Chapter 224: The Flood Disaster Has Truly Arrived

"His Majesty, Fang and Du, the two gentlemen, have also arrived."

Just as Li Shimin was muttering under his breath, Wushe came over again to speak.

"Ke Ming has also come?" Li Shimin was startled and hurriedly said, "Then why not bring him in quickly."

Since Du Ruhui was released a few days ago, he announced that he was frightened and needed to recuperate at home, refusing to see anyone who came.

Unexpectedly, he came today together with Fang Xuanling.

That indeed surprised Li Shimin.

"His Majesty, since the two gentlemen Fang and Du have arrived, I shall take my leave," Li Chunfeng said at that moment.

Li Shimin refused, "Grand Historian, do not rush to leave; I still have matters to discuss with you. Since you usually have nothing to do, feel free to wait a while."

Having said that, Li Chunfeng had no choice but to agree.

Soon, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, dressed in official robes, appeared before them.

Fang and Du, seeing Li Chunfeng there, were somewhat surprised, but then ceased their attention and performed the customary salute.

Looking at Du Ruhui's flushed face, how could he appear frightened at all?

Li Shimin's face darkened as he spoke first, "Ke Ming, weren't you supposed to recuperate at home and avoid everyone?"

"Why have you come today?"

"…Um," Du Ruhui stammered, "I have already recovered."

"Since you have recovered, return to the Court tomorrow; you cannot always make Fang Xuanling work so hard, can you?"

Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up instantly, "His Majesty is wise!"

Du Ruhui was stunned; before he could finish speaking, how could he already be told to return to the Court?

He had toiled for most of his life, and recently was slandered by petty people with absurd reasons; can't he be allowed a little more rest?

"His Majesty, I—"

"Enough, Ke Ming, you need not thank me; this matter is thus happily settled."

Du Ruhui: "......"

Thanks for seeing a ghost.

I truly will thank!

Du Ruhui tried to argue further, "His Majesty, I—"

"Stop pleading, you came today in official robes, isn't it because of this matter?"

"I know you wish to share my worries, even disregarding your own health; I am genuinely pleased, so I shall satisfy you."

Fang Xuanling echoed again, "His Majesty is sagacious!"

"Lord Du is admirable!"

Admiration, I admire your grandmother!

Du Ruhui cursed inwardly, yet understood that Li Shimin's words had gone this far; he could no longer refuse.

He could only blurt mindlessly, "I, your servant, bow in thanks to His Majesty."

"Hmm~" Li Shimin, with a satisfied smile, said, "I told you not to thank me, yet you still are being courteous to me."

"Fine, I won't hold this against you this time; next time, don't do that."

"Tell me, why have you two come here?"

Du Ruhui's mind was filled with black lines, like a herd of a hundred thousand alpacas galloping inside his head.

But when the matter turned serious, his expression instantly became solemn, "His Majesty, have you been paying attention to the recent rainfall?"

"Under the continuous heavy rain, the Marquis of Weinan's earlier words may be coming true."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin and Li Chunfeng were both taken aback.

They did not expect Du Ruhui's purpose to be the same as Li Chunfeng's.

Only one came early, the other a little later.

Seeing their expressions, Du Ruhui guessed, "Grand Historian, could it be that you are also here for this matter?"

Li Chunfeng nodded silently.

Fang Xuanling could no longer sit still; he felt that, from some unknown point, he had suddenly been excluded.

How many more matters the hell are you keeping from me?

"His Majesty, I heard Lord Du say that the Marquis of Weinan who raised the flood disaster also offered a solution, and has been planning it since long ago."

"I wonder, how is the situation now?"

"What a damn scheme he's set!" Li Shimin blurted, instantly furious, "That brat only cares about making money, and once he has it he intends to marry my beloved daughter."

"What kind of scheme did he set up?"

"It's all me doing the work!"

Everyone: "......"

Fang Xuanling: "His Majesty, that's not important; what matters is whether you have made any arrangements."

"The rain is so heavy, even here; surely the lands along the banks of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are now in a precarious state."

"If you have not made preparations in advance, we must quickly ready disaster‑relief measures."

Du Ruhui and Li Chunfeng nodded repeatedly.

"Do not worry." Li Shimin sat down again, saying calmly, "Last month I secretly dispatched aides and the Duke of Qiao, each with large supplies of money and grain, to the banks of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers to build flood‑control works; by now, there should already be results."

Fang Xuanling suddenly understood; no wonder Zhangsun Wujie had not been seen lately—he had been secretly dispatched by His Majesty.

Even the Duke of Qiao, Chai Shao, Li Shimin's brother‑in‑law, was sent there.

Li Shimin: "By the way, it's fine that you know this, but do not reveal it; it concerns my later arrangements."

"We understand!" the three bowed together.

Then they gathered together and talked for a long time; Fang Xuanling kept seeking attention, racking his brain to try to rejoin the circle.

After they all left, Li Shimin looked at the huge pile of memorials before him and felt inexplicably irritated.

He truly hadn't deceived Fang Xuanling and the others; as early as last month he had been preparing for a flood response.

But for such a long time no news had come back, and he was deeply worried.

"I have no idea… how the situation over there turned out."

"......"

Yellow River middle and lower reaches, Huazhou (present‑day Hualian, Henan).

A ghastly white lightning bolt suddenly tore the sky, flashing for an instant and illuminating the rolling dark clouds. Immediately after, a deafening thunderclap boomed.

A dense curtain of rain poured down, pea‑sized drops striking the muddy ground and splashing countless murky droplets.

"Report!"

An armored soldier braved the heavy rain and ran into the tent; Chai Shao, seated at the head, stared at the soldier below and said, "Speak!"

"General, the rain is overwhelming; the Yellow River's water level has risen to an extreme height. If the downpour does not cease today, the dam will breach by tomorrow night at the latest."

When those words were spoken, the people seated on both sides of the tent could not remain calm.

If the Yellow River mouth breaches, the countless farmlands that nearby villagers have just planted will inevitably be submerged; severely, even the houses might be washed away.

This is no joke.

If mishandled, it will certainly cause massive casualties.

Moreover, this is only the initial impact of the flood; the subsequent disasters have not even been mentioned.

"General, we cannot gamble on the rain stopping, nor on the drainage channels we built. I suggest we immediately organize the evacuation of the civilians to prevent casualties!" a valiant young man seated to Chai Shao's lower right hurriedly said.

Chai Shao, after hearing this, did not reply immediately; instead he closed his eyes and murmured in his heart, "His Majesty, His Majesty, I originally thought you were worrying about impossible things, wasting vast manpower and resources."

"I didn't expect you to be so accurate."

"Since that is so, I will not disappoint you!"

In the next moment, Chai Shao casually grabbed the nearby raincoat and shouted, "Give the order!"

"All soldiers, mobilize fully; evacuate the civilians to the temporary shelters we have prepared in advance."

"Regardless of gender or age, not a single person may be left behind!"

"Yes!!!"

"......"