my grandfather was qin shi huang

Chapter 398 Dark River

The level of cooperation from the wealthy families in Lujiang County was beyond Zhao Ying's expectation.

However, Zhao Ying was also happy.

In this era, if you want to govern the world, it is impossible to bypass these rich local families, at least not until education and imperial examinations are truly popularized. What I can do is to find ways to reduce their local influence and prevent them from becoming uncontrollable behemoths.

However, one thing is that with the support of these wealthy local families in Lujiang, Zhao Ying's arrangements went very smoothly.

Therefore, after everything was on track, Zhao Ying completely handed over these affairs to the officials brought from Xianyang and the officials from Lujiang County. As for himself, he personally led Wu Rui and others to investigate the one-eyed stone man.

"Is this the original swamp?"

One hundred miles east of Lujiang County.

Zhao Ying reined in the reins and looked at the water in front of him. Although it has been several months, we can still see the scale of this swamp. In the lower parts of the lake, there are occasionally a few small pools and some black mud, and higher up, there are large areas of cracked lake bottom.

Speaking of this, Wu Rui couldn't help but feel a little weird on his face.

"Yes, this swamp is collected by rainwater in the mountains. It is several miles in circumference and never dries up all year round. However, before March, overnight, the accumulated water disappeared and turned into a swamp..."

Having said this, Wu Rui couldn't help but turn around and glance at Zhao Ying's face. Seeing that his expression was as usual and noncommittal, he continued.

"Because there was a one-eyed stone man appearing under the water at that time, I didn't dare to neglect it. I personally took people to check it, but I couldn't find any clues - this place was originally the lowest place nearby, and there were no ditches to divert water around. There is nowhere to drain the water. I really can’t understand how all the water could disappear overnight..."

Zhao Ying nodded noncommittally.

When he was in Xianyang, he had read detailed information. On the night he arrived in Lujiang County, he carefully checked the files sealed here in Lujiang County, but found no clues.

But after traveling through time, he never believed in this theory of ghosts and gods, so the lake must go somewhere.

He jumped off his horse and personally led everyone around the swamp for a careful inspection, but found no trace of human excavation. The area around the water is flat and solid. Going out, it's exactly as Wu Rui said. It's all high and open, and there's no way for water to escape.

After walking for more than ten miles, many officials were already slightly out of breath, but His Highness the Emperor Changsun didn't even say he was tired, so they didn't dare to complain.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ying immediately led everyone to find a spacious and flat place to rest. Wu Ruigang wanted to tell his entourage to prepare to sit down, but found that the emperor's eldest grandson had already found a place to sit in the dry grass. He secretly swallowed his words and followed Zhao Ying's example and sat down under Zhao Ying. There is no sign of disdain for the dust in the place.

Even the emperor's eldest grandson and the county governor didn't dislike it, so naturally everyone had nothing to say.

After everyone sat down, Zhao Ying looked around at everyone.

"What do you think about this matter..."

No one dared to speak out.

Because if we talk about the power of ghosts and gods, then the one-eyed stone man has really become a warning to ghosts and gods, breaking a taboo. But if we say it is not the power of ghosts and gods, how can we explain that such a large swamp cannot disappear out of thin air overnight.

Zhao Ying frowned slightly when he saw no one spoke.

At this moment, Secretary Jiao, who had been silently following his county guard, suddenly felt something in his heart. He stood up, bowed to Zhao Ying and his county guard, and said boldly.

"My official has something to say, I don't know whether to say it or not..."

When Zhao Ying saw this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and nodded to him with a warm expression.

"You just have to say it. If it makes sense, I will reward you generously..."

With Zhao Ying's encouragement, the young official felt more confident.

"Your Highness, a few days ago, a master came to our county. He can cut off people's misfortune and fortune..."

At this point, he was probably afraid that Zhao Ying wouldn't believe it, so he said it like a curse.

"The villain is definitely not just talking about it. Everyone in the county has heard about this matter. Moreover, the villain and the governor saw with their own eyes that when the expert was practicing, he was surrounded by fairy mist. He looked like an immortal. If he could Invite him to come over and do some divination, maybe we can uncover the strange things that happened in Shuizhu that disappeared overnight..."

After listening to the suggestion of his scribe, County Sheriff Wu Rui couldn't help but twitching slightly at the corner of his eye. Then, he secretly glanced at Zhao Ying and found that Zhao Ying's expression was as usual, and even showed a hint of surprise. The look on his face made him admire secretly in his heart.

