Chapter 4

  Zhou Pu took Chen Enze and rode a fast horse ahead, while Lin Xiangru did not go ashore in the afternoon and sat idly in the cabin reading books.

  If you werent living in this era, you wouldnt know how hard it was for ordinary people to have access to books or be literate.

  Below the Lin familys house, there was also a paper-making workshop. A knife of paper had seventy sheets, and the price of a single sheet was three hundred coins. Zhao Hu, who was strong and robust, worked as a porter at the Shanglin Ferry Terminal for half a month. Those booklets printed from the printing blocks of the publishing house were even more unaffordable for ordinary families to spend money on. When Lin Xie and his family left Shiliang County, apart from the two hundred taels of silver and four horses they carried with them, this wooden box of books was probably the most valuable thing they had.

  The official boat sailed into the mouth of Chao Tian Lake at dusk.

  Lin Yu rode on horseback, seeing from afar the city of Jiangning under the dusk, with its dark green city walls and discontinuous dark green mountain ridges merging into one, as if it were right at the end of the sky and the lake. It seemed like the heavenly realm of the Great Yue Kingdom. In the lake, there were also scattered sandbars, big or small. Nearby, a large area of reeds on the lakeshore had been set on fire, burning to a crisp, possibly to prevent bandits from hiding, and one could see wild ducks and water birds being burned to death.

  Coming from Shiliang County, the two hundred miles of waterway are all sparse forests and fields, with a few scattered villages in the desolate countryside. The southern capital of the Great Yue Kingdom, Jiangning City, lies across the river, stretching to the horizon, and a burst of heroic spirit emerges inexplicably in my heart.

  Lin Tie felt that he was getting more and more used to this world. The cities of this era, no matter how grand and majestic they were, couldnt be compared to the steel and concrete forests of a thousand years later. Even this Jiangning City in front of him, with its 150,000 households, seemed insignificant in comparison. But once he got used to this world, he felt that it was truly a miracle for cities with populations of six or seven million to exist in this era.

  In fact, during the reign of Taizu, the population of Jiangning had exceeded 200,000 households. When Taizong moved the capital to Yanjing, many wealthy and powerful families in Jiangning were forced to move to Yanjing, with as many as 60,000 households making the move. Later, another 30,000 households were relocated to Yunnan, resulting in a significant decline in the population of Jiangning, which had fallen to less than 100,000 households. However, as the capital of the dynasty, Jiangning was able to recover and flourish over the next century, with its population gradually increasing to around 150,000 households, with as many as 60,000 households living within the city walls.

  Lin Yu sat on horseback, its hard to imagine that in an era where transportation mainly relied on human power, animal power and waterway transfer, how much heart and soul would be consumed to maintain a city with 1.5 million households.

  Zhao Hu was also visiting Jiangning for the first time, riding a horse alongside Lins side, looking at the Chautian Lake in front of him, and sighed: "I thought Hongze Lake was the largest lake under heaven, but I havent heard much about Chautian Lake. The water surface is much larger than Hongze Lake."

  In front is Cháotiān Yì, and Cháotiān Lake is actually a vast water area directly connected to the Yangtze River. Due to its vast surface, it is separated from the northern Water Gate of Jiangning City by nearly thirty miles, with misty waves stretching far and wide. Originally named Gǔtiān Dàng, after the Hongwu Emperor established his capital in Nanjing, officials from the north had to pass through Gǔtiān Dàng on their way to the imperial city, so it was renamed Cháotiān Lake, a name that has been used ever since.

  Hongze Pu is also Hongze Lake after a thousand years. The entire area of Hongze Pu is much larger than the Chaotian Lake in front of us, but Hongze Pu is composed of a series of small lakes. Especially during the autumn and winter when the water is shallow, looking at the surface of those small lakes, its indeed not as open as the Chaotian Lake in front of us. Lin Xie smiled and explained the difference to Zhao Hu.

  Although Zhao Hu was allowed to follow Zhou Pu to learn martial arts, Lin Xie did not want Zhao Hu to become a mere martial artist. Whenever he had the chance, he would explain some of the things he knew in detail to him, so that he could gain more insight.

  "In fact, the water surface is still small at this time. In summer and autumn flood season, the lake surface of Chao Tian Dang is vast and reaches hundreds of miles...". Lin said, "The earth dam we passed by just now in the afternoon is actually the outer dam of Chao Tian Dang."

