As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 253 Qi Ke is really worried about his uncle.

The heroes of Beilie?
What a clever mouth!
The child spoke with a smile and a respectful tone, without a single fault in his voice.

Mingchen is not a Beilie person; in some ways, he is Beilie's opponent.

This suggestion was not made with good intentions.

Others may not know, but the Qin family father and son could not possibly be unaware of the purpose behind Mingchen's open scheme.

Now, this child calls him a hero of Beilie.

Half of it was flattery and friendly talk, half was teasing, and there was also a hint of Bei Lie's satisfaction at thwarting Ming Chen's plans.

Mingchen wore a smile on his face, but his inner emotions were unfathomable. He simply replied, "I am merely a smooth talker and cannot be considered a hero. Without the support of the entire Beilie nation, my words would be nothing but a rootless duckweed."

"Uncle is too modest."

"In the army, the first to charge forward is the one who achieves the greatest merit. In any industry, in any strategy, the first person to come up with an idea, the first person to take action, is the one who achieves the greatest merit."

"My uncle helped our country to be transformed, and this matter should be remembered for all time, and my children and grandchildren will strive to praise it for generations to come."

Regardless, you, Mingchen, helped Bei Lie.

This matter is now etched onto you; you can't escape it.

"If my uncle were to serve as an official in our court, he would surely be granted the highest rank and become the most powerful minister."

Qin Qi knew that his father, the emperor, was deeply attached to this treacherous minister.

Mingchen shrugged and replied, "Your Highness is joking. I am already at the pinnacle of my position in the Qian Yuan Dynasty. If His Majesty hears this, he will misunderstand me."

Beilie stock is really good!
Everything is looking up, and the future is bright.

Unfortunately, he didn't get any initial shares.

Moreover, they all have large amounts of capital injected into them.

Qin Qi naturally understood the implication in Ming Chen's words, but he just smiled and didn't say anything more. He looked up at the sky and changed the subject, saying, "Uncle, I've been delayed on the way here, and it's getting late."

"Uncle, you may not know this, but the climate in Beilie is harsh, with a huge difference between day and night. Be careful not to catch a cold."

"There are no inns or post stations around. If there is nothing else, would you like to return to the camp with me? I have long admired you, Uncle, and I would be very grateful if you would do me the honor of having the opportunity to light a lamp and serve tea with me."

He finally saw Mingchen alive. No matter what, he had to take him back to show his father.

"No, no! Your Highness is being too kind to me!"

Mingchen feigned gratitude and said, "I am but a crude, lowly, and arrogant scholar. How could I possibly deserve such kindness from Your Highness!"

Therefore, Mingchen still prefers to spend time with his own emperor.

We rose together from humble beginnings, knowing each other inside and out, so there was no need for us to wear masks.

Qin Qi simply turned to the side and waved his hand, saying, "Please!"

"please!"

The two put on an act, testing each other, and the uncle and nephew walked hand in hand.

At least on the surface, everything appears harmonious.

Mingchen came to Beilie for two reasons: first, to check on the progress of the canal construction, and second, to see Qinlou.

Qin Lou is different from Hong Ling Shuang. Qin Lou is a hardworking monarch with a strong desire for control. He usually lives in the palace in Qing Cang City to handle government affairs and does not spawn in the wild.

The imperial palace is a place where the fate of the nation converges, and it cannot be forcibly entered. If Mingchen wants to see Qin Lou, he will need to go through a series of procedures and twists and turns.

It would be more convenient to just follow this excellent crown prince.

……

By the time Mingchen and Qin Qi returned to the canal, it was already completely dark.

The Crown Prince was ordered to oversee the water canal. Although he was not very old, he managed it extremely well, and the area was orderly with a clear division of labor.

Mingchen's arrival did not cause any major incidents; at most, passersby glanced at him.

Mingchen wanted to cause some trouble, but he couldn't find anything to provoke.

