Miao Chu

Chapter 330 Get Up
On the table in the corner, the measurement drafts left by the students were still scattered around, uncollected.

Cai Xiu was observant and noticed it at a glance.

But he ignored it, only counting the documents on the table and skimming through the contents before smiling and saying, "Thank you all for your hard work. Since an official from the court will be arriving tomorrow, Lü Gou will conduct a rehearsal today to clear the river first—I'm afraid I'll need your help then!"

Today's rehearsal means that when people arrive tomorrow, the canal will be officially opened.

Upon realizing it was a rehearsal for a public appearance, everyone immediately became interested, and almost everyone responded loudly.

"Just ask me what you need. I'll help you with anything!"

"That's right—but for trivial matters like today's measurement, please don't bother me next time. There are plenty of minor officials; it's not that difficult, and it doesn't matter who does it!"

"I've heard that representatives from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue are coming this time. My elders are acquainted with many officials in these two ministries, and I know a few myself. Once I get their names, please let me know. Putting everything else aside, if I'm to go and receive them, I certainly won't be intimidated at all!"

Cai Xiu carefully put away the manuscript, then bowed respectfully, exchanged a few kind words, and hurriedly took her leave.

He went to find the Su surname official that Lü Zhongchang had mentioned at noon.

The other party was extremely busy, but when he saw Cai Xiu and heard that she had come to deliver the newly obtained hydrological data of Jiahe and Jianhe, he pointed to the book box next to him and said, "Put it there!"

Just then, someone rushed in from outside and said, "Master Su! The river shovelman has come again to inquire. The craftsmen working on the shovel are pressing for materials. They've asked several times, but they haven't been able to get them. The river needs to be dredged today, and if they don't get them soon, it will really be too late!"

Mr. Su was extremely annoyed and said, "Didn't we tell the river embankment manager to go to the Chanzhou prefectural government to ask for it? What's the use of asking me!"

"They said the canal transport is disrupted in Chanzhou, and the capital was also experiencing flooding recently. They don't even have enough to go around, and it's been almost half a month since they last sent any supplies. They told us to go and negotiate with the transport office first, but they couldn't do anything about it, so they had to come and report this..."

"They can't do it, but I have a way?"

Before we could even finish urging for the materials here, several more groups of people arrived.

Some asked for manpower, some asked for the specific procedures for the evening, and some people sent back from the front said that Lü Zhongchang had inspected the river and found several places that were not quite right, and ordered them to be rectified, but the result was that the materials were insufficient.

Because everyone was arguing over the remaining bamboo material and paste, and also wanted to grow iron nails, a dispute arose, and the matter was brought up by the official Su, who had previously presided over the justice.

Seeing this, Cai Xiu took the opportunity to go to the side and quietly looked through the contents of the wooden box—it was indeed still those manuscripts, and the wax seal was still intact.

He placed the latest letter on top, and seeing that the official Su was too busy to pay attention to it, he greeted the clerk beside him and left.

Cai Xiu left in a hurry and naturally did not know that not long after the commotion, someone outside came to urge him: "Master Su, Lu Gou Dang sent someone to ask if the data on the depth and current of the Jiahe River, Jianhe River, and the main channel have been verified."

The official surnamed Su hurriedly replied, "It's still being tested, please wait a moment!"

As he spoke, he called over two of his men, pointed to a wooden box beside him, and said, "You two compare them and see how much has changed!"

The two men removed the wax seal, quickly compared the figures, and soon returned with the numbers to report back.

"The river was a bit deep a few days ago, but it has receded a bit today..."

"The Jianhe River has deepened by four-tenths of an inch..."

After reviewing the data on the document, Su Guanren nodded and said, "It was a bit deeper a few days ago, but it was still alright. Most of the time, the water level rose upstream—I think it has dropped quite a bit today."

He then asked, "How much mud and sand did you carry?"

He asked several questions in a row, and seeing that the problems were not serious, he was relieved and sent someone to take the data to Lü Zhongchang to reply.

