to whisper something. How could a dynasty that had been around for over a hundred years send Gu Dahua and others to the south of the Yangtze River to buy property, especially when the border was unstable?

They weren't worried about whether a dynasty that had lasted for hundreds of years would eventually decline. Once war broke out on the border, who would still buy a manor? They wouldn't even have time to find a safe island.

But let's not be so sure, could a daughter-in-law's ideas be wrong? Sending Gu Dahua and others to Jiangnan to buy property and farms is also a way of stockpiling grain, which is understandable.

It's not his wife's fault; she's just smart. She senses danger at the slightest sign of trouble! But, "It's not a war, is it?"

"Say!"

Gu Wenxuan thought that his wife had given birth smoothly and her postpartum period was coming to an end, so it seemed that some things could be made clear.

Come closer!
"Actually, even if I don't say it, you should be able to guess that this marriage is somewhat related to the fact that you were ordered to go to Jiangnan by secret decree."

The reason why you went to Jiangnan in the first month of the lunar calendar was not only because the current emperor wanted to thoroughly investigate the canal transport case, but also mainly because of the issue of dike construction.

The worst thing in dike construction is when officials at all levels collude to cut corners, embezzle funds, and engage in favoritism and corruption.

Every year during the flood season, the biggest worry is that a breach in the dikes will cause people to be displaced and lead to unrest. Unfortunately, the previous canal transport case brought this matter to light.

It is said that in that canal transport case, a certain official was tortured and forced to confess before the New Year, and then revealed that there was a problem with a certain dike in Jiangnan.

This is also the main reason why the gentleman was in a hurry to go to Jiangnan in the first month of the lunar calendar, since the annual flood season in Jiangnan was not far away at that time.

It must be said that the current emperor is a good emperor. In addition to thoroughly investigating the case in private, he also wants the gentleman to personally inspect the dam mentioned in the report.

The gentleman is basically required to inspect the dikes mentioned in the report, including several key dikes in the surrounding area, before the flood season in Jiangnan this year. If they need to be rebuilt, he can even overstep his authority to command the local garrison.

Besides, sir, you also possess the imperial sword that can be used to arrest the censor who is ostensibly on imperial orders to travel south of the Yangtze River, precisely to prevent even the censor from being corrupt.

That old emperor is quite reliable, otherwise, my uncle is currently traveling without an official position and is far away in Jiangnan. If the censor were to interfere, wouldn't that be dangerous?

Even if Uncle Qian is in Jiangnan, what use is it? Even if Uncle Qian is the head of the textile bureau, he has no military power. If there is any turmoil, how much can he help my uncle?

"That's why I said that you might be frightened in Jiangnan, but you will definitely not be in danger. Otherwise, I would never agree to the idea of ​​going south of the Yangtze River."

Understand.

You can continue now.

Zhou Banxia nodded, signaling Gu Wenxuan to continue.

"That's right, there's one downside: even if the case is thoroughly investigated, the master won't be back anytime soon, since he'll need to conduct another inspection after the flood season in Jiangnan."

If things go smoothly, the gentleman will return before winter; if not, it will depend on whether the current emperor still wants him to traverse every dike in the Jiangnan region.

Zhou Banxia frowned upon hearing this, "That's a very wide area. Even if Uncle makes a quick trip, he probably won't be able to come back for the New Year. It shouldn't be that bad, right?"

who knows!
Gu Wenxuan shook his head, smoothing the brow with his fingers and smiling, "Probably not, unless the dam mentioned in the report is built to be extremely fragile."

The current emperor doesn't trust anyone, so even without a secret decree from him, the gentleman would submit a secret memorial volunteering to conduct an on-site investigation of the other dikes. However, based on what I heard from my junior uncle, that dike seems to only need reinforcement and isn't in such a dire situation that it's easily breached.

In other words, even if the flood season in Jiangnan is critical this year, it's not a big problem to deal with it first. If there is any need to rebuild, it can be done after the flood season, but that's not Mr. [Name]'s task.

The gentleman will be responsible for the on-site inspection, and the relevant officials appointed by the imperial court will then oversee the construction. The gentleman should return to the capital no later than the end of the year.

Let's hope so. No matter how much we think or guess, it's still up to the emperor. Who knows what the emperor is thinking? Zhou Banxia nodded silently.

Gu Wenxuan couldn't help but pat her head. "Don't worry. If I can think of these things, how could Mr. Gu not know them?"

Do you believe that before you went to Jiangnan, you had already planned everything out? Whatever the situation might arise, what solutions to use, etc., were all perfectly clear to you?

"..." That should be the case. After all, he is an uncle. He has been through so many ups and downs and still holds Jian in the Emperor's heart. He must have considered everything carefully.

"Still not convinced?"

“No.” Zhou Banxia shook her head. “I just feel that my uncle is working too hard, and he has to shoulder everything by himself. If Master were here, at least there would be someone to discuss things with.”

This is a difficult topic to discuss. It sounds like even your junior uncle greatly admires your master, so he must have had extraordinary abilities, but he's no longer alive.

"I'm not going to say anything more, it won't hurt your feelings. Let's talk about something that will make you happy instead." Gu Wenxuan spoke up decisively, "Indeed, that's why they say life always has some regrets."

Take Junior Uncle, for example. He lives a carefree life, doesn't he? He has wealth and power. He's either a prince or a general who protects the country. Maybe he even regrets not being free.

Listen to me, my teacher didn't force me to become an official. My junior uncle was so envious that he almost rushed back to Qingshan Academy that very night to demand justice from our master.

The junior uncle said that although they were both teachers, the grandmaster wasn't as enlightened as the teacher. Whenever the grandmaster saw him, he would scold him for being useless, which made him afraid to go to the academy.

Look!
Laughing now?
Since Liang Hongsheng was mentioned, even though Gu Wenxuan had previously mentioned in a letter to Zhou Banxia that Liang Hongsheng had brought up the topic of giving a baby's full-month celebration gift, he still brought it up again.

"...It's not that I'm shameless, it's just that I couldn't refuse such kindness. Your older brother was also asking me to accept it for his nephew, so I couldn't refuse."

If she hadn't mentioned her older brother Zhou Yanqing, she would have been fine, but as soon as Gu Wenxuan brought him up, Zhou Banxia couldn't help but laugh again, "My older brother always seems to worry that I'll be poor."

He had originally planned to come here, but for some reason it seems he can't make it now. He even had Grandpa Fu send someone to personally deliver a truckload of things over.”

Gu Wenxuan knew about this. "It's because Junior Uncle had to change his itinerary and return to the capital due to special reasons, so your elder brother had to go back to the capital with him first."

Zhou Banxia guessed that was the case, since her aunt had mentioned in a letter that if there was anything she couldn't explain in detail in a letter, she could tell her older brother directly.

Even my sister-in-law and second brother mentioned in their letters that they asked my eldest brother to personally deliver something to her. If it weren't for a last resort, my eldest brother would definitely have come.

But, "What special reason? Do you know? Can you tell me?"

These three questions left Gu Wenxuan momentarily at a loss for words, unsure which one to answer. "How many letters did you receive from me in total?"

Zhou Banxia was taken aback by his words, then realized what he meant. She gestured with her hands in surprise and asked, puzzled, "Did you already hint at this in that reply?"