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

Emperor Yang Guang issued an edict to launch a campaign against Goguryeo.

Grain supplies from all over the country were urgently transported to Zhuojun.

The Luoyang Grand Canal Transport Office transformed overnight from a seemingly insignificant government office into a powder keg.

The words in the imperial edict carried great weight—

"Those who delay military rations will be dealt with according to military law."

In plain language, it means: lose your head.

On the Luo River and the Tongji Canal, grain boats were packed like flocks of sheep in winter.

The grain transport boats from Jiangnan, the civilian boats from Hebei, and the military supply boats allocated from various places were all crowded outside Xintan Wharf, unable to get in or out.

The boatmen fought on the shore, while the clerks secretly slept around them.

The imperial court gave them a deadline of ten days to dredge the waterways and send out the first batch of military rations.

Otherwise, everyone in the Grand Canal Transport Office will come forward with their heads.

Liu, the steward, was so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters. He cursed people at the dock every day, cursing the boatmen, the petty officials, and then God.

Li Ju did not curse.

He was flipping through the ledgers, going over the records of the canal transport over the past three months from beginning to end.

The numbers don't match.

The grain transported from Jiangnan was recorded as 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), but only 93,000 shi were delivered to the granary.

Where did those seven thousand shi go?

The answer was: "Loss during transit."

Loss? The canal was calm, no boats capsized, no thieves robbed, yet the loss was seven thousand shi (a unit of dry measure)?

Li Ju closed the account book and went to find Manager Liu.

"Sir, I have a way to clear the waterway, but there are a few things that require your approval."

Manager Liu was pacing anxiously when he heard this, and grabbed him: "Speak!"

Li Ju mentioned three points.

First, rearrange the ship order.

Channels are divided according to draft – heavy ships travel in deep water, light ships travel in shallow water, and empty ships stay close to the side, etc.

Prioritize destinations: those going to Zhuojun take priority, those going to western Liaoning take second, and the rest go last.

Grouped by ship type – large ships travel on the main current, while smaller ships travel on tributaries, so they do not interfere with each other.

Second, optimize warehousing.

The Hanjia Warehouse has eight warehouse doors, but only two are currently open. If all doors were open, each door would have a loading and unloading team working in shifts, day and night.

Once the ship arrives, unload the cargo and leave immediately; no one is allowed to stay overnight at the dock.

Third, audit the accounts.

All loss accounts from the past three months were re-examined, and any false reports were recovered, while those who embezzled were apprehended.

After listening, Manager Liu remained silent for a moment.

"I approve the first two conditions. The third one..." He glanced at Li Ju, "Do you know how deep the water runs in here?"

"I know," Li Ju said. "So we'll start by investigating the small ones. We'll make an example of one or two to deter others. We'll deal with the bigger ones later."

Manager Liu gritted his teeth: "Investigate."

Li Ju took three days.

On the first day, the fleet was reorganized. The ships that were originally in complete disarray at the dock were divided into three groups according to the new rules—the left channel went to Zhuojun, the middle channel went to Liaoxi, and the right channel was on standby.

The boatmen initially protested, shouting, "Why should he go first?" Li Ju didn't say much, but instead brought out the command flag of Manager Liu, declaring that anyone who caused trouble would have their boat seized.

The loading and unloading speed was increased on the second day. All eight doors of Hanjiacang were opened, with a shift every four hours, so that the ships never stopped even when the crew rested.

On the first day, 8,000 shi were unloaded; on the second day, 15,000 shi were unloaded; and on the third day, 20,000 shi were unloaded.

At the same time, the accounts were checked.

He selected three of the most obstinate minor officials and publicly verified their shipboard records and the actual number of items deposited into the warehouse.

One was short by 600 shi, one was short by 1200, and one was short by 2000.

Li Ju slammed the account book on the table: "Was it lost? Was it eaten by the wind? Or drunk by the water?"

The three men turned pale and knelt down, begging for mercy.

Li Ju didn't touch them, but reported the figures he had found to Manager Liu.

Without saying a word, Chief Liu tied up the fattest one and sent him to be brought to justice.

The rest all behaved themselves.

On the third day, the last ship of grain was delivered to the warehouse.