The entire afternoon was spent busily working along the Liuta River.

Cai Xiu was not idle at all. After squeezing out some time to send out hydrological data, she immediately went back to keep an eye on the river-watching platform in Dana.

Although the young masters told him to call them immediately if anything happened and promised to help, he didn't let a word out and entrusted everything to the laborers and craftsmen on the river.

Because of the lack of materials in the river at that time, even though Cai Xiu had managed to maintain good relationships with people in Liutahe and was using the pretext of helping his superiors, there were still some things that he couldn't get—things that didn't exist to begin with and couldn't possibly be created.

When the craftsman saw him arrive, he hurriedly came to report, saying, "Scholar, this platform has no supports, and there isn't enough wood underneath, so we had to use a few pieces nailed together to prop it up. I'm afraid it's not stable..."

Cai Xiu frowned and said, "How do you do things? It's just setting up a stage, and you've gotten all the materials you could need, and it's only for two days, not two months. Is this really not acceptable?"

The craftsman hurriedly explained, "It's not that it's impossible, but I want the scholar to know that if such a high platform can't be supported by piles, it will collapse easily if there's strong wind or rain, or if too many people or heavy objects are standing on it."

Cai Xiu said impatiently, "In this kind of weather, where is the wind, where is the rain?"

He added, "At that time, only a few officials will be on the platform, along with their entourage and the officials on the river, making a maximum of thirty or forty people, plus a dozen or so chairs, a few tables and such—that would be enough to cause the collapse?"

The craftsman immediately fell silent, stammered for a moment, and said, "It's hard to say, but it's best to be careful—it would be best to drive in a few stakes..."

During her time in Liutahe, Cai Xiu had interacted with many craftsmen, laborers, servants, and students, and knew that the craftsmen were the ones who loved to exaggerate the dangers the most.

The group, confident in their abilities, always liked to manipulate their superiors, saying one thing was wrong today and another was wrong tomorrow.

In the end, if you grit your teeth and proceed with the unworkable method, nine times out of ten things will turn out fine, and you won't see anything wrong with it.

Hearing this reply from the other side, Cai Xiu didn't take it to heart at all. She assumed that this was just the craftsman trying to elevate his status and shirk responsibility, so she ignored him and said, "All the usable materials are here. There's nothing more. If you can't drive that kind of pile, you can figure out how to make up for it."

As he spoke, he looked up and saw that many people were gathered around the railing. He also saw that although the steps were a bit rough, they were still completed, so he decided to climb the steps first.

The platform was originally made of wood, and since the terrain here is low, the platform naturally had to be higher in order to have a commanding view.

After half a day of work, the craftsmen and laborers had built a platform nearly two zhang high.

Although it was built hastily and is rather simple, it is quite stable to walk on, whether going up the steps or standing on the platform.

Cai Xiu jumped up and down a few more times.

This time, he felt that the bottom was hollow and made a thumping sound.

He summoned two laborers and instructed them, "Go to the storeroom and fetch some red cloth, the thicker the better. If there's no red cloth, ask for some thick blankets, and then put red cloth on top of them. Go quickly!"

They then hired some more people to move the chairs.

Before long, the chairs, blankets, and red cloth were brought over.

Once the layers were laid out, it did indeed look quite presentable.

Having done most of the pretense, Cai Xiu checked again. Seeing that it was getting late, and that only the horizontal planks were in place on the steps, without the vertical planks, he thought of the elderly Councilor Li and said, "These vertical planks cannot be left empty. Otherwise, if the superior accidentally steps into a hole and gets startled or injured, you will be held responsible for the death of ten thousand men!"

The craftsman, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "Scholar, we're out of bamboo and wood here!"

Cai Xiu pointed to a pile of wooden planks nearby and said, "Isn't that it?"

"You just said there were no extra materials. I was thinking of using them to support the pile driving and the platform..."

