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

On the day the imperial decree promoting him to Director of Waterways was issued, Li Ju summoned all the officials in the directorate.

The civil and military officials in the hall stood solemnly, utterly silent.

Du Chen, Wang Yu, Zhang Yi, and Chen Mo stood on either side, while Changsun Wuji stood at the very end, dressed in a newly made blue official robe, his posture upright.

Below the hall were several minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank, all of whom Li Ju had promoted step by step from among the old staff of the Water Conservancy Bureau. They all stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, not daring to raise their heads.

Li Ju sat in the main seat, with the imperial edict and the seal of the Directorate of Waterways spread out in front of him.

His gaze slowly swept across the audience below, his voice calm yet unquestionable.

"Du Chen".

Du Chen stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subordinate is here."

"You are hereby appointed as the Assistant Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, in charge of all documents, seals, and accounts of money and grain in the Bureau. All matters of entry and exit shall be under your supervision. Without your signature, not a single penny or document may be touched."

Du Chen kowtowed: "Your subordinate obeys!"

Li Ju nodded, then shifted his gaze to the next person: "Changsun Wuji."

Changsun Wuji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said in a steady voice, "Present."

"I hereby appoint you as Military Advisor to the Directorate of Waterways, in charge of important affairs. All matters concerning the scheduling of grain transport, river management strategies, and personnel assignments shall first be discussed and decided by you, and then reported to me for approval. You shall also be in charge of the daily affairs of the Directorate."

Changsun Wuji kowtowed: "Wuji will certainly not fail in his trust."

"Wang Yu".

Wang Yu stepped forward, chest out, and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander of All Ferry Crossings and concurrently the Protectorate of the Grand Canal, overseeing all river crossings and canal passes throughout the realm. All the guards protecting the Grand Canal will be under your command. When the canal boats depart, where they go, and what they carry will all be at your command."

Wang Yu grinned, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This humble general guarantees that not a single ship will be thrown into chaos!"

"Zhang Yi".

Zhang Yi stepped forward in response and said in a simple voice, "Here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the River Commissioner, in charge of the river embankment camp and river engineering dams. You will oversee all river dredging, embankment repairs, and canal construction. All laborers, materials, and encampments for river engineering will be under your jurisdiction."

Zhang Yi scratched his head and said loudly, "Understood, sir!"

"Chen Mo."

A man calmly stepped forward from the hall, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subordinate is here."

"You are hereby appointed as the Director of the Boat Bureau, concurrently in charge of patrolling the grain transport vessels, overseeing the construction, repair, allocation, and inspection of both public and private transport vessels. You are also authorized to carry out tasks at your discretion, including apprehending thieves along the river, suppressing deserters, and investigating smuggling."

Chen Mo kowtowed, his voice low and firm: "I will not fail in my mission."

The minor officials below the hall all stood with their heads bowed and heads bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly—they were all promoted by Li Ju himself, and now they understood even more clearly that from now on, the entire Water Conservancy Bureau would be completely under Li Ju's control.

The five key positions of the Directorate of Waterways—the Military Advisor in charge of military affairs, the Supervisor in charge of official seals, the Director of the various ferry crossings in charge of water transport, the Director of the River Administration in charge of engineering, and the Director of the Boat Administration in charge of boats—were all in the hands of Li Ju's confidants in an instant.

From this day forward, the Water Registry will be a unified entity.

Li Ju stood up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "His Majesty has entrusted me with the responsibility of transporting grain across the land. This is a divine favor, but also a heavy burden. With the three campaigns imminent, the grain transport is the lifeline of our supplies. I will not ask who you were before. From this day forward, the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau will have only one rule—obey orders and do your utmost. Anyone who makes a mistake will be punished according to military law."

The people below responded in unison.

A few days later, the two junior supervisors took office.

Yuwen Xiaojie went first. He was in his early thirties, with a fair complexion and a slightly plump figure. He wore a brand-new scarlet official robe, with a silver fish-shaped pouch at his waist. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits.

He was Yuwen Shu's nephew and Yuwen Yue's cousin. He came to the Capital Water Conservancy Bureau as a junior supervisor, clearly to support Li Ju.

"Supervisor Li, it's an honor to meet you." Yuwen Xiaojie cupped his hands in greeting, smiling warmly. "My father asked me to tell you that you are welcome to ask for anything, so please don't hesitate to ask."

Li Ju returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Junior Supervisor Yuwen. The affairs of the Water Conservancy Bureau are very complicated, and I will need your guidance."

"I wouldn't dare offer guidance," Yuwen Xiaojie waved his hand. "I hate trouble the most. Supervisor Li is reliable, so I'll just relax and have some tea at the yamen."

He did what he said he would do.

On his first day in office, he set up a recliner in his duty room, brewed a pot of tea, opened a book, and read it with great interest.

When someone came to him for official business, he would always wave his hand and say, "Go find Supervisor Li, I don't understand."

The second junior supervisor was surnamed Wang, named Ying, courtesy name Zizheng, and came from the Wang clan of Taiyuan.

He was in his early forties, with a thin face and a rigid and serious look in his eyes.

On his first day in office, he went through all the regulations and documents of the Water Conservancy Bureau, and the more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

The next morning, Wang Ying went to Du Chen's duty room.

"Supervisor Du, I need to review the grain transport accounts for the past six months."

Du Chen raised his head, his expression calm and neither humble nor arrogant: "Junior Supervisor Wang, the account books are being checked and have not yet been completed. They will be sent to you for review after the check is finished."

"Checking?" Wang Ying frowned. "Aren't the waterworks records checked monthly? Why are they still checking them?"

