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

"I have not withheld a single grain of military rations," Li Ju interrupted him, his voice not loud but steady. "Look at the grain on this ship; the accounts are there, and every bushel has its source. If you don't believe me, come and check with me."

Zhang Yi looked into his eyes, and the ferocity in his gaze lessened somewhat, but he did not put down the knife in his hand.

"You say it's not true, so why should I believe you?"

Li Ju did not answer. He turned around, took a bag of grain from the cabin, threw it on the deck, and cut it open with a knife. The white rice flowed out.

"How many days have you been starving?"

"Three days."

Li Ju said to Wang Yu, "Cook porridge for them."

Wang Yu panicked: "Minister Li, the grain is being sent to the front lines—"

"The front lines have been defeated," Li Ju said.

Wang Yu was taken aback.

Zhang Yi was also stunned, and the knife in his hand slowly dropped.

The river breeze suddenly turned cold, carrying a chill that swept across everyone's faces.

"What did you say? The front lines have been lost?"

Li Ju looked at him calmly: "You fled back from Liaodong, didn't you know? Of the 300,000 troops, less than half returned alive."

Zhang Yi's face turned deathly pale. The routed soldiers behind him looked at each other, some sobbing softly, others collapsing to the ground.

Li Ju squatted down and looked Zhang Yiping in the eye.

"I don't blame you for looting the grain. But what about next time? And the time after that? The world is so big, how long can you keep looting?"

Zhang Yi's lips moved, but he didn't speak.

"Stay," Li Ju said. "I have grain and work here. You can help me guard the grain, and I'll make sure you're well-fed. When the world is at peace, if you want to go home, I won't stop you."

Zhang Yi looked at him with a complicated expression.

"You are an official of the imperial court, and we are deserters. Aren't you afraid of being punished if you take us in?"

"Punish them?" Li Ju stood up. "Those who embezzle military rations are not punished, those who steal money and grain for dike repairs are not punished, but I take in a few starving deserters, and I'm punished instead?"

Zhang Yi remained silent for a long time.

Then he put down his knife, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and said, "Zhang Yi is willing to serve Li Cheng."

The twenty-odd defeated soldiers behind him knelt down in unison.

Li Ju reached out and helped him up.

"Get up. Eat first."

The fleet stopped in Wu'an County for two days.

Li Ju instructed Wang Yu to incorporate the defeated soldiers into the canal escort team, providing each soldier with new clothes and shoes, and three meals a day.

Zhang Yi was highly skilled in martial arts and a master of combat. Li Ju appointed him as the deputy captain of the canal escort team to assist Wang Yu.

As the news spread, more defeated soldiers came to join them. In less than ten days, the escort team had grown from over a hundred men to over three hundred. Li Ju selected the strongest and most capable men from among them and equipped them with weapons.

Soldiers scattered around Wu'an County, hearing that the place would provide food and spare their lives, flocked to join them.

Upon hearing this, Wei Feng made a special trip to come.

"Li Cheng, if Li Zixiong finds out that you've taken in defeated soldiers—"

"So what if I know?" Li Ju said without turning his head. "If we don't incorporate the defeated soldiers, they'll become bandits. Bandits will rob my ships, not just grain. Rather than letting them cause trouble outside, it's better to bring them in and use them for my own purposes."

Wei Feng looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"You're really bold."

"It's not that I'm brave," Li Ju turned around, "it's that I had no other way to go."

Wei Feng stopped smiling and nodded.

"If you need any help, just say so."

Li Ju cupped his hands in thanks: "General Wei, you are too kind."

In July, news of the defeat in Liaodong reached Luoyang.

Of the 300,000-strong army, more than half had been killed or wounded. Yang Guang ordered a retreat. The news sent shockwaves through Luoyang.

Li Ju stood on the dock of Zhuojun, watching the fleeing army marching south, without uttering a word. Wang Yu stood behind him and whispered, "Prime Minister Li, you've truly lost."