  Zhao Hu looked around at the fields and said, "In summer and autumn, when the sky is overcast and it rains for a hundred miles, doesnt this all become a marsh? Why build the river embankment so far away, why not build it here?"

  "In the summer and autumn, the floods are fierce. The narrower the riverbanks on both sides, the more ferocious the floods that are confined to the riverbanks will be. If the north bank is breached, it can still be endured, but if the south bank is breached, it would be a great disaster - even if a dike were to be built here, only a sand dike would be allowed. This is a beach field, a wild field that has been reclaimed and planted with crops. Those farmers who plant grain here are gambling with heaven, and they can only have one season of harvest before the flood season arrives, and their days will be more prosperous... Lin Xian said to himself, thinking that it was not comparable to a thousand years later when steel-reinforced concrete could be used to build strong riverbanks. In this era, most riverbanks were made of earth, and although stone dikes were also very solid, the cost was extremely high. To prevent the threat of floodwaters to the riverbanks during the flood season, the riverbanks would be built as wide as possible. At the Jiangning section, in order to protect the city of Jiangning on the south bank from the threat of flooding, the Chao Tian Lake can be said to have been intentionally left as a flood buffer zone. On the north bank of the Chao Tian Lake, except for a very small number of river dikes, all other dike sections were prohibited from being built with stone, even if there was money and manpower available. This is also the reason why the mouth of the Jiangning River on the north side is much more desolate than it would be a thousand years later."

  "Hehe, I didnt expect you to be unfamiliar with poetry, but you know about river affairs..." Wearing a casual robe, Gu Wu Chen and Yang Pu walked over from behind. Miss Gu of the Gu family, Gu Jun Xiang, had changed into another set of mens clothing and was following closely behind Gu Wu Chen, her eyes darting back and forth in the fading light, looking quite amusing. Lin Xi Lin trailed far behind with his entourage."

  "Governor Guo, why have you also come ashore?" Lin Xie dismounted his horse and gave a bow to Guo Wudu.

  "After entering Jiangning City, will there be another chance to come out and see the vastness of the river? Gu Wu Chen asked back, "Not far from the front ferry terminal, I just happened to exercise my muscles and bones. Its been nearly a year since returning to the capital, but my muscles and bones are not as strong and healthy as they were during the war."

  Lin Xie handed the reins over to Zhao Hu and accompanied Gu Wu Chen towards the ferry terminal in the distance, while the official boat continued to sail along the waterway close to shore.

  Gu Wu Chen initially discussed poetry, literature and Confucian classics with Lin Xuan at the old Gu residence. He intentionally raised some points to test him, but found Lin Xuan clumsy in his responses, thinking he was limited in ability, so he lost interest in this idea. At that time, he unintentionally overheard Lin Xuan discussing river affairs with a servant, and they were surprisingly in perfect harmony, which made Gu Wu Chen feel strange, wondering how Lin Xuan had focused on such worldly skills before taking the imperial examination.

  For nearly a decade, Gu Wudu has been flowing with the current of the times and will not be self-righteous in thinking that everything other than poetry, literature, and Confucian classics is useless. On the contrary, he believes that as an assistant minister, one should share the worries of the ruler and master the art of governing the world. With great interest, he brings up the topic of river affairs with Lin Xiangru on the road: "I dont understand much about river affairs, but my wifes uncle, Tang Gong, once held the position of River Governor-General. The theory of narrow dikes, wide dikes, and distant dikes, I only heard from him before, didnt expect to hear it again from you... The flooding of the Yangtze River is not yet severe, but the Yellow Rivers flooding has already endangered the countrys foundation. There are debates in the court about the art of river governance, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

  "I wouldnt dare to bring out my shallow knowledge for sale," Lin Xianqian humbly said, "In my leisure time, I have read Tang Gongs theory of using solid dikes to control water and sand, all are pearls. Since you asked me if I have any lofty views, I am also selling Tang Gongs words to you."

  “……” Gu Wu Chen burst out laughing, very satisfied with Lin Xies answer. He felt that the young man in front of him still had some talent. As they walked slowly towards the ferry terminal in front of the post house, he followed up with interest and discussed miscellaneous arts such as criminal law, taxation, and supply with Lin Xie. Although Lin Xies knowledge was not particularly profound, it was extensive and his insights were quite novel. Gu Wu Chen put away his condescending attitude and said: "With your talent, you would be more than enough to govern a county; but if you only rely on being a scholar to make a name for yourself and enter officialdom, Im afraid you wont be able to showcase your talents until youre over fifty." He advised with sincerity, "I dont advocate for dead reading of books, however, without taking the imperial examination, how can you show off your talents in front of the emperor?" These words were indeed sincere and heartfelt.

