White-robed Minister

0054 [Everyone Gets a Share]

The scholars who stayed at the temple did not return to Guangzhou immediately; they wanted to see the Xiduo River in person.

Because this thing is quite novel; I've never heard of it before!

Xu Lai also took the opportunity to inquire with the monks and visit farmers near the Shahe River, summarizing and analyzing the information to obtain more details.

He even recalled that when he was an undergraduate, he went to the source of the Shahe River with his classmates.

However, after a thousand years, the area has changed dramatically. The new China directly built a reservoir at the source of the Shahe River—the Pachili Reservoir.

Moreover, the Shahe River seems to have changed course; later generations no longer traveled along Changyao Ridge, but instead turned south two or three miles ahead.

Xu Lai led the group up Changyao Ridge, analyzed the terrain for the scholars, and explained what the "Xiduohe" (袭夺河) meant.

Then they went to the banks of the Shahe River for further investigation. Xu Lai pointed to the river and said, "This river flows from Jinpan Ridge. Its terrain is higher than that of the source of Ganxi River, and it is closer to the source of Ganxi River. Therefore, compared with Ganxi River, the Shahe River has a much stronger erosion capacity. For thousands of years, it has continuously eroded Changyao Ridge, finally carving a gap in it."

One of the inner disciples asked, "Since the Sha River flows faster, shouldn't it flow into the Ganxi River? How come it's stealing water from the Ganxi River?"

Xu Lai explained, "We've seen Xiduo Bay before. It's been eroded into a U-shape, and the Shahe River's flow slows down abruptly at the bend, making it impossible for it to flow north into Ganxi. Instead, because the Shahe River is at a lower elevation, the water from Ganxi is constantly diverted into it. I estimate that at least 60-70% of the water volume in the upper reaches of Ganxi has been taken away by the Shahe River!"

Xu Lai took out paper and pen and lay down on the ground to draw three sketches.

"The first picture shows what the river looked like before it was attacked. The two rivers flowed side by side across Changyao Ridge, without encroaching on each other. This should be from the Tang Dynasty or earlier."

"The second picture shows what it looks like from the late Tang Dynasty to the present. The Shahe River has carved through Changyao Ridge, turning it into a watershed and constantly taking away the water from Ganxi."

"The third picture shows what it will look like one or two hundred years from now. More than 90% of the water in the upper reaches of Ganxi may have been taken away by the Shahe River. At that time, the lower reaches of Ganxi may dry up, and Juhu Lake will also dry up completely."

The meaning is clear from the pictures.

Everyone, including Ding Zhengchen and Liang Wensu's pageboys, understood the cause and effect.

Recalling the terrain and landforms he had witnessed over the past two days, Yang Shu couldn't help but exclaim, "Sanlang is self-taught; he can see the big picture from small details and explain the changes in the river course over thousands of years in great detail."

"Not only that, he can also predict the course of rivers hundreds of years from now." Luo Dunxin was completely convinced.

Cai Chengyou stared at the three diagrams again and again. Although he had memorized them thoroughly, he was afraid of forgetting them in the future. He mustered his courage and asked, "Scholar Xu, may I copy these three diagrams down?"

Xu Lai smiled and nodded: "Okay."

Cai Chengyou quickly took out paper and pen to copy it down. After the ink dried, he carefully put it away, bowing respectfully and saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Scholar Xu. Please accept my bow!"

This water conservancy engineer, who is in his fifties, has come to regard Xu Lai as a mentor.

Ancient craftsmen often kept their best skills to themselves and were unwilling to pass them on.

In Cai Chengyou's view, the formation and changes of the Xidu River are very likely a kind of feng shui secret. Xu Sanlang actually made it public, personally teaching everyone to understand its meaning, and even allowing him to copy it down.

Xu Sanlang had taught him martial arts!

After completing the field investigation, the group returned to the state capital.

On the way, Xu Lai sensed that something was amiss. He quickly chose a farmhouse and borrowed its table and chairs to write "A Letter to Minister Yu on River Management".