Du Chen said, "Last month, grain and fodder were transported frequently from Hedong, resulting in numerous accounts. I am currently reviewing each item to avoid errors. If you need it urgently, Vice Director Wang, you can look at the accounts from the previous few months first."

Wang Ying stared at him for a moment, snorted coldly, and turned to go to Wang Yu's duty room.

"Lord Wang Jinling, I wish to examine the troop registers, training records, and garrison distribution of the grain transport corps."

Wang Yu was wiping his knife, not even looking up: "Junior Supervisor Wang, the escorting army is under the command of the Zhujin Commander, and troop deployment requires a handwritten order from Supervisor Li. Without the order, I cannot show it to you."

"I am the Junior Supervisor of the Naval Command. Do I need a warrant to check the troop register?"

"That's the rule." Wang Yu put down his knife, looked at him indifferently, "If the junior supervisor wants to see, go to Supervisor Li for a warrant. This general only obeys Supervisor Li."

Wang Ying was so angry that his face turned pale, and he turned around to go find Changsun Wuji.

"Military Advisor Changsun, I wish to inquire about the recent canal transport scheduling plan of the Water Conservancy Bureau."

Changsun Wuji was reviewing documents when he heard this. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Supervisor Wang, the canal transport scheduling plan is being drafted and has not yet been finalized. Once it is finalized, it will be presented to you for review."

"Not finalized yet? What have you all been doing these days?"

Changsun Wuji's expression remained unchanged: "We are currently collecting data from all parties, calculating the number of grain ships, the allocation of laborers, and the progress of river dredging. All of this will take time. If the Junior Supervisor wishes to know more details, he can come again after the plan is finalized."

Wang Ying gritted her teeth and went to find Zhang Yi again.

"Zhanghe Office, I need to go to the river embankment camp for an on-site inspection."

Zhang Yi chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head: "Junior Supervisor Wang, the river embankment camp is outside the city, the construction sites are scattered, and the journey is long. If you want to go, you'll need to prepare carriages and guards in advance, and you'll also need to report to Supervisor Li. Why don't you tell Supervisor Li first, and I'll make the arrangements?"

Wang Ying took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and turned to find Li Ju.

Li Ju was looking at a map in his duty room when Wang Ying entered. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Junior Supervisor Wang, what brings you here?"

Wang Ying suppressed his anger and said, "Supervisor Li, I have been ordered to come to the Water Conservancy Bureau to assist you in regulating the canal transport, auditing accounts, and supervising river works."

Now, when I want to check the accounts, Supervisor Du says the accounts haven't been checked; when I want to inspect the troops, Magistrate Wang says I need a warrant; when I want to inquire about matters, Military Advisor Changsun says the plan hasn't been finalized; and when I want to go to the river embankment camp, Director Zhang says I need to report it.

"May I ask, Supervisor Li, what is the role of a junior supervisor like myself?"

Li Ju remained calm, pondered for a moment, and said, "Wang Shaojian is right. How about this, after the accounts are checked, the plan is finalized, and the river works are completed, I will personally accompany Shaojian to inspect the various places. With the Liaodong expedition imminent, the canal transport affairs are numerous and complex, and things are indeed hectic. I ask for Shaojian's understanding."

Looking at his indifferent face, Wang Ying felt a lump in her throat, unable to breathe.

Just as they were at an impasse, Yuwen Xiaojie strolled in slowly, carrying a teacup. He yawned and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, why bother with all this trouble? Supervisor Li is reliable, so we can rest assured. Come, come, I just got a packet of good tea, have a taste."

Wang Ying glared at him, then turned and left.

Yuwen Xiaojie was not annoyed. He cupped his hands in greeting to Li Ju and returned to his duty room with a smile.

For the next few days, Wang Ying was restless and uneasy in her duty room.

He wanted to check the accounts, but Du Chen was always "checking"; he wanted to mobilize troops, but Wang Yu always needed a "hand order"; he wanted to inquire about matters, but Changsun Wuji was always "going through procedures"; he wanted to go to the river embankment camp, but Zhang Yi was always "arranging" it.

He asked Yuwen Xiaojie for help, but Yuwen Xiaojie yawned and said, "Brother, why make things difficult for yourself? Supervisor Li is the Director of Waterways, appointed by the Emperor himself. You and I are just assistants. Wouldn't it be better to do our jobs well, collect our salaries, and drink tea?"

Wang Ying slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Yuwen Xiaojie! Are you an official appointed by the court, or a retainer of Li Ju?"

Yuwen Xiaojie wasn't annoyed and said with a smile, "I'm just a tea drinker."

Wang Ying was completely speechless.

On this day, he sat alone in his duty room, a blank patrol document spread out in front of him. He picked up his pen, then put it down again.

Outside the window, people were coming and going in the courtyard of the Water Conservancy Bureau. Du Chen hurried past carrying account books, Changsun Wuji was giving instructions to several minor officials under the eaves, and Wang Yu rode back from outside, his armor still covered in mud from the river. Everyone was busy, and everyone had something to do.

He alone had nothing to do.

He put down his pen and let out a long sigh.

The exterior of the Water Conservancy Bureau still resembled the government offices of the Sui Dynasty, but inside it had long been Li Ju's private residence, decided by a single word.

This deputy commander, aside from his daily roll call and office duties, had nothing to decide and no one to transfer.

He was unwilling to accept it, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

In the evening, Li Ju came out of his duty room and passed by Wang Ying's duty room. Seeing that the light was still on, he stopped for a moment.

He didn't knock, just glanced at the door, and then turned and left.

With the third campaign imminent, he had no time to concern himself with the resentment of a mere junior prisoner.