However, as a county guard, he did not dare to lead the matter into such weird things. He coughed slightly and interrupted his little official's suggestion.

"It's nonsense. How can one not get to the bottom of a major imperial matter and instead seek help from ghosts and gods..."

When Zhao Ying saw this, he smiled and waved his hand.

"It doesn't matter, you can speak freely. Medical divination is a science approved by the imperial court. This Secretary Jiao can think of this because he is public-spirited..."

The little official's face turned red with excitement when he saw that His Highness the Emperor's Grandson still remembered his name. However, seeing the look in his own county guard's eyes, he still cupped his hands very wisely and retreated to his seat.

Zhao Ying was sitting on the grass, with a warm smile on his face, which made people feel like a spring breeze, and there was no trace of depression at all.

"You don't need to be so serious. Your Highness believes that even if ghosts and gods come, there will be no traces. This water is here. If the water is not led to other places, there are only two directions, either to heaven or It's impossible to disappear out of thin air after entering the ground. The other party must have left some traces that we didn't notice..."

Before Zhao Ying finished speaking, he saw Zhang Liang suddenly stood up thoughtfully, walked quickly to a high place next to the water, and looked down at the direction of the mountains repeatedly.

While watching, he also made various gestures of comparison.

When Zhao Ying saw this, he couldn't help but feel moved, stopped everyone from following, and walked over by himself.

"How about the ovary, but I saw some clues..."

Zhang Liang did not take his eyes back, still observing the surrounding terrain.

"It's hard to say now - Your Highness, I need a compass..."

When Zhao Ying heard this, without saying a word, he immediately sent someone back to find a simple compass. As soon as he got the compass, Zhang Liang couldn't help but let out a sigh, and a strange color appeared in his eyes.

"What, but it doesn't work?"

Hearing Zhao Ying's inquiry, Zhang Liang shook his head.

"No, it's just a bit unexpected. I didn't expect that this compass would fall into the hands of His Highness..."

Zhao Ying glanced at Zhang Liang and the compass in his hand with some surprise.

"Is this compass famous?"

Zhang Liang nodded.

"This compass was made by Senior Gui Guzi. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see it once with my mentor at Senior Gui Guzi's place..."

When Zhao Ying heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

I didn’t expect that Xiaoyaosheng was not just bragging, but might actually be a disciple of Guiguzi scattered around. So, A’nu too? When he thought that A'nu, that cute-looking girl, was most likely Guiguzi's apprentice, or even his daughter, he felt an inexplicable sense of disobedience. However, there was no need to rush to verify this kind of thing. He would find out once he went back and asked. .

With the tool at his disposal, Zhang Liang repeatedly observed and corrected it several times before he handed it over to Zhao Ying.

"Your Highness, we have found it. If nothing else happens, there must be an underground river under this swamp..."

When Zhao Ying heard this, his eyes lit up.

If the underground river can be found, the prophecy of the one-eyed stone man will naturally be defeated. Originally, he was thinking that if he couldn't find the reason, he would move Old Man Huangshi and Xu Negi out and give him a magic vs. magic spell. Anyway, at this time, even if you tell the world that there are really no ghosts and gods in this world, they will I won't believe it either.

But it would be great if we could find the reason and expose the strange things about the one-eyed stone man without resorting to such means.

After finding the location, Zhao Ying immediately called the county governor Wu Rui and asked him to mobilize manpower to dig down according to Zhang Liang's instructions. Across the ground and into the underground river, this kind of thing is simply unheard of. However, His Royal Highness the Emperor Changsun personally directed this matter. Others did not dare to say anything. They all held their breath and watched curiously, wanting to Let's see if there is really an underground river under this swamp.

As a result, it didn't take long to wait for the answer.

Dozens of people dug for less than an hour before digging out an underground river. Although it was separated by thick rocks, the sparkling waves below could still be seen through the gaps in the rocks.

Underground river!

When everyone looked at Zhang Liang again, there was something inexplicable in their eyes.

"Your Highness, it is obvious that among those rebels, there must be experts who are proficient in Feng Shui. They sent people to drop the one-eyed stone man here in advance, and secretly dug through the connection between the underground river and the water here. That’s why the strange thing happened that the water in the swamp disappeared without a trace overnight..."

"But, if this is really the case, why can't we find any trace of flood discharge..."

Secretary Jiao, who had received encouragement from His Royal Highness the Emperor Changsun not long ago, could not help but speak out again. He was really curious. In such a large swamp, even if it was flooded overnight, there would have to be some traces.

