My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Just a few days into spring, the order from the Water Conservancy Bureau came down.

The water envoy summoned Li Ju to the main hall, pushed a document over, and his expression was somewhat complicated.

"Li Ju, you are in charge of supervising the transport of grain and fodder along the river from Luoyang to Zhuojun."

Li Ju took the document, glanced at it, and did not speak immediately.

Supervising the transport of grain from Luoyang to Zhuojun sounds like an important position. But he knew in his heart that it was a tough job.

The river had just thawed, the ice floes were still intact, making navigation difficult and the journey arduous. Even the slightest mistake on the road could mean missing a crucial military operation and losing one's head.

"My lord," he said, "who has been in charge of transporting goods along this route in previous years?"

"In previous years, it was someone from the Ministry of Works," the Water Envoy paused, "but this year someone recommended you."

"Who recommended him?"

The water envoy glanced at him but did not answer.

Li Ju understood.

Su Huai'an.

"Your subordinate obeys." He put away the document and bowed.

The Water Envoy looked at him, hesitated, and finally only said, "Be careful on the road."

Li Ju left the main hall, walked through the corridor, and returned to his duty room.

Wang Yu and Du Chen were both there. Wang Yu was leaning against the window eating a pancake, while Du Chen was doing accounts at his desk.

"Li Cheng, what's wrong? You don't look well." Wang Yu put down the pancake.

Li Ju placed the document on the table: "Supervise the transport of grain and fodder from Luoyang to Zhuojun. I will lead the team."

Wang Yu was stunned for a moment, then cursed, "Damn it, isn't this just asking for trouble? The river has just thawed, and the ice hasn't been cleared yet. Setting off now is practically suicide!"

Du Chen looked up at Li Ju, didn't scold him, but simply asked, "When are we leaving?"

"Ten days later."

Du Chen nodded and lowered his head to continue calculating the accounts.

Wang Yu looked at him, then at Li Ju, and sighed, "Fine. Li Cheng, I'll follow you wherever you go."

Li Ju walked to the window and looked at the corner of the courtyard where the snow had not yet melted.

Spring has arrived. But it's still cold.

Ten days later, at Luoyang Wharf.

The first batch of grain ships were ready to set sail. Thirty grain ships, fully loaded with military provisions, headed north along the Yongji Canal to Zhuojun.

Li Ju stood on the dock, dressed in a blue official robe with a thick cotton robe over it, holding a list in his hand, checking each item one by one. The wind blew from the river, carrying the chill of broken ice, cutting like knives against his face.

Wang Yu jumped off the ship, rubbing his hands together, and said, "Li Cheng, everything is loaded. Thirty ships, no more, no less."

"Where are the laborers?"

"There are 120 people on the boat. A few are shivering from the cold and might not make it."

Li Ju frowned, walked to the side of the boat, and looked at the few laborers huddled in the corner. They were all elderly men in their forties or fifties, thinly dressed, with pale faces.

"When we get to the next stop, give them thicker coats," he told Wang Yu. "Get the money from the public account."

"Sir, this amount isn't in the official accounts—"

"I'll pay."

Wang Yu glanced at him but said nothing more.

The fleet set sail.

Li Ju sat at the bow of the first boat, with a map of the canal spread out in front of him. He knew every bend, every sluice gate, and every section of the Yongji Canal by heart, but he was still not at ease and wanted to watch it pass by with his own eyes.

The first few days went relatively smoothly. Although the river was narrow and there were many ice floes, the fleet moved slowly and managed to cross.

On the fifth day, something happened.

Thirty miles north of Liyang, a section of the river was blocked by ice. Large chunks of ice were piled together, forming an ice dam that cut the river in half. Grain boats could not pass, and the boats behind them were also blocked, unable to move forward or backward.

Wang Yu stood at the bow of the boat and looked around. He then returned and said, "Li Cheng, this ice dam is quite thick. I'm afraid we can't ram it with the boat."

"Use laborers to chisel." Li Ju took off his outer robe and picked up an iron pickaxe.