At this time, blankets and red cloths were laid out, and chairs, tables and other furnishings were set up. There were also about ten or twenty people on the stage, some tidying up things and others fixing the railings.

With so many people on it, the platform remained very stable, without any swaying.

“That’s enough now, no need to drive any more piles!” Cai Xiu waved his hand. “Tell them to pay attention and seal off the steps in a bit. It’s easy for anyone to see—Lord Lü might come to check on the platform later!” Cai Xiu was right.

Just after Shenshi (3-5 PM), Lü Zhongchang arrived with a group of people.

He went up to the platform and looked into the distance. He first praised Cai Xiu a couple of times, and then pointed out two places that needed to be changed.

Firstly, the platform should ideally be another ten feet higher, or even higher—so that Li Zhai and the others can more easily see the situation of the Tonghe River when they look out tomorrow.

Secondly, for safety reasons, the vertical boards on the steps and the railings on the platform should be installed as soon as possible without delay. In addition, it would be best to cover the middle of the steps with a blanket and a red cloth to make it more comfortable to walk on.

Cai Xiu nodded repeatedly, not mentioning at all the issues the craftsman had raised about piling and instability. She simply repeated the points mentioned by Lü Zhongchang, and then summoned several leading craftsmen to urge them to speed up the process and make immediate adjustments.

After the inspection, Lü Zhongchang did not leave. Instead, he sat down on the high platform and instructed his subordinates, "Ask everyone if they are ready. Prepare to release water and open the river!"

Upon hearing this, everyone on the stage tensed up. Some, having received their orders, took the tokens given to them by Lü Zhongchang and hurriedly left the stage to run towards the river.

While waiting for the response from the river, Lü Zhongchang chose the middle chair and instructed his confidant: "When the councilor and his party arrive tomorrow, count the number of people, write down their names, rearrange the chairs here, and also select two good chairs for the councilor and the envoy—these two cannot sit in the same style as the others."

The trusted aide hurriedly said, "Everything is tense on the river; I'm afraid there's not enough time to prepare many things..."

Lu Zhongchang's tone was somewhat dissatisfied. He said, "The person won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon. Even if they do, they might not be able to take the stage immediately. There's clearly more than a day left. If there aren't any on the river, can't we find a few suitable chairs in Chanzhou City?"

The confidant dared not refuse any longer and quickly agreed.

Just then, a sharp whistle came from afar.

Everyone on the stage immediately held their breath. Even the craftsmen who were building the railings stopped what they were doing and turned to look.

Lü Zhongchang, in particular, put down a document in his hand, stood up, and looked towards the river in the distance.

The whistle blew for a while, but there was still no movement from that direction.

Just as everyone was starting to tire of staring at them for a while, someone suddenly shouted, "They're here!! They're here! They're here!"

Sure enough, although no sound was heard, a surge of turbulent water suddenly appeared at the junction of the old and new river channels in the distance. The water was yellowish, but the churning waves were white.

From this vantage point, one can see that the river almost instantly filled the new channel, rising higher and higher, carrying countless white waves as it flowed northeastward along the excavated Liuta River channel.

No one on the stage spoke; they simply watched the river flow.

After about half a cup of tea's time, seeing that the river showed no signs of overflowing, one of Lü Zhongchang's long-serving subordinates finally shouted, "Congratulations, sir! Congratulations, sir!! The Liuta River is now open to traffic!!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people on stage seemed to have found a leader, and everyone echoed them, shouting "Congratulations!" and "Congratulations!"

Lu Zhongchang's face turned bright red, and he looked as if he were drunk. He was so focused on looking at the river that he didn't pay any attention to his men's congratulations.

He took a deep breath, stared at the Liuta River for a while, and without bothering to give any instructions, quickly stepped off the stage and hurriedly walked towards the riverbank.

Cai Xiuzhu followed the others quickly.

In no time at all, the group arrived at the riverbank.

Looking at it up close, the experience is completely different from looking out from the stage.