"Young master, there are some demons and cultivators here."

"There were about fifteen people, two of whom had a particularly imposing presence."

No one else could help?

Just take this with a grain of salt!
Even the new dynasty of Qian Yuan, which had no powerful backers, still had extraordinary individuals coming to join it, let alone the 'destined' Bei Lie, which had some background.

The little bird circled in the sky, returned to Mingchen's shoulder, and spoke to him.

These people are naturally the reason why Beilie was able to build the canal so quickly.

Mingchen didn't say much, he just nodded slightly.

The night was quiet, and the candlelight flickered.

The Crown Prince sat facing Mingchen, his expression serene: "I wonder what brings Uncle to Beilie, to this dirty and chaotic place of canal construction?"

Come and investigate!

Mingchen didn't need to say it; everyone already knew.

Mingchen rubbed the teacup in his hand, and the lie came out of his mouth: "There's nothing to do in the court, and I'm not one to sit still, so I came abroad to travel around. It's been a long time since we last met, and I wanted to pay my respects to His Majesty. A few days ago, I was attacked by river pirates and lost my way, so I wandered here. Fortunately, I met the Crown Prince, otherwise I don't know where I would have wandered off to."

"Oh?"

"My uncle wants to see my father, the Emperor! Hahaha~"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince laughed heartily: "To be honest, my father has also long harbored feelings for my uncle! In that case, how about I personally escort my uncle back to the capital?"

"Oh dear! I am but a layman. Your Highness is busy with official duties. Please do not let my little matter delay the project."

"No delay, no delay! Uncle's matter is of great importance! Besides, Qi himself also needs to return to the palace to report to my father, so we can go together!"

Mingchen had this as his purpose, so he didn't refuse any longer: "In that case, I will trouble Your Highness."

"Uncle is so generous!"

The Crown Prince picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Mingchen with a smile.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and a look of regret appeared on his face: "Oh no!"

Mingchen raised an eyebrow, looking at the crown prince's somewhat exaggerated acting: "Hmm?"

“Uncle, you are a high-ranking official of the Qian Yuan Emperor. Now, in this remote place, you are drinking and talking with me by candlelight. If this gets out, it will probably arouse the Qian Emperor’s suspicions, which would be very disadvantageous for you!”

"Oh dear! What should we do?"

Mingchen: ...

It's unclear whether the prince misunderstood something he said on the mountain earlier.

This child is so young, how could he learn those manipulative tricks?

With His Majesty the Emperor absent, your secret rendezvous with me won't upset my sister, the Empress Dowager, will it?
These are all the Crown Prince's men, and besides, not many of them know Mingchen.

If the Crown Prince doesn't want it, how can the news get out?

Mingchen sipped his tea and smiled at him: "It's alright, Your Highness can rest assured! My relationship with Her Majesty is one of mutual support amidst chaos and trivialities. Even if the world says I'm rebelling, she will believe me."

"Eh~"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's eyes flashed, but he immediately waved his hand, admonishing Mingchen, "Uncle, please forgive my outspokenness, but what a subject must most avoid is becoming arrogant and presumptuous, thus displeasing the emperor. There are many people in this world who can share hardships, but few who can share wealth. The emperor is the emperor, and the subject is the subject. Uncle, please be careful with your words, lest you say something wrong and displease the Emperor."

"I implore you to be careful, Uncle. I am truly worried about you!"

This is outrageous; I've spotted a green tea bitch in a child.

Does your dad know you're talking like that?

How could the Northern Emperor, that muscle-bound brute, have fathered such a prince?

Mingchen smiled and said, "It's alright."

“Your Highness, you must also be careful! We are of different statuses, each representing our own country. I know that my Emperor can still tolerate me. However, the people of Beilie are tough, strong-willed, and unyielding. They hate betrayal and collusion with the enemy the most. If this matter gets out, and is not handled properly, it may have a significant impact on Your Highness.”

