The Dragon King Invites You

Chapter 281 The Dragon King Invites

After the bridge was completed, many officials from the Ministry of Works immediately flew up and inspected the river bank. Qin Mu saw many people holding chisels and inserting chisels several meters long into the river bank, one every hundred meters.

There was a person standing next to each drill. Someone set up a big bell in the middle of the river. When a loud bell sounded, the drills also vibrated. The people next to the drills listened attentively to the trembling sound coming from the drills.

"What are they doing?" Qin Mu couldn't help but wonder.

Ling Yuxiu walked up to him and said, "You don't know this. At the beginning, the Tujiang River often flooded, and the national teacher ordered the Minister of Works to come and manage it. The Minister of Works spent an unknown amount of money. My father was very angry and asked him why he spent so much money and where the money went. The Minister of Works said that he buried a black copper wall on each side of the Tujiang River. The black copper wall was two inches thick and two feet high. It was laid along the river bank for thousands of miles. The black copper wall was covered with rune marks. When checking whether there are hidden cracks in the river bank or whether the embankment has been washed away by water, you can strike the copper bell. The sound of the bell stimulates the rune marks on the black copper wall, and the resonance sound transmitted by the black copper wall can be used to judge the hidden cracks and thickness of the river bank using sound waves."

Qin Mu looked at the busy Tiangong Hall Master and praised: "What a good idea."

Si Yunxiang stepped forward and said, "The emperor almost killed him because he spent too much money."

Ling Yuxiu glanced at her and said, "The Minister of Works spent too much money. Over the years, he built flying ships, pleasure boats, land boats, flywheel vehicles, smelters for mines, military workshops and factories in various places, renovations of various towers, sewers in the city, road paving, siege vehicles, large forts at the border, and machinery manufacturing. I was not born at that time. Later, I heard from my second brother that the Minister of Works spent money in those years, causing my father and the princes, crown princes, concubines, and empress dowagers in the palace to tighten their belts and look pale with hunger. The treasury was emptied all of a sudden, and the salaries of officials were owed for many months."

Si Yunxiang smiled and asked, "What happened next?"

Ling Yuxiu sighed, "Later, the smelting plant was promoted, and all kinds of boats were sold to merchants. The factory was supervised to produce continuously. Within two years, the treasury was full, and several more were built to save money. My father was glad that he didn't kill him. The person who spent the most money in the Ministry of Works, besides the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, was the doctor of the Ministry of Water Resources. He built water conservancy and transportation in various places, such as water pilots, flood discharge lakes, various dams and bridges, and canals. The money spent was more than just flowing water, but it also made the people rich."

Si Yunxiang blinked her eyes and said, "It seems that the Minister of Works and the doctor spent the money. What does the Minister of Works do? It seems that the Minister of Works and the doctors did everything, and the Minister of Works did nothing."

Ling Yuxiu also blinked: "The Minister of Industry is responsible for supervising their spending."

Si Yunxiang smiled and said, "The Minister of Works was probably sent by the Emperor to monitor them because he was worried about them. After all, the Vice Minister of Works and these doctors and assistant doctors are all members of the Tiansheng Sect. The Emperor knows that they are the hall masters and incense masters of the Tiansheng Sect, so he is worried about them."

Ling Yuxiu's eyes fell on her: "Junior Sister Yunxiang seems to be very concerned about the Tiansheng Sect."

Si Yunxiang smiled sweetly and said, "I am not talented, but I am the Saint of the Tiansheng Sect, so I naturally have to pay more attention to it. Sect Leader Qin is our Sect Leader and Saint Master, and he is also very concerned about this aspect. As a Saint, the questions I ask the princess are also the issues that the Sect Leader is concerned about."

The two girls stared at each other with eyes wide open.

Qin Mu ignored the two girls and looked into the distance. He saw officials from the Water Department and the Tuntian Department inspecting farmland irrigation, while officials from the Yu Department were checking fruit trees and vegetables, so he walked forward.

"Master, when the crops are in short supply, there will most likely be an insect plague."

The Yubusi's Yuanwailang was the incense master of the Nongtang. He dug in the soil, checked it, picked out some insect eggs, and said to Qin Mu: "Although the winter snow disaster is very cold, the eggs of these pests will not freeze to death. In another three or five days, when the weather is warm, the eggs will hatch and become insects. In winter, the grass and trees are cut down and burned by the disaster victims. The insects have nothing to eat, so they will eat the crops. We must prepare early and prevent the insect disaster in advance, and kill these insects when they are born."

Qin Mu asked: "Master, how can we prevent insect plagues?"

"Let sword masters stationed in the farmland, or let magic masters perform acupuncture, or let masters of refining poisonous insects come and release insects to eat the pests."

The Yubu Division's Deputy Director stood up and clapped his hands, his body and hands were covered in mud, and said, "Disciples from the Sword Hall, the Law Hall, and the Gu Hall can all come out to practice and gain some experience."

Qin Mu nodded, invited Fan Yunxiao to come over, and said: "Brother Fan, pass on my order and ask the Sword Hall, the Law Hall, and the Gu Hall to send more than ten disciples each here."

Fan Yunxiao called a bandit and ordered him to go and notify.

The Water Resources Department is rectifying water conservancy, clearing out the silt accumulated in the waterways, and replanning the waterways to facilitate irrigation of farmland.

On the other side, officials from the Military Farming Division were measuring the land. They took out a number of measuring rulers, and with their vital energy, they stretched out the rulers from their folded state, becoming longer and longer, with scales appearing on them. On the side, there were also scholars from the Imperial Academy recording numbers, and their vital energy turned into abacuses of different structures, which made a clacking sound.

The Assistant Minister of Works took everyone from the Ministry of Works and flew into the air. From the air they looked down at the road conditions in various parts of Jiazhou, noted the damaged areas, and then went to repair the roads.

