strokinit Chapter 10 Heading to the Pond
Chapter 10 Heading to the Pond
But after saying that, Uncle Zheng said, "These past few days, Chief Escort Zhou has been taking his men out early in the morning, saying he's going to the city to find suitable shops and courtyards to use as the future headquarters of the escort agency."
Feng Xiu understood that Zhou Gang had only guided him a handful of times in the past few days.
Since he was cooperating with the Feng family, it was impossible for him to live in the mansion indefinitely.
"Very well." Feng Xiu was about to suggest that they discuss it another day when Zheng Bo took out a letter sealed with wax from his bosom.
"Young Master, a letter has arrived from Master Hei's side as well."
Feng Xiu took the letter, tore it open, and began to read it.
The letter contained little information; it was written by someone else at Blackie's request. It said that he had arrived at Huanghua Temple in Yulin County and met the abbot, Master Huanglong.
It was also mentioned that Huanghua Temple was dilapidated and its incense offerings were declining.
Huanglong Zhenren also has a young granddaughter to support, and their livelihood is quite difficult.
The general idea is that Fengxiu should contribute some money to repair the Taoist temple, hoping to use this good deed to invite Master Huanglong to make a visit.
"This Blackie really knows how to navigate social situations." Feng Xiu folded the letter.
Compared to simply paying money as an employee, donating incense and oil is indeed something that is hard to refuse.
"Uncle Zheng, go to the accounting office and get two hundred taels of silver notes. Send them to Master Hei immediately and instruct him to treat Master Huanglong with utmost respect and to invite him here as soon as possible," Feng Xiu instructed.
"Also, ask Blackie if he knows anyone in the city named Su Wantang."
For now, Feng Xiu is still prepared to maintain the speculation that Feng Shouzhuo was set up.
There may be some possibility of being mentally manipulated, hypnotized, or bewitched during this process.
Since the other party dared to provoke a family, they must have some kind of trump card.
Hei Ye has connections with everyone in Qingyan City and is well-informed. If Su Wantang has a gang behind her committing crimes...
With Blackie's abilities, he should be able to uncover some shady dealings.
"Uncle Zheng, the reservoirs are closed now, and the drought is severe. Do you think it would be alright if we used the underground irrigation canals to irrigate the farms?"
At this moment, Feng Xiu had a sudden thought and asked.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Bo's expression changed, and he quickly dissuaded him, "Young Master, you must not!"
"You may not know about the pond and reservoir underground canal. The Yudai Pond and Reservoir connects to dozens of branch canals of various sizes. When it was built, some small and remote branch canals were not registered in the river law book."
"In the entire Qingyan City, only the Feng family owns three such underground canals. They are used for winter irrigation after the autumn harvest each year, barely enough to irrigate a hundred or so acres of land. Now they are all in disrepair and unusable."
Feng Xiu frowned slightly. He knew about this matter too, but he just couldn't give up.
Uncle Zheng sighed, "Young Master, the water volume in this underground channel is extremely small. Our Feng family pays the river management fee on time every year so that we can be eligible to release water into the main channel."
If we dig a hidden channel now without authorization, and the River Law Enforcement Bureau catches us red-handed, we won't even be able to use the water from the main canal anymore.
"I understand. Pray for rain, pray for rain. I hope Lord Black can bring me some good news." Feng Xiu sighed softly again.
How much real skill could an old Taoist priest have if his temple is so dilapidated that it has no incense offerings?
Instead of relying on that, we should think about how to control the water flow in the reservoir.
.....
Half an hour later.
The Feng family's carriage moved slowly along the imperial road.
Yudaitang Reservoir is not a natural lake, but a huge dam that was built a hundred years ago by the imperial court by conscripting laborers to connect the Yudai Mountain Range in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.
The embankment was built of bluestone, and a wide causeway was built on it for carriages and horses to pass through.
Like a water wall, it firmly locks the vast blue waters within the valley.
The River Law Pass is a symbol of water rights and an important certificate for entering the Jade Belt Pond Reservoir. As the heir of the Feng family, it was also something he carried with him at all times.
Holding the river guide, the journey was unimpeded.
Zheng Bo rode away on horseback, and Feng Xiu suppressed his emotions, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked down.
Before your eyes lies a vast expanse of deep, emerald-green water, shimmering under the blazing sun.
At the very center of its lake stands a colossal stone ruler that reaches to the heavens and the earth, with water level markings on it.
To the right of the reservoir is a huge water storage pool shaped like an octagon.
They got off the carriage.
A hot wind carrying heavy moisture rushed towards us, and a middle-aged man with fair skin and dressed in a blue official's uniform had been waiting for a long time.
"Wang Yong, the supervisor of the Xiaguantang Treasury, greets Young Master Feng. May I ask if Young Master Feng has any important business to attend to today?"
Wang Yong wore a standard respectful smile as he looked the two men up and down.
"Supervisor Wang, there's no need for such formalities. This year has been a drought, and the tenants are extremely anxious. Since my family is in charge of the river management, it is only natural that we should be concerned about the water supply."
"I wonder how far along the discussions have been reached between the River Law Office and the various authorities regarding the regulations for opening the reservoirs and releasing water this year?"
Feng Xiu looked down at the vast expanse of water with his hands behind his back, his tone amiable.
Wang Yong's smile remained unchanged, and he bowed slightly: "In reply to Young Master Feng, opening the treasury and releasing water is a major matter concerning the people's livelihood. Everything needs to be considered by Lord Qin, and a unified plan should be established."