At this moment, not only could one hear the rushing sound of the water, but one could also see the muddy, yellowish color of the water. At the intersection of the main road and the Liuta River, much of the mud and sand on the banks had been washed away by the water flow. Even though one was still about ten steps away from the river, one could already feel the water vapor rushing towards them.

Lu Zhongchang stood on the bank, frowning, and turned to shout loudly, "Where did everyone go?! And don't you know how deep the water is?!"

Soon, someone brought over long poles, measuring tapes, and other items to measure the water depth, water flow, and so on.

After the test was completed, Lü Zhongchang saw the data and the surging river in front of him. His tense face finally relaxed a bit, and he burst into laughter.

After nearly a year of hard work, the river was finally opened. Seeing Lü Zhongchang's reaction, the others breathed a sigh of relief and came forward to congratulate him.

Seeing that there were many people gathered around and she couldn't get involved, Cai Xiu seized the opportunity to say a few nice words before retreating.

He hurried back to the stands.

Now that the river is open and the Liuta River project is complete, it will be my time to shine when Councilor Li and the others arrive tomorrow.

He built the platform himself, taught the students himself, and conducted the hydrological data under his leadership. Although it was only a part, with his eloquence, he could exaggerate even a small part into a large one, let alone the fact that there was more than just a small part here.

As he walked, he mentally prepared his speech.

Although I don't know how the angels will act, as the leader of the Imperial Academy, I will definitely be able to participate in receiving Councilor Li.

When the time comes, all you need to do is find a way to subtly incorporate your own contributions into your speech, and that will be enough.

By the time we got back to the stands, it was already half dark.

Tomorrow will be the toughest day; we need plenty of energy to perform well.

Cai Xiu didn't waste any time here. He only instructed the craftsmen to make sure the grandstand was modified within the time limit, and then went back to his room.

After tidying himself up, he fell into a deep sleep, while in the next few rooms, a group of wealthy young men couldn't sleep at all.

Everyone was quite excited after hearing the news that the river had been successfully dredged ahead of schedule.

"Why weren't we called over for such an important matter?"

"Cai Xiu did it on purpose, didn't he? I just heard someone say that he spent the whole afternoon having craftsmen build a grandstand in preparation for Li Canzheng and the others to use when they come tomorrow. He didn't reveal anything, and just sent us to measure some bullshit hydrology."

"It's dark now, and we can't see clearly. Why don't we get up tomorrow morning and go take a look ourselves? After all, it's something we're involved in!"

"No, it seems they're going to close the sluice gates this morning and reopen the river this afternoon."

When will it close?

Upon hearing the time, one of them said, "Let's get up half an hour earlier and go check on the gate then."

After being cooped up in Chanzhou for several months, although they hadn't missed out on any of the eating, drinking, and entertainment, it wasn't the capital city after all. It was just a small place with a limited number of things, and everyone had long since grown bored. Now that they had something new to try, they all wanted to join in the fun.

So the next morning, before dawn, everyone took lanterns and went out to check the water level of the Liuta River. After they finished looking, one of them turned around and pointed to a high platform that was vaguely visible behind them and said, "Isn't that the platform built by Cai Xiu? Shall we go up and take a look? We can see how they close the sluice gates!"

Once everyone was on stage, they sat down in their chairs and waited for the gate to close. As they sat there, they grew tired and eventually fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, one of them was sleeping soundly when he heard a "thump" from beneath him and was jolted.

He woke up groggily, and as soon as he opened his eyes and looked up, he saw that the sky and the ground were completely different colors—the sky was white and the ground was yellow, with the surging yellow water stretching endlessly, and the platform beneath him was not only shaking, but was also slowly moving.

The man's expression changed drastically. He rubbed his eyes and pinched his thigh hard, realizing he wasn't dreaming. He then frantically shoved his companion beside him, shouting, "Hey! Hey!!! Wake up!! Something's happened!! Quick, get up!!"

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　　(End of this chapter)