Chapter 1452: The Enraged Crown Prince

In the depths of winter, the Yellow River lay desolate and cold, its current slow, its water level low, nearly at the point of drying up. Viewed from a height, one could feel the weight of the riverbed.

In the middle and lower reaches of the great river, floods had always been frequent, and Huazhou was one of the most afflicted stretches. Donglin Dike, one of the embankments along the Huazhou section, was modest in scale yet a relatively important link in Huazhou's flood-control system.

Over the past twenty-odd years, with Emperor Liu's support, the court had been generous in its investment in various water-conservancy projects. As could be seen from the archives of the Finance Commission, beginning in the second year of Qianyou, the court's total investment in water-related projects nationwide had exceeded fifty million strings of cash—by no means a small sum.

The Yellow River, Huai River, and Bian River in the north were the top priorities, with dedicated policies and performance assessments formulated specifically for dredging, canal-digging, soil consolidation, and dike construction.

But even so, this only reduced the likelihood of floods; it was not a permanent solution. Take the Yellow River for example—for nearly five years now, the prefectures along its banks had each year reported that all was well within their borders and river conditions were good. Yet in reality, it was impossible for things to be completely calm.

It was only because the frequent and devastating floods of the early Qianyou era had indeed been brought under control, while minor disasters continued year-round. The so-called "peaceful river and calm sea" merely meant no major disasters had occurred, or that local officials had been competent enough to contain the damage and keep losses small. Thus, over the past years, the court had received no small number of memorials requesting commendation.

But this autumn was different. In the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the dikes burst in the three prefectures of Hua, Bo, and Qi. The floodwaters surged southward, ravaging more than ten prefectures and counties along the southern bank, destroying over several hundred thousand mu of farmland, and killing more than a hundred people. Had the court not already conducted a systematic, comprehensive overhaul of the Central Plains' waterways, the flood zone would have been even larger.

As the most widespread and destructive flood the Yellow River had unleashed in nearly a decade, the court naturally attached extraordinary importance to it. Disaster relief and rescuing the people were matters of course, and the subsequent accountability was pursued relentlessly without mercy. More than twenty officials from the affected prefectures, departments, and counties, along with functionaries of the Ministry of Works and dike-protection personnel, were punished—those with grave circumstances even receiving death sentences or exile.

After the tenth month, the Ministry of Revenue again allocated funds, conscripted labor, and undertook the reconstruction or reinforcement of dikes along the river prefectures and counties. This was also the largest engineering project the court undertook in the entire ninth year of Kaibao.

Crown Prince Liu Yang had left the capital on this inspection tour after hearing reports from below that most of the river-defense projects had been completed and the conscripted labor had largely been released to return home. Thus moved, he led several ministers and subordinate officials eastward along the river.

Due to geography and transportation, the third stop on the inspection, after Zhengzhou, was Huazhou. The original itinerary had been to inspect Liuhe Dike in Huazhou—the largest dike in the region, which also served as a reservoir, with solid earth and sturdy embankments, a major representative of the court's water-conservancy works from the Qianyou era. Over the years, it had become both a tourist attraction and a project benefiting the people. Even the recent flood had not breached its embankments; it still stood firmly by the river, guarding the homeland.

Liu Yang naturally had memories of Liuhe. As a child, he had accompanied Emperor Liu on an inspection tour there and had even played on its grounds. Therefore, Liu Yang was happy to revisit the old place and take in the sights.

Had he only inspected Liuhe Dike, it would naturally have been a fine outcome, with no problems to be found and no faults to be picked. When facing an inspection by superiors, the thing local officials feared most was a leader who did not follow the usual playbook—making impromptu decisions that required impromptu preparations.

Liu Yang was no different. He did not stay long at Liuhe Dike, but instead directly ordered someone to lead the way to inspect other dike sections, eventually arriving at Donglin Dike. And thus, things slipped out of control, developing in a direction the Huazhou officials did not wish to face.

The north wind howled fiercely, raging over Donglin Dike. The sparse trees around the embankment seemed to radiate infinite desolation. At the dike's edge, guards stood in formation, while the accompanying ministers and Huazhou officials surrounded the Crown Prince, every face wearing a grave expression. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, somewhat oppressive.

Everyone watched helplessly as several dozen river workers laboriously pulled out stone slabs and sandbags, laying them out in a scattered row. The stone slabs were brittle—they could be snapped with little effort—and the sandbags were filled mostly with silt and rotten earth.

The moment these results came to light, the weather seemed to turn a few degrees colder, and the atmosphere at Donglin Dike grew even more tense. Several of Huazhou's functionaries were trembling slightly—but certainly not from the winter wind.

