In just a few days, Huang Xu felt that his hair had turned noticeably whiter.
The recent emperors of the Great Zhou dynasty had not quite matched the vigor of their ancestors during the founding era. Usually, it was only the ministers who urged the emperor to be diligent in governance. However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, her own actions inadvertently highlighted the laziness of officials across various departments – though Wen Yanran didn’t do this intentionally. As someone accustomed to a high-intensity work pace in her past life as a corporate drone, this was already her deliberately slowed-down state. In contrast, the officials of the Great Zhou lived in a workplace where even the New Year holiday alone exceeded a month. Many ministers advocated for laissez-faire governance, and even mid-level officials often only made a brief appearance at their departments before heading home for the day.
Huang Xu had originally been part of the slacking faction. However, this task was personally assigned by the Emperor and overseen by the Censorate, so he dared not take it lightly. He diligently reviewed the thousands of examination papers alongside other officials in his department – as per the Emperor’s instructions, all papers were to be categorized into four grades: unqualified, low, medium, and high. He had also reviewed the two papers favored by the Emperor herself. The former was placed in the medium category, while the latter was classified as low.
When his own views diverged from those of his superior, Huang Xu chose to remain silent. Though he wanted to fully align his attitude and actions with the Emperor’s intentions, he could not overlook the difficulty of the canal construction proposal in the first examination paper.
The author of the paper planned to draw water from the Shang River. Although this river was not too far from the capital, the surrounding mountainous terrain made it impossible to divert its waters into the Jianping area. Building a canal from there would inevitably require massive effort. Huang Xu, after all, came from an aristocratic family and was unwilling to risk tarnishing his reputation due to work errors. He tried several times to persuade the Emperor, but was unable to sway her resolve. In the end, he had no choice but to summon the authors of the two examination papers for assessment.
The two candidates who submitted the examination papers were named Zhao Qushu and Xin Bian. The former, though not from a prominent aristocratic family, was still the son of a well-established clan in Qing Province. The latter came from a humble background and, at the age of ten, was fortunate enough to study under a renowned scholar in the region, learning to read and write. However, she had little interest in mainstream classical texts and instead preferred delving into what others regarded as miscellaneous studies, often being seen as an oddity. She was only in Jianping for a few days, having come to deliver a letter on behalf of her teacher.
As a young scholar who had never received high marks in formal examinations, Xin Bian held little hope for the outcome when she submitted her paper. Had the Ministry of Works come just a day or two later, she would already have set off on her journey back home.
The court messenger was only responsible for informing Zhao Qushu and Xin Bian of the examination time and location, without disclosing deeper details – others whose papers had been rated as top-tier had also received interview invitations along with these two.
When they went to the Ministry of Works for the assessment, they noticed a screen set up in the hall, behind which it seemed some distinguished figure was observing.
Since Huang Xu himself did not appear at the interview venue, the candidates could only assume that the person behind the screen was a high-ranking official from the ministry, such as the Minister or a Vice Minister. None of them ever imagined that the Emperor would personally attend that day.
Of course, their assumptions were not entirely mistaken. At that moment, Huang Xu, who under normal circumstances would have already returned home to amuse himself, was sitting obediently beside Wen Yanran, prepared to answer any questions his superior might pose at any moment.
Huang Xu noticed that the Emperor listened very attentively as the scholars answered the assessment questions, her expression often thoughtful, clearly not a true layperson in these matters.
The questions used in this assessment were prepared by the Ministry of Works at Wen Yanran’s request – and not just one set, but an entire question bank. The questions were not finalized in advance; instead, they were randomly selected on the day of the assessment to minimize the risk of leaks or cheating. From the moment the first candidate entered until now, the questions had already been changed twenty-nine times.
