The Third Prince pulled Mu Xueshi toward the southeast corner of the main hall and said, “We will wait here quietly. If Father Emperor has any instructions later, we can go over and listen then.”
Mu Xueshi felt this was somewhat inappropriate. The Emperor had been angered badly just now; they should be standing nearby attending to him instead.
“When Father Emperor is resting, it is best not to disturb him. Once he wishes to speak, he will naturally summon us over.”
“Oh…” Mu Xueshi responded softly, then leaned close to the Third Prince’s ear and whispered, “Then shouldn’t we just leave? Didn’t you say the Emperor dislikes being disturbed while resting?”
“If we are to withdraw, it must also be by Father Emperor’s command,” the Third Prince replied with a stern face.
Mu Xueshi grumbled inwardly. There were truly too many rules here. Back in the small courtyard, he rarely went out and had never heard anyone deliberately emphasize etiquette. Yet after arriving here, he had already caused such a huge mess. Now Mu Xueshi felt restless and uneasy, desperately wanting to leave immediately for fear of accidentally causing more trouble for the Third Prince.
“There are still matters I must report to Father Emperor. Once I finish speaking, we will return to the small courtyard immediately,” the Third Prince comforted him quietly from the side after noticing his unease.
Mu Xueshi hurriedly shook his head and mouthed silently to the Third Prince, “I’m not in a hurry.”
Seeing that Mu Xueshi no longer even dared to speak loudly, the Third Prince felt a faint ache in his heart. Though he did not show it on his face, he secretly tried to think of a way to help Mu Xueshi endure this dull stretch of time.
“Earlier, when I was explaining the matters concerning Lubei to you, you seemed confused about something. Do you still remember what it was?”
A faint light immediately appeared in Mu Xueshi’s large eyes. He had not expected the Third Prince to bring up these matters with him, and excitement surged through his heart. But the next moment, he remembered the Emperor’s earlier scolding. The Emperor clearly disliked him involving himself in court affairs. If he spoke again now, would it make him angry once more?
The Third Prince noticed the flicker in Mu Xueshi’s eyes, the brief spark of light followed by dimness, and said, “Don’t worry. We’re merely chatting casually. Father Emperor will not take it to heart.”
The words were spoken lightly, yet they still drifted into the Emperor’s ears. The Emperor snorted inwardly, knowing full well the Third Prince had deliberately said that for him to hear. But at this moment, he no longer had the strength to pursue such matters. His head ached terribly, burdened with worries that felt almost impossible to bear.
Mu Xueshi thought for quite a while before finally remembering what he had wanted to ask earlier.
“Just now I said that the people living on the Shannan side also need food and water. Can one piece of land really solve the famine of all Lubei?”
The Third Prince lowered his voice as he explained, “The land on the Shannan side is extremely fertile. Nearly every year there is an abundant harvest, so much grain that the people cannot finish consuming it. Yunxi’s granaries are full year after year, and most of that grain comes from that region. Naturally, it became a treasured land. With only one mountain separating them, one side suffers drought while the other enjoys favorable weather and countless rivers. How could Lubei not become envious?”
Mu Xueshi frowned, seeming to suddenly think of something, yet unable to grasp it clearly. A vague idea drifted through his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not catch it.
The Third Prince continued, “If Lubei occupied that region, it would be equivalent to swallowing a quarter of Yunxi’s territory and most of its grain supply. At that point, not only would their food crisis be solved, but Yunxi’s border defenses would also be broken through. Lubei swallowing Yunxi entirely would merely become a matter of time.”
Hearing all this only made the Emperor look even more haggard. Ever since the day Lubei soldiers nearly broke through the city gates, the Emperor had not slept peacefully for even a single night. Yesterday, General Xiao had personally come to report that all preparations for war had been completed and told the Emperor not to worry in the slightest.
The Emperor’s mood had only just calmed somewhat, yet the news brought by the Third Prince this afternoon had thrown everything back into chaos. In the past, he would have trusted General Xiao completely, but after that incident, the Emperor no longer dared to easily trust anyone again.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince continued explaining the current situation to Mu Xueshi in greater and greater detail. Yet the more he explained, the deeper the confusion in Mu Xueshi’s eyes became, until he looked entirely lost in thought.
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s beautiful brows knitted tightly together, the Third Prince could not help reaching out to rub them gently as he said softly, “If you can’t figure it out, then don’t force yourself. This was never something you were meant to trouble yourself over.”
Mu Xueshi inhaled sharply, then looked at the Third Prince and cautiously asked, “Then why not divert water from south to north?”
“Divert water from south to north?”