"Shan Youxin is a capable person!"

Qin Mu was truly impressed that the officials of the Ministry of Industry of Yankang State handled things in an orderly manner, which was indeed beneficial to the country and the people.

At the City Lord's Mansion, the prefect of Jiazhou gave a report on the situation in Jiazhou. Ling Yushu listened to it all night and then called the chief clerk to check various records. He was so busy that he did not sleep all night.

On the second day, Ling Yushu and the prefect of Jiazhou were a little tired. They had just walked out of the city lord's mansion when the Minister of Works, the Vice Minister of Works, Qin Mu and others arrived outside the city lord's mansion. Vice Minister of Works Shan Youxin presented several files and said, "Your Highness, the problems with water conservancy, transportation, and fruits and vegetables in Jiazhou have been properly dealt with. Only the problems with the Military Farm Department need your attention."

Ling Yushu was surprised and asked in a lost voice: "So fast?"

Shan Youxin said: "After your Highness has read this, you can prepare to kill people."

Ling Yushu's face was solemn as he asked, "Is land annexation so serious?"

Shan Youxin nodded.

Ling Yushu called the prefect of Jiazhou and placed the file in his hand, his face darkening, "Don't go to sleep yet. I won't sleep either. You and I will read it together! Arrest people and kill people while reading it. Arrest those who should be arrested and kill those who should be killed! In extraordinary times, we should use severe punishments!"

The prefect of Jiazhou looked pale.

Qin Mu called Shen Wanyun and others and said, "Your work has come. You will go with the officers to arrest people later."

Shen Wanyun said hesitantly: "Master, didn't you say there is no danger? Those who can annex land in troubled times are all local tyrants, and the power of these local aristocratic families is also very strong!"

Qin Mu smiled and said, "You are masters of the Imperial Academy. You are the elites of the country. Are you afraid of local tyrants?"

Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong and others were eager to try.

Not long after, the prince and the prefect issued an order to arrest people. Wei Yong and others immediately followed the soldiers. They did not return until noon, covered in blood, obviously having experienced several fierce battles.

Ling Yushu spent two days dealing with the affairs of Jiazhou and continued his journey eastward, governing the Tujiang River along the way. One day he arrived in Hezhou. Hezhou is adjacent to the sea to the east, far away from the capital, with well-developed waterways and a large port. The merchant ships here not only connect to ports across the country, but also trade with other countries and even have exchanges with overseas countries.

Everyone was already familiar with the route, so when they arrived in Hezhou they started their own investigations without the need for any instructions from the Minister of Works. After finishing the affairs of Hezhou, Ling Yushu saw that everyone was really tired, and said: "You have worked hard, why don't you rest in Hezhou for a few days and then set off."

Everyone cheered.

Qin Mu was dragged by Ling Yuxiu to go shopping. He said, "Hezhou has a prosperous business, and there are many new and interesting things from foreign countries. Let's go to the market and have a look!"

"I'm going too!"

Si Yunxiang followed, Ling Yuxiu glanced at her and thought, "What a vixen!"

"Little slut..." Si Yunxiang thought to herself with a smile on her face.

The two girls looked away, and Qin Mu seemed unaware. There were indeed many strange things in the market in Hezhou, but what attracted him were not these strange goods, but foreigners.

He saw many foreigners in strange clothes, who looked different from the Yankang people. Some of them were one-eyed people. Unlike the others who had two symmetrical eyes, they had a single eye between their eyebrows, and it grew vertically.

There are also four-armed men and two-faced men.

He also saw several girls from the sea tribe. They were dressed up beautifully, but they had eight legs like octopuses and walked swiftly. If you looked closely, you could see that they had gills on their ears.

"They came from the sea."

Si Yunxiang leaned close to Qin Mu's ear and whispered, "They are merchants from the sea tribe. I heard that they have built cities and countries under the sea."

Qin Mu was surprised. The things sold by the sea people were also very strange. He stopped in front of a blue coral tree. The coral tree automatically emitted water vapor, like a water ball wrapping itself in it. In the water vapor, there was a three-inch tall girl riding a seahorse and swimming around, singing an incomprehensible ballad.

Then a few girls riding seahorses came down from the tree, and some men sang and danced around the coral tree in the water.

This coral tree actually has a small tribe.

Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu were also fascinated by the sight. At this moment, a tall girl in a dark green dress came forward, looked at the blue coral tree, and couldn't help but praise it: "What a strange species, Xiaohong, don't you think so?"

Qin Mu turned his head and saw a red jade earring hanging on the girl's mutton-fat earlobe. The earring suddenly stretched out and turned into a small red snake, which opened its mouth and hissed at Qin Mu.

"Long Jiaonan!"

Qin Mu was startled and was about to draw his sword, but Long Jiaonan smiled and said, "Master Qin, you'd better not move. My Xiaohong is at the Seven Star Realm and can eat all three of you in one swallow. Master, my father wants to see you."

Qin Mu's scalp tingled, and he asked in a deep voice: "The old Dragon King is here too?"

Long Jiaonan chuckled and said, "My father is called the Dragon King, how could he not have power in Hezhou? But thanks to the leader, my Yulong Sect was wiped out, forcing my father and I to hide in the East China Sea!"

Si Yunxiang blinked her eyes and said happily: "Congratulations to Sister Long for capturing the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader and the Sixth Princess of Yankang. There is nothing for me to do here, so I'm leaving first!"

Long Jiaonan sneered, and the little red snake suddenly swam to Si Yunxiang's neck, stretched out its tongue and licked Si Yunxiang's neck: "The eldest daughter of the Si family, the saint of the Heavenly Demon Sect, your value is no less than that of the Sixth Princess of Yankang. Do you think I haven't checked you?"