Although few submissions were rated as top-tier this time, the entire assessment lasted from the Mao hour (around 5–7 a.m.) to the middle of the Shen hour (around 3–5 p.m.). After excluding those who stammered or faltered under questioning, a total of eighty-four candidates passed the interview. Wen Yanran listened quietly from the sidelines. Though she couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the engineering questions, which were steeped in the style of the Great Zhou era, she could still sense that the candidates’ abilities were far from lacking.
Zhao Qushu, unaware that his proposal had already been unofficially approved by the Emperor, spoke confidently throughout. According to him, while his plan required significant expenditure, once successfully implemented, it would not only benefit Jianping but also provide water for agricultural irrigation in the surrounding areas, thereby improving local soil quality.
Wen Yanran smiled slightly and whispered to the person beside her, “What does Minister Huang think?”
Huang Xu stood up, bowed halfway, and replied in an equally hushed tone, “Many of those who came to the Ministry of Works for the assessment possess remarkable and extraordinary talents. I congratulate Your Majesty.”
His words were sincere – though he did not technically agree with the views expressed in the two examination papers, Huang Xu could tell that both individuals had a solid foundation and had genuinely devoted effort to studying water conservancy knowledge.
Wen Yanran’s eyes flickered slightly as she nodded and remarked, “I truly did not expect there to be so many skilled engineers in the world.”
Under normal circumstances, even if notices were posted in the name of the imperial court, it would be difficult to gather such a large number of talents in engineering at once. However, the southern prefectures had already learned that the court intended to conscript young people from prominent families for canal construction. Worried that those conscripted would be subjected to harsh treatment, they were determined to secure official positions within the project to improve the working conditions for the laborers. Additionally, some were actually dispatched by the northern region – the heartland of the Great Zhou, which had always held an advantage in talent reserves. Wen Hong, who had long managed affairs in the region and accumulated deep influence, believed in Zhang Bingshan’s reasoning. Upon learning that the court planned to construct canals, he specifically sent many capable craftsmen to ensure that the young emperor would not face obstacles in the project and could proceed with plans that would further drain resources and burden the people.
However, the examination papers submitted by those sent by the north were indeed rated as top-tier, but their specific proposals were not selected.
This outcome came as a great surprise to the northerners. Long before these talents set out, Zhang Bingshan had repeatedly instructed them to appear credible and unbiased, urging them in their responses to avoid unconventional approaches and instead propose ideas that seemed cost-effective but offered ample room for implementation.
When the news reached the northern region, Wen Hong and his trusted aides fell into a prolonged silence.
Zhang Bingshan pondered for a moment before a flash of realization appeared on his face, followed by a sigh. “This matter is truly my fault. I did not expect the young emperor to be so recklessly ambitious, which makes our previous plans appear overly cautious in comparison.”
Wen Hong remarked, “This could also be seen as a good thing. The Emperor is still young, and as a youth, it’s inevitable that she might be prone to grandiosity. As long as the canal is successfully constructed, and with people singing praises to the young emperor, I doubt she will hesitate to continue expending the people’s resources.”
Another advisor expressed concern, “But what if the canal construction in Jianping fails?”
Wen Hong: “…”
Zhang Bingshan: “…”
That person had indeed raised a critical question.
Although many of their professionals had been dispatched to contribute their expertise in Jianping, Wen Hong had retained a few scholars skilled in water conservancy. They had also evaluated the canal construction plan for Jianping – compared to other proposals, the plan to divert water from the Shang River appeared overly risky, with a high likelihood of failure.
The advisor remarked, “Young people often aim too high, and once they face setbacks, they tend to become hesitant to move forward. Since ascending the throne, the young emperor has enjoyed smooth sailing. If the canal construction fails, I fear that no amount of persuasion will easily convince her to undertake further water conservancy projects.”
Zhang Bingshan pondered for a moment and said, “In that case, why don’t we continue to lend her a hand?” Noticing the disapproving looks from his colleagues, he added, “Giving up is often easiest before anything begins. Take Marquis of Quanling, for example – with her status as a royal princess, even if she didn’t strive for the throne, would she lack a life of luxury in the future? It’s just that she had already taken so many steps that, even if she wanted to retreat, her ministers would not allow it, forcing her to press on regardless. The young emperor is the same. Only when she believes she can succeed will she not easily retreat. For now, let us help her climb higher, and then gradually remove the ladder.”
