[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful":3,"chapter-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-74":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Even a Gentleman Must Be Careful",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2268694,4429,"Chapter 74: Seventy-Six: Building a Road to Mislead","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-74",74,"\u003Cp>Seventy-Six: Building a Road to Mislead\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate, what brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing much, just carry on with your work. I’m just taking a stroll.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the outskirts of Longcheng County, Shao Family Village, a small dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong had come early to supervise construction, though he claimed he was just taking a stroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But is a leader’s “stroll” really just a stroll?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the once-neglected dock and village were gradually coming alive due to the full-county effort to excavate the Zhe Yiqu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This riverside dock in Shao Family Village had originally been unremarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it lay at the junction between the straight upper reaches of Butterfly Creek and its winding middle section, most boats coming from the Yunmeng Marsh upstream simply passed through here, entering the meandering main channel to reach Peng Lang Ferry near the town for docking and rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Zhe Yiqu, now the county’s focal point, was a miraculous straightening of the river—cutting off one wing of Butterfly Creek to create a new main channel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A relatively straight, properly curved main channel would be excavated next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original Butterfly Creek route would be abandoned, reduced to a tributary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would allow water to flow straight northward into the Yangtze’s main stream, enhancing Butterfly Creek’s flood-discharge capacity and withstanding the upstream deluge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, this riverside village at the junction of straight and curved channels became the upstream entrance of the new channel—the starting point of the Zhe Yiqu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Family Village’s wild ferry dock also became a vital port for unloading excavation materials. All resources mobilized by the Longcheng County government for the Zhe Yiqu were transported here by boat—a convenience afforded by the county’s thriving water transport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This vibrant scene, all things thriving… it changes every single day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong stood with arms crossed on a mound beside the river, unable to suppress a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him followed Yan Liulang, Liu Ashan, and the county office’s engineering clerks in charge of the excavation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With so much manpower and resources poured into this, it’s impossible not to be bustling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Yan Liulang who replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid was really not learning well—his speech was growing more and more like that of the sly Assistant Magistrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong smiled, then turned and gently instructed the engineering clerks to return to their work, not to follow him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the men departed, Ouyang Rong led Yan Liulang and Liu Sanbian toward the upstream entrance of the newly excavated channel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tied up the hem of his official robe to keep it from dragging in the mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three walked and chatted as they went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Liulang, holding his sword scabbard, suggested:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate, you needn’t handle every detail yourself. You should rest a bit, focus on the big picture, and leave the rest to the officials who are meant to do the work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the young magistrate’s back, the blue-clad captain couldn’t help but smile wryly—this morning, the Magistrate had arrived early, and he and the other clerks had feared he might jump into the ditch and start digging or carrying earth himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, given this magistrate’s penchant for stirring up trouble, it wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, the subordinates have been idle too long—it’s their turn now. All the preparatory work for the Zhe Yiqu has been handled by you alone. Now the guidelines are all laid out, the schedule is clear, and you’re practically holding their hands to teach them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rest? Where else would I go if not here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate, you could visit Miss Xie more often,” Yan Liulang suggested gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went a few days ago. Little sister seems fine, but it’s strange—why is she still lying in bed? Auntie keeps sending me to bring her food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be a serious injury. Magistrate, you should go and show more elder-brotherly care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go again? If I do, I’ll be as close to Su Dalang as if we’d sworn brotherhood. Wait—you’re telling me how to do my job?” Ouyang Rong’s lips twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no. How about asking Miss Xie if she’d like to return to Meilu Garden to recover?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong ignored him, pointing ahead and muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the upstream entrance of the new channel, remember to leave a thick wall to hold back the water—blow it up once the channel is complete to let water flow in… By the way, do we have explosives?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Yan Liulang froze. “Explosives? What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong paused, then kept walking, shaking his head. “Never mind. If we can’t blow it, we’ll dig by hand. Hey, too slow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once heard his little sister mention that during the night the East Warehouse burned, the mysterious Immortal Seeker had thrown some explosive fire device—and the strange substance that burned Old Liu was likely part of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong had initially assumed the Zhou Dynasty had already developed gunpowder, but after careful inquiry, he learned the substance was called “Fu Huo Fan Fa,” concocted by Daoists and alchemists practicing external elixir arts—considered heretical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only that odd group of alchemists seemed to have any peculiar research into it—what his little sister called “evil arts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this world had supernatural Qi-refining techniques beyond his understanding, so he wasn’t sure if they aligned with his past-life knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it was vague, contradictory, chaotic—like a tangled knot. Ouyang Rong had no time to untangle it, nor any desire to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared that if he probed too deeply, he’d become bound by this world’s people and things, unwilling to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, Ouyang Rong knew the water control project was nearing success. Last night, unable to sleep, he’d sneaked off to the Merit Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, dig by hand then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a rural path, Ouyang Rong walked ahead, muttering to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Liulang