A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Many of the people who came to work in the surrounding area were locals, and they knew that the government's governance was for their own good.

Even their family members volunteered to help with cooking and handing things to them.

So when this happened, they reacted immediately and were outraged.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'll return to the capital immediately and report this to His Majesty."

"We will definitely arrest and execute all those who embezzled funds!"

"I swear on the name of my Wei family!"

Wei Du looked at the indignant crowd and said.

His gaze swept over the wrinkled faces and coarse linen clothes of the common people.

They're already living such a miserable life, yet people are still making a fuss about it.

Do they have any humanity left?

brute!

"My lord, a new emperor brings a new court. The court today is not the same as it was during the reign of the late emperor."

Huang Ba and Gong Sui's eyes revealed worry; they had also been in Beijing for the past five years.

They knew all too well how arrogant the relatives of the empress and the eunuchs were these days.

"In terms of power, the Wei family has never feared anyone!"

"Even the emperor is the same!"

Flames shot into the sky in Wei Du's eyes.

"The matter of river management concerns the life and death of tens of millions of people on both sides of the Zhuohe River. I will absolutely not allow anyone to sabotage this matter!"

"We swear to follow you to the death, sir!"

Huang Ba and Gong Sui knelt down before Wei Du. Over the years, they had stayed with the people on both sides of the Zhuo River and knew their hardships.

Especially since their hometown is also along the Zhuohe River, a major flood might drown all their fellow villagers!

Now that Wei Du is willing to stand up for the people, they are also willing to die for him.

At this time in Chang'an, the powerful Shi and Wang families, along with the eunuchs Hong Gong and Shi Xian, were happily counting their countless earnings at home.

Little did they know that death was drawing ever closer.

Upon returning to Chang'an, Wei Du led his men directly to the imperial palace.

Emperor Xuan of Han, who was enjoying a comfortable rest in the inner palace, rushed to the palace to receive Wei Du when he heard that Wei Du had come to see him.

Something extremely important must have happened, otherwise he would never have returned so soon after leaving.

Hong Gong and Shi Xian, who were standing beside Emperor Xuan of Han, did not show any anxiety on their faces, but they were burning with anxiety in their hearts.

They didn't expect to be discovered by Wei Du so quickly, and they weren't afraid of Emperor Xuan of Han dealing with them.

They were afraid that if they were discovered, they could easily reach out again.

The Wei family will definitely be on guard against them at that time, and they will lose out on a lot of benefits.

That damned Wei Du, wouldn't it be better to make money with everyone else?!

Why insist on standing up for those peasants!

What good is it for those peasants to praise you?!

The two of them followed behind Emperor Xuan of Han, hoping to get firsthand information.

Upon seeing Wei Du, Emperor Xuan of Han felt a chill run down his spine, and the faces of Hong Gong and Shi Xian also darkened, for they saw the stone brick in Wei Du's hand.

Wei Du's face was extremely pale. Emperor Xuan of Han wondered if the Zhuohe River had flooded.

His father managed the flood control without any problems, but when he took charge of the flood control, the Zhuohe River flooded, and the court and the people were bound to be in an uproar.

"Why did you rush back to Chang'an, my dear minister? What has happened? Has the flooding of the Zhuo River broken out again?"

Emperor Xuan of Han asked anxiously.

"It wasn't just a flood; it was much worse!"

Wei Du reported to Emperor Xuan of Han with a grim expression.

It's even worse than a flood!

Emperor Xuan of Han gasped in shock.

"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

"Someone tampered with the materials used for the treatment of the Zhuohe River!"

Wei Du showed the stone brick in his hand to Emperor Xuan of Han, who immediately noticed the sand inside the brick.

Emperor Xuan of Han was initially relieved, relieved that it hadn't been a major natural disaster.

The relief he felt was quickly replaced by anger.

When his father was controlling the floods, everyone behaved themselves.

Now that he's in power, people dare to do this!

Isn't this a slap in his face?!

Because he had already warned his relatives and eunuchs around him, he subconsciously ruled out these two options.

Apart from these two options, the others aren't that important.

This enraged Emperor Xuan of Han.

Who dares to be so audacious!

"Your Majesty, I request to personally investigate this matter and beseech you to grant me the authority to execute first and report later!"

Wei Du gritted his teeth so hard they almost broke, his tone filled with murderous intent.

"This matter cannot be resolved in a day or two; wouldn't this delay the treatment of the Zhuohe River?"

Emperor Xuan of Han hesitated.

Wei Du did not agree with Emperor Xuan of Han's words.

"If Your Majesty cannot thoroughly investigate this matter, then no one can guarantee that the supplies used at the front lines are up to standard."

"If there are any problems with the supplies, the consequences will be extremely serious!"

"Therefore, the river control project cannot be started until the truth of this matter is revealed!"

"Very well, I will bestow upon you a flying sword..."

Emperor Xuan of Han was interrupted by Hong Gong and Shi Xian, who were standing beside him, before he could finish speaking.

"Your Majesty, please wait. This is merely Lord Wei's opinion. The truth of the matter needs to be verified before it can be confirmed!"

Hong Gong's words aroused Emperor Xuan of Han's suspicion. Hong Gong was right; what if there was some problem here?

Could this be a test from the Wei family?

Once the emperor's suspicions were raised, they wouldn't subside, but Wei Du also needed to be appeased, as the river management ceremony still required his presence.

"That makes sense, but is there any other evidence?"

Emperor Xuan of Han asked.

Huang Ba and Gong Sui, who were standing behind Wei Du, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are willing to testify for you that this is indeed the material for river management."

"You two are his subordinates, so naturally you would say that. Your testimony is unreliable."

Shi Xianyin said with a sly smile.

Huang Ba and Gong Sui wanted to say something more, but Wei Du stopped them. Wei Du simply ignored the two eunuchs, thinking they were beneath his notice and unworthy to argue with him.

"I beg Your Majesty to grant me the authority to execute first and report later, and to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

Hong Gong and Shi Xian did not expect Wei Du to be so disrespectful to them, daring to ignore them.

It should be noted that since Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, their status has risen accordingly. Even the highest officials had to nod and greet them.

Who has ever dared to ignore them?!

Emperor Xuan of Han recalled the words Emperor Zhao of Han had told him before his death:

Wei Du only knew how to manage water resources and never got involved in political struggles; he was someone in the Wei family that could be won over.

In addition, there was his father's posthumous title, Emperor Zhao of Han.

Given his grandfather's achievements, the posthumous title of "Zhao" was bestowed upon his father, largely due to his efforts in flood control during his final years.

For the sake of his posthumous reputation, Emperor Xuan of Han did not want anyone to sabotage the flood control efforts. If this resulted in him receiving a bad posthumous title, wouldn't he have died unjustly?

After figuring it out, Emperor Xuan of Han handed the imperial sword that was beside him to Wei Du.

"For amounts under 2000 shi, you are permitted to act first and report later."

Hong Gong and Shi Xian looked rather grim; they hadn't expected Wei Du to be so assertive.

However, they still did not believe that Wei Du would dare to kill them, even though he possessed a sword.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!"

Wei Du took the sword and glanced at Hong Gong and Shi Xian's necks.