At this point, Zhang Bingshan turned toward Wen Hong, bowed solemnly, and spoke earnestly, “In truth, what canal construction requires is manpower and resources. Now that we have discreetly provided manpower, why not openly send resources to the capital? Your Excellency, as a senior member of the imperial clan, has long enjoyed widespread respect. By supporting the Emperor’s canal project and transporting materials such as stone to Jianping, the people will only praise Your Excellency’s loyalty all the more.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Hong nodded in agreement.
He possessed considerable talent in governance and administration, and after years of careful management, his resources were substantial. Sending some support to Jianping would not pose a significant issue for him.
One of the advisors remarked, “Your Excellency’s virtue and reputation are indeed lofty. However, the Cui family had already harbored some suspicions toward us before, and now that their member, Cui Xinjing, has gone to serve at court, there’s no guarantee she won’t speak ill of Your Excellency in the Emperor’s ear.”
As long as the Emperor herself grew suspicious, the more goodwill the northern region showed, the more likely it would be viewed with suspicion.
Zhang Bingshan laughed heartily and shook his head. “This is where you misunderstand. Cui Yi may have sensed a thing or two, but given his position as a former minister of Marquis of Quanling, could he clearly and openly share his personal suspicions with the young emperor? Since Marquis of Quanling’s death, this man has harbored a desire to die, yet he has no choice but to continue strategizing for his family. To strategize for his family, he must avoid arousing the Emperor’s suspicions. With Cui Yi’s cautious and steady nature, he would never accuse Your Excellency without solid evidence before his death.”
The advisor sighed in admiration. “When it comes to discerning people, no one compares to Chief Clerk Zhang.”
In truth, Zhang Bingshan’s assessment of Cui Yi wasn’t far off the mark. However, what he didn’t know was that when the plot regarding Wen Hong was mentioned in the comments section, it surprisingly carried a rare degree of authenticity…
On the Jianping side, the new canal was named the Liubo Canal. After deciding to divert water from the Shang River, the Ministry of Works held discussions on how to excavate the canal. In the end, Wen Yanran personally approved the plan to use well canals. During her travels in the past, she had heard a tour guide explain that well canals differed from ordinary canals by transporting water underground, combining the dual advantages of sourcing and conserving water. Moreover, since the water flowed underground, the mountainous terrain between the Shang River and Jianping wouldn’t pose a significant problem.
With the plan finalized, the southern regions began sending laborers to Jianping. Local influential families often had clans with populations numbering in the thousands. Even if conscripted at a rate of forty percent and excluding those responsible for farming, a larger clan could still provide around three hundred able-bodied men.
The officials overseeing the matter quickly realized that conscripting from local powerful families had many advantages compared to conscripting commoners. People from influential clans were physically stronger, had ample private resources, and suffered fewer losses during travel.
Additionally, many of the young men from these prominent families were accompanied by strong servants.
Wen Yanran was curious and ordered the City Bureau to investigate. They discovered that most of these strong servants had willingly accompanied their masters. Initially, officials tried to drive away these unrelated individuals, but finding it ineffective, they had no choice but to let them be. Fortunately, the extra people brought their own provisions and supplies, requiring no additional provisions.
After all, the Great Zhou dynasty upheld the values of loyalty and righteousness, which were not exclusive to the scholar-official class. Many strong servants had been raised in affluent households since childhood, spared from hunger and cold, and some were even educated. When their masters faced difficulties, they were willing to dedicate themselves, even to the point of sacrificing their lives.
In total, over thirty thousand people were conscripted from the southern regions, involving thousands of families, but the actual number who arrived exceeded sixty thousand.
