Chapter 58 A New Drainage Plan

Qu Yifang was resting under the grapevine in the small courtyard, his propped-up broken leg pointing toward the courtyard gate like a giant cannon.

Seeing this sight, Zhang Laohan slanted his eyes and could not help complaining, "Look at how comfortable he is. Breaking a leg has actually turned into a blessing."

Having his sweet dream disturbed, Qu Yifang impatiently lifted his eyelids and sleepily looked toward the newcomers. Recognizing Shen Jifeng and Zhang Laohan, he hurriedly sat up, intending to offer a bow.

Shen Jifeng motioned for him to skip the formalities.

"Master Qu, we have discovered an abandoned mine pit from the previous dynasty." Shen Jifeng spread the vein map out on the stone table, pointing to the circle drawn by Slender Monkey. "This place contains associated mercury ore, and the mining risks are simply too high."

Qu Yifang originated as a hydraulic worker and knew very little about mineral veins, but the toxicity of mercury was common knowledge. Unwilling to show his ignorance in front of Zhang Laohan, he did not dwell on the issue of the associated mercury ore.

He only asked, "Has the Princess thought of a solution?"

Shen Jifeng nodded. "I intend to use this mine pit for drainage." She pointed to the rock layer between mine pit number six and the drainage tunnel on the blueprint. "This place is not far from pit number six. If we can channel the accumulated water into the abandoned mine pit..."

Zhang Laohan suddenly understood. "Brilliant! The mercury mine pit is already abandoned, so it can be used precisely to store water!"

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. Let's channel the accumulated water in first, and later, when we can spare the manpower, we will connect the drainage tunnel so that all the water can be drained out."

"Master Qu," Shen Jifeng looked up at Qu Yifang, "what do you think of this method?"

Qu Yifang stared at the blueprint in deep thought, his rough fingers rubbing back and forth along the line representing the rock layer.

"Did you notice the soil strata structure while down in the shaft? There is a sandy soil layer beneath pit number six. If the accumulated water flows through here, over time, it will easily breach the soil layer and cause a collapse."

"In other words, we can channel the water over, but the water cannot pass through it—is that what you mean?"

Shen Jifeng had left Zhang Laohan completely baffled. How could one channel water without letting the water pass through it? Did she expect to teleport the water across empty space?

Qu Yifang nodded. That was precisely what he meant.

Not daring to question Shen Jifeng, Zhang Laohan turned his firepower on Qu Yifang instead. "Old Qu, have you been resting for so long that your brain has rusted out?"

A pot of tea sat on the stone table. Zhang Laohan put away the mineral map. "Come, come, demonstrate for me how you can channel this tea over without passing it across the tabletop."

As he spoke, he poured a large portion of the water from the pot directly onto the table, lightly swiping his index finger to carve a tiny waterway that extended to the edge of the table, dripping drop by drop onto the ground.

Looking at that puddle of water, Qu Yifang replied in a muffled voice, "Things are just this way, and the situation is just this situation. This old man is merely speaking in accordance with the facts. Old Zhang, stop being so argumentative."

"How am I being argumentative?" Zhang Laohan turned his gaze toward Shen Jifeng, only to find her staring blankly at a fish vat on the left side of the courtyard.

Several koi fish were kept in a bronze vat large enough for a person to embrace, lazily flicking their tails as they basked in the sun. A few water lilies were in full bloom, their bowl-sized corollas floating on the water's surface, looking exceptionally tender and vibrant.

This thing was pretty enough, true, but was there anything worth staring at so fixedly? Zhang Laohan was puzzled, yet he did not dare to ask further. After exchanging a brief glance with Qu Yifang, both men remained silent, waiting eagerly for Shen Jifeng to snap out of her reverie.

In truth, Shen Jifeng was not looking at the koi fish or the water lilies at all; she was looking at the flowing water inside the bamboo tube above the fish vat.

The silver mine was nearly a hundred miles away from Xijing Prefecture, and the conditions at the mine were harsh with men gathered everywhere, making it inconvenient for Shen Jifeng to reside there. To save time on traveling back and forth, she had rented this small courtyard in the town closest to the silver mine.

Jinchai felt distressed that her princess had to suffer such grievances living here, and she had done her utmost to decorate this ordinary folk residence to be more exquisite and comfortable. This vat of koi fish was her proudest creation.