gasped:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate, how is this slow? We’re already blazing fast…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In other counties, the preparatory phase alone takes half a year; gathering labor takes another half year. Even the earliest start wouldn’t happen until next spring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the young magistrate shake his head, Yan Liulang couldn’t help but laugh bitterly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You led us to survey the entire upstream and downstream before Dragon Boat Festival, assessed the water flow, measured the riverbed gradient, built an extremely precise sand model, and verified the feasibility of the new channel…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now Wang Shao the manager, Li the manager, Cheng Squire, and others are supplying materials for the new ferry; goods have been arriving steadily these past days. The county office and Brother Ashan’s men are simply following your plan step by step—by year’s end, we’ll finish. It’s not slow at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, not just Yan Liulang and Liu Ashan, but even Assistant Magistrate Diao and all other county clerks were astonished by the speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, when you had a micro-manager who wanted to personally dictate the exact spot of every shovel of dirt, it made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong sighed: “Still too slow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Liulang and Liu Ashan exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Ouyang Rong toured the bustling excavation front, frowned, and returned with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it was slow because only he knew: in the coming months, another rainy season flood from the Yunmeng Marsh was likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhe Yiqu could permanently solve Longcheng’s flooding—but only after completion. Before then, if another flood came, they’d be helpless, and it might even disrupt the excavation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the urgent matter at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first took office in Longcheng, he’d clearly realized this, but most people—including Assistant Magistrate Diao—had half-doubted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when Ouyang Rong announced the new project, most Longcheng residents assumed his mention of the next flood meant the next few years—after all, the saying went: “A great flood every four years…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the construction of the Zhe Yiqu was also crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond boosting morale, gathering strength, uniting the majority, and isolating the Liu family, it could shift the balance of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, everyone could see clearly: it wasn’t the Liu family wearing him down with the Di Gong Dam—it was he wearing them down with the Zhe Yiqu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, having gained the “harmony of people” advantage on Longcheng’s political board, the young magistrate had to reconsider a question:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was water control more important, or defeating the Liu family? Or, at times, were the two not mutually exclusive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he wasn’t entirely powerless against the impending flood…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After inspecting the site, Ouyang Rong and his group bid farewell to Shao Family Village, boarded a boat at the wild ferry dock, and returned to Peng Lang Ferry in the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the journey, with river winds all around, in the quiet bow, Ouyang Rong turned and asked: “Liulang, what about the people Wang Cao’s men are searching for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Liulang glanced around, then whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say skilled craftsmen capable of building such water gates are rare in Jiangzhou—they’re highly specialized. Even if any exist, they’re prized by every county for water projects and won’t be easily released, just like the craftsmen the Liu family keeps at the Ancient Yue Sword Forge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So now we must look farther afield, see if we can gather enough people. They say it will take more time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong frowned slightly. The Zhe Yiqu required few advanced techniques—once the direction was set, sheer manpower sufficed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Di Gong Dam, though small in scale, was indeed a technical feat in this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was skilled and fond of stirring up trouble, he knew he couldn’t build one from scratch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d visited the ruins of the Di Gong Dam upstream several times—he had some understanding of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ouyang Rong silently weighed his options, Yan Liulang’s hushed voice drifted from behind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magistrate… I don’t understand. We have the Zhe Yiqu now—why bother with the Di Gong Dam? Didn’t you say it only treats symptoms, offers temporary relief, and can’t solve the root problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong paused, then said: “Liulang, sometimes, what’s lacking is precisely that ‘temporary’.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, the Liu family has been acting strangely lately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?” Ouyang Rong turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Ashan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard from someone at the Ancient Yue Sword Forge that the Liu family has recently vacated a major sword furnace on the west bank, and has idled over a hundred craftsmen—no one knows why.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lately, the Liu family has been sending people to spy on the Zhe Yiqu. It’s hard to keep this secret—they’re deeply rooted, with too many informants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. Thanks, Ashan. Keep watching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong nodded, sinking into thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Liu Ziwen… losing patience?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t surprised by the latter news—but the former was intriguing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the Liu family been worn down so much that they were ready to concede on the long-stalled Di Gong Dam issue, to admit fault?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why idle so many craftsmen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lacking solid information, he could only speculate this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, the young magistrate exhaled into the river wind, his confidence slightly strengthened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the Liu family was preparing to surrender or to stubbornly resist,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>at least their previously motionless, turtle-like silence had broken—they were finally moving, stirred by his slow-burning pressure. That was a slightly better trend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'm not afraid of you moving—only afraid you won't move at all, with not the slightest opening. Once you stir, even a ten-thousand-year-old turtle must stick its head out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong murmured from the bow of the boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clothes I bought are on their way... (another update at midnight)\u003C\u002Fp>",1900,"2026-06-19T21:28:25.445Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","863a7f1de6b98cbb555ed96438591360cae5fca1afad5cf53464d630367d7d17","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-75","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-73",864,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feven-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-cover.jpg"]