As Liu, the steward, looked at the words "Twelve thousand bushels of grain have been sent to Zhuojun" in the account book, his hands trembled.

It wasn't fear, it was excitement.

"Huai Run." That was Li Ju's courtesy name.

"exist."

"You're a fucking genius."

Li Ju smiled but didn't reply.

There were dark circles under his eyes, and he hadn't had a good night's sleep in three days.

"Go back and rest." Manager Liu patted him on the shoulder. "I'll recommend you for commendation tomorrow."

Li Ju bowed and took his leave. By the time he left the yamen, it was almost dark.

Wei Nizi sat on the stone steps beside the road that Li Ju always took home, holding a small food box, and had been sitting there all day.

This is the third day.

On the first day, she waited from morning until sunset, but nothing happened.

She came again the next day, but still didn't see her. The maid advised her not to wait anymore, but she said, "I'll wait one more day."

On the third day, she came again early in the morning, sat on the same stone steps, held the food box in her arms, and stared straight ahead.

The maidservant beside her was extremely anxious: "Madam, let's go back, it's already dark."

"Wait a little longer." Wei Nizi stared straight ahead without blinking.

"You've been waiting for three days!"

"Then let's wait one more day."

The maid sighed and dared not say anything more.

She knew this young woman's temper—she seemed carefree and easygoing, but when she got stubborn, not even ten oxen could pull her back.

As the sun gradually sank below the horizon, its afterglow bathed the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street in gold, which then slowly turned gray.

The streets became increasingly deserted, and lanterns in the distance began to light up one by one.

Wei Nizi's legs went numb from sitting, so she changed her posture and hugged the food box even tighter.

Just when she thought she had waited in vain again—

The sound of horses' hooves came from the street corner.

Wei Nizi suddenly stood up and stood on tiptoe.

A figure in a blue official robe rode his horse around the street corner, looking travel-worn and tired, but his posture remained upright.

Li Ju.

"Li Huairun!" Wei Nizi ran towards him, holding up a food box.

Li Ju reined in his horse, looked down, and was stunned for a moment.

Wei Nizi ran to the front of the horse, panting, his face flushed, and his eyes were even filled with tears.

"How could you..." Li Ju dismounted.

"Here you go!" Wei Nizi shoved the food box into his arms. "Your older sister made this for you herself! I've been waiting for you for three days! Three days! Do you know that?!"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Li Ju took the food box, watched her cry, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

"I'm sorry." He squatted down to look her in the eye. "I've been too busy lately and haven't been back to the city. I've kept you waiting."

Wei Ni wiped away her tears and stubbornly said, "I wasn't waiting for you! I was just... passing by! Just passing by!"

Li Ju smiled and didn't expose her.

He opened the food box, inside were eight plum blossom pastries, neatly arranged and sprinkled with fallen flower petals. Underneath the pastries was a letter.

He glanced at it and closed the food box.

"Young lady," he said.

"Um?"

"Tomorrow, at the same time, wait for me here."

Wei Nizi blinked: "What?"

"I'll give you something delicious." Li Ju smiled, "Even better than milk custard."

Wei Nizi's eyes lit up instantly, tears still clinging to her face, but the corners of her mouth were already turned up.

"real?"

"real."

"You're not lying?"

"I'm not lying."

Wei Nizi nodded vigorously and extended his little finger: "Pinky promise."

Li Ju paused for a moment, then extended his little finger and hooked it with hers.

Wei Nizi burst into laughter through his tears, turned and ran back, but after a few steps he turned back again: "You said it! You must come tomorrow, don't leave me waiting in vain!"

"I'll definitely come."

The maidservant chased after her, wiping away Wei Nizi's tears while whispering, "My lady, you've finally decided to go back..."

Wei Nizi ignored her and walked as lightly as a deer.

Li Ju stood there, watching her figure disappear around the street corner, then looked down at the food box in his hand.

The sweet aroma of plum blossom pastries wafted out from the cracks in the box.

He didn't rush to open the letter.

Leading the horse, we slowly walked back.

As night deepened, the myriad lights of Luoyang unfolded behind him, like a dazzling galaxy.

But in his heart, there was a letter.