"I know."

"Will the imperial court hold us accountable?"

"Blame them?" Li Ju said calmly. "If you want to blame someone, blame those who embezzled military rations first."

He said nothing more and turned to board the boat.

"Return to Luoyang."

After Yang Guang returned to Luoyang, he was furious, and blood flowed incessantly at the palace gates.

Every day, officials were escorted to the East Market and beheaded. Countless others were demoted or dismissed.

Everyone in the court and the public was in a state of fear, and officials bid farewell to their families before going to court.

More than a dozen officials, from junior supervisors to principal officers, were dismissed from their posts within the Water Conservancy Bureau. Su Huai'an was also demoted, reportedly to Lingnan.

Everyone in the Water Conservancy Bureau was on edge, except for Li Ju, who remained unharmed.

Not only was she unharmed, but she also caught Yang Guang's eye.

The water envoy summoned Li Ju to the main hall and handed him a document.

"Li Cheng, this is the account book submitted by the Department of Revenue. You handled 40% of the grain transported from Luoyang to Zhuojun, a total of one million shi, and there was not a single delay or shortage."

Li Ju took it, glanced at it, and said nothing.

"His Majesty looked at it and asked, 'Who is this Li Ju?'" The Water Envoy paused. "This is an incredible opportunity. If His Majesty gives you an important position, you can at least be promoted to the fifth rank."

Li Ju remained silent.

The Water Envoy looked at him and sighed, "But Li Zixiong's men have spoken. They say you're young, only seventeen, inexperienced, and unfit for such a great responsibility. Several veteran officials have also echoed this sentiment."

Li Ju's expression remained unchanged.

"Finally, His Majesty has made the decision." The Water Conservancy Commissioner pushed another document over, "River Embankment Attendant, a sixth-rank official, is responsible for the river embankments, granaries, and ferry crossings in the area from Luoyang to Liyang."

Li Ju took the document and glanced at it.

"Your subordinate obeys."

The Water Envoy looked at him, hesitated, and finally said only, "Prime Minister Li, don't you feel wronged?"

Li Ju carefully put away the document and bowed slightly.

"I'm not aggrieved. I'm already very fortunate to be able to stay on."

The Water Envoy shook his head and said nothing more.

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

Wang Yu and Du Chen were both present. Wang Yu had already heard the news and slammed his fist on the table.

"Li Cheng! You've done such a great service, and you only got promoted one rank? That son of a bitch Li Zixiong—"

"Go far." Li Ju sat down, picked up the documents on the table, and said, "That's enough."

"Not enough!" Wang Yu's face turned red with anger. "From seventh rank to sixth rank, that's only one level! Those corrupt officials are getting promoted and making a fortune one by one, while you, in charge, are working your ass off—"

"I've said enough."

Li Ju's voice wasn't loud, but Wang Yu shut up.

Du Chen didn't look up from beginning to end; the pen tip scratched on the paper.

Only after Wang Yu fell silent did he speak: "The Riverbank Attendant, in charge of the riverbank, granaries, and ferry crossings, how many men does he have under his command?"

Li Ju flipped through the documents and said, "The grain transport team has three hundred men, the river embankment soldiers have two hundred men, and the granary supervisors and ferry officials in various places have a total of about six hundred men."

Du Chen nodded: "Compared to the Chief Water Supervisor, he has more military power."

Wang Yu was taken aback, then realized what was happening, and his eyes lit up.

"Li Cheng, you mean—"

Li Ju did not answer, but simply closed the document, stood up, and walked to the window.

"A sixth-rank official, not a high position. But he has soldiers, provisions, granaries, and a ferry crossing." He paused, "That's enough."

Wang Yu stopped joking and chuckled twice.

"Li Cheng—no, now he should be called Li Yezhe, I'm truly impressed by your brain."

Du Chen glanced at him and said indifferently, "You're only just finding out?"

Wang Yu glared at him, but didn't say anything back.