  Lin Xuan saw Gu Wu dust advising himself to participate in the imperial examination, his heart unrelenting. He smiled bitterly and said: "Lin Xuan also knows this principle, but people have their own strengths and weaknesses. These miscellaneous skills are read with relish, while the articles of saints and sages are as bitter as medicine..."

  "You also know that good medicine tastes bitter," Gu Wu Chen shook his head and smiled, standing on this side for a moment, saying, "I have a suggestion, I dont know if you will agree?"

  "Please listen to what Master Gu has to say."

  "After I arrive in Jiangning, I will need to hire a secretary to help me with official duties. If you are not disinclined, this can also solve your livelihood in Jiangning and wont interfere with your studies for the imperial examination in Beijing..." said Gu Wu Chen.

  Lin Xian was taken aback, not expecting Gu Wudu to bring this up. A幕友 (mu you) is a personal assistant or advisor, also known as a "shi ye" in later times. When an official takes office, if he doesnt want to be fooled by his subordinates and wants to handle the affairs well, he needs a team of capable assistants to help him plan and make decisions. Gu Wudu came to Jiangning with Yang Pu, Yang Shi, and Ma Chao, but they were not good at handling official business. His son, Gu Siyuan, was studying hard in Jiangning National Academy and couldnt assist him. His nephews, Gu Siming and Gu Tianqiao, could only serve as servants or book boys. Gu Wudu didnt have a reliable assistant. Being an assistant to Gu Wudu was much better than being a low-ranking official, and one could gain more power and prestige by relying on Gu Wudus influence. The only downside was having to follow Gu Wudu around all the time.

  Lin tied to Jiangning has many things to do, which may follow in the footsteps of Gu Wu Chen.

  Lin Xuans mind was filled with many thoughts, one of which even suspected that Gu Wu Chen might still have feelings for Liu Yue Er. After all, he had left himself by his side, and could even openly let himself move into the Gu residence, where Liu Yue Er would naturally also move in to continue serving as a cook for the Gu family. But then she thought again, even if Gu Wu Chen was still infatuated with Liu Yue Er, it shouldnt be so urgent, perhaps he truly appreciated her.

  Its really frustrating.

  "Mr. Gus appreciation has left Lin Xie with no way to repay," Lin Xie said with a long bow, "Its just that Lin Xie came to Jiangning this time because he was ridiculed and humiliated by his own family, the reason is too embarrassing to say, if Mr. Gu has something to summon him for, Lin Xie will not decline, only...only..." Lin Xies expression was sorrowful as he repeated "only", as if he had been bullied by his family and had a belly full of grievances, then he said to Gu Wudeng, "Lin Xie came to Jiangning hoping to secure an official position, just this one position would be enough for his whole life, no other extravagant desires."

  Gu Jun Xun had heard her mother say that Lin was just an unimportant person in the Lin family, and seeing his sorrowful expression, she couldnt help but be affected, feeling sorry for him. She grasped her fathers arm and whispered: "Father, dont force Young Master Lin to come to our house as a guest..."

  Gu Wu Chens expression changed, and he couldnt help but laugh. He had been thinking of inviting Lin Xie to be his aide because of the kindness Lin Xies family had shown to his own, and also because Lin Xie had some talent. But now, it seemed that his daughter had twisted his words into something unpleasant. Gu Wu Chen didnt even know what had happened in the Lin household recently, and he regretfully said to Lin Xie: "Since you have your reasons and ambitions, I wont force you - as for planning a way out of this situation, I cant agree to it just yet. You should go to Jiangning and rest for now, well talk about it later."

  As they spoke, they saw that they had already arrived at the ferry terminal. Liu Xilin had sent someone to notify the post house in advance, and before the official boat arrived, the post house clerk had prepared carriages and sedan chairs to wait at the ferry terminal. Lin Xuan looked over from a distance and saw that Zhou Pu and Chen Sizhe, who had left with Liu Xilin earlier, were also waiting there. He was about to walk over to ask them why they hadnt gone into the city first when a short young man behind Zhou Pu suddenly waved at him and ran towards him: "Big Brother Lin, Uncle Zhou said you were following the boat, but I didnt believe it!"

  But it was Xiao Man, who had not been seen for over a dozen days, disguised as a young boy waiting with Zhou Pu at the ferry terminal.

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