“Uh…” Mu Xueshi suddenly remembered that the Third Prince had never heard such a phrase before, so he hurriedly explained in a low voice, “I mean transferring water from the Shannan side to the northern side. No, no… it should be called carving through the mountains to channel water…”
Mu Xueshi’s memory of such knowledge had already become extremely vague. He could only explain randomly based on fragments of recollection. In any case, the Third Prince would not know whether it was right or wrong, so as long as he conveyed the general idea, it should be enough.
The Third Prince’s eyes sharpened. At first he did not understand some of the strange terms Mu Xueshi used, but after thinking for a moment, he grasped the meaning.
“Is there a large river on the Shannan side? One with a relatively stable flow?”
“There are two great rivers flowing down from the mountains. The vegetation and farmland around the foothills are all irrigated by those two rivers. In years with especially heavy rain, there are even floods.”
“That’s perfect! We can redirect the river water through underground channels into Lubei! Wouldn’t that completely solve Lubei’s drought problem?”
The Third Prince’s expression shifted slightly as he truly began considering the idea. Although this method of diverting water was something he had never heard before, after hearing Mu Xueshi explain it, it suddenly seemed to hold promise.
Seeing that the Third Prince was seriously considering his suggestion, Mu Xueshi felt greatly encouraged and explained his idea with even more enthusiasm.
“Anyway, Yunxi’s water supply is endless. Even if some of it is diverted to Lubei, it won’t have much effect on Yunxi. But Lubei would benefit tremendously. As long as there’s water, the drought problem would be solved. They could also build reservoirs to store the diverted water. Then whenever farmland lacks water, they could use it for irrigation. Wouldn’t that solve the grain shortage too?”
The Emperor had originally been resting with his eyes closed, but now he opened them.
Mu Xueshi did not notice the Emperor’s reaction. Instead, he was dazzled by the disbelief and admiration in the Third Prince’s eyes. It was the first time the Third Prince had ever looked at him with such appreciation. It made Mu Xueshi feel that perhaps he had been too extreme in his previous thinking. Studying really was useful—at the very least, in critical moments he could say something meaningful.
Even though he himself had no idea whether such a method could actually work here…
“Absolutely not! Yunxi’s water must never be diverted into Lubei!”
The sudden voice shattered the beautiful fantasy Mu Xueshi had been building.
At some point, the Emperor had risen from the soft chair and walked toward them. He had clearly heard the conversation between Mu Xueshi and the Third Prince. No matter how brilliant Mu Xueshi’s suggestion sounded or how persuasive his reasoning was, the Emperor remained unmoved.
Mu Xueshi hurriedly stood up in panic. In his excitement, he had forgotten to keep his voice down again. Not only had he disturbed the Emperor, but the Emperor had heard everything he said.
“Why not?” the Third Prince asked the Emperor first instead.
The Emperor replied with a dark expression, “How can Yunxi’s water simply be diverted into Lubei? If we did so, not only would we benefit them, but Yunxi would lose all dignity. Other nations would say we fear Lubei and were forced into such measures. Most importantly, if we truly diverted the water and Lubei still refused to withdraw its troops, then wouldn’t we have handed them an advantage for nothing? Once Lubei’s drought problem is solved, they will only become even more arrogant. Yunxi would also lose one of its few means of restraining them.”
“Who says there would be no way to restrain Lubei?” Mu Xueshi blurted out anxiously, completely forgetting the Emperor’s expression as he eagerly explained, “The source of the mountain-cutting water diversion project would remain on our side. If Lubei dared to go back on their word or harbored ill intentions in the future, we could simply redirect the water elsewhere, or build dams to block the flow completely. Wouldn’t that actually give us another way to restrain Lubei?”
Mu Xueshi poured out everything in his heart in one breath, only to realize afterward that both men were staring motionlessly at him. The room suddenly fell silent, so quiet that even their breathing could be heard clearly.
It’s over. Who knows what nonsense I just said…
Mu Xueshi quietly shuffled one small step at a time toward the Third Prince’s side. Suddenly the Third Prince grabbed his hand, startling Mu Xueshi so badly he nearly cried out.
“Where did you learn of such a method of cutting through mountains to divert water?” A trace of delight flashed through the Third Prince’s eyes.
Mu Xueshi swallowed hard. He wanted to say he had learned it from books in his previous life, but with the Emperor present, he could not reveal anything about his true identity. His mind spun frantically through countless excuses until his face turned red from holding it in. Finally, he let out a breath.
“Some time ago, when my master and I rode past several mountains, I saw farming families living at the foot of the mountains using bamboo tubes to channel water. You know, bamboo tubes… one connected after another, allowing water from the mountains to flow directly into their homes so they wouldn’t have to walk such a long distance to fetch it. I just suddenly got inspired by that…”
Of course, Mu Xueshi had also only read about that in books before, but no one here would know that. Even so, using the idea as if it were his own made him feel rather shameless…
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