"Forehead……"

Qin Qi paused upon hearing this, and couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"It's alright, it's alright, Uncle is overthinking it. Uncle is a hero of our dynasty. What's wrong with me meeting and talking with you at night? Our friendship is that of gentlemen. Our hearts are clear as mirrors, and if we are upright, we have nothing to fear."

"Hahaha!"

"Correct!"

Mingchen smiled and raised his teacup; the two of them took a sip together.

Everything was left unsaid, and the brief probing was swallowed up by the tea.

Time flowed slowly, and the night breeze gently caressed the dry yellow earth of Beilie.

As night fell, the canal construction work was temporarily halted.

The two men, who were in charge of the national situation, exchanged a few more pleasantries in the tent.

We talked about some everyday matters and exchanged a few lukewarm comments about national affairs.

In just a few words, the relationship seemed to have grown closer.

The Crown Prince paused, then turned to Mingchen and said, "Uncle, you've seen Lin Xuqu now. What do you think?"

Mingchen smiled and did not hold back his praise: "To seize the creation of heaven and earth is truly a treasure of human power. Bei Lie's diligence is astonishing. Your Highness and His Majesty have worked for the country and the people. In the future, they will surely be remembered for eternity and worshipped and admired by millions of descendants."

Qin Qi smiled and shook his head upon hearing this: "Uncle is joking. It's still far from certain. As long as everything goes smoothly and the people of this marshland can cultivate the land well and have enough to eat, I will be content. What do I care about being remembered for eternity? Uncle is too kind! My father entrusted me with such an important task, and I have worked here every day and night without slacking off. That's how I have achieved this small success."

"However, building a canal is an act of offending nature, which will inevitably provoke the wrath of heaven and earth. Such a large project, stretching for hundreds of miles, is destined to have too many unpredictable problems. If we are not careful, we will lose everything. I am apprehensive and dare not be greedy."

The Crown Prince rose and bowed to Mingchen: "I have encountered a few problems. As the one who proposed this strategy, Uncle, you must have already discussed it in your mind. I hope that you will set aside our differences and generously offer your guidance. I would be extremely grateful!"

Although Qin Qi was young, he was exceptionally intelligent and skilled at disguise.

But what he's saying now is from the bottom of his heart.

Although the Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent, he was born and raised in Beilie, and there are certain character traits ingrained in him by this land that he cannot escape.

Building canals is a major undertaking; it's not just a short ditch, but a massive water conservancy project stretching for hundreds of miles.

The few words Mingchen spoke to Qinlou in court were merely a direction, and this direction, like a tree trunk, would spread and grow into countless branches. Each branch, each leaf... required the immense resources and wisdom of the people to achieve.

Specific issues such as water flow, soil, climate, and topography all need to be discussed in a practical and detailed manner, and every detail needs to be carefully considered. A slight oversight could lead to huge problems later on.

All aspects must be considered. Naturally, the Crown Prince is also weighing many issues.

For example, should we open up the mountain, should we take a detour, or should we change routes if the soil is too loose...

Beilie has some entrenched traditional beliefs. In the past, they have always revered the Liehe River as their mother river. Even when droughts or floods occur, they only pray for the mother river to calm down. They have never thought of changing the river course or making changes to their mother river.

Such a cultural system breeds many problems.

That means they don't have strong knowledge in this area, haven't worked on any large-scale water conservancy projects, and don't have any outstanding water conservancy experts.

The extraordinary person is only skilled in esoteric arts and is not actually enthusiastic about knowledge. After all, there is no need to study folk arts when there are magic spells to solve problems.

Magic can solve problems temporarily, but it cannot solve them permanently.

The emperor has now made a firm decision to eliminate the long-standing problems left by his ancestors, but this lack of knowledge cannot be gained through ruthlessness and decisiveness alone.

The Beilie people were all feeling their way across the river as they built this massive project, and the person in charge was even a water conservancy expert invited from Qian Yuan.