"Li Cheng!" Wang Yu stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"Chisel the ice."

"You are the commander, not a laborer!"

"The laborers are so cold they can't even lift their hands. If I don't go, who will?" Li Ju walked past him and jumped onto the ice.

Wang Yu paused for a moment, cursed, and grabbed a pickaxe to follow.

The ice was bitterly cold. Li Ju swung his pickaxe, striking the ice repeatedly.

Ice shards flew and stung his face. His hands quickly went numb from the cold, but he dared not stop.

Seeing that their superiors were chiseling ice, the laborers dared not hesitate any longer and jumped onto the ice to join them.

From dawn till dusk, they finally managed to carve an opening in the ice dam.

Standing at the bow of the boat, watching the first boat slowly pass through the opening, Li Ju realized that he could no longer hold the pen.

Wang Yu handed over a hand warmer and said, "Li Cheng, your hands are shaking."

"It's alright." Li Ju took the hand warmer and held it in his hands.

When the fleet arrived in Liyang, a familiar figure appeared at the dock—Wei Nizi.

She was wrapped in a thick red coat and came with the Wei family's merchant ship, carrying a large bundle in her arms. She jumped onto Li Ju's ship, panting heavily.

"Li Huairun! You've finally arrived! I've been waiting here for two days!"

Li Ju looked at her, frowned, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm delivering something." Wei Nizi shoved the bundle into his arms. "My sister asked me to deliver this. She said it's cold and you should wear more clothes."

Li Ju opened the bundle.

Inside was a thick cotton robe, indigo in color, with a thick cotton lining, twice as thick as his own. There were also several boxes of ointment—for frostbite, for colds, and for sprains. There was also a packet of calming incense and a small jar of warming snacks.

Wei Nizi counted on her fingers: "The cotton robe was made by my elder sister overnight, the ointment was prepared by someone from the Imperial Medical Bureau, the calming incense was mixed by my elder sister herself, and the snacks were made by my elder sister herself—she said that you were staying up late and it was bad for your health, so you should eat something to warm your stomach."

Li Ju looked at the pile of things and remained silent for a moment.

"Please thank your elder sister for me."

"Okay, okay," Wei Nizi said, turning around and jumping back onto the Wei family's merchant ship. He waved to him, "Be careful on the road! Don't catch a cold!"

The merchant ship slowly pulled away from the shore. Wei Nizi stood at the stern, getting further and further away.

Li Ju stood at the bow of the boat, clutching the cotton robe, for a long time.

Wang Yu poked his head out of the cabin, glanced at it, and then withdrew.

"Du Shoucheng," he lowered his voice, "what's wrong with Li Cheng?"

Du Chen didn't even look up: "Staring blankly."

"What are you spacing out for?"

"If you want to know, go ask him yourself."

Wang Yu pursed his lips, not daring to.

The fleet continued north.

The further north they went, the colder it got, and the more difficult the river became. Li Ju only slept for two hours a day, getting up before dawn to check the ice conditions and not resting until it was completely dark. He didn't have time to eat or drink, and he lost a lot of weight.

Du Chen was checking the accounts on the ship when he discovered something strange.

"Li Cheng," he handed the account book to Li Ju, "the targets for Zhuojun are 30% lower than in previous years."

Li Ju took the account book, glanced at it, and frowned.

"Someone sabotaged things behind the scenes," Du Chen said. "The target was set too low, so even if we exceeded it, it wouldn't be considered a major achievement. But if something went wrong, it would be a serious demerit."

Li Ju closed the account book and remained silent for a moment.

"Regardless of the quota, the grain must be delivered. Not a single bushel can be missing."

Du Chen nodded and said nothing more.

The fleet arrived at Ji County and it was time to change ships.

Li Ju found the warehouse supervisor of the local transshipment warehouse and handed over the documents from the Dushui Bureau.

The warehouse supervisor glanced at the document, pushed it back, and shook his head, saying, "Minister Li, it's not that I'm not cooperating. The orders from above are that we don't have enough ships; we can only give you fifteen."