The water in the front yard's small pond was channeled underground to the back courtyard, flowing into the fish vat via a bamboo tube. There was a hole at the bottom of the fish vat, allowing the water to cycle back to the pond via underground channels.

Since the water could not travel directly through the mine tunnel, what if they used bamboo tubes as a medium?

As soon as these words were spoken, both Zhang Laohan and Qu Yifang fell silent. The former was filled with admiration at how lively the princess's mind was to be able to think of such an idea, while the latter was plagued with worries. Xijing did not produce bamboo, so the procurement of materials was the very first hurdle. Furthermore, how to join the sections and how to handle the sealing—virtually every single step was fraught with pitfalls.

Yet, when all was said and done, Qu Yifang had to admit that this method was feasible.

Digging up distant memories, Zhang Laohan recalled what it was like digging mines in Huzhou a dozen years ago.

Huzhou abounded in bamboo, specifically thick moso bamboo. Locally, bamboo was used to make furniture, chopsticks, and woven baskets, to build houses, and to serve as storage tools—its uses were countless. The mines in Huzhou made use of local conditions and frequently utilized bamboo tubes for drainage. As for the specific operations, Zhang Laohan could not quite recall the exact details, but Ge Dali, a fellow master builder, had spent over a dozen years in the south and should know a thing or two.

Joy welled up in Shen Jifeng's heart. Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang; she had more than twenty craftsmen, surpassing seven or eight Zhuge Liangs—how could she possibly fail in her grand undertaking?

Qu Yifang remained apprehensive. "Princess, even a clever housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. Xijing has no bamboo; no matter how well we talk about it, it will all be in vain."

"You don't need to worry about that." Shen Jifeng was full of confidence. To others, this might be a difficult problem, but to her, it was a mere trifle.

At the same time, Zhao Pu, who had just arrived in the capital without even entering his own family's gates, headed straight for the imperial palace.

In the Chongwen Hall, Emperor Yuanchang wore a stern face toward Zhao Pu for the very first time in history. The confessions of the miners and craftsmen from the iron mine in Chaoxian County lay on the desk.

Wisp after wisp of curling smoke rose from the bronze crane incense burner, shrouding the room as if slipping an invisible yoke over everyone's shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.

The palace maids and eunuchs did not even dare to draw a full breath, freezing in place and looking toward Lin Ping'an for help.

Lin Ping'an cast a worried glance at Zhao Pu and gently waved his hand, signaling the palace maids and eunuchs to withdraw first. The Emperor had not been this angry in a long time; the imperial grandson at worst would endure a scolding, but if this anger fell upon the maids and eunuchs, the light penalty would be a stripping of their skin, while the heavy one would cost them their lives.

A simple gesture of convenience could count as accumulating virtue.

"You finished interrogating everyone in three days, and I praised you to the high heavens in front of all the ministers—is this the account you give me!"

A confession file, carrying Emperor Yuanchang's fury, was flung right in front of Zhao Pu.

Calmly, Zhao Pu opened the confession. He heard Emperor Yuanchang demand angrily, "Kneel down and read it for me!"

Zhao Pu knelt as instructed. Within his line of sight, the manager of the Chaoxian iron mine, Chu Yong, confessed that for personal profit, he had colluded with Wu Shoucheng, a silver-smelting craftsman at the Xijing silver mine, to illegally sell iron materials to members of the Azure Dragon.

Wu Shoucheng? Zhao Pu's gaze circled these three characters three times. Was the real Wu Shoucheng truly engaged in illegal sales and purchases, or was someone deliberately framing him?

If it were the latter, what was the point of framing an ordinary silver mine craftsman for colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty? Even if the crime were established, at most it would cost him his head, without implicating other craftsmen or affecting the progress of the silver mine. Where was the significance?

A thousand thoughts churned through Zhao Pu's mind. Sensing that Emperor Yuanchang's scrutiny remained fixed upon him, he suddenly understood. Everything was because of himself. His Second Uncle was desperate and had made a foolish move; he ought to go along with the current and perhaps use this opportunity to shake up the Ministry of Punishments.

"Imperial Grandfather, my interrogation was entirely free of partiality. I request a face-to-face confrontation with the Ministry of Punishments in the court hall."