Chapter 340

In the Great Willow Camp, the soldiers held high the black banners, which stood tall and stretched out, obscuring the sky.

The square flags unfurled and fluttered, the intricate gold-stamped character for "Shun" twisting and turning in the wind, snapping loudly.

Liang Qu lowered his gaze.

The shadows of the flags flowed, the soldiers stood silently, and the high-ranking officials in scarlet robes bowed their heads respectfully.

Everything was quiet.

Wild geese flew high, clouds drifted slowly, the camp shifted from dark to bright, and the tent fabric reflected a dazzling white light.

He felt something in his heart.

He raised his hands above his head and bowed deeply.

"Your subject, I humbly accept your instruction!"

The carving knife stopped, and the bamboo shavings curled and drifted down.

The scribe carved the response onto a green jade bamboo tablet to certify that the oral instruction had been received.

"The Emperor's messenger said: 'Build bridges, dig canals, you must strive hard.'

Liang replied: 'Your subject, I humbly accept your instruction.'"

He blew away the bamboo dust, revealing the characters.

The scribe closed the carving knife, held the bamboo tablet respectfully, and presented it to the messenger and Liang Qu.

Both sides confirmed the record was correct.

The leader cracked his whip again, and everyone stood up one after another.

Wei Lin stepped forward to receive the imperial edict scroll, glanced sideways at Liang Qu without a word, and invited the messenger into the camp for a banquet along with Xu Xu Yuelong and the other scarlet-robed officials.

Everyone watched the messenger enter the camp tent, and the stagnant air began to flow again.

The crowd began to whisper, and low discussions arose in the camp.

Liang Qu could feel the gazes cast upon him and the astonishment in others' hearts.

No long-winded speeches, no redundant phrases.

Build bridges, dig canals, you must strive hard.

Ten simple characters, a word of encouragement, became extraordinarily significant because of the person who spoke them.

In the hearts of others, it was no less than a muffled thunderclap exploding over the river.

Ran Ran Zhongshi gave Liang Qu a thumbs up.

Xiang Fang Su stepped forward, wrapped his arm around Liang Qu's shoulder, and punched his chest several times.

"Good kid! Incredible, truly incredible. The Emperor gave you an oral instruction of encouragement personally; you have such great face, you must treat us to a meal!"

Liang Qu felt it was worth celebrating and agreed immediately.

"The ninth month brings full navels, the tenth month brings sharp ones. The time is just right. When I return to Pingyang County, I'll make preparations and treat you all to a meal of Jianghuai hairy crabs!"

"I won't eat any smaller than six liang!"

"I absolutely won't serve any smaller than eight liang on the table!"

"I like crab roe buns; you can't leave those out!"

"Eating crabs? That sounds good. I've heard the hairy crabs from the Jianghuai Great Marsh are the most delicious, but I've never had the chance to taste them in the capital."

Several voices joined the conversation.

Xiang Fang Su was overjoyed: "Ko Wenbin! And Lu Kaiyun! Ren Yipeng! You've returned too?"

Ke Ko Wenbin was exhausted: "We came back with the messenger's group. We were standing at the back of the line when the edict was read, so you didn't see us. We were rushing back and forth the whole way; I almost died of exhaustion."

Lu Lu Kaiyun and Ren Ren Yipeng stepped forward and put their arms around Liang Qu's shoulders.

"A-Shui, we brought the big bows we prepared for you. Do you want to go take a look first?"

Liang Qu shook his head: "The bows can wait. Why don't we go into the tent for the banquet first?

Brother Lu Kaiyun and Brother Ren Yipeng have been traveling through dust and wind; you must fill your stomachs first."

For the same event, Liang Qu was rewarded, while Lu Lu Kaiyun and Ren Ren Yipeng were dismissed. Being too eager would inevitably seem like stepping on others.

Facing his friends, Liang Qu wouldn't be unable to wait for the time of a meal.

"That makes sense, let's eat first." Ke Ko Wenbin clutched his stomach: "We didn't get to eat anything good on the road, not a drop of oil; I'm starving to death."

"Alright, let's eat first!"

Several people followed the messenger's group into the camp tent.

The sunlight turned into a hazy yellow light through the tent fabric.

Liang Qu sat on the soft wool carpet. The wide square table was covered with fine silk embroidered with silver threads, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of wine and meat.

Only officials of the seventh rank and above could attend such a banquet.

The general specifications were about the same as when the people from Southern Zhili came last time, only the key figures had changed to the Emperor's messengers from the capital.

After much drinking and chatting, the messenger's face flushed red, and he opened up, talking about what he had seen and heard on the road, the changes in the capital, and various unimportant major events in different places.

During this time, Liang Qu, as the recipient of the oral instruction, was naturally mentioned.

The messenger revealed a piece of news that not everyone knew.

"The Sixth Prince is also using the pinyin method to learn characters, and the effect is remarkable. In just half a year, he has no trouble reading and studying!"

Everyone suddenly understood.