However, the general direction has been set. These problems are not intractable, just tedious. They require some compromise and thought, and will naturally be resolved after a period of time.

With such a chief engineer in front of him, Qin Qi naturally wanted to ask him some questions.

Regardless of Mingchen's good intentions, as the one who proposed the water channel plan, it wouldn't hurt if he said a few words to me, even if it was just a lie. It would always be good to let him think about things from a different perspective.

Having been involved in this irrigation project for so long, he was confident he could tell whether it was good or bad.

Mingchen smiled and did not refuse: "What do you mean by being generous with your advice? I am just a smooth talker. If Your Highness trusts me, then please tell me your opinion. I am willing to share my humble opinion with Your Highness, and Your Highness can make the decision."

"Hahaha! Very good, very good. Uncle is a man of exceptional talent and wisdom, and you must be very insightful! With your words, I am relieved."

"To be honest, as you can see, Uncle, the irrigation canal has been completed to the second half, but there are still many problems. I am very worried and afraid that I might make a mistake. I hope you can give me some pointers."

"Firstly, there is the problem of sand and soil. Right here, the sand and soil here are too loose. If the irrigation canal is built and water flows through, I'm afraid it will be washed away by the large amount of water, resulting in a large loss of soil and water. In the future, the dam will be breached, which may cause disaster. What do you think, Uncle?"

This is why Qin Qi has been staying here these past few days; it's the problem he needs to deal with right now.

Mingchen had previously put in a lot of effort to study water conservancy, and even visited some water conservancy experts to discuss the matter before taking office.

Combining their knowledge from their previous lives, they also came up with some novel ideas that caught the eye of these water conservancy experts.

Putting everything else aside, Mingchen has quite a lot of knowledge in this area.

After all, this matter will likely be brought to the negotiating table in the future; it's not something that can be said outright, but it's not something that can be kept secret.

Faced with the Crown Prince's question, he simply smiled: "Regarding this matter, I believe the soil can be solidified by mixing sand with clay, straw, etc., to enhance its cohesiveness. The ratio should be around 10% to 30%. The engineering structure can also be reinforced by using stepped excavation and gentle slope design, adjusting the slope according to the soil type to reduce the erosion force of water flow..."

Faced with this dangerous opponent, Mingchen seemed to hold nothing back, instead recounting everything he knew in detail.

The crown prince hadn't held out much hope.

However, as time went by and as Mingchen spoke each word, he was visibly shaken, his expression grew increasingly solemn, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.

"and many more!"

"and many more!"

"Uncle, Uncle, please speak slowly. Let me fetch paper and pen to write this down!"

His face lit up with joy, and he called out to Mingchen in a hurry, then ran to the side and rummaged through the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.

At this moment, the word "uncle" was spoken with utmost sincerity.

"Uncle, please speak!"

He pushed the teacup and teapot to the ground, holding a pen in his hand, his eyes shining as he looked at Mingchen.

Mingchen simply smiled and shook his head, continuing, "We can also lay a thick layer of pebbles on the bottom and slopes of the canal, and fill the gaps with clay for reinforcement. We can also plant drought-resistant grass around the canal and shrubs on both sides of the canal top to protect the soil with vegetation..."

"Hahaha! Good, good!"

"Excellent! Uncle is truly talented!"

Mingchen simply waved his hand.

This time, he neither set a trap nor lied to anyone.

These problems are not complicated. Beilie is just lacking in talent. They will figure them out themselves in a while.

With the intervention of an outsider, this policy of isolationism has become useless.

Since that's the case, why not make a good connection and improve the irrigation canal? It would benefit the country and its people, and be a great achievement for generations to come.

He, as the one who proposed it, had already put in a lot of effort and naturally hoped for a good outcome.

He was a selfish and self-serving person, destined to be unable to achieve the saintly state of the rat. But after spending time with him, he was eventually influenced by its sincere heart.