The scribe's words made Sheriff Wu Rui couldn't help but glance at him, but this time, he didn't stop him.

It was he and his people who reported this matter after repeated inspections and couldn't find the reason. Although he wanted to find a suitable reason to expose this matter, he also didn't want to let himself be in the imperial court. His Highness Changsun felt incompetent.

Although Zhang Liang didn't speak when he saw the others, there was some confusion in their eyes, knowing that without a reasonable reason, it would not be convincing at all.

"Actually, it's very simple. You only need to find a few places with underground rock shelters like this to cover the traces..."

Having said this, Zhang Liang looked around at the water in front of him.

"Besides, if you want to cover it up, there are other ways. You only need to have three or five small boats, carrying bags filled with sediment, and throwing them into the gap when the water is about to drain out. It will be enough to block it. At that time, the water at the bottom of the swamp is The sediment, as the remaining water flows, will automatically fill the gaps..."

Having said this, Zhang Liang looked around at the crowd.

"If I'm not mistaken, there should have been a few simple boats at the bottom of the water at that time..."

When Wu Rui heard this, she couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

"Sir, you are really good at predicting things. Yes, there were indeed a few dilapidated fishing boats at the bottom of the water at that time!"

Having said this, Wu Rui slapped her thigh with some regret.

"At that time, we just thought it was a fishing boat used by nearby villagers, and we didn't think much about it. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a tool used by thieves to show off their magic!"

After a few months, those dilapidated boats have naturally disappeared, and it is unknown whether they were picked up by a nearby villager. However, this was no longer important. Wu Rui immediately ordered people to start digging according to the location of the ships in his memory. Sure enough, within a moment, bags containing sand were dug out!

This time, there is no doubt!

The one-eyed stone man is a thief, not a warning from ghosts and gods!

As soon as the news was confirmed, Zhao Ying immediately asked Wu Rui to inform the entire county, and even temporarily put aside other matters of the charity hall and asked those Da Qin storytellers to cooperate with the county's publicity work.

At the same time, the control of the water swamp was released, allowing the people in the county to visit freely.

After returning to his residence, he immediately wrote a letter to his eldest father, introducing the whole story of the one-eyed stone man in detail.

In fact, he knew that from beginning to end, the person who had the greatest impact on this incident was his eldest father.

He truly believed in the existence of ghosts and gods. Although he did not acknowledge the prophecies that appeared in various places and repeatedly refuted them, he really took them to heart. Now that there is conclusive evidence here, I naturally have to write a letter to reassure my father.

Let him truly understand that these prophecies are really not warnings from ghosts and gods, but someone is secretly spreading rumors. He put down the brush in his hand, waited for the ink on it to dry, then carefully folded it, put it in an envelope, and sent it out.

Looking at the military lieutenant colonel who was walking away quickly, Zhao Ying couldn't help but his eyes flashed. After being out for so long, I don’t know how my eldest father is doing now.

……

Xianyang City.

Zhangtai Palace.

The First Emperor couldn't help but put down the brush in his hand again and looked up outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, don't be impatient. Mr. Xiahou is already on his way back and should be arriving soon..."

Looking at the absent-minded First Emperor, Hei couldn't help but smile, bowed forward, gave the First Emperor a cup of tea, and comforted him with a smile.

The First Emperor couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm afraid I'm getting really old, and I'm starting to imitate people and care about my children..."

Hei stood with his hands down and smiled.

"Your Majesty, care leads to chaos. Your Highness's wives and concubines are all proficient in Tai Chi and their physical fitness is different from ordinary people. Mr. Xiahou has checked several times and the fetus in his belly is in good condition. There will definitely be nothing wrong this time..."

While the two were talking, they saw Xia Wuqi, accompanied by several guards, walking towards him carrying a medicine bag.

"I have seen His Majesty—"

Looking at Xia Wuji, who had gray hair and gray hair and was already having some trouble walking, the First Emperor couldn't help but have a trace of undetectable emotion in his eyes, and then he smiled and waved his hand.

"Xiahou Aiqing, thank you for your hard work. There is no need to be polite. I don't know how my granddaughter-in-laws are doing. Please sit down and talk to me carefully..."

"Thank you for your grace—"

As I got older, I really couldn't stand it any more. Just climbing the steps into the palace already made me feel like I couldn't hold on anymore. A maid brought over a small chair. Xia Wuqi thanked her and sat down.

PS: The last 200 words are supplementary to the first part, and there is no charge:)

(End of this chapter)