In this memorial, Xu Lai provided a detailed analysis of the formation of the breached river and its various impacts on Ganxi and Juhu. He also wrote that once the breach was sealed, the people inside and outside Guangzhou would have no worries about drinking water.

"Gentlemen, please sign here." Xu Lai smiled and stood up to give way to her.

All the scholars were overjoyed.

The discovery and management of the river was based on Xu Lai's observation of anomalies in the measurement data, followed by on-site visits for confirmation, and then discussions with Cai Chengyou to arrive at a solution.

All the credit goes to Xu Lai; at most, the people who went with him yesterday should also be included.

The remaining scholars who stayed in the temple to play were worried that after working hard for six or seven days, they would be completely abandoned by Xu Lai.

Now Xu Lai is actually asking everyone to sign their names, so no one has been abandoned and everyone can get a share of the credit.

The scholars stepped forward one after another and signed their names.

Xu Lai then said to Cai Chengyou, "Cai, please also sign your name."

Cai Chengyou exclaimed with delight, "I am but a craftsman, yet I am allowed to sign my name alongside those of the scholars?"

"Cai Du must have put in a lot of effort, how could we leave out his signature?" Xu Lai smiled.

The nearly sixty-year-old craftsman was deeply moved and picked up his brush. He even felt a little like crying, feeling that he was finally being treated as an equal by scholars.

In fact, he had already received a large sum of money from the Ding family and was only temporarily hired to help.

Xu Lai could completely ignore him!

Because the on-site investigation of the river capture took too long, it was already dark when everyone returned to the city, and the city gates were closed, so they couldn't get in at all.

Ding Zhengchen and Liang Wensu both lived in the west of the city and were vying to invite their classmates to stay overnight at their homes.

Just as the argument was raging, Xu Lai, considering their feelings, tried to smooth things over, saying, "There are quite a few of us, and it would be inconvenient if we stayed at any of their houses overnight. How about this, half of us go to each house, so we won't run out of rooms. We'll draw lots to decide!"

Xu Lai pulled up some wild grass by the moat, half of it was long and half was short.

He first took out two sticks, one short and one long, and let Ding Zhengchen and Liang Wensu draw lots first.

Then, based on the results of their drawing, it was said: "The one who draws the short grass goes to the Ding family, and the one who draws the long grass goes to the Liang family."

A minor conflict was resolved perfectly just like that.

These past few days, Yang Shu had been observing Xu Lai, hoping to learn how to treat people and handle affairs. From constantly encouraging him during the mountain climb, to getting everyone to sign the petition, and now to drawing lots to decide where to stay, Yang Shu felt he had learned something from all of this.

Saburo really knows how to do things!

Yang Shu was always too upright and honest. If he approved of someone, he would treat them with his whole heart, regardless of their background. But if he didn't approve of someone, he would often be cold and sarcastic, and the enmity would only grow deeper.

Take, for example, the scholar who was brutally beaten by him.

Initially, the two didn't have any major conflicts. Yang Shu disliked the other's behavior and once couldn't help but mock him in public. The other person was also quite petty and held a grudge after being humiliated, which led to their falling out.

Even during the mountain climb a few days ago, Yang Shu was quite annoyed by those weaklings. He had already reached his limit by refraining from mocking them; there was absolutely no way he would flatter or fawn over them and lead everyone to the end of the entire hike.

In Yang Shu's view, if they can't climb anymore, they can go back on their own, and they can also take the opportunity to filter out useless people.

But Xu Lai's actions showed him another way of doing things.

Xu Lai was chosen to live with the Liang family. They first visited Liang Wensu's elders and were warmly received by his family. Many servants busied themselves, helping them heat bath water and providing clean clothes.

The Ding family is similar.

While the scholars were taking a bath, Ding Rulin pulled his son aside and said, "This time you must have gained a lot, right? So many students from the prefecture have come to visit us."

