The Legend of the Loved One

Chapter 25

For the next whole month, Song Chen was really as busy as Yuan Ye said, and he almost didn't have dinner in the backyard, and he couldn't come back until half past Hai hour every night. Chu Xue was very distressed, but she also knew that she There was nothing he could do to help him, so he could only keep some soothing hot soup in the kitchen for him to drink when he came back.

Before going to bed that night, he suddenly thought of something, hugged her and said, "I'm going to Weizhou, it will take about two months, because I can't bring my family with me because of business, you can stay in the mansion and wait for me, okay?"

She paused, "More than two months?"

Now, by chance, she couldn't see him for a whole day, and she missed him very much. Now she has to go for more than two months...

He caressed her greasy face, and sighed softly: "Yeah, counting the time on the road, it will take that long, maybe... it will be longer, you stay in the mansion well, huh?"

She nodded slightly, "Well, the concubine knows, the prince can go at ease, but also pay attention to the body, don't be too tired, and pay attention to safety."

Her voice was soft, as if she still had some resentment, as if she was about to say goodbye tomorrow, which made people feel heart-warming but also a little distressed. He looked at her misty eyes, and suddenly smiled, "So reluctant to part with me? What should I say?" It's like I'm leaving tomorrow."

It was only then that she remembered that she didn't know when to leave, and it seemed a little early to tell him like this, so she hurriedly asked him, "When will the prince leave?"

"About half a month." He kissed her forehead and said softly, "Go to sleep."

Obediently, she found a comfortable position in his arms and closed her eyes.

The parting was imminent, and she wanted to cherish it, but it seemed that the more she wanted to cherish it, the faster the days passed, as if half a month had passed before she could see him again, and he was leaving.

Of course, Song Chen also hated her, but the Tongji Canal and Weiji section will be dredged soon, and this time he will inspect all the five prefectures and counties from Jeju to Weizhou, and personally watch the completion of the project. This trip will not only communicate with local officials , but also to visit the project site in person, it goes without saying that you must not take her with you all the way.

So the night before the farewell, he had a hard time, and when he finally came down, the beauty's soft voice was hoarse, but the next day he still worked hard to help him get up. He wanted to let her sleep for a while, but she Shaking her head, all the female relatives in the mansion will go out to see them off later, why not go, and also, she wants to stay with him for a while longer.

When the two of them finished their breakfast together and went to the front yard together, the rest of the people were already waiting, and the accompanying things were all prepared, following the salutes of the people, the carriage that King Heng was riding moved forward and left the mansion The door disappeared from Chu Xue's sight.

It seemed that half of the girl's heart was taken away in an instant. This was the first time she had parted with him since she got married, and it probably took some time to relieve the sadness in her heart.She really wanted to hide the disappointment in her eyes, but she couldn't do anything, so those concerns were noticed by others.

Back in her own courtyard, there still seemed to be a faint scent of Su Hexiang on his clothes in the room. She wanted to go back to bed and lie down for a while, to feel his remaining warmth, but the diligent maids had already remade the bedding. However, there is nothing more to be found.

In Zi Shao Yuan, which has been stable for many days, someone is whispering something.

"Sister, did you see just now that the lord is gone, and the one from Wantangyuan is really unhappy!" the servant girl Miaorui looked at Xia Wanyin, her voice was a little smug.

Suqian lost a look that was almost meaningless, "Isn't it, it seems like no one knows that she is favored!"

Xia Wanyin didn't say anything, Miao Rui thought for a while, but added, "The prince didn't even take it with her when he went out this time... Isn't it, the excitement has passed, maybe when the prince comes back, she will bring it back What kind of beauty is she, let her taste the taste of being robbed of favor!"

"Exactly!" Suqian quite agrees with this idea.

Xia Wanyin didn't think about that, she said lightly: "The future is uncertain, I only know that in the next two months, someone's life will not be so easy."

"How do you say, sister?" The two maids said in unison.