If he were only outstanding once, why would there be an oral instruction of encouragement? It turned out there had been groundwork laid long ago.

"This time in flood control, Master Liang also performed outstandingly. Coupled with the fact that the Black Water River bed deepened by more than a zhang for no reason, the court and the public view it as an auspicious sign. His Majesty is even more delighted, so he specifically sent an oral instruction to show encouragement."

The messenger was in the capital and knew more and understood more clearly.

This year, the capital lacked rain in the summer, an epidemic spread in the fifth and sixth months, the drought extended to Jidong Prefecture, while Southern Zhili suffered from floods due to excessive rain in many places. After autumn, there was an earthquake in Xingshan Prefecture.

With the vast territory of the Great Shun, droughts, floods, and geological disasters were unavoidable every year. As long as small matters didn't brew into major disasters, they were not of great significance.

Liang Qu didn't show any particularly superb political means in flood control; he just followed the rules and completed the task. He shouldn't have been treated specially.

But for the same thing, how it was completed and when it was completed made a world of difference.

Many things, even if they could be done step by step, were extremely difficult.

Especially since Liang Qu solved everything within a day, it directly hung a bright "outstanding" and "capable" label on him.

Furthermore, there was one more point.

Liang Qu's fate was close to water and he was good at water; his appointment as River Official was personally decided by the Emperor.

Half a year later, Liang Qu played a major role in the flood disaster.

Didn't that just prove the Emperor's divine martial prowess?

The messenger liked playing mahjong and understood perfectly the sense of achievement when a small card in his hand unexpectedly produced a key effect.

How could one not be pleased?

Besides this, the messenger also brought another piece of good news.

"The court believes that the coexistence of Pingyang County and Huaiyin Prefecture may not be conducive to the circulation of government orders in the prefecture."

Pingyang County now has a large influx of population and has taken initial shape under Master Magistrate Jian's governance. The court may plan to change it directly to Pingyang Prefecture before the summer plowing in Huaiyin Prefecture next year to facilitate governance."

"His Majesty truly has foresight!"

Everyone at the table was very happy.

The River Patrol Office had been in Pingyang County for more than half a year and had long realized the inconvenience.

For example, during this flood, Huaiyin Prefecture was not adjacent to Pingyang County.

The River Patrol Office had to exercise power and allocate supplies, requiring travel between Huaiyin Prefecture, Pingyang County, and Huazhu County.

How could that be convenient?

Pingyang County itself was even more awkward. The River Patrol Office, the Demon Suppression Division, and the Three Judicial Offices were all set up according to the configuration of a prefecture at the beginning.

They couldn't manage, couldn't help, and were completely doing their own things.

Becoming a prefecture was different; the level of a prefecture was very high.

Under the two capitals and eighteen provinces of the Great Shun, only direct-administered departments could be on par with a prefecture, both belonging to the level under a province. Scattered departments were on par with a county, both belonging to the level under a prefecture.

Being able to become Pingyang Prefecture would make many things much more convenient.

However, the messenger didn't reveal this for nothing.

This move was a clear hint for everyone to seize the opportunity.

Would an opportunity be given to you for nothing just by eating a meal?

The banquet ended.

The messenger led Wei Lin and others to inspect the vicinity of the Qiu Gong Dike and verify whether the auspicious sign was true.

Liang Qu, with the help of the messenger's group, obtained his only material reward: the Yuan Yang Qiao Great Elixir.

The official respectfully held out a wooden box. When opened, it contained a small square box and a bamboo scroll.

The small box naturally contained the Yuan Yang Qiao Great Elixir. As soon as it was opened, the medicinal fragrance drifted, causing others to stop and watch.

Liang Qu wasn't afraid of being robbed; he was in a military camp, so who would dare to make a move?

The official reminded him: "Master Liang, the bamboo tube contains the relevant effects and points of attention for taking the Great Elixir."

Liang Qu picked up the bamboo tube, pulled out a small paper scroll, and saw it densely written in the standard font of the Pharmacy Bureau, including relevant conflicting medicinal herbs that couldn't be eaten before taking it.

The Yuan Yang Qiao Great Elixir sounded like it was for opening orifices, but it was actually slightly different.

It wasn't used to directly open orifices, but to indirectly assist in opening them. Its effect was equivalent to the enlightenment energy that arose when breaking through the visceral barrier, but the principle was different, and if taken while breaking through, there was a risk of conflict.

The official asked: "Master Liang, can you reveal your current realm?"

"Seven orifices, why?"

"Then this elixir might help you reduce the difficulty of opening the Yang orifice and the Middle Palace by nearly sixty percent."

"Two sixty percents, that adds up to more than one orifice."

"Exactly. The more orifices opened, the more concentrated the medicinal power."

Liang Qu calculated silently.

He originally had four major merits; one was taken by his master to exchange for martial arts, leaving three, plus the two from flood control, making a full five.

The resources that five could exchange for were more than enough to open the remaining two orifices.

Was he about to reach the Ultimate Galloping Horse Realm?