"I am of low rank and insignificant, and I dare not presume to discuss the arrangements made by my superiors."
Feng Xiu's gaze shifted slightly, then he casually asked, "Oh? What about the other families, the Lin family and the Fan family? Have they come to Tangku recently? With this drought, they must be getting restless, right?"
"This..." Wang Yong hesitated slightly upon hearing this. "How dare I inquire about the actions of the various masters? However, the ponds and reservoirs have been quiet lately. Apart from you, young master, perhaps the other masters are busy waiving rent."
Rent-free? Are you trying to trick me?
Wang Yong's answer was watertight, and he subtly criticized Feng Xiu in his words.
Immediately, Feng Xiu's heart sank slightly, and he changed his perspective.
"Have you heard anything unusual lately? Just now, in the car, I seemed to overhear some villagers whispering that they heard strange noises coming from the direction of the pond last night?"
Feng Xiu pointed to the thick brick wall beneath his feet and the towering giant sluice gate in the distance.
It's fake; it's just a scam.
"Absolutely not. The pond and reservoir are important places, and every little thing is watched. It concerns the lifeline of the city. Perhaps the mountain wind was howling and the villagers misheard."
Wang Yong's expression changed slightly, and then he answered decisively.
Seeing that Feng Xiu's two attempts to probe were easily thwarted, the atmosphere became slightly tense.
At this moment, Uncle Zheng, who had been standing half a step behind Feng Xiu, cupped his hands in greeting with a somewhat江湖气 (jianghu-like, chivalrous) smile.
"Please forgive me, Supervisor Wang. My young master is also worried about the farming. After all, spring planting cannot be delayed, so he inevitably asked a few more detailed questions. Please forgive him."
Wang Yong quickly returned the greeting, "Mr. Zheng, you flatter me. It's my duty, I dare not complain about the hardship."
Immediately, Zheng Bo slipped a bulging brocade pouch from his sleeve and handed it over discreetly.
"Just a small token of my appreciation, to buy the supervisors and the brothers a bowl of herbal tea to cool them down in the heat."
Wang Yong's expression froze. His fingers touched the brocade pouch, and he quickly glanced around before tucking the pouch into his sleeve.
However, even with Zheng Bo personally intervening, Wang Yong remained unmoved, speaking only half-heartedly.
Feng Xiu looked helpless, unable to get a word in edgewise, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Wang Yong's side and behind him.
In the shadows near the base of the wall, a small patch of blue bricks looked as if it had just been soaked in water, contrasting sharply with the dry wall surface around it.
And at the edge of that damp patch, something lay quietly.
The object was inconspicuous, thanks to the enhanced eyesight he gained from martial arts training; if he hadn't observed it carefully, he might not have been able to see it at all.
Feng Xiu's brow twitched as he looked at the two who were still talking. He reached out and ran his hand over the rough wall, deliberately gazing at the shimmering water.
While the two were still talking, he took two steps, bent down, and picked up the thing.
The moment he touched it, a chilling sensation hit him, almost making him drop it.
"In that case, I will trouble Steward Wang today." On the other side, Zheng Bo cupped his hands in a smile to Wang Yong.
"Take care, Mr. Zheng."
Wang Yong replied politely.
Having obtained little intelligence from Wang Yong, Zheng Bo did not linger and drove away in his carriage along the path on the embankment.
"Return to the residence."
Wang Yong bowed respectfully as he saw him off from outside the car.
Inside the carriage, Feng Xiu leaned back on the cushions, looking down at the object, which was about the size of an adult's palm, perfectly fan-shaped, and bluish in color.
This thing was extremely cold to the touch. Even though it had been exposed to the scorching sun for a long time, the bone-chilling cold still crept up from his fingertips into his arm, making the hairs on Feng Xiu's forearm stand on end.
"Strange." Feng Xiu frowned.
Although there are no hairs on the scallop scales, they have an extremely soft, smooth, and slightly bristly texture.
He thought of a tiger; a tiger's tongue may look flat, but it hides rings of barbs.
Although the overall comparison is a bit off, they really do look alike.
Immediately, Feng Xiu placed the scales in his palm and stroked them in one direction, experiencing the smooth, burr-like sensation once again.
His expression turned thoughtful again. Looking at the bigger picture from a single point, how big must a creature with scales the size of an adult's hand be?
Are there two people that tall?
Furthermore, it swims extremely fast underwater and is suspected to have extremely high jumping ability, enabling it to cross dams.
Following this line of thought, it seems... it also has the special ability to walk on land, and recently it has been active in the water.
Feng Xiu was suddenly startled. He tried to suppress his emotions, but the thought seemed to have taken root and was difficult to eradicate.
"A water monster!?"
The idea doesn't conform to reality, but it does conform to current logic.
"Is this the real reason why the River Law Office won't open the reservoirs? Is it because there's this kind of water monster in the water?"
"That's not right either!"
Feng Xiu shook his head in an instant.
The reservoir involves Qingyan City and many downstream villages and farms, and the resulting interests are worth far more than a million.
If anyone blocks your path to making money, don't even mention the ghosts in the water.
Even if you were the Dragon King of the East Sea, I could still fish you out.
The problem now is that the major interest groups in the city have not made any moves.
Feng Xiu remained expressionless, suppressing the chill in his heart, and stroked the scales repeatedly until his fingertips were numb with cold before throwing them out of the car.