Liu Yang appeared relatively calm, though his face, buffeted by the icy river wind, was flushed red. His gaze was as cold and piercing as the winter wind itself. He swept his eyes around, then pointed at the rotten stone slabs and sandbags on the ground and said coldly: "So these are the materials used to reinforce the dike and prevent floods? In my view, it's not the stone slabs and sandbags that have rotted—it's the corrupted hearts of those people!"

"Your Highness, please calm your anger! This official will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly and give Your Highness an explanation!" The Prefectural Administrator of Huazhou shuddered, nervous and fearful, but still managed to maintain his composure as he stepped forward and spoke.

Liu Yang did not even glance at him, nor did he speak, which made the man even more anxious. It was Liu Xi, standing nearby, who waved a hand at the prefectural administrator, then looked at Liu Yang: "Second Brother, this dike is no place to discuss matters. The sky is already late, the wind is fierce and cold—let us return to the traveling palace first! Since this matter has been discovered, I believe there will be a resolution!"

Liu Xi had accompanied Liu Yang on this tour as a representative of the Ministry of Works. Compared to Liu Yang's cold hardness, Liu Xi's reaction appeared more "normal"—even calm, with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, never flustered or hurried.

And Liu Xi, when faced with trouble, always reacted and behaved this way, leaving people helpless and anxious. Hearing his words and observing his demeanor, Liu Yang adjusted the cotton robe draped over his shoulders and said in a stiff tone: "You are always this composed. There may well be Ministry of Works functionaries behind this matter—your people in the Ministry of Works are not without responsibility!"

"Second Brother is right!" Liu Xi's smile faded, and he finally grew more serious. Cupping his hands, he said: "I will investigate the relevant functionaries of the Ministry of Works myself, and I will certainly give you an explanation!"

Hearing Liu Xi say this, Liu Yang finally nodded. Then he turned his gaze to another middle-aged minister—Lü Duan, the newly appointed Fiscal Commissioner of Henan.

In the Great Han court, it was not uncommon for fathers and sons, or brothers, to serve as officials together—for example, the famous Dou brothers of five, the father-son pair of Wang Qiwu, and the father-son pair of Lu Duoxun. And in the past five years, the Lü brothers had also begun to make a name for themselves.

The elder brother Lü Yin needed no introduction—anyone with a modicum of political insight understood that, barring unexpected events, he would sooner or later ascend to the chancellorship. Lü Duan, as the younger brother, appeared comparatively ordinary by contrast. But he was a jinshi graduate with over a decade of official service. Though he had no dazzling achievements, he had never made mistakes either. The prefectures and counties he governed were peaceful and orderly, with smooth governance and harmonious relations—his reputation was uniformly good.

His résumé was also substantial, with steady and solid promotions at every level. With Lü Yin's patronage and Emperor Liu's appreciation, over these ten-odd years, he had indeed risen to become a major regional official.

This time, he had been transferred to serve as Fiscal Commissioner of the Henan Circuit and had come to the capital to report for duty and receive his appointment. When Liu Yang went east on his inspection tour, he brought Lü Duan along, conveniently sending him on his way to take up his post in Qizhou. But Lü Duan had never imagined that, keeping his head down and doing his duty, he would still be dragged into an affair like this.

Liu Yang then said to Lü Duan: "Lü Qing, you once served as Prefectural Administrator of Huazhou for a considerable period of time. I am entrusting the investigation of this Huazhou matter to you. Do you have any objections?"

With the Crown Prince having spoken thus, what choice did Lü Duan have? His face showed not the slightest trace of displeasure; he merely cupped his hands and said: "Yes! Your servant will do his utmost!"

Though there were some irregularities in procedure, Liu Yang, as Crown Prince on an inspection tour, already held the authority to dismiss and appoint local officials. As long as he made a proper report upon returning to court and completed the paperwork afterward, it would suffice.

"Return to the traveling palace!" Having likely truly frozen to the bone, Liu Yang swept his gaze once more over the Huazhou officials, said the words flatly, and turned to leave—merely flicking his sleeve.

Liu Xi swept a calm glance over the scene and followed with steady steps. As for Lü Duan, his beard trembled in the winter wind as he looked at those officials, among whom were no few familiar faces. His deep composure nearly cracked at that moment.

"Governor Lü, this official is truly wronged!" The Prefectural Administrator of Huazhou clearly knew Lü Duan. Watching the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin recede into the distance, he could not help but say to Lü Duan with a mournful face.