"And there's more,"

I've really struck gold today!
Having stumbled upon Mingchen, a treasure trove, Qin Qi was determined to dig it out thoroughly, no matter what.

"Secondly, the terrain ahead is extremely steep..."

At this moment, the crown prince seemed more real.

He had lost the perfect demeanor he had at first sight, and seemed no different from any other ordinary, passionate young man.

Holding a pen, she looked at Mingchen with eager eyes and asked one question after another.

Devout and persistent.

He is a good prince.

He behaves politely in public, but is actually warm-hearted and kind at heart.

In a daze, Mingchen seemed to see the shadow of an old friend.

Qian Yuan once had a crown prince like that...

Time flows slowly by, and in the summer, cicadas chirp and crickets rustle.

As night deepened, the young crown prince showed no signs of drowsiness. He stared intently at his 'uncle,' who was not much older than him, and bombarded him with questions.

And most of the problems were also learned from the other party to some extent.

Before I knew it, I had already written several pages.

Qin Qi was so excited that he had forgotten the time.

Suddenly, a cautious yet urgent voice came from outside the tent.

"Your Highness...aren't you going to rest?"

The loyal servant knew nothing but to protect his master's health.

Qin Qi shuddered, his consciousness finally returning from that excited state.

"What time is it?"

The maid outside the door said in a tearful voice, "Your Highness, it's already past four in the morning."

The servants dared not disturb their master's work, but the crown prince had never stayed up this late before.

The Crown Prince is still young and growing; we must not harm his health.

Wow, that was fast!

Qin Qi glanced at the flickering candlelight and called out to the attendant outside the tent, "I understand, you may leave now."

"Yes."

After the servant left, Qin Qi stood up and bowed to Ming Chen, saying, "Uncle, I was so excited that I forgot the time and caused you to work with me all night. I was really wrong and hope you will forgive me."

Whether in his past or present life, Mingchen is a master of staying up all night.

He didn't seem to mind, and simply waved his hand casually: "It's alright."

Qin Qi looked down at the paper he had written down, which could save him a lot of trouble and provide multiple layers of protection for the irrigation canal.

This is a priceless treasure.

That night he received an unexpected gift.

Thinking of this, Qin Qi's expression turned serious. Even though he was the crown prince of the Northern Lie people, he bowed solemnly to Ming Chen without any hesitation: "Uncle, please accept my bow."

What was once insincere politeness has now become a genuine expression of sincerity.

This is different.

Mingchen also stood up and helped up his 'nephew,' who was only a few years younger than him: "Your Highness is too polite."

The child shook his head quite firmly: "Yes, yes!"

"My uncle deserves the greatest credit for the construction of the canal. When the canal is completed, I will personally inscribe my uncle's name on a monument of glory for my descendants to worship and pay homage to."

Mingchen simply waved his hand.

Therefore, there is also a glimmer of humanity in the character of the Beilie people.

Qin Qi raised his head, looking at his cunning 'uncle' with a somewhat dazed expression.

Based on his current understanding of water conservancy, he knew that what Mingchen had given him was good.

Before meeting him, he had many thoughts and speculations about this person.

After meeting, there were some new insights and tests.

Even though Mingchen is an unpredictable person, he believes he already has some understanding of him.

However, he now realizes that he seems to have never truly understood Mingchen.

What on earth was he thinking?
They're our rivals!
His father, the emperor, worked tirelessly day and night, his only grand ambition being to send a million soldiers south to wash away the national humiliation and unify the world.

They were destined to go through a struggle.

Why are you now answering his questions without reservation?

This is of no benefit whatsoever to Qian Yuan.

Qin Qi carefully put away the recorded answer, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask Mingchen, "Uncle...why?"

Why help this enemy?

The rest was left unsaid, but both of them were intelligent people.

Mingchen naturally knew what Qin Qi was asking.

(End of this chapter)