I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 24: The Emperor seeks immortality, and the Prince becomes an immortal?
The county magistrate seemed to have anticipated Wang Xi's reaction.

Therefore, he was not panicked at this moment, but was helpless to defend himself:

"You know me, my lord. I usually do things without seeking merit but only without making mistakes. Even if you don't say it, I definitely don't have the courage to do it."

"That's right, so what you just reported..."

Wang Xi thought about it and realized that it was true, so he frowned again.

"It's true."

The county magistrate nodded twice deeply and said, "When I compiled these reports, I was just as unbelievable as you are."

"Therefore, I did not immediately report these reports to the governor, but went to the flooded areas to verify them myself. Only after I was sure that the situation in the report was completely consistent with the actual situation did I dare to send the report to you."

At this point, Wang Xi's expression changed again. In his shock, there was a bit of surprise, and a bit of confusion:

"This is too strange..."

"That's a big river. It burst its banks and changed its course. It flowed through Qinghe County. Not only did it not cause any casualties among the people, it only flooded more than 200 acres of farmland?"

“Even the affected people received money and food compensation in advance and were driven away from the disaster area?”

"Could it be that the prince had a plan to destroy the dike and flood the fields?"

"He was able to calculate where the river water would flow after the dam broke, and he made arrangements in advance..."

"Could it be that the emperor of today has been seeking immortals and ghosts for several years, but has made the prince an immortal?"

The county magistrate did not dare to accept this, and added: "I also personally asked the villagers who received the money and grain compensation in advance, and inquired about the identities of those who gave the compensation."

"how?"

Wang Xi asked.

“They can’t explain it clearly.”

The county magistrate said, "But sir, there is another problem with this flood."

"Can you please stop breathing so hard at this moment? Just finish the sentence in one breath!"

Wang Xi said angrily.

"Yes Yes Yes."

The county magistrate nodded repeatedly, with a hint of joy on his face.

"Your Excellency may not know that the newly emerged river flows through many dry and water-scarce areas in the county. The useless land in those areas now has water and can be turned into fertile fields after being reclaimed."

"According to my preliminary estimate, Qinghe County will be able to produce at least 300 hectares of fertile farmland next year."

"For you, this is like a merit sent from heaven!"

Hearing this, Wang Xi instantly became alert:
"So, the prince's foolish act of destroying the dike and flooding the fields turned out to be a great blessing for us?"

"Who says it isn't?"

The county magistrate smiled and flattered him, "Perhaps it is because you are honest and upright and love the people like your own children that you have the fortune to turn misfortune into blessing?"

"In that case, go back and draft a memorial later, and we will jointly submit this matter to the court as soon as possible."

Wang Xi smiled with great satisfaction and nodded.

"I wonder what I should write in this memorial, according to your opinion?"

The county magistrate asked.

Wang Xi hesitated for a moment and said, "Just report the situation in Qinghe County truthfully."

"The focus is on polishing how you and I respond after a flood occurs, and our grand plan to adapt to local conditions and turn floods into water resources."

"However... the matter of early resettlement and expulsion of the people has not yet been finalized, and we don't know the identity of the other party. Please do not report it for the time being to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Besides, the matter has developed to this point, and it also involves the crown prince. We can never guess what Changan wants to hear."

“So the more you say, the more mistakes you make, and the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make.”

"You and I just have to do our part and get what we deserve."

……

In recent days, although the people of Puyang have been in a state of panic, the flood control work is still proceeding in an orderly manner.

The large amount of bamboo and wood that had been transported from the Qiyuan bamboo forest, as well as the earth and rocks that Chen Guo and Zhang Liang had led their men to move, were all put to use.

Also, after Liu Ju forcibly dug up the north dike, the river water was diverted.

The water level and water flow at the breach of the south dike have dropped a lot, making it much easier to block it.

So much so that in history, Emperor Wu of Han personally went to the scene to supervise, mobilized hundreds of thousands of laborers, and spent a large amount of national treasury funds to finally plug the breach of the Huzi River.

Liu Ju accomplished it by using only tens of thousands of people and part of Dongjun's assets.

From now on, the floods that have plagued the sixteen counties in Liang and Chu will come to an end.

And in today's Puyang.

The most depressed person is none other than Du Zhou.

"Dun-dun-dun! Dun-dun-dun!"

Ever since Liu Ju destroyed the dike and flooded the fields, Du Zhou has been holding a jar of wine.

He drinks from morning till night, and is in a daze all day long, like a man who has lost his parents and doesn't care about the world.

"Du Tingwei Shi, have you been drinking since last night?"

Since they lived in the same mansion and Liu Ju was his "military supervisor", he still gave him some symbolic advice.

Although the alcohol content of wine in the Han Dynasty was not high, it was still possible to die from drinking it.

"It's the prince, hiccup!"

Du Zhou burped, completely losing the courtesy they showed when they first met, and sat there, rolling his tongue and saying,
"Thanks to the prince, in a few days the wine I drink will probably flow down my throat and onto the ground. I have to seize the opportunity to drink more of it, lest my stomach complain to me."

"Not really."

Liu Ju said with a smile.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by that? Is there any hope for this humble official?"

Du Zhou immediately put down the hand that had been holding the wine jar, and a hint of clarity emerged in his confused eyes.

"Du Tingwei Shi misunderstood. What I meant was that my father might not necessarily behead you... maybe he would cut you in half."

Liu Ju stretched out his hand and pointed it at Du Zhou's waist, making a knife-like gesture.

"If you cut it in half, the wine will still have a chance to flow through the stomach and intestines. Don't you think that makes sense?"

"???"

Du Zhou was stunned for a moment, his face immediately darkened, and he turned his back and continued to drink.

"It's just a joke, to liven up the atmosphere."

Liu Ju didn't care. He took a wine bowl, poured himself half a bowl and sipped it slowly.

"In fact, Du Tingwei Shi doesn't have to be so pessimistic. There may be a way to remedy this situation. Besides, I have already left a way for Du Tingwei Shi to survive."

"Is this true?"

Du Zhou turned around again in an instant and said, "Your Highness, I just spoke a little loudly. It was indeed impolite. I will drink three cups of wine as an apology to Your Highness!"

"Easy to say."

Liu Ju smiled and said,
"Do you really think I need a hundred or so Qimen warriors to cut bamboo?"

"Those Qimen warriors who suffered will only think that I ignored the Emperor's Staff and restrained you. They can prove that you were unable to control the situation at that time, and your guilt will naturally be reduced a lot."

"This is the first way left for you to survive."

"That day the dikes were destroyed and the fields were flooded, and I ordered people to drag you to the posthouse. You have sufficient alibi, so you can naturally be exempted from many of the charges."

"This is the second way I left for you."

"But you should understand that this is probably not enough, so you should also actively exercise your subjective initiative."

(End of this chapter)