"I didn't hear that on the night of Shangyuan Festival, what did the prince do?" Xia Wanyin sneered, "Knowing that the prince is going to spend the night with the princess, she still clung to her and didn't come back until so late... I can't see it, what do you think will happen to the princess?"

The eyes of the two servant girls lit up immediately, and Suqian tentatively said: "So, the princess has long since lost sight of her?"

A strange smile appeared on Xia Wanyin's beautiful face, "Then who knows, let's wait and see."

Eight days after setting off from Yanzhou, Song Chen arrived at the first destination of the trip, Jeju.

The Weiji section of the Tongji Canal, which is about to be completed, starts from Jeju. Song Chen intends to start the inspection from here, and then go all the way north through the other three counties along the line, and finally arrive at Weizhou, witnessing the opening of the Weiji Canal in person. .

Before and after the vernal equinox, everything in the north has been revived. These days are a good time for spring planting. Song Chen always likes to travel in modest clothes. Firstly, it saves time and trouble, and secondly, without the company of local officials, he can go deeper into the people and see the lives of the people. .

Due to the smooth journey, he arrived in Jeju two days earlier than the original scheduled date, but he did not ask the accompanying guards to inform the Jeju government office, but took advantage of the two days' free time to walk around the market and fields. Get to know the local customs.

After a round of unannounced visits, he found that Jeju was much stronger than he had imagined before. Although it cannot be compared with the capital or Yanzhou, it can be considered rich. Whether it is a clean and orderly market town or a busy field, the people There was a hopeful look on his face, it seemed that the newly appointed magistrate was capable, and he was very interested in meeting him for a while.

So on the morning of the third day after arriving in Jeju, King Heng, dressed in ordinary clothes, stepped into the gate of the government office in Jeju.

When the servants outside the government office see someone visiting, of course they want to stop him to ask questions, but seeing that the visitor is extravagant and elegant, he naturally dare not underestimate him. Startled.

Is the legendary dignified prince acting so low-key?Didn't send someone in advance to order all the local officials to greet them, so, just walked to the gate of the government office?
God!This was probably the most memorable day in the life of these two little yamen servants. They actually met the legendary King Heng so easily!The two were stunned for a moment, then remembered the etiquette that should be met when meeting the prince, immediately knelt down and saluted with trembling, tremblingly said: "I have seen the prince!"

Naturally, Song Chen didn't need to speak in person at such a time, and Lu Xiangqian, who was behind him, said in a deep voice, "Is the magistrate at home?"

"Yes, yes, please wait a moment, my lord, let me pass the message." A servant of the yamen stopped and saluted, and immediately rushed to the front yard.

After a while, someone came quickly, and when he saw Song Chen standing outside the gate of the mansion, the usually steady and calm magistrate couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and hurriedly bowed down to salute solemnly, speaking very respectfully, "I don't know the lord, it's a shameful job Yuan Ying, I also ask the prince to come down!"

"It's okay, Mr. Chu is flat." Song Chen waited for him to stand up straight, then looked at the face that was quite similar to Chu Xue's mother, and said in a soft voice: "This king is also in modest clothes, and he didn't say hello in advance. You don't need to panic."

Seeing that the prince in front of him spoke softly and his expression was indeed kind, Chu Xue's elder brother, Chu Jianfang, who had only been transferred to be the prefect of Jeju for half a year, was relieved, and bowed his head respectfully again, "The prince has come all the way from afar, please take a rest. "

"Then I will bother you." Song Chen nodded slightly, and stepped into the courtyard.

Because of what he had seen and heard in the past two days, and probably because of Chu Xue's relationship, Song Chen had a good impression of Chu Jian, so his words were quite polite.

Seeing Song Chen in casual clothes, Chu Jian guessed that he probably didn't want to greet officials at all levels in Jeju directly, so Chu Jian didn't welcome him into the government office first, but invited him into his front yard.In fact, this is exactly what Song Chen wanted, because once he revealed his identity and met the magistrates first, the rest of the itinerary would inevitably be easy. You must know that there will be a group of people following you everywhere, which is really procrastinating and cumbersome. It is also inevitable that there will be some discounts.