"Sir, I have made many friends with my classmates," Ding Zhengchen said happily. "They are not the fair-weather friends I used to have, but true friends. Two classmates who used to laugh at me have apologized to me and invited me to their homes."

Ding Rulin stroked his beard and laughed, "That's good. Even if the bamboo pipe water-drawing plan isn't adopted by Master Yu, your trip won't have been in vain."

Ding Zhengchen never dreamed of passing the imperial examination, because of his non-Han bloodline. Even if he succeeded in becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), it would be almost impossible for him to be sent to the capital. No matter how hard he tried in his life, he would only ever be a Juren, and he would definitely have to help his family with their business in the future.

If he can be accepted by the Guangzhou literati circle, it will be of great help to the Ding family's business!

"Xu Sanlang himself has abandoned the plan to use bamboo pipes to draw water," Ding Zhengchen said.

Ding Rulin immediately lowered his opinion of Xu Lai: "Giving up halfway, no matter how talented such a person is, I'm afraid his future will be limited."

"It's not about giving up halfway..." Ding Zhengchen recounted his experiences over the past few days in detail.

Ding Rulin found it unbelievable: "How could a poor boy from the mountains have more insights into river management than an old waterworker like Cai Chengyou?"

Ding Zhengchen couldn't help but embellish the story, saying, "More than that! Cai Duliu admires Xu Sanlang so much that he wishes he could become his disciple on the spot."

Ding Rulin clicked his tongue in admiration: "This is truly a once-in-a-century talent. Moreover, his methods are superb, managing to subdue a group of state students, and even the usually shrewd old waterworker is impressed by him."

"Tomorrow we will go to the Military Commissioner's Office together to submit a petition," Ding Zhengchen said.

Ding Rulin smiled and said, "Regardless of whether Master Yu accepts your proposal or not, as long as you are personally received by Master Yu, our Ding family will be different in Guangzhou from now on."

"I will definitely work even harder," Ding Zhengchen said.

Ding Rulin said in a low voice, "I have already set my sights on an old scholar. This old scholar lives in the suburbs of Guangzhou. He passed the imperial examination once when he was young, but had to give up his studies due to his family's decline. He is now a village school teacher, and six of his students have passed the provincial examination over the years. He is quite respected in the countryside. He has a granddaughter who is only four years younger than you."

This kind of teacher is considered a well-known primary school teacher. Even wealthy families in the city might send their children to the suburbs for their early education.

Teaching young children requires a lot of skill and cannot be done simply by having extensive knowledge.

For example, if you ask an academician to teach elementary school students, both the teacher and the students are likely to have a major conflict.

The same was true in ancient times.

For example, when Su Shi was young, he did not attend the private school at home or nearby, but was sent to study with a well-known primary school teacher.

Ding Zhengchen did not object to the marriage: "It's entirely up to you, sir."

Even for the sons of wealthy merchants, and even students from the prefecture, marrying a renowned elementary school teacher is no easy feat. They still need to spend money to pave the way; a generous dowry goes without saying, and they also need to help the village school teacher's grandson find a respectable job in Guangzhou.

……

The next day.

The scholars who were staying at the homes of the Ding and Liang families agreed to meet at Qingfeng Bridge.

The group entered Chaotianmen with their heads held high and chests puffed out, then walked along the main road to the two state gates, heading confidently to the Military Commissioner's Office to submit their petition.

The officials they encountered along the way thought they were up to no good.

Otherwise, why would students from so many states gather together and come to the government office?

They must have felt that the government had done something wrong, so they agreed to go to the military commissioner to plead their case!

The closest place to the state gate was the Nanhai County Government Office, and the officials were quickly alerted. Even the magistrate of Nanhai County personally went out to investigate.

But they have no right to interfere.

Because the students from the prefecture were walking in the public areas of the government office district, as long as they did not enter the Nanhai County Government Office, it was none of the business of the county government officials.

"This is going to be a big deal. Could it be that the son of some high-ranking official has incited public anger with his arrogant and dissolute behavior?" the magistrate of Nanhai County pondered.

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