But fortunately, Chu Jian is also a pragmatic person. He knows that since Heng Wang can quietly serve the whole way, it is obvious that he doesn't care about politeness. Ten officials came to pay homage, it would be better to just listen to the meaning of the visitors.

So after leading people to the upper room to settle down for refreshments, as the prefect of a state, Chu Jian straightforwardly reported to Song Chen the current political situation in Jeju and the project progress of the Weiji Canal Jeju section.

In fact, Song Chen knew about these things before he left, but it was inevitable for the local officials to report them. After hearing Chu Jian's report, he nodded slightly.

After reporting on his government affairs, it was time to listen to the opinions of those who came. Chu Jian tentatively said: "Because I know that the prince is coming, my colleagues in Jeju have been waiting these days. I wonder if the prince would like to see him?"

Song Chen put down the teacup in his hand, and said in an unhurried voice, "No hurry, if your lord is not busy today, you can take me to the river first."

Hearing is believing, seeing is believing, this King Heng is indeed a straightforward and pragmatic person, Chu Jian immediately bowed his head in response, "Yes, I will prepare immediately for my humble post, please rest first, and you can start your journey in about half an hour .”

Song Chen was very satisfied with this answer and nodded in agreement.

Two hours later, Song Chen and Chu Jian arrived at Weiji Canal in the southern suburb of Jeju City.

Since King Heng deliberately dressed casually, Chu Jian was also dressed in casual clothes. The two of them only brought a few guards with them. After getting off the carriage, they walked on foot on the newly built river.

Since the decree of dredging the Tongji Canal was received in September last year, Jeju has started construction first. There is already a natural river channel of Jishui, so it is only necessary to deepen the original river channel and change the direction slightly in the northern section. Finally, the embankment is reinforced, and the project can be completed. Because the project is not too difficult, Jeju is the first to be completed among the five counties along the Weiji Canal.

Looking at the Jishui meandering away in front of him and stepping on the solid river bank, Song Chen was very satisfied. For the request that he made suddenly in the prefect's front yard just now, Chu Jian was able to calmly respond to it without haste. He has his confidence.

Completing the renovation of Jishui within five months was actually in line with the original project estimate, but to the surprise of both Song Chen and the Ministry of Works, in addition to rebuilding Jishui, Jeju actually rebuilt three other water ponds, which is beyond the normal The amount of work was completed, and looking at the 27-year-old prefect, Song Chen felt that he had a rare courage, so he asked: "The imperial court originally only ordered Jeju to renovate the Jishui River, but you have also rebuilt it?" Shuibo, the reason for this, I wonder if Chu Qing can explain a thing or two for me?"

"Yes." Chu Jian bowed his head slightly, and slowly expressed his original intention, "Although there are five natural rivers in Jeju, including Jishui and Jinhe, which can be regarded as abundant water sources, but in fact, looking at the past, it is not without floods or droughts. Waiting for natural disasters, I believe that, as a state parent official, you should be prepared for danger in times of peace and plan for the long term."

"For one thing, the three water parks rebuilt can be used for irrigation during droughts, and can also store water during floods, which can prevent natural disasters to the greatest extent; second, these three water parks are all connected to the Weiji Canal. In the future, once the entire Tongji Canal Unimpeded, it can also store the flood in the southern Sizhou during the flood season, so as to relieve the pressure of the Weiji Canal's flood discharge. The above two points are exactly the original intention of Beizhi to take this opportunity to rebuild the water park, please learn from me."

Chu Jian's words made Song Chen admire again and again. As a prefect of a state, in addition to governing his own territory with a long-term vision, he can also look at the world. Starting from the overall situation, he really is a talent who cares about the country. He is worthy of his age. He can become the magistrate of a state easily, and his father, Chu Lin, is really good at teaching his son.

Thinking of Chu Lin, I couldn't help but think of the beauty far away in Yanzhou. It has been ten days since we parted, and I don't know his beauty, how are you doing?
(End of this chapter)